75 days out, what are the chances?

[babyh200]

Hi,

I'm new to DCL and would be grateful for some help. I have cruised previously on 3 occasions, but only on Carnival ships.

 

My DH and I planned to take a cruise (didnt mind which company|) this March/April but discovered our new bundle of joy is too young to sail on any other line except Disney! Obviously, if we had realised we would have waited but we had already booked the flights with Virgin Atlantic.

 

We are a family of five, two adults and 3 children age 10, 8 and currently 12 weeks.

 

We are flying into Orlando March 25th until April 15th. I have searched the forums in relation to last minute bookings and have quickly gathered that its best to book a Disney Cruise way in advance to get the best price.

 

There are about 15 possible sailings and we are completely flexible, however I think we will be unable to stretch financially to any of the 7 day ones!

 

Does anyone have any experience with the last minute GT rates who could advise me? On the DCL website it only shows reduced rates for January. Please feel free to let me know if I'm hoping for the impossible. We would be prepared to drive to Miami in order to get a longer duration but also need to factor in tolls/petrol/vacation time when deciding if its worth while. There is one on 4/4/14 from Miami (Western Caribbean) that we would consider, but I would really love to go to Castaway Cay if I had the chance.

 

Any thoughts/advice welcome

Thanks Mandy

[Loonbeam]

I'm not sure you would have age issues with other lines. I've seen 1 month olds on Princess and RCCL (the difference is Princess has no nursery at all and RCCL is pay I think).

 

That said, IF there are any discounted rooms, I typically tend to see them within 30 days of sailing. Given Disney only has 4 ships, they tend to fill up easier than the other lines..

[moki'smommy]

If you are truly at 75 days now (75 days from what if there is no cruise booked? From the air?), there is a chance of seeing *GT rates become available soon. However, 75 days from now puts you at early April, right? This is prime "spring break" time in the US when cruises do tend to fill up as the kids are on school breaks. This time lasts 4-6 weeks as not all schools are on the same calendars.

 

I'm not seeing any specials for April right now, but there is a chance that they will become available soon. The magical date is the 75 days before cruising as that is the start of the penalty period. Just a thought--I have a great TA who tracks all DCL specials and issues a weekly e-mail about them. Perhaps you can locate one who gives such service and will help you find a "deal."

[Loonbeam]

BTW that is a typo - I meant to say 6 months- and thats at time of sailing, so if your newborn is 3 months plus now you are fine..

 

I'm not sure you would have age issues with other lines. I've seen 1 month olds on Princess and RCCL (the difference is Princess has no nursery at all and RCCL is pay I think).

 

That said, IF there are any discounted rooms, I typically tend to see them within 30 days of sailing. Given Disney only has 4 ships, they tend to fill up easier than the other lines..

[babyh200]

Loonbeam: my baby is 12 weeks tommorrow and will be literally 2 weeks too young to sail on any other line....she was born on October 21st.

 

Moki: Sorry, I didnt explain myself very well.....I was wondering what the chances are of getting a deal at 75 days out.....so in the immediate future depending on which Disney Cruise. (We fly in 71 days!) I totally understand about the spring breakers and was wondering if any regulars could guide me on my best bet between 25th March and April 11.

 

For example......do lots of people want a particular ship out of the 3 ships in Port Canaveral/Miami on these dates?

 

I suppose my main reason for asking is that I dont know what the usual price of a Disney Cruise is in the first place, so I have nothing to compare between early/late rates!

 

By the way, we adore Disney World and this will be our 8th visit since 2008.....we have done the parks loads which is why we branched out into cruising in the last few years :)

 

Thanks again for taking the time to reply :)

[Loonbeam]

Apparently I can't do math and added 3 months + 75 days = 6 months.

 

In terms of who picks what, I think you might end up with a better chance at the 7 days. That said, prices right now look fairly in line with average pricing, I don't see any reductions that stand out.

 

Disney is not going to drop the rates until they know they have to to fill cabins. That could be 71 days or 10 or none. There is no real way to predict. When we did our dream cruise, the price was more than we originally booked at 1 year earlier up to the date of cruising.

 

The best way I could suggest to figure out demand is do some sample bookings and see what cabins show. If you see a ton of cabins, either the cruise has not sold well or they haven't assigned GTYs yet

 

 

Loonbeam: my baby is 12 weeks tommorrow and will be literally 2 weeks too young to sail on any other line....she was born on October 21st.

 

Moki: Sorry, I didnt explain myself very well.....I was wondering what the chances are of getting a deal at 75 days out.....so in the immediate future depending on which Disney Cruise. (We fly in 71 days!) I totally understand about the spring breakers and was wondering if any regulars could guide me on my best bet between 25th March and April 11.

 

For example......do lots of people want a particular ship out of the 3 ships in Port Canaveral/Miami on these dates?

 

I suppose my main reason for asking is that I dont know what the usual price of a Disney Cruise is in the first place, so I have nothing to compare between early/late rates!

 

By the way, we adore Disney World and this will be our 8th visit since 2008.....we have done the parks loads which is why we branched out into cruising in the last few years :)

 

Thanks again for taking the time to reply :)

[moki'smommy]

3 months + 75 days = just under 6 months!

 

OK, I'm a regular...spring break time is not a good time to see deals as there are lots of families wanting to cruise. When there are deals to be handed out, they are usually on line 60-75 days before embarkation. But as stated, they can show up at any time or never. If you get a *GT, you have to pay in full at the time of booking and make no changes, etc. Be sure to read the restrictions NOW and have the money in place so you can make the booking.

 

They do try to fill the ships, but how they do it varies. Sometimes it is special rates for FL residents or CMs, other times specials are open to the general public.

 

There is no "usual" price. The prices fluctuate from year to year. We have cruised twice for $599 per person for 7 nights, but normally it is significantly more than that. As above, go on line and look at cabins/categories available. This will give you an idea of how full the ship might be, but doesn't promise anything as they may have oversold some categories and have guests who need to be assigned to rooms. HOwever, it does give you a rough idea. For example, for the April 3 cruise, I'm seeing ALL categories open for 2 or 3 guests, but many sold out if I move to 4 or 5. THis tells me that there are spaces available but not that would work for you.

 

Since you are a family of 5, if there are no 5 person cabins available you might want to look at 2 cabins. Yes, you'll pay adult rates for the kids, but it will get you rooms...and if you can get connecting cabins, you're golden!

[Trekker954]

I was a first time booker but very experienced with other lines. What I found was Disney rarely has sales, however, they do offer GT rates to fill up cabins at about 30-50 days out. And Florida resident rates at about 30-40 days out.

 

We picked up a sweet 3 nighter resident rate for $270.

 

We could have booked a GTY sooner at slightly more, but the one thing we really did want the inside to experience the magic porthole. We were afraid the GT they might have given us an oceanview.

 

it all worked out. We leave on Thursday:D

[babyh200]

Never mind the maths.....how dumb am I for not realising that cruise lines dont take babies under 6 months!!

 

Loonbeam: I'm dedicated to the search and have been checking every day, however when I do a dummy run the system doesn't take me to the ship layout to choose a cabin as it would on the carnival site. Am I doing something wrong because it just goes straight to the payment page! Thanks!

 

Moki: You have confirmed my fears about spring break and I know theres a possibility we might not get anything....I suppose the only good thing is we are very flexible.....we are also willing to get 2 seperate cabins. Those $599 deals were amazing your really lucky! I know Disney is a premium cruiseline and I really hope we get to go......however I know I need to be realistic and have a maximum budget of around £2000. Can I ask about the restrictions you mentioned? From reading the forums I know the GT cabins are not assigned until you get on the ship (or very near to the sail date) and that you can be assigned a cabin anywhere on the ship. (would sleep in the engine room if necessary lol) Is there anything else I need to be aware of other than no alterations/amendments/refunds? Thanks so much!

 

Trekker: What an amazing price....I bet your delighted with that. The magical porthole sounds fantastic.....have a fab time :)

 

Thank you once again for your kind replies

[babyh200]

Linda, I noticed the Liberty in your signature. We sailed on the Liberty last Easter (Western Caribbean) and went Cave Tubing in Belize it was amazing one of my best experiences ever!

[moki'smommy]

Moki: You have confirmed my fears about spring break and I know theres a possibility we might not get anything....I suppose the only good thing is we are very flexible.....we are also willing to get 2 seperate cabins. Those $599 deals were amazing your really lucky! I know Disney is a premium cruiseline and I really hope we get to go......however I know I need to be realistic and have a maximum budget of around £2000. Can I ask about the restrictions you mentioned? From reading the forums I know the GT cabins are not assigned until you get on the ship (or very near to the sail date) and that you can be assigned a cabin anywhere on the ship. (would sleep in the engine room if necessary lol) Is there anything else I need to be aware of other than no alterations/amendments/refunds? Thanks so much!

 

Thank you once again for your kind replies

 

Restrictions can be viewed in full on the DCL page. Basically, with a *GT booking you can be assigned to any cabin of that type or nicer (if you book an IGT, you can be assigned to an oceanview or verandah.) You must pay in full at the time of booking and NO changes are allowed. No refunds of any sort. No name changes, no moving of dates, etc. Travel insurance is a good idea as no matter what happens, you will not get any sort of refund or credit from DCL (but they tell you that ahead of time.)

 

Your cabin is most commonly assigned about 2 weeks before the cruise, but it is possible to have no assignment till you arrive at the terminal.

 

Your biggest problem is going to be a family of 5. Rooms that sleep 5 have serious discounts only rarely. But, all you can do is to keep looking.

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

I noticed on the CCL forum that there is a thread about when people's spring breaks are around the country. You might make a note of that. However, our 3 day for the 2013 year on the Dream DID have a VGT deal come up (April 11, which was Atlanta's spring break), and it was an incredible cruise for our family! So don't worry about having to book a 7 day if you can't. It is possible to get a *GT to come up, but they can't be guaranteed. I would hit the parks for a few days (any of them, Sea World has a combo for Busch Gardens, both parks visits for $99 http://seaworldparks.com/en/seaworld-orlando/Book-Online/Tickets/2for99 through May 15, I think we may do it! Its wonderful! Or check out Universal or a day or two at the Disney parks.) to make up the difference (or just hang out at a nice hotel! We rented a vacation home for the pre-cruise and got a good deal at http://www.royaleparcsuitesorlando.com/ for suites for post cruise, which includes breakfast and park shuttles and has a nice pool and family set up. Keep checking every single day! Even the *GTs when they are released can be snatched up super quick. Basically make it like your daily check for news, weather, Disney rates, etc.

 

Also, I wouldn't book it online, I would book it over the phone with a 100% guarantee from your Personal Cruise Vacation Planner through Disney that there are no limits with the ages of your youngster, just to be sure. GTs are NOT REFUNDABLE and our PAID IN FULL AT BOOKING.

 

As a side note, the only way we were able to join our parents this year on their Disney cruise was to sign up for the Chase Visa rewards. We signed up for the free one and were able to move our reservation on to it so that we would qualify for 6 months NO INTEREST FINANCING and a $50 on board credit. Since we have had that card, we have gotten about $300 in rewards and gift cards with the FREE non premier card. In November, I decided to give my personal credit a boost (always going under my honey's cards, but now I have MY OWN to add to MY credit history) and signed up for the Premier account ($49 annual fee). I got a $200 gift card for signing up and already have $100 for 2 months of having it! So between the two cards, I am close to $600 in rewards/cards for signing up and using the Disney Chase cards, and I still have 4 months to get more rewards towards our trip! At this point, half our cruise is paid for, and we only opened up the first account in March. So if you think you might be doing more Disney cruising (as we KNEW WE WOULD as soon as we got on board), we put everything we can on those accounts and pay them off as best as we can and we will definitely be enjoying the benefits of having them in May!

 

But in your case, having them for the 6 months interest free could help if that is a concern! (Also the premier can be switched out for reimbursement for air tickets if you don't want Disney points.)

 

Just a thought. I hope you get to go on your trip. What an introduction in to the world! Being born, and then going right on a Disney Cruise! Whatever else will the baby do for the rest of its life?! :D

 

No one does family cruising like Disney! I LOVE to see those itty bitty baby photos with the princesses and Mickey characters. I don't even have kids, and I LOVE it!

Edited January 13, 2014 by TwinPrincessMermaids

[babyh200]

Moki: Thanks for explaining the restrictions :) thats really helpful!

 

TwinPrincessMermaids: Thank you for the great advice and for the links to the Seaworld Offer and accomodation! We will definitely hit the parks for a few days....I must confess to being a bit nervous about taking the baby so young, but a friend of my DH said a baby is much easier to handle than a toddler and after a month of sleepless nights she is sleeping through :)

 

I'm trying not to get too excited in case we don't get anything but keeping my fingers crossed.

 

Will keep you updated!!

[Luckylucyrn14]

We had been watching for *GT rates for the Feb 2 cruise on the Wonder. Finally got one 23 days before sailing. We had pretty much resigned ourselves to a RC cruise that sailed the week later (hadn't booked it either, watching for deals) and were surprised to see that there was finally a deal. So even with only a few weeks till sail date something could come up.

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

We booked three weeks out!

 

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