Booking a disney cruise

[Bobster17]

What is the best way to book a disney cruise to endure we get a good stateroom and deck? We have never been on a cruise, thinking of the sailing on the Dream in April. Should I book directly thru Disney, a travel agent here at home or thru an online site such as Priceline that seem too offer on line credits etc. Advice needed.

Edited March 5, 2014 by Bobster17
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[DISNEY FANTASY]

What is the best way to book a disney cruise to endure we get a good stateroom and deck? We have never been on a cruise, thinking of the sailing on the Dream in April. Should I book directly thru Disney, a travel agent here at home or thru an online site such as Priceline that seem too offer on line credits etc. Advice needed.

 

Book by a good DCL TA Search online.

 

They should specialise in DCL and I would say they get the best decks and rooms.

 

Now you get good service, on board credits and on release day avoid hanging on the phone for hours or getting your online booking lost just before you pay up.

 

You do not loose any control, in fact have more control as they have clout with DCL, you can book Palo and shore trips direct you only have to pay funds via the TA to DCL.

Edited March 5, 2014 by DISNEY FANTASY

[Shmoo here]

What is the best way to book a disney cruise to endure we get a good stateroom and deck? We have never been on a cruise, thinking of the sailing on the Dream in April. Should I book directly thru Disney, a travel agent here at home or thru an online site such as Priceline that seem too offer on line credits etc. Advice needed.

 

Price-wise, it really doesn't matter where you purchase your cruise. DCL doesn't allow TAs to discount their rates. Where you might find savings is in the fact that some TAs (both on line and brick and mortar) may offer perks for booking through them as a thank you for using them to book the cruise(that comes out of their "cut").

 

Generally the further out you book, the lower the price and better selection of rooms. As the rooms fill, the prices go up and, when a certain percentage of rooms within a specific category is reserved, the category goes "guarantee" (GTY). That means that you can still select the category of room you wish (4A, 8C, 9D, whatever), but cannot select a specific room. The price will be the same. DCL will assign room that are booked as GTY at a later date.

[moki'smommy]

As noted, the price of the cruise is the same no matter how you book. DCL sets the prices and does not allow anyone to undercut them.

 

Personal opinion here--DO NOT use an "agent" like Priceline or Hotwire to book a cruise. They offer you nothing and are a hassle if you have issues.

 

DO use an agency that specializes in DCL/Disney but is also a full service agency. I can't get the service from any local agency that I get from the one I use....We can't discuss specific agencies here, but we can discuss what a good agency does. I like "extended hours" so that I can talk to them evenings/weekends. Not 24/7, but nice. An emergency phone number should anything happen while traveling. Agents who are on salary, not commission. Communication MY way (whether that is e-mail, phone, snail mail, etc). A real office, not a collection of people on blackberries! Long term experience of the various employees.

 

And, as a bonus, a nice onboard credit as a "thanks for booking" gift. But in honesty, it is the service that matters, not the OBC. Don't book with jerks--a bad agent/agency (and both need to be good) is nothing but a pain in the rear.

[c-cruise]

I've found that you sometimes can find better prices than what are published on the Disney site. We are looking at a cat 04C on the Fantasy for Jan 2015 and TA's price is roughly $500 less than booking through Disney including all taxes and port charges. Same thing on our 2012 Fantasy cruise, booked through an online TA because they were less expensive. Maybe they are finding discounts I don't know about, maybe they are taking it out of their commission. Don't know, but either way we have had good luck with getting better rates through a TA. Of course YMMV.

[PhillyRomantic]

I have always booked directly through Disney Cruise Line (DCL). I have found it much easier than dealing with a TA. When it comes to travel, I prefer to do the legwork for my family. I have been very happy with DCL and their customer service.

 

 

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[kurukthemal]

Core prices are the same, but you can get some very good OBC's from reputable, Disney centric TA's. Booking further out is cheaper, especially when dates are first released.