7 night, big ship, 2 adults, 1 kid, $2500; possible?

[LMaxwell]

Is it possible for 2 adults and 1 child to get on one of the larger ships, out of Florida, for a "standard" caribbean sailing, interior (but not GTY). Do not really care where it goes and flexible on any given week.

 

Cruise fare, taxes, port fee for $2500 possible? (Excluding gratuity, incidentals, insurance, tours, travel to and from).

 

My wife has a Disney Visa card; any benefits there, does Amex ever offer a Disney benefit? Are there gift cards, AAA, AARP, etc. that can be used for discounts?

[Lollipop's Mom]

DCL doesn’t really ever offer anything but military and Florida resident discounts. Honestly $2500 for 3 is a stretch for Disney. If you can travel within 60 days and pay in full you might get that rate with an IGT rate. These are pay in full discounted rates. They come out after final payments are due to help sell off rooms. Google around for historical dates IGT OGT VGT have been offered. You should talk to a travel agent who specializes in DCL and they can keep you informed of deals. These rates come out in off season. You can also judge how sold out ships are yourself and see if it might happen. Good luck!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Kamloops50]

If you look at something other than Disney . There are cruises that will be close to that amount

[LMaxwell]

Thanks for the tips; we are FL Residents. I'll watch for the past final payment deals too.

 

If $2500 is not likely; what is a number that would be reasonable to shoot for?

[LMaxwell]

If you look at something other than Disney . There are cruises that will be close to that amount

 

I regularly pay $1200-2200 for 3ppl/7 day on other lines depending on room type, perks, etc. I know disney is more, but want to see if I can do it on the cheap for 2500. Wife really wants to try it out and having a hard time justifying more than double other lines. Edit: We have been to most of the eastern and western caribbean ports, so itinerary does not matter; wife would like to see Castaway Cay. Also my wife is a park annual pass holder, does that make any difference?

Edited April 25, 2018 by LMaxwell

[Kamloops50]

I regularly pay $1200-2200 for 3ppl/7 day on other lines depending on room type, perks, etc. I know disney is more, but want to see if I can do it on the cheap for 2500. Wife really wants to try it out and having a hard time justifying more than double other lines.

 

ONe online agent was showing 7 day inside cruises from Miami for about $800 pp plus tax.

[moki'smommy]

You specified that you wanted the "big" ship, which would be the Fantasy for a 7 night cruise. I just looked at SEPTEMBER rates (low season, usually a little cheaper). The best I could find was $4000 for 3 people.

 

On other lines, you can do much better. But if you want Disney, you'll pay the big bucks.

[LMaxwell]

Yeah, somehow I kept forgetting to add my kid! Cheapest I am finding for any 7 night is around 3800 for a basic interior. I could go to Alaska on another line, w airfare, for that. I'll just have to keep watching out.

[moki'smommy]

If Alaska is a possibility, I wouldn't even think about DCL. I have a reservation in a suite on another line for less than I would have to pay for an inside room on DCL. Besides, you go to Alaska for the wildlife and scenery. That is largely the same, regardless of which "floating hotel" you use. And other lines have better licenses than DCL--for example, Disney can't go into Glacier Bay.

 

In fairness, DCL is superior in their entertainment, especially their main stage productions. DCL ships are prettier. And, of course, they have the characters. These things are far more important on a cruise with a lot of sea days than on one where the ports and scenery are the focus.

[LMaxwell]

Agree. For a regular eastern or western caribbean cruise we would probably only get off ship at Castaway Cay and take advantage of ship offerings most of the time. If I am going to pay the difference it won't be because we are going to ports we have visited already, it will be for the ship amenities and Disney offerings. For Alaska which will be expensive I will look for good value bc the ship is just transport; a line with a strong enrichment program could be a deciding factor too.

[kodesthemoose]

The lowest I've found in a couple years of pricing for 3 is probably about $3,600 or so for a 7 night caribbean sailing. There is a 6 night from Galveston on Nov 2, 2018 for $3,319.... that's about the lowest, but of course isn't from FL.

[moki'smommy]

The lowest I've found in a couple years of pricing for 3 is probably about $3,600 or so for a 7 night caribbean sailing. There is a 6 night from Galveston on Nov 2, 2018 for $3,319.... that's about the lowest, but of course isn't from FL.

And that isn't the Fantasy, which he wants.

 

Every Alaska cruise that I know of has some sort of enrichment program. The problem is that you don't know how good they will be till you are on the ship. Some speakers are great, others are awful...and they can change so you may not have the same one as the previous sailing had. That said, the Alaska programs we've had have been generally decent. The Panama Canal speakers, on the other hand, are a different animal! That particularly applies to the ones who narrate the passage. Awful, on two different lines. Disney had a good cultural speaker, but the canal transit narrator was awful. The speaker on Princess was awful from start to finish.

[kodesthemoose]

^Yes sorry - I forgot to mention that one wasn't the Fantasy.

[Cruise>Work]

Your best price option is usually a Florida resident rate during a non-peak season when kids are in school. If you do go that route then try to book a placeholder reservation while onboard so that if you do want to go again (within 2 years) then you lock in a reduced deposit and better rate.

 

One way we bring the price down a tiny bit is to wait till Discover runs a 5% cashback on warehouse club purchases and then buy Disney gift cards at Sam's club where you can get $150 gift cards for about $145. It is not a huge savings but if you save $5 on every 150 and then get the 5% cashback it does end up taking a few hundred dollars out of the total cost. Make sure to get some extra gift cards you can apply to your onboard account for gratuities and any onboard purchases and at least get a small savings on those as well.