The best way to save money on a Disney cruise is to rebook while onboard. Here is how the process works:
While on the ship you need to visit the Future Cruise Sales Desk (right next to the atrium) and put down a $250 (per stateroom) deposit (this increased from $200 on 12/5/15). This secures you a place holder without you having to decide on a specific sailing or room at that time. You may go ahead and book a specific sailing if you already know what you want to do, but if not, you can go home and think about it and then choose your sailing and room at a later date. If you change your mind after you get home, the $250 is refundable. Also, you have to start your cruise within 24 months of the day you reserve the placeholder (if you think you will be pushing the limit on this, visit the future cruise desk at the end of your cruise rather than the beginning to gain a few days). If you take advantage of this offer, you will receive:
10% off the base cruise fare (except concierge rooms – no discount for those)
Onboard credit of either $100 (3-6 night cruises) or $200 (7+ night cruises)
DCL removed this onboard credit benefit at the end of September 2019, except for concierge rooms which still get the onboard credit but not the 10% discount
Reduced deposit (10% instead of 20%) for 7+ night cruises
Some important notes:
Every time we have booked another cruise while onboard we were required to pay the deposit with a credit card. They would not charge it to our room (thus not allowing us to use any onboard credit). You could also use a Disney gift card.
If you reserve a concierge room onboard (or reserve a placeholder onboard and then switch it to a concierge stateroom after you get home), the deposit will always be non-refundable, as is the case with any concierge reservation. You may move it to different sailings and even downgrade your room category, but that initial deposit amount will always remain nonrefundable.
This offer cannot be combined with any other special offers or discounts.
Offer is not valid on 2 night cruises.
This offer is limited to 2 staterooms on 1 future cruise date (per household sailing).
Name changes may by made on the reservation so long as 1 adult on the original booking remains on the reservation.
Certain sailing dates are considered block-out dates and will NOT receive the 10% discount.
Finally, just a little bit of information about the Future Cruise Sales Desk onboard the ships. They are often busy and even if there are only 2 or 3 people ahead of you in line, you may end up waiting for quite a while since some people have lots of questions and need a while to decide exactly what they want to do. If there are 5 or 6 people in line, you could possibly end up waiting up to an hour or more. So, if you happen to walk by and there is a Cast Member there AND no line, jump at the opportunity if you can! The chance may not occur again for the rest of your cruise. They have recently begun using a virtual line, where you scan your KTTW card to be assigned a place in line. There is a monitor that shows the line order. You will get an alert on the Navigator App and a message to your room’s wave phone when you are the next person to be helped.
Another option is to fill out a card (provided at the desk) stating what you would like to book and drop it in a box on the desk. This will get you your onboard booking, but obviously will not provide you with an opportunity to ask any questions you may have beforehand. But, this would be a good option if you know you just want to pay the $250 for the placeholder.
ETA 11/2019: You can now reserve a placeholder on the Navigator app and avoid the Future Cruise Sales desk altogether.
I strongly encourage you to think about this ahead of time so that you know what you want to do once you get on the ship. I have talked to people who have not rebooked onboard and really regretted it, so don’t be one of those people! Have a plan before you get onboard!
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We plan to book on board–question though…I used target bought disney gift cards to pay for the current. Would you recommend buying them in advance for the deposit too? Or is that overkill?
I actually do not know if they would allow the use of gift cards for the deposit or not. You may need to call DCL and ask or ask your travel agent, if you use one. I DO know that they will not allow you to charge the deposit to your on board account – it MUST be charged directly to a credit card (I asked because we had an on board credit that I would have loved to have used for the deposit). We have always used the credit card that we have on file for our room charges to be charged to. I guess it is possible that they may view a gift card the same as a credit card and allow you to do it, but unfortunately I do not know the answer to that.
Put the cards into the Disney Savings Account and bring your account number with you so that you can use the Disney Savings Account to pay for the $250 deposit.
What is a Disney Savings Account? Is it a special Disney-sponsored thing? I’ve never heard of it.
Hi Dawn! I’m pretty sure the Disney Savings Account doesn’t exist anymore.
Can you still get the 10% discount if you book onboard for a cruise departing less than 4 months away? I’m cruising in 10 days. I would like to book a room (onboard) for my parents to join us on a cruise that we are already booked for in October. Is that doable?
Yes, less than 4 months away is no problem. However, one name on the new, onboard booking reservation must remain the same or the benefits will be cancelled, so think carefully about whose names you put on which rooms. Your name (or your husbands, if applicable) must be on the new reservation and thus taken off of the old reservation. I have never done something like this so I am not 100% sure on the rules, but the cast member at the future cruise sales desk on the ship will know. Or, if you want to be certain beforehand, you can call DCL and ask. I hope this helps!
Everything I am reading says that you can do the onboard booking for friends, but that you may have to put your name on the cruise. The information says as long as “One adult in each room remains the same” you can change names on the reservation. However, DCL says that the primary on the reservation cannot be changed, even though that is not exactly what the policy says. Can anyone clarify? We have friends sailing in August that were going to pay our deposit as a gift and book our two rooms for our cruise in September of 2017, but it doesn’t do anyone any good if they have to put their names on it and those names can’t be removed, as they are not sailing on our cruise in Sept 2017. Help please?? Thanks!
No, they cannot do that unless they are sailing with you on the future cruise. When they are onboard in August, they may reserve up to 2 rooms, on the same sailing, on a future cruise. The wife’s name will be put on one room, and the husband’s name will be put on the other. Your friends must be somewhere on the reservation. You may add/change other people to these 2 rooms, but the initial adult may not change. But, DCL doesn’t care who sleeps in what room but they do have to be on the ship. So what would work, is for your friends to book 2 rooms, and they sail in one room and your family sails in the second room. One of their names will be on your room reservation (and some of your family’s names may be on theirs, depending on room capacity), but each family can sleep in their own room. IF your friends don’t plan to sail with you on the future cruise, then you are out of luck. I think DCL does this to make sure that only past cruisers reap the benefits of the discount. I hope this helps!
We have our first cruise scheduled for this November but have already booked another for next Summer. Will we be able to apply the discount onboard on the cruise we booked for next year?
Hi Kat! The onboard booking discount only works for new reservations, so you will not be able to apply it to your existing reservation for next summer. But, here’s what to do to get around that…..While onboard, book a new reservation for the same sailing and same stateroom category as your existing summer reservation, pay the new deposit, and then once you get home, cancel the old reservation. Since it is so far out from the sailing, you can still cancel and get your deposit back in full (unless your summer reservation is for concierge, in which case the deposit is nonrefundable and this tactic wouldn’t work, but concierge rooms aren’t eligible for the 10% off anyway). The only thing about this method is that you may or may not be able to get the exact same room, if this is important to you. If you want to try and get the same room, your best bet is to call DCL when you get home from your November cruise (or have your travel agent do it if you are using a TA), and ask them to cancel the old reservation and then immediately switch the newer reservation to that same stateroom once it becomes available again in the system. It may work, but there is always a chance that someone else could grab that room in the few minutes it takes to complete the process. Hope this helps!
Hi. We just took our first Disney Cruise that ended November 25, 2016 (3 days ago). I went by myself with my 4 children so I was so busy wrangling 4 little kids that I didn’t have the opportunity to explore this further. Is it possible that they might honor the onboard booking discount if I were to book another cruise in the next few days? Thank you!
Hi Lara! Unfortunately you are probably out of luck. Occasionally people receive a 10% discount coupon in the mail shortly after their first cruise, if they didn’t rebook onboard. We got one, but it was back in 2013 and I don’t know if they are still doing it or how often. I do hear of people getting them occasionally, but I think it is pretty rare. Cross your fingers and check your mail carefully over the next few months!
Aw shucks. I’ll keep an eye out for a mailer. Fingers crossed!
To get the onboard credit do we have to pay for the cruise with our Disney Visa or can it be any credit card? Our onboard credit would equal $200 and I would rather get airline miles versus points for cash.
Hi Karen! You can use any credit card while rebooking on board and still get the $200 on board credit.
I see the question above about friends possibly booking a cruise for friends who are not currently on the cruise. My question is if the family on the cruise books a future cruise and adds a room for a friend, if the first family ends up canceling, does the second family(who was not on the original cruise) still reap the benefits of the 10% discount and onboard credit?
Thanks!
Hi Jen! The second family would not get the discount if the first family cancels. The rule is that one adult name on each room (the primary reservation holder) must stay the same. The family that goes on the cruise would book 2 rooms for a future cruise at 10% off, and the man would be the primary on one room, and the woman would be the primary on the other room. These names may not be removed without the entire reservations (and thus the 10% off) being cancelled. Hope this helps!
Can we book ahead more than one cruise? I’d like to book one in January 2018 and then another in September-October 2018. While on board in May, can I prebook both?
While onboard in May, you can book both but you will only get the full benefits (10% off, onboard credit, reduced deposit) for one of them. The other would be a normal booking, although you would still get an onboard credit, but no 10% off and no reduced deposit. You would have to wait until you were onboard in January 2108 to book the one for Sep-Oct 2018 in order to get the 10% off and reduced deposit.
Hello there!
I know this is an older post, but I thought I’d ask anyway…
We have an upcoming cruise this September, and I would like to book a cruise for the following September, but I’m concerned that availability may dwindle and prices may go up if I have to wait until our cruise in September to book.
Is this fear founded or am I worried over nothing?
I think it is possible that prices may go up before your cruise in September. The best thing for you to do is to go ahead and book the cruise now, and then when you are onboard in September, “reshop” the same cruise with the future cruise sales person. They will help you determine if it would be cheaper for you to keep your current reservation, or cancel and rebook with the 10% off + onboard credit. If it is cheaper to rebook, then they will make the new reservation for you, and when you get home you can cancel the old one and get a refund of the deposit (as long as it is not concierge, where the deposit is not refundable). I don’t think they could do the cancellation for you onboard, but you could always ask. This way you have ensured that you get the cheapest price possible. I hope this helps!
My questions is about the Onboard credit. If you book 2 rooms does each room get $200 OBC or does does room only get $100 OBC so the total reservation is $200? I can’t find an answer to this anywhere.
Thank You
Hi Nancy! If you book 2 rooms, each room gets its own reservation number and therefore each room gets $200 OBC for a total of $400.
Hello, if i make an onboard booking without date…how many times can i change a reservation if i choose a date and i change my mind later or we cannot travel in that date?
Hi Carlos! You can change the date as many times as you like as long as the sail date remains within the 24 month window of the original booking date, and as long as it is before the pay in full date of the currently booked cruise as that is the date that cancellation penalties begin to occur if you were to change dates.
is there a discount on a 7 day cruise that occurs over thanksgiving
Unfortunately, I have never seen a discount on a holiday cruise. In fact, the prices on holiday sailings are usually about double the cost of non-holiday sailings.
If I book a two night cruise, will I be able to get a placeholder for the next longer cruise? I know you can’t use the placeholder on a two night cruise.
Hi Amanda! Yes, you can book a placeholder cruise while onboard your 2 night cruise. The placeholder will be subject to black out dates as usual, which like you said includes 2 night cruises.
Like yours, our travel agent has cut the onboard booking credit in half, Have you found one that still offers full credit? We love the DCL Port Adventures and could use all the onboard credits we can find.
Unfortunately, I have not. 🙁
Hello! I think you’ve answer this question, but I want to clarify because my travel agent thinks differently. I did the place holder for 2 rooms on a cruise back in May. My intention was to use one room for my family, and one for a friend. I had forgotten about the 10% discount, but my travel agent said that it will only be applied to one room. I asked if she put my name on one room, and my husband’s on the other, could the discount be applied and she said no. Is this true? Should I call DCL directly?
As far as I know, as long as your name is the primary name on one room, your husband’s name is the primary on the other, and your kids and the other family are spread out amongst the 2 rooms, then the 10% discount should apply to both rooms as long as they are for the same sailing (of course DCL doesn’t care where people sleep and will even change whose cards open which room after you board). But, I’m pretty sure that the primary name on each room cannot change once the reservation is initially made, or the discount will be lost. So, you would to have needed to name you and your husband as the primary guests of each room when you made the placeholder on the ship, which you had to have done unless there were other adults traveling with you, because a child cannot be the primary guest. If you did this, then you can add/switch out the other names on each reservation without losing the discount. Of course DCL has the final say on this, but this is the way I have always understood that it worked. Hope this helps!
Hi! Are the transatlantic cruises normally eligible for the 10% off onboard reservation discount? Thanks!
Hi Karina! So far, the transatlantic cruises have all been eligible for the 10% discount, and I don’t expect that to change.
Is the $250 applied toward the cost of your cruise?
Hi Dara! Yes, the $250 goes towards the cost of the cruise.
Hi
Is the 10% discount applied to the total cost of the cruise or only to the cruise price excluding port taxes etc.
The discount only applies to the cruise fare, not taxes & port fees.
I put down a deposit for my next Disney Cruise while onboard. This was 5 months ago. I’m now ready to book my next cruise for next year. How do I get my deposit applied to my next cruise?
I have a reservation #. Do I put that number somewhere to apply the credit?\
Just curious.
If you do this on board, is the $250 party of what you would be paying for the cruise or its an extra fee to just hold a spot and a cruise?
It is applied to the price of the cruise.
We booked a placeholder on April 23, 2018.
Does the next cruise have to be completed (meaning disembarked / cruise over) by April 23,2020?
or
Do we just need to have a sail date that embarks prior to April 23,2020 (ie: Sail date April 18, 2020 and ends April 25, 2018)
Thank you in advance!
Hi Joe! According to my travel agent, the cruise only needs to start no later than April 23, 2020, and it can end after that date.
Thanks for the speedy reply! This is what we were thinking!
Hi! I have already booked a cruise for December 2020 because I needed to get a HA room for my parents and there was only one that had an available room next door (2 cabins total). I wanted to know if I could cancel/rebook the exact same rooms onboard when I cruise in July? Also, I booked directly though Disney because I wanted the process to be easier to rebook, but am I shooting myself in the foot by skipping out on using a TA for onboard credit? My concern is that my cruise will have increased in price by July which would negate my 10% discount and the chance of a decent onboard credit. July is my first cruise, so I am a newbie. Thanks in advance.
Hi Shellie! Since you booked through DCL and not a travel agent, you may be able to cancel & rebook onboard and get the same rooms. I don’t know for sure as I’ve never tried it, but you should talk to the booking agent onboard about it and see what they say – they might be able to do it for you. If not, they could give you advice for the best way to go about it. If you had used a TA, I am almost certain you would not have been able to cancel/rebook the same rooms onboard because your TA would have to do the cancellation, the agent onboard would not be able to cancel it. So, it may be to your advantage that you did not use a TA. However, you are right about the prices possibly going up enough to negate the 10% off and onboard credit. That is just the nature of the game and there is no way to avoid that – you just have to take your chances and have the booking agent onboard do the math and see if it’s a better deal to cancel/rebook or keep the original reservation. Also, you have 30 days to transfer a reservation booked through DCL to a travel agent. Some travel agents will only give half on their typical onboard credit amounts to transferred reservations vs. reservations initially booked by them – you would have to check and see if the agents you are interested in do that or not. I hope this helps and please don’t hesitate to ask more questions if you think of any!
Thanks so much for your speedy response!
I am travelling with my husband and granddaughter in Feb and would like to do two placeholders. My granddaughter is 10 and the second room would be for her and her parents travelling with us on a future cruise. Can I book the second room in her name even though she is a minor, or does the lead name need to be an adult. I’m trying to avoid having to deal with changing our room keys around once we are on board the new cruise.
Hi Valerie! Unfortunately the lead person on each room must be an adult so after boarding you will have to go to guest services and while they can’t reprogram a card to open a different room, they can give those that need it a second card that will only serve to open the room that they are staying in.