HELP!!... Son wants 7th Birthday on Disney Cruise!

[jbtyler927]

We have been on 15+ cruises (Carnival, RC, and NCL) and our son just had his 3rd last week!! We love to cruise!!! He has been asking to go on Disney for a couple of years, but we have kept him at bay until we saw the Dream sail away in Nassau at dusk!! WOW!!! We were all blown away by the lights and horn songs:D

 

My husband finally agreed that we could take a Disney cruise in June for his 7th birthday, which I feel like is perfect because as he gets older he may not be in awe like he is now. Fast forward to this week when we looked at the pricing for the 4 day cruise that falls on his birthday... $3000 for an inside room!!! YIKES!!!!

 

That is the background, this is the question. Does Disney offer last minute deals ever? Since we live in Florida we are thinking about taking the chance and waiting for a lower price, but I am not sure how Disney works to know if it is even a possibility. I know Disney cruises are AMAZING because I have friends and family that have been on them, but when we just paid $2200 for a seven day cruise in a mini-suite to the Eastern Caribbean, the price is hard for us to swallow ;) TIA for any advice!!!

[AUDirt]

Which ship are you looking at? There was a report somewhere else on here that, among the older ships, there was a big price difference between the Magic and the Wonder (one of them has been refurbished recently).

 

With Disney, there seems to be a big discount for booking early. My Dad is going on a 7-night Fantasy voyage in April; his fare was $3k for a balcony cabin. Of course, he booked close to a year in advance.

[SHayesShip]

I wish I had a better answer for you. However, DCL tends to sail full and prices tend to increase closer to sail date. Also, you are looking at high season for parents with children being out of school. I think the odds of pricing dropping are slim. You could book now. Watch pricing until final due date and ask for price change if drops prior to final.

[moki'smommy]

I wouldn't look for deals in June. That's prime time cruising season as school is out.

 

That said, if you can go in May, there are super deals to be had. One May we get an inside cabin for $599 per person (first 2) and $499 third person! That was my daughter's graduation trip--7 nights on the Magic.

 

That is not a "usual" rate. However, we can often bring in the price at about $100 per person per night, and I rarely go above $1000 per person for a week. At that point, I start looking elsewhere. For that rate, I've gotten insides and balconies!

 

OK, things to look for--specials usually are announced within 75 days of cruising--after the penalty period starts. Since you live in Florida, look for FLR (Florida Resident) discounts as well as IGT/OGT/VGT rates. These are restricted fares (no changes, must be paid in full at time of booking, etc), that are steeply discounted.

 

To get the best deals, you have to be able to cruise "off season." For DCL, that means when schools are in session. I'd suggest that you look at the school calendar and decide whether your child can miss a week or cruise during a week that already has off days (parent/teacher conferences or whatever). Then connect with a great travel agent who specializes in DCL and will keep you informed of any specials (I get a weekly newsletter with any great rates noted as well as FB announcements when prices are reduced or specials announced). And keep watching for specials!

[boulders]

Other options would be to take cruises outside of the Caribbean. In May and June, you can get Disney cruises that are: a 12 day transatlantic, a 15 day Panama Canal, Alaska, Mediterranean or the California Coast. There are cheap fares available now for the transatlantic and Panama Canal - around $3000. A 7 night Med cruise can be had for a little more than a 3 or 4 night Bahamas cruise.

 

Disney likes to fill their ships early. The best deals are usually more than 6 months out.

[moki'smommy]

 

Disney likes to fill their ships early. The best deals are usually more than 6 months out.

 

This used to be true. However, most of the Kids Sail Free, *GT, and FL resident rates are not announced until after the penalty date for the cruise--which is 75 days before embarkation for Caribbean cruises. Other cruises (Med, Panama, TA, etc.) have penalty dates 120 days prior to embarkation and thus, special rates may be seen sooner on those cruises.

 

You are correct that there are currently special rates for the West Bound Panama crossing in May. As of yesterday, the TAs were a good value, but prices haven't changed since the EBTA was announced. No special rates on that one yet.

[Lily429]

I hear ya! We took our first Disney Dream cruise when she was only 6 months old…DD was 8 then, what I thought was the perfect age. For 3 of us in a balcony cabin it was $3000 for a 5 night double dip Castaway Cay cruise. I booked a 'dummy cruise on board for the next one to get the onboard credit and discount. later we found the one we wanted when I stumbled upon a spring 7 night Caribbean cruise, and get this, an aft balcony for $3200! Only $200 more than the 5 nighter regular balcony to the Bahamas. I have yet to find another deal like that one, BUT, as florida residents you can score a resident rate during certain seasons, we just paid $970 for an aft on the dream to the Bahamas for 3 nights. Maybe consider going on a 'holiday' cruise next christmas and surprise him with a cruise then, chances are you can score a 3 or 4 day Bahamas cruise, cheapest way to go, and trust me pay the minimal extra for a balcony….kids love them!

[xrae]

My suggestion : book it now for his 8th birthday. :)

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[marty1950]

From our experience, the closer to the cruise date the higher the rates get. Especially on Disney. As they always seem to go out full. Did you try Floeida resident rates, some times they are a little lower? Good luck:rolleyes:Gary

[Irene7]

My suggestion : book it now for his 8th birthday. :)

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

I agree with this post. Book it way out and you will have plenty of time to pay it off. If you pick one of the smaller ships, I would go with the newly refurbished Magic. I personally prefer the larger ships though.

[Aggiebuttercup]

The prices are so high, but I really think it is worth it for a "once in a lifetime" deal.

 

I took my kids on the Disney Magic for my daughter's 7th birthday. We sailed in October, two months before her actual birthday, because I couldn't afford the December fares. :eek: She was happy with the trade-off (and the week off school...I'm not so worried about missing first grade, and we made the trip educational).

 

It really is the perfect age to take them and the price difference was worth it. I sailed Princess and Carnival within a few months of that cruise (without kids) and have sailed RC before, so I am used to lower prices. I got off the Disney cruise confident that I got my money's worth.

 

Service was excellent. Entertainment was excellent. Everything was geared so much better towards travelling with a family than the other lines.

 

If you can travel during the offseason, do it.

[AndrewTH]

My wife and I booked 11 days ago with Florida Resident Rate sailing this weekend. Got a balcony for 2 (5e) with taxes and insurance for $1100 total, 4 nights on Dream.

 

BTW, we got upgraded to a 4A.

 

This will be the first Disney one for us.

[cruisegirl99]

I know that October/Early November is much cheaper then peak season of Summer. So why not book a cruise during that time frame and surprise him with it for his birthday. If nothing else you can celebrate is UN-birthday. I use to do that with my nephew when I lived in a different state as I couldn't always make it home for his real birthday. So I would make a cute UN-birthday shirt, plan something special and celebrate it then. He told me as he got older that his best birthday were his UN-Birthdays as everyone made him feel special that day but then he had one on one time with me on his un-birthday.

[pickle2010]

Just wanted to let you know for comparison purposes - We booked our cruise on the Magic around New Year's (within a day or too) and sailed out Jan.27 - so booked 3-4 weeks in advance and we paid about $1600 for a verandah room (4 nights to Bahamas and Castaway Cay). Must be the ship you are looking at or the time of year. Also, on the magic there is a really cool thing? in the kids club. You stand in front of this screen and suit up like Iron Man and then on screen Iron Man moves in sync to your movements! My husband wanted to try it! Lol. Also, Captain America was available for Character Greetings. My point - if the ship is an issue, I think your 7 year old would like the smaller Magic. I didn't see it before the refurbishing and I had no idea that it was an older ship. And don't forget about pirate night with fireworks! Lots of people, young and not as young, dressed up! Good luck!

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

You might be able to take advantage of FL Resident rates, if they have them. They will probably be closer to sailing, and June is iffy but not impossible? We like to cruise in May before school lets out...:)

 

I wished I lived in FL!

[travelplus]

One question I would like to pose is Does it have to be a Disney Cruise? Would your son be fine with a Royal Caribbean Oasis or Allure Cruise?

 

If you really want to book a Disney Cruise at a good price I would do the following:

 

1. How flexible can you be? As others have said taking one off season can save you lots of money.

 

2. Do you have credit cards with a Rewards Program that can let you use your points either as statement credit or book the cruise with it?

 

3. Do you have any Military Discount or other discount that you can use?

 

4. You could make this cruise a surprise and since this is a "Big gift" and as you said your son may not get excited as he would now I would just say go ahead and book it albeit a smaller cabin etc.

 

5. Look for the Guarantee Cabin Rates and book the category that you are willing to sail in such as Balcony.

 

6. Contact the travel agent you used to book other cruises see if your travel agent has any incentives like group cruise? See if any of your relatives or your son's friends want to come along. If you book enough cabins you can get yours for free or at a discount depending on the rules.

 

7. Ask the Grandparents for Disney Gift Cards or see if they want to come along and they may be willing to help with the cost as they love seeing their Grandkid enjoying their birthday. Who knows how their health will be in the long run.

 

I hope these tips help you.

[Cole03]

I booked the Disney dream deluxe oceanfront room at just 1,363 and that's w me my mom and my daughter going yo celebrate my daughters bday this November so it works out and you can't beat that price as a total!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[MizDaisy]

Dang, was I born into the wrong family. :( At that age, I was lucky to have a little party and a cake. :(:(

[PhillyRomantic]

Last year the cost for two family Verandah cabins on a 4-night was $4800 and that was for 5 adults and two children; that was the last week of August. This year we are doing a longer cruise in September on the concierge deck for $6000. It cost more during peak summer months. Maybe instead of a bday trip, you can take him later in the Summer on a "end of summer," or " back to school" trip.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[MCC retired]

My suggestion : book it now for his 8th birthday. :)

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

Since you are looking @ a Peak Season , schools out time , book early for next year as his 7th Birthday gift to be received on his 8th .

He will have an extra year to look forward to it .

[Donna_In_India]

If you want to book for a specific date you must book in advance. We did the Magic (pre-refurb) out of NYC for my daughter's 3rd b-day in June. It was outrageously expensive. We are booking again for her 6th b-day June 2015. The itineraries are coming out next week and that's when the best prices will be. We're booking the Fantasy (loved it!). For your son's age - I'd stick with the Fantasy or the Dream. If you can be flexible and would be willing to take your son out of school you can get a FL Resident discount or last minute IGT/OGT/VGT but that may not work out for you or be the ship/itinerary you want. I'd try for June 2015 - check the prices next week. Good luck!

[NeilD]

If you want to get creative and save some money, you can cruise in January. Surprise him with a Christmas gift of a cruise. We are trying out Disney for the first time and booked then B2B on the Dream. Just the 2 of us. One bedroom Concierge for $2,700 for 4 night and $1.800 for 3 night.

January for 3 of you would be: (Approx).

$1850 inside.

$1900 Ocean View.

$2000 With Veranda.

$3300 1 Bedroom Concierge.

 

ENJOY!

[crabby5]

the 3 cruises we've taken on the Dream (one 5 night and 2 four nights) were all booked about 1.5-2 months prior and were a fraction of the amount of "full price" because we picked a guaranteed varandah room. if you can wait a little, I would suggest you keep checking the VGT rooms to see what's available.

also, they will still sing/celebrate his birthday, even if it's not the exact day ;)