Book on board or in advance?

[jxd315]

Hi

We are going in a disney cruise at the end of April and want to take advantage of the 10% discount when booking in board. However the next cruise we are going to take is a European cruise in summer of 2015. I know they are releasing these cruises next week and the best prices are always right when the cruise dates come out. Does anyone know how much prices increase as the ships fill up? Is it a better deal to wait to book on board or book next week? Can I book it next week and then cancel if the prices stay the same until I go on my cruise at the end of April? :confused: Any info would be appreciated! :)

Jonathan

[Irene7]

Hi

We are going in a disney cruise at the end of April and want to take advantage of the 10% discount when booking in board. However the next cruise we are going to take is a European cruise in summer of 2015. I know they are releasing these cruises next week and the best prices are always right when the cruise dates come out. Does anyone know how much prices increase as the ships fill up? Is it a better deal to wait to book on board or book next week? Can I book it next week and then cancel if the prices stay the same until I go on my cruise at the end of April? :confused: Any info would be appreciated! :)

Jonathan

 

I have done that. I would book as soon as the sail date is open and then watch the prices. If they don't fall, then I cancel right before the cruise and rebook on board.

[Finnishwife]

I booked opening day (Nov 2014) for our April 2015 cruise which is School vacation week in MA. I am going on a 3 day in May and hoped I could rebook it onboard with OBC and a discount. The price for our April has gone up almost $500 from opening day for just two people in a CAT 8A room. It’s more than I would get with 10% off and OBC.

 

I would definitely book the first day you can and see what happens.

[jxd315]

I have done that. I would book as soon as the sail date is open and then watch the prices. If they don't fall, then I cancel right before the cruise and rebook on board.

 

Ahhh... That is good to know! I was worried they would look for the canceled reservation and try to claim it was not a new reservation if you booked on board!

[jxd315]

Sounds like the best thing is to book on day 1 and see what the price does. Thanks everyone! If anyone else has experience doing this I would love to hear what happened!

[Irene7]

Ahhh... That is good to know! I was worried they would look for the canceled reservation and try to claim it was not a new reservation if you booked on board!

 

Never had a problem. Cancelled late enough that I saw the pricing didn't drop and gave them enough time to process my refund. I paid my deposit with a credit card, so the refund was immediate.

[moki'smommy]

OK, if you don't mind tying up 2 deposits for awhile, here is what we do. Book on day 1. Then re-shop the booking on board the ship. If you booked directly thru DCL, the on board booking agent can cancel your original booking and book on board using the same deposit. You get whichever rate is best.

 

If you used a travel agent for your original booking, you simply do a second booking on board, naming the same agent. Then, when you get home, call the agent and have them "reconcile" the two reservations. This lets you keep the cabin and dining assignment you want and also get whichever rate is best. They can then refund the extra deposit or just apply it to the cruise balance==whichever you prefer.

[jxd315]

Thank you! That is exactly what I was looking for. Since I am the travel agent on the reservation, ill book on board then call disney to reconcile :). I feel a lot better about this. Thanks everyone.

[HappyPig]

I'm a newbie to cruising and DCL. If we are thinking about another cruise in Jan 2015, should we book now or wait until we are on our trip on the Fantasy in May? Is there always a bounce-back style offer on board?

thanks so much:)!

[Shmoo here]

I'm a newbie to cruising and DCL. If we are thinking about another cruise in Jan 2015, should we book now or wait until we are on our trip on the Fantasy in May? Is there always a bounce-back style offer on board?

thanks so much:)!

 

Onboard bookings (for future cruises) are always offered during a cruise. There a different perks, depending on what cruise you book. Basically, you can get 10% off the cruisefare and only have to pay a 10% deposit (regular deposit is 20%). Plus different length cruises have different Onboard Credits. Not sure what they are now, but I believe a 7 night and longer cruise gets $100 OBC. Someone will correct me.

 

Not all cruises are eligible for OBB perks, there are blackout dates.

[DISNEY FANTASY]

There is not any 10% discount for suite bookings.

 

The Onboard credits are $100 or $200 depends on the cruise.

 

10 % deposit may or may not be offered it's a current perk.

 

 

Always book as early as you can, then when on ship see if it's cheaper to re shop it, if you are not sailing at release time for new cruises then often the price you pay on release is cheaper than the ship as the prices normally go up.

 

Booking straight away with the exception of suites will get you the options of the best price.