GREAT NEWS about Placeholder Dates!

[Taswira]

* * * Disney Cruise Line Onboard Offer Placeholder Date! * * *

Effective immediately, Guests sailing with Disney Cruise Line can take advantage of the onboard offer without selecting an actual sailing date.

 

This new placeholder process allows you to book the onboard offer without booking a reservation for a specific sail date. The confirmation will include a confirmation number, but will not display details such as ship name, sail date or category. Once you decide on an actual sail date, you can reference the confirmation number when you call back to modify the booking.

 

Please note while this is a new process for confirming placeholder date reservations, there are no other changes to the current onboard offer policies, including the number of bookings allowed or the need to complete travel within 24 months from the date the reservation is booked.

[moki'smommy]

FINALLY. THey have no idea how much a mess the old system made!

[Taswira]

LOL - I'm sure they do, because it made a major mess with their stateroom inventory on cruises where people would book a date, keep it until just before the PIF date, then move it. That caused them to be forced to offer *GT and other discounts in an attempt to fill the ships last minute.

 

FYI - Forgot to mention that the deposit per stateroom will be $200.

 

This info was released yesterday, but I didn't see it anywhere on this Disney cruise forum so wanted to share the news. :D

[moki'smommy]

The other place it made a mess was in private insurance. I can get pre-existing coverage at no charge within 14 days of booking a cruise, but I can't move the date. The problem comes in that because I've selected a date, I have to buy insurance right away or not get the pre-existing coverage. By purchasing a placeholder, I don't need to purchase the insurance until I move the placeholder to a real "I plan to cruise" date and still get the pre-existing coverage.

 

And as you pointed out, it should improve DCL's inventory control issues.

[Taswira]

True. :)

 

It also allows DCL to "use" all that money they'll rake in from probably almost everyone doing onboard bookings - lol.

 

I just got off the Fantasy again earlier this month but did not do an onboard booking this time. Had the deposit only been $200 for what I wanted, I would have.

 

I do have another cruise coming up in December, and I'm likely to do an onboard booking then. :)

[dexddd]

Still exclude concierge cabins?

[Taswira]

You could not choose at the time of booking to select Concierge, because with this type of placeholder and the $200 deposit per stateroom you are not stating the sail date, ship or category.

 

But I'm sure you could book this "no info" type of placeholder, then when you modify it to designate a cruise date, ship and category, you could make it Concierge . . . including the increased non-refundable deposit, etc. ;)

 

I've sailed in a Concierge suite many times on DCL. That non-refundable deposit is the one sore point, especially since one can't even change the name of the secondary Guest without losing their share of the deposit, even if you were the one who paid for it. :(

[isles1]

* * * Disney Cruise Line Onboard Offer Placeholder Date! * * *

Effective immediately, Guests sailing with Disney Cruise Line can take advantage of the onboard offer without selecting an actual sailing date.

 

This new placeholder process allows you to book the onboard offer without booking a reservation for a specific sail date. The confirmation will include a confirmation number, but will not display details such as ship name, sail date or category. Once you decide on an actual sail date, you can reference the confirmation number when you call back to modify the booking.

 

Please note while this is a new process for confirming placeholder date reservations, there are no other changes to the current onboard offer policies, including the number of bookings allowed or the need to complete travel within 24 months from the date the reservation is booked.

How are the onboard booking credits structured since you are not committing to a specific cruise and length of cruise is therefore undetermined? Thanks.

[Taswira]

I imagine the booking credit would be the same as currently, so it would be determined when you actually select the ship/date/length of cruise. That's what would make sense, but only DCL could answer that question "officially." ;)

[Shmoo here]

How are the onboard booking credits structured since you are not committing to a specific cruise and length of cruise is therefore undetermined? Thanks.

 

Once you actually select a cruise date, the discount would then be applied (based on the prevailing rate at the time you make the choice).

 

If you don't select a date when doing the OBB, the deposit is $200 per room. If you do select a date, the deposit is based on the length of the cruise you've selected (20% for less than 7 nights; 10% for 7+ night cruises).

[orville99]

What impact (if any) does this have on the Onboard Credit?

[Shmoo here]

What impact (if any) does this have on the Onboard Credit?

 

None. It remains the same. Based on the length of the cruise you actually book: $100 of less than 7 nights; $200 on 7+ nights.

[orville99]

None. It remains the same. Based on the length of the cruise you actually book: $100 of less than 7 nights; $200 on 7+ nights.

 

 

Thanks:)

[moki'smommy]

It basically accomplishes 2 things.

 

From DCL's standpoint, it eliminates having people reserve cabins on cruises that they have no intention of cruising. (remember those early December bookings?) From the guest's standpoint, it is often a lower deposit, but more importantly, it impacts the purchase of private insurance coverage for the cruise. I don't have to purchase travel insurance or have the 14 day window for complimentary pre-existing coverage start until I make a date selection. Different companies handle this in different ways.