Hey, hey y’all!! Are planning for a Disney Cruise soon? Today, I am going to share a few tips and tricks on how to plan for your Disney Cruise. My family and I went on our first Disney Cruise last year and it was AMAZING! We’ve been on three cruises so far but the Disney Cruise holds the number one spot. Everything was great; the service, the food, the entertainment, everything was amazing! I think we loved it more because it was more family-oriented than the others. There were plenty of activities for Maddie to do and shows for her to see. As for adults, there were a lot of adult things to do as well. Surprisingly, there were adults on there who didn’t have kids at all. They just wanted to go on Disney Cruise. So that is something to keep in mind for those of you without kids!
Now to be honest, a Disney Cruise can be a bit pricey. When we first did our research, the prices did kind of scare us a little bit. But for everything that they had to offer and since we LOVE Disney, we were determined to find ways to save and plan accordingly. I want to share tips and tricks that we did so that can do the same!
- Plan your trip during the Off-Season period. The best time to go on a cruise is during the Winter/Early Springtime. Cruises are usually cheaper during those times because who thinks to go on a cruise when it’s cold! Well, while it is snowing where you are, it is sunny and warm in the Caribbean. You might as well escape the snow and head to somewhere warm! We went on a 6-Night Disney Cruise (Disney Wonder Ship) in January of last year. It was cold when we left Maryland but honeyyy it was HOT while we were sailing out in the Caribbean. Not only is the weather perfect during off-season but the prices are right as well! Unless you want to go on a Holiday themed cruise, I don’t recommend going during the holidays because the prices are higher then!
- Go on a One-Way cruise instead of a Roundtrip. Our cruise was a One-Way cruise. We flew to Houston, TX and sailed out of Galveston, TX (outside of Houston) We ended in San Juan, Puerto Rico then flew back to Baltimore from there. Not only was it cheaper that way, but we were able to explore two places that we had never been to. I suggest flying in the day before and getting a cheap hotel room for the night. That way, you are already there and ready to go on your cruise the next day. And, if you’ve never been to that place before, you can go exploring before going on your cruise. As stated, one way cruises are cheaper and if you go during off-season, it’s even cheaper. Thank me later. 😉
- Choose an inside stateroom, a room without a window. Having a window in your room is nice but if it will save you $300, you should go without one. Inside cabins (rooms without windows) are so much cheaper than rooms with windows. They are smaller but it is so much cheaper. When selecting your room, aim to get an inside cabin. That is a major way to save money. Remember, you can always go on the top deck and look at the view from there. 🙂
- Do your research. Stay in the know about exclusive discounts, price drops and more by signing up to their email list. You want to make sure that you are the first to know about promotional deals and etc. so make sure you are on their email list. You can also find a legit travel agent that has information about Disney Cruises. Some of them have special where you can get hundreds of dollars off of onboard credits when you book through them. But for the most part, signing up for Disney promotional emails and etc. is your best bet!
I’m sure there are plenty more tips and tricks out there but these worked for us.
While on board, we got the picture package deal, which was amazing. The staff took all of our photos on board so we didn’t have to worry about carrying my camera around everywhere. We received all of our photos back on a mini drive and we loved them. It was worth the price. Another trick that you can do but it is a personal choice is to get or not get the drink package. You can get save on getting soft drinks whenever you want throughout your trip by getting the package. You are more than welcome to pay for your drinks individually if you want. But before you know it, you’ll be paying more than what the drink package cost.
I think everything stated in this post is a good start on how to go about planning your trip. Make sure to do A LOT of research, budgeting and planning to do what works for you and your family. But it is sooo worth it and you will be glad that you and your family went! I did a blog post of how the inside of the Disney Wonder looks like and more insightful information. You can check that out HERE so that you get a glimpse of what it looks like. Also, I have vlog footage of our Disney Cruise experience on my vlogging channel. You can check out our first day HERE and check out the whole adventure as well.
I hope that this post was helpful and let me know when are you planning to go on a Disney Cruise! Check out some of our pictures from our experience!