10 Unknown Ways to Save on a Disney Cruise

Disney Cruise Line is more popular than ever among children and adults alike! Disney Cruise ships are filled with luxury and excitement!

Though Disney cruises CAN be a little pricey, there are ways to save money when booking your Disney Cruise!

The very first rule of thumb is to book in the less cruised months (November – March, EXCLUDING HOLIDAYS).

Here are some other little-known tips to help you get the most out of your trip with the Mouse:

1. Book Early:
This is a rule of thumb on ANY cruise that you book. The earlier that you book, the more likely that you will get the best deal and be able to change up your reservation spending the least amount of money if you need to. If you are FLEXIBLE with your travel dates AND you book early, then you will truly get the VERY best deal around.

2. Get their Special Deals Newsletter:
Go to their website and search for deals and sign up for their newsletter. This will keep you in the loop about all of their specials and deals. Submit your email and they send you occasional (they don’t spam) updates, special offers, and other information from the Walt Disney family of companies and their products and services. Also, there is a free cruise price tacker. All you do is find the date you would like to cruise on and click on the button that says track price. Enter in your information and you will get an email when the price goes down – and it’s a free service!!

3. Secret Porthole Rooms:
Want to save money by purchasing an interior cabin but REALLY getting a cabin with a view? Disney’s Magic and Wonder ships have rooms called “secret porthole rooms” sold as Category 10. These rooms are inside staterooms without a window, but they have a porthole that usually has an obstructed view. When booking your cruise, you can request one of these rooms but be sure that you are booking FAR in advance because these rooms go fast.

The rooms are 5520, 5522, 5524, 5020, 5022, and 5024 (5522/5524 and 5022/5024 are adjoining cabins).

4. Secret Verandah Rooms:
These rooms have a private open air deck BUT the view is a little obstructed so the price is less (Category 7 pricing instead of higher Category 6 pricing).

These room numbers are  6134, 6634, 7120 or 7620, if booking on either the Magic or the Wonder.

5. Military Discounts:
Disney gives Military Discounts to those who are active duty in the United States military. They started limiting this discount to one stateroom per military family, but still any savings that you can get on a Disney cruise is worth it. Sometimes they limit the booking window (dates) that you can book within so be sure to check that you are booking at the appropriate time for the correct sailing dates.

6. Book Adjoining or Guarantee Cabins:
Sometimes if you are traveling with a large family, it is actually cheaper to book 2 adjoining rooms in a lower category rather than booking an expensive suite category. You will also have an extra bathroom this way, which is SO important when traveling with a lot of passengers.

Another idea to save money it to book “guarantee cabins.” Book a guaranteed inside cabin vs. a cabin assignment.  You can do this with ocean view and balcony cabins as well.  With these rates you let Disney choose your stateroom.  It will save you often hundreds of dollars but you cannot complain about the location or make changes once the cabin is chosen for you. This only works of course if you are not traveling in a group where you would like to have your cabins close to one another.

7. Bring Your Own Wine
You can bring 2 unopened bottled of wine or Champagne, or 6 beers with you to board the ship.  The best bet is to bring your own opened and enjoy in your cabin, but if you would like to take the wine with you to dinner, there is a $25 corkage fee per bottle.

8. Cheap Souvenir Ideas.
I found this idea at Mousesavers.com: For an inexpensive and yet priceless souvenir, purchase a new pillowcase and a pack of colored Sharpie pens before your trip. Drop it off at Guest Services on the first night with a request for the characters to sign it. MouseSavers.com reader Christina M provides more details: “Put cases in a ziploc bag marked with your stateroom number and with the markers and take to service desk. They fill out a form with your stateroom number and you can choose either Princess signatures or Mickey and Friend signatures. It is delivered back to your stateroom the last night of the cruise.”

9. Book with a good Travel Agency:

A good travel agency is always going to offer you a little something extra for booking with their agency, AND the travel agent can go through the headache of finding you the best cabin for the lowest cost that fits within your budget. Atlas Cruises & Tours also has cruise tracker technology, which means that your price is being watched from the time of booking, so if a lower fare becomes available, they can let you know right away.

10. Book While you are onboard your cruise.
You can often save up to 10% off of the cruise fares by booking while you are onboard a Disney cruise.  You can also take advantage of reduced deposits.  Your travel agent can still handle the booking and provide you with an additional onboard credit.

The people at Disney take care of their guests at sea, just as well as they do those that visit their parks. These few trips will assist you in getting the most out of your Disney dollars.