My family just got back from a Disney Cruise and have been raving about it and they are already saying they want to go back and do another one soon.



I want to go on a Disney cruise to celebrate my 35th birthday. My birthday is January 22nd and 2009 seems like forever from now. Wondering also are there any discounts for Vetrans? My friend wants to go too. We both are on a limited income so we would be taking Greyhound and I don't like to fly. The parks are out of question because of the amount for the cruise. Any info would be appreciated.

I haven't heard of discounts for anyone on DCL (outside of cabin credits)-- although it is possible.

Tony? AVP? Gusman?

DCL does offer Military discounts. I don't know if they have a specific Veteran's discount (as opposed to Active Duty), but you can call and ask.

I asked a past TA if there were any real discounts for DCL... she pretty much just laughed and said that rarely, if ever, happens. However, as mentioned above - it never hurts to ask if there are discounts available for Vets.

There are some TA's that offer cash back and/or cabin credits. (Someone can correct me if I am wrong but sometimes Small World advertises some pretty nice DCL offers.)

Personally, I think the best "offer" is getting 6 months at 0% with the Disney Visa and they sometimes offer a cabin credit as well. (And if you book your deposit with your Disney Visa, you can get 6m0% on the deposit... and then you can get 6m0% on the balance as well - stretching it out a bit more.)

While not a discount per se, there are sometimes last minute specials on the travel sites (eg travelocity or expedia)--especially in the less busy season. We just booked for a February cruise--better rate than an agent had quoted me, plus they had a call in special for an extra $100 off.

We just booked for a February cruise--better rate than an agent had quoted me, plus they had a call in special for an extra $100 off.
What kind of savings are we really talking here? (Just for comparison.)
I know that some people love to do these kinds of things last minute. The problem part is if you need to fly. Getting last minute flights can be expensive which then gives you the possibility of eating away (some of) the savings. BUt you know what... sometimes, you find an offer you cant refuse but you just better have your bags packed. :)

In this case, the number was 14% less (approximately) than what I was quoted by other sources (including a travel agent who specialized in Disney). Since February is more than 90 days away, reasonable air fares are still available--although high airfares could easily eat up your savings from a last minute rate. You do have to be very flexible--I was originally looking at some other dates, but the lower cost rates were only offered on selected cruises (where the travel site had probably a block of rooms to sell). Also, I tracked prices for a couple of weeks--and saw that small, additional discounts (eg the extra $100 off or a similar sized on-board credit) would pop up from time to time. While that discount is not enough to really make a big difference, I knew one would show up if I kept watching.

I agree that there are not a lot of discounts out there for Disney cruises--it seems you either have to plan very far in advance, or wait and hope that something shows up at the last minute.

There are some TA's that offer cash back and/or cabin credits. (Someone can correct me if I am wrong but sometimes Small World advertises some pretty nice DCL offers.)


I booked our June 2008 cruise through Small World. The TA indicated that they can offer a significant discount on a limited number of cabins per cruise. She told me I got the last one, booking over 12 months prior to the cruise date. For comparison, I got a quote through AAA, for the same cruise date and cabin category, and Small World came out $500 less than AAA. While it is expensive, remember that, with the exception of excursions, alcoholic drinks, and some activities, the cruise is all-inclusive. When you consider that it includes all meals, entertainment, etc., and you compare it with a per person per day cost of another vacation (say, doing WDW with hotel, meals, and park passes), the cruise is not a bad deal.