Top 10 Ways to Save Money on your Disney Cruise

Who doesn’t like saving money? Going on vacation doesn't have to break the bank. Here are my top 10 ways you can save money on your next (or first!) Disney Cruise:

Welcome Aboard, Captain Mickey!

1. Book Early – The best advice I can give for saving money on a Disney Cruise is to book early. Over time, Disney Cruise prices go up because as a specific category fills up, the prices go up. When Disney releases new itineraries, the more popular ones can go up in price even on that first day!

Disney Dream at Castaway Cay

2. Book a mystery room – If you can’t book early, you may get some discounts by booking last-minute. Disney has a special fare for late planners. The highly restricted fares called IGT (inside guaranteed room), OGT (ocean view guaranteed room) and VGT (verandah guaranteed room) can save you hundreds! They're non-refundable, but can get you a great deal on that cruise you have had your eye on all year! You won't get to choose your stateroom #, but you will get the room type that you have booked. 

3. Go during the school year –When school is in session, cruises are cheaper. September, October, January, early February – are all cheaper than summer time or over holidays.

Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah

4. Book two rooms – Sometimes, two staterooms are cheaper than one. If you are a family of 5+ and want to sail, it’s often cheaper to get two inside staterooms than it is to get one room big enough for all five. You can get connecting rooms, with a door in between! It's a nice way to give the teens or parents their own private space too. 

5. Pay With a Disney Visa – If you have a Disney Rewards Visa Card, or were thinking about getting one, you may want to book your cruise with it. In addition to the 6 months free financing they offer for Disney Cruises, they also offer onboard discounts for cardholders, and discounts on Castaway Cay too. These offers are subject to change, so ask us for more details. 

6. Don't Break the Bank with Excursions – Disney has some amazing excursions that are worth every penny. If you have older kids, or are going with adults only, some of them are must-do experiences. But, if you have little ones, or if you can’t afford them, don’t let that discourage you. You can stay on board and enjoy the ship with lower crowds, or get off and walk around the ports on your own and explore. My family stayed on board in Nassau once and enjoyed having practically empty pools and water slides. There is plenty to do at Castaway Cay without spending any money there. Even the lunch is included in your cruise fare!

Enjoy wine on your stateroom verandah

7. BYOB – Did you know you can bring some alcohol on board with you? You will need to carry it on to the ship, so don’t put it in checked luggage. As you can imagine, Disney doesn’t want to risk bottles breaking in checked bags. Each guest 21 years and older can bring two bottles of unopened wine, or a 6-pack of beer on board.  FYI, if you bring a bottle of wine to the dining room, you will be charged a corkage fee but if you bring individual glasses, you will not. If you are flying and cannot bring liquids on board, ask the ship bartenders for the drink of the day. They are usually about half the price of the other mixed drinks, and you can also purchase them in a souvenir cup. If you buy a mixed drink, and it's not the drink of the day, ask for a discount on your next one by turning in the souvenir cup. I got $1 off the second drink when I traded in my cup.

8. Don’t Buy Food Onboard – If you just panicked because you thought all food on board was free, let me assure you that most of it is. The only exceptions are the adult only restaurants Palo and Remy, and some packaged snacks that are sold outside the theaters or from room service. I definitely understand the desire to eat at Palo and Remy, and I would highly recommend that, but otherwise, there is no reason to buy food. When you look at the room service menu, you’ll see a whole list of wonderful food and desserts that are all completely free. Then you’ll see a tiny list of packaged snacks like M&M’s and peanuts that have a charge. If your kids need a sweet treat, visit the free, unlimited soft serve ice cream station! Along the same note, get ice water from the drink station or room service instead of purchasing bottled water.

Palo on the Disney Dream

9. Book Your Next Cruise While On Board – Currently the onboard booking deal is 10% off the pre-sailing rates. You can name your Kingdom Konsultant agent when you are booking and combine the discount with our onboard credits! If you’re not sure when you’re going to be cruising, you can book what’s referred to as a “placeholder date” and move the booking around later, while retaining the discount! You can’t get this deal on land, so don’t let it pass you by.

Disney Magic in Port

10. Book with us! – Using a Kingdom Konsultant agent on a cruise isn’t just for convenience sake. In addition to all the knowledge we bring to the table, we can save you money. We know all of the points above, plus many more tips from cruising ourselves.  We can guide you to the best prices, point you towards things like “Secret Porthole Rooms” which are oceanview staterooms with an inside stateroom price. 

We can help with suggestions of things to do in ports, and which excursions are worth the money.  We will even give you a little spending money in the form of an onboard credit. You won’t pay any more to work with us, versus booking it yourself!

Ready to book your Disney Cruise? Contact us today for free quotes and planning help at www.KingdomKonsultant.com

See you onboard!

Summer Squires

Summer fell in love with the Disney Cruise Line on her first sailing, and knew she wanted to help others save money while experiencing the magic of cruising. You can email Summer at summer@kingdomkonsultant.com.