Disney planner for cruise?

[Anonymous]

We’re thinking of doing a Disney cruise. Is there any benefit to working with one of those Disney advisors for the cruises? If so, what do they provide that I wouldn’t know about planning myself? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Just book through the website. The "travel agents" are a rip off. By using their services, you are paying for their free trips. It's like an MLM.

[Anonymous]

Are you a Costco member - book through them and you will probably qualify for a big gift card after your trip.

[Anonymous]

Lol. Disney planner for a cruise. Now I have heard everything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you a Costco member - book through them and you will probably qualify for a big gift card after your trip.

+1. Here are the decision points:
1) concierge or not. It’s nice but a lot more expensive.
2) once you book, decide quickly if you want a cabana on the private island or if you want any of the speciality dining places (the specialty dinner places don’t take kids). I don’t think any of that is necessary but it does book fast. If you like fancy food and want a nice dinner away from the kids, reserving at Palo might be nice.
3) eventually decide if you want to do disney excursions or get them separately and what you want to do. Some of these will sell out but probably not quickly so you have some time to decide.
It’s very easy. People here can probably give you better advise than any travel planner.

[Anonymous]

I ran the numbers between booking through Costco and any money offered by a travel planner. Costco won out because of the gift card and the executive rewards.

If you're not a Costco member, you should go through a planner that offers onboard credit or other bonuses

[Anonymous]

We just got back from a Disney Cruise and we used a travel agent. We were able to get the same price as booking direct plus a $600 on board credit. I recommend it solely for that purpose. The advice they gave was minimal and there isn't too much to plan for a cruise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you a Costco member - book through them and you will probably qualify for a big gift card after your trip.

+1. Here are the decision points:
1) concierge or not. It’s nice but a lot more expensive.
2) once you book, decide quickly if you want a cabana on the private island or if you want any of the speciality dining places (the specialty dinner places don’t take kids). I don’t think any of that is necessary but it does book fast. If you like fancy food and want a nice dinner away from the kids, reserving at Palo might be nice.
3) eventually decide if you want to do disney excursions or get them separately and what you want to do. Some of these will sell out but probably not quickly so you have some time to decide.
It’s very easy. People here can probably give you better advise than any travel planner.

This poster has no idea what she is talking about. Cabanas are booked based on priority (Concierge, then Pearl, then Platinum, then Gold, then Silver, then new cruisers.) They are rarely available after Platinum. It has nothing to do with how “quickly” you book them.

[Anonymous]

I know people who used travel agents for them and were able to get onboard credits as well. I did it all myself, and it's pretty easy, so I wouldn't say it's necessary. Personally, I prefer to know the ins and outs of my reservations, and don't want to have to deal with an intermediary

[Anonymous]

Cruises have turned ghetto, sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We just got back from a Disney Cruise and we used a travel agent. We were able to get the same price as booking direct plus a $600 on board credit. I recommend it solely for that purpose. The advice they gave was minimal and there isn't too much to plan for a cruise.

This is true, but OP should understand that if he/she goes this route, DCL will not engage them directly. Everything has to be done through the travel agent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cruises have turned ghetto, sorry.

Very trashy indeed 🥴

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you a Costco member - book through them and you will probably qualify for a big gift card after your trip.

We did this, and basically got a $700 costco gift card. Process was pretty easy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just got back from a Disney Cruise and we used a travel agent. We were able to get the same price as booking direct plus a $600 on board credit. I recommend it solely for that purpose. The advice they gave was minimal and there isn't too much to plan for a cruise.

This is true, but OP should understand that if he/she goes this route, DCL will not engage them directly. Everything has to be done through the travel agent.

I'm not sure how much else there is to be done. Our agent gave us tips on timing to book events/excursions and we did it on our own. We chose our own cabin, picked our meal times, and anything we wanted to adjust could be done in the app.

I guess if you have a travel issue, there may be concern with using an agent, but it's not like they're going to hold the ship for you. And once you're on the ship, you're working directly with Disney.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cruises have turned ghetto, sorry.

Disney Cruises aren't the same as Carnival/Royal Caribbean