Traveling With Meghan

a travel blog

Does Disney Cruise Line Ever Have Sales?

disney cruise line ever have sales

With their magical commercials, amazing inclusions, and a private island that you don’t have to tender for, Disney Cruise Line makes dreams come true… but all magic comes at a price, dearie. The prices of some itineraries leave those that want to cruise with Disney with a burning question: Does Disney Cruise Line Ever Have Sales?

Does Disney Cruise Line ever have sales?

Senses Spa on board the Disney Magic

The answer isn’t as cut and dry as “yes” or “no,” but takes into account many more factors and produces more of a “sometimes” answer. In my experience, I’ve seen specific Disney Cruise Line sailings become deeply discounted. Those are typically the opening ended repositioning sailings. That means they start in one port and end in another. For families with children, those aren’t always the best fit or they’re not at good times due to school. I’ve also seen Disney Cruise line sales on the deposits, offering half-off of the deposit, but you end up paying the same amount for the sailing in the long run because that other half of the deposit is rolled into the final payment amount. While the deposit may not be the same price, the sailing is over all. Both of these offerings are seen far less frequently than with other cruise lines, who you see new sales from all the time.

With the gray-area answer of “sometimes” on Disney Cruise Line sales, but a desire to book and go, the logical follow up question is: How do I save money on a Disney Cruise? There are a few things I advise to help save some money on that magical Disney Cruise Line vacation.

Book Early

This I cannot stress enough. Booking early ensures that you’re in on the ground level. Unlike other cruise lines that will start to drop prices as the sailing gets closer to fill the ship, Disney Cruise Line sales aren’t like that. The rates will go up as the ship books and the sailing date gets closer. When new itineraries are announced, be ready. If you’re thinking about it, have your travel advisor put you on a list to be notified when the next Disney Cruise Line itineraries will be released. This is when the best rates are to be had. From personal experience, I’ve seen a sailing jump over $400 the first weekend it was announced. Booking on release day saved my client over $400 verus if they had waited just three days.

Rebook on Board

The onboard offer is bound to change over time (and potentially disappear, but I feel that’s highly unlikely), rebooking while you’re on the ship sailing is the best way to get an actual percentage off your Disney Cruise Line sailing. Yes, that doesn’t help someone that’s not actually on board or who hasn’t sailed with Disney yet, but by picking a shorter sailing on an older ship (older DOES NOT mean worse in Disney Cruise Line’s case), it can make that 7-night Caribbean sailing easier to achieve.

More than one placeholder can be booked while onboard as well. For example, if Brad and Suzy Jones are sailing together and they decide they want to sail again, both Brad and Suzy can each get two placeholders in their names for future sailings. There’s four future sailings for Brad and Suzy to use. However, the original person whose name is on the placeholder must be in the room. That means no big happy family reunions using all four staterooms at one time in the future, but two at a time works. You don’t have to already have a sailing picked out either to book a placeholder. There are two years to take advantage of the onboard offer that comes with a placeholder. Combining a placeholder with an offer release day is a sweet sweet deal!

Disney Magic kids club

Be Flexible

School isn’t very flexible, and neither are most jobs now, but flexibility also affords the opportunity to save on a Disney Cruise. For example, that 7-night Caribbean sailing over spring break is going to cost more than a 4-night Bahamian at the same time. Are you able to put together a 3-day weekend with a 3-night sailing? A 3-night sailing over an October holiday is going to cost less than a 3-night sailing over a July holiday. All of the economics of supply and demand come into play here. If you’re able to sail in “shoulder” season (fall and right after the January holiday before spring break time frames start), those sailings can be a good way to get on a Disney Cruise Line ship without having to wait for a release day.

three tips to save on disney cruise line

Use a Travel Advisor

My biggest recommendation to know if there is a Disney Cruise Line sale or if you’re getting the best value for your Disney Cruise: use a travel advisor. Their services are free to you. They will monitor your sailing after you’ve booked to see if there are any additional discounts that are released that you may qualify for. Time is money and a travel advisor is there to save you that time. If you’re not quite ready to book yet, contact a travel advisor to be put on their list to know if any discounted sailings come up or when itinerary release dates will be. Low to no risk at it costing you nothing to use one, so find one you like!

Does Disney Cruise Line ever have sales? The world may never know, but using the tips above can help you make that magical sailing a dream come true.

Using a Travel Agent & Airbnb

The two don’t seem to go together: Travel Agent and Airbnb. Most travelers think you can’t use one with the other, but there are three ways that you can still use the expertise of a travel agent and stay in your dream Airbnb.

Let’s dispel that myth, shall we? First, there are travel agents that charge a fee and will cover every little detail from A to Z of your trip. That can get expensive and that’s not who we’re talking about here. We’re chatting about fee free agents, like me, who can assist with other parts of your trip if you like to stay in Airbnbs. I get it. There were times when Airbnb was the best fit for me. Sometimes there’s nothing like getting the feeling of home abroad and also experiencing that local feel. There’s also nothing quite like a travel adviser having your back in the following situations though:

Corey and I would have missed this light snowfall that happened at our airbnb in Hopewell Junction, NY if we had chosen to stay in a hotel in nearby Newburgh, NY

Travel Insurance

If you travel without it, consider a few instances where travel insurance can give you peace of mind:

  • coverage for lost luggage
  • coverage for trip delays
  • coverage for emergency medical services
  • coverage for emergency medivac
  • coverage for trip cancellation

These are just a few situations. There are even plans that cover if your pet passes away. Most travel cards do include some insurance for your purchases, and in most cases (thankfully) that’s more than enough. For those moments when it’s not, a travel adviser can assist in guiding you to the right plan to cover most situations that may arise.

Corey and I prepped breakfast every morning in our Greenwich, London, England Airbnb, saving us from having to purchase a meal every morning

Transportation

There is a myth that it costs more for a travel agent to book your flights, so let’s dispel that one too. It doesn’t. Plain and simple. It can but just like it can cost more if you book your flights at a time when they’re not at their lowest. A travel agent will watch for the best time to buy your flight. You can also package it with transfers to and from your Airbnb for an even better deal, especially when Ubering isn’t an option and you may land and have to haggle for a taxi.

Tours

Still want that heart of Paris feel, but don’t want to wait an hour in line for tickets to the Eiffel Tower and then another hour to use them? Travel Agents can arrange tours for you even if you’re staying at an Airbnb. There are all kinds of places to arrange tours (even though the Airbnb app), but you want to make sure you’re getting the most reputable ones that are the best value. Tours can include all sorts of package deals, but the most important thing is front of the line access. It saves so much time and maximizes your time on your days off if you’re not spending them waiting in line. However, there’s nothing to speed up that line for a fresh hot buttery croissant. It’s still worth waiting for though.

Tours, transportation, and travel insurance are all ways a travel agent can have your back even if you want to book your own Airbnb.

*affiliate link*
image courtesy of Airbnb

Heathered Jersey Dress:: Remixed

This is what I wore today. I really dislike what I wore today. Oh well. If I changed again I would have been unacceptably late to work. Last week when I wore this dress, I absolutely LOVED how it turned out. This week not so much. It was definitely warm. Definitely comfortable. Less than flattering though. For several minutes I stood there contemplating my cobalt tights instead of the black leggings with knee highs underneath. Cobalt leggings might’ve been a better choice. Maybe no belt? I don’t know. What I was pleased with in this outfit were the knee highs I wore under my leggings. Cheating at it’s finest. Elastic waistband and opaqueness of the leggings with the sheer foot of the knee highs. I received the knee highs from Kushyfoot, a company who designs unique knee highs and tights. Call me an old lady, but I like knee highs. I’m hot natured, so adding a full extra layer is a bit much for me. These kushyfoot knee highs have a neat design on the foot soles to “massage” the bottoms of your feet. Though I wouldn’t call it massaging, it’s similar to circulation footwear (ya know, like for diabetics) and it did keep my feet from getting tingly after wearing wedges all day. I’m excited to try the other items they sent me.
Do you have any suggestions for this outfit? Help me out. Where did it go wrong?
**this post contains affiliate links**
dress:: Madewell (back in stock, similar) plaid shirt:: Old Navy necklace:: J.Crew (similar) belt:: Old Navy (very old, similar) leggings:: Old Navy knee highs:: c/o Kushyfoot wedges:: TOMS

Linking up with:
Lauren at Fizz and Frosting


Sunday Lately:: Wk. 1

Today I am incredibly psyched to start a new link-up with my amazing blogging buddies, Katy and Nicole. We have been doing My Favs on Thursdays for the past year and we agreed to take our link-up in a new direction and to a new day! I’m especially excited since my previous Sunday link-up ended a few months ago. Welcome to Sunday Lately. Here are this week’s lately words.


::Planning:: many hypothetical trips that I hope become realities soon. I have a friend and her little family in Mexico I want to visit and I haven’t been to New York City in 15 years. That must be some kind of sin. Of course, there’s the looming Disney World trips for the rest of the year that haven’t been booked. The travel bug is making me itch something fierce!
::Loving:: my job. Though I have complained about it before, I love being busy. January 1 is always a tumultuous time at a doctor’s office with insurance starting over, end of year accounting details, inventory, etc. Being busy is my favorite past time. Things are finally starting to fall into place too. I feel like I know what I’m doing now.
::Reading:: still Amy Pohler’s Yes Please. The reading wagon left without me a few weeks ago, so I’m behind on my fun reading. It’s not necessarily what I was expecting it to be, but I’m looking forward to finishing it and developing a more thorough opinion.
::Wishing:: for a good dresser to fall into my lap. Not literally, but figuratively. A dresser is probably a shallow sounding wish, but organizationally speaking, it would do wonders for our master bedroom and closet. We’re working with limited space and I’ve finally come to terms with the fact that we need a dresser after trying to go without one for a few years now. I’m picky and Corey actually has an opinion about furniture pieces, so we’ve been without one.
::Feeling:: so energized about getting all my bathroom goods in order. Makeup from my many mascaras to the tiny samples of luminizer to try. Then there’s the facial lotions, hair care, nail polish, and the many hotel shampoos and conditioners that all need spots. Now they have them. I took pictures too. Yes, I am an organization nerd.

Knit Infinity Scarf

It’s the last outfit of 2014! I was going to wait and post this outfit, but I loved it too much to save it until after I can get my capsule photographed and posted. This dress is one of the new items in my winter capsule. It’s the perfect slate for colored accessories, which I am hot on the hunt for. My wardrobe has become all neutrals to say the least, so I’m in the market for some colors. Hopefully my quest for colors will come in the form of more knit infinity scarves. Knit Pray Love in Atlanta made this one and I picked it up at the ICE Holiday Market. The closest I’ve come to finding them outside of the market is an abandoned etsy and pinterest. Thankfully I have their card from the fair with an email on it. Can’t wait to wear more knit scarves in 2015.

::this post contains affiliate links::
scarf:: Knit Pray Love (similar) necklace:: J.Crew (similar) ring:: Madewell (similar) renegade bracelet:: Stella & Dot cuff:: J.Crew (similar) cardigan:: J.Crew (similar::ebay options) dress:: Madewell (similar) leggings:: aerie booties:: Sam Edelman (this year’s)

ideas for wearing a knit infinity scarf :: www.hayesdays.comideas for wearing a knit infinity scarf :: www.hayesdays.comideas for wearing a knit infinity scarf :: www.hayesdays.com

Budgeting Bloggers:: December Finals

Budgeting Bloggers is a linkup hosted by Fran of Franish where you recap what you purchased and spent in the past month in an effort to curate a functional closet!

Hello December’s end. It’s crazy to see how fast this year has gone. As cliche as it is to say that, I find myself saying it more and more. December was a small month of shopping for me. I don’t care for crowds at the malls in December and being out of town twice during the month kept me from shopping. Surprisingly, I shop less when I’m out of town. Here’s what did get delivered to my house during December::

December Budgeting Bloggers
1. Heathered Jersey Dress:: Orig $118, paid $49
2. Renegade Cluster Bracelet:: Orig $59, paid $35 for two via posh closet @missief
3. Me Too Kaden flat:: Orig $80, paid $12 via posh closet @rasampson1978
4. Buffalo Plaid Quilted Vest:: Orig $108, paid $44
5. Colorblock anorak:: Orig $125, paid $20 via posh closet @minnecita

Total:: $160 (made $242.05 off sales)
Total saved off retail:: $389
I need every month to be like this! I did a lot of Poshmark shopping compared to more recent months. They re-did the app and it has been harder to find things I like. The bracelets aren’t in the best shape, but I saved so much money and they’re great quality. I hope to clean them both up a bit. I’ve already been wearing the one that looks good. The flats are to replace a pair I wore out and are identical to another pair I already owned and am very excited to have gotten them for such a good deal. The anorak was my best purchase. New with tags for only $20? Perfect.
After taking three months off from madewell orders, (I’m so proud of myself– though I did go to a store once) I broke my streak and was (as always) more impressed with the dress in person than on their website. The fabric is amazingly soft for this dress. The only other retail order came from J.Crew factory. Vests have become my best friend this season.
So! How did you do during December?

About Me

Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, I relocated to a small town outside of Athens after I married. Joining me and my husband on the family farm are many, many animals. My cup is usually filled with coffee and my head is usually filled with dreams of my next destination. Nothing brings me more joy than having a part in creating those long remembered moments that are shared together in places new and old.

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