Disney Cruise Training

Unfortunately I have never personally been on a Disney Cruise. It is on our to do list, but we haven’t seen enough of Walt Disney World to be ready to move on to a Disney Cruise. I do have some awesome readers and friends who have helped me put together a basic Disney Cruise Training Series. If you would like to write for this series, please contact me.

May

7:30 pm

Weekly Round Up of Disney Vacation Deals

in Disney Cruise Training,Disney World Training,Disneyland Training

This week, we have a great new offer for Aulani, a military discount on Disney Cruise Line as well as Free Dining coming to an end. It’s an exciting week! Remember you only need $200 to book a package to Disney World and you have until 45 days before your trip to either pay it in full or cancel it.

Walt Disney World

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Tickets Now on Sale! Save up to $10 per ticket when you purchase in advance!

Summer Discount at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort for Disney Visa Cardholders Disney Visa cardholders can save 15% at Disney’s Art of Animation resort on trips June 18th-September 27^th. Must book by June 14^th!

Free Dining — Now through May 18, 2012, buy a non-discounted Magic Your Way Base Package for 5 nights and 6 days at select Disney Moderate, Disney Deluxe or Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts at the Walt Disney World® Resort for arrivals most nights Aug. 25 – Sept. 29 and get the Disney Dining Plan FREE! Book by May 18^th. Just a 4 days left to book this great deal!

Disney Summer Room Only Discount Save up to 30% on your Walt Disney World Resort room when you travel most nights from August 15, 2012 to September 29, 2012. Add tickets and dining for an affordable package! Must book by June 14^th.

Disneyland

PRESUMMER 2012 ROOM-ONLY OFFER – Save up to 25%* on most Sunday-Thursday night stays at one of the Hotels of the Disneyland® Resort, for arrivals April 16 – June 9, 2012. Book by May 26^th.

Disney Cruise Line

Canada Resident Rates – Canadian residents can receive a 15% discount off prevailing rates as quoted on disneycruise.com on most California Coastal sailings commencing Sept. 16 – Oct. 7, 2012. Offer applies to Categories 4A – 11A staterooms

$25 Onboard Credit – Book your Disney cruise vacation online or through your favorite travel agent and get a $25 onboard credit to spend on spa treatments, beverages, souvenirs – whatever you like. Must book by May 31^st.

Special Rate on a Panama Canal Cruise – Embark on a 14-day cruise through the amazing Panama Canal starting at $985.00 per person (plus tax). That’s right, a 2-week, all-inclusive vacation for less than $70 per day plus the once-in-a-lifetime experience of cruising the Panama Canal. Just wow.

Aulani

Kids Eat Free At Aulani Plus 25% Off Airfare On Hawaiian Airlines purchase a 5-night or longer stay at Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa, from Aug. 29 – Nov. 3, 2012, kids (ages 3-9) eat free* when ordering from the kid’s menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They also receive a free length-of-stay pass for the Rainbow Reef! In addition, guests of any age can take advantage of 25% off** fares on Hawaiian Airlines when flying from JFK, SFO, LAX, OAK or SJC. Must travel August 29-November 3, 2012. Book by July 14, 2012.

Questions Answered From Last Week’s Post

1. When do they usually announce the free dining weeks? I’m planning a trip for 2013 and want to wait to book until I know when I can get dinner free! There’s no way to tell when Free Dining will be announced. Disney has offered Free Dining at different times different years. Package prices for 2013 should be out in July or August. If you book a package and Free Dining becomes available for your trip, it can be added later. Keep in mind, too, that Free Dining is not always the best discount available.

2. Are there ever any deals on dining or tickets when you reserve a site at Fort Wilderness campground? We’re taking the camper next time we go, and I’ve never seen any, but figured if anyone would know it might be you or your readers! :) Thanks! To date, Free Dining has not been offered at the campsites. I would guess that Disney believes that most people who choose to camp also choose to cook for themselves (which isn’t always the case unfortunately).

3. Whats the 15% off deal at Art of Animation ? I cant find any details anywhere about this, other than this simple line posted. Any info would be appreciated – going on July 1 – 6. Right now, Disney is offering 15% off the prevailing room rate at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort for travel from June 18^th – September 27^th for Disney Visa Cardholders only. You must use your Disney Visa to book the room to get the discount. The offer must be booked no later than June 14^th.

Ready to book? Destinations in Florida is an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner and using their services is FREE! Be sure to read about all the perks of using them to book your Disney trip.

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May

8:30 pm

Disney Cruise: 14 day Relocation Cruise on Disney Wonder $1190 Per Person

in Disney Cruise Training

Wow! If you are available to take a Disney Cruise between December 9th and December 23rd, you can get an INCREDIBLE deal on this relocation cruise.

The cruise on the Wonder sails on December 9^th out of Los Angeles and returns on December 23^rd to Miami. It’s a guarantee stateroom which means you are booking an inside stateroom at this price but you can get upgraded based on availability. The ports of call are:

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Panama Canal
Cartagena, Colombia
Costa Maya, Mexico

Your cruise fare includes all your food, non-alcoholic drinks (including soda!) and on-board activities and shows. The fare is $985 per person plus $205 tax for a total fare of $1,190 per person which is just $85 per day! Wow!

The characters can change but, generally, you will have Mickey, Minnie, several princesses and usually Captain Hook. Other characters may show up as well.

While the shows change as well, one of the great shows that is usually featured is Toy Story – The Musical. It’s an amazing show – like something you would see on Broadway!

This is a really great price and I hope some of you are able to take advantage of this! And if you could visit Disneyland at the beginning of the cruise and Disney World at the end, wouldn’t that be awesome??

To book this cruise, be sure to contact my friends at Destinations in Florida. They can get you all set on this amazing cruise and it doesn’t cost anything extra to use their services. Their commission is paid by Disney directly.

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Mar

7:30 pm

New Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise and Universal Studios Orlando Promotions

in Disney Cruise Training,Disney World Training,Disneyland Training

Planning a vacation to Disney World, Disneyland, a Disney Cruise or to Universal Studios Orlando? Here’s a round up of all the current specials available. Be sure to request your quote from Destinations in Florida today for an accurate quote.

Walt Disney World

Free Dining For Disney Visa Cardholders Book a 3 Night Package with 2-Day Base Ticket and Get Free Dining
Travel August 25- September 29, 2012 Book by May 18, 2012

- We should see this offer extended the general public in the next couple of weeks.

Up To 30% Off Resort Rooms Travel through June 14, 2012 Book by March 31, 2012

Military Discount Save up to 40% Off Resort Rooms (discounted tickets available as well)
Travel by September 30, 2012 Book by September 30, 2012

Disneyland

Up to 25% Off Resort Rooms Save up to 25% on most Sunday-Thursday night stays at one of the Hotels of the Disneyland® Resort
Travel by April 14, 2012 Book by March 11, 2012

Military Discount Save up to 40% Off Resort Rooms (discounted tickets available as well)
Travel by September 30, 2012 Book by September 30, 2012

Disney Cruise Line

$25 Onboard Credit Receive a $25.00 credit when you book online (all our agents book online to secure this special)

Universal Studios

Get a 4th Night and Day Free! Book a room at one of the Universal Studios partner hotels for 3 nights with at least a 3-day base ticket and get the 4th night free and a 4th day in the park free!
Book by April 30, 2012

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Feb

8:00 pm

Disney Training: Perks of Using an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner (a.k.a. Travel Agency)

in Disney Cruise Training,Disney World Training,Disneyland Training,Tickets and Packages

I am so excited to announce that CouponingtoDisney.com has partnered with Destinations in Florida, an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner. Now before you quit reading because I said the phrase “travel agency”, let me elaborate. Destinations in Florida is a FREE Authorized Disney Vacation Planner. Not only are they FREE for you to use to book your Disney World vacation, but they also guarantee the lowest package prices on Disney World & Universal Studios Packages, with an extra discount courtesy of Destinations in Florida!

I’ll admit, I didn’t know the benefits of using an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner when I took my first 2 trips to Disney. I balked at the idea of surrendering the control of my vacation to a travel agency. I also assumed they would charge an extra fee on top of Disney World’s prices to use their service. When I found out that they provide all these services for FREE to you (Disney pays them a commission, not you) and they actually cost less than Disney, using an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner made perfect sense.

Booking a Disney World vacation?

Here are a few of my favorite perks that Destinations in Florida offers to their clients:

All package guests receive a $10 discount, so their prices are always lower than Disney’s (guaranteed).
All guests receive Disney Theme Park Guide Maps (right from the Disney Theme Parks) before departure
An autographed picture of Mickey Mouse before departure
Orlando Magicards to save additional money during their visit to Orlando (discounts at restaurants and attractions outside Disney’s gates)
Bonus FREEbie (February’s is the Hidden Mickey Book). Other past FREEbies have included autograph books and mini-golf vouchers

Here are a few of my favorite benefits to booking with the Destinations in Florida:

Answer any and all Disney questions you might have
FREE Know Before You Go Disney Guide
Disney restaurant reservation suggestions (tailored to your family), plus they will book all reservations for you
Fun Disney activities emailed weekly from trivia to tips and tricks
An agent is on site at Disney World every single day of the year. They can hop over and answer questions and concerns in person if the need arises.

And if you have already booked with Disney directly, you can transfer your reservation to Destinations in Florida and receive all of the above perks and it won’t cost you anything out of pocket. Just let them know you are interested in transferring your reservation to them.

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Feb

8:15 pm

Disney Training: Disney Themed Goodie Bags For Traveling To Disney

in Disney Cruise Training,Disney World Tips and Tricks,Disneyland Training

One of my readers found the cutest bags at the Dollar General for $1 each. She is using them to make goodie bags for the drive down to Disney World. Check out all the ideas she has for filling the bags:

I’m trying to get as many Disney themed things as possible. I have a ds game for each of them that I got during Christmas sales, Disney coloring books, colors, the color wonder marker packs, tinkerbell word search book for my 8 year old daughter. Disney stickers, I want to get a new Disney dvd for each of their bags. I will just keep an eye out for Disney stuff at Target dollar bins, dollar tree, and michaels craft store has lots of Disney themed cheap items. Sometimes they are even on the sidewalk sales marked down further. I’ll probably put in a few snacks too, suckers, gum, Disney fruit snacks. Who knows what I will have collected in the next 9 months.

Do you have any ideas on where else she might inexpensive Disney items for the bags?

Disney World is the Most Magical Place On Earth. Be sure to learn how to make the most of your trip by reading the Disney World Training series. You can also browse all the articles I have written in an easy to use outline. And if you are ready to book your trip, be sure to read about the perks of using an authorized Disney vacation planner (plus it’s FREE!).

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Jun

12:48 pm

How to save on Disney Princess Dresses

in Disney Cruise Training,Disney Themed Deals,Disney World Tips and Tricks,Disney World Training,Disneyland Training

Disney princess dresses at the park are EXPENSIVE. Most of the dresses are almost $60 and that doesn’t include any accessories. But with a little planning ahead, you can still dress your daughter like a princess without breaking the bank:

Check Walmart (and Target) for Princess dresses. I was in Walmart today and I found Rapunzel, Tiana, Cinderella, Little Mermaid, Rosetta and Iridessa for just $20 each.
Around Halloween, watch the costume aisles for Princess dresses. I have also found complete sets (including shoes, tiara and scepter for $20 at Sams Club).
Watch Ebay. You can sometimes find a group of Princess dresses for sale.

If your princess is older, it’s harder to find a princess dress to fit them. The wonderful thing about the dresses that Disney sells, is they go all the way up to a size 14. So even your older child can still dress up as her favorite princess.

Do you have any tips on how to save on princess dresses?

{ 48 comments }

Jun

10:00 am

Disney Cruise Training: Child care on board for kids under 3

in Disney Cruise Training

When traveling with kids under 3 on Disney Cruise Line, there are some tips to keep in mind.

All Disney cruise ships have a nursery on board for their littlest sailors who aren’t part of the children’s programming- ages 3 months to 36 months. On the Disney Magic and Wonder, they have Flounder’s Reef Nursery (Deck 5, aft) and on the Disney Dream and soon-to-be Fantasy, there is It’s A Small World Nursery (Deck 5, midship).

About the Nurseries

Flounder’s Reef Nursery includes:

Baby swings
Baby walkers
Books
Toys
Games
Quiet area, complete with cribs
A television
A DVD player
Activities

It’s A Small World nursery is divided into zones and has many of the same inclusions as the other ships’ nursery. The facility consists of 3 distinct areas:

An acclimation zone, designed to help youngsters adjust to the nursery
A main play area, with a 3-dimensional façade of the small world attraction that’s filled with interactive features and hidden delights
A separate room for naps that is quiet and peaceful

When to make reservations

You or your travel agent will need to schedule times in advance for your time away from baby.

120 days in advance for Concierge and Platinum Castaway Club Guests
105 days in advance for Gold Castaway Club Guests
90 days in advance for Silver Castaway Club Guests
75 days in advance for First-Time Cruisers

You are charged by the hour- $6 per hour for the first child and $5 per hour for each child after that. They do ask that you bring diapers, food and other baby items that the Cast Members will need to take care of your child.

Cancellations may be made without penalty up to 4 hours in advance of reservation.

Baby Care items

With airline baggage fees these days, it’s best to travel light, but a baby can take up a whole suitcase by themselves! Disney Cruise Line has partnered with BabiesTravelLite so you can pre-order diapers, wipes, baby food, formula and other needs you may have on board. You can also pre-order for your Resort stay before or after your cruise.

Other items you might need:

– Diaper Genie units, cribs and playpens are available complimentary upon request from the stateroom host/hostess for use during the cruise.

– Bottle warmers, bottle sterilizers and strollers are available complimentary at Guest Services for use during the cruise.

When booking, make sure you or your agent does this at least a month in advance to have everything delivered on time.

All of these amenities and services are provided to make cruising with your infant or toddler as stress-free as possible!

Linds is a Disney fanatic which started from a young age with her first Disneyland trip at 4 years old- now married and has 4 boys, she enjoys going even more! Linds blogs at Enchanting Deals about the latest Disney specials and park, dining and resort guest tips. She loves being a Disney deal expert- to help families get to Disney and save money! Also can find her on Twitter or Facebook.

Be sure to learn how to make the most of your trip by reading the Disney Cruise Training series. And if you are ready to book your trip, be sure to read about the perks of using an authorized Disney vacation planner (plus it’s FREE!).

{ 7 comments }

Jun

9:18 pm

Disney Training: Hints on booking Disney travel packages

in Disney Cruise Training,Disney World Training,Disneyland Training

This is a guest post by my friend Linds.

There’s nothing more magical than staying on Disney property. There may be an initial sticker shock on your vacation, but if you’re far enough out- don’t worry!

Deposits

It’s best to put a deposit down if you know what dates you will be traveling ($200 per room) so you are guaranteed the availability- like saving your spot. Don’t wait to book if you think you might miss a special, it can be applied later. Also, the call center will be super busy and you’ll be on hold forever with all the others who are booking or upgrading their packages.

Having your confirmation number will help with your dining if you are more than 180 days out from your travel. You can book dining reservations using your confirmation number and account on 180 days in advance for the first 10 days of your vacation. This saves you from having to book each day of your trip on its individual 180-day mark. Just another benefit of being a resort guest!

Discounts from Disney

You can only have one discount applied to your package at a time- whether it’s a PIN, Kid’s Stay/Play Free, Free Dining or starting with a room discount and adding to your package from there. As a Disney travel agent, who watches these closely, I’ve seen a room rate discount work out cheaper than one of the big specials they are advertising- you never know when there are specials with overlapping periods!

When those specials come out I take care of that for all my clients who qualify as part of a discount monitoring program- sometimes it’s a discount on their package or it’s adding on more benefits like Dining which doesn’t always change the price. PINs can even be applied after a package is booked and even making adjustments to the dates a little to fit the qualifications if needed.

Payments

Disney travel company doesn’t have an automatic payment program, but you can make payments at anytime through your account or travel agent. I keep clients credit card information on file, so all they do is email me how much they’d like to attribute to their account and I send back a statement which includes the remaining balance. If you’re on your own, you can set up a date each month and contribute what you can or save it all for the last day- set up a reminder a few days in advance so it won’t be too late if you forget.

Changes and Cancellations

Changes can be made without any fees and even the whole package canceled for a full refund up to 45 days prior to arrival. Any changes after that date may have a $50 fee. Disney charges a $200 cancellation penalty per room if you make changes between 44 and 1 day before arrival. If you add on the optional insurance, you will get 100% of your package price back, except the insurance.

Disney Cruise Line terms start prior to 75 days before travel, see website for specific terms.

Disneyland terms start 30 days prior to arrival (no change/cancellation fees) when full payment is due for packages and 5 days prior to arrival for resort room reservations. A $200 cancellation for packages anytime after that is required.

Waiting vs Canceling

I had a client get a quote just recently with a great room rate and they weren’t ready to book- a few weeks later when they were ready, the rate was over and their package jumped $800! That is so hard for a fellow saver like me to have to tell them! They were still beyond the 45 days when they started to consider the price, so I would have either had to call to make the final payment or cancel that day if they had their deposit in, but at least they would have had the cheaper option.

If you are ready to book your trip, be sure to read about the perks of using an authorized Disney vacation planner

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Mar

8:00 pm

Disney World Training: Matching shirts for your family

in Disney Cruise Training,Disney Souvenirs,Disney World Tips and Tricks,Disney World Training,Disneyland Training

One fun part of planning (for those interested) is finding matching shirts for the kids or even the whole family. There are so many different options and I thought I would showcase each of the popular ones for you.

When I asked my readers to share some picture of their family in matching shirts, it looks like the Mickey Tie Dye are the most popular. I actually found a You Tube video on how to make them. It looks really easy!

If you have pictures of your family in matching shirts I would love to see them. Please email them to me at CouponingtoDisney @gmail.com.

(Thanks Amy, Evelyn and Cindy!)

{ 20 comments }

Mar

8:00 pm

Disney Training: Saving on souvenirs at Disney

in Disney Cruise Training,Disney Themed Deals,Disney World Tips and Tricks,Disney World Training,Disneyland Training

I absolutely LOVE the Dollar Tree. Before we leave for our trip, I will head to the local Dollar Tree to see what kind of Disney themed goodies I can find. My kids love anything Disney and they aren’t overly picky about where their gift came from as long as they got it. So I stock up on goodies for cheap and it makes us all happy.

The above pictures are all the goodies I found at the Dollar Tree this week. I didn’t buy them, but I was very impressed by the selection! Let me know if you find anything awesome at your Dollar Tree.

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