Disney Cruise Line 101 — How to Book a Stress-Free Disney Cruise from Start to Sail (Ep 87)

Thinking about booking a Disney cruise but not sure where to start?

In this episode, we walk through the full process of booking a cruise with Disney Cruise Line, from the very first inquiry to embarkation day. We break down how itineraries and ships are chosen, how stateroom selection works, when deposits and payments happen, and what clients actually need to do before sailing.

We also share how working with a travel agent fits into the process, what happens behind the scenes, and how we help keep everything organized so cruising feels exciting, not overwhelming.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to Wonderlust and Witches, the podcast where we explore the world one destination at a time.

SPEAKER_01 0:05

I'm Julie. And I'm Crystal. As travel agents with fantastical vacations, we are here to share our passion for travel and help you turn your wonderlust into reality.

SPEAKER_00 0:15

From hidden gems to bucket list adventures, join us as we dive into the sights, sounds, and stories of our favorite destinations.

SPEAKER_01 0:21

So grab your passport, pack your bags, and let's embark on this journey together. Hi everybody, welcome to episode 87 of Wonderlust and Witches. Today we're going to talk about the step-by-step process of booking a Disney cruise and kind of from start to finish what's included. But first, we have a new review, and we're so excited. Over to you, Crystal, for the review.

SPEAKER_00 0:52

This review is titled New Listener, and it's from Joe Roller84. Love this podcast. It keeps the magic going between trips. Keep up the great work. Thank you so much for leaving us a review, being a new listener. And I think she also followed us on Instagram. So yay!

SPEAKER_01 1:11

Thank you. Yay, we're so excited. Thank you for your review. We appreciate it. And we're very glad that we add some magic to your week between trips and travel. That's what this is all about. Okay, so let's jump into our episode. So today, as I mentioned, we're gonna kind of pull back the curtain on what actually happens from the moment you say, you know what, I think I want to do a Disney cruise to the moment that you walk on board to the ship.

SPEAKER_00 1:42

I think a lot of people kind of just assume that booking a cruise is just picking a ship and then pain, and that's the end of it. But there are so many steps in between, and that's where people can get very overwhelmed.

SPEAKER_01 1:53

And that that's why, you know, we we talked about doing episodes and kind of what things we wanted to cover. And that's one of the reasons we picked this topic because going by step by step, just giving you the understanding and expectations of what happens, and also understanding where we as travel agents can really make a difference in the process.

SPEAKER_00 2:13

So let's start at the very beginning. When someone reaches out and says, we want to cruise with Disney, what is the first thing you do?

SPEAKER_01 2:21

Honestly, we typically are gonna ask a lot of questions. We're gonna ask, who's traveling? How old are the kids? Because that impacts the the pricing. Have you cruised before? Do you have flexible dates? And what made you want to do Disney specifically? As far as the dates are concerned, having very specific dates can sometimes make it more difficult because we're we're looking at what options of the itinerary. So usually it's gonna be more of a date range when we ask you, we're gonna ask you like what time of the month or maybe a Sunday to Wednesday or whatever it is that you're looking for, but that's gonna be important.

SPEAKER_00 2:59

I know people are always surprised by that because they expect just to see prices and they don't expect some back and forth beforehand.

SPEAKER_01 3:06

Right. Because if you don't have the information or the context behind it, the pricing doesn't really help you. So for an example, a family with toddlers and a family with teenagers are going to have very different experiences on different ships and different itineraries. So it's important that we understand a little bit about your family and the dynamic and why you're wanting to go on the cruise to give you better options.

SPEAKER_00 3:33

For sure. And even it could be little or big thing as this is our once-in-a-lifetime trip versus we cruise every year or so can totally change recommendations, ship preference, itineraries.

SPEAKER_01 3:46

Absolutely. Once we understand the family or the group of individuals that are going on the trip, that's when we start to narrow down what's the best ship for you, what's the best itinerary for you.

SPEAKER_00 3:59

And this is often where I see people get stuck, especially when they're researching online, because there are so many ships, there are different sailing lengths, different ports, different private island stops. It just can be a lot and start to get super overwhelming.

SPEAKER_01 4:12

Yeah, and sometimes clients will come to us and say, We want, you know, the newest ship. So we want, you know, the treasure or the destiny. But then when we go back and look at what length of cruise they want, it doesn't match up. So some of the ships, they just do a seven-day, and some of the ships do like three and four days or five days. So you also have to understand that. And if you want a specific ship, you kind of have to be flexible with the sailing link or whatever port it's leaving from as well.

SPEAKER_00 4:46

And then next people often don't realize how different a three and four-night cruise can feel compared to a seven-night or longer.

SPEAKER_01 4:55

And this is where we kind of help with understanding what those differences are so that they're not just picking something that sounds cool or maybe they, you know, have heard from their cousin's boyfriend's mother recommended this thing. And that may have been great for that person, but that's not necessarily going to match up with what you need.

SPEAKER_00 5:17

So our next step is the stateroom selection. And this is one of my favorite parts because people don't realize how much your room location can really make or break your trip.

SPEAKER_01 5:28

Absolutely. I love this part also. I love picking the room and being able to give the details on what the what the room entails, that it's not just, you know, an inside room versus a veranda room. Where the room is on the ship can also completely change the experience that you have.

SPEAKER_00 5:49

And then this is where the famous motion sickness question comes in, Julie.

SPEAKER_01 5:54

Yes, absolutely. It makes a big difference if you're in midship and a little bit lower. It tends to feel more stable. But because of that, because they're more sometimes they're in more demand, those rooms actually cost more. And some people are just surprised by that. And even like as an example, when I was planning our trip and my parents, we put them in a room that was in a forward location, and they were thinking, well, maybe we need to be a little bit farther back. You know, went in and looked. It was, I think it was like five or six hundred dollars difference for them to move back. And I mean, it was literally like maybe five rooms back, but it was in considered midship versus forward. And so they were just at the edge of forward. We felt like they were close enough to the midship section that we could still keep them in an affordable room without moving them.

SPEAKER_00 6:56

And then there's the famous balcony conversation.

SPEAKER_01 7:00

Yeah, some people really want that balcony, but depending on where the room is, you don't realize that it can be partially enclosed or obstructed. Those rooms, though, if you get an obstructed view, can save you money and still give you the balcony, but it really depends on if that is really important to you that you do not have an obstructed view, that's going to make a difference in the price. And I think it also depends on where you're going and what you know, what it is that you're you're looking for, you know, to see. Like, I would strongly recommend an unobstructed view if you're going on an Alaska cruise. Like that's the whole part of sailing that the, you know, the inside passage is being able to see the the land, you know, of Alaska and the glaciers. And if you have an obstructed view, you're not gonna get the full experience.

SPEAKER_00 7:56

And then there are just even like little things like do you want your room to be underneath the pool deck where they're sliding chairs around at 5 a.m.? Do you want to be across the hall from the laundry room where people are constantly in and out? Not on a Disney ship, but on other cruise lines. Do you want to be near the casino where there's stuff going on 24-7? So this is just where an agent can really help avoid picking a room that you might regret later on.

SPEAKER_01 8:20

Those are perfect examples. And a lot of times that's why those kind of middle floors are more popular because they're in between other state rooms versus beneath activities on a higher floor. And so you just have to like kind of think about that. But some people, they don't mind that part. They would rather be closer to the activities, so they would rather have the higher floor. And it just depends on your preference. So once we decide what's the right room for you, we have to get everybody's legal names because it has to match your documentation, your birthdays, and the address. We can either book the cruise if you're ready to go, or we can also place it on hold.

SPEAKER_00 9:05

I don't think a lot of people realize that we can put it on a hold. And this is such an underrated step of using an agent because it gives you time just to make sure you feel good about it. There's no buyer's remorse overnight, make sure you're okay in it with your party. So this is just such an underrated step.

SPEAKER_01 9:22

Yeah, and that that gives us time to, like Crystal was saying, it gives us time to really double check everything before you put down that deposit. Because right now there's a there, there's a promotion that actually I think ends after this weekend, but that it was like 5% deposit. But most of the time, Disney deposit is 10%. And so depending on your cruise, that's not a small chunk of change. And you want to make sure before you put that deposit down that you have the right room and you're you're happy with the cruise that's been selected.

SPEAKER_00 9:57

This also prevents the oh no, I spelled someone's name wrong panic later on. With someone whose name is spelled very uniquely, it's very easy, like even on like doctor things, people are always spelling it wrong. So I like this step just so I can like go through and make sure that they spelt it right, or they didn't put like Christie or with a C, or I've seen the combos, guys. It would blow your mind, but um, it's a very important step.

SPEAKER_01 10:22

Yes. My husband is a junior, so that has to match. Everything has to match. The first, middle, last name, if you have a junior, whatever your legal name is that's on your passport has to match what's in the system. Your birth dates have to match, all of that stuff has to match, or you're you're gonna have an issue and they're not gonna allow you to check in. And then it's just gonna cause problems down the road.

SPEAKER_00 10:46

All right. So after the hold, the next step is the deposit, which people sometimes can feel a little nervous about. Sometimes it's a pretty big chunk of change.

SPEAKER_01 10:57

Yeah, that's absolutely understandable. So we want to make sure that we talk you through exactly what's being charged, exactly what's optional, and what can be added later, because there's different things that you can add later on if you're not prepared or you're not ready to add them yet.

SPEAKER_00 11:13

Things like travel insurance, prepaid gratuities, all those little things. Sometimes some lines have a drink package that you might add on later. Those little minute details that you might forget about.

SPEAKER_01 11:26

We're not gonna just add these things without permission, especially you know, the travel protection can be a pretty large amount. We're always obviously going to recommend it. And I feel like it is well worth it, especially when you're spending the amount of money that you are on the cruise. But we're not gonna add that without asking you first. Same thing with your gratuities. You have the option to prepay them, but if you don't prepay them, they're gonna get charged to the account, the card that's on file when you're on the ship.

SPEAKER_00 11:56

All right. The next step is where your guides come in and clients start to feel like, okay, I've got this.

SPEAKER_01 12:03

And that's that's kind of the goal is you know, giving these guides. And a lot of times I kind of do like a trickle effects where I give a little bit of information at a time so that you do not, so that people don't feel like they're overwhelmed. So like dumping this gigantic amount of information and expecting you to read it and internalize it at once, it that can be difficult.

SPEAKER_00 12:27

Yeah, it can get overwhelming when you start getting bombarded. So it's a lot easier to say you don't need to do everything right now, here's what matters first, and we'll take it step by step.

SPEAKER_01 12:37

So things like your balance due dates, check-in timelines, and just making sure that you understand what documents are required. All the documents are valid and ready when it is time to do your check-in. So just understanding what's coming next.

SPEAKER_00 12:55

The next little part is kind of more of like a waiting period, and this is oftentimes a step that clients don't see at all.

SPEAKER_01 13:06

And yeah, and obviously this also depends on like how closely you booked your cruise. But if you book it like really farther out, there's a lot of things that we're doing on like on the back end behind the scenes. We're gonna be tracking your final payment dates, we're gonna be tracking when you need to add your insurance, we're gonna be tracking when you have the ability to book your excursions because that's gonna be different depending on if you're a first-time cruiser or if you've cruised, you know, 10 or more times or, you know, whatever. It's gonna be different. And the same thing with your check-in dates, making sure you understand what those dates are and really for first-time cruisers, setting expectations of what excursions you're you may potentially miss out on just because they're gonna be taken and they're popular, and then also check-in dates, understanding that your boarding time is probably not gonna be super early just because everyone else has already checked in by the time you check in, and you're gonna have a little bit later check-in time.

SPEAKER_00 14:07

This also avoids clients waking up in a panic thinking, did I miss something?

SPEAKER_01 14:12

Right. I mean, and that's that's really the whole point of us taking care of that stuff for you and sending you those reminders and making sure that you don't feel stressed out about those dates and that you have to keep up with it because we're gonna do that for you.

SPEAKER_00 14:27

So speaking of excursions and onboard activities, this part often feels very exciting, but can also be a little bit stressful.

SPEAKER_01 14:35

It is a little bit because they do have a midnight booking window. It can make people nervous.

SPEAKER_00 14:41

Yeah, especially those first-timers.

SPEAKER_01 14:43

But we will kind of go through and help decide what's actually worth booking ahead of time and kind of like I was mentioning earlier, just kind of setting expectations for what will probably still be available. And then also, you know, things that you can maybe skip and either book on the cruise or just skip altogether, um, especially for shorter cruises. You don't want to pack in so much that it's overwhelming what you're on on the ship and that you don't have time to do anything else.

SPEAKER_00 15:13

So sometimes people don't realize that sometimes the best plan can just be staying on the ship, especially like a stop like Nassau. That's a very popular port for people just to stay on and take advantage of what's on the ship, especially on those shorter itineraries.

SPEAKER_01 15:27

It is really nice when half the ship is off doing something at the port and you are on board and you have kind of a run of the ship and it's not as quite as crowded, it feels a little bit less um chaotic. That's a that's a good plan to have.

SPEAKER_00 15:43

All right, next is the online check-in process. And this is probably the step where people will or clients will reach out the most just because there's so many moving parts and so many little details that if it's wrong, can mess up the entire thing.

SPEAKER_01 15:59

The important thing for people to understand is we can do a lot of things for you, but we cannot check in for you because it's gonna involve uploading your passport, also photos. So you upload your passport or your birth certificate, depending on what the document is that you have for verification purposes, but you also have to upload a photo, like a clear photo of yourself that's completely separate, and it cannot have you can't have a hat on, you can't have, you can't be partially blocked by having like another person in the picture. There's very specific requirements. And those things we're not able to do for you. We can walk you through it and we can give you all the information possible up front, but this can definitely be, if you've never done it before, it can be a little bit nerve-wracking.

SPEAKER_00 16:45

And this is where little mistakes can cause big delays on embarkation day.

SPEAKER_01 16:49

Disney's pretty good though, to say this is not acceptable. Like they'll approve you or not approve you. So hopefully by the time you get to embarkation day, you're fine. But even if there's something that's weird or going on, generally they can help you on embarkation day. But like Crystal was saying, it'll cause delays because you have to go through the process of verifying things.

SPEAKER_00 17:14

And then we get to final emails and embarkation prep. And this is where the excitement really kicks in.

SPEAKER_01 17:22

Oh, yes. Final reminders and packing tips and port arrival info and tips for the Disney Cruise Line app. This gets exciting, and we're we're just as excited, honestly, for you then as you are, because this is where we get to do a lot of the fun stuff.

SPEAKER_00 17:37

So we basically are trying to help you figure out here's how to have the smoothest embarkation journey and just the best start to your vacation.

SPEAKER_01 17:46

Right. So we're gonna cover things like for Disney cruise line and a lot of cruise lines, there's different terminals depending on what ship you're on. So we're gonna make sure that we help you with that, understand where you're going, making sure that you know tips on getting there and parking, hopefully making your embarkation day goes as smoothly as possible because it does kind of set the tone for the entire cruise. If you have a rough day that first day, it can take you a little bit longer to kind of relax and decompress from whatever was happening on embarkation day. So if you get on the ship and it goes really smoothly, that just helps with the excitement level.

SPEAKER_00 18:24

So wrapping this up with the big question and a shameless plug. Why should someone use a travel agent that specializes in Disney destinations?

SPEAKER_01 18:31

Well, you're not going to be paying anything extra to do so. You're getting guidance, the organization, the reminders. And really, like we're kind of your little like right hands. We're we're the little like, you know, travel agent on your shoulder that's helping answer questions or calming you down if you stress out about something. We're giving you that support from the beginning to the end. It just really helps make everything go really smoothly.

SPEAKER_00 19:00

And all of our Disney cruisers, as a thank you, we give you a special onboard credit just for using us and booking with us.

SPEAKER_01 19:10

It's up to $1,000 depending on the price of the cruise. And it can really be used for pretty much anything drinks, excursions, spa services, souvenirs. You have that as an option to use.

SPEAKER_00 19:24

But honestly, I think the biggest benefit is the peace of mind that we're taking care of it all.

SPEAKER_01 19:29

Vacations should be exciting and not stressful, especially with a cruise. It's kind of like you're going on this kind of all-inclusive type vacation and having this great experience. We can help you through understanding all of the different things. Also, the things that set Disney apart. You know, we talked about this before that like they have rotational dining. It's not the same as other cruise lines where you have the big dining room and everybody just goes in there. They do have their specialty restaurants, which we would we could talk through. Just in general, just giving you tips on how best to navigate the whole process. In closing, um, and to wrap up, if you've ever looked at booking a Disney cruise, and even if you've done it, you know, before and you're not a first-time cruiser and you still feel a little overwhelmed, or it's just one more thing on your to-do list that you just have a busy life, have all these other things going on, but you really want to have this vacation, this is really your sign that you don't have to do it alone, that we're here to help you and would love to get you on the best cruise and itinerary for your family or your group that's going.

SPEAKER_00 20:40

And if you are thinking about cruising and have any questions, please reach out. We always are happy to help. Our email is wonderless and wishes podcast at gmail.com. You can slide into our DMs, whatever you'd like to do, we are here for you.

SPEAKER_01 20:54

Disney Cruise Line right now has itineraries open through like mid-2027. So if you are thinking of going on a cruise, really, even if it's next year, booking now is gonna be your best option for the best pricing and also for the most availability. If you're looking for a veranda room and you don't want to obstruct it and you want and you know you have motion sickness and you need to have that middle of the ship room, this is when you have that availability to book whatever state room is gonna be best for your family. As always, if we book and then there's a promotion that comes out, we're going to apply that promotion when that comes out. If there's anything that we can do to save you money on your cruise, we're gonna do that. Thank you so much for listening, everyone. And we hope that this episode has been helpful. We also hope that you have a fantastic week coming up, and we'll talk to you next week. Bye. Thanks for tuning in to another episode of Wonderlust and Wishes. If you enjoyed today's episode, don't forget to subscribe and leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform. And remember, the world is full of wonders waiting to be explored. Until next time, happy travels. Bye for now.