Booking a cruise can feel like a serious commitment. Deposits are often non-refundable, and you will be at sea, away from the comforts of land. For booking online, this can cause quite a bit of stress. Thankfully, Disney cruise onboard credits make all this much easier with placeholders and discounts for 2019 and 2020.
What Are Disney Cruise Onboard Credits?
Disney cruise onboard credits make rebooking another trip for the future a very appealing option. In fact, a lot of people regret not rebooking while onboard their first trip.
Disney cruise onboard credits are discounts that apply to both your current cruise and/or a future cruise booking. Pretty great, right? You receive a reward for rebooking!
How Do I Get Disney Cruise Onboard Credits, and How Does a Disney Cruise Placeholder Work?
It’s actually all very easy. Disney made sure of this.
Once you’re actually on the boat, you will need to stop by the Future Cruise Sales Desk. There can often be an incredibly long line here (or even short ones that take an hour to get through). So, don’t waste the opportunity if you see the desk with nobody in line.
Once you are with a Cast Member, you will be able to ask any and all questions you may have. You can also put down your deposit of $250 per room to reserve your placeholder. A Disney cruise placeholder is the down payment you make that reserves your future cruise booking discount.
If you have not actually booked your sailing package within 24 months of deposit date, then it will automatically refund to you.
So, you don’t need to know when you’ll travel or which kind of room you want for your next sailing to rebook onboard the ship. You certainly can, but you are not required to. You can even move around the booking packages as much as you want within the 24-month window that Disney Cruise Lines allows. Think of this 2-year window as the placeholder refund period.
All this is very convenient and makes booking a placeholder pretty much a no-brainer if you know you’ll be booking a Disney Cruise Line vacation in the near future. That is basically all you need to know up front about Disney cruise placeholder policy.
How Much Is the Onboard Credit Discount?
For 2019 and 2020, there are essentially three discounts that happen at the same time. When you rebook onboard your current trip these 3 discounts make up the Disney cruise onboard credits.
When you rebook your next Disney cruise line vacation onboard, you get 10% off your current cruise fare. Normal tax and port fees are still required.
The next great advantage is that Disney only requires a deposit of 10% for the rebooking. That’s opposed to the regular 20% down payment. This applies to any cruise that is 7+ nights in duration.
Finally, you’ll receive Disney cruise onboard credits worth $100 for a trip that’s less than 7 nights, or $200 for 7+ night vacations. That’s a nice chunk of change simply for rebooking your next trip in advance!
One caveat: if you are booking a concierge stateroom, then you do not receive the first two benefits here. But you will still get the Disney cruise onboard credits.
And you can even use this onboard rebooking system to gift a cruise to a friend or other family member. You will need to stay in one of the rooms that you book. The other can be occupied by whomever you choose!
Are There Any Exceptions?
Yes, there are. Some cruising dates do not work with the onboard rebooking credits (blackout dates). Importantly, these discounts cannot be combined with any others, such as military discounts, senior discounts, or Florida resident rates.
Ask a Cast Member if you have specific questions about whether your planned trip works with Disney cruise onboard credits. It’s best to get that out of the way so you can plan your vacation without worry or stress.
Is There Anything Else I Should Know About Disney Cruise Onboard Credits?
The last thing I’ll say is this. If you are already using an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner or Specialist you can still give them credit. They’ve done all that booking work to get you the cheapest rates available. It makes sense that you’d want to reward them. Disney does too!
You simply have them fill out a form within 30 days (no exceptions past this window, unfortunately. They will automatically receive the commission from Disney if this is completed.
So, you don’t have to worry that they aren’t getting their credit from Disney simply because you decided to rebook onboard and take advantage of the credit system for future sailings.
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Neal Tucker is one of the world’s most engaging Disney influencers, with thousands of views and responses across his blog, podcast, and social media profiles every month.
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