Savings on Disney Cruises

I am a book it myself type of girl.  I rarely use a travel agent unless I am traveling with others and then its just easier if someone else collects the payments, yada, yada…

But when it comes to a Disney cruise a travel agent is the easiest way to not only save money and make requests but they also offer on board credit.  We usually use the on board credit to pay our tips and buy photos.

In the past I have used Beth at Dreams Unlimited.  I get nothing from them, she has just done a good job for me in the past.  So please if you are looking at a Disney cruise use a travel agent that can get you some on board credit!!!! Even if you already booked with Disney often they can take over the reservation and get you some credit.

The current offer is if the cruise is $1,000 – $1,999 you get $50. $2,000 – $2,999 get $100, $3,000 – 3,999 get $150 and up from there.  And this can be combined with other offers like the Disney Visa $50 on board credit offer.  Just use your Disney Visa to book your cruise.

If there is a sale offering they can book those same prices for you and you get the on board credit also.

So please if booking a Disney cruise find a travel agent that will give you on board credit for the cruise and book through them.  And use them to make server requests or to ask them any questions you might have.

You can find out more information here: http://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/cruise/specials.htm#sbc

Disney Dream in Nassau Bahamas

We took the Disney Dream back to Nassau in the Bahamas for a family cruise. 

Disney Dream Excursions on Castaway Cay

I love Castaway Cay.  The beach is beautiful, the water so blue and its very family friendly!

Disney’s Castaway Cay Island

We love Disney’s Castaway Cay!  The water is so beautiful and there is plenty of beach for everyone!  Even with many people on land you can still find quiet spots and explore on your own.

She looks pretty sitting at the dock…

And if you get off the ship soon as it docks you have lovely photos without other people in them!

The flower and foliage are so pretty…

And you never know who you are going to run into???

And the views from the beach are even better!

Or this view from my favorite refreshment location!

Its hard to leave such a stunning location…

 

 

Disney Dream Cruise Take Two!

We chose to sail again on the Disney Dream while on our Disney first cruise.  The re-booking advantages were large enough to lure us back in.  Husband had such a good time that when I showed him costs on our last night he said to go ahead and book it for a day longer this time.

We were lucky enough to have the same room and it was fun to see many of the people who made our first cruise spectacular!  With a longer cruise and being our second time we felt less pressure to do everything.  We watched the sunset each night and took it easier.

And we seemed to have cruise ship company the whole way to the Bahamas which was unusual…

Our room steward remembered us from last time and made our trip extra special…

Cruising from Port Canaveral? Watch the Port Cam Here!

In the cold long days prior to our Disney cruise I liked to watch the Port Canaveral Webcam to lighten my mood.

http://portcanaveralwebcam.com/

Even if the Disney Dream is not in port there is plenty to see. I have seen a submarine, fishing boats, yachts and other cruise ships pass by.

Pay Attention To Cruise Departure Times

I always wondered how do people miss their cruise ship leaving port?  There are some videos on YouTube of people missing their ships.  Like this one : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-yrsXsJmbw IF you go off on your own the ship will not wait for your.  IF you are on a cruise sponsored excursion they are not going to leave 25+ of their cruisers behind if they are stuck in traffic.  So pay attention to the time if you visit on your own.

The ship leaves and about 10-15 minutes later this couple comes hurrying down the dock to where their ship was…

As you can see their ship got pretty far before they arrived at the dock.

We were hanging out on our verandah watching a sea turtle when we saw the upset couple on the dock.

We were told that hopefully they had their passports with them so they could fly at their own expense to the next location and meet up with the ship. Do NOT miss your cruise ship!!!!!!

Giving the Gift of Travel

I will be honest, I was tired of all the stuff at Christmas. Not to sound ungrateful but when Daughter was younger Christmas meant toys coming out of our ears.  Then when we started to take larger family vacations we cut back on the stuff.  Daughter gets one larger gift and then its supplemented with books and a couple of cheap movies from Amazon.  One Christmas I was at a loss so I took drastic measures and gave our family a travel gift!

I paid the deposit on a Disney cruise which was a very low amount at the time.  I figured this would be alright with Husband since we had been talking about taking a cruise for a couple of months prior but better safe than sorry.  At the time they were still building the Disney Dream and cabins were not really selling that well.  I got a heck of a deal on this Disney cruise so I was excited.  But how to break it to the family?

I found a large box at work and wrapped it in Santa wrap…

Country Inn and Suites Port Canaveral, Florida

We stayed at the Country Inn and Suites in Port Canaveral prior to our cruise.

The hotel is the closest one to the port which is relative as most hotels are  within a mile of each other. The nice thing is if you ask for a port facing room you get this view.

The hotel has a very large outdoor pool, a very cool looking hot tub  with a waterfall and a little kids splash pool with a sprinkler water feature.

The rooms are standard Country  Inn and Suites, costs around $100-110 a night.  Or 38,000 Club Carlson points. We had a great stay and are very open to staying here again before our cruise.

The best part is telling your child to look out the window the next morning to see this:

http://www.countryinns.com/cape-canaveral-hotel-fl-32920/flcape