Discount Disney cruises may sound like a great way to take your family on vacation for cheap. However, the discount cruises can often cost more than a full fare cruise costs in the end. If you want to take an affordable cruise vacation, here are some things to watch out for, and how you can still save money.
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Discount Disney Cruises and Dining
Most cruise lines, including the Disney cruise line, will include basic dining in the cruise package. This usually requires you to eat in a specific dining room at specific times. Many discount Disney cruises will only cover dining for dinner. If you want to eat breakfast or lunch you may have to pay extra. If you want to eat at some of the dining rooms that aren’t listed as standard, you’ll also have to pay an upcharge for this. For instance, getting away from the kids at Palo, an adult exclusive restaurant available on the Disney Dream cruise ship, The Disney Fantasy, and Disney Wonder ship, you’ll have to pay an extra fee. While this doesn’t sound like a terrible deal at first, considering the cost of a simple meal can run well over $40 per person, it adds up fast. Before you purchase a Disney cruise package check to see what dining options are included. If you don’t want to be forced to eat only at the free dining rooms, then look at onboard discounts. You can find early bird specials, 2 for 1 deals, and can even pre-purchase dining packages that will save you money.
Onboard Kids Activities
While Disney cruises are designed to keep an entire family occupied, discount Disney cruises won’t include all of the different activities available on the ship. The character greetings, deck parties, and some of the entertainment will be included. However, if you want to enroll your children in the different youth activities, such as Oceaneer Club, the Labs, or use the nurseries, you’ll have to pay extra. To save money on this check before you purchase the package to make sure you know what’s included and what’s not. This will avoid you spending more money on the discount Disney cruises once onboard because you feel guilty about not letting your child do something they may want to do. You can also save money by enrolling them before you board the ship.
Spa and Salon
Each Disney cruise ship offers a spa and salon just for adults. This is a good way for adults to unwind away from the kids and enjoy a relaxing massage, facial, or other relaxing treatment. These services also come with a hefty price tag. Some cruise packages will give you discounts, but discount Disney cruises that are purchased through a travel agent may not. In fact, most of the cheap cruises won’t give you any kind of discount for the spa. Expect a day at the spa to set you back several hundred dollars. To save money on this consider just getting a pedicure for around $60, or a hand massage for around $40.
Drinks
For many people part of the cruise experience is being able to enjoy fruity drinks on the deck. Disney cruise ships all offer bars and lounges just for this. Just because it’s a family friendly cruise line doesn’t mean that adults can’t let loose a little. However, the drinks on any cruise are very expensive. A simple well drink like a vodka and tonic can be as much as $10. It doesn’t take long for this to add up. A lot of discount Disney cruises won’t offer you any kind of break on the drink specials. However, you can still save money on this. Look for the daily drink specials offered in the lounges. You can save several bucks on each drink by taking advantage of these. You can also purchase drink coupons before you board the ship. These will usually save you money as well. With some packages, you may be able to find drink coupons that cost $4 each but give you $5 or more in drink credits. Even sodas onboard will cost extra money. You can save money on this by getting soda packages for everyone instead of paying for each individual drink.
Saving money with discount packages sounds great, but you’ll need to know what is and isn’t included in discount Disney cruises before you make your purchase.
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