Cruise Booking FAQ: The Questions Families Ask Me Most

These are the questions that come into my DMs and inbox over and over. I’ve split them into two parts: how cruise pricing and booking actually work, and how working with me specifically works.

If your question isn’t here, send it to me and I’ll add it.

Part 1: How Disney cruise pricing works

What’s included in a Disney cruise price?

Your accommodations, dining, most onboard activities, entertainment, and taxes and port fees.

Not included unless the quote specifically says so:

• Gratuities
• Shore excursions
• Alcohol
• Wi-Fi
• Specialty dining
• Airfare

Is the price per person or for everyone?

Price is for the total number of people you included. Unless I specifically say otherwise, the prices I give are the total for the entire cabin, not per person.

While most travel pricing you see online is per person, cruise fares are usually quoted for the whole room.

Do cruise prices include flights?

No. Flights are purchased separately and you book them directly with the airline.

Airfare varies enormously by departure airport. I can help guide you to finding the best options, but I do not book them.

Is the price guaranteed?

No. Cruise prices and availability change constantly.

Your price isn’t locked until your reservation is completed and your deposit is paid. I can place a 3-day courtesy hold on a cabin and price, but if I don’t, a fare I shared last week may not exist today.

Why should I book as soon as my booking window opens?

Most cruiselines, like Disney Cruise Line, use dynamic pricing. As a sailing fills, the fare goes up.

For Disney specifically, booking opens in tiers based on Castaway Club status: Pearl, then Platinum, then Gold, then Silver, then general booking for first-time cruisers.

Getting in early gives you the best shot at three things:

• Lower pricing
• Better stateroom selection
• More options on location and category

Your deposit is fully refundable up to your paid-in-full date, with the exception of concierge staterooms. Depending on sailing length, that date generally falls 90 to 120 days before you sail.

So booking early locks in the the best price and any promotions that might come out later can be applied until the final deposit is due.

How much is the deposit?

It depends on the cruise line, the length of the sailing, and the promotion running at the time. I’ll give you the exact amount with your quote. Disney Cruise Line is 10% of the total fare, unless there is a special promotion.

Can I make payments?

Yes. After the deposit, you can pay toward your balance any time until the final payment deadline.

Do I need a passport for a cruise?

It depends on your itinerary, your departure port, and each traveler’s citizenship. I’ll tell you the requirement for your specific sailing.

I strongly recommend traveling with a passport whenever it’s an option, even when a cruise technically doesn’t require one. If something goes wrong and you need to fly home from a port, a passport is critical.

Is travel protection included?

No, it’s purchased separately, and I recommend it for three reasons:

1. Your regular health insurance may not cover you outside the US
2. Cancellations close to sailing can be expensive
3. Medical care abroad, especially medical evacuation, can be extraordinarily expensive

Are shore excursions included?

No. Excursions are an additional cost and you can book them either through the cruise line or through an independent operator.

Why do you need my children’s ages?

Cruise pricing is based on each guest’s age at the time of sailing, not when you book.

Even a small age difference changes the price, which promotions apply, and sometimes which cabins are available to you.

Part 2: How booking with me works

Do you charge a planning fee for cruises?

No. Cruise planning through me is complimentary, and you pay the same fare you’d pay booking direct.

The cruise line pays a commission that’s already built into the fare. If you book direct, they keep it. I wrote a longer explanation of how that actually works here, including the cases where booking yourself makes more sense.

Can you hold a cabin for me?

Sometimes, depending on the cruise line and the sailing. Disney allows for a 3-day courtesy hold.

Holds are temporary, not every line allows them, and a hold does not guarantee the price once the hold expires.

Can you apply a new promotion after I book?

Sometimes. If the cruise line allows it and your reservation qualifies, I can check for a price adjustment before final payment.

Not every new promotion can be applied to an existing booking, but it’s always worth checking, and it’s the kind of thing that’s easy to miss if nobody’s watching your reservation.

Can you take over a cruise I already booked myself?

Possibly. Most cruise lines have a limited window for transferring a direct booking to a travel advisor.

If you want to do this, contact me as soon as possible. Disney Cruise Line has a hard deadline of 30 days from when you booked to being able to transfer to a travel agent. Once the window closes, it’s closed.

Can you book cabins near each other?

I can look for cabins beside each other, connecting cabins, or cabins in the same area of the ship.

Availability is never guaranteed. Booking early is what gets you the best options, especially if you need connecting rooms. If you’re a family of 5+, this matters more than you think, since some ships don’t have standard rooms that sleeps five or more.

What do you need from me for a quote?

Fill our my trip inquiry form with:

• Your preferred destination or ship
• Approximate travel dates
• Number of nights
• Preferred departure port, if you have one
• Number of travelers
• Ages of all children at the time of sailing

That’s enough for me to come back with up to three options.

Ready for a Disney Cruise Line quote? 

Part 3: Questions you should ask any travel advisor

Before you work with anyone, including me, these are worth asking. I’ve answered them for myself so you know what you’re getting.

What do you specialize in?

Family travel, Disney cruises, Europe with kids, and long-haul bucket-list trips to Africa, Asia, and Australia.

Nobody is a specialist in everything. If you’re planning something outside those lanes, there’s probably someone better suited to it, and I’d rather tell you that than take the booking.

What’s your typical response time?

Within 5 business days.

I don’t answer emails or messages on weekends unless something is an emergency.

Will you monitor promotions, deadlines, and itinerary changes?

Yes. Fares move, promotions come out after you book, and final payment deadlines sneak up. If a new promotion applies to your reservation before final payment, I check and call to apply it.

What should I expect from you before, during, and after?

Before. Finding and booking your cruise, watching for promotions that can be applied to your reservation, handling payments and reminding you of payment deadlines, and letting you know when excursion booking and online check-in open.

During. Honestly, you shouldn’t need me. Disney has a very good guest services team on board that can handle almost anything faster than I can from Rochester. If something goes majorly wrong, reach out.

After. If you enjoyed it, you can book a placeholder for your next Disney cruise right in the app and choose keep me as your agent. When you know which sailing you want, send me a note or submit a new form and I’ll take it from there.

Do you help with dining reservations and excursions?

Yes, though with Disney, dining is mostly assigned. Disney uses rotational dining, so you’ll rotate through the restaurants on a schedule they give you in the app. You don’t book those.

The only dining that needs a reservation is the adults-only restaurants: Palo brunch or dinner, and Enchanté on the Wish, Treasure, and Destiny, or Remy on the Dream and Fantasy. Those cost extra, they’re adults only (with the exception of Palo on the Adventure, that’s 10+), and they have dress codes.

If it’s your first cruise, those are hard to get. Bookings open to concierge guests first, then by Castaway Club status, then to first-time cruisers. We couldn’t get any on our first Treasure cruise, and even at Silver status it can be tricky.

Excursions work the same way. I can book them, but some of the best options sell out to concierge and status guests before first-timers get access.

That said, this is less stressful than it sounds. There are always plenty of options, people cancel constantly, and you can edit and move excursions right in the app up until about three days before you sail. I’ve rearranged mine plenty of times. And to be honest, we sometime skip excursions completely and just enjoy everything to offer on the ship.

Do you help with flights, hotels, and pre or post-cruise planning?

The cruise itself stays complimentary, but I am more than happy to help you figure out pre/post-cruise stays and which flights might be best. I do not book flights, but am more than happy to help you with pre or post-cruise hotels, especially if you want to add on a few nights at Walt Disney World.

Do you charge any fees?

No fee for cruise planning. Custom trip planning starts at $250 and a 1:1 consult is $197.

How do you handle payments?

I can handle them all for you. You’ll submit your payment information through a secure link and I make all the payments on your behalf. After the deposit, you can make payments toward your balance any time until final payment. For Disney cruises, you can even use Disney gift cards.

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If you’re still deciding on a ship, I’ve written honest reviews of the Disney Treasure and the Disney Adventure, including what we paid and where each one falls short.