How we saved thousands on our Disney Cruise—after we booked!
We all know how much fun a Disney Cruise can be, but all that fun doesn’t come cheap. That’s why we’re always looking for ways to save money on Disney Cruises, whether it’s by booking a smaller cabin, bringing our own drinks, or keeping an eye out for special offers. But what if there was a way to get Disney Cruise discounts after you book? To our surprise, we recently discovered that you can save thousands of dollars on a Disney Cruise with just a simple phone call—and it took barely any effort.
Can you save money after booking a Disney Cruise? (Answer: Yes!)
Disney Cruise Line doesn’t discount its cruises very often—and honestly, they don’t need to. With high demand and ships that routinely sell out at premium prices, there’s rarely a reason for Disney to lower fares.
But that doesn’t mean deals don't exist. In fact, Disney regularly posts special offers on its official website. And it’s not just resident rates or US Military discounts—there are genuine savings like 25% off select sailings, or in our case, a massive 30% off on voyage sailings within a set travel window.
How we saved thousands of dollars on our Disney Cruises
A fellow Disney enthusiast at work—who, coincidentally, had been on a cruise with us a year ago by pure luck—ran into me before a meeting and excitedly told me about a new 30% discount. My heart sank. We’d already booked for the year: one back-to-back cruise and a longer holiday sailing in December, with one cruise already paid in full.
‘Just give them a call,’ she said. ‘They’ll even refund you.’
So, call them we did—eager to see if there was any merit to this Disney Cruise savings hack. To my surprise and delight, I was able to get a significant refund simply by applying the new discount after booking. Even better, these Disney Cruise Line special offers also applied to our other upcoming cruises during the season, reducing the remaining balances.
Adding up all the discounts, we realised we had saved almost the full cost of an entire cruise—just by making a single phone call.
What you need to know before repricing your Disney Cruise
There are a few things you need to watch out for when trying to apply discounts like this to your Disney Cruise booking.
First, most deals can’t be combined with other offers or promotions. We had already taken advantage of a 50% off deposits offer. Luckily, all we had to do was pay the remainder of the full deposit price—less than $40 USD in our case—and the friendly phone operator went ahead and applied the 30% discount to our respective bookings.
Of course, there’s always fine print. There’s only a limited number of staterooms eligible for these special offers, so it’s important to act fast once you hear about a discount. Blockout dates may apply, certain room categories are often excluded, and offers usually only cover select sailing windows.
The keywords to look out for are: “Valid on both new and existing bookings.” If you see that line, it means even if you’ve already booked your Disney Cruise at a higher price, the Disney Cruise Line team can still apply the new discount to your reservation.
Step-by-Step: how to apply Disney Cruise special offers to an existing booking
Monitor Disney Cruise Line Special Offers page.
Check if your sailing is listed. and is eligible — and it applies to new and existing bookings.
Book online, call the Contact Center or contact your travel agent.
Request to apply the new offer.
Pay any deposit differences if needed and confirm the discount and any new payments. You’ll get an email confirming all of that.
Do a happy dance of savings!
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
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Yes! If a new Disney Cruise Line special offer is marked “valid on new and existing bookings,” you can call Disney Cruise Line (or your travel agent) and have the discount applied to your existing reservation.
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If you’ve already paid in full, Disney Cruise Line can often refund you the difference once the new discount is applied. Make sure to confirm your updated balance and ask about refund processing times when you call. It can be a couple of days.
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Maybe. Disney Cruise Line offers usually cannot be combined. For example, if you booked under a 50% off deposit promotion, you may need to pay the remainder of your deposit to access the new discounted rate. Always ask the cast member to explain how switching offers will affect your booking.
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Check the details listed under the Special Offers page on Disney Cruise Line’s website. Offers typically apply to specific sailing dates, certain ship itineraries, and available room categories. Availability is limited, so act fast once you spot a deal!
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Absolutely! A quick phone call saved us thousands of dollars across multiple cruises. Even if your particular cruise isn't eligible this time, it only takes a few minutes to find out—and the potential savings are huge.
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Yes! In our experience, applying a Disney Cruise Line discount to an existing booking kept all of our reservation details exactly the same, including room number, dining times, and other preferences. However, note that some room categories may be excluded from special offers, and guaranteed-rate bookings (where you don’t pick your stateroom in advance) might not qualify. Always double-check with the cast member when applying a discount.
DISCLAIMER: All information was correct at the time of writing, based on our personal experience with Disney Cruise Line. Discounts, special offers, and eligibility requirements can change at any time and may vary based on availability, sailing dates, and booking conditions. Always check directly with Disney Cruise Line or your travel agent for the most up-to-date information.
