What Will Be Our NEXT Disney Cruise?

Yesterday I wrote about our plans to spend our on board credit during our 7 night sailing on the Disney Fantasy this summer and other budget considerations, such as budgeting for the deposit for our next cruise.  A Williams Family Blog reader then commented with a question about what we were thinking for our NEXT cruise, which was an excellent question.

So the photo photo above is where we are right now in the decision making process.  The matrix will help us decide what itinerary we will book next--while we are sailing.  The only unknown or yet unannounced itinerary is for the holidays 2015 and there is no word yet on when Disney Cruise Line will release that information.  The good news is that the farther out the itinerary the less expensive the cruise will be at the time of booking, even if there is no rebooking discount, which is typically 10%.

Let's review each of our options:

• 5 nights on the Wonder out of Miami in March--Our Spring Break is early in March which means the prices for the cruise are not peak prices and the "black out" dates for rebooking discounts may not apply.  Due to the boy being 12 at the time of sailing, we are aware of the less than stellar tween club on the Wonder.  The only port in this itinerary that we would take advantage of is Castaway Cay.  This cruise would be for pure relaxation. . . and to add another sailing to our list and help move up our Castaway Club status.
• 5 nights on the Dream in July 2015--This is a been there, done that cruise for us, but still fun none the less.  More expensive than the 5 night on the Wonder, but more flexibility in terms of flights and travel dates.  The double dip means two stops at Castaway Cay!  
• 7 nights on the Fantasy during the holidays in 2015--right now this cruise is in the lead, even without the rebooking discount.  I think all of us would love to sail again either over Christmas or New Year's.
• 7 nights on the Fantasy summer of 2015--we could select the Eastern Caribbean itinerary, which we have yet to experience.  This would be a tight fit for our budget.

There you have it. . . our thinking at this point.  I can say though, that is almost a certainty that we will rebook on board.  A benefit that is no longer available when rebooking a Disney Cruise while on board is getting the extra perks from your travel agent.  Disney Cruise Line is no longer in partnership with AAA and our upcoming sailing will be the last cruise that we walk on board with both DCL's on board credit and perk from our travel agency.  We can still book cruises through our travel agent and our travel agent can still handle the details of our Disney Cruise if we rebook on board, but the perks are gone.  Glad we were able to take advantage of them when we did!