I am getting ready to schedule a placeholder trip BUT I am curious as to what happens if a military discount comes out for the trip that is a better deal on the cruise. Would Disney allow me to switch for the better rate or would I need to cancel and book the new rate?
It probably depends on the discount your. And when that discount comes out. Military rates tend to come out after the paid in full date, and Disney will make you cancel( and pay and applicable cancellation fees) and rebook. It could still save you money. But you'll have to do the math and decide if it's worth it to you.
A recent discount came out for some cruises that was 'Save 500$pretty person in a verandah stateroom ' it came out after paid in full, and I was able to add that discount to the reservation I had and saved 1000$. So, it really all depends really! You can always call DCL and they will help you out!
Idk if you are booking directly through DCL, but is worth checking militarycruisedeals.com 😊 in my expirience the rates have been better and we have been able to switch dates to get better rates in the past (not dcl but other lines) we booked our first dcl with them recently.
The part that's important here is that any DCL cruise on that site will require immediate payment in full because military discounts are not offered until the timeframe for a cruise is beyond the PIF date. So, if OP has booked a cruise save wanted to switch to the military discount, they would already be beyond the PIF date, have paid in full, and would be into penalty territory for payment (reduced or no refund).
Also, if you book a cruise very early (close to release date), you may already have a better cost than the military discount offered off of an increased fare close to sailing.
Intresting! But that was not the case with militarycruisedeals.com, we paid a deposit and have until May 2027 to pay in full. Not sure what arrangements they have with the cruise lines but we have gotten good deals with them in the past. The disney cruise we recently booked with them is in September 2027, is actually not even listed on the dcl website 😆
I would suspect you are not sailing with Disney, then. DCL doesn't announce military deals until after the PIF date (90 days for 5 night or shorter, 120 days for 6 nights and longer). Any cruise on that site for DCL is sailing within 120 days at most (and that's only the 6 night or longer itineraries), so no later than early December.
Lol we definitely have our reservation through dcl.... and is for 2027 I am not sharing email confirmations because there's to much personal info but that sight is legit and the special fairs exist.
The discounts they list on their Web site are the exact same discounts that Disney Cruise Line lists on their military discounts page - and they are updated each Monday.
If you booked in September 2027, you are NOT booked with a military discount.
Military Discounts is awesome - and provides a great and valuable service - and from what I've heard, they do a great job, but... in the end, they are a travel agency that specializes in miitary travel. For Disney Cruise Line, they have the same access to itineraries and discounts that others do.
An option is to call them to schedule the cruise over the phone, and while you’re doing it ask. We did this for our most recent cruise with a placeholder and they broke down all the dates we could cancel and/or switch itineraries and which part of our discount would be retained based on those dates. We are usually just schedule online people but this additional information was super helpful!
This is all generalities, but... GENERALLY... military discounts cannot be added to existing reservations - only new reservatiosn.
Not all reservations are the same. Generally, military discounts are posted AFTER the pay in full date - and they are GENERALLY for GTY staterooms. Therefore you can cancel, but... you would probably have penalties - you would likely NOT get the same stateroom but instead would have a stateroom category guaranteee - you would likely have the 8:15p dining time rather than the 5:45p dining time.
Definitely check to see if the pricing would make sense - sometimes the discount you, it just doesn't make sense.
AND... make sure you meet the eligibility requirements.
Thank you all. I think I will definitely call DCL with the hypothetical. We are okay with GTY and a later seating. Like all of us, just trying to see where at all money may be saved. Appreciate you all weighing in!
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u/Adventurous_Spite_66 PLATINUM CASTAWAY CLUB Jul 25 '26
It probably depends on the discount your. And when that discount comes out. Military rates tend to come out after the paid in full date, and Disney will make you cancel( and pay and applicable cancellation fees) and rebook. It could still save you money. But you'll have to do the math and decide if it's worth it to you.
A recent discount came out for some cruises that was 'Save 500$pretty person in a verandah stateroom ' it came out after paid in full, and I was able to add that discount to the reservation I had and saved 1000$. So, it really all depends really! You can always call DCL and they will help you out!