Rising Tide in Discounts for Disney Cruise Line
Disney Cruise Line has seen a deluge of discounts lately, with several special offers for now through Summer 2025. There are currently a half-dozen different deals available, and this post shares a look at the options along with our commentary about a potential rising tide of discounts throughout 2025 and 2026.
If you’ve priced out a Disney Cruise in the last couple of years, there’s a good chance you’ve gotten sticker shock. Or perhaps not. An increasingly common refrain we’ve heard from readers is that, for the all-in cost of Walt Disney World, it’s “cheaper” for them to do Disney Cruise Line, and have a less-stressful experience in the process.
While obviously anecdotal, this sentiment seems increasingly common in the comments here–fans trading theme park trips for cruises. This initially seemed crazy to me, but in pricing out the components of Walt Disney World vacations, I can understand how this is true for at least some fans.
So I guess I’ll re-state the opening line: when we have priced out Disney Cruise Line itineraries in the last two years, we have gotten sticker shock. Our circumstances are unique, though. We are longtime Walt Disney World Annual Passholders, so not only is the effective cost of admission zero dollars for us, but we also have access to fantastic room-only rates and can travel at times when prices are lowest–and usually do.
We also had access to Florida resident rates with Disney Cruise Line for several years, including the period when cruising resumed. During that time, DCL had a lot of policies and protocol that likely dissuaded a lot of people from cruising. As a result, deals were abundant and Sarah took several girl’s cruises with her friends and sister.
Even before all of that, we routinely booked Florida resident rates or other last-minute deals (my favorite time to cruise is January and February, which seemingly makes me an odd duck). In fact, if memory serves me correctly, the only cruise we’ve ever paid close to full price for was our Alaska sailing, and even that was booked with a future cruise onboard promo, so 10% off.
The last two years or so have been a completely different story. Once Disney Cruise Line dropped all of its health safety measures and pent-up demand arrived in full force, rates have exploded. Price increases have been part of that, certainly, but they’re actually the lesser element from our perspective.
Far more significant has been the lack of deals. Or at least, deals we’ve been eligible for and been able to book. (Some of our Cast Member friends have scored great savings in the last year-plus, but I haven’t seen those released to a wider audience.) Well, if the latest ‘deluge of discounts’ is any indication, the tides are turning–and rising.
This makes sense. Pent-up demand didn’t arrive everywhere at the same time. We’ve frequently discussed how Walt Disney World saw revenge travel arrive earlier than Disneyland, owing to Florida’s faster reopening than California. It’s the same idea with domestic versus international travel, and the Asia parks, specifically. (Hong Kong Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Resort continue seeing high levels of pent-up demand because those locales recovered even slower.)
It thus also makes sense that Disney Cruise Line would follow the same trajectory as Walt Disney World when it comes to special offers. We went from discussing a ‘dearth of deals’ in 2022 to a deluge of them last year and return to the 2019 playbook this year. Walt Disney World is now on the backside of pent-up demand, and pulling levers to entice visitors to return.
Admittedly, I don’t have nearly as much expertise about Disney Cruise Line, much less the broader industry as a whole, but it’s only logical for DCL to follow the same general trends as the rest of the travel industry, just with lag. Given how the reopening timeline and how pent-up demand has unfolded, I’d fully expect 2025 to be the year of increased Disney Cruise Line deals.
Another factor, presumably, is the new ships that are coming or have come online. Quite simply, Disney Cruise Line has more capacity now than it did in 2019. That’s already the case with the Wish and Treasure, and will be more so heading into 2026 with the Destiny and Adventure (the latter is probably less relevant since it serves a new market).
While cruise fans and industry watchers might argue that there’s plenty of unsatisfied demand and room in the market for these ships, it cannot be completely true. We’re already seeing deals for the current fleet and those aren’t offered out of corporate benevolence, so it stands to reason that the increased capacity meeting the backside of pent-up demand could be a recipe for more discounts. At least, until ships are shuffled around to various international ports to match regional demand.
Or perhaps this is wishful thinking on my part, as someone who just cruised with a toddler for the first couple of times and found the experience to be a bit of a revelation. Maybe I’m trying to will lower prices into existence, since I’d love to cruise more…without the sticker shock!
As always, we highly recommend working with an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner. Be Our Guest Vacations is our preferred travel agency, and they have many agents with extensive cruise experience and expertise. Using a travel agency is incredibly advantageous when it comes to cruising–most will provide on-board credits based upon the size of the booking, along with itinerary advice and suggestions for the cruise. They’ll also deal with Disney on your behalf and, speaking from experience, this can be invaluable when something goes wrong. Especially if, like me, you hate talking on the telephone.
Anyway, here’s a rundown of the 2025 Disney Cruise Line deals that are currently available…
Disney+ Subscribers: Kids Sail 50% Off on Select Cruises!
Disney+ Subscribers: Now is the time to give your family a Disney Cruise Line vacation. Third and fourth Guests under 18 sail for half price with 2 full-fare Guests in the same stateroom during select cruises on the Disney Wish, Disney Dream and Disney Wonder.
Disney+ subscribers can book up to 2 staterooms with this offer; 2 full-fare Guests must stay in each stateroom. This offer is available for select sailings from January 3, 2025, through June 13, 2025, for stateroom categories 04A-11C only.
Book by February 16, 2025 to take advantage of this offer. Additional terms apply.
Pay 50% of Deposit at Time of Booking on Select Cruises
Book a Disney cruise by March 14, 2025, and pay only half of your required deposit on the day you make your reservation.
This offer is valid on any new reservation for select Disney cruises departing between June 16, 2025, and May 31, 2026, that does not require final payment at time of booking. Remaining balance will be due at time of final payment.
This offer is not valid on Disney Destiny sailings departing November 20 through December 3, 2025. This offer is not valid for sailings on the Disney Adventure.
Save Up to 30% on Select Australia and New Zealand Sailings
Sail close to home from Australia and New Zealand while immersed in the magic of Disney—complete with beloved Characters, themed dining, Broadway-style shows, action-packed kids clubs and fun-filled deck parties.
For a limited time, take advantage of special savings of up to 30% on prevailing voyage fares on select sailings as quoted on DisneyCruise.com. Here’s a full list of eligible Australia and New Zealand cruises.
Save Up to 20% on Select Sailings
Embark on an unforgettable Disney cruise on select dates and take advantage of special savings on prevailing rates. Here are important details and restrictions:
- Valid for new bookings only
- Valid only for stateroom categories: Inside Category with Restrictions (IGT), Oceanview Category with Restrictions (OGT), and Verandah Category with Restrictions (VGT)
- Full payment is required at the time of booking for all Guests
- Bookings are non-refundable, except bookings made in the United Kingdom or the European Union, which are subject to applicable cancellation fees
- Full legal names of all Guests are required at the time of booking and no name changes are allowed
- Specific stateroom will be assigned at a later time, based on availability
- Rate does not include gratuities or Port Adventures
- Not combinable with Disney Vacation Club Points
- The number of staterooms allocated for this offer is limited
- The offer cannot be combined with any other offers or discounts
This is an ongoing offer that is, generally speaking, for last-minute cruises with unsold staterooms. As of right now, you’re most likely to find options in January and February 2025, along with a couple options for early March 2025. There’s nothing beyond there. Here’s the list of eligible itineraries.
That covers it for the general public special offers. There are also targeted discounts for Florida residents, Canada residents, and members of the military. I assume there are even better deals for Cast Members, too. If you fall into any of those categories, you really should check what’s available.
Planning to set sail aboard one of the DCL ships? Read our comprehensive Disney Cruise Line Guide to prepare for your voyage, plus plan entertainment, activities & excursions, and learn what to expect from your Disney cruise! For personalized planning & recommendations, click here to get a cruise quote from a no-fee Authorized Disney Vacation Planner. They can find you all of the current discounts, and help you plan the details of your cruise!
Your Thoughts
Have you noticed a rising tide in DCL deals after a dearth of discounts over the last couple of years? Or do you think Disney Cruise Line is still prohibitively expensive even with these 2025 special offers, and an increase in post-pent-up demand deals is wishful thinking on my part? Have you taken advantage of a discount when sailing aboard Disney Cruise Line? Do you tend to book on or around opening day, or wait until the last minute and hope for the best? Any other tips & tricks for saving money on Disney Cruise Line fares? Hearing from you is fun and helpful, so if you have questions or thoughts, please share them below and we’ll try to respond!
Hi Tom. Have to ask this, sorry. But we keep seeing more and more “reviews” of media events. Did you and Sarah and your baby get invited on the most recent Media/Influencer Cruise in early December? Is your review based on a cruise supplied by a Disney? Just wondering.
One thing to note is that the cruise line market is segmented between mainstream, premium and luxury categories. DCL doesn’t necessarily have to compete with Carnival Cruise Lines on price if it continues to offer an experience more comparable to Holland America Line. That being said, it looks like it’s harder to become a significantly larger fleet without providing a more mainstream experience, and I’ll bet Disney doesn’t have the opportunity to maintain two or more categories of cruise lines the way the owner of Carnival and Holland America can. I think that with many cruise ships hitting the end of their “initial product life” at 30 years or so, DCL will have several opportunities to reassess how well the then current size of the fleet is doing and determine whether the new ships on order are replacements or expansions of the current fleet. (By “initial product life” I mean that larger cruise companies tend to buy brand new ships and sell older ships to smaller cruise companies about 30 years after first launch.)
In my estimate, Disney has a much stronger monopolistic position in the theme park world vs cruises. Theme park + resorts is the main feature, which is all about Disney. Cruises have destinations that have nothing to do with Disney. For those guests that only care about the cruise part, it is also only a subset that will pay any price for Disney. I don’t think diehard Disney fans can be scaled up indefinitely, which would be needed for additional capacity. It might take some time to shake off the novelty of new ships / destinations, but I would bet that DCL can’t keep up the same price premium for a much larger capacity.
And sure, I may be speaking from my own experience: We’ve visited Disney multiple times, staying in (a fancy) Disney bubble each time. We’ve also taken many cruises in different parts of the world but never with DCL. I looked into it but could never justify the Disney premium for cruises. That difference would have to reduce significantly before it would change that calculus for me.
I’d love to see a trip report or reports from your recent cruises with your daughter! We have never done any kind of cruise before, but I really want to take my three-year-old daughter on one with the family. It would be great to see your Do’s and Don’ts!
Working on it! First up is our Disney Treasure review, which will hopefully be published tomorrow!
DCL has always served a niche market (families with young children, interest in Disney lifestyle and priced high) so it stands to reason that their customer base is more limited than comparable cruise lines. As such, when they announced that they were quickly (in terms of building cruise ships) expanding their fleet, it seemed evident that by more than doubling their capacity in a few short years they would outgrow their own customer base. DCL has always priced itself aggressively high and many cruisers, us included, have thought that they could only get away with that due to having only 4 ships (Celebrity has 16 and Royal Caribbean has 29!). It’s our belief, and hope, that DCL sees pricing trend down in the coming years. They’ll never be as affordable as most cruise lines but their pricing bubble needs to burst & prices really have to start becoming more reasonable if they want to keep all these ships at capacity. We have three cruises currently booked with Mickey, and one with Celebrity but none are yet seeing any discounts (besides the half off deposit), but we’re crossing our fingers that more widespread price drops are coming. Sure, we’re die hards and we’ll pay up for the experience, but there’s only so many of us & DCL is likely about about to realize that.
This has been my thinking as well, but when I’ve previously said so, other diehard cruisers have indicated DCL’s move will be expanding to new markets where they don’t yet have ships.
I’m certain that, too, will happen. But I’d also point out that (at least from what I’ve seen), DCL often ends up offering the biggest discounts on cruises out of international ports. Something worth remembering is that very few countries have median household incomes as high as the United States.
One way or another, my view is that pricing has to come down with the fleet expansion.
I wish we could take off work/school for the 15 night Sydney to Honolulu. looks amazing! and gty rates also amazing !!!!
I couldn’t even bring myself to look at those itineraries, haha!
Nothing tops the special military discount they offer for select cruises.
Thanks for the heads up. We took our first DCL trip last December. We booked the cruise as the restrictions dropped, but the prices hadn’t caught up to demand yet (felt like we got lucky and found a sweet spot). We had a blast, and looked to book again. We got sticker shock for the second go round. I would periodically search for trips now and again, but stopped after never seeing lower prices. Happy holidays.
The 50% deposit offer always strike me as a « non offer ». It is really only a cash management opportunity – the price remain the same.
We are cruise enthousiasts and while we have been to WDW twice (the second visit was only a two day one), we cruised 8 times with Disney and once with Celebrity. It is indeed a different pace ! We mostly visit the parks in France and need less time to « recover ».
Thoroughly enjoying the more “catchy” titles! Thanks, Google! Lol