Details and Options – Revision 1, Part 4 of 4

Disney Cruise

Rather than me going over the cruise in detail here, I think I will instead pass around the Disney Cruise Lines DVD and let people see for themselves. The DVD has a heart-attack portion of Disney cheese (ie. shiny happy people, general lameness, etc.), but it still gives you a good idea of what to expect. I'll try and get the video put up on the blog as well, so those with high-speed connections can view it at their leisure.

There are 12 stateroom categories aboard the ship, but we will only be considering 3 of them (plus 2 extra for the Snyders). The unmentioned categories are available (with the exception of Cats 1-3), but they're just off-shoots of the categories discussed. Here's a run-down of the categories:

Category 11 – Inside stateroom (no natural light)

• 184 square feet
  
• Sleeps 3 or 4 (two in queen-sized bed, one on single convertible sofa; possible 4^th on drop-down bunk)
  
• Single bathroom
  

Category 8 and 9 – Outside stateroom (large porthole window)

• 214 square feet
  
• Sleeps 3 or 4 (two in queen-sized bed, one on single convertible sofa; possible 4^th on drop-down bunk)
  
• Split bath (sink and toilet; sink and shower)
  

Category 6 – Outside stateroom with verandah

• 268 square feet (including verandah)
  
• Sleeps 3 or 4 (two in queen-sized bed, one on single convertible sofa; possible 4^th on drop-down bunk)
  
• Split bath (sink and toilet; sink and shower)
  

Category 4 – Outside stateroom with verandah

• 304 square feet (including verandah)
  
• Sleeps 4 or 5 (two in queen-sized bed, one on single convertible sofa; 4^th on pull-down bed; possible 5^th on drop-down bunk)
  
• Split bath (sink and toilet; sink and shower)
  

Here is a price comparison of each of these rooms. Prices not only include your stateroom, but just about everything else onboard: all of your meals, most of the entertainment, and all of the ports of call. Some things are not included, such as alcohol, spa treatments and massages, all drinks at the bars, certain activities (such as prize bingo, martini tasting, wine tasting, etc.), gratuities, shore excursions (ie. tours and rentals on land), and the exclusive adults-only restaurant ("Palo"), which has a mere $10 overcharge. Note that prices assume 3 people per stateroom, are in U.S. dollars, and are per room (not per person).

• Cat 4 – $2,297
  
• Cat 6 – $1,997
  
• Cat 9 – $1,617
  
• Cat 11 – $1,357
  

A few important points:

1. Regardless of which room you stay in, you have full access to everything on the ship that other passengers do.
   
2. The first two people in a room pay full price. Every additional person adds only $299 to the cost.
   
3. Disney charges the same amount for adults and children.
   
4. For a family of 5, there is an alternative to staying in a Category 4 room. The ship has some Category 8 rooms (identical to Category 9 rooms, but on a higher deck) across the hall from Category 11 rooms. Although there would be no verandah, this would cost less than a Category 4, provides an additional bathroom, and is eligible for two stateroom credits instead of one. Disney doesn't care where people sleep, so sleeping arrangements are at passengers' discretion. For a family of 5:
   
   1. Cat 4 – $2,895
      
   2. Cat 8 + Cat 11 (across the hall from each other) – $2,476
      

Mary, the twins, and myself will be staying in a Cat 9. The additional cost for a verandah isn't worth it to us, but we are willing to pay a bit extra for a split bath and natural light. One last note: Disney may offer free stateroom upgrades when boarding if higher-category staterooms are unbooked.