Why Book a Disney Cruise Line Future Cruise or Placeholder? How to Save Money!!

Why Book a Disney Cruise Line Future Cruise or Placeholder? How to Save Money!!

 

Most people that sail Disney Cruise Line want to sail again. A Future Cruise Booking or Placeholder made on the ship while sailing is the best way to save money on a Disney Cruise!

 

Simply put a Placeholder is a deposit on a future cruise that you make while on your current cruise. You have 24 months from the date you make that $250 deposit to sail. An example is if you book a Placeholder while on the ship March 30^th, 2025 you have until March 29^th, 2027, to board using that Placeholder Deposit. You can also just book a Future Cruise that is available before then while on the ship as well. The $250 deposit made for a Placeholder is used towards the original deposit when booking the final chosen cruise!

 

How does this save you money? Disney gives you a 10% discount for Booking a Future Cruise or a Placeholder while on the ship! If you wish to save another 5% or more you can get discounted Disney Gift Cards at places like Target, Sam’s Club, CostCo or even some EBates stores. Follow the Disney Gift Card rules to combine them and use them to pay for the cruise! Combining them together can save you 15% or more! This adds up quickly!

 

If you book a cruise that costs $3,500 and use a Future Cruise or Placeholder for it that is a savings of $350! If you make that Future Cruise or Placeholder payment with Discounted Disney Gift Cards at 5% off that is $525 saved! That $3,500 cruise ended up costing $2,975! It is always worth looking into.

 

How to combine and use Disney Gift Cards:

•  Go to DisneyGiftCard.com and log in using your Disney log in.
• Add 2 – 6 cards.
• Transfer the funds from all cards onto just one card. You can dispose of the empty cards.
• Maximum allowed to be on 1 card is $1,000.
• Use this card to make payments for your Disney Vacation (parks or cruise).
• Only use this card to the $1,000 max.
• If the total payments are over $1,000 use multiple cards.
• SAVE the cards you used to make payments. If money is refunded it will go back onto these cards so you may need them later!

 

Here are some rules about Placeholders/Future Cruise Bookings made on the ship.

1.      Placeholders must be used within 24 months of booking it on the ship.

2.      If you wish to transfer your Future Cruise or Placeholder booking to a Travel Agent it must be done within 30 days of booking it!

•   If booked on March 29^th, 2025 you have until April 25^th, 2025 to transfer it to your favorite Travel Agent. The sooner you do it the better! If you wait until the 30^th day DCL may not have enough time to transfer it.
• You cannot transfer a Future Cruise Booking that is Paid in Full.
• You cannot transfer a Placeholder/Future Cruise Booking from one agent/agency to another without just cause. This is nearly impossible to do because of Disney’s policies designed to stop agencies from taking clients from each other. You cannot just decide to change agencies at whim.
• Exceptions:
• If you agent/agency changes pricing policies and now charges a fee.
• If the agency is not working in your favor. They are grossly mishandling your reservation.
• Be ready to have documentation of this.
• If you agent/agency no longer wishes to service your reservation.
• The agency you were working with informs you they are no longer in business and transfers the booking back to you.
• Be aware that, for legal reasons, both the old and new agencies will need to be required to sign forms from DCL documenting the fact both agencies agree to the transfer.

Disney Destiny Updates!! Latest News from the Heroes and Villains Ship! What Next?

 Disney Destiny Updates!!

Latest News from the Heroes and Villains Ship!

What Next?

By Disney Destinations

February 11^th, 2025 - Bow Art

With the final block of the Disney Destiny  in place, the team at Meyer Werft shipyard can turn their attention to installing the unique exterior features that will distinguish the ship. First on the list is a whimsical art piece on the Disney Destiny’s bow, which depicts Minnie Mouse striking a valiant pose in her new heroic ensemble. With her cape billowing behind her, Minnie Mouse’s outfit symbolizes the Disney Destiny’s first-of-its-kind “Heroes and Villains” design theme.

 

The elegant, hand-painted filigree continues a longstanding Disney Cruise Line tradition dating back to the fleet’s first ship, the Disney Magic, with every Disney Cruise Line vessel having a distinct character-inspired image embossed on its bow. In the lead up to the Disney Destiny’s maiden voyage in November of this year, the team at Meyer Werft Shipyard will continue to add details to the ship’s exterior and interior.

 

March 24^th, 2025 – Float Up!

Last week, the Disney Destiny completed another exciting construction milestone at Meyer Werft Shipyard when it touched water for the first time. The process known as “float up,” by flooding the building dock with water from the Ems River in order to lift the Disney Destiny from the floor of the chamber. The ship was then guided to another position in the hall, where the team will begin testing different systems onboard, including the main engines. In the coming months, the shipyard team will continue to focus on building out the legendary interior spaces coming to the Disney Destiny.

 

My thoughts:

Looking back at the Disney Wish and Disney Treasure I have an idea of the upcoming timeline. So far, I do believe The Destiny is ahead of schedule and will not miss her Maiden Voyage. Something unexpected would have to happen now to delay Meyer Werft handing the ship over.

 

June or July 2025 The Disney Destiny will do her Float Out where she will leave the shipyard building and move to the dock outside.

 

After the Float Out the ship will spend 1-2 months at the shipyard outside dock while they finish the inside of the ship and complete testing of all essential systems.

 

August-September 2025 the Disney Destiny will sail away from the port for Sea Trials. Sea Trials is where they that the ship out and test all systems under working conditions. They will take her up to full speed and do an emergency stop. They will test all navigational and emergency systems.

 

Sometime in September-October I expect the Disney Destiny to officially handed over to Disney Cruise Line. At this point she will make her Transatlantic Crossing for the first time. While they are doing the crossing they will be finishing any last minute things like specialty lighting, installing sound and other equipment for the theater and other venues, and maybe installing some carpet. During the crossing the crew members of the ship will be learning about her. They will practice serving in the main restaurants by serving the crew, and their families who are finishing installing things. The Cabin Stewards will be learning how to clean and set up cabins, by again taking care of those who are finishing the ship up. The entertainment crew will be practicing for the shows and the kids club will be open for the kids traveling with their parents. There will be a lot of things happening in the couple of weeks it will take them to arrive at their new home port in Fort Lauderdale. Fl.

 

When and where will the Christening of the Disney Destiny happen? That has not been announced yet. All the ships, except the Treasure were Christened at Port Canaveral, Fl. The Disney Treasure was Christened at Port of New York, NY. Keep your eyes open for the announcement!

 

Where will Disney Destiny call home Port? Fort Lauderdale, Fl.

 

When is the Disney Destiny’s Maiden Voyage? November 20^th, 2025.

Disney Cruise Line WEST Coast News!!

Disney Cruise Line WEST Coast News!!

 

Do you live closer to California than Florida? Would you enjoy a Land and Sea Vacation that included Disneyland and a Disney Cruise? Well, there is great news coming in the future!!

 

In 2011 DCL sailed out of the Port of Los Angeles. They did this for a few years and then stopped coming to the west coast for several years. Then they moved to San Diego for their West Coast Cruises.

 

We already know that Disney Magic is joining Disney Wonder in Alaska next year for the summer months in 2026. It is still to be seen if there will be more cruises out of California or beyond 2026. We are still waiting for the fall of 2026 Itineraries to let us know if Wonder is going back to Australia for Fall and Winger 2026 or coming back to San Diego. Were Magic will go has still not been announced.

 

What is the exciting news for the West Coast?? DCL and entered into an agreement with Santa Catalina Iland, Avalon officials starting September of 2027!! This will secure the preferred port location for the Disney ships to port there. This is a 5-year agreement with a built-in offer to extend it another 5 years twice for a total of 15 years!! It looks like Disney will be sailing to Catalina Island MORE in the coming years!!! This does not mean they are only going to Catalina they are going to have cruises that do not go to Catalina out of California as well.

 

What will happen to Catalina with DCL arriving more. Avalon is a small port city. You can easily walk the entire city during the time you have in port. There are fun and informative Port Adventures to be done in Avalon. DCL stopping there means increased tourism that brings jobs and increases money coming in. DCL has already pledged to help with additional costs for infrastructure, water, and waste management project improvements. It will add to the conservancy funds that help protect nature on the island.

 

With the new ships joining the fleet almost yearly between now and 2031 there is the possibility of the West coast getting a ship left on the West Coast most of the year! This means that those living closer to West Coast that East will have to travel less distance to get to the cruises. This will make Disney Cruises more affordable for West Coast fans.

 

Will any of the new or older large ships, such as the Dream or Triton/Wish class ships come to California? Sadly no. The Dream and Triton/Wish class ships are too large to fit through the Panama Canal. At this time only the Disney Magic and Wonder can do it. It is possible that the fourth unnamed class of ship will fit. We do not know yet. It has been announced that the next class of ship will be 25% larger than the Classic Class (Magic/Wonder) and 25% small than the Dream Class (Dram Fantasy).

 

No matter if it is just the Magic and Wonder or one of the fourth class of ships to come, we know DCL is investing in heading to the West Coast!

Robert Downey Jr. Crashes Disney Experiences Panel with Avengers Campus Updates

Robert Downey Jr. Crashes Disney Experiences Panel with Avengers Campus Updates

By Disney Destinations March 8^th, 2025

 

Make way, because a genius, billionaire philanthropist is setting up shop in Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure Park.

 

Announced at last year’s D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, two new thrilling attractions will be joining the growing campus at Disneyland Resort. Today, during The Future of World-Building at Disney panel at SXSW, President of Marvel Studio, Kevin Feige, and President and Chief Creative Officer for Walt Disney Imagineering Bruce Vaughn let the crowd in on more of the storytelling and extensive new technology that will bring these attractions to life.

 

With the one attraction, Avengers infinity Defense, you’ll assemble with the Avengers and battle King Thanos across multiple worlds. Join alongside the likes of Black Panther, Ant-Man, Hulk, and so many other favorites to save the universe – again.

 

But you can’t just wake up one day and know the ins and outs of battling like an Avenger, you know? You’ve got to train. The second attraction going into Avengers Campus Start Flight Lab, will put you inside Tony Stark’s workshop to check out some of the new tech he’s working on and allow your to test it out yourself. And who better to show off his tech than Tony Stark himself?

 

With thunderous applause, Robert Downey Jr. made a surprise appearance at SXSW, calling the Imagineers working on these new experiences, “the living embodiment of the Stark Enterprises mission statement.”

 

“The curiosity, the passion, the inventiveness, the occasional flair for the dramatic, most of all a drive to put something good out into the world to make life better, at the minimum more fun by the mile.” Downey told the crowd. “It’s the privilege a lifetime to be invited to participate.”

 

Downey was also pretty excited just to be invited into the Imagineering world, joking about the stealth of WDI headquarters. “You wanna talk about a closed set? It’s the Area 51 of fun!”

In Stark Flight Lab, guests will sit in “gyro-kinetic pods: and roll along a track before stopping in front of a giant robot ar. This robot arm will hoist you into the air where you’ll make several high-speed maneuvers inspired by Iron Man and some other Avengers (“That I will select based on merit and whomever picks up my FaceTime calls on the first ring,” Downey joked.)

 

“Transferring from a track to a robot arm and then back again – nothing like this has ever been done before in a theme park, and we’re so excited about it,” Bruce explained. “Usually, we hide all the tech behind the scenes so you can focus on the story. Here, the tech IS the story, so we’re putting it front and center.”

 

One piece of tech that has become important to Tony Stark’s lore is his beloved little robotic friend, DUM-E. when Downey first visited Imagineering, he commented how much the robot arm for Stark Flight Lab looked like DUM-E, and that quickly worked its way into the attraction.

 

Using dancers and motion capture, the team made a “virtual mirror” to incorporate some of these movements into early ride mockups. The Imagineers want to make sure the robots in Stark Flight Lab feel as lifelike as possible, just like DUM-E.

 

And this is only just the beginning of what guests will soon see in Avengers campus. “Even after we finish with the Flight Lab, I want to stay with you all for the long haul,” Doney told Feige and Vaughn amid screams from the crowd, “This isn’t a one-time deal. You need more me.”

Go Off-Roading with New Vehicles for Cars Ride

 Go Off-Roading with New Vehicles for Cars Ride

By Disney Destinations March 8^th, 2025

 

Life is an off-road rally race, and Lightning McQueen, Mater, and the rest of the Cars from Pixar Animation Studios’ Cars are going to ride it all night long.

 

First announced at last year’s D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, and brand-new Cars themed area is speeding in to Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. Here, the Cars crew leaves Radiator Springs behind and heads off into the frontier to put their wheels to the test.

 

Now at The Future of World-Building at Disney panel at SXSW, Pixar Chief Creative Officer Pete Doctor, and Imagineer Michael Hundgen teased that guests will need to strap in because they’re in the process of creating a new type of ride vehicle for this experience.

 

“Our primary goal is creating an emotional experience for our guests,” Hundgen told the crowd. “For this Cars attraction we need to invent a new type of ride vehicle. No one builds these in a factory because it has to do so much more than just carrying you from one place to another. We have to create a car that conveys a feeling when you ride it.”

 

The team took a trip out to the Arizona desert to jump in a real off-road vehicle to see what it felt like driving over the rocky terrain. These are all things Lightning McQueen and Mater haven’t experienced before like racing over rocky terrain, ascending to mountain peaks, and dodging around geysers – how do you take these real-world elements and put a Cars spin on it?

 

From there, the Imagineers worked with a motocross company to build a real dirt track to race around on and took that data back to begin working on creating how the ride vehicles will eventually move and race.

 

“We’re using a customized production vehicle,” Hundgen continued. “It has sensors all over it, and we’re taking it for test drives on our dirt track to gather data on how the vehicle responds to different terrain. This is where we turn that feeling we want into real-world engineering,” Michael explained.

 

But all this talk about cars, what do they look like?

 

That’s where the Pixar team steps in. for some show and tell to get the crowd revved up, Doctor shared some early concept sketches with the audience, teasing that they’re creating “new race car personalities for this attraction. Each vehicle in the ride will have its own name and number, just like a real reace.”

 

 

Scary-Good New Monsters, Inc. Coaster Includes Vertical Lift

Scary-Good New Monsters, Inc. Coaster Includes Vertical Lift

By Disney Destinations March 8^th, 2026

 

When the team at Pixar Animation Studios start dreaming up new worlds and places to visit in the movies, there’s a little voice inside their head (an emotion, maybe) asking, “Is this something Imagineers could create, and we could walk into?” if the answer is no, they keep working.

 

But if the answer is yes… well it’s time to partner with the team at Walt Disney Imagineering to see if it’s possible to bring that space to life in one of the Disney Parks around the world.

 

Taking to the stage during The Future of World-Building at Disney panel at SXSW, Pixar Chief Creative Officer Peat Doctor and Imagineer Michael Hundgen walked the crowd through their latest upcoming immersive space to occupy Disney’s Hollywood Studios: Monstropolis.

 

First announced at last year’s D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, Imagineers are hard at work bringing the world of Pixar Animation Studios’ Monsters, Inc. to life – and that includes its monster inhabitants, Jame P. Sullivan, Mike Wazawski, and more. While getting to walk through the streets of Monstropolis is exciting enough, the land will include a signature attraction where guests embark on the thrilling rollercoaster ride through the Monsters, Inc. door vault.

 

“Imagineers have been itching to turn that moment into an attraction ever since we saw it for the first time,” Hundgen teased.

 

While many details about the attraction are still locked up in a laugh canister, the Imagineering team is ready to reveal the load area for the attraction. The upcoming door ride will feature the first-ever suspended coaster at a Disney Park, and the first-ever vertical lift. Get ready to scream – not out of fright, but fun.

 

Showing off a new animatic of the attraction, guests will board the vehicle before being hoisted into the air (just like in the movie!) to zoom into the door vault. It’s going to be, “an experience that’s as memorable and fun as the film,” Hundgen continued.

 

“I can tell you that everyone at Pixar is excited about how this is coming together,” Doctor told the crowd. “It really is like a dream come true for us.”

New Details for Mando and Grogu’s Millennium Falcon Mission Revealed

 New Details for Mando and Grogu’s Millennium Falcon Mission Revealed

By: Disney Destinations March 8^th, 2025 Announced at SXSW Event

A new adventure is coming your way, so prepare to jump to lightspeed. First announced at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, a new adventure featuring Mando, the titular Mandalorian from The Mandalorian, is coming to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at both Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort. And yes, Grogu’s coming along for the ride, too. This exciting update to Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run will debut on May 22, 2026.

 

During The Future of World-Building at Disney panel at SXSW, The Mandalorian creator and Disney Legend Jon Favreau was joined onstage by Imagineers Leslie Evans and Asa Kalma to talk about what’s coming soon to Batuu.

 

“One of the cool things about Disney is how we can tell our stories in so many different formats,” Favreau told the crowd. “We’re already taking Mando and Grogu from the TV screen to the movie screen, and at the same time, [The Mandalorian executive producer} Dave [Filoni} and I are working with Asa to bring the story to the Disney Parks, too.”

 

It’s something that can only be done at Disney, bringing avid Star Wars fans closer to the stories they know and love via the innovative magic at Disney Parks. This update is only a parsec or two away – both the movie and this update to the Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run will debut on May 22, 2026.

 

“Opening an attraction and such a massive movie on the same day wouldn’t be possible without the relationship we have inside Disney.” Kalama added. “Jon and Dave have shared their story with us, and now we’ve all worked together to come up with a new mission for Smugglers Run that plays into this narrative.”

Working alongside The Mandalorian team, the Imagineers captured scenes for the attraction on the movie set, and you might see some familiar (and beloved) locations aboard the Falcon. Care for trip to Cloud City, anyone?

But that’s not the only thing making the jump from the parks to the movies, and vice versa. You might have seen the playful BDX droids puttering around Disneyland before, and soon they’ll make a trip around the world to visit Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris. And that’s in addition to the little droids appearing in The Mandalorian, too.

 

Going from Imagineering to the parks, to their feature film debut, is a lot for the droids. With all this work, they’re sure to need a tune-up eventually and don’t worry, Imagineering already has the right creature for the job.

 

As previously seen in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and the latest season of The Mandalorian, say hello to an Anzellan, who specializes in tuning up droids. Just maybe don’t make him too cranky.

 

May the Force be with you. See you onboard the Falcon, on May dd, 2026/