Rush to book concierge August 2021?

[Thoth89]

Hello everyone,
My father-in-law wants to take our whole family (6 adults, 1 kid who will be 1) on a concierge cruise most likely in August 2021. However, he wants to have a big family meeting and book the cruise this Sunday, March 1, even though we could book this Thursday.
I am just worried about concierge rooms filling up by Sunday, but he is not. Based on others experiences, is there a big risk of rooms filling up or should we be ok waiting?

Thank you!!

 

[Doofenshmirtz513]

There will almost certainly still be rooms available, on your preferred deck and side, and in the standard and 1-bedroom varieties (thinking Fantasy and Dream here) as of Sunday. What you might miss out on is if you want a particular room, such as a bump-out room, or set of rooms in a row. You can usually get concierge rooms in August up until 4-5 months before sailing. For example, we just upgraded to concierge a few weeks ago for the 9-day Fantasy cruise this June/July and both types of room were still available.

August is an easier month to get rooms, especially as you go later in the month, because schools in different regions start to be in session again.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

It depends on which cruise you are looking to book. From my experience, the concierge staterooms on the European cruises book up more quickly. Alaska can book quickly as well. If you are looking at a Caribbean or Bahama cruise, you will probably be ok, however, pricing can go up as staterooms fill. Personally, I would try to book it as soon as you can for best pricing and availability.

 

[Spiffy MacSpiff]

We've cruised Concierge on the Dream in late August; it works well for us because our kids don't go back to school until after Labor Day and the pricing is better. There were rooms available for months after we booked but the popular ones did go quickly. We'll be cruising Concierge again in August 2020; I called on the morning of opening day (we had a placeholder) and got the last bump-out verandah on the starboard side.

 

[Rob1872]

The person paying for the cruise gets to set the schedule of when the cruise is booked. Simple enough.

 

[Clojel]

Hello everyone,
My father-in-law wants to take our whole family (6 adults, 1 kid who will be 1) on a concierge cruise most likely in August 2021. However, he wants to have a big family meeting and book the cruise this Sunday, March 1, even though we could book this Thursday.
I am just worried about concierge rooms filling up by Sunday, but he is not. Based on others experiences, is there a big risk of rooms filling up or should we be ok waiting?

Thank you!!

FWIW, the first time we sailed concierge on the Dream, we booked in January for a November (of that year) trip and there were still plenty of rooms to choose from. The next time, we booked in March for November and there were maybe 3-4 rooms left to choose from? This year, we booked in January again and there were 2 rooms left. So, I'm guessing you'll be FINE booking almost 1.5 years early....you just might not get THE room you want...if it matters.

Also, if you're sailing the Dream, in my experience, Deck 12 fills up sooner than Deck 11

 

[daedelus]

Crazy suggestion? Sit down with FIL on Thursday and books a couple of sets of rooms that might make the cut. Yes, it's multiple deposits, but you can always get those back. That way you get the rooms you want without the risk of them getting booked out from under you. Like I said, crazy, but desperate times and all that...

 

[AngelDisney]

I believe DCL gives you 3 days to pay for the deposit after making a reservation. When I made my recent reservation on March 5 through my TA, I was given until March 8 to pay for the deposit. You can go ahead to book on Thursday, then you DFIL can pay the deposit on Sunday. Would this work? You can even book at 12am Friday morning to give yourself some leeway if you can stay up late for that. Just a thought!

Have fun planning!

Updated:
Oops! This thread started a while ago. I guess my response is a bit late.

 

[Doofenshmirtz513]

Crazy suggestion? Sit down with FIL on Thursday and books a couple of sets of rooms that might make the cut. Yes, it's multiple deposits, but you can always get those back. That way you get the rooms you want without the risk of them getting booked out from under you. Like I said, crazy, but desperate times and all that...

Deposits for concierge rooms are non-refundable once paid, so this is not a great strategy.

 

[daedelus]

Yikes! Did not know that. Well, scratch that from the strategy list. And thanks for the good info!