Disney Cruise Line just sent out surveys to guests asking them to rate potential future promotions, and the options being tested are significantly more appealing than the policy updates the cruise line has been rolling out recently.
The survey framed each promotion as having an approximate retail value of $500 and asked guests to rate how appealing each would be as an incentive to book a future Disney Cruise Line vacation. Seven options were presented and some of them are genuinely exciting for anyone who has been considering a Disney sailing.
The Seven Promotions Being Tested for Disney Cruise Line
Free Disney Parks Tickets would provide theme park admission for each guest to use immediately before or after the cruise vacation. This is the option that connects the cruise product directly to the Walt Disney World experience and would represent one of the most compelling cruise booking incentives Disney has ever offered.
A Free Hotel Stay would cover one complimentary hotel night, either near the departure port or at Walt Disney World Resort, and would be scheduled around the cruise dates. Combined with free park tickets, this pairing would essentially turn the booking into a mini pre- or post-cruise Disney vacation.
Onboard Credit would provide $500 applicable toward spa treatments, Port Adventures, photo downloads, and specialty dining during the sailing. For guests who spend heavily on onboard experiences this is a straightforward and immediately useful benefit.
Bundle and Save on Airfare would reduce the cost of the vacation package when air travel is booked through Disney Cruise Line. For families flying to a departure port a $500 discount on airfare is a meaningful reduction in the total vacation cost.
Free Digital Photo Downloads would provide unlimited downloads of photos taken by onboard photographers throughout the voyage. Anyone who has looked at the cost of photo packages on a Disney cruise will understand why this ranks highly.
A Free Internet Package would cover web browsing and social media access for multiple devices per stateroom with an upgrade required for streaming. Onboard internet costs add up quickly and a complimentary package removes that ongoing expense entirely.
Port Adventure Credit would apply toward Disney-curated shore excursions during the cruise, which can represent significant costs depending on the ports and activities chosen.
Why This Is Worth Paying Attention To
The survey does not confirm any of these promotions are coming. Disney is gathering data on what would actually move guests to book and what gets tested in a survey does not always become a confirmed offering. But the specific options being considered, particularly the free park tickets and hotel stay bundled around cruise dates, represent the kind of high-value incentive that could genuinely shift the Disney Cruise Line value proposition for families who have been weighing whether a sailing fits their vacation budget.
The timing is also notable. Disney Cruise Line has spent recent weeks rolling out policy updates, including new stateroom door decorating rules with a $100 damage fine, updated alcohol policies, specialty cocktail menu removals, and an $18 percent auto-gratuity launching on the Disney Adventure. Surveys about major new promotions represent a different tone entirely and signal that Disney is actively thinking about what it can offer guests rather than only what it needs to restrict.
The options are being tested. The survey has gone out. Watch this space.
I love that Disney Cruise Line is thinking of offering some incentives to book a cruise. Most of the options would not benefit me though. I live in Florida so the Bundle and Save on Airfare would not benefit me. I own DVC and can stay at the resorts using that so the Free Hotel Stay would not appeal to me. I have an Annual Pass so Free Park Tickets is not something I need. I am Platinum Level on Disney Cruise Line so I already get the Digital Photo package for Free. My husband and I do not usually do Port Adventures as we prefer to stay on the ship most of the time and enjoy all the ship has to offer so a Port Adventure Credit is not something we would probably use. A $500 Onboard credit would be useful if it can be used for more than spa treatments and Port Adventures which we do not do, Photo downloads which we already get for no cost and Speciality Dining (we usually only go to Palo Dinner and Palo Brunch on each cruise and we already get Palo Dinner for Free due to our Castaway Cay Platinum Level. If the $500 Onboard Credit could be used towards gratuities or Onboard activities like Beverage Tastings, which we usually sign up for 2 or 3 of those, that would definitely be a benefit to us. The Free Internet Package is the only thing that would definitely be a very nice benefit for my husband and me as we always pay for this on cruises. Overall, I am happy that Disney Cruise Line is even considering offering some incentives and eagerly waiting to see if any of these ideas get implemented in the future.