What is a placeholder?
A placeholder is a special on-board discount offer on a future Disney cruise. You pay $250 to get a placeholder; the $250 goes towards the cost of the future cruise.
Why should I book a Placeholder?
To save 10% off the prevailing cruise rate of your future cruise. Also, for cruises 7+ nights the deposit is 10% of the cruise fare. Cruises under 7 nights require a 20% deposit of the cruise fare
How do you book a placeholder?
As I mentioned, you can only book your placeholder while aboard a Disney cruise. There are now two ways to book: the DCL Navigator app or go to the Future Cruise Sails desk and pick up a form.
Where do I go to book the placeholder?
Go to the Future Cruise desk, complete the form and drop it into the box located on the desk. I always take a picture of the form after I fill it out just in case it gets misplaced at the Future Cruise desk.
Disney has listened to its guests and now you can use the app to book 10% off a future cruise. It took some screenshots from our last cruise of the app.
When can I use my placeholder?
You must use it within 24 months of booking. Disney is strict with the deadline if the next cruise you want to book is a day after the placeholder expires you will not be able to use it.
Pro tip: book it as late in the cruise as you can. Don’t wait too late though. The 10% off future cruise link disappears at midnight of the last full day. I waited too long and had to go to the Guest Services desk to request a form.
Who can book a placeholder?
Anyone over the age of 18 you can book up to two staterooms on one sail date per household onboard.
What is the catch?
You can not use a placeholder on blackout dates or for concierge-level bookings. Also, you currently, you need to call Disney to apply the placeholder to your chosen cruise. Therefore, if you are booking on opening day, you could be on the phone, on hold for hours.
Can I transfer it to my travel agent or Costco?
Yes, you have 30 days from booking it to transfer it to the TA of your choice if you did not name one when you booked it.
I hope that I answered many of the questions about placeholders for booking a future Disney cruise. Make sure you check my post about joining a fish extender exchange. Or one of my trip reports.
[…] cruised on your first Disney Cruise don’t forget to get a placeholder on your next […]
[…] are still looking to book a vacation for early and late summer. Cruising soon make sure you get a placeholder while onboard. Just off your fist cruise and forgot to get a placeholder? Keep an eye on your […]
We last cruised in February 2020 before the COVID shutdown. We secured a placeholder while on board. Do you know if placeholder deadlines have been extended since cruising has not yet resumed?
As far as I know, if you book a cruise with a placeholder before it expires you can use it to book a cruise up to Fall 2022. If you have not used your placeholder and the expiry date passes DCL will refund your money.
In my Castaway Club account, my pre-COVID placeholder is listed as one of my cruises with a Jan 1, 2034 date in a GTY room.
With the placeholder to I need to cruise within 24 months or do I need to book within 24 months?
Your cruise needs to begin within 24 months.
Hi, as a very lucky cruiser in the UK we did a 3 day cruise based in the UK, whilst onboard we booked a placeholder an received a confirmation email. I have just tried to use but was informed this couldn’t be used as the option was not taken? I booked the original through a T/A and they are confused also. Disney cruise not that helpful when called, any ideas what I can do? I have checked my credit card and they have not taken payment
[…] that will make the DCL reservations easier to use. I am hoping for an online option when using your OBB placeholder (onboard booking) when booking a new cruise. It would be so much easier to make changes to OBB […]
Hi – one additional point with the new way of booking On-Board Booking placeholders – if you use the app it will default to your credit card on file. We like to purchase ours with Disney Gift Cards (since we get those at a 5% discount from Target) and there’s no way to do that via the app. You have to go to Guest Services while on the cruise, tell them you want to purchase a placeholder with a Gift Card, and they will set up the order for Disney to follow up with you when you are back home to take the payment and give you your reservation number. It’s a very inefficient system – some folks have had to wait a considerable period of time before getting that call. I ended up calling DCL and getting it arranged when I returned home by calling them instead of waiting for them to call me. Just wanted to share my experience on this specific item. Thank you for all this wonderful info!
How do we actually apply the placeholder credit when booking? I can’t figure it out.
You need to call DCL to apply the placeholder for your booking. The $250 you paid for the placeholder will go towards your deposit.