Applying Gift Card to Cruise

Club Disney Chandler

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jun 18, 2013
we have a Disney Gift Card from our Disney Visa, and our cruise for June is already paid in full. Is it possible to add it onto our cruise account now to use it for excursions, etc? Or, do we just have to apply it at guest services once we get on board?

Thanks!!
 
we have a Disney Gift Card from our Disney Visa, and our cruise for June is already paid in full. Is it possible to add it onto our cruise account now to use it for excursions, etc? Or, do we just have to apply it at guest services once we get on board?

Thanks!!

You absolutely can add it ahead of time....just call up DCL or go through your TA if you used one. You are going to Alaska, right?

MJ
 
It's really "buying onboard credit" when you do it in advance. But it's definitely doable.

You can "purchase onboard credit" through the gifts and amenities number.
 


You absolutely can add it ahead of time....just call up DCL or go through your TA if you used one. You are going to Alaska, right?

MJ
We are indeed going to Alaska. Thanks for the help MJ. My wife hadn’t cashed out her rewards on her Visa for awhile so we have about $600 to apply to our excursions, those are expensive things to do in Alaska. We’re really excited to see Tiana’s Place, last time we were on the Wonder was before that existed.
 
We are indeed going to Alaska. Thanks for the help MJ. My wife hadn’t cashed out her rewards on her Visa for awhile so we have about $600 to apply to our excursions, those are expensive things to do in Alaska. We’re really excited to see Tiana’s Place, last time we were on the Wonder was before that existed.

We had over $700 Disney Visa rewards that we applied to our account at guest services on our cruise last month. Super easy to do.

I figured there was NO way we'd use all that money (especially on top of shipboard credit we received) but.... seven days later....:rolleyes1
 
We are indeed going to Alaska. Thanks for the help MJ. My wife hadn’t cashed out her rewards on her Visa for awhile so we have about $600 to apply to our excursions, those are expensive things to do in Alaska. We’re really excited to see Tiana’s Place, last time we were on the Wonder was before that existed.

You will LOVE Tiana's Place. A really nice place now (though I still have a soft spot in my heart for Parrot Cay). Don't forget to try the beignets at Tiana's for dessert!!!!

MJ
 


You will LOVE Tiana's Place. A really nice place now (though I still have a soft spot in my heart for Parrot Cay). Don't forget to try the beignets at Tiana's for dessert!!!!

MJ
I’m actually hoping to make my whole meal beignets! My favorite Disneyland activity is watching Fantasmic while enjoying a bag of Mickey Beignets and enjoying a refreshing Mint Julep.
 
We are indeed going to Alaska. Thanks for the help MJ. My wife hadn’t cashed out her rewards on her Visa for awhile so we have about $600 to apply to our excursions, those are expensive things to do in Alaska. We’re really excited to see Tiana’s Place, last time we were on the Wonder was before that existed.
which excursions are you doing?
 
Am using a TA who told me the only way I can add money to my onboard account is in person - on the ship. I've read otherwise. I emailed Disney and they said I need to work with my TA. I'm assuming once I've PIF Disney will talk to me on the phone.
I paid for the majority of my cruise with Disney Gift Cards. TA has consolidated card numbers.
Today is Friday - I keep checking my card balance because my PIF date is Sunday and I want to choose activities shortly after midnight. Meaning - I'm staying up Saturday night to get the excursions I want. As of today, Friday late afternoon, my card balances do not reflect my account being PIF. Worried. TA takes at least 24 hours to respond to email and doesn't seem to work on the weekend. Sorry, got off topic.
 
Am using a TA who told me the only way I can add money to my onboard account is in person - on the ship. I've read otherwise. I emailed Disney and they said I need to work with my TA. I'm assuming once I've PIF Disney will talk to me on the phone.
I paid for the majority of my cruise with Disney Gift Cards. TA has consolidated card numbers.
Today is Friday - I keep checking my card balance because my PIF date is Sunday and I want to choose activities shortly after midnight. Meaning - I'm staying up Saturday night to get the excursions I want. As of today, Friday late afternoon, my card balances do not reflect my account being PIF. Worried. TA takes at least 24 hours to respond to email and doesn't seem to work on the weekend. Sorry, got off topic.

Have the money you want to use to buy onboard credit on one (or as few as possible) gift cards and call the number for Gifts and Amenities and tell them you want to buy onboard credit. It is easy. But they will like you much better if the cards are combined. (Can be done on disneygiftcard.com )
 
Am using a TA who told me the only way I can add money to my onboard account is in person - on the ship. I've read otherwise. I emailed Disney and they said I need to work with my TA. I'm assuming once I've PIF Disney will talk to me on the phone.
I paid for the majority of my cruise with Disney Gift Cards. TA has consolidated card numbers.
Today is Friday - I keep checking my card balance because my PIF date is Sunday and I want to choose activities shortly after midnight. Meaning - I'm staying up Saturday night to get the excursions I want. As of today, Friday late afternoon, my card balances do not reflect my account being PIF. Worried. TA takes at least 24 hours to respond to email and doesn't seem to work on the weekend. Sorry, got off topic.
I can't imagine a TA not getting things in on time. I'm sure you'll be fine. I might consider switching TAs next time though.
 
After posting I contacted my TA and she promised to get my final payment made today. I should have contacted her days ago instead of worrying. Whew. I just checked Disneygiftcard.com and my consolidated gift card balance reflects payment. Still haven't resolved issue of getting money into onboard account but I can pursue that myself. Yes, MelSpees I'll be using a different TA next cruise.
 
After posting I contacted my TA and she promised to get my final payment made today. I should have contacted her days ago instead of worrying. Whew. I just checked Disneygiftcard.com and my consolidated gift card balance reflects payment. Still haven't resolved issue of getting money into onboard account but I can pursue that myself. Yes, MelSpees I'll be using a different TA next cruise.

Call (800) 601-8455. That is the Gifts and Amenities Number. You can purchase OBC through that number. I have done it MANY times myself. VERY easy to do.
 
No I haven’t, I probably should but I’m lazy. Now I guess I have to.

In all honesty - yeah - look into private excursions. Especially as you are a family of four. We are only three and often find that it's about the same $$$ to book a totally private excursion for just us vs. the individual pricing on Disney. For four people the savings would be even greater. You could also look into group tours (usually vans vs. the big bus tours the cruise lines offer) and save a ton of money. Even when a totally private tour has cost us slightly more (it's never been a lot more), it has been so worth it. Alaska is special. For us, it's a sweet spot - we've been there three times and definitely plan to go back. You really don't get the true feel of it until you are off of the ship and into the wilderness. Excursion are important here - much more so than on a Caribbean cruise.

Check out Trip Advisor, Cruise Critic's port specific forums (love them!) and do searches on the disboards - there are tons of great ideas for private Alaskan tours on the disboards, probably more than most other ports Disney goes to.

Our first Alaskan cruise was on Disney and we stuck with Disney tours. While they were a lot of fun, we've since moved on and had much better experiences with private tours for just our family. Our family came up with an acronym - HMF (high maintenance family) - after two cruises of booking excursions through DCL. You know those people. They are always late. Their kids hate everything. They don't listen to the guides. They talk (loudly) when they should be listening. It's all about them. HMF's are pretty easy to avoid on the ship. But when you're stuck on a bus with them - and there's been one (or more) on most DCL tours we've done, it's a different story. Alaskan excursions are expensive, no matter how you do them. Get the most for your money. :-)
 
I booked through Alaska shore excursions. They were great. We were on the same excursions as people that booked through DCL, but we paid less. If there's one place that easy to book on your own it's Alaska. The towns are so small and the tour guides are waiting for you right outside the port. I think they also offer better excursions. In Ketchikan there were several tour operators with booths set up at port that you could book with the day of. There's so many great things to do in Alaska. It's one place I'm looking forward to going back to.

I've done 3 or 4 DCL excursions and I've hated all of them. You have to meet in some area on the ship. Wait 30 minutes for everyone to show up, and then be hearded off the ship in a line. It reminds me of being on a grade school field trip.
 

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