Hi Beth,
Welcome to the Moms Panel - you've come to the right place if you're considering a Disney Cruise vacation! Stretching my vacation dollar is really important to me, so I have a few suggestions for you to help you find the best deals available for a land and sea vacation with Disney.
First of all, you need to book ahead to get the best deals with Disney Cruise Line. The closer you get to the sail dates, the higher the rates will be.
Secondly, book off-season if possible. I have found the best rates in September, early November and January into early February. I explained why
HERE.
Obviously the shorter cruises will be less expensive, I have found that the 4-night voyages tend to fit the budget the best, and offers "enough" time onboard (3 nights simply isn't enough for me!).
Due to the number of people in your party, you will need to book two staterooms - and I would specify that you want them connecting (they will have an inside door between them). There is a wide range of stateroom categories, but many
first time cruisers spend very little time in their staterooms - so book the least expensive.
Lastly, I prefer to book the land and sea portions independently. Although you can book everything directly through the cruise line, I prefer to book the Walt Disney World Resort portion separately. Unlike the cruise fares, the resort rooms are more likely to have last minute deals. Sign up for email alerts, my favorite site for "deal watching" is www.mousesavers.com. Keep in mind that booking them separately does not exclude you from taking advantage of the motorcoach transfers. Simply call the cruise line and inform them of your WDW resort reservation and they will add the appropriate transfers to your reservation.