Welcome back, Linda! It's great to see you again with another planning question.
Linda, as a guest who constantly purchases Disney gift cards to use on all of our Disney Parks and Disney Cruise Line vacations, I appreciate this question.
Whether you are shopping for that perfect keepsake souvenir from
Mickey's Mainsail or maybe purchasing
a specialty coffee from Cove Café, it's important to know how onboard charges work during your sailing.
All purchases, including port adventures, will be charged to your onboard account. Linda, this does mean that you aren't able to purchase items directly with your
Disney gift card. However, I have a few suggestions that will hopefully make using your Disney gift card easier!
First, at the conclusion of your cruise, your account can be settled by using the credit card on file, cash, or with a Disney gift card! In this situation, you'll just want to
visit the Guest Services Desk (located on deck 3 on most ships or deck 4 on the Disney Wish) before the end of your sailing. You can apply the gift card to your balance and then pay the remainder with another method if needed.
Linda, another option would be to add the Disney gift card to your onboard account at the beginning of your sailing. You can do this on embarkation day by visiting the Guest Services Desk, even before you shop!
Finally, Linda, if you'd like to add your Disney gift card to your onboard account as a credit before you ever leave home, there is a method to do this through the Disney Cruise Line website. You'll begin by hovering over the tab, "Already Booked," at the top of the screen. From the drop-down menu, click on "Onboard Gifts." From this page, you'll be prompted to locate a reservation which you can do with a name and sailing date or your reservation confirmation number. Once you've entered this information a new page will pop up with three headings. Click on the words, "Shop by Category" with a down arrow. On the far right you'll see, "Onboard Credit." From here, you can follow the prompts and add the Disney gift card to your own account (or someone else's). It will begin by asking you the amount you'd like to add and the associated guest. Continue clicking through until you are able to enter your Disney gift card information. You'll receive a confirmation email that you've added money to your onboard account.
Linda, I hope this helps as you're preparing for your cruise. If you have any additions, please come on back to planDisney.
Wishing you fair winds & following seas,
Lauren