Before Casting Away: Disney Cruise Lines operates two ships: Magic and Wonder, both homeported at the Disney Cruise Line terminal in Port Canaveral, FL, a good 45-minute bus ride outside of Orlando, where most travelers fly into. Your best bet is to convince your clients to come to Florida a day before the actual cruise and book them into one of Disney's various hotels for the night. Disney provides roundtrip transfers from the airport to the cruise terminal for a fee of $69 per guest. As for lodging prior to the cruise, there are particular resorts designed for cruisers: Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, Beach Club Resort, Caribbean Beach Resort, Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Polynesian Resort, Port Orleans Resort and the Walt Disney World/Swan Dolphin. Disney has a bus service that picks up guests at these specific hotels for transfer to the cruise terminal. Reservations at all Disney hotels can be made by calling 407-WDW-MAGIC, but travel agents are advised to register at www.disneytravelagents.com. There, you can make bookings, stay apprised of new Disney developments and even sign up for an online training course. Disney Cruise Line Pricing Overview
Different Strokes, Different Folks: Disney Cruise Line offers three- and four-night Bahamian cruises aboard the Wonder, while the Magic does seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean voyages. Magic was redeployed to Europe on March 26 for 10- and 11-night itineraries through August, calling on such ports as Barcelona, Naples, Rome, Florence and Marseille. In summer 2008, Magic will move to the west coast for seven-night Mexican Riviera cruises generating from the Port of Los Angeles, and calling on Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta.
The Wonder's three-night cruises set out each Thursday and visit Nassau and Disney's private island known as Castaway Cay. Four-night cruises depart Sundays, also with calls to Nassau and Castaway Cay, but with an additional day at sea.
The Magic alternates seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises, departing every Saturday. Eastern Caribbean cruises call on St. Maarten, St. Thomas/St. John and Castaway Cay, along with three sea days. The Western Caribbean cruise hits Key West, Grand Cayman, Cozumel and Castaway Cay.
Travel Agent Offers: Fifteen percent commissions are available for most Disney cruises. The line also extends travel agent deals such as the confirmed space offer, which slashes 15 percent off the early booking savings rate on stateroom categories four through 11 on select cruises. Agents can take advantage of such a concession, which is useful to better understand what Disney Cruise Line offers.
Agent Education: Agents have the ability to learn how to better sell Disney Cruises through the College of Disney Knowledge, a 24/7 online educational tool built for agents. It can be accessed via Disney's travel agent web site. Disney's on-site education programs are by invitation only, and eligibility is determined by revenue production and completion of the College of Disney Knowledge program.