Disney deal alert: Get bonus miles worth hundreds of dollars when booking a cruise
Big news, Disney Cruise Line fans: You can now get up to 30,000 bonus airline miles when booking a Disney sailing.
On Monday, three cruise booking sites affiliated with airlines — United Cruises, American Airlines Cruises and Delta SkyMiles Cruises — rolled out limited-time offers that can earn you up to 30,000 miles in the mileage programs of their affiliated airlines when booking select Disney voyages.
When booking through United Cruises, that means you'll get up to 30,000 United MileagePlus miles. Bookings with American Airlines Cruises and Delta SkyMiles Cruises will get you up to 30,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles and up to 30,000 Delta SkyMiles miles, respectively.
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All three of the airline-affiliated booking sites are run by World Travel Holdings, the nation's largest seller of cruises through travel agencies.
It's the first time that the three cruise booking sites are offering a bonus-miles promotion just for Disney cruises, according to a World Travel Holdings representative.
The specific number of miles you can earn as part of the promotion will depend on what type of cabin you book. When booking with one of the three airline-affiliated sites, you'll get:
- 10,000 miles for booking a windowless interior cabin.
- 15,000 miles for booking an ocean-view cabin (a cabin with a window).
- 20,000 miles for booking a balcony cabin.
- 30,000 miles for booking a suite.
That's a decent number of bonus miles for booking a cruise. TPG currently values United MileagePlus miles at 1.4 cents each, meaning that 30,000 miles would be worth $420 at our valuation.
TPG currently values American Airlines AAdvantage miles at 1.5 cents each, meaning that 30,000 miles would be worth $450. Delta SkyMiles are currently valued at 1.2 cents each, putting the value of 30,000 miles at $360.
The bonus-miles offer is only available for select sailings on Disney's 2,500-passenger Disney Fantasy. The ship operates five- to 10-night voyages out of Port Canaveral, Florida.
You'll also need to act fast to get the bonus miles. The mileage offer is only available for bookings made by March 31. It applies to new bookings for cruises scheduled to depart before Dec. 30.
Note that, in the case of the United Cruises offer specifically, you can combine it with another promotion launched last week that brings up to 60,000 United MileagePlus miles if you book a cruise through the United Cruises website with a United-branded credit card. If you don't use a United-branded credit card, you can still earn up to 45,000 United MileagePlus miles if you book a cruise.
Related: How to book a cruise through United Cruises
Among the caveats of the new offers announced Monday: Bonus miles are earned per cabin and are awarded to only one passenger per cruise booking. In addition, to qualify, customers must book through one of the three airline-affiliated cruise booking sites.
Miles will post to your airline mileage account six to eight weeks after the cruise is completed, according to the terms of the offer.
Which credit card should I use to book?
If booking through the United Cruises site, you can maximize your purchase by using a United MileagePlus credit card, such as the United Club Infinite Card, which earns 2 miles per dollar spent on cruises. This card is currently offering 80,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Booking through the American Airlines Cruises site? Consider using an American Airlines AAdvantage credit card, such as the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® (see rates and fees), which earns 2 miles per dollar spent on American Airlines purchases. This card is currently offering 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,500 on purchases in the first three months your account is open.
If booking through the Delta SkyMiles Cruises site, maximize your purchase by using a Delta SkyMiles credit card, such as the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card. It earns 2 miles per dollar spent on Delta purchases — including flights and Delta's vacation offerings. This card is currently offering 40,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new card in your first six months.
Don't have an airline-affiliated card? Use a card that earns bonus points on cruises. A good option is the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, which earns 2 points per dollar spent on travel, including cruises. Right now, you can earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
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