Best time to buy DCL merch on the ship?

[DCLCrazy64622]

On NCL they have port of call shirt sales in one of the shop for $12 a shirt at the very end of the cruise. Not sure if you’re used to cruises like that but DCL is definitely not one of them. They don’t bring the good stuff out at the end. It’s all out on the first day. The only time I’ve seen sales is sailing in December when they’re trying to get rid of all their shirts with the year date printed on the shirts. No one wants a 2019 shirt in 2020. .

 

[Quellman]

Agree with others, buy when you see it. Through a miscommunication, we missed out on a DCL purse for my wife, which i found a year later in a pop up shop at Disney Springs. Also missed out on the 4 SHips art print seen HERE. Found it on another sailing.

Nooooo!! I haven't been to a Disney park in years and I've been missing my long lost Dole Whip! What a let down.

As someone else mentioned, you can swing by the Polynesian, or if you are coming from the south, stop by Vero Beach Resort.

Do any of the shops onboard offer a discount like DVC, AP or Disney Visa?

If you are gold or platnium castaway club, you also get an in-store discount.

 

[Chirple]

If you are on a regular repeating itinerary, the merchandise won't be on sale. If you want something, buy it right away as others have stated.

I have had a couple of different DCL sale experiences. We were on the last Alaska cruise during the 2011 inaugural season; the last sea day all Alaska merchandise advertised as 50% off. We were able to get a couple of things that we wanted. Last year we were on the last Bermuda cruise for the season. I kept waiting to see if merchandise would go on sale, but no signs were put up. When I finally decided to make my purchases, everything was on sale 40% off. That was a great surprise.

 

[kiford]

One thing also to note is that they do change the stock so what's there on the first days isn't necessarily all that is ever there. We typically check every day because sometimes they put out new things that weren't there the first few days. But if you like it, buy it and don't wait because it may not be there later. I've usually only seen sales on dated or past-cruise items.

Huh, that's odd! I assume it has to do with weird maritime laws or something?

It is due to the fact that the on board shop will then be competing with shops in port but not subject to their tax or other laws. So they can only be open when in international waters.

 

[matthew517]

There are not sales like other cruise lines. If you wear a larger size buy it if you see it. Don't wait. And on castaway Cay if your see something get it.

 

[Mommb]

As others have mentioned, Disney Cruise does not change prices during the cruise and does sell out of specific sizes, so buying early is a good idea to ensure you can find what you want.

One thing we learned on our recent Med cruise on the Magic: It may be possible to have a shop hold an item for a day. This is helpful if you're trying to reach the $50 threshhold for the DVC or Disney Visa discount but haven't decided what else you want. In our case, my daughter found a shirt she wanted but I was still deciding which shirt I wanted to get. We weren't sure if we'd reach the daily minimum for the VAT refund in Italy (which we ended up not reaching anyhow) and a castmember offered to hold my daughter's shirt until the next day to give me more time to think.

 

[TikiThunderPirates]

Nooooo!! I haven't been to a Disney park in years and I've been missing my long lost Dole Whip! What a let down.

Do you live near a Menchies frozen yogurt place? They have Dolewhip. I think its a close second to the theme park version, other people I know say its identical. Either way its very very close, maybe it only taste different because I'm not eating it while waiting for the Tiki Room in 90 degree heat!

 

[lilsonicfan]

There are not sales like other cruise lines. If you wear a larger size buy it if you see it. Don't wait. And on castaway Cay if your see something get it.

Somewhat true, somewhat not true. No blowout sales the way other lines do it, but I saw and nearly bought a hoodie that was clearance priced down to $20 (from $50-60 originally), seemingly because only larger sizes were left. But certainly not really predictable.