Process to obtain Second Room for Au Pair?

[chfenton]

Hi,

 

The purpose of this thread is to confirm my understanding of how to get our au pair her own room on our upcoming cruise. Thanks in advance for advice/confirmation.

 

We originally booked a suite for my family-Me, wife, and two young sons. Reservation is confirmed and deposits for the 4 of us have been made but finally payment is not due until April.

 

We now find out our au pair will be able to join us and we will be purchasing a room for her. However as I understand it, as she is only 20, I cannot reserve her a room by herself (please confirm). Accordingly, I plan to call and set up a new reservation for my wife in a room by herself and replace my wife in my original reservation with our au pair.

 

Then, lastly, once on board, proceed to guest services and switch wife back to our suite and au pair to her own room.

 

Is this the best way to do this? Thanks again.

[Clarea]

Royal will let guests under 21 stay in their own stateroom without an adult if that stateroom is either next to, or across the hall from the responsible adult. Yiu may have to call to book this was as the website might not allow it.

Edited January 21, 2015 by clarea

[chfenton]

Royal will let guests under 21 stay in their own stateroom without an adult if that stateroom is either next to, or across the hall from the responsible adult. You may have to call to book this was as the website might not allow it.

 

Thanks, that won't be possible as we have a deck 17 suite on Oasis and will want to get her a standard inside which will obviously not be across from or adjacent. As a side bar, I also find it ironic that for cruises originating anywhere else in the world including her home country on Royal you only have to be 18 to book a room but 21 in North America.

 

So back to my original question--is this best way to accomplish--thanks!

[Clarea]

Thanks, that won't be possible as we have a deck 17 suite on Oasis and will want to get her a standard inside which will obviously not be across from or adjacent. As a side bar, I also find it ironic that for cruises originating anywhere else in the world including her home country on Royal you only have to be 18 to book a room but 21 in North America.

 

So back to my original question--is this best way to accomplish--thanks!

Yes, your original plan will work fine. You can go to Guest Services after you board and get extra keys for the au pair and your wife.

[gjkubel]

For financial reasons, you would be better off probably booking BOTH your wife and the aupair into the interior room (and probably one of your kids as well).

 

Once on board, you don't need to "switch" anything, you just ask guest services for an extra room key to the suite for your wife. The only negative is your wife won't have a gold card, but I can'y imagine the concierge really hassling you about that, but don't have any first hand experience in this regard.

[LovesCruising]

Would the wife not loose suite benefits if booked into the inside?

[cello56]

Would the wife not loose suite benefits if booked into the inside?

 

That is an excellent point - the au pair would have a 'Gold Card' and the wife would not have suite access. And I doubt that you could ask them to allow her in since you are technically breaking the rules by having your under age au pair in a cabin on her own.

[LovesCruising]

Yes, wife will lose suite privileges if booked in the interior. If the servant is booked in the interior, she will not have suite privileges.

 

On other boards, people have posted to do this type of arrangement, add the fifth person to the suite and then book an additional inside cabin. They need to do this directly with the cruise line as one name will be double booked.

 

When it is done this way, everyone keeps suite privileges.

 

Wouldn't that be quite costly? 20 yr old au pair doesn't necessarily need suite priv.

[Trekker954]

I would be very surprised if Royal allows double booking.

 

So whomever is in the interior cabin would not have suite privileges and don't forget the single supplement is pretty high on Oasis.

[njmomof2]

Royal will let guests under 21 stay in their own stateroom without an adult if that stateroom is either next to, or across the hall from the responsible adult. Yiu may have to call to book this was as the website might not allow it.

 

Bob, can you confirm this? I'm going to be on Freedom in August and older DS has been talking to his three best friends about joining us. They will all be 17. Normally I book me and younger DS in one cabin, mom and older DS in the other (for a different reason) and since we usually have connecting cabins, we don't even need to get extra cards.

 

If these kids come, I was thinking I'd have to put me in a triple with 2 of them, and the third in the cabin with mom, so that an adult was with all underaged, not related people.

 

However, if I can put them in a triple cabin next door to mine, then I don't have to do the convoluted booking/extra key thing.

 

I thought only related underaged were allowed in their own cabin (next door or across the hall).

[mark290]

Book me in the room with the Au Pair. I am over 21 and do not

require suite privileges. Problem solved.

[cb at sea]

Just book one of the kids in with the au pair. It's only for booking purposes...move the child into your suite once you're onboard. That way, you're not paying almost double for one in a cabin....and you won't be paying the additional "suite" price for one of the kids....

 

They do NOT care who sleeps where, and the child has no need of concierge services/lounge, anyway!

Edited January 21, 2015 by cb at sea

[akcruz]

Bob, can you confirm this? I'm going to be on Freedom in August and older DS has been talking to his three best friends about joining us. They will all be 17. Normally I book me and younger DS in one cabin, mom and older DS in the other (for a different reason) and since we usually have connecting cabins, we don't even need to get extra cards.

 

If these kids come, I was thinking I'd have to put me in a triple with 2 of them, and the third in the cabin with mom, so that an adult was with all underaged, not related people.

 

However, if I can put them in a triple cabin next door to mine, then I don't have to do the convoluted booking/extra key thing.

 

I thought only related underaged were allowed in their own cabin (next door or across the hall).

 

Misread at first - adding you can have unrelated underage in their own cabin, but I believe there is a limit to the number. Something like 1 unrelated for every one that is???

 

 

Not Bob, but can confirm this is correct. Have done it many times with my kids. As long as the cabin is directly next to or across the hall you can book the under 21's in their own cabin. Not one over, or diagonal, or any other combination.

 

Note, this must be done over the phone, cannot be done on-line.

Edited January 21, 2015 by akcruz

[Clarea]

Bob, can you confirm this? I'm going to be on Freedom in August and older DS has been talking to his three best friends about joining us. They will all be 17. Normally I book me and younger DS in one cabin, mom and older DS in the other (for a different reason) and since we usually have connecting cabins, we don't even need to get extra cards.

 

If these kids come, I was thinking I'd have to put me in a triple with 2 of them, and the third in the cabin with mom, so that an adult was with all underaged, not related people.

 

However, if I can put them in a triple cabin next door to mine, then I don't have to do the convoluted booking/extra key thing.

 

I thought only related underaged were allowed in their own cabin (next door or across the hall).

Unless Royal has changed the policy in the last couple of years, this worked for us. We put two under 21 kids alone in a room down the hall. The travel agent had to do the booking by phone, as opposed to their website.

[LovesCruising]

Just book one of the kids in with the au pair. It's only for booking purposes...move the child into your suite once you're onboard. That way, you're not paying almost double for one in a cabin....and you won't be paying the additional "suite" price for one of the kids....

 

They do NOT care who sleeps where, and the child has no need of concierge services/lounge, anyway!

 

Can't book the au pair with the child. the au pair is the problem - not old enough

[njmomof2]

Misread at first - adding you can have unrelated underage in their own cabin, but I believe there is a limit to the number. Something like 1 unrelated for every one that is???

 

 

Not Bob, but can confirm this is correct. Have done it many times with my kids. As long as the cabin is directly next to or across the hall you can book the under 21's in their own cabin. Not one over, or diagonal, or any other combination.

 

Note, this must be done over the phone, cannot be done on-line.

 

Unless Royal has changed the policy in the last couple of years, this worked for us. We put two under 21 kids alone in a room down the hall. The travel agent had to do the booking by phone, as opposed to their website.

 

Thanks to you both. I ended up calling C&A to ask, and they confirmed that as long as they are either right next door, or across the hall, I can book them without an adult on the booking in the cabin, so if they come, that's what I'll do. Was already looking and found that currently there are three cabins in a row that work (2 doubles and a triple) but of course, one of the moms is not too keen on the idea (not sure if it's a money thing, or something else). It's the girlfriend's mom so I'll see what the issue is if/when she calls me.

[gjkubel]

That is an excellent point - the au pair would have a 'Gold Card' and the wife would not have suite access. And I doubt that you could ask them to allow her in since you are technically breaking the rules by having your under age au pair in a cabin on her own.

 

I really don't think a concierge is going to kick out someone's wife because they are booked in the children's room and therefore don't have the gold card. If a husband and wife walk in together, does the concierge really ask to see both keys? I don't know, I've never tried, but I know when my wife and I visit the diamond lounge, she rarely has her key on her anyway.

 

But, thinking this through more, I would do this:

 

Suite - You, au pair,

Interior room - Wife, 2 children (much cheaper to have third person in the interior, than the suite)

 

Once on board, get second key for wife and au pair and kids, and let wife use au pair's gold card, except for debarkation, where people will need their correct cards. You'll need to square up the financials, perhaps, if au pair makes charges you aren't paying for.

[LovesCruising]

While I think you are correct that the concierge will not kick the wife out of the CL - he doesn't need to see anyone's card to know who belongs there - he has a complete list of suites, and D+ and above right on his computer along with a photo (taken at embark) of that person.

[marci22]

What about booking a GS or OS on a regular deck (instead of the suite on 17). That way the inside room could be closer. I would want the au pair close by, not 2 or 3 decks away.

 

Or you could see if your au pair has a 21 year old friend that wants to go with her. You are paying a premium for the single anyway.

 

I don't like the other ideas.

Edited January 21, 2015 by marci22

[mark290]

 

I don't like the other ideas.

 

Can't believe you didn't like my idea.

[SnorkelBoy]

I really don't think a concierge is going to kick out someone's wife because they are booked in the children's room and therefore don't have the gold card. If a husband and wife walk in together, does the concierge really ask to see both keys? I don't know, I've never tried, but I know when my wife and I visit the diamond lounge, she rarely has her key on her anyway.

 

But, thinking this through more, I would do this:

 

Suite - You, au pair,

Interior room - Wife, 2 children (much cheaper to have third person in the interior, than the suite)

 

Once on board, get second key for wife and au pair and kids, and let wife use au pair's gold card, except for debarkation, where people will need their correct cards. You'll need to square up the financials, perhaps, if au pair makes charges you aren't paying for.

 

I did a fake booking and this was by far so much cheaper scenario to do. The particular cruise I choose was $6,000 cheaper.

[cruisinfanatic]

Yes, your original plan will work fine. You can go to Guest Services after you board and get extra keys for the au pair and your wife.

I have a question relating to getting keys changed. When you do so as OP questioned, would all the wife's info still be in original cabin such as viewing OB expenses, etc

[molly361]

I have a question relating to getting keys changed. When you do so as OP questioned, would all the wife's info still be in original cabin such as viewing OB expenses, etc

 

Yes it would

[marci22]

Can't believe you didn't like my idea.

 

Actually, I sorta liked your idea. I liked it better than giving the au pair the wife's gold card.

[poolchairbob]

Please post a pic of your Au Pair😄

 

 

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