Room Switching

[CruiseFamilyx1215]

We have three rooms booked for our cruise in July - my mother in law booked the cruise but because of the way she booked it, our rooms are a bit mixed up.  We are coming from different states and my three daughters and I arrive first. She told me that its easy to change rooms and that because we arrive first, I would just need to talk to someone when we check in at the cruise port. 

 

Currently, the three rooms are booked like this:

1) me and my oldest daughter (2 person room)

2) my two other daughters (2 person room)

3) my mother in law, sister in law and niece (3 person room)

 

she wants to switch it up to this:

1) me and my two younger daughters (3 person room)

2) my oldest daughter and my sister in law (2 person room)

3) my mother in law and niece. (2 person room)

 

How hard is this going to be? Who do I talk to? I'm nervous because I've never had to do this before and I don't know who to talk to or what to say.

Edited May 28, 2019 by CruiseFamilyx1215

[Micahs Grandad]

When you are all onboard the ship, have the entire group march over to guest services tell them what you want and they will be happy to arrange rooms as you desire.

[PhillyFan33579]

It would be a lot easier to correct this ahead of time.  One call to Carnival will fix the problem. You could also do it on the ship like the last poster mentioned, but why waste time, and potentially wait in a long line, when a simple phone call can correct the problem now. 

[Schoifmom]

40 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

It would be a lot easier to correct this ahead of time.  One call to Carnival will fix the problem. You could also do it on the ship like the last poster mentioned, but why waste time, and potentially wait in a long line, when a simple phone call can correct the problem now. 

 

Agreed.  Especially, since they will have to wait for everyone to board and go to GS together to accomplish this.

[maryred]

2 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

It would be a lot easier to correct this ahead of time.  One call to Carnival will fix the problem. You could also do it on the ship like the last poster mentioned, but why waste time, and potentially wait in a long line, when a simple phone call can correct the problem now. 

The MIL may of booked the rooms in that fashion because it takes advantage of the most affable financial arrangement for the family. We've had VIFP and casino offers that it was better for our family's budget to split up along odd sounding cabin assignments to take advantage of the most perks or lower pricing to be spread among us. As frequent cruisers know often a inconvenient sounding time investment can lead to significant saving or rewards. Only if there is no financial ramification is there any reason to switch the names on the booking prior to boarding.

As for the switching there is no need to even tell the cruise line before boarding or crew after boarding, beyond the steward(s) for the cabins, about whom is sleeping where. As long as they don't exceed the berthing that a cabin was booked at (even if said cabin can hold more than than it was booked as), for anyone from the family can sleep in any of the cabins on any given night. All of them must keep in mind what cabin they were originally booked in, in case, God forbid, there is an emergency requiring either a head count or muster stations, if that happens then they must report to the location they were booked at.

All this family needs to do is first make sure that their bookings are all linked online in Manage My Booking for each passengers unique login. This will to allow each of them to print out luggage tags for any of the cabins. This way each person's checked luggage can be tagged for the cabin they want it to end up at, before getting to the terminal. Then once on board and the cabins are ready (after 1:30pm) each person can go to their booked cabin to get their S&S card. Then all should go to guest services after dinner but prior to retiring for the night (shorter lines then) and request room only keys to the cabin they will sleep in.  

[PhillyFan33579]

34 minutes ago, maryred said:

The MIL may of booked the rooms in that fashion because it takes advantage of the most affable financial arrangement for the family. We've had VIFP and casino offers that it was better for our family's budget to split up along odd sounding cabin assignments to take advantage of the most perks or lower pricing to be spread among us. As frequent cruisers know often a inconvenient sounding time investment can lead to significant saving or rewards. Only if there is no financial ramification is there any reason to switch the names on the booking prior to boarding.

As for the switching there is no need to even tell the cruise line before boarding or crew after boarding, beyond the steward(s) for the cabins, about whom is sleeping where. As long as they don't exceed the berthing that a cabin was booked at (even if said cabin can hold more than than it was booked as), for anyone from the family can sleep in any of the cabins on any given night. All of them must keep in mind what cabin they were originally booked in, in case, God forbid, there is an emergency requiring either a head count or muster stations, if that happens then they must report to the location they were booked at.

All this family needs to do is first make sure that their bookings are all linked online in Manage My Booking for each passengers unique login. This will to allow each of them to print out luggage tags for any of the cabins. This way each person's checked luggage can be tagged for the cabin they want it to end up at, before getting to the terminal. Then once on board and the cabins are ready (after 1:30pm) each person can go to their booked cabin to get their S&S card. Then all should go to guest services after dinner but prior to retiring for the night (shorter lines then) and request room only keys to the cabin they will sleep in.  

 

Very long and informative post but I doubt any of it applies to the OP. 

[mredandchis]

we had this problem a year or so ago, it took guest services 5 mins to adjust it.  They just redid the cards we had.

 

[Micahs Grandad]

32 minutes ago, mredandchis said:

we had this problem a year or so ago, it took guest services 5 mins to adjust it.  They just redid the cards we had.

 

Exactly. Had this on a family cruise with my daughter and son in law and very easy to fix.

[maryred]

1 hour ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

Very long and informative post but I doubt any of it applies to the OP. 

That is for the OP to decide. 

At no point in her (going by avatar) post does she indicate that the cabin assignments were mixed up due to indifference or ignorance on the part of the family member that made them. SO most likely there must be some sort of financial benefit or set of perks that the bookings needed to be done in such a manner. It could be as simple as they wanted every cabin to have a platinum+ passenger or a minors only cabin linked to a platinum+ booking that all of the cabins enjoy priority check-in and boarding, or there could be a financial angle based on VIFP booking offers.

[Lee Cruiser]

5 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

It would be a lot easier to correct this ahead of time.  One call to Carnival will fix the problem. You could also do it on the ship like the last poster mentioned, but why waste time, and potentially wait in a long line, when a simple phone call can correct the problem now. 

The only issue with doing this in advance is that, according to their policy, you could be charged a $50 per person switch fee.  It really just depends on the person you are speaking with and how they feel at the time.

Edited May 29, 2019 by Lee Cruiser
punctuation

[PhillyFan33579]

18 minutes ago, maryred said:

That is for the OP to decide. 

At no point in her (going by avatar) post does she indicate that the cabin assignments were mixed up due to indifference or ignorance on the part of the family member that made them. SO most likely there must be some sort of financial benefit or set of perks that the bookings needed to be done in such a manner. It could be as simple as they wanted every cabin to have a platinum+ passenger or a minors only cabin linked to a platinum+ booking that all of the cabins enjoy priority check-in and boarding, or there could be a financial angle based on VIFP booking offers.

 

I guess we are looking at it from different perspectives. You are assuming there was a reason behind the way the bookings were done, while I am assuming if this was the case, the OP would know that and would have mentioned it in her post. 

 

You do make a good point about VIFP offers. We have two adult kids who are both red who get significantly better cruise offers than my wife and I get as platinums. 

[bnorris10]

22 hours ago, CruiseFamilyx1215 said:

We have three rooms booked for our cruise in July - my mother in law booked the cruise but because of the way she booked it, our rooms are a bit mixed up.  We are coming from different states and my three daughters and I arrive first. She told me that its easy to change rooms and that because we arrive first, I would just need to talk to someone when we check in at the cruise port. 

 

Currently, the three rooms are booked like this:

1) me and my oldest daughter (2 person room)

2) my two other daughters (2 person room)

3) my mother in law, sister in law and niece (3 person room)

 

she wants to switch it up to this:

1) me and my two younger daughters (3 person room)

2) my oldest daughter and my sister in law (2 person room)

3) my mother in law and niece. (2 person room)

 

How hard is this going to be? Who do I talk to? I'm nervous because I've never had to do this before and I don't know who to talk to or what to say.

 

We always have to rearrange rooms and all we do is go to guest services and ask for extra keys to the rooms and then just  give the extra key to whoever is going in that room - this way they have their keycard to buy stuff and an extra key card to get in what ever room they are bunkering down in

[CruiseFamilyx1215]

21 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

It would be a lot easier to correct this ahead of time.  One call to Carnival will fix the problem. You could also do it on the ship like the last poster mentioned, but why waste time, and potentially wait in a long line, when a simple phone call can correct the problem now. 

We booked through a travel agent - does that matter?

[ejincali]

We just had to re-arrange rooms when boarding Elation.  We did this in the terminal, it was not so easy, had to talk to a couple of different people.  It got done the way we wanted it to, but it did take a while.  You can go to Guest Services on the ship, but I noticed they had quite the line on Embarkation day.

[CruiseFamilyx1215]

17 hours ago, Micah's Grandad said:

Exactly. Had this on a family cruise with my daughter and son in law and very easy to fix.

This is great news. So I don't take care of it when I check in to the cruise port? I go straight to guest services when I board the ship?

[CruiseFamilyx1215]

15 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

I guess we are looking at it from different perspectives. You are assuming there was a reason behind the way the bookings were done, while I am assuming if this was the case, the OP would know that and would have mentioned it in her post. 

 

You do make a good point about VIFP offers. We have two adult kids who are both red who get significantly better cruise offers than my wife and I get as platinums. 

I don't exactly know why the rooms were set up this way. My MIL did mention that because four of us are from Colorado and the other three are from Missouri, they had to split us up dependant on that information - I don't think that would matter but she is just going off what her travel agent told her.

[ObstructedView2]

7 minutes ago, CruiseFamilyx1215 said:

 

So I don't take care of it when I check in to the cruise port? I go straight to guest services when I board the ship?

 

 

Yes, take care of this once you board the ship at guest services. Don't attempt to take care this in the terminal. At guest services once onboard this is a simple issue. In the terminal at check-in, not so much.

 

.

[Micahs Grandad]

31 minutes ago, CruiseFamilyx1215 said:

I don't exactly know why the rooms were set up this way. My MIL did mention that because four of us are from Colorado and the other three are from Missouri, they had to split us up dependant on that information - I don't think that would matter but she is just going off what her travel agent told her.

That is how we did it in the past. Guest services will not care how you divvy up the cabins

[mredandchis]

On 5/29/2019 at 1:29 PM, CruiseFamilyx1215 said:

This is great news. So I don't take care of it when I check in to the cruise port? I go straight to guest services when I board the ship?

Well go get your card keys from the rooms first. lol They will redo them to open the correct cabin.   I can imagine you will be on a mission to get it done but it is easy peasy

 

[silvercrikhix]

Someone from each cabin needs to be at guest service all together.  

Really helpful if someone got “faster to the fun” for the priority GS line, or is platinum for this. 

Just get a room only key for each persons ‘sleeping’ cabin, if different than booked cabin. 

It is quick & easy fix, as noted above. 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[maryred]

On 5/29/2019 at 1:31 PM, CruiseFamilyx1215 said:

I don't exactly know why the rooms were set up this way. My MIL did mention that because four of us are from Colorado and the other three are from Missouri, they had to split us up dependant on that information - I don't think that would matter but she is just going off what her travel agent told her.

Sounds like there was a state resident specific fare reduction rate being offered. If that is the case having the occupants of the cabin switched prior to check-in at the departure terminal could cause a fare increase.

 

On 5/29/2019 at 1:26 PM, CruiseFamilyx1215 said:

We booked through a travel agent - does that matter?

Yes it sort of matters as all changes to a booking must be made through the TA or their office. Since the TA advised your MIL to book the cabins in this manner it would be better to wait till on board. As long as the checked luggage is tagged to be delivered at the cabin the person is ultimately sleeping in there is no need to everyone rush to have the Guest Services desk on board issue the new key only card, it can wait till after sail away to avoid the long embarkation day line.

[NauticalNeophyte]

We just did this last week on the Liberty.  Cabin 1 was sister and two nephews. Cabin 2 was me and oldest nephew and youngest niece.  Cabin 3 was mom and two middle nieces.  We changed it to Cabin 1 was youngest niece and nephew, Cabin 2 was me, mom and sister, and cabin 3 was two middle nieces and nephew.  Oldest nephew was a no show. 

 

It was a relatively easy process at guest services.  Cabins 1 and 2 had one original occupant staying after the change so new cards were made for the people that moved.  We tried calling Carnival beforehand to have it done, and the first lady was a complete ***** about it.  We hung up in her face. Thanks to HUCB the second lady was helpful and recommended doing it on the ship as that is the easiest way to do so.  It took less than 10 minutes to do.  FYI...If there are any minors in your party, or anyone not paying their own gratuities, you may want to the sort that out before you move.