Cabin booking options for uncertain cruisers

[wenocancer2]

DD and DS would like to each take a friend on a cruise we are looking to book for January 2021. It is just so uncertain of the if or who they will take at this time, we are looking for options.  Should we book two cabins for two and leave the second cruiser as TBD in each and as we get closer to the final payment date then name the person?  If we book early saver would we just have to cover the money down for all four cruisers until the final payment is due?

 

However, if at time of final payment, the kids decide they don't want to bring anybody, can we cancel on cabin and transfer the one to the other's cabin?  What would we loose then...just the down payments on two (of the original potential 4 cruisers)? And is there a transfer fee?  Or would it have to be a new booking for the two of them together...then subject to prices at that time?

 

Anybody have any suggestions?  Both kids are in their early twenties and in college and getting commitments so far in advance from friends is a bit challenging due to poor-college-student syndrome.

[coevan]

26 minutes ago, wenocancer2 said:

Anybody have any suggestions? 

 

 

get paid in advance, from the friends, before you book. 

[rukkian]

1 hour ago, wenocancer2 said:

DD and DS would like to each take a friend on a cruise we are looking to book for January 2021. It is just so uncertain of the if or who they will take at this time, we are looking for options.  Should we book two cabins for two and leave the second cruiser as TBD in each and as we get closer to the final payment date then name the person?  If we book early saver would we just have to cover the money down for all four cruisers until the final payment is due?

 

However, if at time of final payment, the kids decide they don't want to bring anybody, can we cancel on cabin and transfer the one to the other's cabin?  What would we loose then...just the down payments on two (of the original potential 4 cruisers)? And is there a transfer fee?  Or would it have to be a new booking for the two of them together...then subject to prices at that time?

 

Anybody have any suggestions?  Both kids are in their early twenties and in college and getting commitments so far in advance from friends is a bit challenging due to poor-college-student syndrome.

You can definitely put tbd and put somebody in later.  As for cancelling one, that should work fine, but the penalty would depend on the rate booked under.  If you book a refundable rate, which is typically around 10-15 dollars more, then you can cancel the second room with no penalty, and then just change the tbd on the first room to the other kid, wouldn't need to transfer at all.

[Organized Chaos]

This is our experience. For our 2018 cruise, we were originally going with my wife's brother and his family. Our son and their three daughters were going to share a cabin. They eventually backed out on us, so we decided to let our son take a friend instead. We booked Early Saver, so we had to cancel the brother's cabin and the kids' cabin. Since it was before final payment, we had to pay a $50/person cancellation fee (this is part of Early Saver). Because Early Saver doesn't allow name changes, we couldn't simply remove the girls and change it to our son's friend. We had to re-book that cabin with just our son in it (at the current rate at that time). Our PVP didn't bother including a second "TBD" guest. He just booked our son by himself as if we were paying the single-supplement. This allowed us to lock in that rate so we didn't have to pay whatever the current rate would be when we added a friend. We just had to add a friend by our final payment date. When the time came, we added the friend, paid for his port fees, taxes, and pre-paid gratuities...and that was it.

 

We're cruising again in March and, again, our son is taking a friend. We booked this one a year out, so he wasn't sure who he'd take or if they'd be able to go. So when we booked it, our PVP did the same thing. He booked our son's cabin by himself, paying the single-supplement until we decided who the second person would be. As with the other time, this would lock in that rate when it came time to add the second person. And again, he did not list a second "TBD" in that cabin. The first friend couldn't go, so he got another one. Just like the other time, our PVP added the friend, we paid his taxes, port fees, and pre-paid grats, and were done.

 

If you book Early Saver and the friends cannot go, you'll have to cancel both cabins (because ES doesn't allow name changes), pay $50/person (which comes out of the deposits), and re-book one cabin with just your kids in it...at the current rate. The rest of the cancelled deposits (minus the $50 each), goes towards a future cruise credit. I do not know if that credit can then be re-used for that booking. If you can swing it, you may want to avoid booking Early Saver to avoid these penalties.

[crzndeb]

In a few short words, Do Not Book Early Saver.

[Oceansaway17]

I don't understand the logic for no allowing name changes.  It is just a swap out of a name not a person cancelling.

 

hmmm  all cruise lines are getting a be hard to understand these days..  

[Organized Chaos]

4 hours ago, crzndeb said:

In a few short words, Do Not Book Early Saver.

 

Even though booking ES caused us a pretty big headache a couple years ago, we don't blame Carnival. We blame the ones who booked with us, then cancelled on us several months later. Carnival offers ES as a cheaper rate, but with some stipulations/penalties in exchange for that cheaper rate. It's a common sales technique. As a family on a budget, we have to weigh the cheaper price against the possibility that something might happen that'd cause us to have to pay a penalty. Then decide what's best for us.

[crzndeb]

23 minutes ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

Even though booking ES caused us a pretty big headache a couple years ago, we don't blame Carnival. We blame the ones who booked with us, then cancelled on us several months later. Carnival offers ES as a cheaper rate, but with some stipulations/penalties in exchange for that cheaper rate. It's a common sales technique. As a family on a budget, we have to weigh the cheaper price against the possibility that something might happen that'd cause us to have to pay a penalty. Then decide what's best for us.

I have booked ES several times, but I only have myself to worry about.

I was cautioning the OP, since they were unsure who would be going. In their situation, I wouldn’t book ES.

[Elaine5715]

2 hours ago, Oceansaway17 said:

I don't understand the logic for no allowing name changes.  It is just a swap out of a name not a person cancelling.

 

hmmm  all cruise lines are getting a be hard to understand these days..  

For one, it prevents Travel agents from booking staterooms in their names and reselling....

[Oceansaway17]

14 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

For one, it prevents Travel agents from booking staterooms in their names and reselling....

 

Oh I did not realize this happens. Wow