Is this going to be a problem?-HELP!

[esbie11]

This is long, but I need help! I booked a cruise for a group of 24. At the time that I booked last July (for an April 2009 cruise), I told my TA that I needed one of the rooms to accommodate a child, for a total of 3 people in the particular cabin. I did not add the child on to the reservation at the time of the initial booking. I had my TA check with RCCL twice to be SURE that this cabin can accommodate a third person, and both times was told it could. Last week I went to add the child onto the reservation, and now RCCL is telling my TA that he can't be added, as that room only allows 2 passengers. My TA suggested that I add the child onto another person's cabin who is in our group, even though he will be staying in a different cabin with his parents. Are there going to be any problems with this, regarding boarding or in any other aspect? Is there going to be a problem with check-in if there child is in a different room than them? The people whose cabin we would be adding the child on to do not even know the parents, so if it is going to inconvenience them in any way, I'd like to know. I know the are plannign on having the child in Adventure Ocean and getting a babysitter. Is this going to be a problem regarding SeaPass if the reservations say the child is in one room when he is really staying in another room?

[lvtotrvl1]

It won't be a problem to swap rooms once on board..one question..why not just switch the two rooms and put the triple in the room that accomodates them?

[esbie11]

It won't be a problem to swap rooms once on board..one question..why not just switch the two rooms and put the triple in the room that accomodates them?

 

Because the room we are moving the child into already has 3 people staying in it, but can accommodate 4.

So once we get on baord we just tell someone (who?) that the child will actually be staying in another room?

[esbie11]

I know they allow you to switch rooms once you board the ship, but I was concerned that they wouldn't allow the child to be moved to his parent's room if their room only allows 2 passengers?

[MilliesMom]

I personally don't think it is a good idea. Here's why:

 

1. You would have to be assured the child has a separate ticket from the adults he would be booked with ... not sure that the cruiseline would do that for a minor. Otherwise both cabins would have to check in at the same time. (this is my understanding because of the way the tickets/reservations are set up).

 

2. What if something happens to the adults that the child is booked with (not his parents) and the adults are not able to go on the cruise at the very last minute. It could prevent the child from boarding as his reservation would be link to the them not his parents.

 

3. A child is given a paper/fiber bracelet to wear during the cruise. This identifies his muster station so if there were emergency and he would be taken to the muster station by one of the crew if he wasn't with his parents. Well, there is no guarantee that the parents and the other adults are at the same muster station so the child could be separated from his parents.

 

Is there any chance that someone in the group would be willing to change cabins with the parents? Are there any other cabins that will hold 3 they could move to even if it means upgrading their category?

 

We've been asked a couple of times by our TA to do the exact same thing as your TA is asking, but after weighing the pros and the cons have always said no. My sister and family need a handicap accessible cabin for 3, they are extremely hard to come by and some ship don't even have them only for 2 people. My husband and I had 1 cruise where we were forced to cancel just hours before the cruise because of a medical emergency. If my nephew had been assigned to our cabin, he wouldn't of been able to go on the cruise because there was no way his parents could switch cabins nor could they of afforded the 2nd cabin (taking over our cabin).

 

Sorry to be negative about this, but we have gone thru the same type of scenario and just don't feel it is a good option.

 

Hope it all works out for you and that you have a wonderful cruise.

[esbie11]

I personally don't think it is a good idea. Here's why:

 

1. You would have to be assured the child has a separate ticket from the adults he would be booked with ... not sure that the cruiseline would do that for a minor. Otherwise both cabins would have to check in at the same time. (this is my understanding because of the way the tickets/reservations are set up).

 

2. What if something happens to the adults that the child is booked with (not his parents) and the adults are not able to go on the cruise at the very last minute. It could prevent the child from boarding as his reservation would be link to the them not his parents.

 

3. A child is given a paper/fiber bracelet to wear during the cruise. This identifies his muster station so if there were emergency and he would be taken to the muster station by one of the crew if he wasn't with his parents. Well, there is no guarantee that the parents and the other adults are at the same muster station so the child could be separated from his parents.

 

Is there any chance that someone in the group would be willing to change cabins with the parents? Are there any other cabins that will hold 3 they could move to even if it means upgrading their category?

 

We've been asked a couple of times by our TA to do the exact same thing as your TA is asking, but after weighing the pros and the cons have always said no. My sister and family need a handicap accessible cabin for 3, they are extremely hard to come by and some ship don't even have them only for 2 people. My husband and I had 1 cruise where we were forced to cancel just hours before the cruise because of a medical emergency. If my nephew had been assigned to our cabin, he wouldn't of been able to go on the cruise because there was no way his parents could switch cabins nor could they of afforded the 2nd cabin (taking over our cabin).

 

Sorry to be negative about this, but we have gone thru the same type of scenario and just don't feel it is a good option.

 

Hope it all works out for you and that you have a wonderful cruise.

 

I agree with you for all of the reasons you listed! I am very concerned about this. There are no other rooms that allow a third passenger (other than the one my TA is suggesting moving him to). We can, of course, switch their room to a different category that allows 3 people, but I am assuming we would have to pay the current price for the room, which is $700 more than when we booked. My fiance and I are paying for everyone's room, and we cannot afford to pay yet another $700 to switch rooms! I am so pissed! This isn't our fault and I don't feel we should have to pay for it! My travel agency isn't open yet this morning, which is why I am getting info from you all first. Aaaahhhh!!!

[sas80]

I know they allow you to switch rooms once you board the ship, but I was concerned that they wouldn't allow the child to be moved to his parent's room if their room only allows 2 passengers?

 

You could always have the 3 people switch rooms to actually be in a 3 person room....? Then again, maybe they have a choice room?

 

This is really your TA's fault! Everyone on these boards knows that you always add an infant onto a reservation. RCCL goes by the "number of passenger" rule....they can only allow "so many" people to sail on a ship per coat guard regulation. If you dont add your infant/etc you run the risk of the ship being "sold out" regardless of if you have a 3,4,5 person room. If the ship is at capacity, it is at capacity and no amount of extra beds matters...

 

I am actually surprised that your TA is trying to complicate things by having an infant added to reservations for people whom don't even know the parents!

 

I don't know exactly what kind of snafu this is going to cause during the check in process. I would imagine that you would absolutely have to coordinate with the other parties involved so that you all check in together. My thinking is - are you going to be able to check the baby into the other room if the primary reservation holders have not checked in yet?

 

I don't know how Adventure Ocean works in terms of "do you use your sea pass or not". My kid isn't old enough for AO yet....

 

I really suggest that you post this to the family boards as other families will have some input about all of this too.

 

How come the family of 3 doesn't want to simply switch rooms?

[esbie11]

How come the family of 3 doesn't want to simply switch rooms?

 

The family of 3 cannot switch with the room where the child is to be added because that room already has 3 people in it, so they can't move to the parent's 2 person room. The parents could switch to a room that accommodates 3 people, however I am assuming they (really I, since my fiance and I are paying for everyone's room) would have to pay the current rate for another room, which is $700 more than when we originally booked. I guess if we don't have a choice, that is what we will have to do. It is one thing to pay another $700 for an upgrade, but just to get another interior room?!?! Ugh!

[Sue L]

How come the family of 3 doesn't want to simply switch rooms?

 

 

The family of 3 cannot switch with the room where the child is to be added because that room already has 3 people in it, so they can't move to the parent's 2 person room. The parents could switch to a room that accommodates 3 people, however I am assuming they (really I, since my fiance and I are paying for everyone's room) would have to pay the current rate for another room, which is $700 more than when we originally booked. I guess if we don't have a choice, that is what we will have to do. It is one thing to pay another $700 for an upgrade, but just to get another interior room?!?! Ugh!

 

If you are moving to another of the same category room that accommodates 3 then the price would STAY the same. The only time you have to pay more is if you switch categories.

[crusinmama06]

 

I don't know how Adventure Ocean works in terms of "do you use your sea pass or not". My kid isn't old enough for AO yet....

 

Yes, you need your sea pass for AO. So you're right, it could cause some major problems.

 

I am with SAS, I am amazed that the TA told you that you could add a child later. :rolleyes:

 

And wait, you are paying for all 24 people? :eek: Can I be your friend???? lol :D Honestly, I hope it all works out for you.

[esbie11]

If you are moving to another of the same category room that accommodates 3 then the price would STAY the same. The only time you have to pay more is if you switch categories.

 

There are apparently no rooms in that category that accommodate 3 people. They could move to another interior cabin, but that would involve moving from an "N" cabin to a "L" cabin. Is this considered changing categories since they are both interior cabins?

[esbie11]

Yes, you need your sea pass for AO. So you're right, it could cause some major problems.

 

I am with SAS, I am amazed that the TA told you that you could add a child later. :rolleyes:

 

And wait, you are paying for all 24 people? :eek: Can I be your friend???? lol :D Honestly, I hope it all works out for you.

 

Haha yeah we are paying for everyone because it is our wedding cruise. It was really important that my family be there, so we decided to pay for everyone to come rather than put money into a traditional wedding at home. At this point, I am ready to elope!!!:p

[Sue L]

There are apparently no rooms in that category that accommodate 3 people. They could move to another interior cabin, but that would involve moving from an "N" cabin to a "L" cabin. Is this considered changing categories since they are both interior cabins?

 

Yes, it is moving categories and you would have to pay the going rate.

[Lisichka]

There are apparently no rooms in that category that accommodate 3 people. They could move to another interior cabin, but that would involve moving from an "N" cabin to a "L" cabin. Is this considered changing categories since they are both interior cabins?

 

Yes, it is.

 

Do you have any proof that the TA promised that cabin could hold a child? If so, I would take this up with his/her boss, the BBB, whatever it takes.

 

Is there a reason the child was not added immediately at the time of reservation? What cruise is it you are talking about? You said it is in 2009....that is a long time away for it to be booked already.

 

Ok, saw in your signature it is for Explorer, April 17. And only L is left. Wow.

[sas80]

There are apparently no rooms in that category that accommodate 3 people. They could move to another interior cabin, but that would involve moving from an "N" cabin to a "L" cabin. Is this considered changing categories since they are both interior cabins?

 

Sigh, yes, this is going to cost you.

 

You need to ABSOLUTELY take this up with your TA!!!

 

This is the responsibility of your TA to resolve. (IMO) How dare she/he suggest that you place an infant in another cabin with strangers, even if it is only as a ruse to get the baby on board.

 

(consider) You need to tell your TA to get on the phone with RCCL and figure out how they are going to resolve the issue.

 

Is there a handicapped room available in that category? maybe you can have this family moved there?

 

Isn't your sailing a ways away? Are you absolutely sure that there are no more rooms in that category? Can I urge you to call RCCL and pretend like you are making a new reservation and ask a CS rep if there is a cabin in that category that will accommodate 3 peeps? I just want to make sure that your TA isn't being lazy about this....

 

<snip> never mind I see that N cabins dont even hold 3 people. </snip>

 

Your TA needs to beg RCCL to let you move OR suck up the costs them self. This is totally their fault!

[esbie11]

Yes, it is.

 

Do you have any proof that the TA promised that cabin could hold a child? If so, I would take this up with his/her boss, the BBB, whatever it takes.

 

Is there a reason the child was not added immediately at the time of reservation? What cruise is it you are talking about? You said it is in 2009....that is a long time away for it to be booked already.

 

Ok, saw in your signature it is for Explorer, April 17. And only L is left. Wow.

 

The only reason the child wasn't added initially was because it would have involved another $250 deposit for him. We had already racked up $5500 in deposits, so we just figured we'd add him later. Lesson learned.

Our TA told us that it is RCCL who assured her that a third person could fit in that cabin. Apparently, RCCL told her that they were initally under the impression that the child would be under 2 years old and would not need another bed. Well, yeah, when we booked the cruise he WAS under 2, but we booked the cruise 2 years in advance!! His parent's don't even care if he technically has his own bed, it is just that the child can't be booked under their cabin. It is my TA's supervisor who recommended we add the child on to the other people's room! What a mess!

[sas80]

Yes, it is.

 

Do you have any proof that the TA promised that cabin could hold a child? If so, I would take this up with his/her boss, the BBB, whatever it takes.

 

Is there a reason the child was not added immediately at the time of reservation? What cruise is it you are talking about? You said it is in 2009....that is a long time away for it to be booked already.

 

Ok, saw in your signature it is for Explorer, April 17. And only L is left. Wow.

 

I just checked with a mock booking. N cabins don't hold 3 people, only 2. that is where the issue really lies. Put this back on your TA.

[sas80]

The only reason the child wasn't added initially was because it would have involved another $250 deposit for him. We had already racked up $5500 in deposits, so we just figured we'd add him later. Lesson learned.

Our TA told us that it is RCCL who assured her that a third person could fit in that cabin. Apparently, RCCL told her that they were initally under the impression that the child would be under 2 years old and would not need another bed. Well, yeah, when we booked the cruise he WAS under 2, but we booked the cruise 2 years in advance!! His parent's don't even care if he technically has his own bed, it is just that the child can't be booked under their cabin. It is my TA's supervisor who recommended we add the child on to the other people's room! What a mess!

 

It was the responsibility of your TA, and his or her supervisor, to research all of the "gotcha's" in advance to ensure that you had as stress free a booking as possible. After all, this is why you chose a Ta in the first place, to ensure that your booking was seamless and that you didn't have any issues surrounding it. Your TA should have confirmed the child's age and all potential "situations" at the time of booking.

 

It's absolutely absurd that they want to put you in the position of adding the child to another reservation. That tells me that they know they did wrong and are trying to find the easiest way out for them! After all, they dont have to deal with the situation once you are on board.

 

Well, now you know that booking the child this way can cause issues for all parties involved once you are on board. Take this info back to the TA, and the supervisor, and let them know you are not comfortable with doing this and ask them how they are going to resolve this issue for you. After all, that ius what they are getting paid for.

[Lyncruiser]

One question -- how old is the child? If the child is under 2, he/she can be booked in a cabin for two as long as the manifest is not full. Very few RCCL personnel know this. You have to persist to find someone experienced who knows this. Once you do, you're home free. Add the child to the room, pay the deposit, request a pak and play, and you're done.

 

If the child is over 2, I defer to the others on this board.

[esbie11]

One question -- how old is the child? If the child is under 2, he/she can be booked in a cabin for two as long as the manifest is not full. Very few RCCL personnel know this. You have to persist to find someone experienced who knows this. Once you do, you're home free. Add the child to the room, pay the deposit, request a pak and play, and you're done.

 

If the child is over 2, I defer to the others on this board.

 

Yes when my TA initially called RCCL about making sure that the child can be added to the room, RCCL said yes. This was in June 2007. At that time, the child was under 2 (he was 18 months old). Well, by the time of sailing he will be 3 1/2! That is apparently where the confusion happened. I cannot for the life of me figure out why either RCCL or my TA did not realize that the child would be older by the time of sailing!

[pmfan]

Good luck on getting this figured out. If all else fails did you think about moving an adult to be the 4th in a room. This way the child would be booked with one parent. I would think this may work. Not the best solution but one you may consider.

[MrsCorL]

on our cruise on the explorer, my mom decided at the last minute, she was going along to babysit my niece...when my brother and sister in law went to add her to their cabin, they said only 3 allowed, so we added her to ours but she did stay in their cabin all week...nothing was said about it...so go ahead and add the child to someone elses and then once onboard, put her in with her parents...at check in, my brother put her on his seapass even though she was listed in our cabin....everything will be ok!!!! happy sailing!!!!!

[esbie11]

Good luck on getting this figured out. If all else fails did you think about moving an adult to be the 4th in a room. This way the child would be booked with one parent. I would think this may work. Not the best solution but one you may consider.

 

Yes this will be the plans if all else falls. There is still the concern about the cabin of three cancelling though. The cruise is still 11 months away, and if they decide to cancel, that leaves one parent at the pier!:mad:

[wingnutphl]

If the other family cancels then you can move the other family into that cabin. That should be easy since you are paying for it all.

[jerin]

Ok, this brings up a question for me. I've got a group cruise booked for December of 2009. With any luck, my brother and sister-in-law will have a 6-9 mo old baby by then. But right now, this third person in their cabin is purely hypothetical. So I got them a room for 2, not wanting to take a triple for those who may or may not need it. If no triples are available at the time of booking, I have 6 people in a RFS, which could technically sleep 8. If they allowed us to book niece/nephew with us, and there were to be a real muster (unlikely, but hey, it could happen -- that's why they make us practice) ... would they allow my dh and my s-i-l to switch places so that s-i-l could stay with her child?