What exactly do you say???

[emilygrace]

So we've got the two cabins booked on the Serenade, one balcony for DH and myself and an inside across the hall for my stepdaughter and her boyfriend. Since they are under 25, we have her booked with me in the balcony cabin and DH with the boyfriend in the inside. When we go to the purser's desk to straighten out our cards, what do we say? Do we just tell them we want to switch DH and stepdaughter? I know they do it all the time, but I just want to know if there is a proper way to word it? I just don't want to go about it the wrong way and have them say "oh no ma'am, we cannot do that".

 

Thanks for your help, yet again!

[TexasTwoSteps]

You say,

 

We need to switch some rooms and get our Sea Pass cards changed. Then tell them what you want.

 

We did this while on board last July on the Mariner. They wouldn't do it for us when we checked in, but had no fuss or questions once on board at Guest Services. Only factor different in your case is the boy friend. We switch to son and duaghter to share a cabin next door.

[goodml]

We just did this on the Jewel 12/12. My husband and I had a balcony and our son (14) and our daughter (11) were in an inside right across the hall. One adult was originally registered in each cabin. They didn't change our sea passes. We just went to guest relations when we checked in and they gave us one 'extra key' card for each cabin. So my daughter and I each had two cards for the whole week. We just had to make sure we had our original seapasses whenever we left the ship because that is the one they scan whenever you get on or off the ship.

[beachchick]

A few questions: Are they both over 21? If so, you can book them together to begin with. The rule is no one under 21 unless another pax booked in the cabin is over 25.

 

If they are over 18, but under 21, remember that you will have to decide if they will be allowed to buy beer/wine. (I know this doesn't sit well with some 18-21 year olds, but RCI owns the ships and makes the rules.) You must sign for this, which means you will also be responsible for their behavior (as I'm sure you are aware; just a reminder). Also, unless you plan on paying for all seapass charges for both of them, you will need to set up the seapass cards specially--like putting the boyfriend's credit card on his seapass. It can be a bit of a bother, but they do it all the time at guest relations and sometimes can do it at check-in.

 

I don't think you will have a problem getting an extra room key or switching at guest relations onboard the ship.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

beachchick

[dougp26364]

That was my question. Our we did the same thing with our daughter and her SO. They are both 21, they had an inside cabin and we had a JS. We didn't have any problems booking them in their own cabin even though our daughters SO didn't turn 21 until just before the cruise.

[BamaVol]

We just did this on the Jewel 12/12. My husband and I had a balcony and our son (14) and our daughter (11) were in an inside right across the hall. One adult was originally registered in each cabin. They didn't change our sea passes. We just went to guest relations when we checked in and they gave us one 'extra key' card for each cabin. So my daughter and I each had two cards for the whole week. We just had to make sure we had our original seapasses whenever we left the ship because that is the one they scan whenever you get on or off the ship.

We did the same thing with our 13 and 17 year old sons who had the cabin next to ours. We were given extra keys when we checked in. They did not work so I went to the Pursers desk and got replacements that did work. Of course, the risk with extra keys is the original seapass allows entrance to your cabin. We were almost surprised by one of the boys one evening. :eek:

[FinelyCruising]

Actually you don't need to say much. It is done so frequently with families the pursers desk is used to it and they make it very simple when they reprogram the cards.

[goodml]

We did the same thing with our 13 and 17 year old sons who had the cabin next to ours. We were given extra keys when we checked in. They did not work so I went to the Pursers desk and got replacements that did work. Of course, the risk with extra keys is the original seapass allows entrance to your cabin. We were almost surprised by one of the boys one evening. :eek:

:D :D Yep, that's definitely one of the risks!!

[emilygrace]

Thanks for all your replies. They will both be 20, so it isn't an option to book them together to start with. I'm not too worried about the alcohol thing, since neither of them show any interest in drinking (we don't drink either, so maybe that's why). I'm hoping they can just reprogram the key cards, since an extra one would just mean one more thing that my stepdaughter could lose!

[HockeyMom44]

We're doing it soon with our 4 kids on the Voyager. When we origionally booked we were alone in a JS the girls(21 & 4) across the hall, Then the "boys"(19) decided to go, we just added them as 3 and 4 in our cabin,but when we get on the ship we will put the boys in the room across the hall, and the girls in our room. ( rather bunk with the girls, the guys are slobs :rolleyes: ) Did it before on the Enchantment and on the Ecstacy.

 

Trudy

[dfgf]

Thanks for all your replies. They will both be 20, so it isn't an option to book them together to start with. I'm not too worried about the alcohol thing, since neither of them show any interest in drinking (we don't drink either, so maybe that's why). I'm hoping they can just reprogram the key cards, since an extra one would just mean one more thing that my stepdaughter could lose!

A female and a male, both 20, sharing a cabin and you're only worried about ALCOHOL ? :eek: Everyone needs cool parents like that!

[bug18]

We had no problem changing the sea pass cards on my cruise in July on Adventure.

[mabinbklyn]

just for the record, I have booked my teens in their own cabin, with me in another cabin, from the time of original booking with no problem.

 

I also have had to switch cabin names and it's never been an issue. Just tell them at the purser's desk. Have also gotten an extra keycard to my kids' room so I can check on them from time to time, evil suspicious mother that I am.

[beachchick]

mabinbklyn: I think that is because you were travelling with only your own children, but even that seems to be inconsistently allowed. Other posters have mentioned that even with their own kids RCI made them do the original booking with an adult in each room. It's weird because RCI policy specifically says that parents and their own children can be booked in adjoining or close cabins. In any case, the OP is bringing her daughter and an unrelated friend.

 

Oh, and you are my kind of mother (trust, but verify)! :D

 

beachchick

[janep]

WE just booked on the serenade for April. At first I had all 4 of us in one cabin and the more I thought about it-yuck. Our two boys are now down the hall about 10 cabins away from us. They are 17 & 11. Has anyone else had their kids "down the Hall" as oppossed to right across or next door? Any tips would be great!

[goodml]

mabinbklyn: ...but even that seems to be inconsistently allowed. Other posters have mentioned that even with their own kids RCI made them do the original booking with an adult in each room. It's weird because RCI policy specifically says that parents and their own children can be booked in adjoining or close cabins. :D

 

beachchick

They gave us the option of booking our kids in one cabin and us in the other. The only reason we decided to book one adult in each cabin was so that we could get the Crown & Anchor discount for both cabins.

[emilygrace]

Yes, this was our situation too. Even if they had both been over 25 we would have booked one adult in each cabin to get the discount. As far as trusting them together in a cabin, hey, if it hasn't happened by now.....stepdaughter is on her own, working full time and she has her own apartment. I'm trusting them to be responsible.

[Happy ks]

You really don't owe them any kind of explanation, just ask for the room cards to be changed. We did this on both our RCI cruises, as we booked one adult/child per room. We also made sure we had the extra room keys.

 

The only real problem I would worry about is the room charges, make sure they have their own account set up, unless you are paying their expenses too.

[beachchick]

I hear you about the C&A discount. Once we went with my sister and BIL (their first cruise), so we booked DH and my sister in one and me and my BIL in the other to get the discount on both cabins. (We thought that just sounded so much more interesting than booking the boys and girls in separate cabins. LOL.) It was no problem to switch at the pier (after initial check-in, but before getting on the ship). Of course, now that they are C&A members we won't have to do it again.

 

Regarding not owing them "any kind of explanation," according to the rules that's not quite true. Technically, doing that kind of switch of underage, unrelated pax is against the stated policy and guest relations could deny it. I doubt this would happen though. I'm not saying it's bad to do this, but I am wondering if anyone has ever been denied?

 

beachchick :)