Booking onboard for a friend

[riggins]

Hi guys-
I need some help understanding my options for booking onboard for a friend. We are currently booked on the Dream in April 2011 and have the onboard booking discount and OBC from an onboard reservations that I transferred when the Dream dates came out. We have friends who are planning to sail with us in April 2011.

Can I book a cabin for my friend while I'm onboard the Magic next month? I've booked cabins for family who've sailed with us in the past, but I was booking our reservation at the same time.

Also, if I am able to book a cabin for our friends, would they get all the benefits - 10% discount, OBC, and 1/2 off deposit?

Thanks
Leslie

[atinkerbellmom]

No, I wish you could. Whenever we sail, we usually sail with an entire fleet of cruisers and we can not book for them. If we could do that, I tell you; DISers would be hitting up every meets thread having our DIS Families book for us. The reason they make the offer is because the thought process is.... If you are having a MAGICAL time and are in the middle of Pixie Dust you are more likely to book another sailing especially if they give you are given a little $ incentive. So, unless your friends are on the ship with you, you can not book for them and get the discount, honestly.

Now there is a little loop hole you can go through if you want. If you are sailing with a spouse, you can book one room under you and the other under the spouse, while on the ship. Now, the big thing is you will have to sail that way. Meaning; sleep where you want, but there will be an adult in each room without the proper KTWC. So in that case, you will have to sort out charges at the end of the cruise. Yes you can get "extra" keys to allow entrance into a room, but your charging cards will be linked to the room of the reservation. So your Key will be charged to your room & your spouses key will charge to the "friends" room. They will also end up with a key that charges to your room. So that is a BIG thing to think about. BTW, if you cancel the primary name on the reservation, the ENTIRE reservation is considered cancelled and you will loose the discount. Meaning, if you later decide to take your spouses name off of the "friends" reservation, the entire reservation will have to be cancelled.

I personally do not think those couple hundred dollars is worth that headache. So I hope that helps. Now one more thing.... If you make a reservation on-board the Magic & transfer it to the Dream, then the SBC goes down to $100 instead of $200, but the 10% still applies.

[riggins]

Thanks atinkerbellmom. Do you know if this is a recent change or is it because my cruise is already booked? In 2007, I was able to book 4 cabins onboard for a cruise the following year. I was told that since there were 4 of us sailing (me, DH, and our 2 kids) we could book up to 4 cabins for our Thanksgiving cruise in 2008. So, I booked two cabins for us, one for my parents, and one for my sister's family. We all got 10% and the OBC. So, I essentially want to do the same thing that I did before, except my cruise is already booked. So, I'm wondering if the policy has changed or if the fact that my cruise is already booked changes the circumstances.

Thanks again
Leslie

[stlkeeler]

Originally Posted by atinkerbellmom

Now there is a little loop hole you can go through if you want. If you are sailing with a spouse, you can book one room under you and the other under the spouse, while on the ship. Now, the big thing is you will have to sail that way. Meaning; sleep where you want, but there will be an adult in each room without the proper KTWC. So in that case, you will have to sort out charges at the end of the cruise. Yes you can get "extra" keys to allow entrance into a room, but your charging cards will be linked to the room of the reservation. So your Key will be charged to your room & your spouses key will charge to the "friends" room. They will also end up with a key that charges to your room. So that is a BIG thing to think about.

I'm not too sure this is true. I know that kcachner has posted she traveled with a bunch of friends for her DD graduation this summer. I am pretty sure she said everyone's KTTW card had a different credit card attached to it. I think both rooms were under her name. Hopefully, she will chime in here and correct me if I'm wrong...

[itutorfortravel]

Leslie, I was also under the impression that you could book the same number of rooms as people in your travel party. So I would assume that would mean you could book 4 rooms if you have a family of 4...it was also my understanding that the 2nd rooms would get the discount and the OBC.

When we sailed in April, I was tempted to book other family members for a later date, but I no idea if they'd really be interested in a cruise. Although I didn't book for them at the time, I did get a certificate that allowed them to call and book within 30 days and get the OBC. So that was a case of someone other than us booking after we sailed and at least getting the OBC.

If you can't book multiple rooms now, I wonder if this is something new?

Kimberly

[itutorfortravel]

Originally Posted by riggins

So, I essentially want to do the same thing that I did before, except my cruise is already booked. So, I'm wondering if the policy has changed or if the fact that my cruise is already booked changes the circumstances.

Just another thought...if the price of the cruise has not changed when you sail next month, can you cancel your existing reservation and re-book for yourself and everyone else onboard? Or move the one you have booked now so you can keep an extra ressie in your back pocket that allows a discount and OBC...

[kcashner]

Forgive me, but there is a lot of info in this thread that is not at all consistent with my experience.

First, I have booked on board for a friend. You are allowed to do as many rebookings on board as there are people on your current sailing. A reservation = 1 cabin regardless of number of people. Thus, if DD and I are sailing this week, I can book 1 cat 4 cabin for 5 people (1 reservation) and 1 cat 11 on a different date for 2 of us. OR I can book the same cat 4 + another cat 4 for another 5 people on the same sailing.....total of 10 people, but still 2 reservations.

If you are booking for someone other than yourself, you must pay their deposit at the time of the rebooking and have all the information needed for the reservation. You must be on the sailing with them. I don't know if it would mess you up if you are already booked for a sailing and are trying to add them--when I did it, I booked both parties (myself and the other people) at the same time.

When I did the graduation sailing, I had 6 people tied to 5 different credit cards (DD was tied to mine). One cabin was booked in DD's name (she was 18) and one cabin was booked in my name. I would have been allowed to book up to 6 reservations because there were 6 of us sailing on linked reservations. There was no requirement that I could book one, DD could book one, guest #1 could book one, #2 could book one, etc. It was handled in such a way that our total sailing party could rebook up to 6 reservations while on board.

The way I handled the down payment when I booked a reservation for a friend at the same time as I booked mine--I paid the deposit with my credit card. We were using the same TA, who knew in advance that this would be happening.I then called the friend (from Key West!) and gave her the reservation number. She called the TA on Monday morning and gave the TA her credit card number. TA called DCL and had the payment applied to my friend's credit card and a refund issued to mine. It was all completed before I got home. You could also have friend's credit card number with you or a check or cash from them. In this rebooking on board NO member of our sailing party was booked into friend's room. One room was booked as my family, the other was booked as friend's family.

On SOME cruises, we also got a "friends and family" certificate that we could give to people back home. If they booked the came cruise that we rebooked while onboard within 30 days of our sailing, they'd get one of the 2 discounts, but not both (sorry, I don't remember if they'd get the 10% or the OBC). Again, one certificate with each onboard booked reservation.

And yes, if the price of your cruise has not changed, you can rebook while on board and cancel the pre-existing reservation.

[riggins]

Thanks kcashner. That is consistent with what I've been able to do in the past (and what I wanted to hear ). I guess we'll see next month.

[JKSWonder]

We booked two cruises on board.

We received under our door the next day a "friends and family" certificate for each cruise allowing friends or family to book the same sailing we were on and received the same $200 OBC (not the 10% off). Booking had to be made within 30 days.

[ruadisneyfan2]

While on the Halloween sailing of the Magic, I just rebooked for lots of friends and family that will be sailing with us in Oct. 2010, 3 staterooms to be exact.
Also for my parents too but they were sailing with us, just not at the desk with me.

I just handed Jocelyn copies of my already booked ressies and she rebooked them, keeping the 50% deposit, deducted the 10% discount, and added $200 obc from DCL. I also named my TA to their ressies so they get max obc's from her as well. Also kept same stateroom selection. These were booked online during 50% deposit promotion.

The only negative is that they lost early dining. I already rebooked this cruise last year so I'm still on early dining and they are linked to me and waitlisted so this shouldn't be a problem.

I was able to rebook 3 for friends/family members not on the ship, another for us for Nov. 2011 on the Magic (which we later moved to the Dream once dates came out) I thought I was at my max for rebooking onboard (we are a family of 4) but when I asked Jocelyn on a different day if I could book a dummy date, it was no problem. We later moved that also to the Dream for B2B, still keeping rebooking perks and 50% deposit.

On our March quickie, I plan to rebook for my sil who just added on to same Oct. 2010 cruise.


I would leave it up to your friends if they'd rather choose staterooms now and pay full deposit or wait and let you choose onboard and pay only 50% deposit.


It's great, isn't it? My inlaws are so happy!


They no longer issue friends and family certificates. She said they're revamping that.