Online check-in booking port adventures and more: two groups - one silver, one new cruisers

[anricat]

I know this has been covered before, but the search is failing me and I've been back several pages and can't quite find what I'm looking for.

For our upcoming cruise, we are silver (headed for our fourth cruise) and my parents will be going this time and they are new to DCL. Our reservations are linked, but when time comes for us to do our online check-in, how to we sync up the experience? Mostly I'm wondering about booking character meet and greets and port adventures. I assume we will book what we want and then hope that all the things we want will still be open by the time they have access? And if not, we'll have to cancel? I can't imagine we're going to choose anything wildly popular for our port adventures, but who knows.

For PAT, I assume that we'll just go with whatever PAT is later and all arrive together, but I assume they'll put us all in the same boarding group upon check in? I imagine we'll join them in the first-timers line for check in.

Anything else I'm missing for those of you who have cruised with first timers in your party?

 

[lanejudy]

As for booking onboard experiences/port excursions -- you can book for your party at the 90-day point but your parents will need to wait for the 75-day mark to try and get the same things. Alternatively, you can wait until their 75-day online date and book for everybody together. If you are trying to book Palo/Remy, just get 2 close times, then once onboard they'll work it out for you.

PAT -- both parties will want to select a PAT, hopefully fairly close together. The actual boarding number given at check-in will directly correlate to your PAT, so it is possible to get different boarding numbers. DCL asks that you wait to board with the higher number. If your PATs are the same or close, your boarding numbers likely won't be too far different -- I'd guess no more than 10 minutes or so. Don't have 1 party skip PAT selection or their boarding number will be high (late).

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[WIFamily]

What lanejudy has said summarizes it perfectly. One additional option - take one of your silver members and move them into your parents room. At that point both rooms are "silver" and all can book the PAT and Excursions, Spa, Palo/Remy, etc at the Silver mark. It's trivial to move the other person back, or just get them an additional KTTW card, at the port on arrival. You can even set up your silver member in the other room on your stateroom payment choices.

 

[anricat]

What lanejudy has said summarizes it perfectly. One additional option - take one of your silver members and move them into your parents room. At that point both rooms are "silver" and all can book the PAT and Excursions, Spa, Palo/Remy, etc at the Silver mark. It's trivial to move the other person back, or just get them an additional KTTW card, at the port on arrival. You can even set up your silver member in the other room on your stateroom payment choices.

Haha! That's funny. Does my daughter count? There's a chance she'll sleep some nights in their room anyway.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Haha! That's funny. Does my daughter count? There's a chance she'll sleep some nights in their room anyway.

If your daughter is silver, yes. But you need to actually move her on the reservation, now, not once onboard.

A couple of issues with this - your daughter will have to attend the muster drill for the room she is booked in. And, if you and/or your husband want to take her off the ship, without the grandparents, they have to sign a form authorizing you to do so. Yes, even though she's YOUR daughter, the responsible adults for her are the ones in the room she's booked in.

 

[lanejudy]

Adding on to PrincessShmoo's response... if you move your daughter to her grandparents' stateroom, I believe she would be added at current rates, so depending on when you booked the 3rd passenger fare may have increased since then. You can look into it to see what works best for your family.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[anricat]

Adding on to PrincessShmoo's response... if you move your daughter to her grandparents' stateroom, I believe she would be added at current rates, so depending on when you booked the 3rd passenger fare may have increased since then. You can look into it to see what works best for your family.

Enjoy your cruise!

We booked yesterday so that wouldn't be an issue. But the whole taking her off the ship form is good to know either way, since she'll need to have that in case she gets off with just my folks. Thanks! We're sailing into new waters for us.