3 Staterooms (Gold/Gold/Silver): Activity Questions

[MiddKid]

In July doing a Western Caribbean on the Fantasy as my family's fifth DCL cruise. I felt like I had this dialed...but for this upcoming cruise we're taking extended family in 3 rooms...this is new to me! Our gold booking window opened tonight and I have a few lingering questions I was hoping you all could help with! First of all, here's the set up:
Room 1 (booked direct): 1 Gold Adult, 3 Gold Minors
Room 2 (booked direct): 1 Gold Adult, 1 Silver Adult, 1 First Timer Adult
Room 3 (booked through TA): 1 Silver Adult, 1 First Timer Adult, 2 First Timer Minors

As you can deduce, the two gold adults are my wife and I, the two silver adults are my in-laws, and the two first timer adults are my bro/sis-in-law. So all 3 couples are split across 3 rooms to get more access to the gold/silver windows...hoping to stop by guest services on board and move a few people around! Just booked the gold activities tonight. I had the following questions to answer before the silver window opens:

• While we got an activities form to fill out from our TA, can we also book activities ourselves? Or do we have to go through the TA?
• Senses couples massage: the two first timer adults wanted to do a couples massage. Original plan was to wait until that silver window opened in two weeks. But on a whim just now I booked a couples massage for the first timer that is in the gold room and randomly added another adult who won't be partaking. Does it really matter WHO shows up with my brother-in-law for the couples massage? I assume they don't care which names are on the booking as long as two people show up at 3pm when it's booked?
• Similar question with Palo Brunch. We were able to get the 4 adults that are in the two gold rooms into Palo for brunch. We're going to try for the remaining two in two weeks. If, for example, we can't get the last two in does it matter which 4 adults show up?
• We're doing a 7-day and was surprised that neither the Character Breakfast nor character meet and greets were available. Is that a left-over impact from COVID?

Thanks all!

 

[Calantha]

• While we got an activities form to fill out from our TA, can we also book activities ourselves? Or do we have to go through the TA?
• Senses couples massage: the two first timer adults wanted to do a couples massage. Original plan was to wait until that silver window opened in two weeks. But on a whim just now I booked a couples massage for the first timer that is in the gold room and randomly added another adult who won't be partaking. Does it really matter WHO shows up with my brother-in-law for the couples massage? I assume they don't care which names are on the booking as long as two people show up at 3pm when it's booked?
• Similar question with Palo Brunch. We were able to get the 4 adults that are in the two gold rooms into Palo for brunch. We're going to try for the remaining two in two weeks. If, for example, we can't get the last two in does it matter which 4 adults show up?
• We're doing a 7-day and was surprised that neither the Character Breakfast nor character meet and greets were available. Is that a left-over impact from COVID?

1. Yes, you can book things yourself. I have never used my TA to do my excursions.
2/3. We have had 2 different people show up at Palo than who were on the reservation (MIL/FIL were booked; me and SIL showed up). They were initially confused, but ultimately it was fine. I would think the Spa would be the same.
That being said, if everyone wants Palo and you don't get it, when you get on the ship, go immediately to wherever dining changes are being processed (varies by ship) to see if you can add the missing guests.
4. 30 days out for character meet and greets. Still haven't seen the return of char breakfasts.

 

[Ryah'sBobba]

We have four booked staterooms. Only three have adult AND child gold-status passengers. On telephone, CM confirmed for me that even if the gold-status passenger is a child, having that child listed as one of the passengers in any stateroom then qualifies ALL passengers in that same stateroom to register for events (e.g. port excursions, meet & greets) as if all the passengers in that stateroom were gold. I went ahead and moved gold-status child from one of our staterooms to one of the others where there were no gold-status passengers and then everyone in her stateroom automatically "became" gold. I told CM I would be moving child back to original stateroom once we're on the ship and she said no problem.

Can anyone confirm?

 

[lanejudy]

Can anyone confirm?

Yes, for the purposes of activity booking the whole stateroom qualifies at the date of the highest CC member booked into that room. It doesn’t actually bump the others to Gold status but allows them to book activities at the Gold date.

No worries where the child sleeps. As long as there is a bed in the parents’ stateroom just get an extra key card. And the adult in the other cabin will officially need to give the parents permission to leave the ship and pick the child up from the Club/Lab.

 

[Calantha]

Can anyone confirm?

As @lanejudy said. It is our plan to do that for our next all family cruise in 2024. Out of 12 people, there are 2 plats (mil/fil) and 2 gold (me and DS). DS and I will go in different rooms to start as will MIL and FIL and then we'll rearrange on the ship. Rest are Silvers.

 

[MiddKid]

That’s an interesting note. When I booked originally I was told that Gold minors didn’t count toward gold eligibility!

@Calantha thank you for your responses. Very clear!

 

[lanejudy]

When I booked originally I was told that Gold minors didn’t count toward gold eligibility!

Gold minors can’t book on the gold advanced opening day. The lead must be gold to book a cruise and a minor cannot be lead on a reservation. Maybe that’s what they meant.

 

[Calantha]

Gold minors can’t book on the gold advanced opening day. The lead must be gold to book a cruise and a minor cannot be lead on a reservation. Maybe that’s what they meant.

Okay so I thought it applied across the board? So putting DS in the room for booking won’t work?

 

[lanejudy]

Okay so I thought it applied across the board? So putting DS in the room for booking won’t work?

A minor can’t book a cruise at the early opening day because a minor can’t be lead on the reservation.

However if a minor is booked in a room with lower CC-level adults, that stateroom is consider “Gold” (or whatever the minor’s higher CC) for things like booking port excursions and onboard activities at the earlier date.

So you can put your DS in a room with newbie or silver relatives and be able to book Palo, port excursions, etc. for both rooms at the Gold 105 day. When summer 2024 opening day rolls around, he can’t book a cruise on the Gold date.

 

[Calantha]

A minor can’t book a cruise at the early opening day because a minor can’t be lead on the reservation.

However if a minor is booked in a room with lower CC-level adults, that stateroom is consider “Gold” (or whatever the minor’s higher CC) for things like booking port excursions and onboard activities at the earlier date.

So you can put your DS in a room with newbie or silver relatives and be able to book Palo, port excursions, etc. for both rooms at the Gold 105 day. When summer 2024 opening day rolls around, he can’t book a cruise on the Gold date.

Okay, glad I figured that out before opening day. Although I'm sure the TA would have told us. Still not sure that we'll have placeholders yet (cruise isn't until 5 May) so all TBD. Thank you!

 

[Calantha]

Okay, glad I figured that out before opening day. Although I'm sure the TA would have told us. Still not sure that we'll have placeholders yet (cruise isn't until 5 May) so all TBD. Thank you!

So for anyone who was confused:

My TA booked my gold minor son in with silver family this morning (gold day) and we were able to book.
So, it is not true that "A minor can’t book a cruise at the early opening day because a minor can’t be lead on the reservation."

Maybe you can't do it online, but the TA was able to do so.

 

[lanejudy]

That's great! It's a change from past reports. Enjoy your cruise!

 

[kiford]

Similar question with Palo Brunch. We were able to get the 4 adults that are in the two gold rooms into Palo for brunch. We're going to try for the remaining two in two weeks. If, for example, we can't get the last two in does it matter which 4 adults show up?

If you can't get the other two a spot at the same time, book something as close as possible if available, then go and ask them to consolidate. That's what we did on one of our cruises. Four separate couples all booked at different times and they put us together.

If you can't book at all for the last two, still go on the first day and see if they can rearrange things so that you can have a table of 6.

Maybe you can't do it online, but the TA was able to do so.

Possibly because the TA technically owns the reservation and only needs someone who is Gold to open it up for them. (?)