Booking a future cruise while onboard

[Rambler5678]

Can you book a future cruise while onboard or do you have to obtain a placeholder and book later?

 

[holula]

Placeholder and book later is the only option right now.

 

[ashley4931]

What is the placeholder and book later thingy? I'm brand new to cruising and this will be my first one will be in September? Is it similar to a bounce back deal, where you call something while on vacation and then get a discount for a future cruise? If so, how do I do it? I'm assuming I will love it and will want to book another one. Thanks!

 

[dcassetta]

A placeholder is a $250 deposit on a cruise that must be booked within 24 months. This will give you a 10% on the future cruise. You will need to contact DCL, or your TA if the placeholder is assigned to one, to book the future cruise.

 

[ashley4931]

A placeholder is a $250 deposit on a cruise that must be booked within 24 months. This will give you a 10% on the future cruise. You will need to contact DCL, or your TA if the placeholder is assigned to one, to book the future cruise.

That makes sense, Thank you!

 

[Carohs]

How many staterooms can you book with a single placeholder?

 

[lanejudy]

How many staterooms can you book with a single placeholder?

Each placeholder is 1 stateroom.
Each physical address present onboard may book 2 placeholders to use on the same cruise. So if traveling with your own immediate family who live together, you may book 2; if traveling with your mom who doesn't live with you, you could each book 2 (total 4).

 

[EeyoreJMH]

We're sailing next month and looking at booking a placeholder. In the past we booked the exact cruise, so we've never used a placeholder. Can you only call DCL or can you use the certificate to book online? (We've never used a TA, either, so we're used to booking on our own.) Thanks!!

 

[SnappySerape]

We're sailing next month and looking at booking a placeholder. In the past we booked the exact cruise, so we've never used a placeholder. Can you only call DCL or can you use the certificate to book online? (We've never used a TA, either, so we're used to booking on our own.) Thanks!!

For sure! When you put in a placeholder, you'll get an email with a "reservation number". You'll just have to call up DCL, give them the number and they'll ask you which cruise you'll want to do and what room! Just did it myself a couple weeks ago!

 

[auntlynne]

We're sailing next month and looking at booking a placeholder. In the past we booked the exact cruise, so we've never used a placeholder. Can you only call DCL or can you use the certificate to book online? (We've never used a TA, either, so we're used to booking on our own.) Thanks!!

You ”order” the Placeholder while on the cruise. Once it’s over, your opportunity is over.

You then have 24 months to book and start a cruise. It is currently only bookable by phone.

I think it was on the app. Just know to look for it.

 

[auntlynne]

What is the placeholder and book later thingy? I'm brand new to cruising and this will be my first one will be in September? Is it similar to a bounce back deal, where you call something while on vacation and then get a discount for a future cruise? If so, how do I do it? I'm assuming I will love it and will want to book another one. Thanks!

Almost every time I say I won’t be sailing in the next 2 years and fail to make a Placeholder, I end up doing a cruise. I hate to think of what that lost 10% savings added up to. And you get your money back if you don’t book and sail.

 

[Fuzzycaterpillar1]

Does anyone know whether you can still book a cruise using a military discount if you already have a placeholder?

 

[Cheburashka]

Does anyone know whether you can still book a cruise using a military discount if you already have a placeholder?

Discounted cruises typically have to be new bookings. They certainly have to be new bookings for GT, but I've never booked military, so it's possible those would follow different rules.

 

[lanejudy]

Does anyone know whether you can still book a cruise using a military discount if you already have a placeholder?

To my knowledge you cannot stack discounts of any type. It's an either/or situation. Usually a military rate will be MUCH better than a placeholder discount, but you do have to wait for them to be listed and may not be offered on every cruise. I suppose you could book early with a placeholder discount and then cancel/rebook if a military rate is released. It would be subject to penalty, but the military discounts used to be good enough even with a penalty. YMMV

 

[Cheburashka]

It's not a discount from DCL per se, but if you book the discounted cruise via Costco Travel (you'd have to call Costco Travel & have them book it for you to get a discounted cruise via their service if you're booking a discounted cruise, because those have to be paid in full when booking, and you can only transfer a cruise if it isn't PIF), then you'll get a Costco cash card (which has to be spent at Costco but you can also use it to pay for gas there at the pump) worth 8.5% of the base cruise cost. And if you're an executive member you get 2% back for that, and if you use the Costco Visa card you get 3% back for that. So that is sort of stacking discounts, though not officially via DCL.

 

[lanejudy]

I'd call that stacking perks from Costco. It's not stacking discounts.

 

[FinnFogg]

Each placeholder is 1 stateroom.
Each physical address present onboard may book 2 placeholders to use on the same cruise. So if traveling with your own immediate family who live together, you may book 2; if traveling with your mom who doesn't live with you, you could each book 2 (total 4).

That was my understanding as well, but when we recently travelled (in separate but adjoining staterooms) I was able to book 2 under my name, and he was able to book 2 under his? We each received confirmations that they went through, and we each have two separate confirmation numbers (and we each paid $500, although the full $1000 was billed to my account). Our travel agent has since used my 2 placeholders to book us in a sailing next summer and his two placeholders to book us on a Merrytime cruise late fall.

 

[auntlynne]

That was my understanding as well, but when we recently travelled (in separate but adjoining staterooms) I was able to book 2 under my name, and he was able to book 2 under his? We each received confirmations that they went through, and we each have two separate confirmation numbers (and we each paid $500, although the full $1000 was billed to my account). Our travel agent has since used my 2 placeholders to book us in a sailing next summer and his two placeholders to book us on a Merrytime cruise late fall.

I think it’s the one address in one stateroom aspect.

It is truly fair, since they have no solo discount - it’s not like you found a loophole to cheat the system. Even if you were doing the kid + parent combo for official booking.