Booking excursions with parties in other cabins

[dreadpiraterose]

I have a question about booking excursions with someone in a linked reservation but at a different Castaway Club status and different stateroom. If I am gold, and my friend has never sailed, I assume I can't book us both on an excursion when the Gold window to do so opens up (even if we're all paid in full)? My husband is in my cabin (and also Gold) and doesn't want to go on the excursion - could I book it with me and my husband and then just change it to my friend once their booking window opens? I'm not trying to break any rules here, just understand what my available options are.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I have a question about booking excursions with someone in a linked reservation but at a different Castaway Club status and different stateroom. If I am gold, and my friend has never sailed, I assume I can't book us both on an excursion when the Gold window to do so opens up (even if we're all paid in full)? My husband is in my cabin (and also Gold) and doesn't want to go on the excursion - could I book it with me and my husband and then just change it to my friend once their booking window opens? I'm not trying to break any rules here, just understand what my available options are.

Correct, if your reservations are linked, their names will be on the list when you are prompted to select who you are booking the excursion for, but will be grayed out until their window opens.

 

[dreadpiraterose]

Correct, if your reservations are linked, their names will be on the list when you are prompted to select who you are booking the excursion for, but will be grayed out until their window opens.

Do you know how easy it is to change/swap a person for an excursion? If I used my husband like a placeholder, could I swap him for my friend at some point?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Do you know how easy it is to change/swap a person for an excursion? If I used my husband like a placeholder, could I swap him for my friend at some point?

I don't know that you can "swap" them ahead of time. But, you probably can change the names once onboard at the Port Excursions desk.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

I don't know if I will offend anyone who might think I am breaking the rules, but let me point out that anyone in gold, such as your husband (or you on behalf of your husband) can reserve any excursion they want during your window. Then, later (up to 3 days before sailing) they can cancel any excursion they wish without penalty. So, for example, you booked the excursion for you and your husband, and then your husband decided on the day the Silver window opened to cancel his excursion, and then, using the linked reservation you wanted to book your friend into any newly opened spot, you would be perfectly within your rights to do so.

Having said all that, it probably isn't necessary unless it is a REALLY popular excursion. We were first time sailors (so latest booking) and had nine people on an August Fantasy sailing and only 1 excursion did we have any trouble getting all the spaces we wanted, and even for that one, all we had to do was book as many slots as were available (have to do trial and error to find the available number), and then over the next few days, we tried again and got all the other spots we wanted.