Booking kids in rooms with other family members?

[risa00]

So I was looking at a 3 night Disney cruise and realizing that if you book a stateroom with 1 person or 2 people, it's the exact same price. They said it's because you're paying for the stateroom versus per person. But if you book more than 2 people, you are paying more for the extra people. My family of 4 (2 adults and 2 kids) plus my mom and sister are looking to go on a cruise. If we book 3 rooms as is, it's $12k. If I book the 2 kids separate with my family so there are 2 in each room, it brings it down to $10k. I know they wouldn't be able to get into our room with their wristband, but what else would be an issue if I book it this way? They're old enough to check themselves in and out of the kids club. Thanks for the insight!

 

[SteveMouse]

One significant issue is assignment to muster stations (and lifeboats). They are by cabin, and it is perfectly possible that you would be assigned to different ones.

You would also need to complete the paperwork necessary to take them off the ship inports. Disney associates kids with the adult(s) in the cabin, regardless of familial relationships.

 

[cedricandsophie]

The cabins are meant for double occupancy. So singles pay a single supplement which is the equivalent of a second persons fare. There are very few ships that don’t charge a single the same as a double. If you add a third person the per person charge is significantly less than the first two.

You could always book 4 in one cabin and two in the other. Not sure why you need 3 cabins unless mom and sister don’t want to be in same room.

You can always get an extra key for a cabin from guest services. But if you are in a different muster station than the kids assigned cabin you will be separated. Also as someone said any adult not in the same cabin as a child needs permission from the adult in that cabin to take them off the ship. Kids under 18 can’t get on and off ship alone.

 

[Marc D]

The main issue that no one mentioned in your strategy is that you would need to book an adult in each room. The wristbands are not used to open staterooms. Only key cards can. Guest services can issue cards for the other staterooms.

I also do not understand why you need three staterooms. DCL staterooms are larger than the standard cruiseline staterooms on other lines. Plenty of families of 5 stay in a single stateroom.

Contrary to what PP said, kids can get off the ship alone IF you complete the second part of the parent authorization form. The first part allows adults from one stateroom to take off the ship a minor from a different stateroom.

 

[DisneyPiPhi]

Can mom and sister share a stateroom?

I would book it like this:

• Stateroom #1: Your family of 4 (2 adults, 2 kids)
• Stateroom #2: Mom & sister

On most DCL staterooms, there is a heavy curtain between the two sleeping areas (the main bed and the couch that turns into a twin bed.) This would allow some privacy for mom and sister.

You can also look for (or tell your travel agent you want) connecting rooms, which creates some flexible sleeping arrangements and child responsibility arrangements. (For example, the kids could go to bed and grandma can stay and watch them while you and your husband go out for a drink or adult trivia. Both rooms are then accessible to the person watching the kids.)

 

[Dug720]

The main issue that no one mentioned in your strategy is that you would need to book an adult in each room. The wristbands are not used to open staterooms. Only key cards can. Guest services can issue cards for the other staterooms

The OP is wanting to book the three rooms as:
OP + SO
OP’s Mom + OP’s Kid 1
OP’s Sister + OP’s Kid 2

So unless Sis is a minor, there would be an adult in each room.

I’m with the “why can Mom and Sis not share a room” camp. Or let Mom and Sis pay their own way if they must have separate rooms.

 

[TreeFalls]

Your strategy is fine. If you want three rooms total, book two people in each room (each room needs one adult) and everyone can get keys for other room(s) and sleep wherever.

 

[tankin]

@risa00 We've done this before (and are doing it on our next cruise). Couple of things to keep in mind...
1. Book connecting cabins for two of them and an adjacent cabin for the third. Increases the odds that you are all in the same muster station (I know its highly unlikely that you'd ever need to do it for real but my wife is coming unhinged if our kids aren't in our lifeboat).
2. You'll have two additional pieces of paper to fill out for each kid. One is an authorization for them to travel with someone other than you. The other is signed by the adult in the cabin authorizing you to take them off the ship.

Good luck

 

[FigmentSpark]

How old are your kids? You might also consider:

OP + younger child
SO + Mother
Sister + older child.

That way, only one child will have a separate muster station and, in the rare event of a need, at least Sister is capable of caring for the old child, should the muster stations be different.

You will still have to sign all the paperwork for the right people to be able to leave the ship with the children, but that's just paperwork. At port, you can get a second key for the correct rooms.

Definitely suggest your mom and sister sharing a room. They can do what they want, but it will be a lot cheaper.

 

[risa00]

Thanks all for the help!!! Glad to see it can be done. And we need 3 rooms if we want to keep the peace in the family. Plus the kids might also with my mom and my sister won't want to sleep in either of those rooms.

But you made me realize I could book a room with one parent and kid, another room with parent and kid and my mom/sister together so that way our muster stations are at least with a child and it'll be easier to get on and off. Works for me!

 

[Calantha]

My in-laws did all of the planning and rooms were set up really strange - so my MIL had to fill out forms for my nieces during check in online, when we got to the port, Disney allowed us to officially re-assign all the rooms (we checked in and got our KTTW cards and then they sent us over to the help desk at the end and got everyone moved around - including the correct cards for everyone). The 4 rooms were together in the same muster station, so that wasn't an issue.

 

[seacruise]

Just FYI, for our most recent DCL cruise a few weeks ago the minor debarkation authorization info was part of the online check-in. We didn't have to complete a separate paper form for this as on past DCL cruises.

Also, we make sure our cabins are connecting and that one is a quad so that our kids can both sleep in our cabin even though one of them is booked in another cabin with grandma.

 

[SteveMouse]

Contrary to what PP said, kids can get off the ship alone IF you complete the second part of the parent authorization form. The first part allows adults from one stateroom to take off the ship a minor from a different stateroom.

I never said anything about children going ashore alone. I only stated that there was paperwork required to allow an adult from another stateroom to take a child off the ship.

 

[Marc D]

I never said anything about children going ashore alone. I only stated that there was paperwork required to allow an adult from another stateroom to take a child off the ship.

I was no referring to you post but the post from @cedricandsophie that mentioned kids could not get on and off alone.