Booking without knowing how many people

[Spotthecat]

I have always travelled with my family of 5 on Disney cruises. But this time, I am thinking of a cruise with my sister, and possibly my young niece (not in school yet) as that Hawaii 2020 cruise looks amazing.

Since I haven't even talked to my sister about this, and she doesn't yet have passports so I wouldn't know if there was a middle name in there...how do I go about booking this with 1 person, with the possibility of two more TBD? Is that how you would book it? So you could confirm the full names and identities later, and whether my niece is coming or not?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I have always travelled with my family of 5 on Disney cruises. But this time, I am thinking of a cruise with my sister, and possibly my young niece (not in school yet) as that Hawaii 2020 cruise looks amazing.

Since I haven't even talked to my sister about this, and she doesn't yet have passports so I wouldn't know if there was a middle name in there...how do I go about booking this with 1 person, with the possibility of two more TBD? Is that how you would book it? So you could confirm the full names and identities later, and whether my niece is coming or not?

Yes, it's always best to book the total number of people who might be coming. You can use TBD for those names you don't know, or actually use names. You can cancel anyone off the reservation prior to the Paid in Full date without penalty (except for Concierge).

The reason - there is more "bed" space onboard than "lifeboat" space. If you reserve a room (that can actually sleep 5) with only 2 people, and then the lifeboat for that room fills up with the people in the other rooms assigned to that lifeboat, you won't be able to add anyone to your reservation.

 

[clten]

You can book with a person's legal first and last name - the middle name is optional. So unless one of the people you are traveling with has a common name that you know is on a "no fly" list or something like that which you are trying to avoid by including a middle name, you can add their name before they get their passport.

 

[Mommb]

Another reason to book the total number of people you expect to have, even if you're not sure of their names, is that anyone added at a later date will pay the then-current fare, which (especially for "rare" itineraries such as Hawaii) could be higher than when you originally book. The downside is that you will need to pay a deposit for each booking, but as PrincessShmoo mentioned, you can cancel any (non-Concierge) reservation for a full refund at an time before final payment.