Placeholder cruise question

[tschaan]

If I book a placeholder cruise on an upcoming Disney cruise for 3 people can we remove 1 person when we book the actual cruise? Or if we book for 2 people, can we add 1 person? We aren't sure if it will be a family cruise or a romantic weekend getaway? TIA

 

[Geomom]

You should be able to, just make sure you remove the person before your paid in full date. It's probably best to start with 3 people as I think if you add them later, it's at the current rate when you add them, vs. the lower rate now.

 

[dcassetta]

If I book a placeholder cruise on an upcoming Disney cruise for 3 people can we remove 1 person when we book the actual cruise? Or if we book for 2 people, can we add 1 person? We aren't sure if it will be a family cruise or a romantic weekend getaway? TIA

If you are just booking a placeholder, that is a flat deposit of $250, and you make your cabin/people selections when you select the actual cruise.

 

[tschaan]

Thank you!

 

[dmunsil]

If you are just booking a placeholder, that is a flat deposit of $250, and you make your cabin/people selections when you select the actual cruise.

You do have to pick at least one adult for a placeholder, and you can put multiple guests on the booking if you like. At least one of the adults has to stay on that booking when you actually move the placeholder to a cruise.

Also, in my experience, when you select your cruise, you get the prices as of the day you booked the placeholder, not the day you choose the real cruise. That is not the way the onboard booking people explained it to me, but that's what happened. Could be a limitation of the computer system, and who knows, it could be fixed. But the bottom line is just to be safe I'd add everyone to the booking you think might go. It's easy to remove them later. But if they're on the booking from the beginning, you should get the lowest possible rates for them.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

If I book a placeholder cruise on an upcoming Disney cruise for 3 people can we remove 1 person when we book the actual cruise? Or if we book for 2 people, can we add 1 person? We aren't sure if it will be a family cruise or a romantic weekend getaway? TIA

You really only HAVE to have one adult on the placeholder. However, if you book a placeholder with 3 names, and want to drop one, no problem, as the actual price of the cruise isn't determined until you make a specific reservation. You can then book the actual reservation with only 2 names. Same if you want to add another name.

 

[Ralph&Pam]

Also, in my experience, when you select your cruise, you get the prices as of the day you booked the placeholder, not the day you choose the real cruise. That is not the way the onboard booking people explained it to me, but that's what happened. Could be a limitation of the computer system, and who knows, it could be fixed. But the bottom line is just to be safe I'd add everyone to the booking you think might go. It's easy to remove them later. But if they're on the booking from the beginning, you should get the lowest possible rates for them.

I think it's more complicated than this implies. When a placeholder is converted to an actual cruise booking, the pricing is based on whatever is the prevailing rate at that time (not the original placeholder date). Of course, for a placeholder being converted to an actual booking on opening day for new itineraries, that would be the opening day price. If an actual cruise was specified at the time of the OBB (rather than a placeholder), that booking can be modified while retaining the pricing as of the day the cruise was booked, but those modifications would still be for the same cruise. If you change the booking to a different cruise, it will reprice to whatever the prevailing rate is at the time of the change.

 

[dmunsil]

I think it's more complicated than this implies. When a placeholder is converted to an actual cruise booking, the pricing is based on whatever is the prevailing rate at that time (not the original placeholder date). Of course, for a placeholder being converted to an actual booking on opening day for new itineraries, that would be the opening day price. If an actual cruise was specified at the time of the OBB (rather than a placeholder), that booking can be modified while retaining the pricing as of the day the cruise was booked, but those modifications would still be for the same cruise. If you change the booking to a different cruise, it will reprice to whatever the prevailing rate is at the time of the change.

I understand that this is the way it's supposed to work. In actual fact, I recently moved a placeholder to an actual cruise, then checked the pricing to see if I was getting 10% off that day's prices. In fact, my price was lower than that. I went to cruisefish to check, and found that my price was exactly 10% off the price as of the day I booked the placeholder. It wasn't opening day price; that particular cruise had been through multiple price increases.

I have also moved a booked cruise to a different sailing, and again I got the prices current as of the date I booked the first cruise, not the date I moved the booking.

Perhaps I experienced an odd glitch (twice). I suspect, however, that you get the backdated prices based on a single "original booking date." Or maybe there are bugs in Disney's system and they haven't implemented the policy correctly. Or maybe this is all working as intended, but the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. That would be a very common thing with Disney or any other large corporation. It's also possible that things have changed since I last saw this behavior, which would have been about six months ago, I think.

 

[Partyof4LA]

I would consider yourself lucky to have gotten a glitch.
I've moved a placeholder onboard booking to an actual booking twice now. One was in 2015 and the other this year. Neither were the price on the day of my placeholder booking, they were the prevailing price the day I actually booked that particular sailing.

 

[FigmentSpark]

So, I booked a placeholder in March of 2017. If I want to convert that to a March 2018 sailing, which has already increased in price, I would get the price as of my March 2017 booking AND 10% off that? Or would I get today's price less the 10%?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

So, I booked a placeholder in March of 2017. If I want to convert that to a March 2018 sailing, which has already increased in price, I would get the price as of my March 2017 booking AND 10% off that? Or would I get today's price less the 10%?

You SHOULD get the 10% discount off on the prevailing price (today's price) of the cruise the day you actually book a specific cruise. At least, that's the way it's supposed to work.

But, you may luck out and get a CM who will go back and see what the price was the day you booked the placeholder and use that price.

 

[dmunsil]

It is absolutely possible that this was a bizarre and rare bug that I just happened to encounter, or I may have made a mistake in calculation or something.

I think it's wise to assume you'll get the price as of the day you pick the actual cruise, and if you get a better price, call it a bonus. Still, I'd recommend putting everyone on the booking as early as possible, even if you're not sure some guests are going to go. In the best case, you save money. In the worst case, you lose nothing.