Placeholder question

[vegs1]

My husband and I are cruising in the next while. We are in two different staterooms. We can each book two placeholders, correct? Do our names have to be in those bookings as obviously we can’t be on four cabins.

Thanks.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Each household is allowed to book up to 2 rooms/placeholders.

 

[vegs1]

Sorry, do you mean each cabin? Do we each need to be in one of the cabins booked?

 

[i18mulan]

You and DH are considered one household so you’re allowed to book 2 placeholders max. You can book 1 placeholder under yours and another under DH (which is what we do most of the time). Or you can put both of you in 1 placeholder and use the other placeholder for others as long as you’re using them in the same sailing.

 

[vegs1]

Perfect. Thank you for explaining.

 

[Garyjames220]

I was just wondering Can I lock a rate it now for a cruise and then apply my placeholder when I get it in December or do I need to accept the new rate if it goes up

 

[Dug720]

I was just wondering Can I lock a rate it now for a cruise and then apply my placeholder when I get it in December or do I need to accept the new rate if it goes up

If you have a future cruise booked, you can reshop it on board. No need to bother with the “placeholder” silliness.

Ditto if you know the cruise you want to book while you are onboard. Just save the silliness.

 

[Garyjames220]

If you have a future cruise booked, you can reshop it on board. No need to bother with the “placeholder” silliness.

Ditto if you know the cruise you want to book while you are onboard. Just save the silliness.

Does that mean I get the 10% off the price I already have it booked it. Or if the cruise has gone up in price the day I get the place holder/change cruise over do I need to take the new price

Also Will any money I have paid just be transferred across and would I need to pay more money when I get onboard if I have already paid a lot towards it

 

[ivanp91]

Does that mean I get the 10% off the price I already have it booked it. Or if the cruise has gone up in price the day I get the place holder/change cruise over do I need to take the new price

The second one. It will be treated as a new reservation, so it is only worth it if the new price costs less than the original once the 10% discount is applied.

 

[Dug720]

Reshopping takes the current rate and applies the discount. It will be at the current price with the discount applied - just as it would if you bought the future cruise certificate (really what it is - it does not guarantee you a spot on a particular cruise as “placeholder” implies to me) since ALL of those are to be new reservations - you cannot apply that to an already booked cruise. You have to decide if the discount plus OBC is worth making the change.

I have always had to pay a new deposit and the former one is refunded (as soon as it hits I put it on the new reservation). But again, it would be the same if you got the “placeholder” and then spent the time converting it - you’d be paying the $250 on board then the balance of the required deposit...and you would still have to cancel the other reservation and wait for a refund.

 

[Garyjames220]

The second one. It will be treated as a new reservation, so it is only worth it if the new price costs less than the original once the 10% discount is applied.

Ok cool. So if I have already made the booking can they transfer any money across I have already paid so I don’t need to make another payment onboard ?

 

[Dug720]

The second one. It will be treated as a new reservation, so it is only worth it if the new price costs less than the original once the 10% discount is applied.

But if they went the “placeholder” route and wanted to use it on their currently booked cruise it would be the same. Those cannot be applied to previously booked reservations. Only new reservations.

 

[Dug720]

Ok cool. So if I have already made the booking can they transfer any money across I have already paid so I don’t need to make another payment onboard ?

Not in my experience. You have to make a new deposit.

 

[Garyjames220]

Not in my experience. You have to make a new deposit.

Would then then need to refund the booking I already made back to the credit card or can they transfer that across

 

[Dug720]

Would then then need to refund the booking I already made back to the credit card or can they transfer that across

They have always had to refund it as I said in my first reply. I then watch and as soon as it is credited turn around and put it on the new reservation.

 

[cvjw]

Would then then need to refund the booking I already made back to the credit card or can they transfer that across

I book thru Costco. They have always been able to transfer payments from canceled cruises to new bookings. Maybe that is just a Costco thing! I have rebooked a cruise while on board. I had to make a totally new booking, with new payment and new staterooms. When I got home, I canceled the old booking thru Costco and they transferred all payments from the old cruise to the new one!

The new onboard booking is at the current rate, less the 10% discount. It has still saved me money in the past by rebooking onboard!

 

[FigmentSpark]

While there have been reports of people being able to cancel their old res and even choose the same room and have the money applied to the new one, those are rare.

You need to plan to pay for a new cruise deposit and choose a new room. When you are back on land, you can cancel the old cruise (assuming it's not concierge and not within your no-cancel period). You would then phone DCL if you want to change your room on your newly booked cruise to the old one you just released.

Not sure how long a refund takes, but it will be to your original form of payment. If that's a card that's expired or been re-issued with a new number due to fraud, you may have to work with DCL to get the refund, but those are rare situations.

Also, not sure if any insurance you bought for your original cruise can be transferred to the new cruise. You'll want to check that with your provider.

Good luck.

 

[cwis]

Not sure how long a refund takes, but it will be to your original form of payment. If that's a card that's expired or been re-issued with a new number due to fraud, you may have to work with DCL to get the refund, but those are rare situations.

If your CC has been re-issued, no matter the reason, be it fraud or a new card after expiration date, all refunds applied to the old cards will get re-directed to the new one, no action needed from your side.

 

[Dug720]

If your CC has been re-issued, no matter the reason, be it fraud or a new card after expiration date, all refunds applied to the old cards will get re-directed to the new one, no action needed from your side.

Yep! As was explained to me by my bank when my account was compromised, anyone who is going to steal a number is NOT going to be putting money into it - so refunds are going to go into the newly issued number.

 

[izzinmac]

My experience is a little different than what is recommended here. I use a TA that specializes in Disney cruises and I had the 2020 Transatlantic I booked without a placeholder. We went on a recent 4 Day and I wanted to reshop the 2020 cruise since the price was holding steady. My TA said to book a placeholder and when I returned they would reshop with the 10% discount applying the $250 placeholder deposit and transfer my current deposit to the new reservation and keep the same stateroom. They even sent a prefilled form to use to get the placeholder(s). Just to make sure, I questioned the process with the onboard rep and she agreed this was the way to do it if I wanted to keep my stateroom. The problem onboard is they have a slow connection with shoreside and she can’t do the cancel/rebook/deposit transfer so she could only book me into a different stateroom as a new reservation and pay full deposit and do the cancellation and wait for a refund. I would have to deal with a room change with my TA and take my chances my original stateroom would still be available. I dropped off the placeholder form and called my TA as soon as we got home. In less than 10 minutes the TA had a new reservation # for me with all the funds applied straight to it and a cancellation # for the original reservation. Same stateroom. Worked slick!