Questions regarding boarding and ports when one child is booked in Grandparent's room

[stownsend0712]

We are cruising in April with family, for cost savings we booked my youngest 5 year old in the room with my father in law since his is alone and would be payign for double occupancy, but the 5 year old is staying with us. How does it work for boarding the ship since he is booked in another room, do we need to check in and board at the same time? We are flying in and he is driving as he lives in Florida. And what about disembarking for excursions, will my FIL have to be with us to get him back on the ship? Or can we link him to our room some how? Because there could be an instance where my FIL may not disembark with us. Any advice on this is appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[wherespluto]

We did this on a cruise back in Jan where my 3 year old was in the room with my mom. There is a form to fill out that you can do at port or once on board that your FIL and any adults (you, your spouse, etc) would all fill out and sign. This will allow you to take your child off the boat, on excursions, etc with or without your FIL present.

 

[xlxo]

one thing to consider.... photo's. They will go to the room she's registered.

 

[lanejudy]

Welcome! I believe the child can check-in with your family even if grandpa hasn't arrived yet. Though that may have changed recently.

As to port stops -- grandpa will need to sign an authorization for you to take the child off the ship without grandpa. It's not the returning to the ship, it's actually getting off that you would be stopped.

Also, be aware that the child will need to attend the muster drill with grandpa for the assigned stateroom, and in the (unlikely) event of an actual emergency he will need to go with grandpa. I point this out in case you end up with different muster stations and lifeboat assignments so you can be prepared to split up. Alternatively, you could book one of the adults into the stateroom with grandpa so the child remains with a parent. DCL won't really care who sleeps where during the cruise.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[PlanoNana]

If you're planning on getting the photo package check the rules for families traveling with grandparents. It might be better to have Mom and kids in one room and Dad and Grandpa booked in the other. Then you could get the photo package for the Mom/kids room only. Then any photos that included Mom or one of the the kids would be included. That would also solve the problem of getting the kid off the ship. DCL doesn't care who sleeps where.

 

[poohs4me]

We do this often and all that is said above is True. However, there have been many a time, we turn in the authorization form and security still hasn't processed it by the time we get off the ship. Also Grandpa will need to register the child for the kids club and authorize your family to take child out.

One other thing - Make sure your assigned room sleeps the number you want to actually have in it.

 

[stownsend0712]

We do this often and all that is said above is True. However, there have been many a time, we turn in the authorization form and security still hasn't processed it by the time we get off the ship. Also Grandpa will need to register the child for the kids club and authorize your family to take child out.

One other thing - Make sure your assigned room sleeps the number you want to actually have in it.

We do have a room for 5 we made sure of that

 

[stownsend0712]

If you're planning on getting the photo package check the rules for families traveling with grandparents. It might be better to have Mom and kids in one room and Dad and Grandpa booked in the other. Then you could get the photo package for the Mom/kids room only. Then any photos that included Mom or one of the the kids would be included. That would also solve the problem of getting the kid off the ship. DCL doesn't care who sleeps where.

Sounds like I need to swap hubby and son is this something the Travel Agent would do for me?

 

[stownsend0712]

Welcome! I believe the child can check-in with your family even if grandpa hasn't arrived yet. Though that may have changed recently.

As to port stops -- grandpa will need to sign an authorization for you to take the child off the ship without grandpa. It's not the returning to the ship, it's actually getting off that you would be stopped.

Also, be aware that the child will need to attend the muster drill with grandpa for the assigned stateroom, and in the (unlikely) event of an actual emergency he will need to go with grandpa. I point this out in case you end up with different muster stations and lifeboat assignments so you can be prepared to split up. Alternatively, you could book one of the adults into the stateroom with grandpa so the child remains with a parent. DCL won't really care who sleeps where during the cruise.

Enjoy your cruise!

Great thanks sounds like we may need to change the room bookings so the kids are with me and have hubby on grandfathers booking that way we won't have any issues with the drills and the photos. Then my hubby should be able to check in alone if g pa doesn't make it at the time we do, I am thinking he likely will board with us but not for sure yet.

 

[stownsend0712]

We did this on a cruise back in Jan where my 3 year old was in the room with my mom. There is a form to fill out that you can do at port or once on board that your FIL and any adults (you, your spouse, etc) would all fill out and sign. This will allow you to take your child off the boat, on excursions, etc with or without your FIL present.

Did you do a photo package how did that work? Others mentioned this could be an issue.

 

[nearlyfallinstar]

Your children in different staterooms is not a problem regarding the photo package. Your son's pictures would be included with your stateroom. My daughter was in her grandparents' stateroom with our reservations linked and we had no trouble getting her pictures. Also, any group pictures can include your FIL on your stateroom package.

 

[lanejudy]

We do have a room for 5 we made sure of that

Do you actually have a stateroom that has been reported with sleep spaces for 5 (queen bed, twin sofa, pull down bunk, and twin Murphy bed)? Or did you simply book a category that can sleep 3-5 passengers? Not all rooms in those categories have the extra Murphy bed for a 5th guest. There is a thread listing the 5 passenger staterooms; I'll see if I can find it.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

Do you actually have a stateroom that has been reported with sleep spaces for 5 (queen bed, twin sofa, pull down bunk, and twin Murphy bed)? Or did you simply book a category that can sleep 3-5 passengers? Not all rooms in those categories have the extra Murphy bed for a 5th guest. There is a thread listing the 5 passenger staterooms; I'll see if I can find it.

Enjoy your cruise!

This is a good point. We booked two rooms that were listed as 4-5 person capacity, but our room that actually had 5 people could only choose from a subset of those rooms. They don't all actually have 5 bunks.

As for the form not being processed fast enough, that could be old info, or just a difference in experience. When we filled out the form and brought it to guest services (so that our teenage sons could come and go from Castaway Cay on their own), the CM at guest services put it directly into the computer and thus it was immediately active. Indeed, a few minutes later, when we left the boat with our sons, we had them go in front of us, to ensure that they were able to leave on their own, and they were.

As for the photos, members of your own immediate family that are in another stateroom, will be included in your photo package, but their pictures MIGHT be in a seperate binder. We got the package for both rooms and they were separated by room. Not quite the same situation, but when we were considering only getting one package, I did carefully read the rules for who would be included in the package.

 

[lanejudy]

And this is the thread I mentioned above, listing how many passengers each stateroom actually sleeps:
http://www.disboards.com/threads/dc...pdated-list-of-rooms-needed-1st-post.3194826/

This is for the Dream and Fantasy. I don't think there is a similar thread for the Magic and Wonder, but that info was published in an older version of the PassPorter guide which may be available at your local library.

 

[tigerchic89]

You don't need to move Dad into FIL room. We put one of our kids in the room with my mother every cruise.

For check in, you can check in without your dad, as your child's guardian, you need to sign his paperwork anyway.

For getting off of the boat, I believe it is opposite from the advice that you have been given. Only you (or husband) will be allowed to take child off of the boat unless you fill out paperwork for FIL to also be able to take him off... even though child is not in your cabin. This was stressed on the announcements.. legal guardian trumps adult in same stateroom.

For photo package, you get all of the pics of your child. To make things easier, we always gave our KTTW card when taking photos. If for some reason FIL and other room child are taking a pic together, have your child give his KTTW card and not FIL, that way all of the pics get put into parents folder.

HTH, we love cruising multi generational. We get connecting rooms and keep the door open so it feels like one big family cabin. Have a great trip!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

For getting off of the boat, I believe it is opposite from the advice that you have been given. Only you (or husband) will be allowed to take child off of the boat unless you fill out paperwork for FIL to also be able to take him off... even though child is not in your cabin. This was stressed on the announcements.. legal guardian trumps adult in same stateroom.

Not on DCL. The adult in the room that the child is in is the "responsible" adult for that child. So, Grandpa will need to fill out the paper for Mom & Dad to take the child off the ship with them, if grandpa doesn't also leave the ship at the same time. I believe that's also true for the kid's club, grandpa must designate who's authorized to take the child out of the club.

That's what's often been reported by those in that situation. Unless DCL has changed it recently (like in the last 6 months).

 

[tigerchic89]

Not on DCL. The adult in the room that the child is in is the "responsible" adult for that child. So, Grandpa will need to fill out the paper for Mom & Dad to take the child off the ship with them, if grandpa doesn't also leave the ship at the same time. I believe that's also true for the kid's club, grandpa must designate who's authorized to take the child out of the club.

That's what's often been reported by those in that situation. Unless DCL has changed it recently (like in the last 6 months).

We sailed last week (Fantasy)

 

[puffkin]

We just were on the Dream 2 weeks ago, and my DS10 was in the room with my mom (linked reservation). We set everything up ahead of time with the kids clubs that any of us could check the kids in/out. We boarded together so I can't help you there, but to get on/off the ship in port he had to be with my mom. If we wanted to take him off without her, she would need to fill out at form at Guest Services.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We just were on the Dream 2 weeks ago, and my DS10 was in the room with my mom (linked reservation). We set everything up ahead of time with the kids clubs that any of us could check the kids in/out. We boarded together so I can't help you there, but to get on/off the ship in port he had to be with my mom. If we wanted to take him off without her, she would need to fill out at form at Guest Services.

Thanks for the confirmation.

 

[asamklove]

We did this last fall on the Fantasy. My son attended the muster drill with me, we just had my brother (who he was booked with) tell the crew member at muster check in & we did the same at our muster check in.

I'm pretty sure no parent would allow separation from their minor child during an emergency anyway.