Switching cabins-KTTW cards and OBC problems?

[lilysgigi]

I would really appreciate any advice and opinions from the experienced cruisers here about my situation. I have three staterooms reserved and assigned for my family and a private nurse. To take advantage of all the best discounts, my TA split the 6 of us up -2 to a cabin-based on the need to have a OBB credit person in each room and also a castaway club member in each cabin. I had hoped we could fix who would actually be in each cabin before arriving, but TA said that would really be a cancellation and re book for lots more $$. To make it even more confusing, each cabin has different amount of on board credit-with a combined large total. I have 2 veranda staterooms connecting, and one inside cabin close by, but almost everyone will be sleeping in different place than what DCL shows. It will be myself, DH and DS (special needs) in one cabin, my DD and SIL in the other veranda cabin, and my sons nurse in the inside cabin alone. I know we can deal with switching around the luggage easy enough, but the keys will have the wrong persons name noted and that will also correspond to the credit assigned to that key..I want to be sure to use every penny of the credit.. I have a large credit from DCL because of a special arrangment for my special needs son and also medical equipment being delivered. It seems to scream problems. I hope guest services, as our first stop on board, will help us sort this out. I picture myself making a excel sheet with room numbers and credit tallies so we can trade keys back and forth...lol.. Any thoughts, ideas or experience out there? ps we leave this next weekend on the Fantasy..

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I would really appreciate any advice and opinions from the experienced cruisers here about my situation. I have three staterooms reserved and assigned for my family and a private nurse. To take advantage of all the best discounts, my TA split the 6 of us up -2 to a cabin-based on the need to have a OBB credit person in each room and also a castaway club member in each cabin. I had hoped we could fix who would actually be in each cabin before arriving, but TA said that would really be a cancellation and re book for lots more $$. To make it even more confusing, each cabin has different amount of on board credit-with a combined large total. I have 2 veranda staterooms connecting, and one inside cabin close by, but almost everyone will be sleeping in different place than what DCL shows. It will be myself, DH and DS (special needs) in one cabin, my DD and SIL in the other veranda cabin, and my sons nurse in the inside cabin alone. I know we can deal with switching around the luggage easy enough, but the keys will have the wrong persons name noted and that will also correspond to the credit assigned to that key..I want to be sure to use every penny of the credit.. I have a large credit from DCL because of a special arrangment for my special needs son and also medical equipment being delivered. It seems to scream problems. I hope guest services, as our first stop on board, will help us sort this out. I picture myself making a excel sheet with room numbers and credit tallies so we can trade keys back and forth...lol.. Any thoughts, ideas or experience out there? ps we leave this next weekend on the Fantasy..

Each person will have a KTTW card for the room they are booked in. That KTTW can be backed up by whichever credit card/payment method you wish. That is, for example, if your husband and you are in different rooms, you both can back up your KTTW cards with the same payment method (or each have your own). Same for your children.

Each person can also be issued a blank (no charging privileges) card to be used as a room key to whichever room they are actually sleeping in. Be aware that card is also not usable for getting off and on the ship in ports.

And, any minor children not in the room that their parent is in will require a signed paper (from the adult in the room that the child is booked in) allowing persons in other rooms to take that child off the ship. Yes, if your minor child is in a room with Aunt Mary, then Aunt Mary must give the OK for you to take your own child off the ship.

 

[Weedy]

Your TA is correct the people need to stay in their assigned rooms to get the rates. But you can sleep anywhere. You can get extra room keys "mommy keys" they will be blank and will open the door to the cabin that the person is not assigned to.
A few things to note. When leaving the ship make sure that everyone has the key card with their name on it not the one that opens the door. Also the minor children can only get off the ship with the person assigned to the room they are staying in. But you can go to Guest Services and sign a paper to allow them get off with other people in your party.
Also if you like to carry your key card in a lanyard the card will not open the door if you have 2 cards in the same pouch. I just went to Guest Services and asked for an extra pouch and would just hold up the correct KTTW card to the door.

 

[brianvdb]

I assume that any OBC (whether it be for an OBB, Disney Visa, or TA) will go to the lead person on the reservation?

i.e. If I'm the lead person on Room A.. and my wife is the lead person on Room B, and we share a shipboard account, our account will get all of the credits assigned to both Room A and Room B?

 

[lilysgigi]

I sure hope this be true. If so, everything else can be worked out easily with extra key cards for just getting into cabins. With each cabin having generous credits-from DCL, TA, VISA and charity agency...wondered if I had to take each card to book and charge ..And I worried how closely they check if the card is actually your own...picture matching up and all. Thanks for the hopeful thought.

 

[luv that cruise]

We have moved people around in staterooms many times. The assigned room card is what you use to get on and off the ship and to charge and yes your picture is attached to that card. You must also attend the safety drill for the room you are booked into. Guest Services will issue extra "keys" - (we want to access our kids rooms altho they are 20 & 22 and we want them to have access to our rooms - not that unusual situation and guest services doesn't need to know the details). We find this usually confuses the workers in the terminal and easier to go to Guest Services once we are on the ship). The keys will be blank but will open the door of the room you request (the official lead reservation holder of the room must do the requesting). We have found it useful to bring circle stickers ("dots") and mark each dummy card with a sharpie marker and then cover the dot with a small amount of packing tape (sharpie marker will rub off). I wouldn't label with the room number, but rather some sort of code you will recognize. In our case, the lead person on a reservation can't be changed and now everyone wants to sleep in a different room than they were assigned. I hope this helped. If anyone has a better idea please let me know. Thanks.

 

[brianvdb]

I wouldn't label with the room number, but rather some sort of code you will recognize.

In the past, we've used a Sharpie to write the last digit of the room number. e.g. If we had 6124 and 6126, one card would have a "4" written on it, the other a "6."