Possible to add more people to our cabin?

[globalwife]

My husband and I are booked for and paid in full for a cruise departing in January. My sister in law and nephew are now thinking about joining us but now there arn't any cabins left in a category that they feel comfortable paying for. Our room is designed to accommodate 4 so we are thinking of having them just join our room and pay the extra people rate. Do you think the cruise line will allow us to add them to our reservation for the extra cost or is it too late since we already reserved and paid for our part? Anyone ever do this before?

Yes, I have emailed my agent but he is off till Tuesday so I won't know for sure till then and just wanted to see if anyone knew for sure if it is even possible before we get our hopes up.

[Boo's Mom]

Originally Posted by globalwife

My husband and I are booked for and paid in full for a cruise departing in January. My sister in law and nephew are now thinking about joining us but now there arn't any cabins left in a category that they feel comfortable paying for. Our room is designed to accommodate 4 so we are thinking of having them just join our room and pay the extra people rate. Do you think the cruise line will allow us to add them to our reservation for the extra cost or is it too late since we already reserved and paid for our part? Anyone ever do this before?

Yes, I have emailed my agent but he is off till Tuesday so I won't know for sure till then and just wanted to see if anyone knew for sure if it is even possible before we get our hopes up.

Yes, it is possible to add people to your reservation, after you have booked.
Your specific cabin must be able to accomodate 4,
AND..... the ship must not be @ maximum passenger capacity.

[Boo's Mom]

PS... What are you doing in Colombia?

I am a Texas, living in Texas!

[globalwife]

Thanks. I moved to Colombia two years ago because my husband is from here. I teach Science in English at a bilingual school and love it! I do miss Tex-mex and good ole BBQ though.

[cb at sea]

It really depends if the ship has reached lifeboat capacity....just because your cabin will HOLDS 4, doesn't mean they'll let you add additional people!

[paul929207]

Each ship has a maximum capacity (based on lifeboat capacity). This is less than the total number of bunks. If the ship has reached capacity, tey will not accept additional passengers even if there are availabl bunks in your cabin.

[Marie51]

Originally Posted by Boo's Mom

Yes, it is possible to add people to your reservation, after you have booked.
Your specific cabin must be able to accomodate 4,
AND..... the ship must not be @ maximum passenger capacity.

AND...you have to like each other alot.

[Boo's Mom]

Originally Posted by Marie51

AND...you have to like each other alot.

Indeed !

[beachchick]

Originally Posted by Marie51

AND...you have to like each other alot.

This is a really important question.

globalwife: I'm not sure, so forgive my nosiness. Is this your first cruise? I ask because many people are not truly aware of just how small cruise ship cabins can be until they actually board for the first time. Of course, full size suites are usually very spacious, but even they aren't "huge" compared to suites in hotels; standard cabins are nowhere near as large as most standard hotel rooms. (The following is quite generalized depending on ship and layout; it's not intended to be considered exact or definitive.) Inside cabins tend to be anywhere from 120 to 180 sq ft; oceanviews range from 140 to 220; balcony cabins are about 170 to 250; mini-suites from 220 to 340. As you can see, some of the standard cabins can be quite tight. Imagine four adults, no matter how close they are, spending several days sharing a 10 x 15 ft space.

You've got to be absolutely positive that you will all be happy (or at least, not unhappy or miserable) sharing one cabin of whatever size yours is. My DH and I travel often with my sister and BIL. We're quite close and comfy together. We do not--not ever--share one cabin. We get connecting balcony cabins and find that to be a wonderful arrangement. Two bathrooms, two balconies, private space/time when desired, etc. I urge you to think long and hard before the four of you make a decision about this.

Others have given you good information about why you may not be able to add anymore passengers to your cabin. The ships are designed with many more 3rd/4th passenger cabins than can legally be booked on any one cruise. This is so that there are more options for those who want or need to book cabins with additional capacity. But once the ship's actual maximum passenger count has been reached (and once the ship's maximum 3rd/4th cabin count has been reached), then extra passengers cannot be added to any cabin, regardless of its rated maximum capacity.

I hope you're able to work it out and that you all have a terrific time.

beachchick

[globalwife]

Thanks all. Yes, I am aware of how small the cabins are. I have seen the 360 degree picture of ou room and I relize all there is, is bed space. No doubt we will be cramped but not looking to spend much time in the room anyhow. I agree it isn't ideal but it would save us all some money in the end and luckily we all do get along super well. If it doesn't save us money, we aren't doing it. I know DH and SIL will do much better at it than myself. They have a large family and are used to sharing personal space like most latins do. I do thank you for the warnings. I had a feeling some of you would do so and it is greatly appricited. I could be making a huge mistake but I would also rather share our space with them, then see them not get to go. I'll keep you updated. There are other details we are still trying to figure to see if it is even possible.

[paul929207]

If you go with four in a cabin, I suggest you locate the nearest public restroom. You neve know when that info will come in handy.

[Marie51]

You didn't tell us what ship you are going on or what type of cabin you have. If you look at the 360 degree view of the cabin, I guarantee it will be smaller than it looks in that view. And I agree with another that you guys should locate the nearest public bathroom and no more needs to be said......you get the idea.

Good luck with whatever you decide. Have a wonderful trip.

[globalwife]

Originally Posted by Marie51

You didn't tell us what ship you are going on or what type of cabin you have.

I didn't mention that because I didn't think it would be relevant to whether it would be possible or not which is what I was asking. But to let you know, I am cruise with Pullmantur so not many people here are familiar with that cruise line.

[beachchick]

Originally Posted by globalwife

Thanks all. Yes, I am aware of how small the cabins are. I have seen the 360 degree picture of ou room and I relize all there is, is bed space. No doubt we will be cramped but not looking to spend much time in the room anyhow. I agree it isn't ideal but it would save us all some money in the end and luckily we all do get along super well. If it doesn't save us money, we aren't doing it. I know DH and SIL will do much better at it than myself. They have a large family and are used to sharing personal space like most latins do. I do thank you for the warnings. I had a feeling some of you would do so and it is greatly appricited. I could be making a huge mistake but I would also rather share our space with them, then see them not get to go. I'll keep you updated. There are other details we are still trying to figure to see if it is even possible.

That's a wonderful way to look at it. I want to make sure you know I wasn't being critical or judgmental. It's just that I wasn't sure if you had experience with cruise ship cabins before. As you know how tight they are, you can make an informed decision. I certainly don't expect everyone to make the same decisions or travel the same way we do. (I should probably mention that my DH and I now have health issues that mean we spend more time in our cabin than we used to do. Having a balcony makes our required "down time" better because we can sit out there, relax, have a beverage, talk, and rest.)

If I may give you some suggestions for making it easier to share one cabin? As you know, the single bathroom is very small. Many members suggest having two people use the gym showers and dressing rooms to get ready for the evening, etc. Generally, it's the gentlemen who do that, so that the ladies can have the cabin to themselves. Others create a shower schedule so that, for example, the ladies or one couple hangs out elsewhere on the ship while the other two shower and dress, and then they all switch places. Be very, very organized; whether it's using the over-the-door shoe hangers to have little "cubbies" (we don't, but many do) or "assigning" drawer and closet space or having a "pick up after yourself" mandate or asking the cabin steward to store some of the suitcases because they will likely not all fit under the bed to be out of the way. Whatever works for you to make the small space be as efficient as possible. Are the additional berths pullmans or a sofa bed? If pullmans, please consider not having the lower beds pushed together to form a queen because it will almost certainly be easier for those in the pullmans to access them and it will make it easier to navigate the space. If a sofa bed, have them ask the cabin steward first thing to bring an eggcrate foam topper for it. The sofa beds are not known for being terribly comfortable on their own, but the eggcrates make a huge difference. Also make sure that the sofa bed is long enough for whoever is sleeping in it. Some tall folks have mentioned that they have to sleep diagonally on some of the shorter ones.

That's all I can think of for now. I hope you are able to work it out and that you have a wonderful family time.

beachchick

[globalwife]

Thanks for taking the time to write out all the tips.

[momofmeg]

Originally Posted by Boo's Mom

Yes, it is possible to add people to your reservation, after you have booked.
Your specific cabin must be able to accomodate 4,
AND..... the ship must not be @ maximum passenger capacity.

BUT, it does depend on how full the cruise is-they try and not allow the PAX to go over a certain amount. I know we did this for our Westerdam cruise in April 08, our daughter had a job interview, and was called back for a second interview, she thought she had the job, (which is why we did not book her-new job- no time allowed off) and then, she did not get it. So we decided to add her on, HAL at first said no because the ship was very full,(this was only like 3 weeks before) but our TA convinced them to do this.

I was glad HAL allowed us after all, but I would not have been upset if they had not-after being on Mariner of the seas with 3700 PAX, a ship that is considered full at 3300, 2 to a stateroom, I appreciated that HAL had this policy. I never want to be on an over full ship again.

[megr1125]

In any event, check both the 3rd/4th pax rates, and the rate for another cabin...sometimes..but NOT always..... a second cabin can work out cheaper....if you have say, a balcony, perhaps they could get just an outside or an inside nearby...

again, it doesn't happen often but i have seen other CCers mention this.....

good luck and have fun whatever happens!

[globalwife]

I finally got the rates to add a 3rd and 4th passenger to our room. It is much much less than getting another room for them since we booked in a category that is no longer being offered. Good news is it is possible so we can now move forward and decide what we want to do. I've given my okay, DH has given his okay, now it is just up to SIL to decide what they want to do. No matter what, I know we are going to have a great time because we are going to go with a great attitude no matter how many are in our room.