Booking the kids in a seperate room

I have a question about putting kids in a separate room and NCL’s current policy.

We have been on NCL many times with our kids. As recent as last year on the Escape we were able to put them in a balcony cabin next to us. This was an issue as we had the beverage package and they did not as they are under age and really only drink water (no pop, no juice, I know they are strange). Originally we wanted to put them across the hall but the Escape does not have doors to an exterior hall from the inside cabins so this was not permitted.

This year I have a booking on the Epic. We booked through Expedia in Canada. They booked the kids across the hall and me and my wife in a balcony (the Epic does have interior rooms with doors to the exterior hallway). We got the beverage package and they got the port credit. I thought all was good.

A friend tried to book the same thing through NCL directly and was told no, the kids across the hall was not permitted. I became worried and call the same NCL rep to hear the policy first hand. They checked with a supervisor and told me had I shown up for the cruise I would have not been allowed to board as the cabin did not have an adult and after 8am on the day of departure they are unable to move people. This said I simply would have been kicked out.

My questions are:

1) What is NCL’s policy? If the cabin door is across the hall, can kids be put in a separate cabin? I know from experience they can be next door.

2) How liable would Expedia have been in this situation? They were the ones that allocated the cabins this way with full knowledge of the passengers’ ages. If they cannot be relied on to make a proper booking then why are they in business.

3) Had my friend not told me of the issue I would have just shown up. Would I really have been not allowed to board, lost my $7,000 paid and had my vacation ruined. I suspect a lawsuit would also follow.

Thanks

Dan

You will never get a definitive answer as NCL's PCCs seem to be able to work around the "at least one adult in each room" rule if they want to. For a non-suite they usually will not offer booking two kids in one room and parents in another, they will want one adult booked in each room. Where you actually sleep, they could care less. Exceptions to this rule have been made for suites as both adults will want the suite perks while kids in an adjoining non-suite may not need them.

I doubt they would have not let you board, haven't ever heard of it at least.

Sounds like your phone rep had a bit of a flair for the dramatic… Of course I won't be volunteering to prove them wrong, but it sounds unlikely to me.

Once you are on board, they switch people around all the time, specifically so that families can openly flout this rule about one adult in each room. It would be terribly unfair of them to refuse to let you board on the basis of this rule that they don't give a damn about on board.

Be forewarned that SOME interior cabins on the EPIC do not open into the main hallways.

The manifest isn't due to the Coast Guard/DHS until just 60 minutes prior to departure. While I have never seen it, I doubt it lists cabin assignments and is more just a list of names. So any 8am rule is either BS or a company rule. While I wouldn't want to test it, I strongly suspect they would rectify the issue at check-in, if it was even an issue.

Both NCL and Expedia would bear responsibility as they were both aware of the ages. Expedia as their employee/representative made the booking and NCL when it was entered into their system. That said, I bet there was a clause in your agreement with both that relieved them of liability for this and/or required arbitration. The question would be: 1) can you win? 2) are you willing to spend the money to win?

We had two cabins side by side on the Breakaway - one for myself & DH and the other for our DD & her friend. At that time there were no perks of an UBP, so we booked one adult in each cabin & was told it would be no problem to switch once onboard. Our "kids" were not young (age 18 & 19), but when we went to customer service desk to have the cabin cards switched they refused. We were finally able to talk them into giving us a spare card for each room which made one person from each cabin have to carry two cards (one to get in their room & one for charges). Overall it worked, but was not as simple as my TA said it would be or as easy as I had read on these boards of other people in similar situations.

I've never had any luck getting NCL to put us in one cabin and the kids in another. On our last sailing the two we took were 18 and 17. They booked DW and one of the kids in the balcony and me with the other across the hall. When our friend decided to join us then they let her be in the inside with the kids and DW and I were allowed to be in the balcony since our friend was over 21. We've never had luck moving us around once onboard, either. They've given us spare cabin keys but one adult was booked in each cabin. I find it more likely that at checkin they would have put one adult and one kid in each cabin, at least on record.

we have just booked the 2 rooms one with me and one kid in it and one with my wife and the other, then just switched on the ship, no one was told and no one cared

When we cruised when our children were younger we would book one adult with 2 kids in each cabin. We would then visit the pursars's desk and switch over one of us. Many times when booking, the cruise booking agent told me that as long as the cabins were next to each other or across the hall from each other we did not have to have an adult with the kids in the cabin.

The bottom line is that you can get a different answer from each person you ask. The best advice I can give is to not give them more information than you have to.

How old are the kids? Your answer may depend on that.

I booked my DH and I in a balcony room and my two daughters 10 & 12 in a connecting balcony room on the breakaway for May 2016. When the sailing is within 90 days I have to get a release form to allo kids to be in an adjoining room. Booked through NCL directly in May 2015.

We booked a balcony for me and 1 daughter and an inside opposite for my partner and other daughter (on paper), but the 2 daughters stayed in the inside and we had the balcony, when we were on board we just asked if we could all have a key each for each cabin, as we're a family and would all be going between the 2 cabins and they were fine with it. Kids where 17 and 12.

we have just booked the 2 rooms one with me and one kid in it and one with my wife and the other, then just switched on the ship, no one was told and no one cared

In think the issue lies in the "free" promos. If each adult is booked in a separate room then if they both want the UBP they'd have to choose it for both rooms and it would be wasted on the second guest in each room as they're a child.

Sorry I can't help the OP but I was curious to the solution too.

You can book minors in their own room as long as they are in a connecting or side by side stateroom. This is directly from NCL's Guest Ticket Contract.

© Guests under 21: Any Guest under 21 years of age is considered a minor. Any Guest under the age of 21 must be accompanied in the same, connecting, or side by side stateroom by a Guest 21 years of age or older at the time of embarkation who expressly agrees to be responsible for the under-21 Guest

throughout the cruise.

This is how we are booked for our next cruise. We did book directly through NCL. We just have to call when it's time to check them in.

we have just booked the 2 rooms one with me and one kid in it and one with my wife and the other, then just switched on the ship, no one was told and no one cared

Yup, that's our same set up for our cruise in April 2016 and in previous cruises -- once in the cabins and in possession of the cabin card -- the cruise line really doesn't get involved in who is sleeping in which room.

The only thing is that we would ask the steward to move the beds back together in the room my husband and I chose to stay in -- and they got that together by the time we were ready to turn down the first night.