adding a 4th passenger?

[hjcmom]

Hello! We are working on booking our first cruise and I have a quick question. We know it will be DH and myself, and our 12 yo son. Hopefully, our 16 yo son will be able to get off work for the cruise but he doesn't know yet....can we go ahead and book for the three of us, and add him ( or DH's dad) in a few days when we know who will be coming with us? My thinking is that once we have the room reserved, it WILL be possible to add a passenger to the same room....but I dunno!

 

Thanks so much,

 

hjcmom

[kitty9]

It depends. Once a ship reaches its legal capacity, which means the number limit for the life boats, even if you have a quad cabin, they will not allow any additions to any cabin. All you can do is try once you know his schedule.

[leaveitallbehind]

Might be easier (safer) to add him with the original reservation and then if you need to, remove him later. As long as it is before final payment, it should be ok. Best to check with your cruise line, hoever, as each line may have different policies regarding this.

[Essiesmom]

Welcome to Cruise Critic. When you get onboard, you will find that each cabin is assigned to a muster station, and that muster station is assigned to particular lifeboats. Those boats hold a finite number of souls. If there are a lot of quad cabins within your muster station area, and a lot of them have three and four people booked into them, you might not be able to add that fourth person because the lifeboats are full. Even if there are empty berths in the area. You would also have to have booked a cabin that will hold four - some don't. EM

[Keith1010]

Might be easier (safer) to add him with the original reservation and then if you need to, remove him later. As long as it is before final payment, it should be ok. Best to check with your cruise line, hoever, as each line may have different policies regarding this.

 

I like this approach.

 

Keith

[paul929207]

Welcome t oCruise Critic.

 

How soon is the cruise you are considering. In most cases final payment is due 75 days before you sail or when you book, whichever is later. After that you will not get all your money back is you cancel. Will your son know if he can get off before final payment?

[DanJ]

I agree with the approach of booking him now, and cancelling him before final payment is due if he can't come. If you use a TA, ensure they won't charge you a fee for this (the cruise line won't unless you are looking at Carnival Early Saver rates). Also, many cruise lines won't allow you to book a quad cabin if you only have 3 people, so waiting might mean there aren't any quads, or as also mentioned, the life-saving capacity has been reached.

 

There is also the chance that if you book the 4 of you, and cancel the one, the cruise line might move you to a three person cabin.

[Marie51]

If you want to put 4 people in a cabin then it must be a quad cabin to begin with. If you have a cabin for 3 people then you cannot add a 4th person.

[EGG]

This does not answer your question, so forgive me for posting if you know this, but cabins are very small. If you are looking at a suite, then disregard this post.

 

Cruise ship cabins are not your typical hotel room with 2 queen beds. The third and forth person may be in overhead bunk beds, or there may be one sofa bed for passenger 3 and 4 to share. While teenage boys are usually flexable (to sleep in bunk bed) and tolerent (to share limited space, no place to sit, run to a public bathroom), this may not be the case with father in law.

[SadieN]

Another idea is to book Junior and if he cannot go then substitute in FIL. Read Egg's post...s/he is right about the cabins, most are about half the size of a hotel room.

 

Check with the cruiseline. Some rates do not allow any substitutions. For example on Carnival the rate to watch out for is Early Saver, this rate is VERY restrictive and allows no substitutions and has penalties. ES is very attractive because it is usually the cheapest rate.

[hjcmom]

thanks to everyone for the responses...yall have given me a lot to think about. :-) Still not sure what we are gonna do yet, but I appreciate all the things brought up to consider.

 

Wish us luck!

 

Cindy In Texas

[Cruisin' Chick]

This does not answer your question, so forgive me for posting if you know this, but cabins are very small. If you are looking at a suite, then disregard this post.

 

Cruise ship cabins are not your typical hotel room with 2 queen beds. The third and forth person may be in overhead bunk beds, or there may be one sofa bed for passenger 3 and 4 to share. While teenage boys are usually flexable (to sleep in bunk bed) and tolerent (to share limited space, no place to sit, run to a public bathroom), this may not be the case with father in law.

 

Are you talking in general about adults, or did you change the second son into a father-in-law?:confused:

[EGG]

OP said that they would book for 3 and then add either second son or husbands dad.