Family bookings

[Royal_Cruiser]

My husband and I are planning on going on a 7 night RT Seattle cruise to Alaska in August 2016 with extended family. This will be the first time I've met any of my in-laws, and it will be the first time some of them have cruised at all and the first time any of them have cruised Royal Caribbean. As I'm the one with experience, I'm the unofficial planning coordinator for our group. Dream job! :D

 

But I don't know anything about kids. Help!

 

One family has 2 adults and 3 kids. How do I price rooms for them? I know only 4 can fit in a standard stateroom, so they'd have to price it as 2 rooms of 2 and 3, but what if they want some kind of suite? What's the trick for getting the website to tell me a price?

 

I know August 2016 isn't published yet, but I've been tracking the prices of August 2015 cruises to get an idea of what we'll be looking at. Plus, I want to be ready to book when the itineraries are published.

 

Also, is there ever a time when a room for 3 adults will price differently than a room with 2 adults and 1 child?

 

Has anybody else done something like this where you take several people new to Royal on a cruise with you? Will they give you the $25 OBC for Refer a Friend for each of them?

 

Thanks, everybody.

[Ourusualbeach]

The only way to price a stateroom that accommodates more than 4 is to call RCI directly ( or your TA can call ). There is no way to do this on line.

 

The price on a room for 3 will always be the same whether it's 2 adults and one child or three adults.

Edited August 7, 2014 by Ourusualbeach

[Royal_Cruiser]

The only way to price a stateroom that accommodates more than 4 is to call RCI directly ( or your TA can call ). There is no way to do this on line.

 

Thanks, Ken. That stinks, but it's good to know.

[Royal_Cruiser]

 

The price on a room for 3 will always be the same whether it's 2 adults and one child or three adults.

 

Thanks for this, too. That helps me save time when I price out various combinations.

[BearsAhoy]

We went with a Royal Family Suite, which was 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a sitting area. It was perfect for our group of six (my husband and I in one bedroom, my parents in the other bedroom, our kids on the pull-out couch), though it could sleep up to 8. Entitled us to suite perks, too :-)

 

 

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[Royal_Cruiser]

We went with a Royal Family Suite, which was 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a sitting area. It was perfect for our group of six (my husband and I in one bedroom, my parents in the other bedroom, our kids on the pull-out couch), though it could sleep up to 8. Entitled us to suite perks, too :-)

 

 

That sounds really nice. Unless some of us get a suite, we're probably looking at four cabins. A suite might give us some additional possibilities. Thank you.

[cb at sea]

You need to let THEM price their own accomodations. If you try and "help", you're going to be the "bad guy"...let THEM do it! That way, any mistakes or misunderstandings are their own. Keep yourself OUT OF IT!

 

You do NOT want to be in the same cabin as folks you've never met...family or not. Really.

Edited August 8, 2014 by cb at sea

[Royal_Cruiser]

You need to let THEM price their own accomodations. If you try and "help", you're going to be the "bad guy"...let THEM do it!

 

You do NOT want to be in the same cabin as folks you've never met...family or not. Really.

 

You raise a good point, but if anybody gets a suite, it will be the brother and sister whom I've not met and their families. Husband and I will have our own room regardless.

[Marie51]

I have planned a couple family cruises with the help of my travel agent. Do not try to do it all yourself.

Find yourself a good TA and give him/her all the info as far as family dynamics. Then you can have a list printed and hand out to each person booking a cabin with cabin types & rates. Give the name & number of the TA to call with questions so you are not caught in the middle.

Also ask if people want to be next to or near each other or not........... keeping in mind that some may end up on different decks depending on what type of cabin is chosen.

 

For a family of five we always get connecting cabins and do 2 in one and 3 in the other.

 

Good luck.

Edited August 8, 2014 by Marie51

[Royal_Cruiser]

I have planned a couple family cruises with the help of my travel agent. Do not try to do it all yourself.

Find yourself a good TA and give him/her all the info as far as family dynamics. Then you can have a list printed and hand out to each person booking a cabin with cabin types & rates. Give the name & number of the TA to call with questions so you are not caught in the middle.

Also ask if people want to be next to or near each other or not........... keeping in mind that some may end up on different decks depending on what type of cabin is chosen.

 

For a family of five we always get connecting cabins and do 2 in one and 3 in the other.

 

Good luck.

 

Connecting cabins sound like a good idea. One of the kids will be 20 years old by then, though, so they may not bother with connecting rooms and just get something near each other, especially if they do ocean view and inside. Maybe across the hall. Ok, now I'm just thinking out loud.

 

I haven't ever used a travel agent, though I used to be one (in a call center anyway). Where's a good place to look for recommendations? Thank you.

[Marie51]

Connecting cabins sound like a good idea. One of the kids will be 20 years old by then, though, so they may not bother with connecting rooms and just get something near each other, especially if they do ocean view and inside. Maybe across the hall. Ok, now I'm just thinking out loud.

 

I haven't ever used a travel agent, though I used to be one (in a call center anyway). Where's a good place to look for recommendations? Thank you.

 

Look all over the internet. Look at travel sites.

We are not allowed to recommend a specific agent but mine gives OBC and other stuff and with a large group a good agent can put together a nice package for you.

Edited August 8, 2014 by Marie51

[mdjohn5]

The price on a room for 3 will always be the same whether it's 2 adults and one child or three adults.

 

 

This is not always true. Occasionaly they run a "Kids Sail Free" promotion were children under 18 as extras in the cabin (3rd or 4th) are free.

 

Outside of that though, the extra person charge is the same on RCCL for an adult ot a child.

 

That said, those promotions run infrequently so if the OP needs/wants to book as soom as the itinerary comes out, it probably won't help them, but I wanted to mention it in case somone else reads the thread.

[cello56]

Keep in mind too that if some of your group elect to book a suite, ONLY they will be allowed to have the suite privileges. Something to think about, since some people would be uncomfortable heading off to the concierge lounge each night for free drinks and leave the rest of their extended family behind.

[Silverhues]

This is not always true. Occasionaly they run a "Kids Sail Free" promotion were children under 18 as extras in the cabin (3rd or 4th) are free.

 

Outside of that though, the extra person charge is the same on RCCL for an adult ot a child.

 

That said, those promotions run infrequently so if the OP needs/wants to book as soom as the itinerary comes out, it probably won't help them, but I wanted to mention it in case somone else reads the thread.

 

 

Even though its called "kids sail free" RCIs promo has included any 3rd, 4th, and Sometimes more passengers in rooms that will hold them. They dont have to be under 18. Back in March, I found an amazing deal on a Royal Family Suite during the kids sail free promo for 8 people including my parents. We would have paid more to get two connecting balconies.

 

The sale is not always as good, but do check all your options. Actually the kids sail free promo has returned ( can choose between the ksf, bogoho, or obc). Some sail dates have better sales than others. Like already stated, you will need to call to get pricing for rooms that hold more than fourpeople, but it can be very worth it. Keep in mind that RCI also offers family oceanview staterooms that will hold up to 6 people ( separate bunkbed area as well as sofa bed) in addition to the two twin/ queen setup. Not as nice as the two bedroom suites, but price is normally significantly cheaper.

[WinterEscape]

We have done numerous family and friend cruises. One even included over 50 people going ;) I agree with precious posters and strongly recommend you find a good TA very familiar with cruising and let them handle all the bookings, pricing info, etc. We have always done this and it works great! It is so much easier then we have booked land based vacations as a group. We simply book our room(s) and tell our friends and family we are going on this cruise on this date and booked with this TA. That way, they can book with your TA or another, they will end up on the same ship, and you never have to stress about other people's money or accommodations.

 

 

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