Swapping rooms within our group

[imcrafty]

Back Story...My Mother-In-Law has planned our cruise through a travel agent for 14 family members. When we were booked, the agent didn't match up families well and also because of an odd ratio of kids to adults some adults are not with their kids but with nieces/nephews.

 

Is it possible to swap rooms before we board or should we take care of that when we board? Will there be a problem if the kids want to be together if the parents are next door or across the hall?

[neverbeenhere]

Extra cards can be made onboard. Kids in a room would be fine, but you can not “officially” have just kids in a room.(thus the extra cards). 

Edited November 13, 2019 by neverbeenhere

[imcrafty]

1 minute ago, neverbeenhere said:

Extra cards can be made onboard. Kids in a room would be fine, but you can not “officially” have just kids in a room.(this the extra cards). 

OH PHEW!!!  Extra cards would be wonderful!!!! Thank you!!!!!

[CaribbeanIsland]

I would worry about the credit card situation.

[imcrafty]

1 minute ago, CaribbeanIsland said:

I would worry about the credit card situation.

So we have the credit cards tagged to the correct families and so the Medallions would be correct.  The issue would be that, for example, my medallion won't open my room but a room across the hall.  But extra room cards could help that, I think.

[neverbeenhere]

Yes, the extra cards will give access to the “correct” staterooms. 

[cr8tiv1]

Legally...."a bunch of kids" underaged, can not be all in the same cabin without an "adult".

 

How many rooms were incorrectly assigned?  This sounds like a nightmare.  Good luck.

[pms4104]

Have the TA fix this before sailing ... at his/her expense because he/she messed up 

[skynight]

You can change once on board subject to restrictions mentioned in the passage contract.

"For family groups booking multiple staterooms, the minimum age for at least one person in each stateroom is 16 years of age, provided they are traveling with a parent or legal guardian."

[junglejane]

We've booked multiple cabins for family members and made changes once onboard. We've done this many times although not since the introduction of the Medallion system, and our group was all one family.  For years, we booked me and DH in different cabins. We did this because DH and I each separately own Carnival stock in our respective retirement plans, and we wanted to get the shareholder benefit for two cabins. Then once we got onboard we would go to the passenger services desk and get extra keys. We never encountered a problem doing this onboard. 

 

One thing we learned was that the cruise credit (toward Captain Circle status) was tied to the original booking, not what happened once onboard. For example, one time we had me booked in a balcony with DD#2 and DH in the inside with DD #1. I took an upsell to a suite. We switched once onboard and DH got the onboard suite benefits. But DD #2 and I both got the extra cruise credit, not DH. I recently read that they've stopped giving the extra cruise credit for suite upsells, but at the time they gave them. Another time we booked 3 cabins because DD#1 brought an SO. So DD#2 was going to be a single. But we booked me in the single instead because I was the closest to Elite and wanted the extra cruise credit. Again we had no trouble switching once onboard (this was when DD#2 was 17 years old).

 

As @skynight points out, the rule on booking minors is that at least one person the cabin must be 16 or over, and they must be traveling with a parent or guardian. So you could theoretically book a 16 year old with a younger kid or kids in a cabin by themselves, as long as a parent or guardian was traveling too.

Edited November 13, 2019 by junglejane

[Rick&Jeannie]

Most of what has been shared is definitely the "official" story...but we have seen exceptions.  On at least 3 occasions, we have booked 3 rooms all together and placed 3 kids in the middle room.  The last time this was done one of the kids may very well have been 16, but not on the previous cruises.  

 

Also (while this next point really doesn't count since it was on another cruise line) we had one instance where the 3 kids were directly across from the 2 adult rooms in interior cabins.  Perhaps the cruise lines have gotten pickier...perhaps there is some "leeway" depending on who you talk to.