Booking & paying for family out of state

[rbp3072]

Looking for advice from those who’ve booked/added multiple family members to an existing reservation I guess. Apologies in advance for the lengthy post…..

 

Hubby & I booked a cruise for our 10th anniversary in Feb ‘26. My father’s wife has previously expressed interest in them partaking in a renewal of vows, as he’s getting up there in age & has an assortment of health issues with the clock ticking, and wasn’t involved in our marriage itself, (cue typical political crap, family drama, etc). That said, we’ve all grown much closer over the years, to the point he was vital to helping me deal with my mom’s, (his first ex), passing during hospice in our home/care, and now in my mid-40s we’re in a good spot, visiting each other ~twice/year now, (us even taking my mom up to them over a weekend trip before she passed, and them driving down to us too, which was beneficial/healing for all I think). 

 

They seem onboard with a cruise, but I’d want to involve my MIL & husband’s two brothers too, as they’re all in Puerto Rico & weren’t involved in our marriage either, (though we’ve visited them a few times over the years as well, & flew my MIL to the mainland once too). My father & his wife would handle their own bookings, but we’d need to handle, pay & cover arrangements for my in-laws, primarily for socio-economic reasons, flights to/from SJU to FLL as well as the cruise itself.

 

Can I book for them if I have appropriate info, (ID/passports, etc)? Can I have things linked to our account, thus allowing easier booking of excursions, dining, etc? Have our CC be used for pre-cruise hold, incidentals and such, as they don’t have CCs? What about email addresses? 

 

While 10 years isn’t a huge mark IMO, (though maybe in this day & age it is, lol), trying to potentially add others onto our booking has me full of questions about how to do so, particularly for those who can’t afford such things themselves. Not that we should/need to, but it’d likely be the last chance to involve both our families who weren’t previously, and give my in-laws a well-deserved treat for all their support to us over the years for what they’ve been through on the island, (and where we plan to retire, as once my father & his wife pass, we have no one on the mainland, versus countless family in PR, and likely will care for my MIL when the time comes just as we did for my mom). 

 

Appreciate any thoughts/opinions/etc from those who’ve dealt with similar bookings and what you learned. 

[crystalspin]

4 hours ago, rbp3072 said:

Appreciate any thoughts/opinions/etc from those who’ve dealt with similar bookings and what you learned. 

We have taken family members on HAL cruises, using a Personal Cruise Consultant, and I did all the pre-sailing organization. Our dining times were linked (I think the 10-person table was the largest on the Zaandam, though), and we would all get together to recount how we had spent the day! There will be early or late fixed dining time.

 

I could and did sign everyone up for the same excursions. Everything went on our credit card; those with the ability did register their own CCs to their room number for incidental spending.

 

I recommend getting a PCC assigned to you. Call this number, and stay on the menu until it offers a real person, then ask to be given a PCC. 

1-800-355-3017

If they don’t seem to be up to the problem, repeat!

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

[POA1]

Have travel with IDs added to the bookings. The acronym is TWID. Dining tables larger than 8 are hard to come by and you really can't talk at a huge table. So, have your PCC or TA coordinate with Ship Services and onboard events tu get several tables together.

 

You're trying to pull off something a little complicated, so you will need someone competent. If you call in for a PCC, explain your whole situation to the supervisor. You're going to want a good rep from the start. I think you need 5 or more cabins to get group perks as a family group.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Ask Holland to link all the bookings together ..

[Ferry_Watcher]

10 hours ago, rbp3072 said:

They seem onboard with a cruise, but I’d want to involve my MIL & husband’s two brothers too, as they’re all in Puerto Rico

Just a heads up that Puerto Rican birth certificates issued before (July?) 2010 will not be accepted  as proof of US citizenship.  Hopefully, your in-laws either have their US passports, or a reissued birth certificate.

 

 

[Boatdrill]

Please don't attempt to make these arrangements on your own.  Use a travel agent, or as others have said, a HAL consultant.  You're making a large financial investment in this cruise, so  consider the cost of trip insurance or HAL's Cancellation Protection Plan (cancel for any reason) in case someone needs to cancel after final payment.