Gold CC traveling with Silver

[tjkraz]

Taking a cruise later this year with some friends. Wife and I are gold CC members. Friends in neighboring cabin are silver. Also we booked through a travel agent while they booked direct thru Disney. Our reservations are linked up so we'll share the same main dining table.

Any advice on how to handle booking of excursions and maybe Remy / Palo? We want to do the same things together. It's my understanding that we won't be able to book those activities for the entire group of 4 during the Gold window. Is there any advantage to booking for my wife and myself, and trying to add them on when the Silver window opens?

 

[ilovebassets]

We have the same thing--we are gold, and the extended family are all silver. I just booked for our family as soon as I could, and then they booked for their families as soon as they could. While we had no problems with shore excursions, but we were not able to line up all the wine/liquor tastings that we wanted to. Palo brunch was also sold out by the time our silver family members were eligible to book.

So unfortunately, don't count on the silver folks getting everything that you do. I'm sure once onboard, that they will be able to get some of the things they wanted.

 

[Calantha]

As previous poster said, there’s no way around it. You just hope for the best.

When my husband‘s whole family travels together, we have two platinum members and two gold members, so they are spread out across four cabins of silver, so we have two platinum rooms and two gold.

Also, some of the platinum members don’t want to do tastings so they book and then we swap later. That doesn’t sound like it will work in your case unfortunately. Sometimes if they can at least book something then you can try to line them up when you get on board, but that’s no guarantee.

 

[auntlynne]

There may be an advantage to your booking when you can. If you get a table in Palo or Remy and they can’t get a reservation, I believe you have a better chance of modifying your table size once onboard.

We were able to switch dates on our last cruise because we had a reservation. Maybe it put us at the top of the wait list.

Tables for two in Palo can be hard to book. You might not even get one (we are Platinum; it can be a challenge for us).

First night specialty dining is usually easier to get. Consider that option.

The restaurant managers are available for bookings and modifying reservations on Boarding Day. The Cast Members on the ship can direct you where to find them (routinely outside Enchanted Garden in Fantasy & Dream, Deck 2, in Soul Cat Lounge - Deck 3, along the Promenade, just off the lobby).

If you book at your opportunity and then you want to book together when their window comes, you may have to cancel your reservation before you can put all 4 together. If you are fast on the computer and no one else is trying to get the same table, you might be okay. Or you could lose even the table you booked. Just a heads’ up.

Not all excursions sell out. And some become available as the cruise date approaches.

I’m not sure travel agents do anything regarding dining and excursions reservations - I think that is up to you (or the hosts for Concierge cabin guests).

Best of success in your booking adventures.

 

[Sarah Fallon]

I dont know if its a possibility since you're already booked, but you could see about switching the names and putting your wife in one room and yourself in another and then just switching it when you get on board. We did that on our 2022 cruise, but booked with me in one room and my husband in the other so we could book everything together with our first time friends sailing with us. Once on board we went to guest services to get them in the right room.

 

[Cfabar1]

With kids how does this work... If the adults say are Gold, but the kids are silver and they're all in one stateroom?

 

[Mommb]

With kids how does this work... If the adults say are Gold, but the kids are silver and they're all in one stateroom?

Everyone in a stateroom can book activities according to the highest Castaway level in the stateroom. So, if parents are Gold and kids are Silver, the whole family can be booked on excursions when Gold booking begins.