Cruising with Family Friends - Tips?

[twinsouvenirs]

We’re scheduled to go on a 2022 Wish sailing with family friends in connecting staterooms. We booked the rooms during the Silver window, and we have my husband as the head guest in one room and me in the other, although obviously we’ll break out by family in actuality. They have kids, we have kids—we’re in two 4Cs (deluxe family w/verandah).

Does anyone have any tips (or warnings) for traveling with another family, particularly if you have both rooms in your name? It occurs to me that because of the split, my husband and I may be on the hook for all charges (unless each adult can set up separate charging accounts?) and I forget if the folio notes who charged what like a Disney magic band will.

Any tips for getting to eat together, etc? Other fun ways to make it special for everyone together? They are first time cruisers, this will be our fourth but our first on the Wish obviously. Tips for getting along the whole time?

We have a total of 5 kids coming, 4 kids in oceaneer club age bracket and one 2 yr old.

It’s a four day sailing fwiw.

 

[nancipants]

I believe if your reservations are linked, you will be seated at a table together, but you can call DCL to confirm.

You can set each person to charge to a different credit card. When my husband and I sailed in the same room with family, we had our KTTW cards charge to our credit card. When we had a friend in our room, her KTTW card went to her own credit card.

It's different with family, obviously, but we usually plan excursions together and plan to eat dinner together. Everything else during the day is play it by ear. We usually pop in to each other's rooms to see what's going on or message each other on the app.

 

[Weedy]

Disney only allows kids under the age of 18 to get off the ship with the adults in the cabin they are assigned to. This includes Castaway Cay.
When you do your online login be sure to fill out the form that allows your children to get off the ship with your husband (and maybe the other adults in your party) Depending on the age of your kids you can also give permission for them to get off the ship without an adult. We did this when our kids were teens at Castaway Cay only.

You can also get an extra key card at guest services so the adults assigned to the other families cabin can open their cabin door.
Pre Covid Disney Cruise app allows you to text other people. But you have to set up your phones to accept each other. Not hard but it takes a few minutes. We usually do this at lunch the first day. This can’t be done until you board the ship. When you open the app it will walk you through how to do it.

 

[iadizfans]

Said by Weedy above... Be sure that when kids are going off the ship they need to be with an adult from their stateroom. Seen that create issues

 

[trivan]

It occurs to me that because of the split, my husband and I may be on the hook for all charges (unless each adult can set up separate charging accounts?) and I forget if the folio notes who charged what like a Disney magic band will.

Don't let money issue come between friends. If you'll be on the hook and not willing to absorb charges that are in questions, make sure to have separate charge accounts. Anytime I cover charges for anyone I don't expect to be paid in return, if that $ is signifiant then I don't do it.

 

[meliscan]

When we traveled last with friends we used a trip splitter app so we could record who paid for what and the amount The app keeps track and at the end it tells you who owes what. Made it so easy to keep our charges separate. WE had a friend in cabin last time and as other posters said her credit card was tied to her key to the world card.

 

[CamColt]

We have traveled with our neighbors twice, WDW when our kids were 6, 6, 4 and 3, then again, DCL with them at 17, 17, 14, and 14. I think the biggest thing that made it work was, we all went into it saying, don't feel you have to do what we want to do, and don't be offended if we don't want to do something you are doing. Also, feel free to tell us if you want to do something alone. While I was the "expert" on the destinations, and the neighbors were new to it all, both times, we made it a point to say this is ALL of our vacations and we have to do what we want, how we want.

Sorry I have no advice about splitting rooms as we each had our own room.

 

[mevelandry]

You can get separate charging accounts. Even in the same cabin. My husband and I always do separate accounts.

 

[Travel60]

Traveled with another family once. Linked reservations so we ate together. Teen boys did almost everything together. Adults sort of did our own thing for excursions but did go to some shows and entertainment together. No expectations of being linked at the hip.

Sailed to Alaska with multiple generations of family. Each person from figured out which excursion they wanted to go in each port then we matched them up...or not. We sort of paired up differently in each port.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

We have traveled with our neighbors twice, WDW when our kids were 6, 6, 4 and 3, then again, DCL with them at 17, 17, 14, and 14. I think the biggest thing that made it work was, we all went into it saying, don't feel you have to do what we want to do, and don't be offended if we don't want to do something you are doing. Also, feel free to tell us if you want to do something alone. While I was the "expert" on the destinations, and the neighbors were new to it all, both times, we made it a point to say this is ALL of our vacations and we have to do what we want, how we want.

Sorry I have no advice about splitting rooms as we each had our own room.

This is exactly what we say when cruising in groups. There's no reason someone should be guilted into doing something he/she really doesn't feel like doing. There's no point in everyone standing around trying to all decide what to do by committee decision. We have had many cruises with multiple families (up to 19 passengers) and this always worked out for everyone. We ate dinner together and visited a beach together in Cozumel but otherwise we all went in multiple directions. Too much togetherness isn't fun either.

IIRC, I could pay for my son's expenses on my card even though he was booked into our friends' cabin.

 

[Weedy]

When you sign the kids up for the Kids Clubs give all the adults in the group permission to pick up the kids from both families.