Placeholder?

[bobbiwoz]

A friend was going to be the third in our cabin next week and she had to cancel today for health reasons. I want to book a placeholder with the intent to go on a cruise with her when she can go. Do I have to leave the placeholder with Disney or can I transfer the open ended placeholder to a TA. Do I have to put her name on the placeholder, or book it just in my name?

Thank you.

 

[Mommb]

If you booked your upcoming cruise using a travel agent, you can book the placeholder with the same travel agent. I am not sure whether a placeholder can be transferred to a travel agent after it is booked.

You can book with just your name and add your friend when you have a real date. Since she won’t be on the cruise when you book, I don’t think there is any advantage to putting her on the placeholder sine she wouldn’t get onboard-booking benefits.

 

[Ravenne]

You can transfer your placeholder to a travel agent. You'll be given the choice to list the same TA as the current cruise or no TA at all. If you want to switch TAs, just don't list one when booking and transfer within 30 days.

The placeholder will automatically include the names of the people in your current cabin and only applies to those people. (Or so I'm told by DCL.)

 

[LAX]

You can transfer your placeholder to a travel agent. You'll be given the choice to list the same TA as the current cruise or no TA at all. If you want to switch TAs, just don't list one when booking and transfer within 30 days.

The placeholder will automatically include the names of the people in your current cabin and only applies to those people. (Or so I'm told by DCL.)

Is the bolded correct? I thought the discount would apply to the entire cabin booked with the placeholder, not just some travelers within a cabin.

LAX

 

[Ravenne]

Is the bolded correct? I thought the discount would apply to the entire cabin booked with the placeholder, not just some travelers within a cabin.

LAX

Right...it applies only to the people within the cabin you're booking under. Say you have momma, papa, brother, and sister in cabin 1234. Only those same people's names would be on the placeholder. I was told by DCL you can't swap out papa for grandma, for example. So in the OP's case, if her friend dropped out of the upcoming cruise, and friend's name is no longer on the cabin manifest, she can't book a placeholder and add said friend's name to it. Now, that's just what the CM booking my placeholder told me. I've seen otherwise on here, so ymmv.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I am the OP. I did not book our current cruise, Patricia did and used a placeholder from a cruise neither I nor Tina ( who had to cancel) were on. So, I am pretty sure I can book a placeholder and then take Tina on it. However Patricia booked the cruise through Disney. I want to know if I can change an unspecified cruise to a TA since Tina will not be ready to tell me when she will be able to go within a month.

I am not concerned about on board credit, the discount would be the reason I book a placeholder.

 

[Shanti]

I don't know about placeholders, but if it helps, I know that you can change a fellow traveler's name on a cabin you book via an OBC. I've done that before.

 

[olafLover]

.

 

[lanejudy]

Since the current cruise was not book through a TA, you do the placeholder direct with a DCL. When you get home, contact you TA to have it transferred. This must be done within 30 days, so don’t wait until day 29. Yes, a placeholder can be transferred to a TA. And no, the placeholder is not restricted to only passengers in the cabin for the current cruise; you can name whom ever you please when setting a date for the future cruise. The lead name (yours) must remain, that’s the only restriction for who can use the OBB.

Enjoy your cruises!

 

[bobbiwoz]

Thank you to all who have replied and who helped me understand. Usually I cruise with DH and he is the one who books and we usually have a specific cruise in mind. On our most recent cruise together, he booked us to Bermuda from NYC for later this year!

 

[LAX]

Since the current cruise was not book through a TA, you do the placeholder direct with a DCL. When you get home, contact you TA to have it transferred. This must be done within 30 days, so don’t wait until day 29. Yes, a placeholder can be transferred to a TA. And no, the placeholder is not restricted to only passengers in the cabin for the current cruise; you can name whom ever you please when setting a date for the future cruise. The lead name (yours) must remain, that’s the only restriction for who can use the OBB.

Enjoy your cruises!

The bolded is what I thought. Maybe I misread an earlier response. I thought that response meant the discount only applies to those that traveled on a prior cruise from which a placeholder was booked. Perhaps that's not what the poster meant to say. By the way, my apology to OP as I didn't mean to hijack the thread.

LAX