Placeholder

DCLCrazy64622

DIS Veteran
Joined
Feb 27, 2017
hi everyone. Quick question, can I buy a placeholder for someone who has never sailed before? Can it be gifted?
 
My understanding (I may be wrong), you can purchase a second placeholder but only for the two to be used on the same cruise and the person who booked the placeholders has to be on the cruise.
 
Yes, you can book a placeholder for someone who has not sailed before. You need to book it with their name(s) and birthday(s). You do not have to be on that cruise.

But, bear in mind that you are only allowed to book one placeholder per cabin (if everyone in the cabin is residing at the same address). This means you would not be able to book a separate placeholder for yourself or a future cruise with all the onboard benefits.

If you were planning on going on the same cruise as your friends/family then you could pick a specific sailing date and book 2 cabins on that same cruise (1 for you and 1 for your friend). That's the only way to make 2 onboard bookings and receive all the benefits of onboard booking at the same time.
 
Yes, you can book a placeholder for someone who has not sailed before. You need to book it with their name(s) and birthday(s). You do not have to be on that cruise.

But, bear in mind that you are only allowed to book one placeholder per cabin (if everyone in the cabin is residing at the same address). This means you would not be able to book a separate placeholder for yourself or a future cruise with all the onboard benefits.

If you were planning on going on the same cruise as your friends/family then you could pick a specific sailing date and book 2 cabins on that same cruise (1 for you and 1 for your friend). That's the only way to make 2 onboard bookings and receive all the benefits of onboard booking at the same time.
I don't think I've ever heard someone say that you can book a placeholder for someone else and not sail yourself. If that were true, I'd expect to see a whole stack of posts with a, "Hey, I'll give you $250 to book a placeholder for me.", etc.
 


Do you plan to sail with this other party? And do you intend to book a placeholder for yourself? You are allowed to book 2 placeholders but for the same cruise. So you can book one for yourselves and one for the other family, assuming you will both be taking the same cruise. Be sure to have their names, birthdays and payment info.

Enjoy your cruise!
 
I don't think I've ever heard someone say that you can book a placeholder for someone else and not sail yourself. If that were true, I'd expect to see a whole stack of posts with a, "Hey, I'll give you $250 to book a placeholder for me.", etc.


Hmmmm, now that I think of it, when I booked for a friend I booked an actual sail date for them to get the onboard booking benefits (before they had placeholders). We did not have to book ourselves on that cruise as well. It was just their names on the reservation. Perhaps for a placeholder you can only use your own name? But if that was the case it doesn't really make a large difference to just book a sailing the furthest date you can so that your friend can still receive the OBB. That reservation can then be moved to the itinerary of their choice as much as they like as long as it is before the paid in full date.

I think that also people tend to use the placeholder for themselves rather than book for someone else. And also, it would be a bit shady to request random people on forums to make a booking for you because then you also need to provide them with all your personal details (names, birthdays, addresses) and essentially you would need to use your own credit card to pay for their booking first. A bit complex to have someone you don't know do it for you.....
 
My understanding (I may be wrong), you can purchase a second placeholder but only for the two to be used on the same cruise and the person who booked the placeholders has to be on the cruise.

This was our experience. It has been quite a challenge finding a time that works for both our family and the one for which we booked the placeholder. We finally settled on a short 3 day just because our children's school calendars are so different. So, OP, definitely keep that in mind when booking. We would have much rather done a longer cruise but were limited by what they wanted to do... If you don't travel together only the first stateroom (you) would receive the benefits.
 


I don't think I've ever heard someone say that you can book a placeholder for someone else and not sail yourself. If that were true, I'd expect to see a whole stack of posts with a, "Hey, I'll give you $250 to book a placeholder for me.", etc.
In the past I have been on a cruise where my wife and I booked placeholders for family members who were not on the current cruise with us, and did not book a placeholder for us. This is when were were planning a family cruise and needed 4 staterooms. We had been on an earlier cruise and on that one booked staterooms for my wife and I and another for one of our kids and her family.

If they insist that one of the placeholders has to be in the name name of someone currently cruising, and you want to book for someone and don't intend to cruise yourself, I would think you could always book 2. One for you and one for the other party. After your cruise, cancel the unwanted placeholder and get your $250 deposit back.
 

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