cabin change possibility

[bwood12043]

We are a group of five family members taking our first cruise in September on the Carnival Pride.

We have booked 3 Balcony cabins and tried really hard to get them all together. We even downgraded to upper deck so that we could at least get two of them together. And the other is one door up.

My question is: Has anyone ever had experience with changing cabin assignments if agreeable to all parties?

Not just for our convenience, but one cabin in our group will be smokers and if we could get the rest of us, who do mind it, on either end, might avoid problems for whoever is in cabin now in between us.

It's just a thought, but not sure who/how to approach or when.

Once everyone is on board and checked in, then a change could require all sorts of redoing S$S cards, etc. However, the "cabin in between" the one at the other end of us might prefer to one cabin further away from our "center" cabin smokers. Might out best for all, but just not sure if I would be "out of line" to check with desk at check in.

Might not even be worth mentioning. We were also hoping to get the balcony doors/partitions opened/removed in order for us (all family) to go between cabins easily.

Just wondered if this or similiar is a situation ever encountered by any of you.

 

[Gayle V]

Hello bwood, Well this is a question I've not come across before, hopefully one of our TA's here will see your question and offer some info.

Better yet, you should ask your own travel agent if trading cabins can ever be asked of those other passengers ahead of time. Because if this can be handled before sailing day, your TA is, of course the person who will have to deal with it for you. Don't even bother to try to deal with it yourself through the cruise line (I mean calling from home) because the cruise line will not deal with you directly if you have a travel agent.
If you don't have a TA and have booked directly, well then definitely call the cruise line and ask as soon as possible.

Either way, it will never hurt to ask. What's the worst that can happen? ...they say "no". Well in that case you're no worse off than you are now.

And if the TA/ or cruise line does say no, ask if a trade like that can be made while on the ship, if your cabin neighbors are willing to go along with it. Better to know now if they can't do that, so that you won't get your hopes up.

One note, if your only choice is to ask the neighbors to trade, after you are on the ship, I suggest you do your best to be on that ship as early as possible, so as to catch the neighbors as they enter their cabin. I think it would be really imposing on the neighbors to ask them to move if they have already started unpacking.

Also, take a really good look at the deck plans. Is there anything special about that cabin that the neighbors have? And is there any negative quality about the one you'd be offering them? I don't think it would be right to expect them to accept a lesser cabin than what they had booked.

It may be something very minor that would make it a lesser cabin to them. Such as having an upper birth in the proffered cabin. I personally avoid those cabins, as they give the room a closed in feel. It may not seem like a negative factor to you but, to someone who's a little claustrophobic wouldn't want that room. And on the opposite side of that situation, maybe their room has the third birth and they need it.

Also, I avoid cabins that connect to another cabin. Those cabins may only have a small chair instead of a love seat, or a little love seat instead of a sofa, to accomodate the door.

And for all you know they may have their kids booked in the room directly across the hall from them, and won't want to be any farther from them than that.

Whatever the situation, be prepared as there are many reasons you may get a "no" answer.

Good luck, and be sure to let us know what the TA says.

 

[bwood12043]

Thanks so much for your response, it is the only one I have had on this board.

I have just about decided to leave things the way they are.

This whole idea was really more to avoid offending someone in the "in between" cabin as smoking seems to be more offensive to everyone than ANYTHING else. I just wanted to give them an opportunity to switch if desired.

According to Carnival, the two cabins in question are identical and there are no cabins across the hall, elevators and atrium are there.

And who knows, the folks in that cabin might end up being the "fun, join the crowd" type and not mind our constant back and forth.

And of course, I would never even ask anyone who has unpacked and settled in.

Being 54 and having traveled with a pretty much helpless (when it comes to our wardrobe and stuff) husband for 34 years, one of the big pluses for me on this cruise is ONLY having to unpack ONCE. I would NEVER ask anyone else to do differently.

As is the goal of all cruisers, or should be, I want everyone in our party and all others on board to have the best trip possible.

We are not a wild and unruly bunch but do tend to sit up late and talk, especially my sis and I. And we are early risers, drinking coffee and talking again. My brother joins us at times.

Putting his cabin as a "buffer" of sorts just seemed like a good possibility if those other folks were early to bed type or late sleepers or also in the event of smoke tranferring into their cabin or balcony.

I will contact TA and see if she thinks it's even worth messing with. I guess I should have asked her first but it was the weekend and I just thought someone on boards might have come across this before.

Thanks again for the feedback.