Placeholder question

[Jamiecruiser]

We recently traveled on the Fantasy with my elderly parents who are married and who had their own stateroom. On board they decided to book a placeholder for another cruise this summer.
My mother had the app on her phone, but my father who is 78yrs old does not use a cell phone. My mother booked the placeholder, but upon returning home and struggling with some
back troubles, has decided to not go on the next cruise. My father still would like to go, but the travel agent says he cannot use the placeholder because his wife won't be there. This seems
unfair to me. They are a married couple...why would he not be able to still take advantage of the 10% that she booked? Any advice is appreciated. Thank you

 

[RedHead0186]

I'm not quite sure what advice you're looking for. If the TA said no, it's probably a no. You could try to call DCL directly to ask, but if the placeholder goes through your TA DCL might tell you to go through your TA. But you can try asking the question in general. But my understanding is that placeholders are booked and 'held' by specific people, not staterooms. So fi your mom booked the placeholder, it's her placeholder.

I can imagine, from DCL's perspective, that allowing people other than the person who booked the placeholder to use it could lead to a lot of abusing the system, which I would imagine could be why that rule is in place.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I'm not quite sure what advice you're looking for. If the TA said no, it's probably a no. You could try to call DCL directly to ask, but if the placeholder goes through your TA DCL might tell you to go through your TA. But you can try asking the question in general. But my understanding is that placeholders are booked and 'held' by specific people, not staterooms. So fi your mom booked the placeholder, it's her placeholder.

I can imagine, from DCL's perspective, that allowing people other than the person who booked the placeholder to use it could lead to a lot of abusing the system, which I would imagine could be why that rule is in place.

I believe when booking a placeholder, the requirement is how many placeholders they can book "per address". If Dad was on the same cruise as Mom when she booked it, and they live at the same address, it seems to me (totally my opinion) that Dad could use it, also.

I second the "call DCL and get clarification", though. It's not unusual for TAs to not understand the intricacies of some policies.

EDIT: I looked up the "fine print" on placeholder bookings, it says "valid on up to 2 staterooms on one sail date per household onboard"

 

[RedHead0186]

I believe when booking a placeholder, the requirement is how many placeholders they can book "per address". If Dad was on the same cruise as Mom when she booked it, and they live at the same address, it seems to me (totally my opinion) that Dad could use it, also.

I second the "call DCL and get clarification", though. It's not unusual for TAs to not understand the intricacies of some policies.

That's a good point that they limit placeholders "per address," not "per person." Hopefully a call to DCL can clear this up for the OP.

 

[Jamiecruiser]

I'm not quite sure what advice you're looking for. If the TA said no, it's probably a no. You could try to call DCL directly to ask, but if the placeholder goes through your TA DCL might tell you to go through your TA. But you can try asking the question in general. But my understanding is that placeholders are booked and 'held' by specific people, not staterooms. So fi your mom booked the placeholder, it's her placeholder.

I can imagine, from DCL's perspective, that allowing people other than the person who booked the placeholder to use it could lead to a lot of abusing the system, which I would imagine could be why that rule is in pla

That's a good point that they limit placeholders "per address," not "per person." Hopefully a call to DCL can clear this up for the OP.

Yes, they live at the same address. And were traveling under the same reservation on the cruise we just got off of. I was just looking for some advice to see

if anyone had any experience like this before.