Changing a Booking After You Book: Names, Guests and Beds on Two Legs

Adding a guest, fixing a name or splitting the beds is done one booking at a time. With two legs that is two jobs. Here is what the line says.

Royal Caribbean says name changes and substitutions must be made before the final guest list is sent to the ship, so make them early. Each leg of a back-to-back is its own booking, so a change on one leg does not change the other. If a name is wrong, a guest drops out or you want the beds set differently, do it on both.

What the line says

• Adding a guest. It depends on the ship and the room, for example how full the sailing is. Call Royal Caribbean if you booked direct, or your travel advisor if you booked through one.
• Name changes. First or last names, or a substitute guest, can be changed on all but one of the original names on the booking. This must be done before the final electronic manifest goes to the ship.
• Flights. If you booked air through the Air2Sea program and the flight has been assigned, a change may cost extra.
• Groups. Names can change until the final option date, 180 or 120 days before sailing depending on the length of the cruise.
• Beds. You can ask for a bed setup when you book by phone. After booking, change it under Manage My Cruise, by phone or through your travel advisor. On board, ask the housekeeping staff. Some suites have a Royal King bed that cannot be split into two twins.

Changing your room

The same page says almost every room is full, so it is very unlikely you can change or upgrade your room on board, and it strongly recommends booking the category you want. If a room is free for a complimentary upgrade, the line says it emails the address on file. Before you sail, it asks you to call customer service.

What it means for two legs

The page does not talk about back-to-backs. Our reading is that the two bookings are changed separately, and the deadline for each is the date its own guest list goes to the ship. We could not find that date, so do both changes well ahead, in the same call. A different spelling on the two bookings can cause trouble when you are handed the new Sea Pass card on turnaround day.

• Names must match your travel document on each leg. See passport or birth certificate.
• Cancelling one leg is a different job, covered in cancelling one leg of a back-to-back.
• Different rooms on the two legs. The crew moves your bags. See turnaround day.

Plan for it

1. Check the names on both bookings against the travel documents.
2. Decide the bed setup for each leg and ask for it in the same call.
3. Make any name change long before the first leg sails, and do the second leg in the same call.
4. If anything is unclear, ask the line which booking you are changing.
5. Use legtolegcruises.com to find the two legs.

Sources

The legtolegcruises.com Logbook is independent editorial and is not affiliated with Royal Caribbean International or Club Royale. Offers, fares, and program rules vary and change often; confirm every detail with Royal Caribbean before you book.