Welcome back to the Moms Panel, Charles!
You have some great questions about your upcoming cruise so I'm glad you stopped by for clarification! When you book your Port Adventures and Palo reservations they will not be charged until during your sailing. They will show up on your onboard account which will be linked to your "Key to the World" card. When you complete your online check-in, you will link one of your credit cards to your account.
Gratuities are a wonderful way to show your appreciation for the wonderful crew that will provide you with the best personalized service on the high seas! Disney Cruise Line does charge the suggested amount of gratuities to your onboard account during your sailing. On the last night of your cruise, you will receive prepaid gratuity vouchers in your stateroom to distribute to your stateroom host/hostess and dining servers. If you do not want the gratuities charged to your stateroom and would rather pay cash, you will need to visit Guest Services upon boarding so they can make a note of it on your reservation.
Since two of your kids will be with the grandparents, you have two options. When you complete your online check-in you should be able to link your credit card to their room if your reservations are linked. Any charges made for them will go on your card & not theirs. If that doesn't work, you can always stop by Guest Services by the last night of your sailing to pay off their portion of the charges. When you log-in to your cruise reservation at
www.disneycruise.com you should be able to see if the reservations are already linked. If not, give Disney Cruise Line at call at (800) 951-3532 to speak with a Cruise Reservation Agent about this matter.
Thanks so much for the questions, Charles! Please keep me posted if you think of anything else.
Have a magical day!
Nancy