Ahoy there, Daryl, and welcome aboard planDisney! It's great to have you alongside as you prepare for an incredible Disney Cruise Line Vacation...and "Sacre Bleu! What is this?..." a Gold
Castaway Club member, too? In that case, I suppose I should add "welcome home!"
How exciting to be taking your grandkids on their first Disney Cruise! Sounds like they've got some great Grandparents...well, not great-grandparents, just...grandparents that are great...well... you know what I mean! I'm always in favor of getting little sailors on the way to Platinum Castaway Club status as early as possible, and this way they'll be silver by the end of June! With all the
fun and excitement in store for kids -
as well as adults - I'm sure they'll be begging to sail again before long!
Since you already know your status, (check) and that your booking window opens 105 days before embarkation day, (check, check) I'd say you're in a planDrew-approved spot when it comes to taking advantage of your Gold Status! I'm sorry to say, however, that since booking windows apply to the highest ranking Castaway Club member in each stateroom - even for linked reservations - the only way you would be able to book for the new castaways is if you were sailing in a Concierge stateroom.
While this is probably not the news you wanted to hear, I do have one recommendation to hopefully get you sailing in calmer waters!
If there is currently more than one adult in your stateroom with Gold Castaway Club status, you might consider
calling a Disney Cruise Line crew member and asking to divide your party differently between the two staterooms! By putting one Gold member in each stateroom, each room would then be able to book
Port Adventures and activities when the 105-day booking window opens! If you're in adjoining staterooms, that makes the logistics of entering the staterooms all the easier, too - and what's a few open doors between family, right? Love is an open door, after all!
If you decide not to rock the boat, so to speak, and activities for the first-time cruisers are fully-booked by the time their window opens, don't despair - keep checking for openings all the way until your sail date! Since activities must be confirmed or cancelled three days before embarkation day, I especially like to check the week of the cruise for any last-minute openings while my fellow cruisers solidify their plans.
With
so much included in your Disney Cruise Line vacation, you could easily fill the entire itinerary with the scheduled family activities that don't require reservations, too. So, if your party can't book everything together, be sure to check the
Disney Cruise Line Navigator app once you board for activities you can all attend!
I hope that helps you set a course for adventure with your crew, Daryl! Thank you so much for your question, and if you think of any others as your sailing gets closer, you know where to find me here at planDisney - just drop me a line any time!
Until then, I wish you fair winds and following seas!
Andrew