Ahoy there, Donita! Welcome to planDisney!
I would be happy to assist in sharing the guidelines for adding and changing a guest on your upcoming Disney cruise reservation.
Changing a guest on your reservation is classified under “modifying the reservation”.
Modifying the reservation without penalty depends on the timing up until your cruise. In most instances, if you decide to
modify the reservation prior to the final payment date, it’s as simple as modifying it under “My Reservations” on the Disney Cruise Line website or on the
Disney Cruise Line Navigator App. You would cancel one guest (the secondary guest you’re inquiring about) and add another. My recommendation is always to call Disney Cruise Line, or your travel agent if you used one, to assist with this, so that they can add the other guest. This ensures that it was done correctly and all guest and reservation information is accurate and up-to-date.
However, since your cruise is in 31 days, it becomes a bit trickier, as now, there are cancellation fees involved. This is because changing from one guest to another is considered a "cancellation", since you're cancelling one guest to add another in their place.
According to the Disney Cruise Line
Terms and Conditions, in most cases, you’re usually able to modify or cancel your cruise reservation without any penalty, 90 days before the day you embark on your cruise. Plus, the closer you are to the sail date, the higher the penalty fee becomes. For example, for most staterooms booked, at this point, 31 days out, the penalty fee is 50% of the vacation price per guest. This further depends on the type of stateroom booked, such as whether you booked a Guaranteed Stateroom, Room with Restrictions, Concierge Suite, or Concierge stateroom. Staterooms booked with restrictions won’t allow for refunds, as final payment was made at the time of booking.
Right now, to remove the current secondary guest and add another to your reservation, I recommend that you call Disney Cruise Line, or your travel agent if you used one, and inquire about modifying the reservation. It is highly likely that there will be a fee to do so at this point, but again, the exact penalty fee further depends on the stateroom type booked. They will be able to assist with this and offer guidance for your specific reservation.
Since your cruise is so close, (yayy!) I want to remind you to download the Disney Cruise Line Navigator App, if you haven't already. It's going to be your magical hotline for all things Disney cruise planning for the next month, as well as on board. Once on board, the app will have your
Rotational Dining schedule, any
reservations booked in "My Plans", as well as all of those fun Disney cruise things we love, such as endless fun activities all around the ship, Character Experiences, and so much more!
Donita, I hope this helped offer clarification. Your cruise is fast approaching, and I’m excited for you! I wish you the most wonderful memories on board! Please sail back to planDisney if you have any further questions.
Seas the Adventure,
Rana