Hiya, Barbara!
Thanks for reaching out to us at planDisney. My family usually needs to book two staterooms for our Disney Cruise Line vacations too. I'm happy to share how we plan our cruises.
To start planning your cruise, here are some items to consider:
- Port of departure (We often choose cruise itineraries that depart out of San Diego because it's closest to where we live.)
- Vacation dates (Pick the season of the year or specific dates that work best for individual and group schedules.)
- Itinerary preferences, including destinations and durations (Our family was really eager to experience Alaska for our first Disney cruise. Or your party might be particularly interested in experiencing Disney's newest exclusive island paradise: Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point.)
- Disney Cruise Line fleet (Choose a ship that features entertainment, venues, or other features that excite you most.)
- Special seasonal or limited-time themes (For example, you may choose from Halloween on the High Seas, Very Merrytime Cruises, Marvel Days at Sea, and more.)
The Find a Cruise page on the Disney Cruise Line website makes it easy to narrow down options to what would work best for you. For example, if a particular themed or holiday cruise is your most important deciding factor, you can use the "More Filters" feature to select only itineraries that match what you are looking for. You can also filter for certain upcoming months, departure ports, destinations, and more.
Once you settle on a particular itinerary, you can proceed with finding available staterooms to meet your needs. When using the Find a Cruise tool, enter the number of adults and children in the first stateroom, then click "Add Another Stateroom" to indicate you are looking to book multiple rooms and fill in the number of passengers in that room too. You can book up to four staterooms at a time using the online tool. A feature of Find a Cruise that should come in handy for your planning is the "Connecting Rooms" selection. After you use the "View Staterooms" link to advance the cruise booking process, you'll find the "Connecting Rooms" selector on the screen where you confirm the number of Guests in each stateroom. Then when you continue with the "Confirm Travel Party" button, the tool will search for all available connecting stateroom pairs on that cruise itinerary. Of course, if you don't happen to find your desired stateroom options available, you may return to the Travel Party confirmation screen to disable the Connecting Rooms selection, which may open up even more stateroom options, though they wouldn't necessarily have connecting interior doors between them. For additional support in finding the perfect cruise itinerary and staterooms, you're also welcome to speak with a Disney Cruise Line Cast Member on the phone.
Barbara, your dream of a special granddaughter trip on the Disney Cruise Line sounds magical. Whether you spend time together on late-night walks or just enjoy the many activities and entertainment options on your ship, I'm sure you'll make lasting memories together. Please visit us again here at planDisney if we can help refine your vacation planning even more.
Have a magical time, Barbara!
~Tony