Family of 5

[Cool Waters]

Hi,

 

Can anyone tell me which ships have rooms for families of five and where they sail out of? We would like to book a family cruise and I am interested in booking one room. It would be my husband and I and the kids...11, 6 and 5. Can you tell me if they fit five comfortably or is the room cramped. Thanks in advance.

[Crusin6]

We are a family of 6 and sometimes we cruise without the college age daughter. I can tell you that you have basically 3 options:

 

1. Book a cruise on one of the pre 2000 ships and get a cabin that will allow a roolaway...however, I have heard that is very cramped and not easy to book.

 

2. Book a cruise on one of the newer more expensive ships that have "family cabins"...but my research shows that is more expensive than what we do..as follows:

 

 

3. Book 2 connecting..not adjoining...oceanview cabins...you get privacy, 2 bathrooms and plenty of space......and the price is better..in most cases...than option #2 above...and way more space than option # 1 above.

[MotherofTrips]

We are also a family of 5, but book 2 rooms. It works out better with the bathroom and you have a lot more room. You could always book an outside cabin and and inside cabin across the hall. Even if you all plan on staying in one room, it would be cheaper.

 

I know the Dream has rooms that accomadate 5 and I think the Victory and Triumph does as well.

[lillian marie]

The family of 5 cabins are not bad, we have booked them.

[firefly333]

1. Book a cruise on one of the pre 2000 ships and get a cabin that will allow a roolaway...however, I have heard that is very cramped and not easy to book.

 

OP go to some site like cruisedeckplans.com and look at the dates the ships entered service. I think Triumph or the ship after was the last ship to enter service that allows 5 to a cabin....when they were grandfathered in.

 

(thats not counting the more expensive few Dream family suites .. which to me are too expensive to consider, better off with two cabins)

[stellatj]

i find it to crowded we just book 2 rooms next to each other.

[sbnuggie]

yup....just back from conquest yesterday and I gotta agree that connecting rooms is the way to go. I have a family of 5 (twin 8 yr olds and a 4 yr old) plus we took our nephew (just turned 18) so I had six total so we had two connecting ocean view rooms, 1 room we had a king bed only for mom and dad, other room we had an upper bed, the couch was made into a bed then we had a choice of a king or two twin beds, we opted just to keep it as a king bed and two of our young ones slept on the king nephew on the couch/bed and other child in upper. We had two bathrooms and plenty of room to walk between the two cabins. here are some photo's, the upper bed wasn't down and made up yet but gives you and idea

[Suntanz]

The Dream has Family Cabins for 5 that has 1 an 1/2 bathrooms. I have read good things about the rooms. It will be a little cramped, but we don't spend that much time in the room together anyway.

[laumicmah]

We do 2 cabins. It's cheaper than any of the family suites.

[nybumpkin]

Dream, Victory, Triumph, Destiny and the Fantasy-class ships have cabins that will take 5. Conquest-class and Spirit-class ships do not allow 5 in a cabin. We have done 5 in a cabin on Victory, twice, and it is doable - although we're spoiled and prefer booking one cabin for us and another for our sons. If you opt for five in a cabin, I would recommend that you get a cabin with a balcony - when dressing for dinner, we'd send the first dressed out to the balcony while the others showered and dressed. It was also nice for DH and I when youngest son went to bed early - we had our own space with the balcony.

[Cool Waters]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I called Carnival and asked them if the Pride out of Baltimore had a balcony and inside cabin that joined, and the rep told me no, but looking at the deck plans....they do...at the front of the ships on deck 5,6 and 7. Has anyone every booked any of these? How does it compare to being in a cabin toward the middle of the deck?

[MotherofTrips]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I called Carnival and asked them if the Pride out of Baltimore had a balcony and inside cabin that joined, and the rep told me no, but looking at the deck plans....they do...at the front of the ships on deck 5,6 and 7. Has anyone every booked any of these? How does it compare to being in a cabin toward the middle of the deck?

 

I don't know how a balcony cabin and inside could join. When we took my mother along we upgraded to the penthouse with a inside cabin across the hall. We originally thought we would all sleep in the Penthouse and put our luggage and use the additional shower in the inside, but my mother winded up sleeping in the inside most nights. The inside was very small and dark since there is no window. But she did say she slept well. The only draw back to booking two rooms is that you have to pay full fare for 2 of your kids, but it will be worth it!

[TexasTodds]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I called Carnival and asked them if the Pride out of Baltimore had a balcony and inside cabin that joined, and the rep told me no, but looking at the deck plans....they do...at the front of the ships on deck 5,6 and 7. Has anyone every booked any of these? How does it compare to being in a cabin toward the middle of the deck?

 

I looked at it on the cruisedeckplans website, and while yes, there are connecting interior/balcony rooms on those decks, each of those only hold 2 people...the ship was also built in 2001, so no rollaways are allowed. Good idea, but not for 5.

 

Someone else mentioned the Fantasy class ships and the destiny/triumph/victory...these can all accomodate rollaways, but only in certain cabins.

 

We are looking at doing a cruise on the Triumph, and I ended up making a spreadsheet of what rooms would work for our family of 5 (I know it will be tight, but my kids are sort of nervous sleepers, so at least we will all be close! :-)

 

Hope you find a room! Cruising with 5 is certainly more of a challenge, but it can be done!

[emtntn]

We cruised on the Inspiration with 5 and it worked fine but my youngest son was only 7 months at the time and he slept with me. Cruised on the Holiday with 5 in one cabin when my boys were 5, 7 & 9 and it was very cramped. Think goodness we had my sister and older son in next cabin and had another bathroom to share.

[Rosefloater]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I called Carnival and asked them if the Pride out of Baltimore had a balcony and inside cabin that joined, and the rep told me no, but looking at the deck plans....they do...at the front of the ships on deck 5,6 and 7. Has anyone every booked any of these? How does it compare to being in a cabin toward the middle of the deck?

 

Here is a thread about those cabins: inside and balcony connecting cabins

 

 

And another thread.

 

I went to the advance search option, using these terms "inside and balcony connecting", Show results as: threads, and Carnival Cruiselines.

 

In the forward cabins, you will feel more movement than in the mid to aft cabins.

[rjan67]

We also booked 2 cabins across the hall from one another. It retrospect I would have looked for 2 adjoining cabins. My dd (12) and ds (10) stayed in one and my husband, ds (7) stayed in the other. We were on the main deck of the Dream and the kids had a 1A with the portholes. We were also travelling with a family who had 5 and there room was a little tight but not bad. We got a couple extra key cards from guest services so that we were able to access both rooms. It worked out pretty well - 2 bathrooms, two tv's, a lot more floor space!

[Frenchsnowhite]

We are also a family of 5. First time we cruised with our kids we had 2 inside staterooms next to each other (no connecting) that was on the Glory.

The next summer we booked an inside for 5 on the Fascination out of Jacksonville and it was ok for 5 days.

 

Now we are booked on the Triumph out of New Orleans and we first booked an inside, but a month later we changed it for an ocean view that is bigger.

 

If money was not a problem, I would book 2 cabins or a suite, but since money is tight we book cabin that can hold the 5 of us and live with it!!!;)

[seguincruiser]

It depends on which ship your sailing but some of the family rooms (those that can take 5) are more expensive than two cabins. If you can try the connecting rooms and if kids are a little scared keep the door open between the rooms. When we took kids are the Ectasy are two girls (11,9) stayed in one cabin and our son (7) stayed with us. The girls wanted the connecting door closed but we wouldn't allow it.

 

Now that the kids are older we're looking at two balconies and having the divider removed.

[newbieMom]

We were just on the Splendor last week, family of 5 (kids 14,11, and 6), and did the connecting ocean view rooms. Same as last year on the Freedom. Honestly, it was great! My boys were on twin beds and my 6 year old daughter was quite comfy on the couch made into a bed, she had her own little area and it was relly cute. Also,Two bathrooms and plenty of space with no rollaway hogging up floor space, more counter space, more closet and storage space, an extra fridge.....and most importantly, another "window seat" :) We love to climb into the window and just relax and watch the waves. We left the door between open all the time (well, almost, LOL!) and it just felt so spacious. I can't imagine putting five in a room unless it was a huge suite? Whatever you choose, enjoy!

[DSA]

We did the Victory with our 3 kids (aged then 13, 10 and 7). We booked a balcony for 5 and it was perfect for us. The rollaway was folded during the day and the balcony space gave us the buffer zone we needed. We had done a O/V cabin for 5 before and found the extra space of the balcony really made the difference. Our next cruise will be in 2011 and our kids will be older so we will send them in a inside cabin across the hall and keep the balcony cabin all for us :D:D:D. We would not have done this split when our kids were younger.