How to accomodate twin babies in a cabin?

[frofro]

My friend has twin babies and next summer she would like to go on a cruise with them and her husband. My question is, do they book a regular double cabin and bring in cribs, or do they have to take a quad or a minisuite? They will be 18 months at sailing...

[Toto2Kansas]

My friend has twin babies and next summer she would like to go on a cruise with them and her husband. My question is, do they book a regular double cabin and bring in cribs, or do they have to take a quad or a minisuite? They will be 18 months at sailing...

 

 

This could be a real tough one. Even in a mini suite, fitting in two cribs would be very tight and they would have to be right next to each other in the sitting area which would mean no access to the balcony and no divider or curtain between them and the parents. That is IF two could fit, and I am not really sure if they would.

 

Regular cabins and balcony cabins are all the same size, they just have two extra drop down bunks to make them a quad cabin. There is no extra floor space whatsoever, just the two extra bunk beds. And they definitely would not be large enough for two cribs.

 

I would suggest your friends might look into a Disney cruise, where they are used to accomodating many smaller children with cabins large enough for two cribs. ;)

[cruiser113]

Some options to think about. Can the twins share one crib?

 

18 months might be a little young to sleep in a bed, but they could get a quad room and the twins could have the lower beds and the parents the upper beds.

 

They will also pay 3rd and 4th person fee as well as the auto tip will also include them.

[Colo Cruiser]

I doubt they will do more then one crib in a mini or a reg cabin.

[Pam in CA]

My friend has twin babies and next summer she would like to go on a cruise with them and her husband. My question is, do they book a regular double cabin and bring in cribs, or do they have to take a quad or a minisuite? They will be 18 months at sailing...

No matter what type of cabin they book, they will have to make sure that the cabin is "rated" for four people. This is completely independent of whether you have cribs, beds, etc. Regardless of age, the cabin must be marked for four people, not two or three. This is based on lifeboat capacity, not bedding.

 

Their best bet is to call Princess and ask their advice. I'd call again and ask the same question as the Customer Service Reps are not known for their accurate answers. :( A good, knowledgable TA who specializes in Princess could also assist you.

[BobT172]

I would suggest your friends might look into a Disney cruise, where they are used to accomodating many smaller children with cabins large enough for two cribs. ;)

 

Toto's suggestion is certainly something to consider. Disney is certrainly better at accommodating the needs of such younger children. My daughter took her two young girls on a Disney cruise and raved about it...she especially liked the baby sitting services so Mom and Dad could have some time to themselves.

[Toto2Kansas]

.she especially liked the baby sitting services so Mom and Dad could have some time to themselves.

And just to add one more thought to the above.

 

Princess does not offer any type of babysitting for children under 3 (and they must be potty trained). No out of cabin or in cabin babysitting. And the staff on princess are not allowed to moonlight as baby sitters after hours. ;)

[Broncobru]

It might be a good time for the parents to get away and let Grandpa & Grandma watch the babies;). I think if I had twins, I would need a break :eek:. It would be very costly paying for 4, especially when there really isn't a price break for 3rd and 4th person. Just a suggestion.

[frofro]

Thanks everyone for your input! I really appreciate it... I think it's a good idea to check directly with Princess...thanks again :)

[momzcruzing]

There is a section on the boards about "family cruising" that may have a lot more answers.

 

This past Feb we cruised as a family. We were in a Junior Suite on RCCL and there was plenty of room for two cribs, with an easy chair between them to block the view. Still had easy access to the balcony.

 

The room was about 3 cabins from the stairs where there was a lounge. Every night and naptime I'd close the curtains, put baby down and leave with the door locked and the baby monitor on. I could visually see and hear the door, to know it wasn't opened. And I could hear if the baby needed me. And I had the lounge area to play board games &/or read while baby slept. It was a relaxing fun cruise. It is very possible and enjoyable.

 

Also the closet on a Junior Suite is HUGE, more than enough room for 2 cribs and lots of clothes too!:p

[RickEk]

It might be a good time for the parents to get away and let Grandpa & Grandma watch the babies;). I think if I had twins, I would need a break :eek:. It would be very costly paying for 4, especially when there really isn't a price break for 3rd and 4th person. Just a suggestion.

 

I agree with this... leave the babies at home. It's not like they will remember anything about the cruise and the parents will spend all their vacation time dealing with them (not that that is a bad thing), but why not get some alone time for a week or so? :)

[boating girl]

I concur with the others; leave the twins with grandparents. There are lots of other vacations they can take with the twins that would be more enjoyable and less expensive.

Your friend should wait til they are a little older and all of them would enjoy the cruise more.

[Buddy604]

If your friend wants to bring the twins, Princess will require they book a quad cabin. All passengers over 12 months are treated the same for fare and occupancy regulations.

 

Now, Princess offers both traditional cribs as well as pack-n-play cribs. The traditional wooden crib is 25.6 inches wide and 37.4 inches long. The pack-n-play is 24 by 38.

 

I'm not sure what ship your friend is looking at, but if the twins can't share one crib, they would probably need a minisuite or larger. if you moved both bedside tables to one side of the queen bed, you could probably fit one crib beside the bed, and the other in front of the couch if you moved the coffee table - or set a pack-n-play up on the sofa bed.

 

Another option is to bring along a grandparent or a young relative willing to babysit in exchange for a free cruise and a stipend, and get a regular balcony cabin with a triple inside across the hall. Or a triple balcony for one crib and a double inside across the hall for the other crib and the babysitter.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Just an aside regarding telling people to leave toddlers with grandparents: not everyone has them. I lost all of mine before I hit 12. And my 12-yr-old is down to her last grandparent. And she's not capable of taking care of another person.

[Gairy Fodmother]

Way out there I know lol, but I actually LIKED having my children/babies with me on holiday. Shocking I know ;)

 

But having said that I wouldn't have taken them on a cruise ship, they got into all sorts of things and I'm pretty sure they would have been fished out of the sea a few times.

[blazerjan]

My son, DDL and three grandkids had a family stateroom on RCCL Independence of the Seas and it was plenty big enough for two pack and plays ..which RCCL provides. Theirs was a promanade stateroom.. however the ship also had a couple of these as insides. They loved it as we were accross the hall in a balcony and their fare was actually cheaper per person then ours.

[tmitchell82]

You could get a minisuite and bring along 2 pack and plays and they would fit. It would be tight, but I think it's doable. As another poster mentioned, you would need a cabin for 4 people. Your friends could always book a suite in which case there would be plenty of room for the pack and plays. Downside is that they would have to bring the pack and plays with them.

[boating girl]

Way out there I know lol, but I actually LIKED having my children/babies with me on holiday. Shocking I know ;)

 

But having said that I wouldn't have taken them on a cruise ship, they got into all sorts of things and I'm pretty sure they would have been fished out of the sea a few times.

 

I, too, have enjoyed my grandchildren (babies, too) on vacations. I just don't think the parents would enjoy the cruise with 18 month old twins since they

can't go to the children's program and there is no babysitting for that age.

If no grandparents are available to help, maybe another close relative could help out. I think the idea of bringing help along and having another cabin

sounds great if they can afford it.

[Essiesmom]

The problem with suggesting a suite other than a mini is that few are rated for four people. And those that are are the really pricey ones. Of the mini-suites I looked at, it appeared there would be plenty of space in the sitting area for two cribs if you moved the small table and single chair. But you would have to walk past them to use the balcony. EM

[Crowsie]

If you are flying to port, you'll also need to consider how much in baggage fees it will cost you to ship diapers, wipes, baby food - if they are picky, pack n plays (if you don't want to use Princess') etc. The extra luggage you'd need for twins seems daunting. It might be cheaper to send your luggage via UPS rather than the airline.

You didn't ask...but if it were me...I find a way to leave them home. We traveled extensively all over the world (cruising and land) when our kids were that age. We didn't start bringing them on cruises til they were tweens...and now they are hooked!

[Colo Cruiser]

My son, DDL and three grandkids had a family stateroom on RCCL Independence of the Seas and it was plenty big enough for two pack and plays ..which RCCL provides. Theirs was a promanade stateroom.. however the ship also had a couple of these as insides. They loved it as we were accross the hall in a balcony and their fare was actually cheaper per person then ours.

 

A Family Suite on Princess would be in the $8-$10k range.

[Sammy Sails]

We have 5 yo b/g twin grand kids.

We will be on Fantasy7/17/10 with a family group of 10. We were concerned, but finally managed to put the family of 5( M,D, 9yo & twins) into 2 adjoining cabins. Dad & Son in 1 and M & 2 girls in the other.

Had originally planned for a cabin for 5, and Carnival insisted that they could do it.(celebrrity has what they call the family suite that can easily accomidate 5) Their outcome of King, 2 pulldown bunks and a rollaway was not hitting well with Mom of 3, since none of her kids had ever slept in top bunks.And the rollaway made the cabin too"full"...

Good luck,but if you need 2 cribs, I would get the least expensive connecting cabins and you'll have enough space for all.

[blazerjan]

A Family Suite on Princess would be in the $8-$10k range.

 

This was not a Suite..... but a famly stateroom... we certainly didn't pay anywhere near that.

[Toto2Kansas]

A Family Suite on Princess would be in the $8-$10k range.

 

Yep, the first four in the family suite on princess ships pay the regular full suite rate.

[blazerjan]

A Family Suite on Princess would be in the $8-$10k range.

 

Just checked my cruise papers from IOS.. we paid $4300 for all five in the family stateroom. The 3rd, 4th, and 5th pax were $600 pp. This was an 8 day cruise too.