Toddler sleepovers in Grandparents' cabin

[Spiralshell]

Forgive me if there's a thread on this already -- I looked and couldn't find anything.

We're cruising on the Carnival Miracle for our wedding and honeymoon in April, and bringing our 2.5 year old son with us. We're also bringing my fiance's parents, and they will take him for a few nights so we can have some time to ourselves.:cool: Has anyone done this where a child sleeps over in another cabin? Will the steward for their cabin be OK with making up the little couch for him to sleep on even though he's not actually resident in that room? (We would give a nice tip up front!)

 

Also, what's everyone's experience with a 2 year old sleeping on the couch? I bought a little inflatable travel bed for him (the kind with a sleeping bag and pillow built in) but it was made of the thinnest vinyl imaginable, and got several holes in it with only 1 use. So much for my plan to bring that along! So I'm hoping we could just have him sleep on the little couch. He has been in a big-boy-bed since 18 months, but it's just a mattress on the floor. He's never rolled off, thankfully! I do have a bedrail I could pack -- anyone tried to use one on the couch -- are the cushions liftable to get the bedrail bottom rail/supports underneath? This is my first cruise, so forgive my silly questions -- thanks!!:rolleyes:

 

Thank you very much for any experience / advice you can offer!

[lgionet]

Last year my son was 2.5 years old and he slept in Granny and Grandpa's room one night. My inlaws had a sofa-couch in their room. They asked the stewart in the morning to set up the safabed and when they got back from dinner that night it was set up. My son had a fun sleep over. My inlaws but some pillows on both side of him and he was ok.

[Marie51]

I have had my grandchildren in my cabin many times. Do you have a sofa bed in your cabin that the child can use? Some cabins only have a sofa or chair.....not a sofa bed so make sure your cabin is one with a sofa that opens up. If you are worried about rolling off, put a couple extra pillows on the floor for him to land on, but has never been a problem for me.

[CruisinFinsUp]

You should check on the deck plans for the ship if the grandparent's cabin is a triple or quad.

If it is, you can ask the steward to set up the 3rd bed - however, it likely will be a BUNK bed out of the ceiling, unless they have a larger cabin with a sofa bed. However, even if they have a larger cabin with a sofa, it may not be a sofa BED unless the cabin is a triple or quad. If it is just a sofa, I'm not sure if they'd be able to make it "sleepable". It really depends on the type of cabin that the grandparents have.

 

If a bunk: after the bunk is made up, you could yourselves move the mattress from the bunk to the floor, and haul it back up again in the morning (or tip really well??!! ) provided that there is enough floor space for the mattress.

 

If its a sofa bed: you might want to bring along a folding travel bed rail - if the ship is rocking, he may roll around and risk falling out.

[Jake&Amanda]

We cruised with our daughter and my parents when she was 20 months. She was out of a crib at home, but we used Carnival's crib in the room for sleeping. I just thought it was easier, and kept her "safer". Plus, I like using the couch for my luggage and junk. :)

She spent a night with my parents, and we just wheeled the crib over to their room.

[gerif]

If they have only a sofa, you could turn it around to face the wall so he will be enclosed on all four sides. It would be wide enough for a small child to sleep on - just ask the room steward to add sheets and a blanket.

[Spiralshell]

Thanks for the recommendations everybody! :) This is why I'm so glad I found cruise critic -- everyone is so knowledgeable and helpful! :D

[notentirelynormal]

The room stewards don't care. On one of our cruises I get a knock on the door. Imagine my surprise when the steward was standing there with a crib saying he was told I wanted one. Ummm, ok. My daughter sent it over because she just KNEW that we wanted to babysit. They set it up and made it up with turn down service every night. Sometimes he'd sleep there, sometimes just take his afternoon nap. No need to tip in advance, they do this all the time.

[nessz79]

The room stewards don't care. On one of our cruises I get a knock on the door. Imagine my surprise when the steward was standing there with a crib saying he was told I wanted one. Ummm, ok. My daughter sent it over because she just KNEW that we wanted to babysit. They set it up and made it up with turn down service every night. Sometimes he'd sleep there, sometimes just take his afternoon nap. No need to tip in advance, they do this all the time.

 

LOL- a not-so-subtle hint! ;)

[TupeloHoney]

My nephew slept on the turned Round sofa a couple of cruises. It worked great. Depending in your kid he might be perfectly happy to sleep on a folded up blanket in the floor. (my son would never go for that though!)

[Naomi John]

However, in November we cruise with another family who's child was a friend and same age as my own, (bout 5 years older then yours). When I met the steward, I asked if there would be a problem if our friends child stayed the night one or more times during the trip. She said no problem and made up our childs sofa to sleep two 8-9 year olds. The friend stayed only once, but our child had a nice big sofa bed to sleep on. (no pre-tip, but she was great and received a nice end of trip bonus!)

 

It doesn't hurt to ask.