GOLDEN PRINCESS question on triple or quad bedding

[KikiKruiser]

I've heard different answers- in a triple or a quad, can the lower beds be put together to make a queen? Are the ladders on the side or end of the upper bunks? Small kids in the upper bunks. Talking about ocean view on plaza deck. Thanks for your wisdom :)

[caribill]

Princess does not encourage putting the lower beds together as it can make access to the upper beds more difficult. There have been many posts that the cabin steward will put them together if you request it although you might not be able to request it in advance.

 

I think that access to the upper bunks can be done from the end although it is usually from the middle which lower beds together would not permit.

[berlingo]

From my experience floor space is limited in these cabins anyway especially with up to four of you getting ready. Often our daughters would jump onto their to read or listen to music during the day to have a bit of space to themselves.

 

IMHO having the bottom bunks made into a double would make the cabin very difficult to use.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk HD

[pablo222]

I've heard different answers- in a triple or a quad, can the lower beds be put together to make a queen? Are the ladders on the side or end of the upper bunks? Small kids in the upper bunks. Talking about ocean view on plaza deck. Thanks for your wisdom :)

 

On thing to consider -- on plaza, the upper berths are mounted on

the wall, so they stick out.

 

If you make the lowers into a queen, the aisle on each side of the

bed is very tricky. It's narrow, then starting about shoulder height,

the folded upper extends into the aisle.

[lpops]

I've heard different answers- in a triple or a quad, can the lower beds be put together to make a queen? Are the ladders on the side or end of the upper bunks? Small kids in the upper bunks. Talking about ocean view on plaza deck. Thanks for your wisdom :)

 

My DW, two granddaughters, and myself were on the Golden Princess last August for a 7 Day Alaska trip. We were in A329 (a Quad). We had our bed separated into two twins and our granddaughter’s beds came straight down from the ceiling directly over the two lower beds. The ladders were placed on the ends of the beds. It made for a tight walk around the end of the beds. We could have had the lower beds together but it would have been difficult for the inside lower bed occupant to get up without waking the other. It was not a real issue because our steward was very timely about putting the beds up in the morning and dropping them down just before bed time. Hope this helps.

[KikiKruiser]

Thanks all for your feedback. The youngest is almost 3 yrs old and frankly might rather want to jump into bed with parents rather than be all by her lonesome in an upper bunk! What about the configuration of just one bunk above for the older sibling and still moving the twins together below?? Would that work or still be tight? Talking about an ocean view down on plaza deck if anyone has experience with that configuration??

[floridarob]

Thanks all for your feedback. The youngest is almost 3 yrs old and frankly might rather want to jump into bed with parents rather than be all by her lonesome in an upper bunk! What about the configuration of just one bunk above for the older sibling and still moving the twins together below?? Would that work or still be tight? Talking about an ocean view down on plaza deck if anyone has experience with that configuration??

 

Like everyone said, the upper beds on this deck are attached to the wall. So even if there were only 2 people in a room like this, putting the lower bunks in a queen configuration is uncomfortable because whenever you get up, you'd be hitting your shoulders or head on the extruding upper beds.

 

The upper decks that have them lower out of the ceiling are better.

[cherylandtk]

Kiki,

What you are describing can be done; the real question is how comfortable and convenient you as a family will find the configuration.

 

The side aisles in a queen setup are only the width of the night table, maybe 20 inches? In the twin set up you get twice that in the middle of the room. With the upper bunk(s) on the wall, you have about 10 inches from the shoulders up taken away. With the bunks in use, you will have to either duck walk down the aisle to get into bed or crawl in from the foot. The ladders can be placed either at the side or at the foot of the bunks, but most people find they are in the way either location and sort of prop them up out of the way when not in actual use.

 

You will still have to address these issues with just one bunk down, too. Some families prefer the queen set up regardless of the inconveniences with access; others decide that they prefer the larger open space in the middle of four twins against the wall rather than trying to use the two lower beds together.

 

I have included links to a couple of pictures. The first is an inside room on the Coral, but it gives you a good perspective of the side aisle and the location of a upper bed over a queen (see the outline in the ceiling) Bear in mind your upper beds on the Golden OV will be attached to the wall, not hidden in the ceiling.

 

Second picture shows part of the actual arrangement you will have, but is from an angle and does not show the aisle space as well. It does however, show you the ladder in use at the foot of the bunk, extending into the entry 'hall'.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=38200598&postcount=5

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=39104494&postcount=16

Edited March 10, 2014 by cherylandtk

[KikiKruiser]

THANKS for the photos... visuals really help. I've never personally experienced a triple or quad before. Guess we can wait until we get onboard... and hope we have a patient cabin steward! Thanks all for your feedback.

[giselleacttwo]

We've done this with pull down from wall bunks on a 14 day cruise on the Golden and it was just fine. It's really personal preference whether you have the lower berths made up as twins or a queen. We personally didn't mind "scooting" out of bed in the morning (we scooted out the bottom rather than bend over to walk underneath the upper bunks) but those with mobility issues or those easily annoyed by having to do such a thing would probably prefer two twins.

[Colo Cruiser]

The ladder is loose, you can hook it wherever you want.

[helenb]

If you're worried about space, you may want to consider a minisuite. We found it invaluable when traveling with our two children when they were younger. In the case of a minisuite, the other 2 beds are in the 'sitting' area. One is a drop down bunk, while the other is usually a pullout from the sofa. This way the 'main' bed can still be a queen.

 

That being said, we did 16 nights in Australia and New Zealand on the Sapphire in a regular balcony, with the 4 bed configuration (main bed as 2 twins with a drop down bunk above each) and while it wasn't ideal, we lived with it.

[caribill]

If you're worried about space, you may want to consider a minisuite.

 

There is a big price difference between an oceanview and a minisuite. On a random Golden Princess cruise I looked at, the minisuite was over 60% higher in cost than an oceanview.

Edited March 11, 2014 by caribill

[KikiKruiser]

There is a big price difference between an oceanview and a minisuite. On a random Golden Princess cruise I looked at, the minisuite was over 60% higher in cost than an oceanview.

 

Alas, the mini suites price 70% higher than ocean views on the cruise I'm considering... and since I'm paying for two cabins it would be a definite budget buster! :(

[Seraphine]

We are a family of four that travel in quad inside cabins - we make it work.

 

 

This photo was taken on a Carnival ship about 4 years ago, but we still use the same premise:

 

- put the bottom twins together into a queen and push them towards the wall (preferably the wall closer to the television)

- put the nightstands next to them

- pull the top bunk down for one child

- use a pack-n-play for a toddler, or use the mattress from the other bunk for the second child. Have it on the floor, under the bunk bed, and slide it under the Queen bed when not in use. If you ask your cabin steward, they might have a smaller mattress you can use for the second child.

 

We will be doing this next month, and our kids will be 8 and 4. I don't know how long we'll be able to get away with it (when they are 11 and 14, I don't know if we'll all fit... but we'll try!)

 

Sure it can be a bit crowded, but this way you can still have a queen bed and you won't hit your head if you sit up. I take the side next to the kids, and my husband likes the side next to the wall - he finds it cooler. We aren't in the cabin all that much, so it works for us! Princess has some good wardrobe space too, so you can get lots of your stuff away from the bed area - get some organisation systems in place, and you can make due with a small space.

 

Good luck! :D

Edited March 11, 2014 by Seraphine

[louanne93]

We are a family of four that travel in quad inside cabins - we make it work.

 

 

This photo was taken on a Carnival ship about 4 years ago, but we still use the same premise:

 

- put the bottom twins together into a queen and push them towards the wall (preferably the wall closer to the television)

- put the nightstands next to them

- pull the top bunk down for one child

- use a pack-n-play for a toddler, or use the mattress from the other bunk for the second child. Have it on the floor, under the bunk bed, and slide it under the Queen bed when not in use. If you ask your cabin steward, they might have a smaller mattress you can use for the second child.

 

We will be doing this next month, and our kids will be 8 and 4. I don't know how long we'll be able to get away with it (when they are 11 and 14, I don't know if we'll all fit... but we'll try!)

 

Sure it can be a bit crowded, but this way you can still have a queen bed and you won't hit your head if you sit up. I take the side next to the kids, and my husband likes the side next to the wall - he finds it cooler. We aren't in the cabin all that much, so it works for us! Princess has some good wardrobe space too, so you can get lots of your stuff away from the bed area - get some organisation systems in place, and you can make due with a small space.

 

 

 

Good luck! :D

 

What a great picture! I love it. Our family would make it work like that too!

[KikiKruiser]

We are a family of four that travel in quad inside cabins - we make it work.

 

 

This photo was taken on a Carnival ship about 4 years ago, but we still use the same premise:

 

- put the bottom twins together into a queen and push them towards the wall (preferably the wall closer to the television)

- put the nightstands next to them

- pull the top bunk down for one child

- use a pack-n-play for a toddler, or use the mattress from the other bunk for the second child. Have it on the floor, under the bunk bed, and slide it under the Queen bed when not in use. If you ask your cabin steward, they might have a smaller mattress you can use for the second child.

 

We will be doing this next month, and our kids will be 8 and 4. I don't know how long we'll be able to get away with it (when they are 11 and 14, I don't know if we'll all fit... but we'll try!)

 

Sure it can be a bit crowded, but this way you can still have a queen bed and you won't hit your head if you sit up. I take the side next to the kids, and my husband likes the side next to the wall - he finds it cooler. We aren't in the cabin all that much, so it works for us! Princess has some good wardrobe space too, so you can get lots of your stuff away from the bed area - get some organisation systems in place, and you can make due with a small space.

 

Good luck! :D

 

Fantastic photo! Thanks!! This board is GREAT.

[Seraphine]

We always make our cabin stewards crazy because we know our layout and set things up ourselves. On the whole, they've been great, and like I said before, often they find us a small mattress to use for our daughter that takes up less floor space than a full mattress.

 

Because our son snores so much (he's 8), we keep threatening him with sleeping in the wardrobe because he's so noisy. He actually thinks that would be a great idea! Let's just say I'll be packing lots of earplugs :)

 

 

Just don't be afraid to think outside the box - cabins are small, and going up to another level can cost hundreds if not thousands. When kids are small, you've got more flexibility on where to put them. Sometimes when we did this setup (in the photo), we got extra sheets from the cabin steward and hung them from the top bunk to make like a tent - it made a private space that was great for getting our baby to sleep, and sometimes the kids would hang out in their "sheet tent" and watch movies on their dvd player while we sat on the bed and watched tv.

 

 

We try to economise on space by using a door hanger (with the 3M magic hooks that don't mark) to hold all the "whatnots" (sunglasses, suncream, hair bobbles, jewellery, kids socks, etc) and put our laundry in a suitcase under the bed. Try not to take too much stuff to begin with, and spend lots of time OUT of the cabin.

 

And have lots of fun!