Number of people in cabin not the same as booking

[Honeybearhollow]

Since you are not sleeping with DH in the first place, why not put him with brother. All adults could then have a twin bed and the kids could be on the sofa and bunk. The 4 year old would love that. It would definitely ease the closet space. You could even have one of the kids sleep over with dad and brother.

[blindrid]

Since you are not sleeping with DH in the first place, why not put him with brother. All adults could then have a twin bed and the kids could be on the sofa and bunk. The 4 year old would love that. It would definitely ease the closet space. You could even have one of the kids sleep over with dad and brother.

 

Great idea. That and regarding the tip question, tip additional for the cluster****

[LoveCruisingCC]

Thanks for all the great ideas and comments.

 

As one of the pp said, all families are different and have different needs. My original plan of the cruise is with my side of family only, the three staterooms would have been perfect. However, DH wants his mom to come along, and that's where the problem starts. In my case, I have a MIL who will not have her own stateroom. If I get another stateroom for her, she would need my DH to stay with her, which makes no sense to me when my brother's room will have a spare bed.

 

After reading all the comments, I am mentally prepared for DH to sleep in my brother's room if we find the room too crowded.

[varoo]

....After reading all the comments, I am mentally prepared for DH to sleep in my brother's room if we find the room too crowded.

Actually, I thought your previous idea of leaving your husband with his mother and moving yourself to your brother's cabin was a better idea, for the following reasons.

 

Regardless of which one of you moves to the brother's room, your mother-in-law can have a regular, comfortable bed to sleep in.

 

In general women tend to have more clothing, so they tale up more of the storage space than men do, and women tend to spend more time in the bathroom than men..

 

By leaving your husband with his mother, there would be only one adult woman for each bathroom, and you would not need to share closet and drawer space with another adult woman.

 

(It seems unlikely that your brother would have more clothing and cosmetics than another woman, but then one never knows.)

 

Also, men are generally more willing to get out of the cabin and go use the big spa bathroom to get ready in the morning than women are, and the same with getting ready for bed at night, so you could have the use of one bathroom, and your mother-in-law the other, instead of needing to take turns and wait for one another.

 

Even if you need to wait for your brother to finish in the bathroom, it should be a lot faster than waiting for another woman. It is just a fact that most mothers tend to take a lot of time in the bathroom -- at least all the ones in my family do.

 

 

Another consideration: unless your brother lives nearby and you see him regularly, it would be nice to get some alone time to chat with your brother, and the same for your husband with his mother.

 

In the evenings, the 6 adults could all take turns babysitting the kids if you put them to bed early. A big plus is that your children are old enough to use the children's programs on the ship, which will give the adults some nice adult time together too.

 

 

Edited August 21, 2014 by varoo

[jammen]

Have 2 sleep on the balcony.

[Tara Jane]

I think you will find bunks are out for the young ones. I took granddaughters 9 and 4 on a cruise. The 9 year old made it by 2 weeks to be old enough to be in the bunk. The little one, I let play up there in the day when we were in the cabin but pulled the other mattress off the top bunk and put between the single beds on the floor at night. it fitted and easier than the grandparents climbing onto the bunk. It was squishy but hey we were on a cruise and we make do with whatever we need to in order to make it happen. The room steward offered a rail for the 9 year old which we accepted, it was one of those type that you buy when the toddler first goes into a bed. The 9 year old was used to bunks as sleeps on the top bunk at home but it is another thing on a moving ship.

Not sure if all lines have rules about age for bunks but I expect they would.

[Deenkid]

one more question. In terms of tipping the cabin steward extra for this, how much should I tip? At the beginning of the cruise or at the end?

 

My daughter, her DH and their 4 daughters (8, 14, 17 & 19) accompanied us on a cruise in June. Daughter's cabin was a balcony. The plan was for her and her DH and the youngest daughter on the pull out sofa in their cabin; and the three older girls across the hall in an inside. Didn't work out that way because the 14 year old couldn't stand the mess her older sisters made in their cabin, so she joined the 8 year on the pull out, which was plenty of room for both of them.

 

My son-in-law tipped the cabin attendant heavily the first day on board and told him "you will earn every cent of this." We had select dining so our tips were prepaid. The trouble he went to for them earned him an additional tip at the end of the cruise, too. It sure doesn't hurt to show your appreciation for any extra effort they do for you.

[drarill]

Thanks for all the great ideas and comments.

 

As one of the pp said, all families are different and have different needs. My original plan of the cruise is with my side of family only, the three staterooms would have been perfect. However, DH wants his mom to come along, and that's where the problem starts. In my case, I have a MIL who will not have her own stateroom. If I get another stateroom for her, she would need my DH to stay with her, which makes no sense to me when my brother's room will have a spare bed.

 

After reading all the comments, I am mentally prepared for DH to sleep in my brother's room if we find the room too crowded.

Switch your brother to the cabin that connects to your room, looks like someone is going to join him, either your husband or you. Happy cruising and enjoy the beautiful Solstice. BTW, I think that the divisions between the balconies can be opened by your room attendant. ;)