Best creative room arrangements for family of 4

[the_dylaness]

Hello,

We are trying to figure out what some of the lesser-known room arrangements for families of four might be. I know some folks are great at putting 4 folks in an inside/OV/balcony room, but given that we are all very light sleepers I don't see that being a possibility for us. In two weeks we'll be traveling as 6 (three adults, three children) in two connecting balcony rooms. I know that for instance, some X ships have "Family Verandahs" that have a somewhat separate living room area with pull out couch AND a second, separate (small!) bedroom with two berths. That is pretty much what we need but there are only 4 per ship, and they require 5 people to book. Many ships have large suites but even they often do not have a true separate bedroom, and are often a little pricey.

 

What are some reasonable options for rooms with at least a balcony, that can have the children sleeping in one totally separate room? Our kids are NOT old enough to have their own room (especially with a balcony) just next door, and two balconies can be a little pricey. We'd love an inside connecting to a balcony, and I am sure there might be a rare instance where that happens, but probably not many. Other ideas?

 

Thanks!

[cb at sea]

What ship? There are some (Freedom, Voyager class) that have a balcony that connects to an inside cabin...put all the kids in the inside...(even if some have to sleep on the floor, or share a bed)...and 2 adults in the connecting cabin...put 1 adult and 1 kid in a 3rd cabin, if someone wants privacy... Otherwise, put 3 adults in one, and the kids in another.

[Smyles]

It is not answering what you asked but...

 

We bring a sound machine (white noise) for all travel. It works wonders (even bring it while tent camping) it drowns out noises in the room and out of the room. Might be worth considering.

 

Also, consider the fact you all will likely be extra tired from walking so much and doing so much so you might sleep a bit more soundly than usual.

 

Hope you find a good room assignment and get some good sleep!!

 

It might help others answer this question if you note everyone's ages (sleeping location for a 2yr old can be quite different than an 8yr old on a ship with the upper Pullmans etc).

[the_dylaness]

Hello-

Thanks to all for thoughts so far---

 

Regarding which ship- we're flexible. I have sailed RCCL, Carnival, X, HAL, Princess, Seabourn, DCL, and upcoming cruises on NCL and Crystal. Probably most likely to book X, but would consider any ship with good arrangements.

 

Kids will be 3 and 6 at time of anticipated sailing. We keep a white noise machine in our daughter's room and plan to bring it on our upcoming cruise in two weeks, but not sure that would be enough to make a cruise for 4 of us in a standard balcony enjoyable. Also, seems difficult to have any, um, romantic interludes with your kids in pullmans above you?

 

Since my original post I did find those RCCL aft corner combo balcony/inside connecting cabins but none available for the time we want to cruise :( They go fast it seems! But I have written down the #s and will keep an eye on them for the future.

 

We are actually considering MSC Divina as there are a few corner suites that seem to have a true, closed door bedroom. But it sounds like a pretty different experience and I am not sure if it is one we will like. We hate smoke.

[the_dylaness]

Hmm also should clarify- although our upcoming cruise has 3 adults 3 kids, our typical complement is 2 adults/2 kids. That's what I'm trying to accommodate. 3/3 was easy, two connecting balconies!

[Smyles]

I noticed that some of the family interior staterooms (the one's with the separate bunk beds in the closet) on Royal Caribbean are now open for us to book for our family of 3. I suspect that if they are not sold to a family of 5 it then opens up to smaller families closer to the sail date. So might be worth keeping an eye out for. You might also luck out by calling to ask to book one earlier on.

 

I suspect for most young families personal couple time comes during the day when the kids are at the kids camp!

[Essiesmom]

MSC Divina sailing in the Caribbean is very smoke free...Very much like Celebrity. Better than Princess. Smoke free Casino. We had somebody smoking on the balcony next to us the first day. I called and they came right up to confront her. Never saw or smelled it again. Yes, it would be a different experience, but you have already sailed a lot of lines. Just be aware that the 3/4 person in the balcony cabin share a fold out sofa. Insides/OV have bunks. EM

Edited September 18, 2016 by Essiesmom

[flhokie]

I would suggest trying to find an option on RCCL(like the one with the bunk beds) or X.

 

We sailed on MSC Divina and would never sail them again after that experience. The only positive thing I can say was that they did a great job with the children's program.

[the_dylaness]

Hmm, so I have actually just been considering MSC Divina because they do have some suites that can easily accommodate our desired sleeping arrangements... Definitely reviews are mixed. What did you not like?

[Apexgal]

A good TA can get you a family verandah with 4 on celebrity. Just did it booking more than a year in advance.

 

 

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[flhokie]

Hmm, so I have actually just been considering MSC Divina because they do have some suites that can easily accommodate our desired sleeping arrangements... Definitely reviews are mixed. What did you not like?

 

The dining options, especially for dinner, were limited compared to other lines. The options were the dining room (which took a lot longer than our experiences on other lines) or the buffet which was limited to pizza and couple of other things (most of the buffet was closed at dinner). There were two pay options--the pizza place was ok and the "nice" restaurant was extremely pricey and empty every night (we looked at the menu and there was nothing exciting about it).

 

The waits for the elevators were very long. With a 3 year old and a disabled husband, stairs were not an option. There were times we waited over 10 minutes for an elevator.

 

There was a lot of pushing and shoving. It was the worst with elevators, but happened other places as well. A lot of this was due to cultural differences, but it was still very frustrating.

 

On the last sea day, crew on the pool deck made a point of saying that children (under 6 or 8--I can't remember the exact age--since DD was 3 it didn't matter if it was 6 or 8) are not allowed in any pools on MSC. The only exceptions are the "splash area" around the pool on Divina and on their larger ships with "water parks." The "splash area" was an area surrounding the pools with water about 2 inches deep (it looked like there were spraying jets there, but they were never turned on). I could not believe this policy as the only restrictions I was used to on other lines were no children that were not potty trained and no children in Solarium pools. When I checked with the customer service desk they confirmed that this was indeed MSC's policy.

 

Leaving the ship when a tender was required was very disorganized. There was no information about needing tender tickets until late the night before. All information described getting the ticket as a formality. When we went down to exit the ship (we waited about an hour and a half after tender service began to avoid the rush) we were given tickets and told that we'd be able to get off in an hour and that we had to wait in the lounge for that hour. This was not realistic with a 3 year old. When I complained we were put on the next tender--which was half empty.

 

The one positive experience was the children's program. The facilities are not large or majorly exciting, but the staff was great. DD really enjoyed it. They do separate by age groups like RCCL, etc. One night they took the children up on the main stage before the evening show. They sang and danced for the crowd. Also, they took the children to the main show every night. While I liked the concept and DD enjoyed going, some of the shows were a little mature for the young children.

[the_dylaness]

Wow- that sounds pretty unenjoyable.

 

I was raised in the south so politeness and etiquette ("you first", "no you go ahead", "oh please i insist you go on!" is more the elevator problem I am likely to encounter and I am just fine with that) is important. I would get pretty bummed pretty quickly with rudeness/shoving.

 

I have never in a million years heard of banning children from the pool (of course for the reasons you mentioned.) If I brought my 5 year old fish on a cruise and then told her she couldn't swim in the pool... I can't even imagine. Why bother?

 

Poor food also a bummer. I could care less about the production shows or cruise activities for the most part and we are usually in bed by 10 so the late night scene is lost on me, but I enjoy eating food that someone else prepared that is better than what I could make at home. Sounds like that might not be the case here.

 

MSC Divina reviews are SO mixed!

 

May I ask which cruise lines you have enjoyed the most, for comparison?

[flhokie]

The main issue with the food was the variety and options. Some of the pizza and pasta options were well done, but there was very little variety/options.

 

DD swam every day up until that last sea day. I was always in the pool with her (I mean right with her). Nothing was said until that day. There were lots of kids at the pool that day and some parents were more attentive than others. Mid-day, an officer that was walking on the deck came over and was very upset that there were kids in the pools. When we were leaving to go back to the room he made a point to tell me that my daughter belonged in the "splash area." I thought at first he had a concern as to whether she was potty trained so I assured him she was potty trained and I stay right with her in the pool. That's when he told me that not all parents supervise their children and that's why their policy is that children cannot swim in the pools. I asked him to show me where it said that. He kept pointing to the signs which said nothing about that. That's why I finally went to guest services who said that was indeed their policy. I asked to see the policy in writing. They told me it was in their computer and employee policies but they could not provide that to me.

 

Our favorite cruise line is Royal Caribbean. We used to sail mainly Princess (even got married at sea on them), but have gone with RCCL for the past few years and really enjoy them. We would not rule out Princess (or another line) in the future, but have really enjoyed RCCL (especially Allure of the Seas).

 

We did sail Disney last year. We enjoyed the service and the ship a lot. There were not nearly the dining options for dinner as RCCL,but the dining room was excellent---the food was great and the service was very efficient. We dined in the dining room every night and enjoyed it. The breakfast and lunch buffets were excellent (seafood bar every day for lunch). The only 2 things keeping us from sailing them again are the prices and the children's program (3-12 are all together which DD hated).

[gymbomb]

NCL's older ships (Dawn and Jewel class anyway) have mini suites where there is a curtain between the sofa bed and regular bed areas. The Breakaway class ships have family ocean views that are the size of mini suites but no balcony and have that same dividing curtain. Then there are lots of suite options with curtain or actual bedroom, but those are more $$ and vary more by ship.

 

 

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[dd likes to cruise]

Divina has a huge buffet. Many people walk in the front and stop. It goes all around to the back of the ship, up and down both sides when open. Different types of food. Everything. If pizza is all you basically saw, you stayed in the front and never ventured around the entire thing.

Edited September 24, 2016 by dd likes to cruise

[SadieN]

Carnival Spirit class (Spirit, Legend, Miracle, Pride) has balcony connected to interior cabins towards the bow.

[flhokie]

Divina has a huge buffet. Many people walk in the front and stop. It goes all around to the back of the ship, up and down both sides when open. Different types of food. Everything. If pizza is all you basically saw, you stayed in the front and never ventured around the entire thing.

 

We did see it all. The huge buffet was open for lunch and had decent selections, but the sides and back were shut down completely at dinner time. At dinner there was pizza, 1 or 2 pasta dishes, some lettuce (not even a salad bar section), a soup and some sandwiches.

[williamsk]

Just out of curiosity, why are you ruling out interconnecting staterooms? You just put the kids in one side and adults in another. It has actually turned out to be our favorite arrangement as a family of 4-6. Two bathrooms and more space than most suites. Depending on promotions it may not be much more expensive than stuffing everyone in one room (on one cruise it was cheaper!). The balcony doors are harder to open than you think (we just locked the door- the lock was fairly high up and the door took a little strength to open). You can also buy door alarms or a lever safety lock kit. With the addition of the twins we opted to go ultra safe and booked two ocean view rooms. We just left the doors cracked at night to hear what was going on, you could probably use a monitor from home as well.

Edited September 26, 2016 by williamsk
additional info

[the_dylaness]

No, I think especially as they get a little older connecting staterooms would be OK. Have to consider what to do about the doors though, those are some good suggestions you mentioned. I'm not a big Carnival fan but the connecting balcony/interior combo on the Spirit class does sound appealing. We are planning to do a family verandah on X which we got by booking like 18 months in advance... these rooms are so hard to come by it seems like they should make a few more, hmm?

[Sparkygirl]

NCL Dawn owners suite (forward facing wall of windows) there are four, the two center ones sleep 6 with two bedrooms but are not advertised as that. We loved it with our 3, 11 and 13 year old kids.

 

 

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