Five people in a balcony cabin?

[laura1960]

We've been upgraded from guaranteed oceanview to balcony on Victory, which I'm thrilled about! (I'm just crossing my fingers that the upgrade fairy stays!)

We have five people traveling: DH and myself, and three kids: 12, 7 and 5. We've always had an oceanview room before, and while a wee bit cramped, it was doable. In addition to the twin beds, we had 2 pull-down beds plus a rollaway.

According to the website, we'll have the queen sized bed, the sofa, and 1 pull-down, and I'm assuming another rollaway. Balcony rooms are several square feet smaller than oceanview rooms.

My question is this...have any of you done this before, and is there any room to make one's way to the bathroom at night if the rollaway is in place? (And no, telling the boys and DH to pee off the balcony at night is NOT an acceptable compromise!!!!)

 

Laura

22 days till Victory!

[GoinCruisin]

I have no experience with 5... 2 is cramped enough for me :p I just wanted to wish you luck!!!! You and hubby may want to take turns using the spa showers... for space, and a safe haven :D

[nybumpkin]

We had 5 in a balcony cabin on Victory last year - DH and I had the bed, 13 YO had the sofabed, 8 YO had the pull-down bunk, and 4 YO had the rollaway. We had enough room to move around at night even with the rollaway in place. The only time we felt cramped was when we were getting ready for dinner - no so much the bathroom as trying to juggle clothes-changing. Our solution was to get the youngest two ready first and then have them sit out of the way while the others finished. While the cabin might be slightly smaller than the OV, the balcony is well worth the smaller space. Enjoy your cruise!

[laura1960]

Thanks, folks!

Goin' cruisin, yes, the spa showers are a must for the very reasons you mention. I make frequent use of them, believe me.

And nybumpkin, thanks for your personal experience. It does sound doable. And yes, the balcony will make it all worthwhile, no matter if it's a bit of a squish and a squeeze inside the room. What's REALLY going to be nice is after we put the kiddos to bed, DH and I can still stay up (out on the balcony) and have a conversation. One of the drawbacks to traveling with three kids in one room is once you put them to bed, YOU have to go to bed too.

Someday I'd like to get two adjoining rooms, but that's a lot pricier and plus, the younger ones aren't quite old enough where I'd trust 'em in an adjoining room.

 

Laura

[GayleR]

Congrats on your upgrade. We had booked a room on the Spa deck for our Victory cruise last year and were upgraded to a balcony on the Lido. There are 5 of us in our family, me, DH, DD12, Twin boys 10 (ages at the time of that cruise.) The balcony is so worth it! It's a little cramped at night with the rollaway, but it's definitely ok. Bring a night light with you so that you can see your way to the bathroom during the middle of the night.

 

On another note, we booked a 1A and a 4A, both guarantees for our upcoming Conquest cruise. I spoke with a PVP today and found out that we have been upgraded to two 6As and they are adjoining cabins. We are thrilled! :D We decided to book the 2 rooms the cheapest way possible (guarantees) and took our chances. Carnival really took care of us! Thanks upgrade fairy!

[jerseygirl3]

While it's great that you got an upgrade to a balcony, the cabin itself will be smaller than your oceanview cabin. The oceanview cabins on Victory are 220 sq. ft., while the balcony cabins are 185. I think you'll be fine. Having the balcony will make the room feel larger.

[cruznon]

Having a balcony will more than make up for a bit less space in the cabin! :D