5 Person Family

[smalltowngirl504]

My husband and myself have cruised RCCL without children and only DCL with children. Since RCCL was running a KSF special we decided to try and do a cruise with kids on board the harmony and or the symphony of the seas. Now because we have 3 children and need a cabin for 5 we are obligated to call and book our reservation instead of booking online. Tonight I spent 90 minutes on the phone with them! So frustrating and they assured me while they have balcony rooms that sleep 5 people they do not have any available on either ship in a 3 months span!! Needless to say this 3 month span is during hurricane season and also off season as well. There are many rooms advertised online as sleeping 5 people but when you try to book them with a rep, they state that 5th person has to be in a crib!!!

 

The cheapest room I could find for 5 people was over $6,000 and if we are spending that much we will just book Disney. We were looking to have a new experience and spend less money. Anyone have any advise that has cruised this line with larger families? When I ask what ships sleep that many in a standard room , they tell me the Oasis class.:confused::confused: I then explain that I am trying to BOOK the OASIS class!! I am just so frustrated with the way this cruise line treats standard size families! Why can we NOT book our own vacations why must we call and endure the entire upsale process.

[topnole]

My husband and myself have cruised RCCL without children and only DCL with children. Since RCCL was running a KSF special we decided to try and do a cruise with kids on board the harmony and or the symphony of the seas. Now because we have 3 children and need a cabin for 5 we are obligated to call and book our reservation instead of booking online. Tonight I spent 90 minutes on the phone with them! So frustrating and they assured me while they have balcony rooms that sleep 5 people they do not have any available on either ship in a 3 months span!! Needless to say this 3 month span is during hurricane season and also off season as well. There are many rooms advertised online as sleeping 5 people but when you try to book them with a rep, they state that 5th person has to be in a crib!!!

 

The cheapest room I could find for 5 people was over $6,000 and if we are spending that much we will just book Disney. We were looking to have a new experience and spend less money. Anyone have any advise that has cruised this line with larger families? When I ask what ships sleep that many in a standard room , they tell me the Oasis class.:confused::confused: I then explain that I am trying to BOOK the OASIS class!! I am just so frustrated with the way this cruise line treats standard size families! Why can we NOT book our own vacations why must we call and endure the entire upsale process.

 

Only thing I can think of is to check out the price for two cabins. At least one kid would be free. I’m sure it would be way less than 6000k. The family rooms book up early so that may be your only option. Best of luck.

[Ourusualbeach]

My husband and myself have cruised RCCL without children and only DCL with children. Since RCCL was running a KSF special we decided to try and do a cruise with kids on board the harmony and or the symphony of the seas. Now because we have 3 children and need a cabin for 5 we are obligated to call and book our reservation instead of booking online. Tonight I spent 90 minutes on the phone with them! So frustrating and they assured me while they have balcony rooms that sleep 5 people they do not have any available on either ship in a 3 months span!! Needless to say this 3 month span is during hurricane season and also off season as well. There are many rooms advertised online as sleeping 5 people but when you try to book them with a rep, they state that 5th person has to be in a crib!!!

 

The cheapest room I could find for 5 people was over $6,000 and if we are spending that much we will just book Disney. We were looking to have a new experience and spend less money. Anyone have any advise that has cruised this line with larger families? When I ask what ships sleep that many in a standard room , they tell me the Oasis class.:confused::confused: I then explain that I am trying to BOOK the OASIS class!! I am just so frustrated with the way this cruise line treats standard size families! Why can we NOT book our own vacations why must we call and endure the entire upsale process.

 

While all Oasos class ships do have cabins that sleep 5 there are only a few on Harmony and Symphony and those are more expensive.

 

On Oasis and Allure they have quite a few balconies and BW balconies that are the exact same as a regular balcony cabin but have a sofabed and a Pullman and can fit 5 and are a lot more reasonably priced.

[ONECRUISER]

My husband and myself have cruised RCCL without children and only DCL with children. Since RCCL was running a KSF special we decided to try and do a cruise with kids on board the harmony and or the symphony of the seas. Now because we have 3 children and need a cabin for 5 we are obligated to call and book our reservation instead of booking online. Tonight I spent 90 minutes on the phone with them! So frustrating and they assured me while they have balcony rooms that sleep 5 people they do not have any available on either ship in a 3 months span!! Needless to say this 3 month span is during hurricane season and also off season as well. There are many rooms advertised online as sleeping 5 people but when you try to book them with a rep, they state that 5th person has to be in a crib!!!

 

The cheapest room I could find for 5 people was over $6,000 and if we are spending that much we will just book Disney. We were looking to have a new experience and spend less money. Anyone have any advise that has cruised this line with larger families? When I ask what ships sleep that many in a standard room , they tell me the Oasis class.:confused::confused: I then explain that I am trying to BOOK the OASIS class!! I am just so frustrated with the way this cruise line treats standard size families! Why can we NOT book our own vacations why must we call and endure the entire upsale process.

Lot of families, mine included, have booked 2 cabins next to each other. Would have a outside across from an inside. Depending when you cruise, this can be cheaper. Another time brought In-Laws, one kid was assigned to their room but slept with us. My kids were 2, 5, and 9...

[hapster85]

I feel your pain. Our three are grown now, but we've run into this situation time and time again over the years, in many different situations. We learned to roll with it, of course, but it was sometimes very frustrating.

[WisconsinFan]

How old are your kids? Two room connected may work, be less expensive and give you some privacy.

 

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[melski]

We book 2 connecting staterooms for my family of 6. Harmony and Symphony are the most expensive ships in the fleet because they are the newest, however $6k for 5 isn't a terrible price for those ships and still much less than DCL.

 

If you are wanting something less expensive, you can try Freedom or Voyager class. I'm thinking Liberty, Indy or Adventure with the slides and cute kids water area. Those are significantly less than Harmony or Symphony. We've been on Liberty twice and my kids always had a great time. I think they also have a few family oceanview staterooms which give you another option.

[shorti503]

We are booked in an ultra spacious ocean view cabin for our family of 5. They are bigger than a normal cabin and they sleep 6 they have the regular king size bed, a couch that folds out into a bed and a smaller room (not much bigger than a closet size) but holds a set of bunk beds. It isn't a balcony but we love them. Also in doing some research I found that on freedom (may be the same on others also) they have some promonade view rooms that also sleep 6.

[projectx]

We also have a family of 5... Book two connecting staterooms. Done.

 

If you want to go back to Disney, by means go for it. But a 6-night on Freedom during spring break for connecting interior staterooms on deck 9 mid ship was $3,200. Disney wanted $10k for a 7-night. I'll let you guess which one we booked. Took all of 15 or 20 minutes on the phone.

 

Keep in mind if you want connecting staterooms, book early. They go fast.

[Merion_Mom]

Lots of posters are suggesting booking two cabins, which seems a reasonable thing to do.

 

But I think that the OP is looking to get the "kids sail free" promotion for all 3 kids. That can only happen if she books the whole family into one cabin.

[emm126]

I know it is frustrating that you have to call and book however I think the reason may be so some do not book 3 or 4 people into a family cabin for more space. I could be wrong.:)

 

I have booked 3 different cruises in the family oceanview/balcony rooms and I have to say they have probably been my favorite cabins. I even prefer it over 2 connecting cabins with the extra bathroom. I would always price both (family cabin vs 2 connecting cabins) to see which would be the best value/price. Good Luck!

[Rjh8842]

I would call back. Sometimes with royal all it takes is talking with a different rep. Also I wonder if you asked family rooms that are not balcony. Maybe if you check another type it might be available. Ask what type of family rooms they have available. And I have to disagree with everyone that is saying to book a second room. Having had the kids sail free a few times it does save a lot of money.

[spookwife]

Lots of posters are suggesting booking two cabins, which seems a reasonable thing to do.

 

But I think that the OP is looking to get the "kids sail free" promotion for all 3 kids. That can only happen if she books the whole family into one cabin.

 

 

which may be an unreasonable expectation for a variety of reasons, as I am sure you are well aware.

[yuvraj]

I had this kind of problem when my children were younger. So many restrictions.

 

In my case, we would look at different itineraries or dates to find a cruise and price that suited us. I am never driven by promotions, simply by overall cost. Sometimes a family suite makes a lot of sense and worth a small premium, other times ridiculously expensive.

 

I tend to use a travel agent instead of calling directly.

[lbjen]

Lots of posters are suggesting booking two cabins, which seems a reasonable thing to do.

 

But I think that the OP is looking to get the "kids sail free" promotion for all 3 kids. That can only happen if she books the whole family into one cabin.

 

If it’s going to cost $6k to sail with all kids free vs paying for them and it being way cheaper, I think two rooms will probably be a better deal.

[lbjen]

We always book two cabins - two bathrooms, two TVs, two sets of perks for the rooms from our TA, etc etc. Rarely have I seen it be more expensive than squeezing into one.

[storknurse13]

I recently booked (in January 2018) during the last KSF promo an ultra spacious family balcony cabin on Allure for my family of 5. I think our price was $3752.00 ish. This is for a 7 night western Caribbean in October 2018. We are also avid DCL fans but we wanted to step out of the box with the kids to see if they liked something else. I feel like this is more than reasonable for a family of 5 in a descent balcony cabin.

[quickcat]

I have 3 kiddos as well. Just booked symphony yesterday for Dec- so excited! First time on Royal after many on Disney. Here is what I was told, the Oasis and Allure have many more rooms that sleep 5 than the Harmony. It was less expensive for us to get two connecting balcony cabins. Our price was around $4600 total. Disney the same week for us was $9700.

My DH is a balcony guy so we didn’t price out any connecting insides but I would imagine they would be less.

The rep I talked to at Royal was so nice!! I did almost everything by email. As you know, Royal has so many more choices than Disney for ships, itineraries, etc and she priced many many different ships for me and always did it within hours of when I would ask her. The only time we talked on the phone was for our deposit. If you want her name and email I will definitely pass it on. I was really impressed with her customer service.

Good luck and whatever line you pick, hope it’s great!! :)

 

 

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[Canadianmama3]

I would try 2 cabins or one of the family ocean view rooms.

 

 

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[Friend100]

This might not apply to all ships/itineraries, and I know you didn't mention Anthem, but my friend of family of 2A3C switched from 2 insides to a family jr suite for their 5-night Bermuda cruise and actually saved $1k.

[jknc]

We booked 2 rooms on Harmony in June. Disney was still near $5000 more for Caribbean cruise.

[ninethirtynine]

My husband and myself have cruised RCCL without children and only DCL with children. Since RCCL was running a KSF special we decided to try and do a cruise with kids on board the harmony and or the symphony of the seas. Now because we have 3 children and need a cabin for 5 we are obligated to call and book our reservation instead of booking online. Tonight I spent 90 minutes on the phone with them! So frustrating and they assured me while they have balcony rooms that sleep 5 people they do not have any available on either ship in a 3 months span!! Needless to say this 3 month span is during hurricane season and also off season as well. There are many rooms advertised online as sleeping 5 people but when you try to book them with a rep, they state that 5th person has to be in a crib!!!

 

The cheapest room I could find for 5 people was over $6,000 and if we are spending that much we will just book Disney. We were looking to have a new experience and spend less money. Anyone have any advise that has cruised this line with larger families? When I ask what ships sleep that many in a standard room , they tell me the Oasis class.:confused::confused: I then explain that I am trying to BOOK the OASIS class!! I am just so frustrated with the way this cruise line treats standard size families! Why can we NOT book our own vacations why must we call and endure the entire upsale process.

 

 

We wanted to take our 3 grandchildren on a cruise. Had the same problem as you. I priced out 2 cabins next to each other that was expensive. I am looking into another cruise line.

[Grandma Dazzles]

My husband and myself have cruised RCCL without children and only DCL with children. Since RCCL was running a KSF special we decided to try and do a cruise with kids on board the harmony and or the symphony of the seas. Now because we have 3 children and need a cabin for 5 we are obligated to call and book our reservation instead of booking online. Tonight I spent 90 minutes on the phone with them! So frustrating and they assured me while they have balcony rooms that sleep 5 people they do not have any available on either ship in a 3 months span!! Needless to say this 3 month span is during hurricane season and also off season as well. There are many rooms advertised online as sleeping 5 people but when you try to book them with a rep, they state that 5th person has to be in a crib!!!

 

The cheapest room I could find for 5 people was over $6,000 and if we are spending that much we will just book Disney. We were looking to have a new experience and spend less money. Anyone have any advise that has cruised this line with larger families? When I ask what ships sleep that many in a standard room , they tell me the Oasis class.:confused::confused: I then explain that I am trying to BOOK the OASIS class!! I am just so frustrated with the way this cruise line treats standard size families! Why can we NOT book our own vacations why must we call and endure the entire upsale process.

 

My extended family also includes a "5" and they cruise frequently; often on Disney. Quite honestly, $6,000 for a party of five on a couple of brand new ships doesn't sound that high. Disney is usually almost twice RC when I check cruises.

 

Sounds like you need to look at either the Allure or Oasis, rather than the two new ships in that class.

 

Would also suggest having a travel agent check and price the difference between different configurations and number of rooms. If you prefer to book yourself, do a preliminary check on line and when you call RC have the information available and ready to discuss. Deck plans give the number of berths in each cabin.

[Starry Eyes]

I can understand wanting to use the “kids sail free” sale. Unfortunately for the OP, other families of five may have snapped up the few cabins for five on the newest ships, perhaps during previous KSF sale or perhaps other times.

 

Sometimes somebody gets a good deal by booking during a “sail”, but usually the pricing seems to come out similarly as sales constantly come and go.

 

So, like others, I think the OP should consider connecting cabins; that pricing can be viewed online. Or depending upon age of the kids, they could consider cabins across hall from one another (might be better with older children who do not need adult in same room at all times). they could also price out option of bring another adult along (granny or nanny or such) to share fun and child supervision.

[dcgrumpy]

We're also a family of 5. For our upcoming Allure cruise it was $100 cheaper to book 2 connecting Boardwalk balconies over the family balcony.

 

Our last 2 cruises were on Independence, for those cruises it was much cheaper to book a Family OV over 2 cabins. It varies from cruise to cruise. You need to compare the two.

 

 

We're paying $4700 for 2 cabins on Allure. All of us in one cabin on DCL Fantasy that same week is $10,950.