Traveling with 16 yo - Alaska cruise room choices

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Hello,

We’ve never cruised. We are planning our 1st for Alaska in June or August 2020. We are a couple (50’s & 60’s) & our 16 yo DS (who will be 17 then). We do a lot of road trips & normally get Marriott room upgrades but DS prefers to sleep on the carpeted floor with blanket, pillows & his gaming stuff. Sometimes on the couch. Never pulls out the couch.

I think we will splurge for a suite but wonder about space. Think Pigpen from Charlie Brown! So I’m also wondering about adjoining rooms but (1) probably even more expensive & (2) I want us together on same balcony.

We are looking at Princess. It seems it would be the Pacific or Grand. They seem more worn down than Coral Princess which people seem to like. 

Considering HAL but I really can’t abide smoke drifting onto our balcony which I heard happens even though they’ve tightened No Smoking rules.

Any suggestions on suite choices? Thank you!

[Essiesmom]

On either Princess ship, the third bed would be an upper bunk.  Princess does not have sleeper couches until you get to Mini-suite.  In fact, on Grand Princess there is not a couch at all until Mini-suite.  Are you aware that if you book your son in an adjoining or connecting cabin, you will be paying as if there were two people in the cabin?  Cabins are sold per person/double occupancy.  You might also ask advice on the Princess board, which is here:  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/119-princess-cruises/   EM

Edited April 1, 2019 by Essiesmom

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TY. I’ll check that board. No, I wasn’t aware of the Double Occupancy so that’s out! We are looking at a suite, larger than Mini Suite but I know there are choices there.

[spookwife]

you will pay double for your  son if he is in a cabin by himself( all cabins are sold   with a minimum of 2, )   so that's really NOT cost effective.

 

 ship cabins are MUCH smaller than any basic hotel room, and he won't be able to be messy. only the very high end suites would have 'room' for him to spread out his stuff 

 

not opening up the couch  would typically be no problem at all.  DH actually finds them  quite comfortable to sleep on that way.  but not all cabins have a couch.. the third berth might a Pullman that folds out from the ceiling.  

 

as far as smoking.. the outdoor smoking areas tend to be mid ships so if you are forward of that, there's no  issue( most of  Royal's suites are forward  haven't sailed Princess yet)  .   mid ships they are on the same side of the ship, one deck is typically the pool deck and the other a few below near the dining rooms.  aft facing rooms are also a possibility,, but may have soot issues from the stacks.  

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TY

[MCC retired]

A Princess Mini Suite will save you $$$ over suite .

A bit larger than a balcony , has 2 TV's and a comfortable couch in addition to a larger bath.

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TY.

[cb at sea]

If you want 2 cabins, then put the 16 year old in an INSIDE (they don't care about balconies!) and you have your balcony.  Even when paying the full cabin price (which is the same as 2 in a cabin), it might be less than a suite.

[combine]

5 hours ago, cb at sea said:

If you want 2 cabins, then put the 16 year old in an INSIDE (they don't care about balconies!) and you have your balcony.  Even when paying the full cabin price (which is the same as 2 in a cabin), it might be less than a suite.

 

 

We did exactly this with our 17 year old on an Alaskan cruise. We had the balcony  and all three of us used it at times during the day and he had the inside  directly opposite.  It worked perfectly.

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I ended up booking a suite because we like hanging out, lol.  However, I will check out the costs of what you've all suggested.

Thanks!

[Traveling Mike]

I have cruised with my son from age 8 to 22.  We book the cheapest room because we are never in the room except to sleep and shower.  If you son is like most you will only see him at dinner time.  They get up and go to the teen area.  They stay with their new friends until dinner and ask if they can skip, I always said no.  Then they go back to the teens area to find their friends and you do not see them until late at night.  The next day it starts all over.  

P.S.  Make sure your son goes to the teen area and stays for a while if this is his first cruise.  He will find friends.

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I really really hope this will happen. He’s a great kid, kind, funny but shy. He’s not good at approaching other kids. But he falls into groups really well & kids like him.

I started the Roll Call for our cruise and maybe someone will have boys his age. 

Lol on skipping dinner with us! That would be exactly what he’d want to do, too. So you eat your dinners with him & he takes care of himself otherwise?

We booked Alaska so I’ll want to share some glacier-gazing time with him & we have a few excursions. Unfortunately, we can’t do the more adventurous ones because I have vertigo issues. 

It only takes one other kid he bonds with to make it so much more fun.

Thx!

[AF-1]

Hello,  we stayed in a family suite on Emerald Princess in 2017.  You get two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and living room.  Big balcony.  

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3 hours ago, AF-1 said:

Hello,  we stayed in a family suite on Emerald Princess in 2017.  You get two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and living room.  Big balcony.  

The Alaska Inner Passage ships didn’t have that option or the 1.5 bath option.

[AF-1]

lightink2,  we sailed inside passage.  Seattle roundtrip.  Not sure which ship or line you are going with. 

[SRQbeachgirl]

Our DS (now 20) has slept in both an upper berth and on a cabin sofa. He'll happily sleep on either one, but actually prefers the upper berth.

 

Cruising with more than two people in a cabin--even a suite--can get crowded quickly, especially if clutter is allowed to spread out. There are lots of good tips here on CC for keeping the cabin organized. 

[gymbomb]

On 4/6/2019 at 8:53 AM, AF-1 said:

Hello,  we stayed in a family suite on Emerald Princess in 2017.  You get two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and living room.  Big balcony.  

 

Do both of the bedrooms have doors that can close them off from the living room?

[AF-1]

29 minutes ago, gymbomb said:

 

Do both of the bedrooms have doors that can close them off from the living room?

No,  the master bedroom is like being in a junior suite;  the second bedroom; has two doors; one going to hall and one to living room.  The bed has the pull around curtain;  I will try and find one of our pictures