How many cabins for me, dh and 2 dd (15 and 17)?

[wrg]

Hi there,

This is our first family cruise and my dh seems to think that we can all be in one cabin together.  My girls think that they will be ok in a cabin together while dh and I stay in other.  Your opinion are welcomed.

[msmoger]

1 minute ago, wrg said:

Hi there,

This is our first family cruise and my dh seems to think that we can all be in one cabin together.  My girls think that they will be ok in a cabin together while dh and I stay in other.  Your opinion are welcomed.

 

I'm with the girls. 😉  You'll all be much happier.  Otherwise at least go with a mini suite.

[Cruiser_1977]

For the sake of "couple time" separate cabins....If it were me as the parents, I'd get a balcony and put the kids in an interior across the hall.

[DrivesLikeMario]

When our kids were younger, we went with 4 in a mini-suite or suite.  Once they got to be about 12-14, we always went with 2 balcony or mini-suites next to each other.  Having the extra bathroom (even with boys) was a lifesaver.  The nice thing about a balcony or higher cabin, you can get 2 right next to each other and go between the cabins easily through the balcony divider.  With an inside and a balcony, while it's cheaper, it's more of a hassle.  Seems like someone is always locking themselves out of the inside cabin.  Everyone will enjoy themselves much better if they have more space. 

[cabin4three]

Princess website says:

Guests under the age of 21 need to travel in a stateroom with a guest 21 years or older who will assume responsibility for them during the cruise. For family groups booking multiple staterooms, the minimum age for each guest is 16, provided they are traveling with a parent or legal guardian. 

 

Would have to book 1 parent and 1 child in each cabin

[LessWorkMoreTravel]

7 minutes ago, JennyB1977 said:

For the sake of "couple time" separate cabins....If it were me as the parents, I'd get a balcony and put the kids in an interior across the hall.

We are going on our third cruise with teenage boys.  This is exactly what we do.

[wrg]

What are the sleeping options available in a mini-suite?

 

[mjmalino]

Our first cruise we did a mini-suite for the 4 of us (our kids were 7 and 8 at the time). It worked, but only having 1 bathroom was sometimes hard, and once the kids went to bed DH and I had to be quiet. 

 

Since then, we have booked 2 cabins, 1 balcony and 1 inside. When the kids were little I was booked in one, my DH in the other, each with a kid. We do a balcony for DH and myself, and an inside for the kids. My kids are now old enough that they can be booked in a room by themselves. Nice things about having 2 cabins: 1) 2 bathrooms, which is ideal when everyone is trying to get ready in the morning or for dinner 2) it actually ended up being comparable in price to the mini-suite. 3) as my kids are now college aged, I don't have to worry about being woken up when they come back to their cabins late at night. We are also able to get extra keys to open each others doors.

[skynight]

One cabin for basically 4 adults. It can be done, but very crowded, and bathroom use as well as storage of bathroom stuff will be very tight. Recommend 2 cabins. Some ships have family suites, which are basically two connected mini suite cabins. You can look into that and you would all receive full suite benefits.

[Potstech]

Agree with others two cabins. You can also get a non purchase card for the other cabin if it makes you feel better.  Just go to passenger services to get one.

[mjmalino]

2 hours ago, cabin4three said:

Princess website says:

Guests under the age of 21 need to travel in a stateroom with a guest 21 years or older who will assume responsibility for them during the cruise. For family groups booking multiple staterooms, the minimum age for each guest is 16, provided they are traveling with a parent or legal guardian. 

 

Would have to book 1 parent and 1 child in each cabin

Actually they wouldn't. They will allow it as long as 1 person in the cabin is 16.

[Coral]

3 women, 1 man. Go with 2 cabins.

[Coral]

2 hours ago, wrg said:

What are the sleeping options available in a mini-suite?

 

Sofa bed and a bunk above it for 3rd and 4th passenger.

Edited May 17, 2019 by Coral

[cjpj]

Agree 2 cabins are the way to go. Depending on your budget and wants, you could also book 2 connectin interior or 2 connecting outside rooms. Just putting it out there.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Two cabins definitely. Standard cruise ship cabins (not suites) are much smaller than most hotel rooms and the bathrooms are tiny. 

[MJSailors]

I would go with two cabins- there are a few choices- 

One balcony and an interior across the hall,two adjoining cabins,two connecting cabins. 

The idea of having two bathrooms and a good amount of storage space and some privacy would seal the deal for me.

It is my observation that sometimes hubbies look at the cost of travel over comfort.

Hope you can convince your DH that  two cabins would be good for your family’s vacation.

 

[neverbeenhere]

Four staterooms would be best. 🙂

[GUT2407]

10 hours ago, wrg said:

Hi there,

This is our first family cruise and my dh seems to think that we can all be in one cabin together.  My girls think that they will be ok in a cabin together while dh and I stay in other.  Your opinion are welcomed.

Personally at least two, sailed a few times Me Mrs Gut and Miss Gut in a standard cabin, let’s just say from now on she’ll have her own.

[cabin4three]

8 hours ago, mjmalino said:

Actually they wouldn't. They will allow it as long as 1 person in the cabin is 16.

 

[cabin4three]

8 hours ago, mjmalino said:

Actually they wouldn't. They will allow it as long as 1 person in the cabin is 16.

That's good to know, I interpreted the wording on Princess website that one person in cabin must be 21,   my kids are getting their own cabins earlier than I thought 😄. But still years away 🙄

[Griller]

No one seems to have mentioned the 4 berth interior cabin with the 2 upper beds that come down?

 

Often the 3rd and 4th passengers in that cabin just pay a very  much lower price than the first two. Sometimes $99 plus taxes.

 

It depends what you can afford.

 

Personally I would rather not go on a cruise than share a 4 berth interior with teenagers. or anyone.

 

But I would also rather not go on a cruise in 2 cabins where the debt incurred would cripple my finances for years afterwards.

If you can comfortably afford it then the balcony/interior opposite works so well.

 

[ceci3]

we recently traveled with our 4 and 7 year olds ... while we didn't spend a ton of time in the cabin and we had a balcony for extra space, we were definitely tripping over each other especially when the sofa bed was out and upper bed down.  Definitely go with 2 cabins if you can afford it

[nukesubsailor]

Another option --------leave the teenagers with their grandparents and use the savings from booking two fares rather than four to upgrade to a suite for you and hubby.  Raising teenagers can be stressful and parents deserve a break.😊

[JF - retired RRT]

13 hours ago, Coral said:

Sofa bed and a bunk above it for 3rd and 4th passenger.

Plus, the bed that's under the bunk is almost always set up as 2 twins rather than a queen. That arrangement makes for easy of entry to the bunk and makes it easier for the steward to make up the bunk.

 

And...when the sofa bed is open, it's a very tight squeeze to get to the balcony.

[JF - retired RRT]

OP: if you decide on 2 cabins, book one adult in each cabin with one child. Once onboard the ship, reconfigure the sleeping arrangements to 2 adults in one, 2 kids in the other. Go to Passenger Services and get new keys for the new sleeping arrangements...according to posts on CC it's done all the time.

With this arrangement, if you own Carnival Stock, you'll both be eligible for the Shareholder's Benefit. If you're both Elite, you both get the Elite benefits...minibar, loyalty benefit (if you qualify), etc.

 

Since this is likely your first cruise (at least on Princess)...I'm going by the number of posts you've done here, forgive me if I'm wrong...you may not know about Shareholder's Benefit or Military OBC. Do a search on CC or Google is your friend and see what it's all about. Lots of OBC is available, if you know it's out there.

Edited May 18, 2019 by JF - retired RRT