Which type of cabin with family of four (two small kids)

[BandBWCsmom]

Hi, Booked on first NCL and grabbed a family mini suite on escape. It appears from doing continued research that the square footage is really the bathroom and the tub appealed to us, BUT as the showers are glassed in (no water all over with showering down a five year old), I am wondering if a family balcony (B4) or a large balcony (Category B6 and says cabin is 245sq ft and balcony 70sq feet) might be better options. 

 

Also, I'm not clear how to tell exactly what the "additional bedding options" are for each of these stateroom classes.  On all our Carnival cruises, the sofa turned to bed was great for our five year old and we put the 8 year old on an upper pullman. I tried youtube but all of the videos show the cabins prior to being ready for any additional guests. 

 

As the take all free is still going on for our cruise and is available for the balconies noted above, I really want to make the best choice for a cabin with four occupants. 

 

I'm sure I've found the right place to ask.  Family Balcony, Large Balcony (Cat B6) or Family Mini-suite??

 

TIA

[Bowmanvilletravel]

Hello! We are a family of four, travelling on quite a number of NCL cruises. To be honest I don't find there is a huge difference between the three that you mentioned from a room perspective (and we have stayed in all three). The mini suite does have a larger washroom, which is nice but as you mentioned no tub. If it is the same price I would do it, but if it is more, I would skip it. 

 

From a bedding perspective, the rooms that are built for 4 are a king, the sofa bed which is a bed and an upper pullman over the sofa. One thing to note though, the child will sleep on the sofa, it doesn't pull out to be a bed if that makes sense. They do remove the back cushions to make it larger but it really is just the length of the sofa bed. 

[kjquilts]

Here is a youtube video of Escape 9208.  The video shows the couch made into twin bed with the pullman bed dropped down from the ceiling above it to sleep the fourth person.  There are a number of videos on youtube.

 

 

[BandBWCsmom]

26 minutes ago, kjquilts said:

Here is a youtube video of Escape 9208.  The video shows the couch made into twin bed with the pullman bed dropped down from the ceiling above it to sleep the fourth person.  There are a number of videos on youtube.

 

 

Thank you. I was searching for "family mini suite" and this didn't come up. However, I am still on the fence. Eeek! Is the larger balcony (which says room is 241 square feet) more actual living space? We always do Family Oceanview on Carnival just because it's 245 square feet and so more room to move and spread out  than the balcony offerings (and has a separate 1/2 bath with a tub in addition to the bathroom/shower). I am wondering if it's truly 241 sq feet or does that include the balcony? 

[SlipperyP]

4 hours ago, BandBWCsmom said:

Thank you. I was searching for "family mini suite" and this didn't come up. However, I am still on the fence. Eeek! Is the larger balcony (which says room is 241 square feet) more actual living space? We always do Family Oceanview on Carnival just because it's 245 square feet and so more room to move and spread out  than the balcony offerings (and has a separate 1/2 bath with a tub in addition to the bathroom/shower). I am wondering if it's truly 241 sq feet or does that include the balcony? 

 

I believe the square footage includes the balcony, so not all of that is inside living space.

 

Since you normally get an ocean view on Carnival, why is that not one of your listed options for the Escape?  

 

i had a family ocean view on deck 5 on the Escape and it was a great cabin.  It was quite a bit larger than a regular OV, sleeps up to five (2 in a double bed, sofa that converts to a bed that sleeps 2 and a pull down bed from the ceiling), 2 TVs, double sink, curtain separating the sleeping and sitting areas and an abundance of storage space.  I seem to recall it having a tub, too, but am not 100% sure of my memory on that.  I’d suggest you check it out...I think this cabin would suit you needs/wants.

[insidecabin]

Agree with the above, we have grabbed one of those family OV on the Encore they look much more practical than any other cabin at the lower price range, if you are happy with the tub.

 

[BandBWCsmom]

7 hours ago, SlipperyP said:

 

I believe the square footage includes the balcony, so not all of that is inside living space.

 

Since you normally get an ocean view on Carnival, why is that not one of your listed options for the Escape?  

 

i had a family ocean view on deck 5 on the Escape and it was a great cabin.  It was quite a bit larger than a regular OV, sleeps up to five (2 in a double bed, sofa that converts to a bed that sleeps 2 and a pull down bed from the ceiling), 2 TVs, double sink, curtain separating the sleeping and sitting areas and an abundance of storage space.  I seem to recall it having a tub, too, but am not 100% sure of my memory on that.  I’d suggest you check it out...I think this cabin would suit you needs/wants.

 Thank you. The only reason we are changing the equation is that the take all five offers is not offered for oceanview so in the grand scheme, it's less expensive to get a balcony or mini suite as we actually use all the perks.