Family of 4 booking tip?

[zzricezz]

Is there any website that will properly quote you a statement room for family of 4?   Seems like all the pricing are for 2 and once you add the 4th person, the price changes alot. 

 

There gotta be an easy way to do a search vs manual checking? 

 

Thanks. 

[Tapi]

Cruise Critic guidelines prohibit us from recommending specific travel agencies or agents, but I do agree that a good travel agent may be a good option unless you wish to do the research yourself.
 

We are a family of 4 and I do most, if not all of the legwork myself. I usually find great deals for my family of 4, but it usually involves considerable and time consuming research, and pricing out several cruises. But there are some things that I have learned:

 

- Some cruise lines do offer “Kids Sail Free” or “3rd/4th Guest Sail Free” promotions. These promotions can save you a considerable amount of money. We have sailed on MSC and Holland America using these type of promotions and have saved a substantial amount of money by doing so. Our upcoming cruise is aboard Holland America’s Niew Statendam and, because of a Kids Sail Free promotion, our total cost is a good $1,000 cheaper than any other cruise sailing that same week on similar itineraries. We are booked on Norwegian for 2021 with a Kids Sail Free promotion as well. 
 

- Other cruise lines may not offer these promotions as frequently, but they offer very attractive reduced rates for the 3rd and 4th guest in the same stateroom. Carnival, specially during low season, offers great 3rd and 4th guest rates. We also have a Carnival cruise booked for 2022 through the Panama Canal, and because our kids are only paying $199 each, the total cost is very competitive, specially when compared to other Panama Canal cruises which tend to be considerably pricier. 
 

- Cruise Lines like Royal Caribbean and Disney aren’t as generous with their 3rd and 4th guest rates. Because of that, sometimes the total cost for one cabin for 4 is not much more than booking 2 connecting cabins for 2 guests each. When I research either of these 2 cruise lines, I always price out 2 cabins instead of 1. If the price difference isn’t substantial, it’s wise to get two cabins. You get as much space as a small suite, and you get two bathrooms instead of 1.

 

Needless to say, these are guidelines that I’ve learned over the years, but they are not hard rules. Several factors will determine how much a cruise will go for, main ones being time of year, if kids are out of school, and if the itinerary is unique. If you can avoid major holidays and summer vacation, chances are that you’ll find a much better deal.
 

If you can only sail when kids are out of school, you may want to consider looking at other regions. For example, in 2018 we wanted to cruise during Thanksgiving break, and after pricing out several Caribbean cruises, I decided to expand my search to other regions of the world. It turned out that we could sail in the Mediterranean for a fraction of what a Caribbean cruise would’ve cost. Turns out that late November is low season in the Mediterranean and prices are very low. We had one of the most memorable cruises we’ve ever taken, and our children had a chance to expand their horizons a bit. It was a great introduction to Europe. 
 

Good luck with your research! 

Edited December 29, 2019 by Tapi

[cb at sea]

All cabins are base on DOUBLE occupancy.  When you add a 3rd and 4th person, the price DOES change!  It's usually less than the 1st two in the cabins, but of course, more people mean more cost!

 

The prices vary wildly from cruise to cruise, even on the same ship.  All cruise lines have different pricing.  

 

Perhaps a good travel agent could sort thru this for you, and narrow down your options..

[montREALady]

On 12/28/2019 at 10:38 AM, zzricezz said:

Is there any website that will properly quote you a statement room for family of 4?   Seems like all the pricing are for 2 and once you add the 4th person, the price changes alot. 

 

There gotta be an easy way to do a search vs manual checking? 

 

Thanks. 

You probably already booked by now! But I chose Carnival because I've cruised with them twice and therefore wanted to take advantage of their past-cruiser deals. I booked directly on the Carnival website and it guides you to a stateroom that can accommodate 4 people. If I remember correctly, the cost per person goes down when you add 4 ppl vs 2. I've done an interior room the first 2 times because I cruised with my Mom and that was fine but knew I had to choose at least an Oceanview for a family of 4 because they're a bit bigger. Balcony would take the cost over what we wanted to spend. In our case we are 2 adults with a 12 yr old son and 7 yr old daughter so I chose the King bed over 2 Twins because when we travel our daughter always ends up in the bed with us anyway because the 2 kids sleeping together is risky, ha, they would kick each other off! Anyway, Carnival.com under my booking states:

"Bedding for additional guests within this stateroom

If there are more than two guests in this stateroom, accommodations for the additional guests vary by stateroom. They may take the form of upper berths (bunk style beds that pull down from the wall or ceiling), a convertible sofa, or a trundle bed."

 

then more specifically to our room when I look at the deck plan:

 

"Two twin beds (convert to king) and single sofa bed. A trundle bed will be provided if a fourth guest is booked to this stateroom. Sofa and coffee table. Desk and seat. Full bathroom with shower. 3 closets. Picture window.

All images are representative of staterooms. Actual configurations may vary."

 

With the King configuration even if our daughter sleeps on one of the other beds at least my husband and I would still have a King to be comfortable on as opposed to 2 Twins.