Family of 5 - suggestions needed please! :)

[amandalcarlson]

My hubby and I have cruised NCL 4 times and we love it. We're thinking about taking the kids with on a cruise next year (probably over Christmas break sometime). 

 

What room do we need to book for 5 of us? It's hubby and I, kids are 15, 11, 7.

 

How do you get the best deal booking this? Wait for a 3rd and 4th guest promo? Do I need to book a suite since we have 5 people? Hubby and I usually stay in a mini-suite, and with 2 of us, I've never had to put thought into where 5 people would sleep.

 

Thanks for your help!

[smplybcause]

Fitting 5 in a room that's not a suite would be rough. Especially with 1 teen and 1 almost teen (5 people one bathroom, yikes!). I think there's a few non-suite rooms on some ships that fit 5, but I don't think they're appreciably bigger than other rooms and there's not that many of them. Looks like the family OVs are only 300sf +/- depending on which cabin you get -- not a lot of room for 5!

 

Unless a suite is an option - I would suggest 2 rooms. While you have to book an adult in each room, for sleeping it could be all the kids in one, parents in another. And this gives you 2 bathrooms. If you book far enough in advanced you can probably find connecting rooms. 

[bkrickles1]

yep. I agree with smplybcause.

I did this on the Escape in 2018 when I brought my 2 nieces along with me, my wife and daughter.

I was paying for the nieces too so money was a factor.

I got 2 connecting inside cabins and it worked out great!

[mjkacmom]

Two connecting cabins with an adult booked in each one, a mega ship that has cabins for 5, or a suite that will cost you your 401k for Christmas break. I’d book ASAP, prices for that week only go up (and you will not see promos).

[Peachypooh]

31 minutes ago, amandalcarlson said:

My hubby and I have cruised NCL 4 times and we love it. We're thinking about taking the kids with on a cruise next year (probably over Christmas break sometime). 

 

What room do we need to book for 5 of us? It's hubby and I, kids are 15, 11, 7.

 

How do you get the best deal booking this? Wait for a 3rd and 4th guest promo? Do I need to book a suite since we have 5 people? Hubby and I usually stay in a mini-suite, and with 2 of us, I've never had to put thought into where 5 people would sleep.

 

Thanks for your help!

2 connecting cabins that are in your price range or a 2 bedroom non Haven suite on a Jewell class ship or

a 2 bedroom Haven suite on a larger ship if it is in the budget. 

Over Christmas will be higher prices and probably no 3/4 passengers sail free.

[janabanana1701]

We did 5 of us in a Family Oceanview on the Getaway (2 adults 3 kids - 18, 14, 10) and it was tight! Had more than one squabble over the bathroom and we tried to spend as much time out of the room as possible because of the lack of space. Looking at another family cruise in 2021 and thinking connecting insides may be the way to go 🙂

[snownow]

6 hours ago, bkrickles1 said:

yep. I agree with smplybcause.

I did this on the Escape in 2018 when I brought my 2 nieces along with me, my wife and daughter.

I was paying for the nieces too so money was a factor.

I got 2 connecting inside cabins and it worked out great!

 

We always just pony up and get connecting rooms... So much nice for them, and for us. 

[tallnthensome]

I sail with my two kids. Try the Family Ocean view rooms on deck 5 on the Bliss. Very good size that hold five. We loved it. Has a room dividing curtain. It also has two TVs, plenty of storage and double sinks for getting ready. Wonderful family cabins . Check out some reviews on YouTube of the Bliss family ocean 

views. Great reviews there as well as mine. You 5 could survive in it. 

[Mom2kmo]

We always book two balcony rooms right next to each other with an adult in each.  The kids (9,11,12) stay in one and us in the other.  We have the room steward open the balcony up so we can go in between the rooms via the balcony.  We have done this on 6 cruises and it works like a dream.  

[raitch]

We travel with our 3 kids (16, 12, 7) and choose the 2-bedroom family suite.  2 bathrooms, plenty of room for all of us, and they come with suite perks.  It’s still cheaper than doing 2 connecting balcony rooms!

[rocklinmom]

We are a family of 5 and always need two cabins. Or as mentioned you could do five in a suite. It depends on the ship you are looking at, as the options will vary by ship. Have you settled on an itinerary yet?

[Cilosgirl]

We have done the family OVs on the Breakaway twice and are going on the Bliss this March. Price is a factor for us and the family OV with 3rd & 4th guest free is our best option. We use packing cubes to keep our clothing and toiletries organized and the kids take turns sleeping on the top bunk. If cost wasn’t a factor I’d be in the Haven Family Suite😛

[WYB!]

I'd say, get one (oceanview or balcony) and one inside cabin.

 

Try to get at least the same cabin attendant for both cabins.

 

Give the 7 year old the choice of where to sleep and let the 15 & 11 year olds do a thunderdome.

[Mom2kmo]

2 hours ago, rocklinmom said:

We are a family of 5 and always need two cabins. Or as mentioned you could do five in a suite. It depends on the ship you are looking at, as the options will vary by ship. Have you settled on an itinerary yet?

The perks don’t matter to us, we are VIP.  

[ChristinaN]

We've done a dozen cruises with our family of five.  The boys are now 16, 14 and 13.  We've sailed in single inside cabins, ocenaview, balcony as well as suites and the odd connecting cabin.  In March, we will sail for our fourth time in a Family Oceanview on NCL.  We don't find them too bad, price is a huge factor for us.  We are dealing with a poor Canadian dollar and would personally rather vacation more than once a year so we'll make do with cramped quarters.  Having said that, the Family Oceanview space is ample.  We make it work by packing light and staying organized in the cabin.  We also don't spend much time in the cabin either, we really only use it to sleep in the evening and take the occasional nap.  

 

We are very conscientious of the deals that are out there... our upcoming cruise we booked about 18 months in advance for $5800 Canadian for the five of us incl the drink package.... we thought that was a great deal but then there was another drop and we ended up with a final price of $5000.  So keep watching your price after you book.

[bonvoyagie]

 A lot depends on the ship, but I would think that a suite would be the best choice if you have the $$$ to swing it. On the Jewel class ships the 2br suites (outside the Haven) are the best bang for the buck - the next step up in size would be an owners suite for more space (less rooms). 

 

Not sure what is available on the Away class ships.

[redcanine]

Norwegian Joy for five had great options for us for Alaska in a few months. I initially considered Concierge Family Inside with 2 bedrooms and a separate living area. 561 sq ft. After reading about the Haven, I decided to book the The Haven Family Villa Suite with Balcony. A lot smaller at 417 sq ft. With wife, 2 year old, and parent in laws, I hope it's not too little space.  Also, I'm not sure if both of these are unique to the Joy.

[amandalcarlson]

19 hours ago, rocklinmom said:

We are a family of 5 and always need two cabins. Or as mentioned you could do five in a suite. It depends on the ship you are looking at, as the options will vary by ship. Have you settled on an itinerary yet?

no itinerary yet....just starting to toss around the ideas. I'm not so set on intinerary--it'll be the kids' first cruise--just want to get them on the boat!

[mgel728]

We are 5 with younger kids and have done the ocean view. As they get older we will prob do connecting rooms or a suite. Just wondering how you book connecting rooms- can that only be done over the phone?

[mjkacmom]

2 hours ago, mgel728 said:

We are 5 with younger kids and have done the ocean view. As they get older we will prob do connecting rooms or a suite. Just wondering how you book connecting rooms- can that only be done over the phone?

Yes.

[rocklinmom]

Yes unfortunately you have to call in to book two cabins. And you would want the bookings linked and also marked as "do not upgrade" so you don't get separated. 

[bonvoyagie]

I think you would be better off either having a TA or calling in to a PCC or NCL customer service if you are trying to book adjoining rooms at any level.

[Kfamilycruise]

When they were young, we were able to pull off the OV with all of us in one room, but with kids 16,15, and 10 -- one bathroom is no bueno. We regularly do connecting balconies and just did connecting mini suites and it was fantastic. We've also done Haven 2BR suite -- just depends on ship and time of sailing as others have said. Definitely want to call or ask your travel agent to book to ensure the cabins are linked as you do have to put one adult over 21 in each room. It really bites because if you want to be connected, can't do the upgrades! 

 

Have fun! The kids will love it!

[tallnthensome]

Like I said earlier ..... Family ocean view cabins on the Bliss ( and sister ships) are a lot different than typical ocean views on a lot of other NCL ships. 

[cementhands]

We’re older now but when we were younger we always had connecting rooms with our 3 children. That was 15 years ago. 1 adult on paper each room.
It seems that they have more options now with extra large family rooms. Things have evolved for all the family cruising now.
3 kids and their college in the future we went through the most economical way.

But did enjoy several cruises with the kids. Excellent way for kids to learn table manners and etiquette. Also meeting new people. Interacting.
Old school Celebrity with all the silverware was cool.