Tips to maximize stateroom space

[rsquirrel]

I have been on a few other cruise lines and each have their own way of maximizing space.

 

l have never cruised with Princess before so I am wondering what others do to keep things organized.  We will have two adults and two teenagers in an obstructed ocean view stateroom.  We are on the ship for 16 days!

 

Are the beds high enough to store luggage underneath?  Walls or the door magnetic?  Would love everyone’s space saving/organizing tips.

[Mary loves to travel]

Yes, luggage can be stored under the bed.   Walls are magnetic so bring plenty of hooks they help tremendously.   
also bring some regular magnets - I like to put notes, etc up; just pick one part of the wall to use as a bulletin board.  
consider also using packing cubes - easy to stack them on the closet shelves, then take down to find what you need.   
consider different color cubes for each person.  

[rsquirrel]

Thanks, I have packing cubes.  I will see if my nieces and sister have any.  I think my mom may have given the set I got her to my sister.  My mom didn’t like them.

 

 I will look into magnetic hooks.  I have some magnets as I like to post the daily activities up and highlight the things I’m interested in.

[skynight]

Yes walls are steel. Bring magnetic hooks. You never have enough.

Something like a closet shoe holder to hold bathroom items. Hang on the inside of the bathroom door with strong magnets or over door hooks.

All Princess ships, except one, have a 6 ft. long open closet. The one exception is the Grand with a 3 foot long closet. Hang has much as you can. Extra hangers are available from your cabin steward.

Unpack most clothes. There will be a wardrobe closet as well as drawers in the cabin night stands and desk. 

Most standard suitcases, 10 inches deep, fit under the beds. Your room will be configured with two twin lower berths with two upper berths above them. When lower berths are in the twin configuration cabin stewards normally store the foam connector and the queen bedding under the beds. Ask the cabin steward to store elsewhere not in the cabin.

There is a self laundry on every every deck, except the Lido deck. Bring laundry tablets and dryer sheets. Was $3 each wash and dry. Tokens charged to your cabin account. Irons are no charge.

We use large size zip lock bags. They have worked well for us. We mix our belongings in different suitcases in case one gets lost each of us has some belongings. 

 

Edited August 14, 2021 by skynight

[cr8tiv1]

7 magnetic hooks, bungy cords, cloth shower curtain. 

Place hooks on ceiling

Attach shower curtain between entry way and "bedroom" or closet and hallway

Attach hook to wall. 

Use bungy cord to keep curtain open.

 

This will provide you with a dressing area, privacy area, reading area, computer (light) area.   

 

pack shallow box in the bottom of each suitcase (think the flat size that fits 24 drink cans).  Use them to store items above the closet (so they won't get lost).  Leave boxes behind.

 

Bring refillable water bottles with carabiner hooks that can be hooked to side of desk/magnetic hooks.  Frees up counters space.

 

Keep in mind that an ocean view room will have bunk beds attached to the walls and regular beds will have to be in Twin configuration.  There will also ONLY have one desk chair.

 

Bring a multi-use USB charger.  Surge protectors are not allowed on the ship.

[Sea Hag]

For me, the most important thing in maximizing the limited space is to decide where everything goes, put it there, and put it back every time. Cluttered, messy spaces always look smaller to me. 

[Wishing on a star]

Which ship?

On many ships, the newer ones, the 3rd and 4th bed come down from the ceiling in balcony cabins.  So they don't take up wall/floor space during the day.  (Inside cabins have these beds mounted on the walls on the sides of the cabin.)

The thing I like about Princess is that they actually have a large walk-in closet/storage, where newer ships on most other lines have tried to make the cabins take up less space by having 'Cabinet' closets.

I like the idea of the magnetic hooks, and a hanging shoe holder/organizer for all the small 'little crap stuff', like in the bathroom.   One that has clear see-thru vinyl is good to see what items are in each pocket.

 

There are good videos with cabin tours online, like on youtube.

 

The photos on the Princess web-site, when you select 4 guests and proceed to choose a cabin should show the photo with the extra berth(s) down.  These will show the main bed separated, so that there is access for all guests there in the middle.  I have heard of people sailing with the bed together as one queen.  But, of course that makes getting in and out tricky.

 

Have you traveled all four in one cabin before.

It will be tight.

 

I think the key is to be organized, and when you board, go ahead and get everything unnecessary put away to clear out space, and then try (TRY hahahaha!!!) to keep things organized.  

 

 

 

 

Edited August 14, 2021 by Wishing on a star

[wowzz]

You need a bathroom rota,  ideally with pre-planned toilet visits!  

In all honesty - 16 days in a room the size  of a jail cell with 4 people - crazy!

[cr8tiv1]

Which deck are you on?  Locate the nearest public rest room (for emergency toilet)...and don't forget the spa showers.  

[skynight]

53 minutes ago, Wishing on a star said:

Which ship?

On many ships, the newer ones, the 3rd and 4th bed come down from the ceiling in balcony cabins.  

 

7 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Which deck are you on?  Locate the nearest public rest room (for emergency toilet)...and don't forget the spa showers.  

The poster mentions they are in an obstructed ocean view stateroom. This would place the cabin on deck 8 of one of the Grand, Crown or Coral class ships. Royal class ships do not have this category cabin. In an outside obstructed view cabin the 3rd & 4th berths will most likely fold out from the cabin walls. If we knew the ship and cabin it's possible to search for a photo.  For the next few months at least Princess has closed the spa showers. Check the covid protocols FAQ's for information. They could be open in the future.  

[rsquirrel]

31 minutes ago, skynight said:

 

The poster mentions they are in an obstructed ocean view stateroom. This would place the cabin on deck 8 of one of the Grand, Crown or Coral class ships. Royal class ships do not have this category cabin. In an outside obstructed view cabin the 3rd & 4th berths will most likely fold out from the cabin walls. If we knew the ship and cabin it's possible to search for a photo.  For the next few months at least Princess has closed the spa showers. Check the covid protocols FAQ's for information. They could be open in the future.  

We are on the crown.  Sailing in October of 2022.

 

I have sailed with my parents before in one room on Celebrity.  It was only a week cruise.

 

 I don’t spend much awake time in the room.

 

Thanks for the excellent tips!

 

Edited August 14, 2021 by rsquirrel

[rsquirrel]

1 hour ago, wowzz said:

You need a bathroom rota,  ideally with pre-planned toilet visits!  

In all honesty - 16 days in a room the size  of a jail cell with 4 people - crazy!

We were booked on a similar cruise last year and were upgraded to a veranda stateroom, unfortunately the cruise was canceled because of Covid.

[cruzsnooze]

It's not doable for 4 adult size people to share a small obstructed ocean view cabin. Consider putting the teenagers across the hall in an inside cabin and everyone will enjoy their cruise so much more. 

[rsquirrel]

21 minutes ago, cruzsnooze said:

It's not doable for 4 adult size people to share a small obstructed ocean view cabin. Consider putting the teenagers across the hall in an inside cabin and everyone will enjoy their cruise so much more. 

Wish we could afford that but we can’t.

[cr8tiv1]

3 hours ago, skynight said:

 

The poster mentions they are in an obstructed ocean view stateroom. This would place the cabin on deck 8 of one of the Grand, Crown or Coral class ships. Royal class ships do not have this category cabin. In an outside obstructed view cabin the 3rd & 4th berths will most likely fold out from the cabin walls. If we knew the ship and cabin it's possible to search for a photo.  For the next few months at least Princess has closed the spa showers. Check the covid protocols FAQ's for information. They could be open in the future.  

 

Glazed over that little piece of information....oops.  I read Ocean View but did not compute.  Yes, deck 8 on Grand Class ships...which will put them one deck above public bathrooms.  Thanks for correcting my oversight.

[Starshine95123]

We’ve  stayed in an ocean view room with two college-age kids. It really wasn’t a problem. The only rule I had was that they couldn’t sleep in until noon (or later) lol. They needed to be out by 10am so the room steward could clean. Everyone did their own thing during the day so usually no one was in the room except to shower or get dressed for dinner. Everyone had space and was expected to keep their stuff put away. Our room was never a cluttered mess. Just let everyone know what is expected of them before you go. 

[bellagiio]

Hi I would recommend using the spa showers after spending the day at the pool before going back to your room. You can find plenty of clean towels in the changing rooms and the showers have shower gel and shampoo and have plenty of room.

if you get bath robes from your room steward you can use these to wear back to your room.

 

I would also recommend packing cubes for each person they certainly help keep everything organised.  
I am a great believer in insisting everything goes back in its place after use as it keeps the cabin / stateroom tidy.

[Tapi]

Leave the teenagers home? 😉

 

I’m obviously kidding, as we are a family of 4 as well, and to this day, we haven’t left the kids home for any cruise (except for one which was a wedding anniversary cruise), but I digress. 
 

Two pieces of advice: 

- Maximizing space begins before you leave home. Pack absolutely as lightly as possible (do I really need multiple pairs of tennis shoes, night shoes, etc?). We’ even managed to do 11 days in the Mediterranean with just one carry on each. 
 

- Sign up for a laundry package. That way you can pack less and just send your dirty clothes out to get laundered multiple times during the cruise. Not only will it allow you to pack less, but you could potentially come home with minimal laundry to do.

Edited August 15, 2021 by Tapi

[Astro Flyer]

9 minutes ago, Tapi said:

Sign up for a laundry package. That way you can pack less and just send your dirty clothes out to get laundered multiple times during the cruise. Not only will it allow you to pack less, but you could potentially come home with minimal laundry to do.

During many Princess cruises have never seen a laundry package & only many years ago a possible once per cruise special by the bag price. However not since there are so many of us elite level passengers getting free laundry. Each deck has self service laundromats which cost $3 per wash & $3 per dry cycles.

 

Edited August 15, 2021 by Astro Flyer

[JF - retired RRT]

If you'd like to see "your" obstructed view, go here: https://www.cruisedeckplans.com/DP/deckplans/cruiseline.php?line=Princess

Find your ship, choose deck 8 (that's where obst. views are located), click on the little camera icon. Unfortunately, you can only see a thumbnail photo (unless you're a member), but you get an idea of what to expect.

[neverbeenhere]

BTW: Yes, the teenagers will fit under the bed with the luggage. 🙄

[skynight]

19 hours ago, Tapi said:

20 hours ago, bellagiio said:

Hi I would recommend using the spa showers after spending the day at the pool before going back to your room.

 Sign up for a laundry package. That way you can pack less and just send your dirty clothes out to get laundered multiple times during the cruise. Not only will it allow you to pack less, but you could potentially come home with minimal laundry to do.

Princess does not have laundry packages. They have self service washers and dryers. Pack laundry tablets and dryer sheets or you can purchase them in the laundry room. Currently the locker rooms for showers are not available. This could change as the covid situation changes. From the FAQ's

"While you’ll have access to restrooms in the locker room, use of the lockers and changing rooms will not be available. Instead, you can change privately in your treatment room."

 

[Blondilu]

I have stayed in an obstructed view on that class of ship with my 2 sisters.  It is doable.  It helps if you like each other,  LOL.  

 

I have found in the past I have actually brought more stuff than clothing thinking I needed those things to organize.  Then found out that not only did I not need them but they were in the way.  The over-the-door shoe organizer for instance.  The cabin bathrooms are too small to hang anything on the door and it not be in the way.  If you want something like that to store things try to find one that hangs in the closet like a hanger.  I have one like that and it is great for storing jewelry, cruise cards (now Medallions) and all other kinds of loose items.

 

Love the hook idea and the packing cubes or gallon zip-top baggies for keeping clothing items together so they don't fall all over everyone else's clothes in the storage cabinet.  There are 5 shelves in the cabinet.

 

And as stated, start at home and try to not bring so much stuff.  Share where you can (shampoo and body wash for example) and then make it a rule that everything has to go back where it's stored after every use.  

 

Some photos: The first one shows the shelf below the bathroom sink. The next one is to the left of the mirror. There are 3 more to the right. The next 2 are the closet and the cabinet located in the closet area.  The next photo is the bar area.  There is a refrigerator behind the door.  The last photo is the bedside drawers with 2 drawers and a cubbie, and the desk.  Behind the door in the desk are a couple of shelves and there is a second bedside drawer on the other side of the bed.  In this photo the bed is in a north/south configuration and set up like a queen bed.  I believe when the room has bunks it will be turned the other way with the head of the bed under the window.  In this case (and if the bed is in the twin configuration) the drawers will both be between the beds.  All together that is 4 drawers, two cubbies and 2 shelves.

 

Hope this helps.

[Doug R.]

Can elaborate packing lists be far behind?

[cr8tiv1]

There is a refrigerator under the glassware.  You will not receive a complimentary mini bar.  I have "stashed" the for purchase water or drinks behind the tv or ask the steward to take them back (temptation).  The other large door under the desk is more storage with a shelf.

 

You may ask for as many hangers are you want.  The steward will bring wire hangers.  Others have used open suitcases under the bed for additional storage or laundry hamper.