4 in one room!

[cruisin from florida]

My first cruise was when I was in college. The cabin was way tinier than the ones on RCCL these days. There were 4 of us in the cabin, and I joked that we had to coordinate breathing! I'll inhale while you exhale....

We had a GREAT time, and it started me on a lifetime of cruising.

 

Of COURSE is you have 4 females in full "primp-mode" in a tiny cabin right before the formal dinner, it's going to be too crowded. So a couple of gals get ready first and wait in the lounge. Or, as many have suggested, some of you take advantage of the (MUCH LARGER) showers in the spa/gym. If you decide up front to be resourceful and work around any possible space problems, you'll be fine.

 

4 in a room is the only way some folks can do a cruise, finances-wise. 30 years past that college cruise, we can put our kids in their own cabin. But I would never discourage people from cruising because of tight cabin or finances that might prevent larger/multiple cabins.

 

Have a great cruise!

[cb at sea]

Here's a thought--Take some masking tape and measure out the size of the cabin (sq. footage can be gotten from rccl website) around your bed. Now imagine a chair, possibly a small table, a vanity (built in against the wall) and luggage for 4 women. Oh--don't forget to put yourselves in the mix! Now, will you be able to manage? If you can do it--wonderful! I salute you! If you think it's going to be too tight, splurge for another room!

[kcagg16]

I think you will be fine. I have traveled all my cruises with four in a room. My husband, my 21 year old daughter and 20 year old son. Just be neat and you will be fine. We had no trouble getting ready for dinner. You just plan a little and take shorter showers. If we were lying by the pool someone would go back 15 minutes earlier to get started or just even look around the shops or have a drink while the first two get started. Of course with two guys it is different but I have stayed with my girlfriends and we always were fine. Better to have the money for all those extras that add up when you go on cruise. Have fun. Cruises are an absolute blast.

[TrinaLC]

Make sure to bring 2 over the door shoe holders, one for bathroom door, one for stateroom door. Assign space to each person for their sundries.

[FlorenceItaly]

How in the world are you fitting 4 people into the smallest inside category on RCI which is 135-144 sq ft??? The two of us stayed in that category and imo, it was not enough room. On other lines some of the smallest cabins are 185 sq ft. We have an upcoming Rhapsody cruise and since we typically book the least expensive cabin, and I wasn't willing to do that on RCI anymore, I booked the largest J inside which is 174 sq ft. I saw a great sale yesterday so we upgraded to a balcony. As I said, when we cruise we typically stay in the least expensive category unless I can find a deal, but I said never again on RCI, it's too small.

 

Are the ones responding 4 to a cabin staying in the SMALLEST inside, or were you in the J category, at 174 sq ft? I can see possibly 4 in that space. We did have 3 on Majesty of the Seas, and that was small, but I can't remember what type of inside we had. I agree, it is better than NO cruise, I am just astounded that y'all can manage. I believe RCI has one of the smallest cabins.

 

Marie

[Inshape]

Sorry but 2 late and 2 early defeat the whole idea of cruising together. Stagger getting ready then with one in the shower and one getting dressed in the room and then the 3rd person showering when the 2nd is getting dressed...and so forth. I never put my makeup on in the bathroom, use the vanity in the room--nice lighting anyways. I also do my hair there. Lots of plugs... If mom is taking all of you girls on the trip the the 200 each does add up. SO relax and make it work and it will. You will have such a great time so forget all about it.

[Inshape]

Pack less than you thought you would need. Sea days you wear your swim suit with a cover up or shorts and tank. You need not bring 7 night outfits either. This is where you can really cut down and use the space. The dresser spaces are tiny but there is ample closet room with shelves. Also, above the safe are shelves and around the corner of the dresser are open shelves. Utilize that and it will help.

[OceanCruise]

We will not even do 3 in a room anymore. When I am on vacation I do not want to worry about having scheduled bathroom times, stepping over other people to get on the balcony, worrying about who wants to watch TV and who wants to sleep, being cramped, and having no room to sit or spread out clothes/toiletries. That seems stressful to me. It is well worth the extra few hundred dollars to be able to relax and have some privacy and room to move around. The thought of 4 in a room would be a nightmare to me-that is just my honest opinion

[cruisin from florida]

These days it's well worth the few hundred dollars to me, too (to have a second cabin/extra space).

But I have the few extra hundred dollars these days. Years ago, I didn't. We crammed 4 people into a tiny cabin and had a great time.

I think the original poster will have a great time, 4 in a tiny cabin and all.

 

If 4 in a cabin were the only way I could cruise these days, I'd do it again!

 

:-)

[4 cruisers]

Speaking as someone who has done it too (DH, and two teenage DS's), the largest inside cabin shouldn't be much more at all and would be extra nice for you guys. The third and fourth person charge is the same, so one catagory upgrade should be doable. Having a window isn't even an issue to me, but the extra space would truly be nice. Oh, and I agree with the "pack light" advice!!!!! Have a wonderful trip...we have since had all types of rooms (including suites) and that one cruise with all of us in one cabin is one of our very best vacations we ever shared!!!!!!!!

[MrsJennifer]

Thank you again for all of your ideas and replies! We can't afford to do 2 seperate rooms because of the awesome rate we have because one of our ladies is from out of state. Our TA wanted us to upgrade the location of our room, but I told my mom to see about upgrading the size of our room.

 

As for primping time, 3 of us are married and my sister has a serious boyfriend, so I can't imagine that we'd want to spend a ton of time primping. And if we do, we'll stagger it so that everyone can be ready in time.

 

We'll definitely check about getting a bigger room, but we can't split up because of the great bargain.

 

I really appreciate y'all taking the time to tell me about your experiences and thoughts on 4 in one room! Thanks again!

[MrsPete]

We can't afford to do 2 seperate rooms because of the awesome rate

Well, there's your answer! It may be crowded, but you're going into it knowing that it won't be ideal. If you can't afford separate rooms, then the question isn't, "Is it do-able?" but rather, "How can we make the most of the situation?"

 

Personally, I'd jump at the chance to take a cruise with the ladies in my family, and I wouldn't care a bit if we were crammed into one room (even though, as the smallest, I know I'd end up on the top bunk). Realistically, you'll be out of the room the great majority of the time.

 

I'd suggest that you all discuss the limited space ahead of time and make sure that everyone is "with the program", that is, make sure that everyone understands you're not going to have loads of space. Discuss packing light -- maybe you should plan to use the ship's laundry facilities. Try to coordinate and avoid duplicate items: you don't all need to bring a hair dryer, for example. The person who suggested bringing two over-the-door shoe holders -- they're indispensible. Also, try to choose a room near the spa so it'll be convenient to take turns going there for showers. If you could be near a public restroom, that'd be nice too.

[davidrod]

Just once I did an inside cabin cruise and said never again... We didn't mind because it was a 3 day one, and even though there were 2 of us, it still felt uncomfortable. I just cannot imagine 4 people in that room, heck, I can't imagine 4 people in an outside room...

 

Like they say, once you have a balcony, you never go back... Well, if I were you, I would take into considration other factors before making my decision... This is your vacation, it is your time off.... Try to make the best of it... As much as people say that they spend little time in the room, I like to have my own balcony, my own space where I can get away... it is hard to find a empty space in a cruise with so many people.... At least that's how I am....

[FlorenceItaly]

you can't go back. I have, and I still do. This will only be our third balcony out of alot of cruises. In all fairness, I do some solo sailing, so a balcony is not even an option, due to the solo supplement. However, when my dh and I sail, if we can find a balcony for under $800pp, we get one, if not, it's an inside. Yes, the balcony does greatly enhance the cruise, but it's all about the deal for me, lol, lol, but that's just me :).

 

Marie

[emdia43]

To me this comes under the heading of "Don't sweat the small stuff" unless you are likely to be in your room most of the time.....

Think of it as a changing room with a bathroom,that's all we use it for.

If you get there and decide it's too cramped- too inconvenient- whatever- just give me a call and I'll come and take your place.:)

I always cruise with my grandsons (AKA messiest teens in the world)so I just pick up the clothes and muddles and keep quiet and then we manage to have a fantastic time . I am sure you will too. The very small lemons you described are nothing compared to the absolute THRILL of cruising.

Enjoy:)

[vacationhappy]

We are a family of four and ALWAYS stay in a Quad...we just make it work - in fact, we did 12 nights last Aug with 3 nights pre-cruise and 2 nights post cruise and we all stayed in the same room. At the end of the trip we were all ready for our own space but we made it work. Don't worry and be flexible!

[cruisegirl1]

The key is to keep the room tidy

 

We did the same type of vacation when our daughter graduated. Two 18 year olds and two moms in one room! It was TIGHT but we did find that the sleeping/waking schedules were different for the teens and the moms so most days were no problem. Formal night was a joke!.

 

We had discussed two cabins – the girls wanted their own with the moms together. As the moms were not really friends – we did not want that. The girls decided rather than to be just with their own mom – it was better to do all 4 in one room.

 

 

 

Have great time

[MrsJennifer]

Thanks so much for your thoughtful replies! I really like reading about your experiences with 4 in one room, and the suggestions on how to make it workable. :)

[cruisinmamma]

I've done this twice and worked fine both times. Once w/ DH and 2 sons and once with Mom and 2 of our girlfriends. On the all girls trip we did find that one of us was a little messy. When it got out of hand we just gathered her stuff and put it on her bed. No hard feeling and we all had a great time. I would do it again in a heartbeat. HAVE FUN:D

[cruisin from florida]

you can't go back. I have, and I still do. This will only be our third balcony out of alot of cruises. In all fairness, I do some solo sailing, so a balcony is not even an option, due to the solo supplement. However, when my dh and I sail, if we can find a balcony for under $800pp, we get one, if not, it's an inside. Yes, the balcony does greatly enhance the cruise, but it's all about the deal for me, lol, lol, but that's just me :).

 

Marie

 

I'm with you. We've done an aft balcony on a 7 day cruise and of course loved it. Our last two cruises have been inside, because we have started taking our teenagers with us, and booking inside cabins is the only way we can afford for the 5 of us to go. We had a great time, and so did the kids. We did the inside on the Sovereign and the Explorer. Of course, the inside cabin was bigger on the Explorer, but the three "boys" (6'2", 6'4" and 6'5") did fine sharing a cabin, even on the Sovereign.

 

"Fortunately" I don't have to try and decide if all of us in one cabin is worth it - there are no 5 person cabins other than suites, and two insides are cheaper than a suite, plus you get the two bathrooms.

[mam11]

Our first cruise was back in the mid-80's. We were third and fourth with my parents! It was a hoot- my folks were fun to travel with tho, and our plan was the staggered one: the folks would get ready for dinner and leave the cabin, then we would get ready. My only memories of that trip are good ones- and we still liked each other when it was over!

[kryos]

We do plan to be out and about most of the time - none of us is really into staying in the room a whole lot, except for sleeping and getting ready for meals. I think getting ready for meals will be the toughest part, but I wouldn't mind getting ready in the fitness center or something like that.

I wouldn't be as concerned about the one bath as I would about the sleeping arrangements. With four women ... and especially if no one is overly modest, you can always "double up" on bathroom access, if necessary. One person is at the sink brushing their teeth while another is in the shower, etc. Not very comfortable, but doable. If time is an issue ... i.e., everyone is trying to get ready for formal night dinner ... out of the shower, take your towel into the room to dry off so that the next one can get right in.

 

My real concern would be sleeping accommodations in a tight inside cabin ... i.e., how the beds are configured. I would assume two twins and then two uppers. Be aware that it's gonna be pitch dark in an inside cabin. If someone in an upper has to get up during the night, she is gonna have no choice but to wake someone in the lower to have them put on a light for her. So, make sure that anyone who tends to get up frequently during the night is in the lower bedding.

 

Also, I don't know how one gets down from that upper level. At least to my eyes, the safest thing would seem to be just plopping down into the bed below rather than trying to negotiate a ladder when one is only half awake. Just be aware that with four in the cabin, there are gonna be some less than restful nights. It can't be helped.

 

But, I guess for seven nights, it won't be too bad. By the time you're ready to kill each other, it will be time to go home. :)

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[bld16]

I've done this twice and worked fine both times. Once w/ DH and 2 sons and once with Mom and 2 of our girlfriends. On the all girls trip we did find that one of us was a little messy. When it got out of hand we just gathered her stuff and put it on her bed. No hard feeling and we all had a great time. I would do it again in a heartbeat. HAVE FUN:D

 

LOL! Just like we when shared bedrooms at home with 4 sisters! Just put the stuff on the bed!

[beachlady58]

MrsJennifer

I have been on many cruises and love my family very much but will always get the 2 cabins. It is only a tad more expensive but will make your cruise all the more enjoyable. Have the person that gets the discount make the reservation and you will still get a good deal. Everyone spends some time in the cabin and you need to chill from time to time.

Have fun!

[Jfultz81]

We are thinking to do 4 in a D1 Balcony on the Rhapsody in Dec. It would be me, DH, and our mom's. We have been in a balcony room before and it was nice, but I'm wondering how it will be with four people, esp. when we are pretty modest people. We thought about two rooms, but we would have to do lowest catagory insides and our mom's while nice to each other, aren't exactly friends and I'm not sure about putting them in a room together (plus the balcony is such a good price, I really want it!). We aren't big on dressing up or "primping" so I don't think that will be a problem. Any suggestions?