List of ships with cabins for large families?

[jerin]

My parents want to take my brothers and I and our families on a cruise in December of 2009.

We have 4 children who will be 11, 10, almost 9 and almost 5. We'd rather keep them with us, they're certainly too young for their own cabin, and we'd rather not pawn them off on my parents or brothers (though we could if we absolutely had to).

 

Which lines/ships have cabins capable of accomodating a family of 6?

[kitty9]

Very few. The only one I know of, that could easily accommodate your family would be the Royal Family Suites on Royal Caribbean. There's also the big suites on the newer NCL ships, but those are hugely expensive. You also need to know that you must book very early. Even if a ship has a cabin for 6, once they reach their passenger limit (lifeboat rules) they won't even book 4people in a quad cabin. Since three of your children are somewhat older, you really won't fit in just an ordinary cabin. There's just not the space to fit rollaway beds for that many people.

 

One thing you might not have thought of, you could get connecting cabins and put the four kids in that. With a connecting, you have a door between the cabins. And with that, you'll have two bathrooms. Personally, I don't see how 6 can easily share one bathroom. And the there's the storage factor. There won't be nearly enough storage space for 6 people in a regular cabin. Not enough drawer or closet space.

[Momof2angels]

In September we will be traveling on the Vision of the Seas in a Family Oceanview stateroom (approx 245 square feet): Queen bed, sofa bed, 2 bunk beds.

It still doesn't address the one bathroom issue....

I like the pp idea of 2 adjoining staterooms as well.

[crusinmama06]

Oh I would definatly look into connecting cabins. One bathroom for 6 people? :eek:

 

We had connecting cabins with friends of ours when we were on the Disney Magic. The door was always open and we could easily go back and forth between cabins.

 

There is a Royal Family Suite on RCCL Freedom of the Seas. It has 2 bathrooms. But the price is high...much more than just getting 2 connecting cabins on another ship.

[jerin]

We LIVE with only one bathroom, so having more than one isn't an issue. It really is possible, believe it or not!:rolleyes:

[crusinmama06]

We LIVE with only one bathroom, so having more than one isn't an issue. It really is possible, believe it or not!:rolleyes:

 

WOW!

 

I still think when you price it out though, you would be better off with connecting cabins.

[PHXscuba]

Jerin:

If the bathroom is not a big issue, a Family Oceanview on a RCI ship might be a good option for not too much money. All the ships have them except the smallest ones.

 

I priced out a FOV for six people on Mariner vs. connecting OV cabins. The FOV came up about $400 cheaper for that week, but you do lose the bathroom. The FOVs come with a curtained-off "master" bedroom, a very small bunkroom with an upper and lower bunk, and a fold-out couch in the living area, which seems pretty big for a cruise ship.

 

One little secret I will tell you: depending on where and how long you want to cruise, the FOV on the Enchantment (8012) might be a great option. (Disclaimer:I have never been in it, but do some searching on this board and you can read about it) It has a similar setup to other ships' FOV, but there are four bunks in the small bedroom, and 2 bathrooms (so it actually sleeps 8)! I think it was added/reconfigured when they stretched it a couple years ago.

 

You have to call RCI for the pricing; it won't show up online. The big difference is that you are paying 3rd-person rates for passengers 3-6 instead of paying full rates for four. When I priced the Enchantment for a cruise next Oct, the FOV (8012) was slightly cheaper than the connecting cabins.

 

Another disclaimer: despite the cheaper FOV, we will probably book the 2 connecting cabins when we do Mariner in 2009. DH thinks $400 is a cheap price to pay for the second bathroom and an actual door to separate us from the 4 kids. The price of sanity, I guess.:rolleyes:

 

Good luck with whatever you decide. I know how pricey it is to travel with 4 kids, so save money wherever you can!

 

PHXscuba

"You can't have everything -- besides, where would you put it all?":D