Cruising with 3 kids?

[Wizzle]

How would it work cruising with 3 kids? I see that the Carnival website allows to book up to 5 guests, but we don't all fit in one inside cabin, do we? How does that work???

 

Let me add that my kids are little - currently 3, 4, and 5, though it will probably be late next year or early 2009 before we are able to cruise so they will be a year older.

[cherylandtk]

Carnival still has a few older ships that sleep five to cabin, and yes, it gets rather crowded. Most other lines and all the newer Carnival ships sleep a maximum of four to a cabin. Most families with young kids on these ships book two connecting cabins (not just adjacent) with one parent officially booked into each room. It does cost more per person to book two rooms, but having an extra bathroom and more space is priceless to many families.

[cruisead]

It depends on what size cabin you get. Will you be comfortable in an inside room with three kids? Probably not, but if you get a larger cabin, with such small ones, it should be just fine. BUT, you need to book early if you're going with 5 in one cabin. Every cruise line will limit the number of passengers they put in one cabin, once they start reaching their legal limits. So even if people find a quad room, the cruise line might only allow two in that cabin because they are reaching their passenger capacity.

 

You could also book connecting cabins, one with an inside door between cabins, but that gets pretty expensive because two of your kids will be paying full, adult fares.

[KC_fn]

I say it's high time they learned some adult responsibility! Put all the kidlets in a room together! :D

 

Kidding...:o

[cruisinbuddy]

Are you crazy?!:D 3, 4 & 5 :eek: or 4, 5 & 6, still. Just kidding. We took our 3 teenagers on the Disney Magic and I was crazy. I hope you can find something, maybe adjoining rooms. My one piece of advise for you is, make sure you take at least one night for you & DH/W, find somewhere for the kids to go, no not playing in a life boat, and go to the speciality restaurant and have one evening to yourselves. Enjoy which ever you choose. Let us know how it was.

[cb at sea]

Definitely get 2 rooms connecting. The kids will be closer than in their bedrooms at home, and you can close that door and have some privacy! Cruises are romantic--you don't want 3 kids in the bedroom with you all week!

[PJBUCHEIT]

How would it work cruising with 3 kids? I see that the Carnival website allows to book up to 5 guests, but we don't all fit in one inside cabin, do we? How does that work???

 

Let me add that my kids are little - currently 3, 4, and 5, though it will probably be late next year or early 2009 before we are able to cruise so they will be a year older.

 

I guess I am the only odd one and thinks that 5 in a cabin was not so bad. We did that last year with our kids. They were 3, 11, 11. We had really no bathroom problems. We will be going on the Elation in April with 5 in our cabin again. Maybe when the girls get to be older then the bathroom might become a problem. :eek:

[awesomemamma]

Cruising w/dh and 5 yes FIVE kids in Dec. We booked 3 cabins....dh & DS (8) in one, teen boys in the center, and DD12, and DD (10) and I in the 3rd.... Hope it works out!!! :)

[4merlurker]

I guess I am the only odd one and thinks that 5 in a cabin was not so bad. We did that last year with our kids. They were 3, 11, 11. We had really no bathroom problems. We will be going on the Elation in April with 5 in our cabin again. Maybe when the girls get to be older then the bathroom might become a problem. :eek:

 

 

:eek:

We get 2 cabins....I can't even imagine sharing......eeek - one bathroom? No way....

 

I'm speechless....but in awe of you!!! :)

 

~Connie

[firefly333]

I cant imagine 5 in a cabin either. I live alone but cruise with my sister. I did a group cruise where they put us with a roomie and even having to go to the bathroom where you will make "noises" at some point in time if you are normal and having someone hear them being the cabins are such close quarters is bad. 5 of you that close with one bathroom?? Not me.

 

We got 2 cabins for next Labor Day because my sister is bringing a friend, but now that Carnival has gone up one cruise fares for singles, I dont know what we will do after this, I dont really want to share a cabin with 3. She has a walker that she leaves out and blocks passage that my sister who is also handicapped could easily trip over....so maybe my view is off.

[Happy ks]

We've cruised several times with our 2 kids in the cabin with us and I have to say, if that is how we would have to cruise again...we will stay home. It wasn't so bad (yes, it was :rolleyes: ) when they were younger, but now they are teens, no way do I want that much togetherness :p

 

The space is relative to a large walk-in closet, inclusive of the closet and the bathroom. The shower is the size of a phone booth (for those of us who remember phone booths), the closet is not much larger than a coat closet. During the day the bunk beds are folded up into the ceiling or onto the wall, at night there will be 2 bunks down, the third bed is either a sofa bed or a rollaway right smack in between the 2 twins on the floor. At night you will have wall to wall beds, during the day you will not have enough space to have more than 2 people standing at any one time, the others will either have to be in the bathroom or sitting on the beds or sofa (if there is one).

 

You will need to schedule preparation time for any event, allow a minimum of 2 hours, there is no way around that unless no one bathes or brushes their teeth. Getting dressed for dinner will be the ultimate challenge for Mom, as you will have to organize clothing for everyone including the husband in a space of, well, stretch your arms out, then bend at the elbows and there you have it. Formal night is even worse.

 

My recommendation would be to have Dad keep the kids out of the cabin until you are COMPLETELY READY and only then bring them back. That means, with early seating you will have to start prepping about 4pm, a great big chunk of your relaxation time just got eaten up.

 

The kids club will be your friend, even if they hate it force them to go, they may have to learn to love their counselor ;)

 

Not that it can't be done, it can, but a lot of the success is determined by your patience and tolerance level. I need space and privacy, I don't deal well with elbows in my face while putting on my makeup.

 

I would probably want to jump overboard after the first day, others find humor in hardship.

[adamsmom]

We cruise frequently with both kids, currently ages 8 and 12, and we always stay in one cabin. We haven't had any real problems. When they were smaller, it was even easier, because their clothes didn't take up so much room.;) I think it depends a lot on which ship you are on and what kind of cabin you have, and what kind of special gear you have to take with you for the smallest ones. (See the Family Cruising forum.) Our last cruise was on the Royal Majesty of the Seas, and our room was nothing more than a closet. The biggest problem was that there wasn't room for our clothes, so most of them had to stay in suitcases and be dragged out from under the bed. And this was only a 4-day cruise! But we weren't in there much, and the kids love spending close time with mom and dad. As they get older, that family time together means a lot.

 

But we once had a cabin, same inside category, on the Norwegian Spirit, and there was plenty of room. There were two fold-down bunks, and even a sleeper sofa. I've even had to sleep on the top bunk before because DD was too scared to get up there. But it means I get the whole bed to myself without hubby hogging the covers.:D

 

The Carnival Holiday had two fold-down bunks, but the bottom two beds were put together and turned sideways, so there was still plenty of room to get around. And on the Triumph, my sister-in-law had 5 to her family in one cabin, and they managed just fine. And her three girls were pre-teens then.

 

You won't be spending much time there--only sleeping and dressing. Work out a schedule early, and it shouldn't be a problem. Of course, getting two adjoining cabins is ideal, but not always affordable. A balcony helps sometimes to have a separate place to go, but it also usually takes space away from the inside of the room.

 

The kids will want to spend plenty of the time in the kids' program, so that leaves "alone" time for mom and dad in the cabin. The first time my daughter cruised at 5 years old, she cried when I made her go into the kid's club, but when I picked her up, she cried because it was time to go. For the rest of the cruise, she jumped out of bed every morning eager to get to her "class."

 

So, having said all that, if you can reasonably afford two adjoining cabins, do that, if you can arrange it early with the cruise line. Otherwise, get one cabin, and enjoy the time together.

[mitzy52]

We have 3 kids and have done both all in one cabin and 2 connecting. The inside connecting was definitly really nice and much roomier. Plus, 2 bathrooms. I would also look into Royal Caribbean Freedom or Voyager Class ships. They are really nice too. If you do decide on a Carnival ship, make sure you do a Destiny class or higher.

[Romy40]

Egads. Parenthood isn't for the weak!

[NAS-KARR]

GOD HELP YOU !

When I go on a cruise it's for a VACATION.........that means NO KIDS (4) OR GRANDKIDS (12) PERIOD !!!!!!!:D

YOU HAVE MY SYMPATHY.

CIAO,