5 In A Cabin?

[hunnypot1]

Our kids are too young for their own room. Is there a cruise line that will allow all five of us to share a cabin? I am not looking to get a huge suite...just a decent cabin that will accommodate us.

If all else fails, we could get adjoining cabins (like we are doing for our 1/14/08 RCCL Monarch cruise), but we were hoping for a cabin for 5.

[cigal]

hunnypot1,

 

Disney has family suites, but limited itineraries. How old are your children?

Carnival sometimes allows a rollaway in a cabin with two lowers and two uppers, but the cabin is really crowded. If you want to know what it is like to have 5 people in a cabin do this:

 

Go home, empty out your closet and all five of you try to sleep, dress, and get ready to go out without leaving the "cabin."

Go ahead....try it for the whole weekend.:eek:

 

Trust me ~ two cabins cost more $, but you will save your sanity.:D

 

Have a great vacation, whatever you do,

Cigal

[Keith1010]

I can't think of a standard cabin holding five people, but maybe others can. Either a suite or adjoining cabins.

 

Keith

[hunnypot1]

hunnypot1,

 

Disney has family suites, but limited itineraries. How old are your children?

Carnival sometimes allows a rollaway in a cabin with two lowers and two uppers, but the cabin is really crowded. If you want to know what it is like to have 5 people in a cabin do this:

 

Go home, empty out your closet and all five of you try to sleep, dress, and get ready to go out without leaving the "cabin."

Go ahead....try it for the whole weekend.:eek:

 

Trust me ~ two cabins cost more $, but you will save your sanity.:D

 

Have a great vacation, whatever you do,

Cigal

 

9, 8, and 5 years old. Lots of energy.

I noticed that Carnival offered pricing for 5 people in a room, but did not realize it involved a rollaway bed.

We are looking into a southern caribbean cruise in 2009.

[surfklutz]

Depending on your price range - SeaDream has Commodore" staterooms that will hold up to 6 people - and the nice thing is that one of the beds becomes a dining room table by day - bed by night. The best is that it also has 2 bathrooms, 2 closets, 2 TVs, 2 refrigerators, basically 2 of everything.

[Pomperaugrr]

The Royal Family Suite on the Serenade should fit the bill for you. There are two bedrooms and a living room area and nice aft balcony. There are three of them on the Serenade and all Radiance class ships. You can't usually book them online. Give RCCL a call to book one. The cost is not much more than two cabins, if you book it early enough.

 

Eric

[wrp96]

On Carnival's older ships they will allow you to book 5 people into a regular stateroom. Spirit Class and Conquest class do not allow you to book 5 people into a regular stateroom, but they may allow you to book 5 people into a suite.

 

RCCL has several options for family rooms that are specifically designed to hold 5 (or more people). They require a minimum of 5 people to book and cannot be booked online.

 

Your options for 5 people (or more) on RCCL ships:

 

Grand Suites and Owners Suites - RCCL will allow you to put a 5th person in these suites. They bring in a rollaway bed for the 5th person.

 

Family Inside Stateroom - requires a minimum of 5 people to book, holds max 6 people. All of our Family Staterooms can accommodate up to six people, with two twin beds, sofa and/or Pullman beds. Other amenities include a minibar and sitting area.

 

Family Promenade Stateroom - requires a minimum of 5 people to book, holds max 6 people. All of our Family Staterooms can accommodate up to six people, with two twin beds, sofa and/or Pullman beds. Other amenities include a minibar and sitting area.

 

Family Oceanview Stateroom - requires a minimum of 5 people to book, holds max 6 people. All of our Family Ocean View Staterooms can accommodate up to six people, with two twin beds, sofa and/or Pullman beds. Other amenities include a minibar (except on Vision of the Seas) and sitting area.

 

Royal Family Suite - requires a minumum of 5 people to book, holds a max of 8 people. Has 2 bedrooms AND 2 bathrooms, plus because it is a suite you get concierge lounge access (on ships that have a concierge lounge). On most ships, our Royal Family Suite has enough space to accommodate eight people, with two bedrooms including four twin beds, two Pullman beds and a double sofa bed. All have a separate living area, two bathrooms, vanity area and refrigerator, among their amenities.

 

Presidential Family Suite - requires a minimum of 8 people to book, holds a max of 14 people. The Presidential Family Suite has four bathrooms, a spacious living area with entertainment center and flat screen TV. The private balcony includes a whirlpool, wet bar, lounge chairs and an al fresco dining area that seats fourteen.

 

Be aware that not every ship has all the family staterooms. You have to call RCCL or book with a travel agent in order to book more than 4 people in a room.

 

Another thing to think about is that on RCCL's Voyager class and Freedom class, they have a couple of inside cabins that have a connecting door with a balcony stateroom (they also have oceanview cabins with a connecting door to a balcony stateroom). So that might be an option as well.

[kitty9]

You need to book early. If you wait, and the ship has reached their passenger capacity limits, even if they have quad rooms available, they won't book them as quads. It has to do with Coast Guard rules and lifeboat capacity.

 

Carnival seems to have the most options for five in a cabin. While those Royal Family suites on RCCI are great, they are pricey.

[boulders]

We've stayed in a Family Oceanview (FOV) on Navigator of the Seas. It wasn't pricey at all. There are two twins (which can be made up into a queen), a sofabed, and my children's favorite, a set of bunkbeds in a separate sleeping area. The entire stateroom was just over 300 sq. ft. There were only 3 of us and we had plenty of room. They lifted the minimum occupancy and allowed us to book it about 10 days before sailing.

 

With the ages of your children, I think one of these staterooms would be ideal. The bunkbeds allow the older kids some personal space and therefore, more personal space for everyone else. Since they're not teenagers yet, 1 bathroom shouldn't be too much of a problem.

 

On our next cruise, there are 4 of us going, with two connecting balconies. Not enough to book the FOV. Although I will appreciate the extra space, it won't be as easy to keep tabs. on the kids.

[Dr_DNA]

There were 4 of us in the Family Ocenview Stateroom on the Explorer and we had plenty of room. There were the two standard beds pushed together, a generous sitting area with a sleeper sofa,(full size?) and a separate room (more like a walk-in closet) that had bunk beds. We also had two large pothole windows that overlooked the front of the ship. Since we were a couple of decks under the bridge, I guess we had the same view as the captain's. I was actually shocked at how large the room was for the price that we paid (less for the 4 of us than a balcony for 2). Maybe it was a fluke that our TA found for us but in any case, it was really nice.

[hunnypot1]

Great suggestions!

I was trying to avoid spending a lot of money on the pricey suites, so the "family" inside/outside rooms sound great! I do prefer RCCL, if possible. This cruise will make us platinum with RCCL...

Our kid's first cruise is next month. We booked two adjoining oceanview cabins.

Now I must find the RCCL ships that offer these family rooms. And on itineraries I want...

Thanks to everyone. I will keep reading the family cruising board in hopes of finding new tips for cruising with the kids.

[nybumpkin]

If you're interested in Southern Caribbean, you might check out Carnival Victory's cruises in 2009. We've done 5 in a balcony cabin on Victory twice - DH and I in the beds, son 1 on the convertible sofa, son 2 in the pullman bunk, and son 3 on the rollaway. Sons were 13, 8 and 4 the first time we did this and 15, 10 and 6 the next time. It's a bit of a tight fit, but we had plenty of storage space. Having the balcony helped a lot; if we were all trying to get dressed at the same time, the first ones done would go out on the balcony while the others got ready, so we weren't tripping over each other too much. We were fine sharing 1 bathroom, but others who have done this have suggested that if bathroom space is at a premium, a couple of folks can go to the gym to shower.

 

I haven't sailed RCI, but Adventure of the Seas sails a comparable itinerary to Victory's Southern Caribbean route. A colleague of mine sailed last year and had a great time.

[wrp96]

More info on RCCL's family staterooms:

 

Family Inside Stateroom - found on Freedom class and Enchantment of the Seas

 

Family Promenade Stateroom - found on Freedom class only

 

Family Oceanview stateroom - Radiance class, Voyager class, Freedom class, Enchantment of the Seas, Rhapsody of the Seas, and Vision of the Seas

 

Royal Family Suite - Vision class, Radiance class, Voyager class, Freedom Class, Majesty of the Seas, and Monarch of the Seas

 

Presidential Family Suite - Freedom class only

 

Remember to price out connecting staterooms versus the family staterooms, because many times two connecting staterooms are less expensive than the family staterooms.

[CRUISENAV8R]

Don't forget about the FV's on Celebrity's M-Class ships. They are on the fantail, so you have a huge balcony, and can easily sleep 5. There is also a door between the 2 sections. You must call Celebrity to book these rooms in advance, but they sometimes release them close to the sail date.

[Heatherco]

You may be surprised to find that two adjoining/connecting staterooms will cost you much less money than a family suite.

 

We are also a family of 5 and every time we have cruised, it has been cheaper to book connecting/adjoining cabins. This way you also have more storage space, can leave the doors open between the cabin like in connecting hotel rooms and have the extra bathroom which is a godsend.

 

Good luck to you!

Heather

[jimswims]

We got a great price on an AB Penthouse suite on the NCL Dawn this year. The Pearl, Jewel, Gem, Star, and Jade ll have this same type of cabin.

 

This accomodates 5 with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (master bath has a jacuzzi), living room, dining room, balcony, VIP treatment and a bulter/concierge. The cabin is about 575 sq. feet. Also, it has 4 TV's, not that we used them much.

 

The 3/4 passenger rates were excellent and I could not even come close to getting the same price on RCCL.

 

We really liked the freestyle cruising (anytime dining) with our kids as well.

 

The perks and the cabin made for an incredible cruise for all of us.

[Cruise Arizona]

There are two rooms on the Celebrity Mercury that are able to be booked as regular inside rooms, but they are a bit larger and have 5 beds. They are are on the back of the ship across the hall from the Sunset Veranda rooms that also accomodate 5. It takes a call to Celebrity either from you or your agent to book these rooms. And make sure your travel agent knows what they are doing.

 

 

Again, booking early is the key for a 5 person room. Sunset Veranda rooms, I think can now be booked by just 2, even though they will accommodate 5.

[mousecrazy]

We got a great price on an AB Penthouse suite on the NCL Dawn this year. The Pearl, Jewel, Gem, Star, and Jade ll have this same type of cabin.

 

 

If you don't mind me asking...what was your 'great price?' And, exactly how did you go about getting it? TIA.

[calikak]

Norwegian has suites that sleep 5.

[SelectSys]

On our next cruise, there are 4 of us going, with two connecting balconies. Not enough to book the FOV. Although I will appreciate the extra space, it won't be as easy to keep tabs. on the kids.

 

We have had connecting cabins on most of our cruises and never felt it was all that difficult to keep tabs on the kids. The extra bath is great when everyone is trying to get going all at once in addition to the extra space.

[jimswims]

If you don't mind me asking...what was your 'great price?' And, exactly how did you go about getting it? TIA.

 

I prefer not to give out specific prices but I will tell you how I got it.

 

I booked the suite 13 months in advance with a TA. I actually did some research and found that there was some good prices out there. He was surprised at the rate and he even was able to discount more. We have booked many of our cruises with him.

 

I always look at the rates to see if they will drop, this is unlikely in the summer. My TA does the same and periodically will update me with prices because he will lower the rate if it drops. The last cabin in the category was about 2800 dollars (based on NCL and what my TA could offer) more for the 4 of us if we hadn't booked early.

[2+3Cruisers]

The Norwegian Sun has some standard inside cabins that sleep 5. We went last year with our twin 3 year olds and 5 year old. The standard twin beds pushed together for DH and I. The sofa folded into the equivalent of a double bed for the twins and an upper bunk for the 5 y/o. Every day the cabin stewards folded the sofa back up and then back out in the evening. We were pleasantly surprised at how spacious it felt. This was a fantastic option with 3 younger children. :)

[mjmalino]

We have had connecting cabins on most of our cruises and never felt it was all that difficult to keep tabs on the kids. The extra bath is great when everyone is trying to get going all at once in addition to the extra space.

 

Question about this. How old were your kids the first time you did this? Did the kids stay in one room and the adults in the other? I am asking because that is what we are planning on doing this summer when we travel with our 2 DS (they will be 10 and 9 and we pretty much plan on only using the second cabin for our kids to sleep in and get changed in as they will either be with my DH and myself, my in-laws, or the kids camp). My big concern is that they will be directly across the hall--not next store. I am not concerned about not knowing where they are (we don't let them wander around the ship by themselves and don't plan on starting that yet), but am a bit nervous about this whole thing.

[jimswims]

Question about this. How old were your kids the first time you did this? Did the kids stay in one room and the adults in the other? I am asking because that is what we are planning on doing this summer when we travel with our 2 DS (they will be 10 and 9 and we pretty much plan on only using the second cabin for our kids to sleep in and get changed in as they will either be with my DH and myself, my in-laws, or the kids camp). My big concern is that they will be directly across the hall--not next store. I am not concerned about not knowing where they are (we don't let them wander around the ship by themselves and don't plan on starting that yet), but am a bit nervous about this whole thing.

 

I am sure that you know your kids and how they will handle having a cabin across the hall from yours.

 

Our kids will be 13 and 10 when we cruise next and we have a connecting suite and balcony cabin. This is the first time having connecting cabins for us and the only reason is because suites on this ship cannot fit 4. Knowing our kids, I do not know if I could have my kids across the hall from us. :eek: