Kids in room next door

[calenita]

We are booked on NCL. When we made the booking - through Travelocity - I was told we had to have one adult in each room, so we booked it that way. What we want to do is put the three kids - DD13, DS11 and DS7 in one room and us in the other. We are side by side but not adjoining. Our cruise docs say they can't be alone in a room under 18. Do we tell our steward we are doing this and want the beds fixed accordingly or just do it ourselves? DH would like to have a double bed instead of a single.

[kitty9]

A lot depends on the kind of cabin you have. In some cabins, the beds are fixed and cannot be changed, so you need to find out what kind of beds are in your cabin. If you leave your kids alone in that cabin, make sure you set rules, like no opening the cabin door to anyone they don't know, no leaving the cabin without your knowledge. Remember, anyone with a pass key can get in that cabin at any time, so you need to be really aware of what's going on. Your children are really on the young side to be in a cabin by themselves that isn't connecting, and I hope that the cabin isn't a balcony cabin, as that could be a problem.

[carriejose]

I am sure all cruise lines are different, but CCL will allow children (mine were 16 & 15 last year and that's how it was on the booking) in a room by themselves as long as the parents are right next door. I would just tell the room steward what you are doing and have him fix the beds accordingly...

[Karysa]

Side by side is a great set-up. Leave your room number for them and that way they can call you instead of always having to come over to ask you a question. We always made sure that when they went to bed they used the deadbolt.

Karysa

[cuppycakemom]

A lot depends on the kind of cabin you have. In some cabins, the beds are fixed and cannot be changed, so you need to find out what kind of beds are in your cabin. If you leave your kids alone in that cabin, make sure you set rules, like no opening the cabin door to anyone they don't know, no leaving the cabin without your knowledge. Remember, anyone with a pass key can get in that cabin at any time, so you need to be really aware of what's going on. Your children are really on the young side to be in a cabin by themselves that isn't connecting, and I hope that the cabin isn't a balcony cabin, as that could be a problem.

 

This.

 

Not trying to sound judgemental at all, but rather making sure that you're thinking about all of the implications of them being alone in that cabin without you.

[mjmalino]

We are actually in sort of the same place as you. When we travel this summer, DH and I will be in a balcony and our 2 DS (ages 10 and 9) will be in an inside right across the hall from us. Because they will be across the hall, and not next door, we are also getting a baby monitor to put in their cabin so that we can keep an ear on what is going on (especially if they start to get loud or one gets seasick, etc.). We have also begun talking with them about not letting anyone know that they are in the cabin alone, if they leave their cabin they either come to our cabin, or my In-laws (next to us), they do not tell anyone their cabin number. Am I still a bit nervous about it? Yes, but I think that it will be ok, especially since we have also decided that they won't have sign in/out privileges in the kids camp given the sleeping arrangements (we want a bit more control over them), and we only plan on using their cabin to sleep and shower, they will spend the rest of their time with us or their grandparents.

 

But yes, as far as Princess is concerned, I am in one cabin with one son and my DH is in the other with our other son. One other thing, just in case, make sure that if you have the option of choosing to not get upgraded that you do so!!! You would not want one of your cabins to get an upgrade and not the other and then suddenly finding yourselves on different decks.

[6rugrats]

Keep this potential problem in mind also. On our last cruise we had an outside and an inside cabin across the hall (the doors were not directly across from each other).

 

Each cabin was assigned a different life boat station. Also, we had two fires on board, and both times the emergency doors closed. Guess where they were? Right between the two cabins.

 

Just something to think about when you make these choices.

[Terpnut]

We have kids the same age and always book connecting cabins -- not just adjoining. But to answer your question, I think you can and should tell the cabin stewards about your sleeping preferences--they want to earn their tip and have never been concerned about who is in what room.

[wsue22]

Don't count on a baby monitor working on the ship. I brought one along when my daughter and I sailed with my parents last year, we had a Promenade cabin on Mariner of the Seas, while my parents were across the hall in a balcony cabin - there was too much interference for the baby monitor to work. Must be the construction materials onboard.

[Marie51]

Why not just get 2 connecting cabins......this is what I always do and it works out fine. If you want privacy you just close the door. Leave the door open and the whole family is together.

[Izzys_Mom]

We had side by side cabins on our last cruise. We just told the cabin steward this is the kids room, so we put the kid's suitcases, toys, etc. in there, keep the beds twins, etc. but didn't really discuss sleeping arrangements. Our kids did indeed sleep in their own room, but we wouldn't have felt comfortable without the baby monitor surveillance. It worked fine for us, although, we did occasionally pick up a ship frequency and hear crewmember voices. We were strict though about keeping it on ALL night. My DD practiced a couple of times the first night (asking for water, what the red light on ceiling was, etc.) and then she felt comfortable. The kids were instructed to keep their door closed at all times at night, not to open for anyone knocking, etc., that we would hear if anyone needed to come in and would come to them first. The kids were able to easily open their door themselves, however, which I think is important. We gave my DD a key to our room just as a last resort, but we always heard their requests on the baby monitor so it was just for backup. Often we'd hear our toddler DS get up, and I'd meet him at his/my door to come sleep with us (happens at home so we expected it). Just make sure the kid's door gets closed again. Don't forget nightlights (we had one in their cabin and bathroom) and to always use the Do Not Disturb signs on the kid's room.

 

We also hit Radio Shack before we left and bought a good set of Walkie Talkie's. These were great when the parents split up (ie. during DS nap time) and then needed to communicate coordinates or plans. We also (just once) left DD sleeping in her cabin and went to breakfast with instructions on her bedside to call us on the WT when she got up. I wasn't completely comfortable about this one without the baby monitor in range, so I kept calling her on the WT talking softly to see if she was awake, she never was when I checked. (I think some WTs have room monitor functions which would have been perfect in this instance.) Eventually, she called and we skurried down to get her.

 

The kids were instructed to never roam the corridors out of site of a parent, even to the bathroom. They occasionally would play out in the hall outside our rooms, we'd have our door open to monitor. The room stewards actually loved this, they so miss their own families. But, we were quick to reel them in in respect of our neighbor passengers (who also seemed to love seeing the kids, missing their kids or grandkids). I know we'll eventually hit some kid-haters in a future cruise and will have to be real tirants about keeping them contained in their/our room. In all of this, you need to be diligent in reading the minds of people around you and be respectful of the shared areas.

 

We've never been able to book an adjoining room (best option) and I wouldn't feel comfortable with a balcony until the kid's were older. But, this has worked for us and the kid's really enjoyed cruising (and the parent's love the kid's program in the am for some much needed freetime).

[mjmalino]

Why not just get 2 connecting cabins......this is what I always do and it works out fine. If you want privacy you just close the door. Leave the door open and the whole family is together.

 

Princess has very few, if any, connecting cabins.

[mjmalino]

Keep this potential problem in mind also. On our last cruise we had an outside and an inside cabin across the hall (the doors were not directly across from each other).

 

Each cabin was assigned a different life boat station. Also, we had two fires on board, and both times the emergency doors closed. Guess where they were? Right between the two cabins.

 

Just something to think about when you make these choices.

 

First, we made sure that our cabins are directly across the hall (we had help from our TA about this), and second, if they happen to have different lifeboat stations, my DH and I are technically booked with each DS, so I would go with one son and my DH would go with the other.

Thank you for your input, these are things that we have already thought of.

[bwjm]

I am taking all this information in, and although I am also learning to be a first time cruiser myself, I was also curious as to taking teenage and her friend along.

Can anybody tell me, or help me find patters with the older teen activities on a ship? My dd is afraid of being bored, and is not acting happy to go on a cruise (until I showed her the ATV shore excursion, that's all she's looking forward to, now, :rolleyes: so far).

We are close, and I would much rather take her kicking and screaming onto the ship;) , than to be standing on my balcony or the shoreline kicking myself for not having her there to enjoy this experience with me:eek: .

She loves the water, and I actually look for her to be in the pool most of the time. She will be in a room across the hall from me and my dh (not her d dad by blood, anyway). She is also close to him, and I am 99.9% sure that she will enjoy herself.

Would appreciate any input for Princess teen activites. I can't seem to find any information on that.

Thanks

[calenita]

THANKS all for you input, advice and information! You have given me a lot to think about. To be honest, I have never left the children in their own hotel room so this will be a new experience for us, but usually when we stay in a hotel it is one night and it isn't a big deal to squeeze in. Otherwise we go to timeshares for vacation, so I am a bit nervous about leaving them on their own anyway. The tip about calling the room on the phone is great. We are side by side so I think the fire drill etc should be fine. No balcony :( We are staying in cheap cabins so we can do nicer excursions. Also DD 13 is one of those extremely mature responsible kids - so I would not worry about her being in charge of the boys.

Thanks again for the input - and the lack of flames!

[lizi116]

We had our kids seperate on a Princess cruise, and the travel agent arranged with Princess to have the rooms set up accordingly - one with a double and the other with 2 singles.

[remillard]

No problem with housekeeping on RCI last year when DD6 and DD4 were in their own connecting cabin together. We made the reservations with one adult and one kid in each cabin, but once aboard had a kids room and an adult room. It was pretty obvious which was which, from clothes, dolls, etc. When housekeeping left the brochures for the next day's events, the adult ones were left in the adult room and the kids club ones were left in the kids room.

[cruizinpartyplanner]

We cruised on NCL last spring with our 4 kids and we booked a balcony w/ my DH and son in the balcony and myself and the 3 girls in the inside directly across on inside. Once we got our luggage we told our room steward that our son would be sleeping in the inside w/ his sisters and our room was set up for queen bed. We kept his clothes in our cabin and he showered in our cabin to make getting ready in evening less hectic for all and it worked out great. We all went to bed at same time each night and our oldest who was 14 then was more than happy to be responsible for them in their cabin. We are doing the same this year and our TA says this is a very common practice and the cruise lines expects it. They do not provide nearly enough cabins to accommodate a family of 6 unless you book extremely early or can afford the presidential suite!

Have a great trip!

[abitaturbodog]

I know everybody seems okay with this, but I would not let my children stay in their own cabin without a connecting door (that would be left open at all times.)

 

Here's the scenario that plays out in my mind: My son brags to someone in the arcade that he and his brother have their own room. This person follows my son to his cabin and pushes their way inside when he opens the door with his card key. My son is abused, abducted or worse.

 

I would never be able to live with the guilt. It's my job to keep them safe and I don't believe that giving them their own room is safe.

[betsifur]

I'm glad to see the respnnses on this thread. We've got a balcony and interior room across the hall booked on NCL Spirit in March. My husband and I will sleep in the balcony room, with our kids - 15, 12, 8 & 6 across the hall. I'm still mulling over the baby monitor, but I'm pretty confidant about the ability of our 15 year old daughter to keep things under control and call us if there's a problem.

[rebeccalouise]

To the OP- I know that NCL has connecting cabins and you should try this instead.

[Paumavista]

DH wants a balcony cabin but we felt we didn't want to spend the extra money for two balconies....so four of the kids are directly across in an interior room and the littlest ones are in our balcony room for our April cruise. We've made sure the rooms are "directly" across....not down the hall. We're also almost at the end of the ship so not much hall traffic. I feel fine with the arrangement - the oldest kids are very responsible. We are also "offically" booked with myself in the interior and my husband in the balcony.

[mjmalino]

We had our kids seperate on a Princess cruise, and the travel agent arranged with Princess to have the rooms set up accordingly - one with a double and the other with 2 singles.

 

Mind if I ask how old your kids were when you did this?

[mousecrazy]

I know everybody seems okay with this, but I would not let my children stay in their own cabin without a connecting door (that would be left open at all times.)

 

Here's the scenario that plays out in my mind: My son brags to someone in the arcade that he and his brother have their own room. This person follows my son to his cabin and pushes their way inside when he opens the door with his card key. My son is abused, abducted or worse.

 

I would never be able to live with the guilt. It's my job to keep them safe and I don't believe that giving them their own room is safe.

 

If you give your son a key to your cabin, this exact scenario could happen in your cabin...if he came back to an empty cabin.

[Theresa522]

We have kids the same age and always book connecting cabins -- not just adjoining. But to answer your question, I think you can and should tell the cabin stewards about your sleeping preferences--they want to earn their tip and have never been concerned about who is in what room.

 

Okay not to sound stupid, BUT what is the difference between connecting and adjoining??

 

I thought that adjoining meant a room with a door which connects to another room?? Is this not correct?