Would You? Sharing a cabin with friends

[sarahvch]

Ok I have a question for you. MY DD (10 VERY mature) and I are booked on a cruise and we have invited my best friend and her 3 year old dd to go with us as a gift. My best friend is Awesome! and we have been friends for 18 years. The two of us would have no issues sharing a cabin. I looked at upgrading our current BA to a suite for four. It would be the same price as me keeping our BA and getting them an inside. My bf said she could care less and an inside is great for her!

My question is this. Since I have never shared a cabin with anyone other than my dd or my SO. How do four people get along in a cabin. If four people were in a cabin which cabin do you suggest? This is on the Gem. Do you personally think it is better to have two cabins.

 

I know this is a matter of opinion however knowing that some of you have stayed in cabins with three other people I would like to hear your thoughts.

TIA

[Bunkie103]

Haven't shared a cabin with 3 others, but, did take a vacation with "Best Friends" and shared a house and it was a disaster! The "other" Mom took over and even felt she should boss my children around, pick the menu without any input, and decide OUR social schedule. By the end of the week we were barely speaking. I would say let your friend and her DD take the inside and then "hang out" in your cabin. JMHO

[ute_fan]

I'd suggest two cabins, unless you can get a suite with two bathrooms in it. We've done land vacations with friends before and stayed in a hotel suite with only one bathroom, and that was the biggest issue as it took so long to get everyone up and ready in the morning.

 

Also, I don't know if her DD is still napping, but it would probably be better for her to have her own "space" where she could go to bed at a reasonable hour and not have the rest of you trying to keep quite once she was in bed.

 

What a nice gesture for you to make!

[uppitycats]

I think 2 cabins is better. No matter how close you are to your friend, EVERYONE wants..and needs..a bit of privacy. You can always bunk the kids down in one cabin and make the other an "adults only" experience for a few hours, if you and your friend want to stay up late and chat..or something...

[NEW 2 CRUISIN]

4 GIRLS IN ONE CABIN??? YIKES!!!!!! :eek: HAHA!

 

Seriously...what a great friend you are for doing this!

 

Get your friend an inside cabin right across the hall from your balcony cabin and let the girls have fun running back and forth!

 

You and your friend will be able to hang out on the balcony whenever you want to, yet you will each still have your privacy at night and in the bathroom.

 

PLUS...your daughter will most certainly appreciate not having to be the "defacto babysitter" just because there is a 3-year old sharing her room!

 

The best part? Your friend will then be hooked on cruising and may do the same for you some day! :D

 

HAVE FUN!

 

:)

[Addictedtwo]

Ok I have a question for you. MY DD (10 VERY mature) and I are booked on a cruise and we have invited my best friend and her 3 year old dd to go with us as a gift. My best friend is Awesome! and we have been friends for 18 years. The two of us would have no issues sharing a cabin. I looked at upgrading our current BA to a suite for four. It would be the same price as me keeping our BA and getting them an inside. My bf said she could care less and an inside is great for her!

My question is this. Since I have never shared a cabin with anyone other than my dd or my SO. How do four people get along in a cabin. If four people were in a cabin which cabin do you suggest? This is on the Gem. Do you personally think it is better to have two cabins.

 

I know this is a matter of opinion however knowing that some of you have stayed in cabins with three other people I would like to hear your thoughts.

TIA

 

We had 3 in a "BA" on the Star last Sept for Alaska. It's was fine as long as you know ahead of time that it's gonna be a little tight at night with the loveseat open. The 3rd party was my mother in law who I knew would be very low mainentance, she's quite active as well so she was able to keep up.

But I don't think I'd do 4 in an BA.

[travel_mom_1]

If it were me, I would do two cabins. I think it can be a lot of fun to share a vacation experience with friends, but I like to know that I or my family and I have are own space when we need it. Too much togetherness can sometimes be rough.

[cole]

I agree about separate cabins. Remember, it is not just two adults - but a 10 year old and a 3 year old. The two cabins give both of you quiet time if you need it and you can spend as much time together as you want without being forced.

B. Cole

[slidergirl]

Now, I don't have kids, so I may be off base on this one. I've read this thread because I'm thinking of taking a cruise with 2 other girlfriends and wondering if we could make it in one BA cabin. I saw that it was really about 2 adults and 2 young ones. Well, I thought the idea of the balcony/inside was a good one. Then, I thought, if the girls do nap, coujld you put them in the inside to nap, use a baby monitor to keep an ear on them, and the 2 adults could be sitting comfortably on the balcony? I dont' know if the baby monitor would even work on the ship, but it's a thought that maybe someone could expand on.

[G'ma]

I can only give you my opinion.

 

I would never, ever travel with anyone unless I was absolutely, 100% sure that we are totally compatible in lifestyle and philosophy.

 

A cruise cabin is a very, very close and closed environment. Four people in 1 cabin means no privacy, complete interaction during a good portion of the day (and night). To make it work, everyone has to totally respect the others right to be there.

 

If one is a slob and the other is a neat-freak, it won't work. If one drops dirty towels on the bathroom floor and the other hangs it up, it won't work. If one likes to sleep until noon and the other is an early-riser, it won't work. If one picks up after herself and keeps her things stowed in closets and drawers and the other strews things all over the place, it won't work.

 

Only you two can work this out. It can either be a lot of fun or a lot of misery. It's up to you.

[cruizinwithkids]

One of my best cruises was my best friend and her daughter who shared a room me with me and my daughter. The girls were both 12. I think one important aspect is the level of comfort doing things alone or together. BFF likes to gamble. I don't. She gambled and I sat in the atrium with a drink people watching. We did many things together and many things seperately. I did feel bad that I wasn't with her when she won $1200 at slots.

 

My mother went on a cruise with a friend of hers - two people in the room and the friend drove my mom nuts. A friend wanted to be with my mother constantly and my mother is more independent.

 

Also make sure you are comfortable paying for a friend and then her having gambling winnings and not sharing. Me, not so much. LOL

[sarahvch]

I think we are going to go with two rooms. I heard rumor there will be a sale tomorrow so I am going to hold off booking and see.

 

I am only covering my friend and her dd cost as far as cruise, flights and hotel before the cruise. She is on her own with onboard accounts, gambling money and spending money. BUT we discussed all that before hand. She also knows that my dd and I have an expensive excursion planned and she knows she is welcome to join us on that if she wants to use her own money or she can do her own thing. She was fine with that. She is a single mom with almost no help from her child's father so there is no way she could afford this cruise without me. She is very thankful and to be honest she has paid for many things for me (nights out, help moving and so on) when I was younger and we lived together.

[Bunkie103]

Have a wonderful time on your cruise!:D

[bklynangel]

Ok I have a question for you. MY DD (10 VERY mature) and I are booked on a cruise and we have invited my best friend and her 3 year old dd to go with us as a gift. My best friend is Awesome! and we have been friends for 18 years. The two of us would have no issues sharing a cabin. I looked at upgrading our current BA to a suite for four. It would be the same price as me keeping our BA and getting them an inside. My bf said she could care less and an inside is great for her!

My question is this. Since I have never shared a cabin with anyone other than my dd or my SO. How do four people get along in a cabin. If four people were in a cabin which cabin do you suggest? This is on the Gem. Do you personally think it is better to have two cabins.

 

I know this is a matter of opinion however knowing that some of you have stayed in cabins with three other people I would like to hear your thoughts.

TIA

im giving you my honest opinion....Don't do it. your best friend will not be your best friend anymore and besides there will be no room for your suitecases. You will get annoyed just as i did with my son in the room, hes in his teens.

[*Wink*]

You've made a good choice, in my eyes. You sound very nice and easy going, but wouldn't it be awful if you had a terrible time on the cruise because of living quarters? Also, it could put a strain on your great relationship. There's an old saying that somewhat applies, "Good fences make good neighbors."

 

Keep us posted.

 

A.

[watchdiva]

Very wise decision to go with 2 rooms. DH and I cruised a few yeas ago with my BFF and her SO and it almost ruined our friendship. BFF and I have been "besties" for 30+ years, raised our kids together, etc but....

that shared vacation almost ruined our friendship and 5 years later it's still strained (and yes, we had different cabins).

 

I will NEVER, EVER cruise again with friends.

[bklynangel]

Very wise decision to go with 2 rooms. DH and I cruised a few yeas ago with my BFF and her SO and it almost ruined our friendship. BFF and I have been "besties" for 30+ years, raised our kids together, etc but....

that shared vacation almost ruined our friendship and 5 years later it's still strained (and yes, we had different cabins).

 

I will NEVER, EVER cruise again with friends.

I totally agree with you , same happened to me and my husband and friends.

[cynbar]

Very wise decision to go with 2 rooms. DH and I cruised a few yeas ago with my BFF and her SO and it almost ruined our friendship. BFF and I have been "besties" for 30+ years, raised our kids together, etc but....

that shared vacation almost ruined our friendship and 5 years later it's still strained (and yes, we had different cabins).

 

I will NEVER, EVER cruise again with friends.

 

Same thing happened to us a couple years back when we cruised with my sister and her (new) 2nd husband --- what a disaster, and we weren't in the same cabin. Absolutely go with the 2 cabins -- too many chances for problems if you are all together, and it would really be a shame to put a strain on your friendship after your generous and thoughtful gesture.

[CanadianTwosome]

Ship cabins are small, unless you're going to spring for an AB or higher, with separate bedrooms and bathrooms. I would go for two cabins, just because you then not only have additional privacy, but two children who don't normally live together don't have to share the space the entire time. We book insides for our family of three, but we're all used to sharing a home (and seeing each other in various states of undress), so we have no problems in a tight cabin. There is also the whole parenting issue... personally, I think it's MY job to parent my child, and I don't want to feel like I need to parent anyone else's (that should be their job). Since everyone's parenting style is different, though, if you're sharing a 'home' with someone else's child for a week, it can lead to an uncomfortable situation.

 

Bottom line: Get two cabins. :)

[CRUISING4MADAME]

the balcony cabins on the GEM are so tiny...we were 2 best friends of 39 years in one cabins and it was oh so tight, someone always had to step aside to let the other friend pass..it was tight, don't forget all your luggage is in the room with you , don't take those giant suitcases as there is no place to store them, they don't fit under the bed, you can fit 1 in the closet, but you need the rest of the closet to hang up your clothes,.. which takes up a lot of the closet space also ... i would never sail with more then 2 adults in 1 cabin....one person has to leave the room so the other one can get dressed after they showered... but we had a WONDERFUL cruise in spite it all ..and we are going back on the gem on 1/14/09...we can hardly wait.. have a wonderful cruise... oh the things you do for friendship..