Three in a balcony cabin????

[starboard59]

Hi,

I have two adjoining balcony cabins booked on the NCL Gem on level nine for myself and three adult children. I figured my daughter and I in one and my two sons in the other. NCL is offering a third plus person to sail for $99.00 (plus insur. and taxes extra). Hard to pass up a ten night cruise for this price and am wondering if a third adult could fit on what they call "the pull out couch" in each room. Rep said they are designed for three people but are only 186 sq ft. HMMM. I'm wondering if I should offer my daughter to bring her long term live in boyfriend and my sons gf. Three girls in one and three boys in another cabin. ANy opinions would be most welcome. I have never cruised before....thank you!

[yogi2929]

Have never cruised on that ship, but it can be done. We usually get a quad cabin. Most important thing is to store your luggage under the bed.

 

Post on the NCL board for specific information.

[AZjohn]

I'm wondering if I should offer my daughter to bring her long term live in boyfriend and my sons gf. Three girls in one and three boys in another cabin. ANy opinions would be most welcome. I have never cruised before....thank you!

 

Hmmm, though it sounds like a great idea I wonder how long it would take the girfriend and boyfriend to change the sleeping arrangements:rolleyes:.

Have a great cruise!

John

[6rugrats]

It would be crowded, especially waiting for the bathroom.

 

But, what is the purpose of this cruise? If it's to spend time with your adult children, once you invite the gf and bf, you won't be doing much of that, I am guessing.

[eandj]

3 in each room should be okay. I would never recommend 4 in a room. The ladies will need to time their getting ready and showers. Have them plan ahead to not pack duplicate bathroom items to save room.

[neverthought]

Three adults in a balcony room should not be problem. My sisters and I did it, it was a bit tight when we were all getting ready to go out,:rolleyes: but a bit of patience and stepping out onto the balcony remedied that. We had a fabulous time, great sister bonding.

Neverthought

[cb at sea]

186 Sq. ft. is too small for more than 2 (or 3, if one is a small child)...get the 2 rooms. There is something to be said for a bit of "space" on vacation!

[beachchick]

As I recall, that square footage on NCL includes the balcony (about 40 sq ft). The balcony cabins themselves are about 160 sq ft, I think. The total is about 200 sq ft, with some differences based on location and balcony size (some aft are a bit larger). Please reconfirm with your TA that the cabin itself is 186 sq ft. NCL's balcony cabins are noticeably smaller than the ones we've had on RCI, which are about 200 sq ft (D category) plus balcony of about 50 sq ft.

 

I think that would be extremely crowded, but only you know how "close" you can all stand to be (in physical terms). One bathroom for three women? Oh my! I echo 6rugrats question of "What is the purpose of the trip?" If it is to spend time with your adult children, then it might be best to keep it just to them. Perhaps down the road you could plan a cruise for everyone.

 

beachchick

[starboard59]

Thanks everyone for your input. I guess the REAL purpose of the cruise IS to spend time with my three children...before they are married and with children....I'm leaning towards just the four of us at this point! Still hard to pass up a ten night cruise for that price for extra people BUT I want to spend time with the kids...:).

[6rugrats]

Thanks everyone for your input. I guess the REAL purpose of the cruise IS to spend time with my three children...before they are married and with children....I'm leaning towards just the four of us at this point! Still hard to pass up a ten night cruise for that price for extra people BUT I want to spend time with the kids...:).

 

 

Just because it's on sale, doesn't make it a bargain if it's something you don't need.

[neverpar]

We had 3 adults in our balcony cabin on the Triumph last December...not a problem with it being crowded..we had two beds and then one that came out of the wall...it was fine..Enjoy your cruise!

[cruiselover57]

Hi,

I have two adjoining balcony cabins booked on the NCL Gem on level nine for myself and three adult children. I figured my daughter and I in one and my two sons in the other. NCL is offering a third plus person to sail for $99.00 (plus insur. and taxes extra). Hard to pass up a ten night cruise for this price and am wondering if a third adult could fit on what they call "the pull out couch" in each room. Rep said they are designed for three people but are only 186 sq ft. HMMM. I'm wondering if I should offer my daughter to bring her long term live in boyfriend and my sons gf. Three girls in one and three boys in another cabin. ANy opinions would be most welcome. I have never cruised before....thank you!

 

186 sq. ft. is pretty good size for cabins these days - some are a lot smaller. Should be fine. They're only in there for getting dressed/sleeping. We travel with 3 most of the time (I'm glad I'm the only female but I think DH takes longer in the bathroom than I do)!

[ta tommy]

I cruised on the Gem last summer with my two teenage kids. This is a European oriented ship and believe me the atmosphere is of fun, fun, fun especially for teenagers. Us Mediterranean people love to have a good time! My kids met loads of other teenagers and I had a hard time of getting them to go back to the cabin to sleep. We were 3 of us in a balcony cabin. We were fine seeing that we only used it to sleep in. No problem at all. You can close the sofa bed during the day for some extra space. Enjoy the cruise..........The ship was brilliant and so was the food.

[Tinkrbell]

My husband and I ,and my daughter and her friend all shared a balcony cabin on the Conquest 2 years ago. There was plenty of room. The teenagers were a bit messy, however kept their mess in their own area. We had no problem when the four of us were in the room.

[Happy ks]

186 sq. ft. is pretty good size for cabins these days - some are a lot smaller. Should be fine. They're only in there for getting dressed/sleeping. We travel with 3 most of the time (I'm glad I'm the only female but I think DH takes longer in the bathroom than I do)!

 

 

You do have to remember that NCL is including the balcony in their measurements. The cabin is more like 162 -167 sq. ft. with a 38 sq. ft. balcony. Those 25-30 sq. ft. inside the cabin makes a huge difference.

 

It's doable, but also will be wall-to-wall bodies when all 3 are in the cabin. We'd not do it again, our kids only cruise with us when we can afford two cabins. It's not the sleeping arrangements that are the problem, it's trying to walk past each other and trying to find a place to sit down and getting ready for dinner, etc... you are always in each others way.

[simplelife]

I think it depends on how much time you'll spend in the cabin and how much time and space for grooming/dressing each person needs- the sleeping part will be fine (IF the partnered ones are okay with not sleeping together for the duration of the cruise:confused::o)

 

Three in a cabin can be difficult if one or more members spreads their things out all over the place, takes a long time in the bathroom, or has an inflexible grooming routine. Space will be tight - using overdoor organizers my be useful as well as establishing how/when grooming routines will be handled. One piece of advice may be that one of the ladies might shower in the men's cabin, or that some may choose to shower in the spa (there are really nice showers in there). I have shared hotel rooms with various family members and with some, 3 or 4 to a room is quite doable while with others it is a challenge. Honest communication and respect are key.

[Colorado Kat]

We fit 3 in a Carnival Freedom Ocenview cabin quite nicely. Myself and 2 daughters. Bathroom had a surprising amount of shelf space.

[beachchick]

We fit 3 in a Carnival Freedom Ocenview cabin quite nicely. Myself and 2 daughters. Bathroom had a surprising amount of shelf space.

 

IMO, it's really important to compare apples to apples (as it were) because cruise lines and even ships within the same cruise line have vastly different sizes and configurations even in the same type of category. Regular NCL cabins (non full suites) tend to be somewhat smaller than several other cruise lines. For example, average oceanview cabins on Carnival Freedom are listed as 220 sq ft; average balcony cabins on NCL Gem are listed as 165 sq ft plus 38 sq ft balcony. As you can see, a substantial difference that would make quarters in the NCL cabin much closer.

 

beachchick

[Marie51]

I have sailed many times with 3 in a cabin but you better all like each other because it will be tight.