Family of 5 very difficult

[air man]

Why am I having such a hard time trying to plan our cruise for next summer ( 2010 ) ? It seems to me that every angle I try to take to save a little or conserve, their is an obstacle. Any suggestions out there? I cant be the only family with 5 am I ? Dissapointed in the Northeast........

[Moeve]

It depends on how old your children are - sometimes some lines will work with you if your kids are still small but once they are older in many cases the only thing you can do is go for 2 cabins (interleading doors.) If those family cabins are either too expensive or simply not available.

[marci22]

How old are the children?

 

If they are very young, they need to be with you, so it limits you to connecting cabins (must book very early to get them) or family suites (same). Once they are older, they can be in an interior on their own, as long as they are within close proximity.

 

Triples can also be hard to find as your cruise date approaches so it is best to plan early. You can always cancel within the grace period, but once the cabin is gone it can be a challenge to find a setup that works for 5.

[cb at sea]

What exactly IS the problem you're encountering?

[KLMB]

You are going to have to book to adjoining rooms. You will appreciate the extra bathroom! You need to get specific on which ships you are considering for people to offer the best advice.

[cassieroll]

We are a family of 5.. I'm curious as to what the problems are?

[beany]

We are also a family of 5 and are going on cruise #6 in a few weeks. What are you having difficulty with?

[arucruzn]

We are also a family of 5, and yes it takes a little bit more planning, but we were always able to get on the ship and enjoy it without many hassles. The biggest is finding rooms close by. Agree, connecting rooms do go very fast, but we can always get either across the hallway or next door. They make me book one adult with each room, but once on board, they are okay with us switching. It all depeneds on the ages.

And we spend so little time i n the cabin's that it is really to sleep and shower. And having 2 showers instead of having to fight for one, is worth the little extra.:o

[burdicd]

We are also a family of 5. We just finished our cruise on Freedom of the Seas. We got 2 adjoining inside rooms and left the door open the entire time between the rooms. We loved having 2 bathrooms, 2 tvs, and 2 rooms. It was actually cheaper than the family suite was. Our kids are 3, 9, and 12.

 

Debbie

[jtwisconsin]

We are also a family of 5. You need to be a little more specific on what the problem is before we can help you.

[dfa1]

Another family of 5 here with 3 young children.

 

We too have experienced the added difficulties of planning ahead and having to pay the 1'st & 2'nd pax rate for two of our little ones if we get adjoining rooms.

 

We have found a number of alternatives that have helped us to get around some of these obstacles, including, booking one of our little ones in a family member's stateroom (although all three stay with us usually), and family oceanviews, which can be affordable, depeding on when you book them.

 

We also have sailed with Disney, and they do offer fairly reasonable verandah/balcony cabins for 5, although everything DIS is more $$$, and may not be geared to the experience you're looking for (although, w/3 kids, we love it!).

 

Due to the limit of 4 pax per standard stateroom with a family of 5, my family and I are big fans of the reduced 3'rd & 4th person rates, and we have taken advantage of this offer more than once to have an affordable vacation. Wish RCCL would offer this more often. :)

[Badly Drawn Boy]

Family of 6 here , 2 adjoining rooms is the answer

 

We are on the Jewel next month and Indy next year , what problems are you having

 

Rod

[QTMichele]

I'm assuming you mean cost. (???) If so and one of the 5 members of your family is a baby/toddler, then you may be able to have 5 in a stateroom if that baby/toddler (I think under 2 years is the limit?) is in a porta-crib. If all 5 members of your family are older, then 2 adjoining or near-by (depending upon age) is really the only answer, unless you spend more $$$ to get a suite.

 

Good luck!

[01Sweetpea]

We're a family of 5 and we have 3 cabins booked for our Liberty cruise. :eek:

 

DH & I in a balcony, my boys in a PR across the hall, and my step-daughter in an adjoining PR cabin.

 

Because the kids are all teens, we couldn't put them in a cabin together. Yes, it is VERY EXPENSIVE, but they will all be heading off to college in th next few years and it will be one of our last family vacations together, so we're willing to pay the price.

 

Best suggestion...connecting inside cabins.

[DCwom]

Oh yes the family of 5 in a vacation world designed for 4; tables for 4, 2 beds to a hotel room, etc, I understand what you mean. Our kids are pretty much out of the house so we have grown out of the problem. I remember Disney being particularly bad about rooms for 5 at the "value" resorts so we had to get a room at the deluxe resots that would fit us.

 

There arn't a lot of good solutions other than to be "closer" as a family in your lodging or paying more $$ for additional or oversized rooms.

[Lyncruiser]

So long as there is availability on the passenger manifest, a child under two can stay in any cabin and not count against the number of passengers in the cabin. So, a cabin for four can hold five if one is under two. Not sure if that helps the OP, but not many people know this.

[flagger]

So long as there is availability on the passenger manifest, a child under two can stay in any cabin and not count against the number of passengers in the cabin. So, a cabin for four can hold five if one is under two. Not sure if that helps the OP, but not many people know this.

This is so not true under any circumstances.

[aloha43]

So long as there is availability on the passenger manifest, a child under two can stay in any cabin and not count against the number of passengers in the cabin. So, a cabin for four can hold five if one is under two. Not sure if that helps the OP, but not many people know this.

 

I've never heard of this.

 

Ships manifest have to know exactly who is sailing....and as far as I am aware, I have never heard of anyone cruising for free.

[cassieroll]

I was hoping the OP came back with more info.

[readytolose]

This is so not true under any circumstances.

 

Actually this is very true. We just did it with our two year old grandson. A promenade room is only supposed to have 2 people booked but because of his age we were able to book a 3rd person in the room.

 

I've never heard of this.

 

Ships manifest have to know exactly who is sailing....and as far as I am aware, I have never heard of anyone cruising for free.

 

They never said they would cruise for free. They just simply stated that it is possible to have an extra person in the room depending on their age. Yes you still have to pay the 3rd or 4th person rate but many times it ends up saving you from having to get an extra room. Thus saving you money.

[X]

Be sure to get the "connnecting staterooms" as opposed to any adjoining cabins. On the floorplan they will be marked by a double headed arrow. You want that because they'll have a door in between the rooms.

[cruizer4life]

You may want to check out "Saving Money on your Cruise - Tips & Advice" under Cruise Discussion Topics on the main board page. There's lots of great tips and info to help you save for a cruise. I believe what you're experiencing is a way of life. I go thru the same thing. Things come up all the time and I'm not able to meet my goal as planned. For example, every month I budget $1,000 to go to our cruise fund but this month a lot of things came up: wedding, graduations (many) new baby, baby showers (3), visitors from overseas etc. and so I was only able to save half. But don't give up - where there's a will there's a way.

 

They will put an infant in a room for 2. I have a grandson booked with his parents in an M category cabin that's supposed to be only for 2 people. They charged him 3rd person rate.

[SamFritz]

Why am I having such a hard time trying to plan our cruise for next summer ( 2010 ) ? It seems to me that every angle I try to take to save a little or conserve, their is an obstacle. Any suggestions out there? I cant be the only family with 5 am I ? Dissapointed in the Northeast........

 

My 21 year old daughter is really ticked off that we're taking our 19 and 14 year old sons with us for a short cruise this summer, but can't work out an affordable way to bring her along too. :( There's just no way for us to afford a second room or family suite. We're only paying $125 each for the boys as 3rd and 4th passengers.

[spareparts]

My 21 year old daughter is really ticked off that we're taking our 19 and 14 year old sons with us for a short cruise this summer, but can't work out an affordable way to bring her along too. :( There's just no way for us to afford a second room or family suite. We're only paying $125 each for the boys as 3rd and 4th passengers.

 

I would be ticked off too, sounds very unfair.

[thompson4131]

When we cruised as a family of 6, we always booked 2 cabins close to each other. Having 2 bathrooms is a must. I always stayed with the boys and my wife with our daughter. Sure, you pay more but is was always cheaper than a family suite. Besides, the kids were always at Adventure Ocean and only visited the cabin to sleep, change clothes, or find out where Mom & Dad were...we always left a note.