Sunshine Sleeping Arrangements for PreSchooler

My husband, daughter, and I will be on the Carnival Sunshine in September. Our daughter will have just turned 3. We have a balcony room mid-ship on deck 7. I'm getting very excited about our trip!

I've never cruised on Carnival before, and never cruised with my husband or daughter before. I have a couple of questions about the sleeping arrangements. Our daughter is too old for a pack and play anymore (she won't stay in it, and I don't like her trying to climb out of it), so my plan is for her to sleep on the sofa bed in the room. I've only cruised in a room by myself or with 1 other person, but from pictures I've seen, it looks like they have sheets and can turn that into a bed pretty easily. (I'm not comfortable with her sleeping on a bed that pulls down from the ceiling at her age, and we don't typically sleep well with her in our bed because she squirms and kicks too much.) Is this what most people with kids in this age group do?

I've been reading about the option for once a day service, and that's new to me. If we select twice a day service, will they make the sofa bed back into a sofa during the day, but if we select once a day the sheets will stay out all day? Typically once a day would be fine with us, but I can see how having the sofa free during the day would be nice, especially given how little space the cruise ship rooms have.

What about sleeping her in between the two of you on the King bed? That would leave the couch free and you wouldn’t have to worry about it then. We sailed in January and that’s what we ended up doing with our 4 year old.

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My husband, daughter, and I will be on the Carnival Sunshine in September. Our daughter will have just turned 3. We have a balcony room mid-ship on deck 7. I'm getting very excited about our trip!

 

I've never cruised on Carnival before, and never cruised with my husband or daughter before. I have a couple of questions about the sleeping arrangements. Our daughter is too old for a pack and play anymore (she won't stay in it, and I don't like her trying to climb out of it), so my plan is for her to sleep on the sofa bed in the room. I've only cruised in a room by myself or with 1 other person, but from pictures I've seen, it looks like they have sheets and can turn that into a bed pretty easily. (I'm not comfortable with her sleeping on a bed that pulls down from the ceiling at her age, and we don't typically sleep well with her in our bed because she squirms and kicks too much.) Is this what most people with kids in this age group do?

 

I've been reading about the option for once a day service, and that's new to me. If we select twice a day service, will they make the sofa bed back into a sofa during the day, but if we select once a day the sheets will stay out all day? Typically once a day would be fine with us, but I can see how having the sofa free during the day would be nice, especially given how little space the cruise ship rooms have.

Have her sleep on the sofa - it is lower to the ground even than a regular bed, so if she falls out - no biggie. We have never had to do this in a balcony but we did have our sons with us in a Grand Suite and often times, they were not changing the sofa bed back into a couch. I simply unmade the bed each day and folded the stuff and put it aside. The steward remade the bed each night. I would ask them to do whatever you like. They "should" say yes; if they don't, then either complain, or make it happen yourself.

I agree that it is much nicer to have the sofa to use during the day.

Our experience with the sofa beds has been that they leave it as a bed throughout the cruise. But it’s not really bad that way. They leave the bottom fitted sheet on the sofa bed and fold up the blankets and set them aside daily when they clean the room. So it’s still usable. We usually end up dumping our junk on the sofa (its a catch all for everything) and crashing on the big bed or hanging out on the balcony.

If you choose twice a day service they can convert it to a couch every day. We always chose to leave it as a bed when traveling with our young daughter at the time because she sometimes would want a nap in the middle of the day. Sometimes they get tired with all the activities. Here's a photo of the couch with a picture of my daughter who was 4 at the time.

What about sleeping her in between the two of you on the King bed? That would leave the couch free and you wouldn’t have to worry about it then. We sailed in January and that’s what we ended up doing with our 4 year old.

I'm just afraid we won't sleep very well together. We don't usually at home. If she wakes in the middle of the night and comes to bed with us, we all end up having a bad time sleeping. And when she does sleep, she's rolling or kicking us.

Plus, I'm already worried about her sleeping well being in the same room as us. We haven't all slept in the same room on a trip since she was a good bit younger. Back then she was in a crib and slept really well. Now she's in a toddler bed (at home anyway) and can be really difficult to put to sleep. I'm afraid mommy and daddy being there will just make her want to stall and talk and sing even more at night. That's a big reason why I got a balcony - to give us somewhere else to go while she falls asleep.

Have her sleep on the sofa - it is lower to the ground even than a regular bed, so if she falls out - no biggie. We have never had to do this in a balcony but we did have our sons with us in a Grand Suite and often times, they were not changing the sofa bed back into a couch. I simply unmade the bed each day and folded the stuff and put it aside. The steward remade the bed each night. I would ask them to do whatever you like. They "should" say yes; if they don't, then either complain, or make it happen yourself.

 

I agree that it is much nicer to have the sofa to use during the day.

We're pretty easy going, so this approach will probably work for us.

If you choose twice a day service they can convert it to a couch every day. We always chose to leave it as a bed when traveling with our young daughter at the time because she sometimes would want a nap in the middle of the day. Sometimes they get tired with all the activities. Here's a photo of the couch with a picture of my daughter who was 4 at the time.

 

Naps are a good point. She's in the process of dropping naps at home. But who knows if she'll sleep more or less on the trip. On one hand, I can see her being too excited about everything to sleep. (Our last trip was one where we drove up after work and arrived around 9:00, thinking she'd be asleep in the car before we got there; she didn't fall asleep until well after 11:00!) On the other hand, maybe she'll wear herself out and sleep better - one can hope!

We cruised with our three year old last November (she had just turned three that August) and she slept great on the sofa bed. No issues whatsoever. Unfortunately, she didn't nap at all...she dropped naps at home soon after. But for night time it worked great!

Naps are a good point. She's in the process of dropping naps at home. But who knows if she'll sleep more or less on the trip. On one hand, I can see her being too excited about everything to sleep. (Our last trip was one where we drove up after work and arrived around 9:00, thinking she'd be asleep in the car before we got there; she didn't fall asleep until well after 11:00!) On the other hand, maybe she'll wear herself out and sleep better - one can hope!

My youngest was 2, almost 3 on his first cruise and in pre-school. We didn't force a nap, but if he wanted to go to dinner and camp in the evening, he knew - before setting foot on the cruise - that there would be quiet time each afternoon. I usually had him back from camp by 3:30-4 and made him have quiet time (on his bed, with blanket and kids channel on tv) til I put him in the shower at 530. 90% of the time he fell asleep because between playing the morning and afternoon away in camp, or else being ashore, he needed it. I would just go on the balcony and read - so we both got some peace and quiet.

We cruised with our three year old last November (she had just turned three that August) and she slept great on the sofa bed. No issues whatsoever. Unfortunately, she didn't nap at all...she dropped naps at home soon after. But for night time it worked great!

Great to hear it worked out for you! I fear that's where we're heading for naps in general. We're cruising out of Port Canaveral and going to Disney for a day after our cruise comes back. I've heard from friends that Disney specifically, and trips in general, around this age set a bad precedent for ending naps.

My youngest was 2, almost 3 on his first cruise and in pre-school. We didn't force a nap, but if he wanted to go to dinner and camp in the evening, he knew - before setting foot on the cruise - that there would be quiet time each afternoon. I usually had him back from camp by 3:30-4 and made him have quiet time (on his bed, with blanket and kids channel on tv) til I put him in the shower at 530. 90% of the time he fell asleep because between playing the morning and afternoon away in camp, or else being ashore, he needed it. I would just go on the balcony and read - so we both got some peace and quiet.

Quiet time on the balcony sounds heavenly. I better load up on kindle books. :) I do generally require a bit of quiet time, even on days she doesn't nap. Glad to hear that turned into sleep for you!

Thanks to you all for your input. I'm sure I'm overthinking things, and they'll work out great on our vacation. Sleep has proven to be hit or miss for us at this age - she slept much better as an infant!

I haven't been on a cruise in several years, and I'm just excited that I finally convinced my husband to try one. I hope he has a good experience and is willing to do more in the future.

My husband, daughter, and I will be on the Carnival Sunshine in September. Our daughter will have just turned 3. We have a balcony room mid-ship on deck 7. I'm getting very excited about our trip!

 

I've never cruised on Carnival before, and never cruised with my husband or daughter before. I have a couple of questions about the sleeping arrangements. Our daughter is too old for a pack and play anymore (she won't stay in it, and I don't like her trying to climb out of it), so my plan is for her to sleep on the sofa bed in the room. I've only cruised in a room by myself or with 1 other person, but from pictures I've seen, it looks like they have sheets and can turn that into a bed pretty easily. (I'm not comfortable with her sleeping on a bed that pulls down from the ceiling at her age, and we don't typically sleep well with her in our bed because she squirms and kicks too much.) Is this what most people with kids in this age group do?

 

I've been reading about the option for once a day service, and that's new to me. If we select twice a day service, will they make the sofa bed back into a sofa during the day, but if we select once a day the sheets will stay out all day? Typically once a day would be fine with us, but I can see how having the sofa free during the day would be nice, especially given how little space the cruise ship rooms have.

The couch doesn't open up, like a sleep sofa. The back bolsters are taken off so the sitting part of the couch is deeper and becomes the bed. Since she's little, the bolsters could always stay on.

(This is not my picture. Credit goes to firemanbobswife on CC.)

(This is not my picture. Credit goes to zydecocruiser.) The sheets are not on the bed yet.

Regarding service, you can absolutely request the cabin be serviced twice a day. There are drawers under the couch so the pillows, sheets and blankets can be stored there during the day. (See the knobs?)

We just leave it out. It’s huge and low! My twins have slept on the sofa bed and upper bunk on two cruises now at 3 and 5yo...no issues!

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My son has cruised with us since he was 3 or 4 years old. He has always slept on the sofa bed in our cabin. The room steward can leave it made up like a bed or he can put it back together as a couch during the day. We were on the breeze in 2016, my son was a little older and liked a little more separation from us by then. I went on amazon and bought magnetic curtain hooks and black curtain panels and made a “partition” around the couch during the day. The magnets stuck to the ceiling and the length of the curtains were perfect. This was really good around nap times, we could have him sleep in his “tent” while we enjoyed the rest of the cabin. I tried to find a picture but can’t place it right now but it worked like a dream and I always take this with us. We have started to book him in his own cabin, with my nieces /relatives or he will bring a friend but I always have the curtain trick to use in case it’s needed. I actually got the idea from this site, a sister/brother shared a cabin and wanted a little privacy between the two beds, so they got the magnets and hung the curtain between the beds. I would lose my mind if my son slept with us on the cruise, this creates a perfect situation for everyone. If I can find the picture I will come back and post it.

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Found them. I could have gone completely around the bed because I had another curtain and the box of magnets came with about 10-12. As you can see, I have some magnets on the wall holding other stuff, they are pretty strong.

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My husband, daughter, and I will be on the Carnival Sunshine in September. Our daughter will have just turned 3. We have a balcony room mid-ship on deck 7. I'm getting very excited about our trip!

 

I've never cruised on Carnival before, and never cruised with my husband or daughter before. I have a couple of questions about the sleeping arrangements. Our daughter is too old for a pack and play anymore (she won't stay in it, and I don't like her trying to climb out of it), so my plan is for her to sleep on the sofa bed in the room. I've only cruised in a room by myself or with 1 other person, but from pictures I've seen, it looks like they have sheets and can turn that into a bed pretty easily. (I'm not comfortable with her sleeping on a bed that pulls down from the ceiling at her age, and we don't typically sleep well with her in our bed because she squirms and kicks too much.) Is this what most people with kids in this age group do?

 

I've been reading about the option for once a day service, and that's new to me. If we select twice a day service, will they make the sofa bed back into a sofa during the day, but if we select once a day the sheets will stay out all day? Typically once a day would be fine with us, but I can see how having the sofa free during the day would be nice, especially given how little space the cruise ship rooms have.

Enjoy your cruise.

Comes with a sheet as well

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Double check and make sure your room has a sofa bed, and not a bunk that pulls down.

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Just put her on the sofa, without it opened....you can turn it around so it faces the wall, so no chance of her falling off. A 3 year old will sleep on a sofa without it being made into a bed just fine.