Need tips for fitting family of 4 into an inside cabin

[bbrme]

We leave in less than 2 months and are getting really excited about our trip on the Jewel. This will be our first cruise with our kids (DD6 & DS8) and are wondering how we are going to squeeze everything into the small space. Does anyone have any tips on how to do this? What to bring? What to leave home?

 

I have already bought a plug in nightlight/clock to address the pitch darkness/time and am planning to buy the over the door shoe holder. Anything else that will make the trip easier?

 

We will be doing the Western Caribbean itenary the week after Thanksgiving - will we need to bring some warm clothes? We are coming from SD so we will have them anyway but Im hoping to leave anything I wont need with my family in FL.

 

Thanks for your help!

[cb at sea]

Vacuum bags???? Just kidding! That will be tight, but it IS doable--folks do it all the time. RCI's cabins are well-laid out, and there's plenty of storage--check behind all the mirrors...there are shelves everywhere!

Just don't bring to much misc. stuff....re-wear clothes when appropriate....and don't let the kids bring all of their "electronic" stuff...they won't have much time to use it, anyway!

Once you're off the coast of Fla, it will be summer weather...you won't need winter clothing, except for your trip to and from the home port!

[shamu718]

We have done it twice so far and it was fine each time. I try to unpack everything I can in the closets and then stash the suitcases either under the beds or in a far corner. I also bring a couple of those extra large storage bags and place that in a corner or in the bottom of the closet and make sure that everyone puts their dirty clothes in there. When it gets full, the suitcase comes out and in goes the dirty bag of laundry.

 

Here is a picture of our inside on the Grandeur of the Seas and this was toward the end of the cruise. There was a little hallway at the end of the cabin where we kept the laundry bag.

 

Also, we kept the toy packing to a minimum the first time and on the second cruise neither of my boys asked to pack anything because there was so much to do in the camp.

 

My final suggestion would be to get ready for dinner first. I usually went to the cabin and got my shower and got dressed about 45 minutes before my guys. I would be out of the shower and dressed by the time they came down to get their showers. While they were showering, I would fix my hair and get their clothes out. Made everything run alot smoother. Trying to get ready for dinner with four in a cabin was way to crowded!

 

Have fun!

[CeleBrat]

We've traveled an inside cabin for quite a few cruises for the 4 of us, and wholeheartedly agree that it is DOABLE.

 

Over-the-door shoe holder---ABSOLUTELY! We also use it to hold all of our undies, socks and swimsuits, which frees up more drawer space.

 

Also, be sure to stash your suitcases under the bed. If you need extra shelf space, put your lifejackets inside your suitcase and then you can use the lifejacket shelf for storage.

 

The previous poster also mentioned to store your diry laundry in a suitcase under the bed. We totally do that. I also repack the clean clothes (formal wear) back into the suitcase after they have been worn.

 

In the past, we have used the corners of the mirrors to hold purses (by their straps) or beach bags and/or hats. Also, sometimes there is a tiny bit of room along the side of the TV to hold daily papers or books.

 

One of the parents should always head back to the room with one child to get a head start on showers beforehand. Some people have suggested allowing the males in the room to shower in the spa/gym. We haven't tried that.

 

An odd tip---when you enter the room, you may find that your bed is placed in the center of back wall of the room, while the pull-down beds hang down over the side area of your bed. It completely destroys any walking space in the cabin. So, we've asked our cabin steward to separate our bed and place half under each of the pull-down beds. YES--that means we sleep alone. But, it frees up floor space in the center of the cabin.

 

Depending on how young your kids are, you may want to ask to have their pull-down beds left in the open position for the duration of the cruise. That way when you are all in the cabin during the day, they can sit on their upper beds, and not be underfoot.

 

You just have to be clever and creative about using your space in an inside cabin. And, you have to be NEAT. Everyday, I made sure everything was tucked away somewhere, otherwise we would lose track of things in the cabin.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

CeleBrat

[CanadianTwosome]

CeleBrat and Shamu have already given you most of the information I would have. Obviously, those of us who are happy in inside cabins tend to use the same methods to stay that way!

 

The common thread you'll see in all the advice is ORGANIZATION. This is absolutely key to sharing such a small space, and a little of it goes a long way.

 

The only things I would add:

 

One would be that I always do the unpacking myself right away as soon as I have access to the bags. If they come one at a time, so much the better, since you can only put them away in turn anyway, and as each one is emptied it can be stored. The reasons I do it all myself are twofold: first, it's just good for one person (generally Mom, just like at home) to know where everything is, and second, it eliminates the confusion that can happen when everyone is trying to pick a drawer or trying to put things away in a very small amount of moving space.

 

The other is that I always take extra hangers. There's tons of closet space if you've got the hangers to take advantage of it. I especially took kid-sized hangers for my daughter's clothes when she was small enough to warrant them. They're just so much easier for small neck openings and such. Also, hang as much as you can; the drawer and shelf space is much more limited. If it can go on a hanger, I hang it; tops, sweaters, dresses, pants, shorts, skirts, sarongs - whatever. Outdoor jackets (we fly down from Canada) we keep in the suitcases under the beds.

 

I'm envious that your cruise is less than two months away!! Have fun!

[Livabeth]

Thanks for all the ideas and tips. We are staying in an OV room next year with two girls. I agree organization and staying tidy is crucial. One thing I did on our last cruise is bring a collapsible fabric bin that sat on a shelf in the closet to hold all the loose items (daily papers, hats, camera, etc.). It is similar to the over the door hanger, but good for things that were slightly bigger and that would not fit. It provided one central dumping ground.

 

BBRME, please report back on what worked and keep the ideas coming.

 

Thanks.

[bbrme]

Thanks for all the great tips. I definately need to remember the hangers! I did a 3 day cruise with my sisters in Jan on the Sky (2 per inside cabin) and we didnt have enough hangers for us.