AB Suite or 2 connecting Rooms...

[rhinomike]

I currently have 2 connecting rooms booked on the Star.... I have the opportunity to upgrade to a AB Family Suite.... Besides the obvious perks which would you choose? Which will have more space? Will their be more room in the suite?

 

I guess I should mention that there will be 6 of us... Me my wife and our 4 boys that range in ages 10 - 15 years old...

 

Thank You.

[SuiteTraveler]

AB will be a waaaaaaaaay better choice, IMO. You get a private master bedroom and a second bedroom for 2 plus a fold out couch in the living/dining room. You can use the living/dining room for hanging out. You also get 2 showers and 1 bathtub, 2 toilets and 3 sinks because the master bath has a separate shower and tub with pull up shower head - you can wash your hair in the tub if you want and 2 sinks. Lots of space! Not to mention butler service and concierge service, breakfast and lunch at Cagneys, champagne and flowers on arrival, and many other perks (such as escorted disembarkation and earliest tendering, if needed.)

[NEcruisers????]

Would 2 of your boys be able to sleep together? If not, then stick with the 2 connecting rooms. The AB is a beautiful room, but the second bedroom is small and has a full size bed and then a pull down bunk. in the living room area there is a fold out couch. So 2 of the boys would have to sleep together. The master bath is amazing! And there is a bath off the small bedroom with a shower.

[garycarla]

With 3 I would say the AB 100%. With 4 it will get a bit crowded, but possible. Two boys either share the pullout in the livingroom, or they share the pullout in the little bedroom.

 

I find this a hard decision.

 

Were are the dollars at?

[SuiteTraveler]

This is JMO, but the extra perks for being in an AB make this a no brainer - it's so much nicer than just two rooms - even if they are junior suites. And I think the 4 TV's and 2 DVD players, make a huge difference as well, when traveling with kids.

[szdiver]

The AB has the bed in the second bedroom, plus a bunkbed that pulls down from the wall. Plus, if needed, the couch pulls out. That would sleep 3 separately plus the large bed.

[rhinomike]

Me and the wife in the master bedroom.... Then my 2 youngest boys could share a bed and the 2 older boys could have their own bed..... It could work.

 

$3,200.00 is the upcharge right now (2 OV rooms = $5600 and the AB suite is $8,800.00) but I am working with a supervisor to see if that could go a little lower.... Well see what happens.

[DMH15]

You will love that master bed/bath so much. If you had two rooms sleeping would be tight too... But I can promise you that the hours you are awake will be much more enjoyable in the AB!

[Suesan Jean]

I currently have 2 connecting rooms booked on the Star.... I have the opportunity to upgrade to a AB Family Suite.... Besides the obvious perks which would you choose? Which will have more space? Will their be more room in the suite?

 

I guess I should mention that there will be 6 of us... Me my wife and our 4 boys that range in ages 10 - 15 years old...

 

Thank You.

 

Interesting question. My first thought was that the two connecting cabins would work quite well. Mom and Dad in their own room, the boys in theirs, seperate bathrooms, their own TV, etc..... All their junk in one room, etc....

Plus, the price is right. Are the connecting rooms Balconys, AF's or Inside cabins?

An AB is an EXCELLENT cabin......!!!

I do sing the praises of an AB ALL THE TIME.......!!! I am a "PROUD AB CHAMPION.......!!!"

But, your situation is a bit different with four children.

I have only traveled with my DH and two teenage girls. We always stay in an AB. I am not sure how it would work with two more kids. I think a bit crowded.

Yes, the "Perks" in an AB are GREAT, but, if you can't lower that price tag for an AB, I personally stick with the connecting cabins. $3,200.00 IS A LOT OF MONEY......!!!

Your sons aren't going to care about the "perks". They will probably be chowing down at the Buffet or The Blue Lagoon.

The ONLY thing that would concern me about four boys in one cabin is trusting them to NOT be idiots around the balcony. I have three nephews and when they were little, they were CONSTANTLY roughhousing like LUNATICS.......!!! :eek:

[coka]

I have never stayed in an AB but when traveling on a one night cruise to nowhere with six adult sisters I was told my two AF stern mini suites was the better option than the AB. I think you would have to ask yourself if the perks, the master bedroom, and the master bathroom are worth the extra cost to you. You can ask your travel agent the square footage of the suite along with the square footage of the two connecting rooms total. Even so, I hear the master bathroom in the AB suites surely have a wow factor. Have you googled and found pictures of AB suites? That might help in your decision. Best wishes and have a great cruise!

 

coka

[flashdog_1]

When we did a cabin crawl a few years ago one of our cruise critic group had been upsold to the AB. They said the concierge had told them the suite was the equivalent of 3 inside cabins (the living/dining space for 1, the master bed/bath for the 2nd, and the hallway and 2nd bedroom and bath for the 3rd). The little bedroom is NOT like a regular cabin, though. It is small, and they used it as a tv room when the other was still sleeping (with the bed not pulled out).

[2Cruise4Ever]

I always tout the AB, too. However, you will be VERY tight in there with 6, especially since your kids are older. The fold-down bed in the 2nd bedroom is smaller than a regular single bed. I don't think a teenager will fit there (my 12 year old won't sleep up there anymore). And, the pull-out in the living area is definitely smaller than a "Full" bed at home. If you go with the AB, I would have one of the smaller boys sleep in the bunk, fold-out, bed in the 2nd bedroom, and one of the bigger boys share the other bed in the 2nd bedroom with another smaller boy. And, let the oldest sleep alone in the living area. Also, keep in mind that all 6 of you will have a tough time on the balcony all at once. It's pretty small.

 

Link to lots of pics of the AB in my signature.