Choosing a cabin

[grandkids2]

We are thinking of cruising with our 18 year old daughter. Are the cabins large enough for 3 of us or should we try to get adjoining cabins?

[firefly333]

Well the bad part is if you put only one in a cabin, you are still going to pay for two, 200% solo supplement.

 

If money doesnt matter, 2 cabins are always better :D

 

Cabins are small to share, but some families are fine.

[jobster71]

Have the hubby get ready at the spa/gym . They have great showers. And have the ladies get ready in the room. It all matters how close you guys are.

[photojunkieEMT]

I have cruised 4 times and have been in a room with 3 people twice. I am a person that needs my space and has a very tough time if people invade it. I can handle it but I prefer 2 people. If there is only 3 people going, absolutely not worth the extra money that you will spend putting 1 person in a room. My first 3 person room was Mom, my younger sister (late 20's at the time) and I. My 2nd 3 person room was Mom, my 14 year old nephew and I. Hope this helps.

[Kryssa]

I have shared a room with my sister and my mom before, and while it is tight, it's not too bad. We had a balcony so a bit of extra room out there and we all packed light. Try not to bring too much bathroom stuff especially and plan your "getting ready" time well. We always had 1 person shower at night :)

[PenguinLife]

You don't say which class of ship you are considering, or the class of cabin, some are designed to sleep up to 6 (maybe more), but the result is a double decker wall to wall bed situation, in my personal opinion most of the cabins are reasonably comfortable with 2 people, and likely acceptable with 3, if they don't mind being close. Just remember your average cruise ship cabin is on par with the size of a typical walk in closet and set your expectation to fit, remember also everyone will be sharing one very small bathroom, although some cabin classes on some ships have a dressing vanity with bench seat in the main cabin.

[Colorado Kat]

We always travel with 3 - my 19 year old twin daughters and I. We fit quite nicely in the cabin. If you get an Ocean-view cabin, you get a bit more space.

[carbreylynn]

My husband, my mom and I all fit comfortably in an OV on Ecstasy. As long as you don't mind sleeping with others in a room or waiting for a shower I'd say you'd be alright :D

[CanWeGoYet?]

Getting a cabin with a balcony would give a little more room, and breathing room for one person stepping out if others want privacy to change. And some ocean view cabins are quite a bit larger than the standard 185 foot cabin, that extra space might come in handy.

 

Otherwise, simple things like bringing an over the door shoe carrier would help to keep clutter down & make it easier to find things. Some people think they are a waste, but I know for me it stops the losing & looking for stuff that makes me crazy. Limiting what each person brings, & making sure all know they need to try to pick up after themselves & put things away - also be mindful of not hogging the bathroom. I know it sounds obvious but in some families poor Mom does the lions share of the straightening up & if a teen or clutterbug hubbie is dropping clothes all over the place - that cabin will look like an explosion hit it.

[crusinpsychRN]

No problem with 3 in a room. Only problem I had was my son leaving his size 13 shoes in the way. You could kill yourself tripping over the darn things. Once he got the picture and kept things stowed it was fine.

[CanadianTwosome]

My husband and daughter (who has been taller than a lot of adults since she was about 10) and I always stay in a cabin together, and on two cruises my mom joined us as well. We have almost exclusively booked inside cabins, which are definitely small, but it's all about what YOU want/need from your cabin.

 

We are a very close family and have no problem sharing space and no particular concerns about privacy. When my mom is with us, she generally gets ready early and then leaves us to get ready together. On one cruise with her we had an inside and she simply left the cabin and found somewhere to relax, and on the last one we had a balcony so she just went and sat outside if she didn't feel like being up on deck.

 

We also have no interest in hanging out in our cabin. To us its purposes are bed, closet and bathroom, and as long as those needs are met, we're good to go. If you enjoy having private time relaxing in your cabin, you need to take that into account when you're choosing. Inside cabins are not designed for relaxing or socializing (in my opinion). They're functional. Ocean views are similar. I would recommend a balcony or higher category if you're planning to spend your free time there.

 

From my perspective, getting two cabins to accommodate an immediate family member would be a waste of money. If the square footage of one cabin seemed like it would be cramped, I would upgrade to a larger cabin before booking a second one. For the cost of a single person in another cabin (as has been noted, this is basically a double fare), you can upgrade to a pretty big space I would think. Then the only thing you need to worry about is a bathroom schedule, and as long as everybody is reasonable and considerate, this shouldn't be a problem. As I said, we've always had three - and sometimes four - people in an inside cabin, and we've never had a single issue.

[grandkids2]

We are looking at the Carnival Dream and a Suite. I was looking for something that offered more than a fold out couch even if it was a bunk for my daughter but I don't see any offered. I have only cruised a couple of times and never with my husband and daughter. Where is a good place on the ship...it was suggested midship on the empress deck. There is an option for the panorama deck also. I am just not sure. I really am having trouble finding a travel agent that wants to help me I may book it direct. I do know that some cabins are larger than the others just in their positioning on the ship. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[Ggdean]

Suite has the pullout couch for the 3rd and 4th passengers. The balcony rooms have a twin daybed and an upper in the quad cabins. The upper is above the daybed and it's not a bad layout.

[ScootsMom]

The Dream has a deluxe ocean view; this may meet your requirements. :)

Hope this helps.

If you are driving take a look at this site for parking

www.parkcruise.com

[PenguinLife]

I too would suggest looking at the Deluxe Ocean View one nice feature it has is the extra "bath room" there is one room with toilet, sink and shower, and a second room with mini-tub and I think a sink in the Deluxe Ocean View on this class of ship, these cabins are designed to sleep up to six, try looking at you tube cabin videos to get a fair idea of space, much better than the wide angle promo photos. As to best place for a cabin that depends on a number of factors, always look to see what is on the deck above any cabin you are considering, you don't want to be under the galley, dance floor, etc. In general the most stable part of the ship will be low and center, lots of people like to be up high and forward for the views and easy access to open decks, others like to be aft for somewhat easier access to the extended and 24 hour dining options, so it is just a matter of personal taste.

[GradUT]

A couple things to consider:

 

1) Do either you or your husband snore? While one may be able to sleep through a spouse's snoring, kids often cannot. (I remember going on trips with my parents at that age and my dad's snoring always kept me awake. It did not make me a happy traveler.)

 

2) Will you be keeping different hours in the evening and morning? If so, you might be waking your daughter or she might be waking you and your husband.

 

The one time we cruised with our kids when they were older, we got them a separate room across the hall and everyone was happy. But since you are traveling with only one child, I can see where it could be excessively expensive to get her her own cabin.

[Colorado Kat]

On the Dream, I love the Rivera (lowest) passenger deck. We have had the Ocean view room with a bath and a half. That was nice. The sofa bed is quite comfortable to sleep upon. If you can, book a cabin on a floor with cabins both above and below.

[k2excursion]

We are looking at the Carnival Dream and a Suite. I was looking for something that offered more than a fold out couch even if it was a bunk for my daughter but I don't see any offered. I have only cruised a couple of times and never with my husband and daughter. Where is a good place on the ship...it was suggested midship on the empress deck. There is an option for the panorama deck also. I am just not sure. I really am having trouble finding a travel agent that wants to help me I may book it direct. I do know that some cabins are larger than the others just in their positioning on the ship. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

Since you're looking at getting a suite, one room should be fine. It's not a fold-out couch. It's a sofa bed. I've slept on one of these sofa beds on 2 cruises, and they are much better than an upper bunk. The back cushions are removed from the sofa, and the seat is made into a bed. It's about the same size (if not exactly the same) as a regular twin bed. It should be just as comfortable, or almost as comfortable, as the regular twin bed(s) in the room. It has been for me. I'm an adult, and I've cruised with friends or parents, and half the time with 3 or more in a room. 3 works fine, even in the 170 sq.ft. interiors. A suite on the Dream will be around 275 to 345 sq.ft. plus balcony, depending on what type of suite you choose. The deluxe OV rooms that others have mentioned are 230 sq.ft. The extra half-bath has a sink & junior tub. So 2 can shower at a time with the 2 bathrooms. These rooms are on decks 1 & 2.

 

Regarding location, midship feels the least motion. Almost all the suites are on Empress. That deck is only 2 floors above the lanai, which sticks out from deck 5. In other words, looking down from your balcony, you'll see the public lanai right below, which has hot tubs, giant chess, & the lanai bbq on sea days. The Panorama spa suites are much higher above the lanai, so it would not be as much of a nuisance from there. For the deluxe OV rooms, in regards to motion sickness issues, a Riviera deck midship room would be perfect. The only possible bad rooms for 3 would be 2420 & 2447 (and possibly 2428 & 2453), which are below the edge of the galley. All others shouldn't have any problems with what's above or below them.

 

Don't bother with a travel agent. Book it on your own. That way, you can deal with Carnival directly, rather than having to do everything through a TA. That extra step would be such a pain.