Quad cabin and getting little kids to sleep?

[mkmom514]

We are a family of four in an interior quad room with the same issues to face in our first cruise on Rhapsody coming up in November. I have found all your advice helpful too! I booked this room because on the website images, it seemed to have a curtain that could be pulled across the room in between the beds and sofa area, but I've since learned that this isn't a real curtain, simply a decorative item?? (I don't get the point of a pretend curtain) Anyway, one poster suggested asking the room steward for an extra queens size bed sheet and sticking it up with either duct tape or strong magnets (apparently the ceilings are metal?) Have no idea if this will work or not, but we might try it. Ours will be 5 and 3 by the time of the cruise, so we are planning to relax a bit about bed times for the cruise and hopefully they'll be tired enough to fall asleep fairly easily (hopefully, not at the dinner table!). Plus, because it is a totally dark room we might get a little bit of a sleep in in the mornings - this, of course, may be very optimistic!

 

We've been in a cabin with a curtain and it did pull across to divide the bed from sitting area. I'm not sure that it pulled completely across, but I know it was at least halfway to help with light.

[crusinmama06]

I know it's REALLY not romantic but you might want to consider keeping the beds separated - it will give you extra floor space.

 

This is what your cabin will look like with the beds separated.

 

 

And this is what it looks like with the beds together (the triple and quad beds are still in the ceiling)

 

[JillyChill]

We are a family of four in an interior quad room with the same issues to face in our first cruise on Rhapsody coming up in November. I have found all your advice helpful too! I booked this room because on the website images, it seemed to have a curtain that could be pulled across the room in between the beds and sofa area, but I've since learned that this isn't a real curtain, simply a decorative item?? (I don't get the point of a pretend curtain) Anyway, one poster suggested asking the room steward for an extra queens size bed sheet and sticking it up with either duct tape or strong magnets (apparently the ceilings are metal?) Have no idea if this will work or not, but we might try it. Ours will be 5 and 3 by the time of the cruise, so we are planning to relax a bit about bed times for the cruise and hopefully they'll be tired enough to fall asleep fairly easily (hopefully, not at the dinner table!). Plus, because it is a totally dark room we might get a little bit of a sleep in in the mornings - this, of course, may be very optimistic!

 

 

My very first cruise, I was about 10 years old. My sister was 8. We had a very strict bedtime of 8pm (mostly because we just loved to sleep) well we had late seating and we were BOTH asleep before our dinners arrived. One of us had our head on the table, the other on my moms lap. You gotta do what you gotta do, nobody that matters will judge :)

 

On another note, I am taking my 21 (when cruising) daughter on her first cruise this January. She loves her bedtime ritual (830 every night, singing and rocking in her room, in the dark while she has a glass of milk) she goes right in her crib, in her dark room, and goes right to sleep. BUT when we travel, that is another story. I will have an adjoining room to my parents so I am HOPING that, that will help.... good luck to you and good luck to me!! :)

[JillyChill]

* 21 MONTH, not 21 year old.... could you imagine me still rocking her to sleep?? No thank you!!

[askimdog]

We are sticklers about keeping the same routine. We cruise usually in January, so she'll have homework with her (DD is 8 years old). Her homework and meals times (5-6 dinner) are the same as home, and so is bedtime (8:30/9). A day running around in Port, visiting schools or hiking trails, she is beat and sleeps easily, as do we. I always turn in the same time, this way the wife if she has energy can go out to a late show.

[new2crooze]

Thanks for the pics cruisinmama06. I have read some people say that their cabin attendant said they had to have their beds apart if using the upper berths for safety reasons - do you know if this is the case?? In any event the extra space is quite persuasive!!

 

By the way, I've done lots of lurking on these boards and always find your posts very informative and helpful - and thanks too for the Adventure Ocean schedules that you have posted, they really helped us decide to go with RCI!

[crusinmama06]

Thanks for the pics cruisinmama06. I have read some people say that their cabin attendant said they had to have their beds apart if using the upper berths for safety reasons - do you know if this is the case?? In any event the extra space is quite persuasive!!

 

By the way, I've done lots of lurking on these boards and always find your posts very informative and helpful - and thanks too for the Adventure Ocean schedules that you have posted, they really helped us decide to go with RCI!

 

Awwww thanks :D

 

And to answer your question - no, our cabin attendant actually had our beds together (as you can see in the picture). I requested that he separate them to give us more floor space (together we were tripping over each other).

 

So if it were up to him - he would have kept them together. ;)

[tikcho]

If you are not in a balcony cabin then it will be tough. In general, 4 people in the same room is tough at any age but the early bed time of kids makes it even harder. when my son was younger (under 3) we would stay in oceanview cabins but we always traveled with in-laws or friends and would take turns for one person to stay in the cabin with him ans the other would go out. It depends on what your expectation of this cruise are - if you expect to do anything at night including eating a nice dinner, then I'd say get a balcony. If you have a balcony you can put the kids to sleep at 7 and then order room service and eat on the balcony, get cocktails, read, etc. otherwise, you will be stuck sitting in darkness past 7 pm.

Some other things come to mind

- RCI has in-room babysitters based on availability and for a fee. If you don't mind hiring one then that would be a good solution for someone to stay in the room while kids are sleeping.

- Later bedtime - my son used to go to bed around 7-8 pm when he was young but on cruises we wold keep him up until 9 or so and it worked out fine. Just make sure they take a good nap in the afternoon.

- If you can send the older one to kids club between 6 and 8 and then have the younger one sleep in a stroller while you guys have dinner or see a show. I have personally never done it but see people do it all the time.

[cantw8togo]

We have always had four in a room, but part of worked for us is that DH is a morning person and often goes to bed earlier so he didn't mind hanging out in the cabin with the sleeping kids. Once they were asleep, they weren't bothered by the tv being on for a short while. I would often go out and explore, but sometimes I was too exhausted and I just fell asleep with the kids. While we often had a balcony, we often found it too cold and windy to enjoy after the kids went to bed, but that's just us.

[jiakar]

Children are most important for parents as everyone knows but I think when family is going for a long trip then it is sometime impossible to take good care of the children.

[sprockie]

Bedtime goes out the window on our cruises. If you put your kids to bed at 6:30 and 7 you do know you will miss dinner right? That is unless you plan to eat buffet every night. Even then I don't think they open untill 6:00pm.

There is to much to miss and do to have a bedtime for us. My kids stay up and go to sleep when we do. They sometimes will lay down for a rest during the day and have been known to take a nap by the pool in a chair. They love the ocean breeze.

 

Us too. We try to stay on roughly the same schedule as the kids. One of us (if not 2) lays down in the afternoon for a good snooze after a full morning of activities and they are good for dinner and possibly the show. We aren't night owls and we all get up early. We are all very tired on vacation - swimming, sunning, having fun, so going to bed about 9 is just fine by all of us.

You'll find a way to work the schedule so you don't feel like you are missing out too much.