Opinions on 5 in a cabin

[CasinoCruzGirl]

What is the price difference for booking two inside cabins on the breakaway is it that much of a price difference from the Gem?

[triptolemus]

National Lampoon Cruise Ship Vacation only have two kids.

 

Yeah, and look how well that turned out! You can't forget about the pot smoking cousin and dead Aunt Edna... :cool:

[meatball_nyc]

I forgot about them!! Haha

[soaringfalcon]

We did the two of us, our daughter and her friend on a Gem mini suite and I was OVER it! 4 was really too much. Especially if any of the kids are girls. I really think you would set yourself up to be miserable. Right now, you're excited about vacation and think it won't bother you but then reality hits.

[Debde]

I often travel with 5 and in no way could I even think about all 5 of us in one room, no balcony to escape, when beds are out, stepping over each other, showering.......... Oh boy...........:eek:

 

Connecting rooms maybe........... If not, Id pick the other itinerary because in the long run, even if it's not as appealing as Breakaways itinerary, one would think you'd ejoy the cruise better with more real estate while on board!!;)

[mking8288]

BA's family oceanviews are some of the bigger rooms - how about practicing "togetherwise" at home for two nights to see what sleeping arrangements are like - do a trial run of "let's get along"

 

There isn't a single chair to sit on for anyone, just a stool with storage (which will likely be put to good use to store things like beverages ...) 4 of you will be sitting & watch TV, playing with iPads, etc. leaning agains or in the beds. These cabins are "narrow" by all accounts, reach out & you will likely touch 2 walls. Bathroom is good, nice & comfortable for the most part - shower is very usable.

 

The 14 years old will probably get the upper bunk/Pullman bed off the ceiling. Two 21 years old will share a pullout sofa bed together for 7 nighs - or, maybe work out a rotational system among 3 of them for one person to sleep on the top "deck" - run some drills at home now for conditioning their mindset.

 

As for DH's snoring, everyone pack a foam earplugs in case of "needs" but odds are that they all have noise-reduction, in-ear headsets from their iPhones or Androids - that should "mask" the noise level.

 

As for the 3 grown-up "kids" never being on a cruise, then the destination isn't important to them - it is up to both DH & you.

[Nola26]

The comment about the chair gave me another thought. Make sure the stewart makes the couch up everyday. That way you will have seating during non sleeping hours and the room will look neater. Maybe alert the stewart to give the room a refresh once you head out for dinner (can't recall if they do that anyway).

Edited March 5, 2015 by Nola26

[AngAndBoys]

I've gone with my 3 boys in one cabin many times, but there's only me an them, so its only 4. I've also gotten 2 cabins for us at times. Mine are 14, 17, 19 right now, so yeah, like you, mine are bigger than me at this point. My thing is this, if it were ME, I'd go with the itinerary I like over 2 cabins in a heartbeat. But I think it totally depends on your personality. I sorta think that those of us blessed with multiple boy children have a higher tolerance for chaos and filth. It drives normal people insane, I'm almost immune to it now. I suspect you are too cause it sounds like you've got twins to boot!

 

Like what foods people like, this is subjective. It really has to do with what will ruin your vacation. I don't just love all that closeness with me and my boys in the same cabin, but it doesn't drive me bonkers or anything either. So we're crowded. So it's messy. So they're gassy ALL THE TIME. We still have big fun!

[Kingofwylietx]

I say go for it. Do the cruise that you want to do, you guys are used to being close and sharing one bathroom. There are so many things to do on the ship and so many areas to hang out for the kids (and parents), I seriously doubt it will be an issue.

 

Stick to your budget and go have a great time! Having less space will encourage you guys to enjoy the ship more and try more activities. Just utilize the common areas of the ship to hang out. There are so many sitting areas all around, why sit in the room? Think of the cabin as a bunk room. Go there to sleep, otherwise, use the whole rest of the ship as your living room.

 

I would do it. Honestly, the only issue I see is the snoring from your husband. :p

Edited March 5, 2015 by Kingofwylietx

[beckzay]

What is the price difference for booking two inside cabins on the breakaway is it that much of a price difference from the Gem?

 

Currently, this is the price break down:

 

Breakaway 1 family OV (with bev. package)...$3301

Breakaway 2 insides (no bev. package)....$3767

 

Gem 1 OV and 1 IS (with bev package)....$3541

 

Dawn to Bermuda 1 IS and 1 OV (with bev package)...$3765

 

So, as you can see, the Breakaway with 2 insides isn't really economical for us right now since not only is it the most expensive, it doesn't include the UBP which is important to us :)

Edited March 5, 2015 by beckzay

[3XX1XY]

My personal opinion is that the kids are old enough to stay home :D Maybe mom and dad need a mom and dad vacation?

 

Those breakaway rooms are small. Really small. Like 20 sqft smaller than the cabins on the gem. I'm just saying.

 

I know the itinerary is "better" but consider that MOST of the vacation are days at sea. You spend more time at sea than you do in port. Just... remember that.

 

And ok, you don't spend tons of time in the room, but it is where you go to change clothes after using the pool or going to the beach. That bathroom is tiny, and now youve got 5 full size swimsuits/trunks hanging to dry in that shrimpy shower. Ok, now suppose the three kids all decide to go to the hot tub and now your cabin is the thunderdome because theyre all wanting to change at once.

 

I'd do the 2 rooms on the gem with the adult kids. But I guess it's a matter of personal preference. I have 2 younger children and Im sweating doing a minisuite on the gem with them.

[mking8288]

Hmmm, Dawn was our 2nd. NCL ship and we 1st. sailed her in 2003, it's been dry-docked and still a fine ship, loved those layout & compared to the Breakaway, feel much roomer.

Noticed you are from NH, how do you plan to travel to NYC to board the ship & doing parking ?? Boston for the Dawn is much closer & I'm quite sure it's cheaper to park there for a week !! I would factor in the entire cost of the cruise, including transportation, toll is adding a little more. Difference w. the BA is really less and 5 of you will be much happier with 2 bathrooms - any other combo of OV & IS on the Dawn.

We loved Bermuda and it's the destination with 2 full nights on the islands.

My other comment, off-topics, those prices pre-summer, correct - a little higher than what are used to paying for NCL, pricing trends across all lines taken into consideration - giving the recent CEO/COO changes, I'm starting to look at alternate options for future cruises - we are frugal to do more every year.

Edited March 5, 2015 by mking8288

[aquarianne11]

Currently, this is the price break down:

 

Breakaway 1 family OV (with bev. package)...$3301

Breakaway 2 insides (no bev. package)....$3767

 

Gem 1 OV and 1 IS (with bev package)....$3541

 

Dawn to Bermuda 1 IS and 1 OV (with bev package)...$3765

 

So, as you can see, the Breakaway with 2 insides isn't really economical for us right now since not only is it the most expensive, it doesn't include the UBP which is important to us :)

 

 

Dawn to Bermuda seems like a good option for you as well.

I can see that Dawn to Bermuda is $224 more than the Gem to Bahamas. I haven't been on the Dawn but the reviews seem very positive and the itinerary to Bermuda is wonderful. A lot better than the Bahamas itinerary.

[cage keeper]

I think you would be fine. We spend far less time in our cabin than we do our camper. And the camper is a lot smaller. I think the only issue would be fitting everyone's belongings. We haven't sailed NCL yet, (17 days now) but on Explorer they have showers at the gym where the guys could go to free up the bathroom a little. Try to get a cabin close.

[beckzay]

My personal opinion is that the kids are old enough to stay home :D Maybe mom and dad need a mom and dad vacation?

 

Those breakaway rooms are small. Really small. Like 20 sqft smaller than the cabins on the gem. I'm just saying.

 

I know the itinerary is "better" but consider that MOST of the vacation are days at sea. You spend more time at sea than you do in port. Just... remember that.

 

Haha, this is true but we've been on 5 cruises without them and now it's time to introduce them to cruising :) I wouldn't feel right about going without them again. An although we are paying for our adult children to go they will be paying for their alcohol and chipping in for shore excursions.

 

True, the itinerary to bermuda is mostly sea days which is why I like the breakaway...there's so much to do on the ship. I'm not sure it would be as enjoyable on a smaller ship like the Dawn where there are limited deck activities. So, really, it's a toss up between the breakaway and the gem.

Edited March 5, 2015 by beckzay

[Inishmore]

There are 4 of us in our family. DH, myself, and our two children. The kids are adults (19 & 22). We have cruised 3 times prior to this. Twice in an inside room and once in a balcony room. In all honesty we prefer the inside. The sleeping is fabulous (very dark, quiet, cool) in an inside. No, there is not a ton of room, but we manage just fine. We camped a lot as a family so perhaps we are just used to close quarters. LOL! We do have to plan showers, but otherwise it works out well for us. The price difference between an inside vs an OV or balcony stateroom means extra cash for excursions, onboard ship activities, dining, drinks or shopping. There is always so much to do onboard that we are rarely in our room (the same proved true in a balcony room) except to shower or sleep.

 

To each his own. Everyone has their own priorities when cruising. :)