Help! Family of 5 looking to book an RC cruise

[wilmingtech]

Oh also note that on FoS we had room 8500 before. It is one of the larger rooms at 300 sq ft. It has a separate bunk bed room for kids as well as fold down sofa and a room for parents. This time we will be room 8200 because it's bigger and we like the living room layout more. Budgetwise we figure less we spend on each cruise, more we can cruise.

 

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This is a Fantastic little known tip about the Family Oceanview rooms. We booked our 2nd trip on a Freedom 8 day and scored room 8500.

 

Unlike all the other FO rooms that sleep 6 on the freedom class ships, the two family oceanviews at the front on the 8th floor have a bedroom seperate from the livingroom as well as a bunkroom as found in other FO rooms.

 

So you get a masterbedroom, livingroom and a bunkroom. The layouts are not widely known and most TAs and Royal reservatons are unaware of this different layout.

 

The differences between 8200 and 8500 are 8200 has a larger door to the master so has a curtain instead of a door

8200 has a larger living room

8500 has a door that latches shut on the master bedroom

8500 has 4 windows instead of 3

 

We have a family of 6 so we struggle with cost saving options when trying to book a cruise. We recently booked during the Kids Sail Free promo (ive never seen this promo with Royal before so its a rare occurrence) and got the family oceanview for 3900 taxes included. For two insides during the same promo it was about 500 more and for a balcony and an inside it was about 5200.

 

If you have the money get a balcony and an inside, and while two bathrooms with 2 insides are nice, we prefer to have windows instead of inside rooms. The gym is upstairs at the front of the ship and you can run up there to use the showers and bathrooms if you need to but we usually manage well with a single bathroom (and 3 of my 4 are teen girls).

 

It is at the front of the ship (movement) and far away from the food areas so those may be some considerations.

 

They also now have family oceanviews up top (deck 13?) with full length glass walls that sleep 6 but we have not looked into the cost or availability of these 2 rooms on a cruise.

 

As others have mentioned, you do have to call to book a family oceanview.

 

-Sean

Edited July 16, 2016 by wilmingtech

[vacation_mommy]

This is a Fantastic little known tip about the Family Oceanview rooms. We booked our 2nd trip on a Freedom 8 day and scored room 8500.

 

Unlike all the other FO rooms that sleep 6 on the freedom class ships, the two family oceanviews at the front on the 8th floor have a bedroom seperate from the livingroom as well as a bunkroom as found in other FO rooms.

 

So you get a masterbedroom, livingroom and a bunkroom. The layouts are not widely known and most TAs and Royal reservatons are unaware of this different layout.

 

The differences between 8200 and 8500 are 8200 has a larger door to the master so has a curtain instead of a door

8200 has a larger living room

8500 has a door that latches shut on the master bedroom

8500 has 4 windows instead of 3

 

We have a family of 6 so we struggle with cost saving options when trying to book a cruise. We recently booked during the Kids Sail Free promo (ive never seen this promo with Royal before so its a rare occurrence) and got the family oceanview for 3900 taxes included. For two insides during the same promo it was about 500 more and for a balcony and an inside it was about 5200.

 

If you have the money get a balcony and an inside, and while two bathrooms with 2 insides are nice, we prefer to have windows instead of inside rooms. The gym is upstairs at the front of the ship and you can run up there to use the showers and bathrooms if you need to but we usually manage well with a single bathroom (and 3 of my 4 are teen girls).

 

It is at the front of the ship (movement) and far away from the food areas so those may be some considerations.

 

They also now have family oceanviews up top (deck 13?) with full length glass walls that sleep 6 but we have not looked into the cost or availability of these 2 rooms on a cruise.

 

As others have mentioned, you do have to call to book a family oceanview.

 

-Sean

 

Just Curious - How far in advance did you book this? A year? More or less? I know we made way too much for last minute booking - but this seems SO low it makes me cringe at my cost!

[wilmingtech]

Just Curious - How far in advance did you book this? A year? More or less? I know we made way too much for last minute booking - but this seems SO low it makes me cringe at my cost!

We booked this cruise for March 2017 during the recent kids sail free promo in June.

 

On our first cruise we paid way too much as well. We had such a great time though, that ever since then Ive spent a bit of time looking into the best ways to get 6 of us on a ship.

 

I wait until the kids sail free specials. Those are the best deals for us. I shop for the cheapest week of the itinerary we are looking at, write down the cost for 2 insides and wait for a sale with a price that beats it. That doesnt always happen though. You gotta be patient.

 

I have found very few ships have rooms that can sleep 6. I always try to make it work with 2 insides or 1 inside and 1 balcony but I have found that most times the rooms that sleep 6 are the cheapest option for us. The 2 bedroom family oceanviews are a really good find if you can get them. They go quick though so you have to get on them at least 7 or 8 months out.

 

The thing that helps is RCI wont book them for 4 people, only if you have 5 or more in your party and you have to call in to do that. They open them up for 4 or more as it gets closer to the sail date.

 

Last December we scored a 2 bedroom Haven suite on an NCL cruise to Mexico on a kids sail free promo. We only had to pay for my wife and I and the 4 kids were port fees only. That was a once in a lifetime experience. I haven't seen NCL run that special since (passengers 3-8 free) Even our TA was amazed he thought there was something wrong with the pricing and said he had never seen 6 people in a Suite for that little.

 

-Sean

Edited July 16, 2016 by wilmingtech

[CruiseCheapsk8]

I didn't know Carnival was a "lower line".

 

Thanks for the info........

 

As I had stated, that is just my opinion. Others may see it differently. I have personally not cruised on Carnival, but have no desire to based upon feedback of friends and family and others over the years who have. Again, just one man's opinion is all, others certainly may see it differently.