4 people in 3 person suite??

[dantebob]

Hello...my family (me, wife, 2 kids) are traveling with my inlaws on the emerald soon.

When we booked, we could only get a 3-person suite for us and a mini-suite for my inlaws.  So technically, my wife is listed in my inlaws mini suite and it's me and the kids in our 3-person suite.

Obviously we'd like to all be together and the suite can clearly handle 4 people.

My question is will the room steward really care if my wife stays with us?  Cant see how anyone else would know.

Would they really say something to us about that?

 

(This is actually our first cruise...)

We are on the wait list for a 4-person suite, but those appear to all be on the Riviera deck and I'm worried about the noise from lido not to mention the smaller balconies.

Would there be any other issues?

 

Thanks for your time!

Edited June 14, 2019 by dantebob

[fishywood]

 

47 minutes ago, dantebob said:

Obviously we'd like to all be together and the suite can clearly handle 4 people.

 

That idea is somewhat debatable as to having adequate sleeping accommodations for four. The sofa bed is just barely wide enough for one person, even a child. When I first read your question I was picturing four of you scrunched together on one queen bed like a litter of puppies. 😁

 

Really the best way to handle this is to swap your wife with one of your kids. Thus parents and one kid in the suite, grandparents and the other kid in the Mini. Something done all the time, a strait swap is perfectly fine. But know that the only persons entitled to most Suite Privileges (such as suite breakfast and priority tendering) will be the original three booked into the suite. Are your in-laws in a Club Class Mini Suite or just a regular? If not you do realize you will not be dining together in the MDR. And was there a reason the initial booking wasn't the two couples each in one cabin and one kid rather than your wife being the odd person split off? Either way it would be best to clear the waitlist for the four person Suite and clear this all up.

 

Forgot to say welcome to Cruise Critic, and to your first Princess cruise. Again here's hoping you get that four person suite in the end.

Edited June 14, 2019 by fishywood

[neverbeenhere]

The age and general size of the children has something to do with the answer. When I was young we slept three to a bed on vacation, two big children north and south, one smaller east and west. So, anything can be done.  We also slept on the floor many times as children. The room steward will give you plenty of blankets and pillows. 

[tawlaw1526]

Here is a picture of a couch in a full suite.   It depends if your kids are small enough to both sleep on it.   If the 4 of you will be comfortable in the suite, it shouldn’t be an issue as far as sleeping in there.   You just won’t all be able to participate in the Suite only breakfast together.    You can dine together if you all choose to eat in the regular main dining and not club class dining that all suite passengers are entitled too.   You can also all choose to eat in the buffet together or a speciality restaurant.    I am not sure I would worry about noise from Lido if you’re offered a 4 person suite, I’d take it.   This is your first cruise, no matter how it all works out, you will have a great time.     Enjoy......BON VOYAGE!!!!!!!

[Colo Cruiser]

1 hour ago, dantebob said:

Hello...my family (me, wife, 2 kids) are traveling with my inlaws on the emerald soon.

When we booked, we could only get a 3-person suite for us and a mini-suite for my inlaws.  So technically, my wife is listed in my inlaws mini suite and it's me and the kids in our 3-person suite.

Obviously we'd like to all be together and the suite can clearly handle 4 people.

My question is will the room steward really care if my wife stays with us?  Cant see how anyone else would know.

Would they really say something to us about that?

 

(This is actually our first cruise...)

We are on the wait list for a 4-person suite, but those appear to all be on the Riviera deck and I'm worried about the noise from lido not to mention the smaller balconies.

Would there be any other issues?

 

Thanks for your time!

As stated in a prior post the suite bennies are only for the actual suite guests listed on the booking.

Your wife will not be permitted to partake in any suite benefits ie: suite breakfast , club class dining unless it is a CC mini etc.

[dantebob]

my inlaws did get the club class, but I do understand that doesn't include every perk the suite includes.

I guess if the noise of the pool area above the Riviera deck suites isn't an issue, we'll move if we're presented the option but it sounds like we'd be fine in the 3-person also if we don't make it off the wait list.

 

Thanks everyone!

[Colo Cruiser]

9 minutes ago, dantebob said:

my inlaws did get the club class, but I do understand that doesn't include every perk the suite includes.

I guess if the noise of the pool area above the Riviera deck suites isn't an issue, we'll move if we're presented the option but it sounds like we'd be fine in the 3-person also if we don't make it off the wait list.

 

Thanks everyone!

You are wise to be cautious of those suites under the Lido deck and pool vicinity. I have seen a few posts here on CC over the years about deck chair scraping and similar noise at 5am as they set them up for the day. We would not take that chance. 😳

[geoherb]

I'd suggest going with Fishywood's suggestion about booking your wife in the suite and one of the kids with the grandparents. That way you and your wife could enjoy the suite breakfast together while the grandparents watch the kids at least a few times during the cruise. 

[dantebob]

Just now, geoherb said:

I'd suggest going with Fishywood's suggestion about booking your wife in the suite and one of the kids with the grandparents. That way you and your wife could enjoy the suite breakfast together while the grandparents watch the kids at least a few times during the cruise. 

That was our original idea, but then we ran afoul of some odd princess software logic.

My inlaws do not live in the same town...

when we originally had one of our kids listed in their cabin we could not make any ez air travel plans because their software saw my under-age child as traveling alone (the booking from that perspective was my inlaws traveling from one town and my child traveling alone from a different town).  After much "can I speak with a supervisor" kind of calls, we either had to move my wife into their cabin so it sees her as an adult traveling by herself OR book without ez air...but for us we saved hundreds per person with ez air.

 

[Kingofcool1947]

2 hours ago, dantebob said:

Hello...my family (me, wife, 2 kids) are traveling with my inlaws on the emerald soon.

When we booked, we could only get a 3-person suite for us and a mini-suite for my inlaws.  So technically, my wife is listed in my inlaws mini suite and it's me and the kids in our 3-person suite.

Obviously we'd like to all be together and the suite can clearly handle 4 people.

My question is will the room steward really care if my wife stays with us?  Cant see how anyone else would know.

Would they really say something to us about that?

 

(This is actually our first cruise...)

We are on the wait list for a 4-person suite, but those appear to all be on the Riviera deck and I'm worried about the noise from lido not to mention the smaller balconies.

Would there be any other issues?

 

Thanks for your time!

 

Stewart does not care.   Can you and wife share the pull out sofa bed?  Or your two kids?   Or adult and kid in one bed?  And other adult and kid on sofa bed?

Re: Riviera Deck cabin.   Bring ear plugs to cruise if you are sensitive to noise.

BTW, let Stewart know on embarkation there will be 4 instead of 3 in your cabin. Why? You will need life vests for all persons in cabin.   You do need to carry them for Mustard drill.

Good luck and enjoy.

Edited June 14, 2019 by Kingofcool1947

[Aus Traveller]

51 minutes ago, Kingofcool1947 said:

 

Stewart does not care.   Can you and wife share the pull out sofa bed?  Or your two kids?   Or adult and kid in one bed?  And other adult and kid on sofa bed?

Re: Riviera Deck cabin.   Bring ear plugs to cruise if you are sensitive to noise.

BTW, let Stewart know on embarkation there will be 4 instead of 3 in your cabin. Why? You will need life vests for all persons in cabin.   You do need to carry them for Mustard drill.

Good luck and enjoy.

The steward will probably not care if four people occupy the suite, but I doubt that Princess will allow four people to book in a suite that is designed for three people.

 

Passengers no longer have to carry their life jackets to the muster drill.🙂 However, they will still need to have sufficient life vests in the cabin.

Edited June 14, 2019 by Aus Traveller

[cr8tiv1]

I would continue to either contact your travel agent or escalate this to the next level.  You may need a power of attorney for the child that will be traveling with their grandparents.  It is worth pursuing:  to get your wife switched into your suite.  The suite breakfast is a great way to start the day.  One child can go with you...take turns...special grandparents morning for the other.  

 

Good luck and have a glorious first cruise.

Edited June 14, 2019 by cr8tiv1

[fishywood]

21 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

I would continue to either contact your travel agent or escalate this to the next level.  You may need a power of attorney for the child that will be traveling with their grandparents.  It is worth pursuing:  to get your wife switched into your suite.  The suite breakfast is a great way to start the day.  One child can go with you...take turns...special grandparents morning for the other.  

 

Good luck and have a glorious first cruise.

If both parents are on the same cruise no power of attorney is needed to book their minor child in a different cabin as long as there is at least one adult (or sibling 16 or over) in that cabin.

But there will be no taking turns as to which child accompanies the parents to suite breakfast. The staff at the venue will have the photos of the three persons originally booked into the suite and they are the only ones who will make it past the door. Which is why it behooves the OP to continue escalating having him and his wife both in the suite.

[cr8tiv1]

56 minutes ago, fishywood said:

If both parents are on the same cruise no power of attorney is needed to book their minor child in a different cabin as long as there is at least one adult (or sibling 16 or over) in that cabin.

But there will be no taking turns as to which child accompanies the parents to suite breakfast. The staff at the venue will have the photos of the three persons originally booked into the suite and they are the only ones who will make it past the door. Which is why it behooves the OP to continue escalating having him and his wife both in the suite.

 

I thought about the child after I posted.  Yes, you are correct.  

 

OP had mentioned something about the child not being able to be booked on EZ air with Grandparents.  That's what I  meant the  Power of Attorney was for.  Maybe that would help with the suite switch.  Agree.  Wife/Husband should be in same suite with one child.  It would help if OP clarified ages of children.  Are there any family suites on the Emerald?  I would guess they are all sold out by now.

[subaru94]

The other option you have is once onboard, talk to purser about having one child in with grandparents and one child with you, they can make changes on the ship, so you and your wife can have the breakfast together, just something to think about?

 

[skynight]

I would like to emphasize some of the issues regarding dining brought up by Fishywood.

Passengers registered as booked in a full suite are entitled to the special mimosa breakfast each morning in the Crown Grill. They are also allowed to dine in the Club Class section of the DaVinci DR every evening and lunch on sea days. Club Class dining is also open for breakfast, but the Crown Grill is a better option. Passengers booked in Club Class mini suites are also allowed to dine in Club Class Dining. Those in non-club class mini suites are not permitted into the Club Class DR. Princess does not allow exceptions.

If your in laws are not in a club class mini suite then the only way you can all dine together is to dine in the regular DR.

If the mini is not Club Class you might consider trying to change to two Club Class minis instead of one full suite and one mini.

[famski740]

OP already stated that in-laws did get a club class mini suite (#6).  This means that the whole family can dine together in the club class section  of the dining room.  They can enjoy breakfast, lunch on sea days, and dinner together.  The main thing they will miss are the mimosas for breakfast unless they wish to pay for them or have a drink package.

[pms4104]

32 minutes ago, famski740 said:

OP already stated that in-laws did get a club class mini suite (#6).  This means that the whole family can dine together in the club class section  of the dining room.  They can enjoy breakfast, lunch on sea days, and dinner together.  The main thing they will miss are the mimosas for breakfast unless they wish to pay for them or have a drink package.

Aloo so, there's the free suite laundry only for those in the suite ... priority embark/debark/tendering etc ... not just who eats where

[cynbar]

I'd think long and hard about booking a suite under the Lido deck. We had one on Caribbean Princess. It was a British Isles cruise so the weather wasn't warm enough for much pool time, but it was still noisy sometimes with kids running, chairs being moved. DH and I both said that we would have been very unhappy there on a warm weather cruise.

[skynight]

1 hour ago, famski740 said:

OP already stated that in-laws did get a club class mini suite (#6).  This means that the whole family can dine together in the club class section  of the dining room.  They can enjoy breakfast, lunch on sea days, and dinner together.  The main thing they will miss are the mimosas for breakfast unless they wish to pay for them or have a drink package.

Sorry, should have been more careful reading.

[CruisinFinsUp]

14 hours ago, dantebob said:

Hello...my family (me, wife, 2 kids) are traveling with my inlaws on the emerald soon.

When we booked, we could only get a 3-person suite for us and a mini-suite for my inlaws.  So technically, my wife is listed in my inlaws mini suite and it's me and the kids in our 3-person suite.

 

 

 

You are on Emerald Princess per above. 

 

Another Suite perk is access to the Thermal Spa.  This is something you and your wife might likely enjoy.  Heated loungers, steam rooms, aromatherapy showers.   If your wife is not booked in the suite she would have to pay to go.  (Approx $200 ish for the week for non suite guests - first come first served as limited access is sold )

[Thrak]

Have you tried contacting Princess or your TA regarding the Family Suites on Dolphin deck? I think you have to do it on the phone or through a TA but am not sure. These suites can handle 4 people.

[Potstech]

Get the best cabins you can for the two groups. When you get onboard go to the passenger services desk and explain whayt you want to do and why. That will be your last attempt to get things worked out. Should not be that much of a problem.

 

Also as has been said it would be helpfull to know the ages of the children involved.

 

If nothing else have the steward set up the beds in the twin configuration so one of the children could sleep with one of the adults. Again dependant on the ages of those involved.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

Did I miss the age of the kids? I think kids that are 7 and 8 are very different from 16 & 17.

 

One parent in the main bed with two kids and the other parent in the sofa bed would work, provided the kids are small enough. Four adults (older teens) would be very uncomfortable.

[Steelers36]

I agree with Postech.  If the OP cannot get wife moved officially in the reservation before boarding, I don't see why Passenger Services wouldn't switch two names.  The Suite will have three people getting the extra perks on board.  Shouldn't matter to the Purser's office which three of the family it is.  Another option is if Princess will swap names after the flights are booked.  Seems like the "block" was home address - or rather originating airport.