Five in a Cabin?

[shellgoodman]

I booked the Conquest 2 wks ago for 11/28 for myself, husband and 2 kids in one OV guarantee and another OV guarantee cabin for my mother and father in law. Unfortunately, my father in law passed away this past weekend and now we need to decide what to do with our booking. We are of course are not in the mood to go but maybe 6 months from now, we will want to go still. There is not much of a price variance for one person in a cabin so my question is, can five people be booked in one cabin? I wish I didn't have to decide now but for financial reasons, I need to.

[Brneyznfl]

I'm sorry for your loss. Unfortunately, on the Conquest class ships, only 4 are allowed in a cabin.

 

Jan

 

 

NEXT CRUISE - MIRACLE 2/13/05!

 

Triumph, Inspiration, Holiday, Explorer of the Seas, Granduer of the Seas, Glory, Conquest, Sensation

 

[GayleR]

You can book 5 in a cabin on the ships that go out of Galveston. Right now, the Celebration and the Elation cruise from there. In 6 months it will be the Ecstacy and the Elation.

Another option would be to stay on the Conquest and change to an OV and an Inside cabin across the hall. I,too, am sorry for your loss.

[Kenster]

I think you would be miserably uncomfortable with five people in one cabin. Is it worth the savings?

 

Carnival Carnivale -1988

Carnival Celebration - 2001

Carnival Celebration -June 2004

[MBR]

First and foremost...I, too, am sorry for the loss your family has had. This cruise could be a celebration of his life and love...what a great way to honor his memory.

 

Anyway, if you stay with the 2 rooms you may want to consider having the kids stay with Grandma. This way she has the joy of her grand kids to distract her from being lonely. And, your husband wouldn't mind having some alone time with his wife!!

 

It will not be possible to book 5 in a cabin on the Conquest...you will need to book an older ship to do this. Good Luck with your decision!

 

MB

Glory 2/04

Paradise 5/03

Destiny 3/02

 

[halos]

Yeah, I ditto what MRB said. It sounds like a great suggestion.

I am sorry for your loss. I hope you don't decide to cancel the cruise. 6 months from now it may be just waht you all need.

 

I believe in Miracles

MIRACLE JUNE 19, 2004

Calm Seas, Good Friends

[ljrfrm]

I'm sorry for your loss.

 

We were going to travel with 5 in a cabin, and decided it would be way to crowded and ended up with two cabins. I think with three adults plus the children, you would be miserably ovecrowded.

 

A cruise with her grandkids may be just what your mother in law needs though, good luck with your decision.

 

Paradise 6/27

 

[shellgoodman]

Thank you all for your kind words. The past week has been very difficult. The ironic part of all of this is that I booked this cruise so my in-laws could experience something that they never had experienced before. They were getting older and I thought it would be something very exciting for them. My mother-in-law has been hesitant for yrs to go on a cruise because she can't swim. She just doesn't understand the size of the ships and has images of the Titantic in her head. I tease her and tell her if we need to swim then we are all goners anyway.

 

I am still up in the air about the cruise simply because we need to concentrate on moving my mother in law from CT to TX this summer and in with us. Not an easy task. The cruise is probably what we will all need once everything settles down. We'll see what happens.

Again, thank you.

[soccermommie]

I'm very, very sorry for your family's loss.

 

Please allow me to chime in from a little different perspective - that of the primary mourner (in this case your MIL). I strongly recommend that you consult her before making any decisions. Although six months may seem like a long time to many of us, it is really not that long in terms of mourning, and she may not really feel up to a big trip yet. Consider all the losses she is now and will be dealing with over the next several months: the loss of her mate of (presumably) many years, the loss of familiar surroundings, the loss of her independence and privacy (to a certain degree since she is moving in with you), the loss of her normal routine, the loss of income...She also will have many weighty decisions as well - funeral and burial arrangements, the disposal of her home and possibly many of her possessions, the probate of her husband's estate, giving away, keeping or disposing of her husband's possessions, financial planning...Add one more thing to that, even a wonderful vacation, and it could just be too overwhelming for her.

 

If she does decide to go, a ship out of Galveston may be a better choice, especially if you will be driving to port. The stress of traveling in a vehicle with children may be too much for her likely still-frayed nerves. The hubbub, confusion and long lines/waits in airports may also be a bit too much.

 

Finally, if she does decide to go, I would definitely book a second cabin. If it helps to cut down costs from a third/fourth passenger standpoint as well as a single traveler supplement, I would book one of the children into the room with her; however, I would not necessarily plan on either of the kids spending any actual time in her cabin. This is likely to be a very emotional trip for her, and she may well need a place to which she can escape if she needs some privacy to deal with the raw emotion of it all. Also, being placed in charge of one or two children for even short periods of time, especially children she loves, may seem like a good "distractor" to many; however, it may be too overwhelming. Though everyone moves through grief within a different timeframe, it would be reasonable to expect that at six months following such a significant loss, your MIL will still be having trouble organizing her own daily affairs and won't need any extra burdens. I certainly am not saying that she will be incapacitated, but she will probably still be having memory problems and need lots of prompts and reminders to take care of normal day-to-day activities (water the plants, pay bills, get to dinner on time, etc.) Allow her the freedom to be pampered in peace or to enjoy as much alone time with her grandchildren as she chooses.

 

May God gently lead your family through this grief journey covering you with peace, comfort and hope along the way.

 

soccermommie

[serene56]

I agree with everything soccer mom says. Keep the two cabins. That way if your MIL needs time alone she will have it. You can always bunk a kid in there if necessary.

But wait it out and see. You have until 70 days out to cancel without a penalty.

 

Going NOWHERE

 

 

Miracle, February 13, 2005

Legend, October 22,2004

Voyager August 31,2003

Victory September 22,2002

Regal Empress,June 2001

Sensation,August 2000

 

 

[shellgoodman]

Thank you again for everyone's kind words. Soccermommie I appreciate the advice and you gave me lots to think about this past month. I have been so busy with kids and arrangements of moving my MIL to TX that I haven't been on the board for awhile. Ultimately, we have decided to take the cruise with 2 rooms. We booked for 11/28 right after Thanksgiving which we will probably need at that point. If my MIL decides she wants to bunk with one of the kids with her, that's fine. We have OV guar rooms so I hope that Carnival will put us somewhat near each other. We are trying to keep positive and we're sure that we'll enjoy ourselves. Thanks!

[garycarla]

Two cabins. for Sure.

 

And, you can alternate nights where each sleeps. Maybe give Gram a night free. And give the kids a night free, etc.

 

But 5 in one cabin. Here is a way to look at it. What if your house was off limits except for the kids room and a SMALL bathroom. You could not use any other room. Now stay there for a week. Yikes!

 

If one wants to watch TV, everyone watches TV. If one wants to stay up for awhile, everyone stays up. If one want to get up early, everyone wakes up early. Yikes again.

 

And forget any - well you know.

 

Alaska via Spirit 6/2/04