4 in a cabin - tight squeeze?

[lizi116]

We are considering a Carribean cruise for July. We have 2 kids that are 12 and 9. Will the 4 of as fit OK in a cabin? Also, I've been reading about the bunks that pull out from the walls. Will those be overhead of where my husband and I will be sleeping? I'm worried about feeling claustrophobic! I'm assuming that the price will be better if we are all in one as opposed to two cabins (one interior and and outside). We are thinking about RC or Carnival.

[CruzinQs]

Hi, we have always booked one room for 4 of us. Our last cruise the boys were 18 and 15. Crowded but the only time we were in the room together was to sleep. We saved money and was able to spend it on site seeing. Enjoy.

[CruzinQs]

Hello, we have always booked one room for the 4 of us. Our last cruise the boys were 18 and 15. It was crowded but the only time we were together was when we slept. The money we saved on not booking the extra room we were able to spend it on sight seeing. Enjoy.

[lumpkin]

Hi, we have taken 3 cruises so far (and have 2 more booked) and all with 4 in a room. Most cabins have 2 overhead bunks, but some lines have 1 overhead, and one rollaway bed that is positioned between the 2 twins in the room, so there is a feeling of one large family bed. Works ok, however, since all the 3 beds have separate beddding, so you still have your own private "space" in the bed. You would have to check your particular cabin to find out the layout.

We never had a problem since we also just sleep and change clothes in the cabin.

As far as price, if you book early for a quad, (we always book the cheapest inside quads), it will be less than 2 doubles. But if you are closer to sailing, you may have a more pricey quad (outside, with balconly, or a suite), and then it could be cheaper for you to book 2 inside doubles for the same price as that quad. You should ask for comparison rates at the time you are booking.

Have a great cruise.

[cwazyfish]

I have always had a cabin for my dad and my mum and me 12 and my sister 9 and we never had a problem.

[NDCruiser]

Hi! I don't think that there's a rule--it really depends on the ship. RCI is famous for small cabins, but their extra beds are almost always pullmans that are pretty high up--it didn't bother me to sleep under 1. I could still sit up to read in bed. For my money, it's better than crawling over a foldout & kids say more comfy too. If your budget can swing it, Disney cabins are bigger than most, mostly have a second half bath & the couch becomes a bed (NOT a foldout!) with a bunk over it. Have fun!

[rebeccalouise]

I would highly recommend getting connecting staterooms if possible. If you get claustophobic- I would get a balcony stateroom at minimum. Look for deals. You can usually find a good cruise if you book well in advance.

[rebeccalouise]

P.s: I just cruised on RCL and when the price dropped on the voyage I called and they upgraded me and refunded me $ 200. So, I was very pleased with this aspect of RCL. Kids 9 and 12 will have a ball on RCL.

[rgnok]

I'm assuming that the price will be better if we are all in one as opposed to two cabins (one interior and and outside).

 

Don't assume -- check out to be sure. Or consider the way my family of 4 usually cruises (me, wife, 8 and 3 year old daughters):

 

We prefer a balcony (our preference, though this same strategy will work similarly well (though not quite as well) for other cabin types); our personal feeling is that the 4 of us fit just fine in a typical 170 or so sq foot balcony cabin, BUT . . . a little extra room doesn't hurt. So we usually book 2 people, 1 adult and 1 child, in the exact cabin of our choice (fully intending to have all 4 of us in that cabin), then book the other 2, 1 adult and 1 child, in the CHEAPEST thing we can book, which is usually an inside stateroom "Guarantee", where we don't even get a cabin assignment until later. The thing is, we don't CARE about that cabin -- we treat it as a "bonus" room; we can store some bags there, use the extra pillows and blankets from that cabin, extra bathroom and shower in a pinch, etc. As long as your "MAIN" cabin is one that can physically accomodate 4 people, the cruise line doesn't care, just let the stewards (for both cabins) know, so they aren't wondering why the "spare" cabin seems to be sitting emtpy!

 

If you tip the same or more for kids as you do adults (which we do and think you should), the tipping will be the same (we actually tip for the main cabin based on all 4 of us, plus a small tip for the steward at the other cabin); the cruise line doesn't care, as they have collected the appropriate fare for the appropriate number of people, and we have the extra peace of mind of knowing that, if things turned out to get too cramped, or, as has happened to us once, someone gets sick and needs some peace and quiet to rest up, we can always split up to the 2 cabins.

 

Now, keep in mind that the odds are overwhelming that the 2 cabins won't be together, or likely even near each other. If something happened and caused us to need to use both cabins, the ADULTS would have to split up, to put an adult in each cabin with a child in each. But that A) Has never happened to us; and B) Would not bother us if we had to (We're only talking about sleeping time).

 

The reason this can work well is that the price of an inside guarantee is often the same or very close to the same as the 3rd and 4th passenger price in a specific balcony stateroom. For instance, a balcony cabin might be $1000 per person for #1 and 2, plus $500 each for #3 and 4, while the inside guarantee might be $500 per person for #1 and 2. So 4 in the specific balcony cabin would cost $3000 ($1000+$1000+$500+$500); The same balcony for only 2 people would be $2000, and the inside guarantee for the other 2 would $1000, for the same $3000 total price, but now you have TWO cabins.

 

The only other "gotcha" to remember is at muster time. You will need to muster based on your ASSIGNED cabin, which means you will split up for the life boat drill at the start of the cruise! (And, I suppose, in the event of a REAL emergency, you would also split up and go to different life boats for a real evacuation, but the day I start planning THAT DEEPLY is the day I think I should just quit traveling!).

[abitaturbodog]

RGNOK--This seems like a good idea but...When I book a balcony for 2 people I get a balcony that can only sleep two people. How are you able to get one to sleep 4 even tho you only have 2 booked?

[rgnok]

RGNOK--This seems like a good idea but...When I book a balcony for 2 people I get a balcony that can only sleep two people. How are you able to get one to sleep 4 even tho you only have 2 booked?

 

Good point . . .

 

Two things -- first, you do have to be careful in your research to pick a cabin that can accomodate 4 people -- sometimes the same exact size cabin will be configured to accomodate 4 people or 2 people. But you can usually figure it out with research (or your travel agent). I actually stumbled onto this method on our very first cruise, when the cabin that we picked was available and could be booked for all 4 of us when I first looked at it, but 2 weeks later when I was ready to actually BOOK the cruise and pay my deposit, even though THE SAME CABIN was still available, I could no longer book it for 4 people (this was because of Coast Guard regulations dealing with how many people can be booked into how many cabins and is a topic that has been talked about a lot on this board). So I HAD to book 2 cabins, even though I KNEW we could all fit in the cabin I actually wanted!!

 

If you search the boards, you will also find plenty of hot debates (dare I say arguments) about couples who book a cabin that is capable of sleeping 4 when they only have 2, because it is the specific cabin they want . . . so it is certainly possible, both as my own experience has found and as many others on these boards have either done or witnessed, to book a 4 person cabin for just 2 people!

 

The second thing, and it is perhaps more specific to my situation, is that, between the PERSONALITIES of my girls, and their AGES, we could actually get my Ok with a cabin outfitted for 2 -- they would consider it a great adventure to sleep on some combination of the floor and a self styled tent created with some extra bedding, and it would work fine. So, even though we've never ended up HAVING to do it that way, it would work for us, but it is worth extra research if that would be a problem for you (and it probably would be with older kids).

[sandy toes]

On some sailings you can only book a cabin for the exact number that will be in that cabin. IE: 3 people cannot book a quad and 2 cannot book a triple. It has to do with supply and demand. This usually happens during high interest times (holiday, spring break). Other times, just ask your TA to help you find the quad cabin and book EARLY. You get the best prices and can always get a credit or upgrade later on if the prices drop.