momof3cruisers Posted September 9, 2007 #1 Share Posted September 9, 2007 I am looking for ships with semi large availability of connecting rooms or rooms that will accomodate 5. The only one I have had much luck with is Disney and I would rather travel with another line. We have contemplated booking one balcony and just some random inside cabin the cheapest we can get and using it to keep our suitcases in and having the third child just sleep on the floor. Our kids are 11, 7 and 6 and while we have thought about having a room across the hall, I just know that would not work unless we had one adult in each room. That would get old for a whole week though. How do larger families cruise? Or don't they? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eh2zed Posted September 9, 2007 #2 Share Posted September 9, 2007 I am looking for ships with semi large availability of connecting rooms or rooms that will accomodate 5. The only one I have had much luck with is Disney and I would rather travel with another line. We have contemplated booking one balcony and just some random inside cabin the cheapest we can get and using it to keep our suitcases in and having the third child just sleep on the floor. Our kids are 11, 7 and 6 and while we have thought about having a room across the hall, I just know that would not work unless we had one adult in each room. That would get old for a whole week though. How do larger families cruise? Or don't they? Connecting rooms would be the best solution for you I suspect. They do exist but are not plentiful. We travelled with 5 children but youngest was 11, oldest 20. 3 cabins - 3 girls, 2 boys and mom/dad. All on the same floor but not connecting. If it were us given the ages of your children and no adjoining rooms and assuming the kids are of both genders we would do a boys and a girls room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SelectSys Posted September 9, 2007 #3 Share Posted September 9, 2007 I am looking for ships with semi large availability of connecting rooms or rooms that will accomodate 5 ... We have had good luck with Royal Caribbean. We have booked connecting cabins on all 4 of our cruises with them. They also have family staterooms with 2 bedrooms Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug&Suzy-Q Posted September 9, 2007 #4 Share Posted September 9, 2007 Oh my, good luck..........I have just done what you are doing........ I have looked at all the "less expensive" cruise lines. I did not care for Disney much at all.........we are taking the grandkids next year. They are the same ages as your.......... My DH & I usually go with the balcony. However, the balcony only connects thru the outside balcony. They will open the divider for you. Well we don't want this, we want connecting room, due to the age of the kids. So we ended up with either 5 in one room, NOT!!:eek: And booked adjoining rooms on the Main deck...........as it turns out there are only two on the Glory. One on each side of the ship...that will accommodate 2 in one room/3 in the adjoining room. All others are 4/2, 4/3, 4/4 etc....this was tough to find. DH & I have been on this particular itinery but this is the kids first cruise and we don't mind.......it will be kid friendly as opposed to our last time. There must be a large number of families of 5, but the ships don't seem to accommodate this particular number. Hope this helps.......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boulders Posted September 9, 2007 #5 Share Posted September 9, 2007 I second Royal Caribbean. They have family oceanview staterooms that sleep 6. They have a good availability of connecting staterooms as well. I find that their website or websites of TAs will not give me all the availability of rooms, so if I'm looking for something like connecting rooms, it's best to call. Also, to book a family oceanview, you have to call. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psbtrvlr Posted September 9, 2007 #6 Share Posted September 9, 2007 Fantasy class ships on Carnival have cabins that accommodate 5. We just returned. Our party was 2 families that totalled 10. We booked 2 category 12 suites. We all fit........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momof3cruisers Posted September 9, 2007 Author #7 Share Posted September 9, 2007 I second Royal Caribbean. They have family oceanview staterooms that sleep 6. They have a good availability of connecting staterooms as well. I find that their website or websites of TAs will not give me all the availability of rooms, so if I'm looking for something like connecting rooms, it's best to call. Also, to book a family oceanview, you have to call. Ahh, well that explains part of my trouble. I have tried to do the RC ones online. I like Disney fine, but they tend to be pretty pricey and I have one child who does NOT like characters and after the counselors kept telling them all that Captain Hook was coming after lunch, he refused to go back in there again. (Who wants to see Cap't Hook anyway? He's a bad guy!) Thank you for all of your help everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsBgon Posted September 10, 2007 #8 Share Posted September 10, 2007 HI I have cruised with 5 children and booked an OV and inside cabin across the hallway each time even when they were 11, 8, 5 . It worked well my little one stayed in my room some but if they are exhausted once they go staraight to sleep you can have a romantic niht then take turns sleeping across the hall or just call them and make sure they lock the door. It may work for you too or book a larger cabin for the family--it may get crowed. I like having separate rooms ;) Mine are now 15, 14, 12, 9 and oops now a 3 yr old. She has already been on three cruises. She always stays with us though during the night. What ever you decide it will be fun! The Ocean Adventure program on RC was wondeful. My 5 yr old would even go to the late night party watch cartoons with her blanket and fal asleep on a mat with her new friends and we'd carry her to bed around 1100pm. My kids are addicted to cruisin as well and now that is what they ask for for Christmas---family times-- over game systems etc.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsBgon Posted September 10, 2007 #9 Share Posted September 10, 2007 HI I have cruised with 5 children and booked an OV and inside cabin across the hallway each time even when they were 11, 8, 5 . It worked well my little one stayed in my room some but if they are exhausted once they go staraight to sleep you can have a romantic niht then take turns sleeping across the hall or just call them and make sure they lock the door. It may work for you too or book a larger cabin for the family--it may get crowed. I like having separate rooms ;) Mine are now 15, 14, 12, 9 and oops now a 3 yr old. She has already been on three cruises. She always stays with us though during the night. What ever you decide it will be fun! The Ocean Adventure program on RC is wonderful. My 5 yr old would even go to the late night party watch cartoons with her blanket and fall asleep on a mat with her new friends and we'd carry her to bed around 1100pm. My kids are addicted to cruisin as well and now that is what they ask for for Christmas---family times-- over game systems etc.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandy toes Posted September 10, 2007 #10 Share Posted September 10, 2007 Have you looked into the Spa deck 6E OV cabins on Carnival ships (not all the ships offer these cabins)? They can hold a family of 5...they offerabout 200 sq ft, floor to ceiling windows. Do a search here at CC for some nice pics. I know it is hard to find cabins that are side by side. Suites are not in my budget when I am already paying for the family to cruise with us. Let us all know what you find... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giggles2007 Posted September 11, 2007 #11 Share Posted September 11, 2007 Oh my' date=' good luck..........I have just done what you are doing........[/color']I have looked at all the "less expensive" cruise lines. I did not care for Disney much at all.........we are taking the grandkids next year. They are the same ages as your.......... My DH & I usually go with the balcony. However, the balcony only connects thru the outside balcony. They will open the divider for you. Well we don't want this, we want connecting room, due to the age of the kids. So we ended up with either 5 in one room, NOT!!:eek: And booked adjoining rooms on the Main deck...........as it turns out there are only two on the Glory. One on each side of the ship...that will accommodate 2 in one room/3 in the adjoining room. All others are 4/2, 4/3, 4/4 etc....this was tough to find. DH & I have been on this particular itinery but this is the kids first cruise and we don't mind.......it will be kid friendly as opposed to our last time. There must be a large number of families of 5, but the ships don't seem to accommodate this particular number. Hope this helps.......... Hi Lucy's mom, I was just reading what you said about Glory having 2 connecting rooms. I will be sailing Glory in 2009 with the kids (kids first cruise) and I was thinking about myself and my 2 ds in one room and my mother and my dd in another but I wanted us all to be together. I was wondering are those rooms that connect oceanviews, balconies or interiors? If not we will just book rooms right next door and have the partition on the balcony opened up. I am sure my mom is capable of taking care of my dd! Please inform me if you know. Thanks Rachelle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nybumpkin Posted September 12, 2007 #12 Share Posted September 12, 2007 We have three sons and have cruised twice on Carnival Victory in one balcony cabin - you book a quad cabin and they bring in a rollaway. (You can't book online - you need to go through a TA or one of Carnival's PVPs.) Tight fit? You better believe it - but the balcony helps a lot. It gave DH and I some place to relax. We now book the kids in an inside across the hall (our oldest is now 16) and haven't had a problem with that arrangement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brooklintee Posted September 12, 2007 #13 Share Posted September 12, 2007 NCL...they have lots of adjoining cabins. We get 2 adjoining balconies and that works out great. We keep the adjoining doors open so we can keep an eye on the kids. It's nice to have 2 bathrooms as well! I find it very difficult trying to book a family cabin...there are so few of them and they are always sold out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serene56 Posted September 12, 2007 #14 Share Posted September 12, 2007 On the Spirit class ships of Carnival-- located on the front is a balcony connected to an inside cabin combo. These two cabins are a great idea-- and cheaper then booking 2 balconies. -- any fantasy class or destiny/Victory/triumph will allow 5 people in a cabin be it an insdie/oceanview or balcony cabin. But really check your prices for the kids... our last cruise it only cost 200 more to get the second cabin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug&Suzy-Q Posted September 13, 2007 #15 Share Posted September 13, 2007 The reason we chose...and stuck with Carvinal was our past guest discount and pricing.......when we are paying for the entire cruise for both rooms and all expenses, this can get expensive....for us. So although I know there are a lot of alternate choices of cruise lines.....we stayed with Carnival. Rachelle.....because we are 100% responsible for the kids this trip we decided we did not want a balcony and went with Main Deck ocean view. The only connecting balcony rooms connected thru the actual balcony...what if one of the kids was sick and had to stay in the room for a little while by them selves?? We did not want to worry about a balcony. And because this was their first cruise we did not want inside, if no balcony, at least they have a window......... When our entire family was moving to Florida, we traveled in a caravan...and had connecting rooms at the hotel.............it was a blast......they are always at grandma's....but having that door to run back & forth thru...was just plain fun:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momof3cruisers Posted September 14, 2007 Author #16 Share Posted September 14, 2007 NCL...they have lots of adjoining cabins. We get 2 adjoining balconies and that works out great. We keep the adjoining doors open so we can keep an eye on the kids. It's nice to have 2 bathrooms as well!I find it very difficult trying to book a family cabin...there are so few of them and they are always sold out. I am having a lot of luck with availability on the family oceanview cabins for Royal. We are looking at.....well the class that has Liberty and Mariner in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrp96 Posted September 14, 2007 #17 Share Posted September 14, 2007 We are looking at.....well the class that has Liberty and Mariner in it. Liberty is Freedom class and Mariner is Voyager class. Liberty is larger than the Mariner and is the one with the Flowrider and the H2O Zone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisaland15 Posted September 15, 2007 #18 Share Posted September 15, 2007 We have the Carnival Ecstasy booked out of Galveston--adjoining oceanview cabins that hold 3 in one and 2 in the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisingagain2 Posted October 4, 2007 #19 Share Posted October 4, 2007 While RCCL does have family rooms that accomodate up to 6, we have always booked two rooms side-by-side, or across the hall from each other. Reason: two bathrooms ! (esp. important if half the family is female !!) Disney has rooms with 1 1/2 baths, but their pricing is a higher compared to options on other cruise lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conrycol Posted October 4, 2007 #20 Share Posted October 4, 2007 I have 3 boys and we are traveling on the Celebrity Summitt this February. We booked a family veranda cabin that will accomodate the five of us. So the Celebrity ships, at least the Millenium class, will accomodate all of you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruiseingfamilystyle Posted October 16, 2007 #21 Share Posted October 16, 2007 I think RCC is a good choice too !! for large families (6) We got to adjoining rooms - And cheap too !! We had to call though there was nothing showing on line. We have 20 people Cruising - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lagbunch8 Posted October 16, 2007 #22 Share Posted October 16, 2007 We are a family of 8 and we do 2 connecting cabins. RCCLs larger ships have some that have a D1 connecting to an OV. I think they only have like 2 or so on each ship. So, book early! Have a great trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irish90Cruiser Posted October 16, 2007 #23 Share Posted October 16, 2007 Hi - We stayed in a RCCL Family Oceanview on our first cruise 2 years ago and have booked another one for Feb 2008. They are awesome! I couldn't believe how big the room was when I walked in. You do only have one bathroom but you are only paying full price for 2 people, and half price for everyone else in the cabin. If you book adjoining cabins, you have the extra bathroom but then four people are paying full price. It just depends what you want to do. The Adventure Ocean program for the kids was fabulous too. They wanted to be in there all the time. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1plustripletsplus1 Posted October 16, 2007 #24 Share Posted October 16, 2007 We have 5 children ages, 7, 5, 5, 5 and 2. I completely understand what you are saying about the balcony doors! We booked 2 family staterooms on the Conquest this past Sept. THe rooms had floor to ceiling windows and imho this was way better than having a balcony! These rooms were on the Spa deck and they had INSIDE connecting doors. On paper my DH and triplets were in one and my other 2 children were with me in the other. In actuality my triplets slept in one cabin with their older sister and my DH and I slept in the other cabin with the 2 year old. THis was such a perfect accomodation for us. If you are allowed to put 5 in this cabin (?) then I would do it! They have plenty of room and you could always store your suitcases under the beds! These rooms are bigger than most of the cabins and they really seem wider. It is worth checking out and maybe the upgrade fairy can come in and upgrade you to those rooms! I can tell you that we had so much fun we booked the same cabins for next year!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serene56 Posted October 16, 2007 #25 Share Posted October 16, 2007 THe rooms had floor to ceiling windows and imho this was way better than having a balcony! These rooms were on the Spa deck and they had INSIDE connecting doors. these are cat 6E and sometimes cost more then a balcony cabin. there are only 2 sets of connecting cabins on the whole deck that has these cabins. SO if looking to book these gems- its better to book early as they go quickly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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