Sharing Suites

[mgmigs]

i see that to have a 3rd and 4th person in a suite results in quite a savings for the cabin. my question is, is it really too close for comfort to have 2 couples share a suite that does not have a seperate bedroom? has anyone ever done this? i would love to do a suite and i see that many on this board do go that route but at this time it is cost prohibitive for dh and i to do it alone. we have friends that i know would do it with us in a heartbeat but i don't know i can handle the lack of privacy. i've never been in a suite so i really don't know how to compare it to a regular balcony type room.

[madforcruising]

i see that to have a 3rd and 4th person in a suite results in quite a savings for the cabin. my question is, is it really too close for comfort to have 2 couples share a suite that does not have a seperate bedroom? has anyone ever done this? i would love to do a suite and i see that many on this board do go that route but at this time it is cost prohibitive for dh and i to do it alone. we have friends that i know would do it with us in a heartbeat but i don't know i can handle the lack of privacy. i've never been in a suite so i really don't know how to compare it to a regular balcony type room.

 

 

While the suites are great I would personally always prefer two balcony cabins instead of 4 people in the suite.

 

You are talking about sharing with friends. This beginns with the fact that you´ll have to decide which couple will get the bed and which couple will sleep on the sofa bed.

 

You´ll have to share the closet and bathroom with your friends and while you can have some sort of privacy closing the curtain between the sleeping area and sofa area only those in the actual sleeping area will have the privacy because the ones using the sofa beds won´t have the privacy as the others walk through when going to the bathroom etc.

 

In the evening when coming back to the room, be prepared no seating space on the sofa, as it´s turned into a bed already.

 

This is just my opinion of course and everybody has to make his own decisions, but I wouldn´t do it.

[Ms. B]

I agree with Madforcruising. There would be no privacy with two couples in a suite. I think that the 3rd and 4th rates really benefit those travelling with children. When my kids were younger, they travelled in the cabin with my husband and I. Now that they are older, we usually put them in an inside cabin accross from ours because we like our privacy. I think you will enjoy a regular balcony cabin. If you and your friends get balcony cabins that are next to each other, I believe that you can open up the partition. If you really can't afford a suite, go with the next best thing. Save the suite for when you can afford it. Then you will REALLY enjoy it!:)

[Ms. B]

Sorry, double post.

[piercetc4]

mrs b- i am sure you can ask for just a splash- go for it!

 

aren't there a cat. of suites on some rci ships that have 2 bedrooms.........

 

if you are having to do 2 couples in a onebedroom suite.....................i would not do it- 4 ppl and one bathroom sounds like no fun to me -

[PantherFan]

You also don't even have to do balcony rooms to save more $$

 

The balconys are nice and we always get one, but if the choice was to cruise or not to cruise I would go without a balcony in a heartbeat.:)

[KeysRes]

The Royal Family Suites on most ships have 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms...and a living room area with a sofa bed. You need at least 5 to book the suite though...it can sleep up to 8. They also have a huge balcony. It does get all the suite benefits too. From the pictures I've seen, the decor is more like the regular staterooms than the Grand Suite...but I think it's still a decent deal. Passengers 3-8 pay the 3rd or 4th passenger rate for suites.

 

One bedroom and bath are much larger than the second one...so you would still have to decide who gets what.

[shamrox91]

We had an Owner's Suite for our last cruise since we were taking our daughter and her boyfriend. The suite was beautiful and there was a curtain that you could pull across so you could change in the bedroom section rather than the bathroom. If we were to travel again with them, I wouldn't get another suite I would choose 2 separate rooms. You do lose out on privacy and at night when the sofa is pulled out, you don't have the big couch to relax on. I'm a morning person and on sea days I like to get up and sit on the balcony and enjoy some quiet time before the day begins. When I would have to come back in and out of the room I was afraid of making too much noise and disturbing them while they were sleeping. That would not have been as much of a concern if it were just the two of us. I think it would be better to have a suite if you were traveling with little ones rather than another adult couple.

[PhoenixCruiser]

Agree with Mad, two cabins would be better. The cabins and bathrooms are really small.

 

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[mgmigs]

thanks for all the feedback. i guess i was just thinking crazy for a moment.

[sleeples23]

I have a question regarding the sofa bed in the Owners Suites. I am staying in an OS next month with my mom and my teenaged daughter. My mom and I can share the bed and my daughter will have the couch. I have seen pictures of the OS and the L shaped couch has me wondering if the portion of the couch that does not fold out is big enough to sleep on. It would be great if we could leave the couch in tact and just have the room steward make up the extra portion of the couch as a bed. Has anyone ever done this and is it full length?

 

Thanks!

[early 30's couple]

Ok...I'll say it.

 

WIth small kids, vacation is the only time when the wife and I get that 'special' alone time (wink-wink).

 

We'd have to be VERY good firends with any other couple that stayed in a suite with us...and to hell with the kids staying with us. We go on vacation to get away form the kids. We're tierd of having to pretend daddy is in the bathroom trying to fix the shower for mommy!

 

Tony

[shamrox91]

I have a question regarding the sofa bed in the Owners Suites. I am staying in an OS next month with my mom and my teenaged daughter. My mom and I can share the bed and my daughter will have the couch. I have seen pictures of the OS and the L shaped couch has me wondering if the portion of the couch that does not fold out is big enough to sleep on. It would be great if we could leave the couch in tact and just have the room steward make up the extra portion of the couch as a bed. Has anyone ever done this and is it full length?

 

Thanks!

 

I think you could have that made up and it would be fine. In fact when the bed was pulled out, I would lay on the chaise section of it and nodded out whle watching tv and was comfy. I didn't stay on it too long since the bed was calling my name but I think you should be fine with having her sleep on the couch. I just checked with my daughter's bf and he said that he thought the couch was more comfy as a couch than it was as a bed.

[Happy ks]

I think the best way to keep good friends is to get two rooms. A week together sharing a bathroom and cabin space, you just might never want to see them again ;)

[KelJ]

Ok...I'll say it.

 

WIth small kids' date=' vacation is the only time when the wife and I get that 'special' alone time (wink-wink).

 

We'd have to be VERY good firends with any other couple that stayed in a suite with us...and to hell with the kids staying with us. We go on vacation to get away form the kids. We're tierd of having to pretend daddy is in the bathroom trying to fix the shower for mommy!

 

Tony

 

LOL!

To the OP, I would never share a cabin or a hotel room (and a bathroom) with another couple EVER.

[jzerocsk]

Depends on your situation - with kids involved...probably a no-go.

But if you have close friends that you KNOW you can get along with in close quarters for a long period of time, it's a lot of fun and a great way to save money.

 

We know another couple and we routinely travel together and share rooms which allows us to save quite a bit. I imagine this would be especially easy to do on a cruise ship since it's easier for the couples to separate whenever they want so they don't get on each other's nerves.

[rclcruzer]

NOOOO Don't do it!! :eek::D Go for 2 separate cabins, even a 2 room suite would not be of our comfort zone even with our bestest (?) of friends! :eek:

Alone time is a good thing ;)

[Happy ks]

Depends on your situation - with kids involved...probably a no-go.

But if you have close friends that you KNOW you can get along with in close quarters for a long period of time, it's a lot of fun and a great way to save money.

 

We know another couple and we routinely travel together and share rooms which allows us to save quite a bit. I imagine this would be especially easy to do on a cruise ship since it's easier for the couples to separate whenever they want so they don't get on each other's nerves.

 

 

 

I've priced out a suite with 4 people vs. 2 seperate cabins a few times. The 2 cabins has always come out cheaper.

 

Not that I would want to do it (share with another couple) but a hotel room is a whole lot larger than cruise ship cabins.

 

If I had to make a choice, for me I would opt for 2 inside cabins rather than one large shared suite. I suppose some of us treasure our privacy more than others :p

[Darstime]

We have done it and we are doing it again!

It is so much fun. We are never in the room watching TV, just for changing. We have the family room that has a place to change taking turns in the bathroom works too. We work it that we get up early and go to bed just a little bit earlier than thay do so we always have alone time(wink).We do like going on our own and will be going to mexico alone.It is fun so try it and if you don't like it don't do it again. There are some of my friends that it would not work with. But do think about it, when are you in your room anyway?

Darlene

[jzerocsk]

I

Not that I would want to do it (share with another couple) but a hotel room is a whole lot larger than cruise ship cabins.

 

I imagine a cruise suite is comparable or larger than your garden variety hotel room.

 

If I had to make a choice, for me I would opt for 2 inside cabins rather than one large shared suite.

 

Depends how the numbers work out. If the 2 cabins are cheaper than the suite, of course there's no reason to get the suite.

 

I suppose some of us treasure our privacy more than others :p

 

I'm huge on my privacy, but we've got friends we can do this with and the considerable cost savings has taken us as far east as Prague and next year as far west as Hawaii. Trips that would have been cost prohibitive for us without being able to pool resources and enlarge our purchasing power.

 

Of course it's not for everybody. Like I said...if you've got people you can do it with, it's great.

[JJ2sail]

My dh and I did a 14 day cruise in a royal family suite with my sister and her husband. There was plenty of room and adequate privacy, but I don't know if I would do it again. Would definately not put more than 4 in the cabin, I couldn't imagine 8! Loved having access to the concierge lounge though.

[Happy ks]

I imagine a cruise suite is comparable or larger than your garden variety hotel room.

 

 

 

Depends how the numbers work out. If the 2 cabins are cheaper than the suite, of course there's no reason to get the suite.

 

 

 

I'm huge on my privacy, but we've got friends we can do this with and the considerable cost savings has taken us as far east as Prague and next year as far west as Hawaii. Trips that would have been cost prohibitive for us without being able to pool resources and enlarge our purchasing power.

 

Of course it's not for everybody. Like I said...if you've got people you can do it with, it's great.

 

 

You would have to have a huge cruise ship suite to even come close to the size of a hotel room, so your cost can soar over the 2 cabin choice. To be able to save money with a suite you would have to go as small as a jr. or mini suite, those range around 250-300 square feet, about the size of a small tract home bedroom, inclusive the closet and bathroom. With 2 (balcony) cabins, you would each have close to 200 square feet per cabin.

 

We travel with great friends and family members and love them to pieces, I just need my privacy and so do they. Travel is stressful enough without having to crowd into small spaces and have no alone time.

 

Of course you should price it out, we have done so with our 2 kids (older teens) and have at times shared a cabin with them. We now will only cruise with our kids if we can get 2 cabins, or the kids stay home. The price has either been higher or equivalent for a suite vs. 2 cabins, or the savings has been so insignificant it just wasn't worth it, maybe $4 a day cheaper for the suite and that has only been a junior suite.

 

It's not just the bathroom sharing and sleeping is the easy part to figure out, unless someone snores or farts or gets up to use the loo in the middle of the night. Until you get up to the grand suite level, storage is minimal. I suppose I just value my comfort and privacy and feel we can have a more fun vacation if we have our alone time and don't have to hassle accomodating other people in our personal space.

 

I suppose everyone has their own tolerance level ;)

[DonnaK]

I've priced out a suite with 4 people vs. 2 seperate cabins a few times. The 2 cabins has always come out cheaper.

 

Not that I would want to do it (share with another couple) but a hotel room is a whole lot larger than cruise ship cabins.

 

If I had to make a choice, for me I would opt for 2 inside cabins rather than one large shared suite. I suppose some of us treasure our privacy more than others :p

 

I've found that 2 cabins is almost always cheaper than one suite too.

 

My main concern with four adults in one suite is that two would have to sleep on the sofabed, which isn't very comfortable. When my kids were younger (and more light-weight), they were able to endure it, but now that they are teenagers, they are too uncomfortable sleeping on the sofa bed. I can't imagine two adults sharing it, with its very thin mattress.

 

Having everyone in a real bed, and having the extra bathroom, are the reasons we always get two cabins now.

 

If you get adjacent balconies on the Navigator, Mariner, or Freedom-class, you can have the balcony divider opened and it will be approx the size of a suite balcony.