2 Adults, 4 kids (8,6,2,6 mos)-suite or 2 rooms

[Travalerie]

Is it possible to get this many in a suite? Would you recommend two adjoining rooms? Thanks for your opinions for a friend of mine who wants to cruise with me soon!

[mcfam5]

Is it possible to get this many in a suite? Would you recommend two adjoining rooms? Thanks for your opinions for a friend of mine who wants to cruise with me soon!

 

I am not sure I have heard of a suite that will accomodate six. My suggestions would be two adjoining rooms. You would have double the floor space, closet space, and two bathrooms!

[nidaco]

I would do two adjoining rooms. We just did that on AOS and it was wonderful!

[CanadianTwosome]

On the NCL Star in January, one of our roll call members was in an AB suite (I think), and it had a spacious sitting room with a couch and chair and table for four, plus a seperate bedroom with king bed, bath and shower, plus a completely seperate room with its own bathroom. The seperate room had berths in it, I think, and the door was located between one of the doors to the corridor and the door to the sitting area, so it could be closed off if adults were socializing after kids' bedtime. I believe the couch may have been a pull out also. They also have larger suites available as well as the Garden Villas on the newer ships that are bigger than many homes these days - over 5000 square feet!!

 

In any case, though, if it's in their budget, the AB suite seemed perfect to me for just such a family situation. The kids can go to their own room and leave the adults alone, but they're not across the hall or even next door, and nobody can knock on their door without you knowing about it. :)

[kat89447]

You might also look into suites that have a connecting balcony room. NCL offers these and they have a separate bedroom/master bath then a living room and a connecting door to a regular balcony room. Less expensive than a villa and tons of room.

[CanadianTwosome]

You might also look into suites that have a connecting balcony room. NCL offers these and they have a separate bedroom/master bath then a living room and a connecting door to a regular balcony room. Less expensive than a villa and tons of room.

 

I think that's one category lower than the one I described - with the difference that the AB (I think I have that right) has the extra room. Our friends were travelling with extended family and they also had a connecting door to the balcony/suite next door (not sure what category it was), and I believe there was also a connecting door on the balcony. I really was a beautiful suite, and I would have LOVED to have a bath... as well as being directly up against a full window, there was a tv... come to think of it, it's probably a good thing we didn't have one... I wouldn't have seen my husband for days!! :p

[beachchick]

Two cruise lines that we cruise with have suite options that might be just the ticket. NCL has the previously mentioned ABs, which on most ships have a master bedroom and killer bathroom plus a second kids bedroom with regular bath. The kids room would be tight for 4 older kids, but at those ages, should be fine. I suspect the 6-m/o would probably be with you in the master bedroom anyway, which leaves enough space in the second bedroom for the other 3, no problem. With the AB you get suite perks such as priority embarkation and disembarkation, concierge (for reservations, etc.), butler (for meal service, various "this and that" taking care of your needs, etc.), breakfast and lunch in Cagney's (or equivalent) for full suite pax only, invite to the VIP cocktail party, bottle of bubbly for embarkation, goodies in the suite, and just general all-around pampering. On the ships with a courtyard, the A3 Villas are the exact same layout as the ABs, but with the additional courtyard perks (such as the courtyard itself). Be aware that NCL does not have any pool/water facilities for the non-potty trained youngsters. The ABs and A3s are high-level suites with prices to go along with them. However, the 3rd through 6th pax (i.e., the kids) will be at the reduced fares. I think that the baby will only be charged for port fees and taxes (don't quote me on that--cruise lines change policies all the time). NCL's kids program starts at age 2, but they don't do diaper changes, so you'd be given a beeper and will be required to come change the 2-y/o (assuming that's necessary; if he/she is fully trained, more power to you--that's quite a feat for most kids). NCL also has the "Under 2 Zoo" which includes times for parents and kids to play in various of the kids facilities. NCL does not have in cabin babysitting.

 

On RCI, there are several choices depending on the ship. There are the Family Oceanview Rooms (not suites) that have a basically separate "kids room" that has (I think) bunk beds and has a full curtain instead of a wall for the fourth wall. There is only 1 bathroom and the cabin is not considered a suite for purposes of perks. However, it's a reasonably priced option to keep families together. There are Royal Family Suites, which are set up similarly to the AB/A3 configuration on NCL, except that the living space is typically larger. The RFS is entitled to the suite perks, but unless RCI has added a bunch of perks (I've heard they're going to or maybe have), those perks can't hold a candle to NCL's full suite perks. No butler; concierge only in the Concierge Lounge (if there is one; not all ships have one); no special dining venue for suite pax. The Concierge Lounge is nice, but can get extremely crowded and kids are not allowed in between 5 and 8:30 (cocktail time). On both NCL and RCI, kids must be with their parents when they are in the concierge lounges. On some RCI ships, there is a splash zone for the non-potty trained crowd. Also, there is a daily Aqua Tots play time (with parents) for the kids younger than 3. For Adventure Ocean, kids must be 3 and fully potty trained, absolutely no exceptions to these rules. RCI has in-cabin babysitting, but the age minimum is 1 year old. Again, parents will pay the full 1st and 2nd pax fare, while all 4 kids will be charged the 3rd-6th fare. (No "free" cruise fares for the under-2 set, except when there are special deals.) Usually the 5th and 6th pax fares are really reasonable, so the total cost can actually work out to be less than 2 cabins.

 

It's impossible to say "it will cost X amount for these suites/cabins" because fares are so variable throughout the year.You'll need to call the cruise lines for quotes on the larger suites because they don't usually price those online. Then you can compare the cost between the family suites and 2 connecting cabins. I would not, under any circumstances, put the kids in a cabin that was not connecting. For older kids, it's allowable to put them in an adjecent, but not connecting cabin, or one across the passageway. For that age, no way would we consider that safe.

 

On NCL, most ships have a Garden Villa; on RCI, the Freedom class has Presidential and other larger suites. As you can expect, those come with price tags comensurate with the accomodations. (In other words, a GV can easily run more than the cost of a new car! It's not unusual for the first 2 pax to pay $12,000-$14,000/pax for a week in a GV.)

 

We would definitely go for 2 bathrooms, regardless. We would also go for either 2 cabins or a multi-bedroom suite simply because we love togetherness, but also need space. That's just us; some families say they enjoy being all together in a single regular cabin. We'd go nuts with such cramped conditions, but OTOH if it was that or no cruise, we'd probably figure out a way to manage.

 

Hope you all can find the right "fit" for your families. I'm sorry I can't help with other lines. We haven't cruised with Princess since a cruise on the original Pacific Princess (way back in the dark ages). Besides NCL and RCI, we've only cruised on a line that no longer exists and on the Hurtigruten in the past several years. I suspect that HAL, Celebrity, Princess, and Carnival all have similar family suite setups.

 

beachchick

[Travalerie]

Thanks so much for the feedback! I guess it really matters what cruise line you choose if trying to find a good cabin for families. We were looking at HA, so I will look into it and see if they have any family rooms. Thanks again.