Family cruise for 5!

[itri]

My wife and I are blessed with 3 wonderful children (ages 15,13,10) who wish to go on a cruise for our next vacation in April 2009. But with a family of 5, do I need to get two cabins? Perhaps one outside suite and one inside cabin? Seems like the suites accommodate a maximum of 4 occupants.

Also, anyone have a particularly good experience on cruise to the Caribbean with their children around the same age? While I hope for the cruise line to be family friendly, I do not suspect the children will spend too much time in "kid's zones" etc. Afterall, I want this to be a family vacation spent together as a family.

First post for me so I really appreciate the help!

[red sox girl]

last August we went on a cruise with our 3 boys ages were 17,15,12 so close to yours we did take 2 cabins a balcony for us and an inside right across from ours for the boys. I didnt want them fighting and have 1 fall over :eek:. It worked nice for us we had the 2 bathrooms and the boys were able to use our balcony when we were there. I never would have been able to stay 5 in 1 cabin there just isnt enough room. we are all going again in Nov and I booked the same way plus they are all a year older and I dont think my 18 yo wants to stay in the same room as his mother.

 

As far as the kid zones no my boys hardly went to them they spent alot of time in the arcarde and pools and walking the ship with friends they met. We ate dinner together every night that was one of my rules. really the only time the younger 2 used the kid zones were at night for the kid dances. I think that was there way of being able to stay out later as I didnt let them "just hang out" on the decks with friends after midnight and 10pm for the youngest. Hope this helps enjoy your cruise

Karen

[itri]

Thanks so much for your reply! Was there any particular cruise that you would recommend? Or destinations that you would recommend considering the ages of the children?

[red sox girl]

Well the 1st one we did with them was the eastern great weather in august when we went. Stops were half moon cay private island we rented a cabana best beach day ever. St Thomas we just did a tour went to the beach. San Juan we did the rain forest beautiful and in Grand Turk we did a sting ray and snorkel. All very safe palces to visit

This time we are taking them on a Western stops in Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and Jamicia I can say the 1st 2 are great places we have been before without the boys but Jamaica well its Jamaica and they have a lot to say about it on the boards. I have never been so I cant comment on it personally but I did book a tour to do the falls, white water tubing and a beach excursion thru a company I read about on these boards. I like the Western better but for my boys 1st cruise we chose the eastern due to the ports.

My boys are hooked they didnt want to leave and wanted me to book another one the day we got home. No matter what cruise you decide you will have a great time. read up on all the ports and things to do at each. My bother in law did the same cruise the eastern a month or so after us no kids with them but they also loved the ports and half Moon Cay was also a favorite for them.

[rabelgirls]

Congrats on considering a cruise!! You will have a blast. I agree with the other poster as two rooms will be better than one. Cheaper on most ships than if you went with one room. Most of the newer ships do not accomodate 5. Some older ships on Carnival do. However, with two rooms, you will have two bathrooms which, with teens, is always a plus!!

As for destinations, we loved Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Key West and Costa Maya. We didn't care for Ochos Rios, but that is a personal choice. Great things to do there. We are going on our next cruise in December to new ports and I can't wait!!

[3GR8Sons]

We are also 5 people. Our kids are 14, 12, 9. They are all boys. We have taken 3 cruises, with our 4th coming up this December. We usually take 2 rooms. Last cruise was adjoining oceanview cabin. Our next one is a balcony across from an inside. It's less expensive to take 2 cabins plus you get 2 bathrooms for 4 people. Dh and I like our privacy. We put our kids in a separate cabin. They are well behaved and we have not had any problems.

 

Don't discount the teen/kids clubs. My kids typically don't love stuff like that at land based resorts but the cruise ships have some activities that the kids really enjoy. On our last cruise there was a guitar hero tournament for the teenagers and a karaoke night for the 8-12 year olds. I would recommend having them register the first night (its free) and going to the teen club the first night. That way they will get a schedule and meet other kids their age. Once they find a buddy they usually just meet up at the pool and do whatever they want to do.

 

My kids usually alternate between the kids club and hanging out with us at the pool, or doing activities with us. Lots of the "adult" activities are appropriate for the whole family. Most ships have shore excursions designed specifically for teens but I like to keep my kids with family when we are in a foreign country. We usually travel with 5 kids, 5 adults so there are plenty of family members to supervise the kids on land.

 

Have fun. A cruise is a great family vacation. Especially for teenagers.

[JackieH]

We have 3 kids as well, 14,9 and 4. We booked two inside connecting(the one with the door in between)cabins. We have always booked inside its cheaper for us as we dont stay in the cabin much. I am looking forward to having 2 bathrooms;)

[twoplus3]

Some cruise ships offer a family suite which may comfortably sleep up to 5. But often it's more expensive than getting two cabins and you only have one bathroom.

 

We did the Disney Family Suite when our children were 14, 10 & 7. It was actually very comfortable and each child had their own bed, but showers and nightly tooth brushing were a bit of a pain.

 

For our cruise this August, we're trying Carnival, side-by-side ocean view rooms (we couldn't get connecting). Our children are 16, 12 and 9 now and are excited about having "their own room." It's less expensive than the Family Suite option (which sleeps up to 5, but two of the kids would have to share a full/queen size bed) and we'll have two bathrooms.

 

I think, as long as the kids are old enough to be trusted in their own stateroom, two rooms is the way to go. Whatever you decide, I hope you enjoy your vacation!!

[jimswims]

There are some good deals on the NCL suites that show up from time to time. The NCL Dawn,Gem,Pearl,Jewel,Star, and Jade all have AB Pentouse suites that accomodate 5. They have 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, living/dining area, balcony, concierge, and butler service. The AB is incredible and the VIP services are unmatched on most commecrial lines. You will be pampered and the kids will have a ball. We loved this room for our family of 4 and found that the rate was better than booking 2 connecting rooms when we sailed.

[Crusin6]

My wife and I are blessed with 3 wonderful children (ages 15,13,10) who wish to go on a cruise for our next vacation in April 2009. But with a family of 5, do I need to get two cabins? Perhaps one outside suite and one inside cabin? Seems like the suites accommodate a maximum of 4 occupants.

Also, anyone have a particularly good experience on cruise to the Caribbean with their children around the same age? While I hope for the cruise line to be family friendly, I do not suspect the children will spend too much time in "kid's zones" etc. Afterall, I want this to be a family vacation spent together as a family.

First post for me so I really appreciate the help!

We are 6 with kids ages 18, 14,12,& 7 and have always gotten 2 CONNECTING oceanview cabins. With a family of 5, unless you find those elusive cabins that SOME ships have that fit five, you will be paying 4 first and second passengerand only one third passenger rate anyway so go for the 2 connecting (not adjoining) cabins, get the 2 bathrooms and just keep the connecting door open or closed as you please. BTW, we only did a balcony once, and since we too also go for family time (the older kids have never yet joined any teen activities) we find that we never spend much time in the cabin anyway, so it is a waste for us to get 2 connecting balconies. Also, if we use the balcony it means we are in the cabin, all of us, not always a great time is had by all when we spend to much time in the cabin! Get the drift? Also, be careful NOT to book your cabins online and be sure to get your cabin assignments at booking. Call the cruiseline OR the online agent you plan to use (I call and speak to our online agent) as you will need the proper configuration for a family your size. Such as a double that connects to a triple, as some cruise lines will not book a triple connecting to a triple and only put 5 people in it. Or a quad connecting to a double as well. Not all cruise lines practice this and it may not be an issue at all times of the year, but you need to speak to someone and you MUST be sure that your reservations are linked. None of this will be a problem BTW, so long as you actually speak to a human on the phone. Our online agent ( I won't use local storefront agents any longer) was most accomodating and was even able to get us a price reduction of $750 per cabin just prior to final payment. I followed the prices online and I e-mailed him asking for a better price before final payment as I knew the ship was not fully booked aand that connecting cabins in our category were still available. No problem at all.