Words of Wisdom needed

[OCEANCATS]

My DH and I will be going on the Gem in Dec. and his brother has decided to join us. :) I am ready to book (finally - the price is right) and I need some help.

 

DH and I always book inside cabins (and love them) but we are unwilling to share such a small space with a third adult. Has anyone ever shared a balcony or mini-suit with three adults in the room?

 

We could always book 2 inside staterooms but I hate to see him pay double for a room (we cannot find anyone who has a passport already to share a room with him...)

 

Any thoughts on the matter will be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Oceancats

[VoyageVirgin]

My DH and I will be going on the Gem in Dec. and his brother has decided to join us. :) I am ready to book (finally - the price is right) and I need some help.

 

DH and I always book inside cabins (and love them) but we are unwilling to share such a small space with a third adult. Has anyone ever shared a balcony or mini-suit with three adults in the room?

 

We could always book 2 inside staterooms but I hate to see him pay double for a room (we cannot find anyone who has a passport already to share a room with him...)

 

Any thoughts on the matter will be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Oceancats

 

You actually don't need a passport at this point - US citizens must have a picture ID (drivers licence) and or birth certificate. It could become a problem if someone needs to fly back from another country into the US

 

Never shared a cabin with three adults - and personally I wouldn't unless it was an AB or another cabin with a separate bedroom. But that's me :D

[CruisnGram]

I guess it all depends on how comfortable you are with your DH's brother. Unless you are talking about an owners suite or above, there isn't a lot of privacy in any cabin. However, I find that mini-suites have plenty of room for 3 people so if you don't mind walking around in your PJ's in front of your BIL, a mini-suite would work just fine in my opinion.

 

CG

[newmexicoNita]

Cruisngram is right, there will not be much privacy but the cabins are certainly large enough for 3 especially with the balcony. Go for it...

 

Nita

[daldog]

I guess it all depends on how comfortable you are with your DH's brother. CG

 

Exactly, I'd say .... my 2 nephews and 1 niece (in their 20s) shared a mini-suite and I think they thought space-wise it was fine for sleeping, they weren't in there all that much otherwise. I believe they did feel a little pressure when it came time for cleaning themselves up for the evening ..... I think they kind of had to schedule bathroom/shower time. Good thing there was only 1 niece!:)

[Addictedtwo]

My DH and I will be going on the Gem in Dec. and his brother has decided to join us. :) I am ready to book (finally - the price is right) and I need some help.

 

DH and I always book inside cabins (and love them) but we are unwilling to share such a small space with a third adult. Has anyone ever shared a balcony or mini-suit with three adults in the room?

 

We could always book 2 inside staterooms but I hate to see him pay double for a room (we cannot find anyone who has a passport already to share a room with him...)

 

Any thoughts on the matter will be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Oceancats[/quote

 

On our Alaska cruise we had a balcony cabin and shared with mother in law but you really really have to love your mother in law to do this. As it turned out it was fine considering the amt of time you spend in the room.

As for sleeping, the third was the fold down couch.(not a bed sofa)I'm not so sure how comfortable they are but she didn't complain about it at all.

Would I share with a third again, yes but not more than a 7 day cruise.

[OCEANCATS]

You actually don't need a passport at this point - US citizens must have a picture ID (drivers licence) and or birth certificate. It could become a problem if someone needs to fly back from another country into the US

 

Never shared a cabin with three adults - and personally I wouldn't unless it was an AB or another cabin with a separate bedroom. But that's me :D

 

 

Thank you - There are a few people who wanted to go with us but we all thought that passports were required now.

 

This should solve the problem - thank you!

:)

[VoyageVirgin]

Thank you - There are a few people who wanted to go with us but we all thought that passports were required now.

 

This should solve the problem - thank you!

:)

 

You're welcome - as far as future cruises - I believe June 2009 is the new deadline. But it seems to change quite a bit - so who knows.

[kbuck]

We shared a mini-suite on the Jewel last year on a 12-day med cruise, with our adult daughter. Plenty of room for the 3 of us. At night we pulled the privacy curtain across the room. It is heavy and blacks out light, so one side of the cabin can have a light on without disturbing the other. The fold-out sofa makes into a comfortable bed, lengthwise, like a futon. We wouldn't hesitate to do it this way again.

[cdnsteelman]

Sailed on Pride of Aloha (Now Sky) last Dec in catagory BA (Norway Deck 0065), which is a balcony looking off the stern (LOVED IT). Anyway - I took my parents (both in their late 60s) as a Christmas gift and we shared this cabin.

 

My guidance - only do this is you are VERY comfortable with both other adults. While you can draw a curtain to separate the bed from the hide-a-bed, with both beds in "sleep" mode - there is very little space to move around. The balcony is only helpful during awake hours.

 

So - if you will all be going to sleep and waking up around the same time and are okay with the sights, sounds and smells of two other adults in CLOSE proximity AND you're really only using the cabin for sleeping, chaging and showering, it is very doable. If you require ANY modicum of privacy - just say no.

 

Pride of Aloha was not Freestyle 2.0 so the beds - particularly the hide-a-bed - were terrible despite the "egg-crate" pad solution offered by the ship. I suspect (but do not know from first hand experience) the beds in 2.0 are better.

 

Hope this helps,

Jeff

[bklynangel]

My DH and I will be going on the Gem in Dec. and his brother has decided to join us. :) I am ready to book (finally - the price is right) and I need some help.

 

DH and I always book inside cabins (and love them) but we are unwilling to share such a small space with a third adult. Has anyone ever shared a balcony or mini-suit with three adults in the room?

 

We could always book 2 inside staterooms but I hate to see him pay double for a room (we cannot find anyone who has a passport already to share a room with him...)

 

Any thoughts on the matter will be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Oceancats

I would get him his own room and also the passport is important in case you have to fly back to the states ,they will have a hard time entering. I personally wouldn't take the chance, you never know what can happen.

[redlef]

My DH and I will be going on the Gem in Dec. and his brother has decided to join us. :) I am ready to book (finally - the price is right) and I need some help.

 

DH and I always book inside cabins (and love them) but we are unwilling to share such a small space with a third adult. Has anyone ever shared a balcony or mini-suit with three adults in the room?

 

We could always book 2 inside staterooms but I hate to see him pay double for a room (we cannot find anyone who has a passport already to share a room with him...)

 

Any thoughts on the matter will be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Oceancats

 

My wife and I shared an AF minisuite with our then 16 yr. old son. It was do-able. We slept on the two twins pushed together, and there was a fold out couch that he slept in. Tight, but depending on the fares, may be less expensive than 2 smaller cabins.

[oz cleopatra]

Okay, two things. We just got back from Mexico and were told we had to have passports. Secondly(good news here), we expedited them and it took just THREE DAYS! The link is below. There is hardly anyone traveling right now (recession) so turnaround is fast. So grab someone else, have them pay just $150 to expedite their passport and off you go. Problem solved. (FYI those cabins are WAY too small for three adults.)

 

http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/fees/fees_837.html