Young Children & 4-berth - Experiences?

[sassenach.girl]

Questions for those who have cruised in a 4-berth cabin / stateroom with young children.

 

We are considering a cruise next year, with Miss 5 and Miss 4. To keep costs down, we're looking at a interior 4 berth, which is essentially 2 lower and 2 pullmans over the lowers. Girls will be on the lowers, and DH and I will take the uppers. There are no 4-berth rooms with balcony.

 

So ....

 

Has your family with young children done a 4-berth?

Did you put the children to bed at their 'normal' time? Or did you keep them up (yourselves, or in the kids club) so everyone could go to bed at the same time?

 

If you retired later than the children:

 

- how did you keep the light out? Did you put anything up to create a 'cubby' for them to keep the light out?

- what did you do in the cabin while they were sleeping? The rooms we're looking at (P&O Australia) does not have a sofa, armchair, or balcony, so I'm wondering on our options for what to do while the kids are sleeping?

 

TIA

Kylie

[crusinmama06]

I would love to come up with something creative but I can't. ;) Unfortunatly, that's the downside to inside/outside cabins with no balconies...when the kids go to bed, you go to bed. Unless your child has no issues with the TV being on.

 

I have had a oceanview (same as an inside, no windows) with 4 people, and it meant that when the kids went to sleep, so did we.

[cb at sea]

That doesn't sound like much fun to me! Does your cruiseline offer in-cabin babysitting? That may be an option so that you don't have to hit the hay early everynight!

[sassenach.girl]

Thanks for the replies folks!

 

P&O Australia do not offer in-cabin babysitting, BUT the kids club is open until 10pm, and then they offer group baby-sitting for a low hourly fee, until 2am (from memory). Our girls are used to going to bed around 7pm, though we will be on holiday so I guess they will be staying in the kids club / group babysitting if we don't want to go to bed yet!

 

Kylie

[MINIMAD]

It is a problem when sailing with younger children.

 

Our family found this out in January on the Diamond. An inside 4 berth room. The children were too small to put on the top bunks and our son who is over 6 ft could not get up onto the top, so ended up pulling the mattress off each night and sleeping on the floor between the beds.

 

We tried for a bigger suite but there were none available on that sailing.

Also when the kids went to bed they had to sit in the room, taking turns to go out for awhile.

 

Anyway we all had a great time which was the main thing.

[crusinmama06]

So then you both are sailing out of Australia? Why not look for sailings on Princess? Some of the Princess ships are 70% balconies. And Princess has sailings out of Australia.

 

I don't know what the prices are like out of Australia though in comparison with P&O.

[sassenach.girl]

Yes we are sailing out of Australia.

 

I've just checked the Dawn Princess and Sun Princess, and there seems to be a few (and I mean, only a few) Oceanview Doubles with Balcony that will accomodate 4 people. Only 4 staterooms on Baja Deck and 6 on Aloha Deck -- so we will have to get in early!!

 

Princess does seem to be a little more expensive here in Australia, compared with P&O, though Princess does include room service and deck dining (P&O does not).

 

But, in saying that ,Princess is not out of the running. But they are yet to release their cruise calendar for mid-late 2010 ..... so now we wait!

 

Kylie

[crusinmama06]

Yes we are sailing out of Australia.

 

I've just checked the Dawn Princess and Sun Princess, and there seems to be a few (and I mean, only a few) Oceanview Doubles with Balcony that will accomodate 4 people. Only 4 staterooms on Baja Deck and 6 on Aloha Deck -- so we will have to get in early!!

 

Princess does seem to be a little more expensive here in Australia, compared with P&O, though Princess does include room service and deck dining (P&O does not).

 

But, in saying that ,Princess is not out of the running. But they are yet to release their cruise calendar for mid-late 2010 ..... so now we wait!

 

Kylie

 

Everyone seems to love Princess around these boards. I know that Princess uses fresh water in their pools (which some prefer).

 

Their kid programs get really good reviews.

 

So happy planning. :D

[freewilly]

We cruised on the Ecstasy with 4 of us in an interior, DH is 6.5 ft and we had space. The kids were so tired ,as were we, that we all had no problem at night. ( I am usually a night owl). Carnivals cabins are larger than most interior cabins on other lines. I have cruised on 3 other cruise lines. Hope this helps.

[VillaHappy]

How many sq ft is the interior cabin that you are looking at? We are a family of four and found the 180 sq. ft cabin too tight with all of us in there at one time.

[Julienatul]

For us, when we travel with an inside cabin. We go to bed when they go down. We usually keep them up later than their usual bedtime on a cruise and they are pretty tired from all the excitement during the day (and so are we) that they fall asleep easily. Sometimes I will take a reading light and read a book or magazine or watch a movie on my ipod. There really isnt much else you can do especially since they will both be usng the bottom beds. I have heard of some people taking a sheet and masking tape and dividing the room so that the adults could be awake when the kids go down but that would only work if the kids were usng an upper/lower bunk.

[nicrang]

We did P&O cruise with a 5yr and 15mth we took bedrail for 5yo and we slept in double undrneath.15mth had portacot but if Ihad your age now would just take another bed rail or put mattress on floor beside your bed.We had early meal time then tried to get through early show,didn't always work!For bed time we put to bed lights out then when sound asleep kept lights off but turned T.V down low or used a book light we bought with us to read.Usually DH would go out for a few hours(who knows what he got up to!)15mth was to young to leave in care so would never recommend cruise with child too young for care if not traveling with anyone.Very hard work.Not enjoyable at all!Good luck.Let us know if can help further.Have done 3 cruises out of Aust.

[MTElkwhistle]

I cruised P&O when my boys were 3 and 5 then Princess when they were 5 and 7, both times they stayed up with us until 10ish or went to the kids clubs. P&O kids club settled them at about 8 or 9 with sleeping bags and pillows on the floor in front of a video. The P&O ship - the old arcadia which is now the ocean village had a system where you could dial the phone and listen in if you left the children in the room.

Would never do this if we had a balcony room ( I wouldnt have a balcony when my 2 were small - I was terrified they would end up in the sea, I'm scared of ships!) but we utilised it a couple of times.

My 2 are now 14 and 12 so its a wee while ago and things may have changed.

 

Both times the boys slept on the upper berths.

[sassenach.girl]

P&O kids club settled them at about 8 or 9 with sleeping bags and pillows on the floor in front of a video

. Oh that is fantastic to hear. I am happier leaving them in the Kids Club at night if they settled them for quiet time. My two would likely fall asleep and we could just transfer them when picking them up. It wouldn't be every night, but handy to know if we want to have a night 'out'!!

[lamolesky]

We managed in a very small Norwegian interior with 2 adults a toddler and a baby in a pack-n-play. It was TIGHT but could be done. We didn't spend much time in the room and the kids, who usually go to bed at 7pm, went at 10pm and I read with a night light and then passed out too. They were totally off schedule but it didn't matter, they were having sooooo much fun. We let them get up whenever they wanted and nap if needed. Remember it is vacation, whatever works.