Tips for a family squeezing into one room

[dijid]

Anyone want to share any great tips for surviving when your whole family is crammed into one stateroom?

 

We'll be bringing an over the door shoe holder to keep all our little stuff from cluttering up the room. Also a nightlight and an alarm clock with built in nature sounds.

 

We're seasoned travlers and have shared a hotel room many times. But I'm concerned about lack of space (5 of us on Carnival's Fantasy means a roll away taking up precous space) - especially in the bathroom. That's where DH and I have hung out for a while after putting the kiddos to bed in a hotel. (We've even had hotel room with TVs in there!) But I'm thinking the best I can do this time is bring a book light, or sit in the hallway with DH.

 

And oh - we do plan on taking the kids to Camp Carnival at some point during the cruise so us adults can take a nap ;)

[Essiesmom]

Just a caveat about your alarm clock...I assume one with nature sounds requires to be plugged in? Likely it will not keep correct time as the cycles (herz) are not reliably steady...power surges, etc. Even with a battery backup, it might run fast or slow, or both. If you are only planning to use it for the sounds to lull the kids to sleep, it should be okay...EM

[cb at sea]

You will find that a ship's cabin is nowhere near the size of a hotel room...and the bathroom...only 1 at a time!!

If there's any way to get 2 connecting rooms, I'd do it!

[OCruisers]

Consider having DH take any of the boy children to shower fitness center. They can easily wear a bathing suit back to your cabin to dress. :cool:

[slkmbz]

Our family travels together - all 4 adults in the room. We have found that it works out fine for us. It takes organization and a schedule for getting ready but it works. Now you are not going to have room for everyone to just stand/sit around and lounge - but on a cruise ship - are you really going to do that in a non-balcony/suite cabin anyway?

[sas80]

Have you checked to see if booking 2 connecting staterooms would be equivalent or less in price?

Sometimes (especially with interior) the first and second person cost is almost the same as the third and fourth person cost.

 

In our case we were able to book a balcony/interior connecting combo for $200 less (on RCCL) than it would have cost us to sail with 4 in a balcony.

 

Also I noticed that it would have cost us $400 less to book the family interior class on the same RCCL ship. Category FI is 323sq feet large and has a separate bedroom (for the kids) IIRC.

 

Good luck.

[dijid]

When we booked (less than 90 days before sailing) interior connecting rooms were no longer available. There are very few on the Fantasy to begin with. Didn't even check into exterior connecting as it was just too much $.

[lumpkin8]

We have had about 6 cruises, all with a family of 4 in an inside quad. Over the years, 2 kids ranged in age from youngest at 6 to oldest at 14. I doubt 2 people would fit comfortably to read in the bathroom, and probably would block the way if sitting in the narrow hallways. On some of the ships we were on, the 2 bunk beds were blocked off by a curtain, and the tv was on the other side of the curtain, which allowed for some movement/light while kids slept. Otherwise, bringing a small clipon book light would be the best thing. Also, depending on the ship and your cabin location, you could try to get a room right next to a public area, and sit there while in view of your cabin's hall and door. Not sure how old your kids are, however, as to whether this would work.

[donaldsc]

Inhale - never exhale.

 

DON

[topspot]

We were 4 (2adults and 2teen girls) in an inside:eek::eek:. One thing that helped us orgainze was using the over the door shoe holder. We got this idea from other CC people. You can put lots of things in those pockets, and it cuts down on the clutter. Each one of us had a row to put our stuff in. (cameras, hair brushes, flip flops and sandals,sunglasses, etc).

 

Know where your nearest public bathroom is in case someone is in yours and you need to use it. As one of the other posters suggested, use the shower in the gym to help with showers.

[karatemom2]

We are a family of four and my DH is 6'7" and DS is 6'4" and we always manage fine in one cabin. Yes it's cozy, but definitely doable. First of all, we don't spend tons of time in the cabin except to sleep because we are too busy being out on the ship having fun.

 

Some things I have learned:

 

Unpack immediately and get very organized. Most ships have plenty of storage space and I use every nook and cranny. And then we all work hard to keep everything in its place. One thing I will not allow is for clutter anywhere so that we can have maximum living space.

 

We have developed a system that works fairly well where two of us shower in the evening before bed and two first thing in the morning so we aren't all trying to get ready at the same time. I usally take the night shift since my DH needs the bathroom to shave, but I can do my hair and makeup at the desk/vanity.

 

When the steward makes the room up for the day, we always ask that he leaves one of the upper bunks down so we have it as seating for the kids. My son will typically lay in his bunk and read or play video games when we are hanging in the cabin, so it keeps him up and out of the way!

 

While my daughter and I get ready on formal nights, the guys go out and give us our space. Then when they come back to get ready (which doesn't take them nearly as long, they are guys after all) we go and shop or get a photo taken.

 

It's actually kind of fun for family togetherness and bonding. We would rather spend the money we save by not booking an extra cabin on wonderful excursions!

[Kingisacruiser]

We've done 6 in one stateroom on the Carnival Miracle. We had to book two rooms, although not connecting. But the ages of the children did not allow for them to sleep ina separate room, so we paid for 2 rooms and utilized one for the most part. The 3 and 4 year old shared the couch. The 12 year old slept on the pullman from the ceiling. The 1 year old slept in his pack and play at the foot of the bed that we didn't fold up until we were debarking and DH and I slept on the king sized bed. It took some coordination but it worked. We kept the suitcases in the room that we weren't sleeping in and depending on whether we were in a rush or not, we would split up and use both bathrooms. The key to not feeling cramped is to keep things off the counter and keeping the room as neat as possible. We'll be doing 5 on the Carnival Dream in November.

[lucigo]

Not sure how old your kids are but you might check into getting a 4A across from a 1A. If they aren't connecting you can bring 2-way radios if the kids are old enough that you would trust them to call you in case of emergency.

 

We did a conquest cruise that was a weird military rate that 1st and 2nd were cheaper than 3rd and 4th, so I put 2 kids in each room, and we had three 4A rooms in a row, no connecting door so we did the walkie-talkie thing.

[yogi2929]

If the rollaway is for a toddler or a bit larger, ask the room steward to make it as short as possible, we once had one that was very short and layed on the ground, like a pallet. It can be stored under the bed.

 

Store the luggage under the bed. Keep the lowers seperated, it will give the appearance of a larger room. I know it's not too conducive for adult 'napping'. Oh, The sacrifices we do for our kids.

 

Bring an extension cord.

[Chat Noir]

As mentioned already, keep the lower beds apart and against walls. It gives more room. DH and I placed ours in an L shape, we could still talk with our heads together at night, and at least be sort of close to each other. We also kept the boy's beds down during the day rather than have the steward raise them. It made even less room, but gave everyone their own 'space' at all times. I think I'd fold the roll-away, though. I also made great use of under bed storage. Misc. items can be put into plastic bags and stuffed under the bed.

 

We've sailed 4 to an oceanview cabin with our teens (now in their 20's) and a balcony once. While it was cramped and crowded, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Both boys now have lives of their own and don't travel with us any longer. I treasure the vacations we had while they were young, both on land and sea, no matter how cramped. Enjoy! :)

[dijid]

Thanks for all the tips. I like my personal space when I sleep, while DH is a snuggler, so I won't complain one bit if keeping the beds apart helps us have more room. OF course, it does make it hard to hit him if he's snoring...

[Chatim]

We had 4 in a cabin on the Westerdam last year-some things that helped

1)we kept all the shoes on the floor and shelf under the bathroom sink, they all fit, and it's not floor space you'd use any other way

2)each day I put all the papers we gathered (menus, programs, brochures...) in one suitcase under the bed, we could keep all the info we gathered without it cluttering up the space

3)we took the weekly laundry package to cut down the amount of clothes we had to bring (and store)-it was great

4)we brought a magnetic memo pad holder and put it on the wall without the pad-that is where everyone's card was kept in the room, so no trying to find them when you are looking to head out

 

Most important-have a great time and enjoy the squeeze, you get to be together with the people you love the most in the world!:D

[spaceflower77]

We had four of us on the Conquest last October and have booked a cruise next October on the Triumph which will accomodate all 5 of us in the same interior cabin (1053 Panorama -- last fall it was 1052 which is on the non-smoking side and preferable to me). I love the location which is directly under the Spa deck (CC is right above that) and if we need an extra shower or restroom the locker room upstairs is readily available. There are a lot of public restrooms, too, so the bathroom issue isn't a big deal, really. Our space was perfect, we had our King bed and two uppers that folded down on either side above us (basically they were on the sides and our bed was in the middle, it wasn't like sleeping under a bunk bed). Every morning when we went to breakfast our steward would push the beds up so the room did not feel crowded during the day at all and in the evening at dinner we'd return to find the beds turned down. It was perfect. We're taking my youngest next fall and I can't imagine that extra person would make it any worse -- we sleep there... that's about it ;) It was GREAT for naps, the big bed worked fine for the kids naps, and after being at CC after hours, by the time we got back to the room they were ready to go right to bed for the night.

 

The over the door shoe hanger was a great idea, get a clear one. Next year I'll probaby bring two, as we'll have another kid and it's great for shoes AND all your little stuff (wallets, room keys, lanyards, cups, etc.).

[ckekjhaze]

we are a family of 5 with 3 daughters and just did our first cruise a month ago. although we were lucky to get an upsell call for a suite which gave us plenty of room- we stayed in many resorts all in one room

 

the main thing is to have a postive attitude and keep your sense of humor

 

the twins were in the pullout couch, which was left open, my oldest was in a cot which they folded up everyday, my girls aren't that much into privacy in the bathroom so it didn't get too crazy when everyone was getting ready- well I guess it's different when you have all girls- my husband gets ready so quickly so he is showered and dressed in 10 min it does help for everyone to have a hanging toiletry travel bag and fold it back up and stow it til next time that way stuff doesn't get spread out all over

 

 

we aren't big nappers, and even if we want to do something quiet like read or play scrabble it's just as enjoyable if not more to do so in the common areas

 

my husband likes to nap in deck chairs, well he can nap anywhere but we all hung out on the triumph wherever it felt good at the time- on the lido, at the Vienna cafe, in the lobby

 

have a wonderful trip!

[Flipflopsnfrozendrinks]

We always get a balcony. It seems like a little splurge, but makes our lives so much easier. I have the kids (9 and 12) get ready for dinner first, then head them out to the balcony to write in their journals (they usually are pulled out of school). Then my DH and I can get ready with a little more space.

When the kids were smaller, we could put them to bed and hang out on the balcony, reading (there is a light), or just listening to the ocean.

 

I have also learned not to overpack. The kids are not going to wear a new pair of shorts everyday, they just don't. They each have their favorites, and keep wearing those. We put our shoes on the closet floor, and suitcases under the bed. Dirty clothes go right into a suitcase at the end of the day.

 

Just my 2 cents..

Kim