Will a suite be OK for 4?

[Skilla6]

I have 7064 on the Zuiderdam reserved for July 10 for my family of 4. This includes my DH, DD age 13, DS age 11 and me:p . They are a little old to be sleeping together. I was wondering if any other families similar to mine have cruised in a suite and how it went. I also wonder if one of the deck recliners could be brought in for the night and made into a bed for my son. Another thought I had was to maybe swap the suite for 2 adjoining staterooms but I am looking forward to the suite amenities! Any thoughts would be helpful even though I know we leave next week. We are all so excited and can hardly wait. I cruised on the Zaandam in Alaska last summer with my elderly parents and loved it. I just had to take my DH on a cruise this year. Thanks.

[sail7seas]

The couch pulls out to a queen size bed. For younger children, it is adequate for two kids. For children the age yours are.....????


I cannot imagine your son would be very comfortable on a lounge from the veranda. They aren't all that comfy to make a bed out of it and the room would get very cramped trying to find a place to put it.

More often than not, the ships are sailing full these days so it might not be possible for you to try and rearrange and get two cabins in swap for yours. I would be very surprised if you were able to do that.

I'm sure you will manage somehow. Hope you have a great time.

[WindyCity]

Maybe you can give the beds to the children - as two twins and you & hubby can take the pull out couch? or the two "ladies" can have the beds and the "boys" can use the couch bed - or rotate each nite...Just DON'T give up that suite!!

[gliles]

Sleep with your DD and let your DH sleep with your DS :p

[digby]

Our "S" Class suite on the new Westerdam had a couch which flipped over to make only a SINGLE bed.The cabin was great for the two of us, but I would have hated having even one more person in there.

[texkat]

You won't have a lounge chair on your verandah- here's a photo of your actual verandah setup in an S on the Zuiderdam:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid66/p5608c9e3ca84fba12dd508a603d959a5/fbddb2ba.jpg

You'll have a king bed that can convert to 2 singles, and the sofa will fold out to a queen. When the sofa's folded out, the room looks pretty crowded... Sounds like you'd need to give the kids the separated king, and the parents take the sofa bed.

With the two big kids, I would probably opt for 2 connecting category B cabins- you'll have a bit more privacy, plus 2 bathrooms.

[WindyCity]

Digby - which cabin were you in on the Westerdam? HAL site states S cabin sleeps 4

[F5Loar]

Our daughter sleep on the pull out and it is a typical pull out with weak springs which makes for very uncomfortable sleep for heavy adults. I laid on it (200lbs) and I slumped down to where my back was on the pull out bars and that hurts. I could ruin your cruise for the week after only one night on the bars! Children under 100 would have no problems. I would make them take it and ask for extra pillows for them to build a barrier between them.
I think you can ask for a separate twin fold out bed to be added to the room.
Don't give up the suite for 4, work it out.

[Jacqueline]

I would price out some alternatives. There is no way our family would be happy with that setup. Perhaps yours is different.
I would look at getting an inside cabin for the children. IT may not be any more than the 3/4th person charges. Or get a bacony for youselves and and inside for the kids.
Having two bathrooms, two tvs an PRIVACY is well worth it. This is supposed to be vacation.

[sail7seas]

Unless I have misunderstood, she is sailing within a week or two and it would be very difficult to start rearranging and booking another cabin at this point. It is unlikely there is much available at this late date and there could be penalties for "cancellation". Also, technically speaking, I think every cabin has to have a person 21 years or older in it and the two children could not stay alone so Mom and Dad (technically speaking) would be splitting up???

[Jacqueline]

Okay - you are right if the sailing is so soon. But then why ask the question? I am sure that they will make the best of it.
For our family, booking seperate cabins had been the rule. At this point I dont even book my teen son and daughter into the same cabin. Of course this means that we bring along my dad to share my sons cabin. So far, he isnt complaining. And my girls, now 10 and 14 share a cacin as they have for the last several years.
My kids have never been in a cabin with me (unless I am sailing alone with them and without my husband, which happens once a year). Yes, an adult needs to be booked into a cabin with them (this ensures that there are not too many kids per adult) but no one expects people to use these cabins in this way. The pursers desk always (on every cruiseline I have been on) expects to issue new keys to the parents and kids once embarked, so this isnt an illicit act. Its more a systme to ensure that an adult to two isnt bringing on lots of kids and their friends.

[sail7seas]

I agree, Jacqueline. That is why I posted as "technicallly speaking".

[stefhef]

Two cabins is definitely the way to go. You'll need two bathrooms anyway.

[AirGorilla]

I'm surprised that your travel agent didn't try to warn you off making a booking like this. If you put four people in that suite, say goodbye to privacy, and some folks are going to have some uncomfortable sleeping arrangements.

Just curious, what method did you use for making this booking??

In any case, I hope that you and your family enjoy yourselves.

[Roz]

Four people trying to get ready simultaneously in the morning and for dinner in the evening would drive me nuts, especially with only 1 bathroom. Guess you'll just have to make the most of it this time, and I'm sure you will. But in the future, I'd look at 2 adjoining rooms or an outside for the adults and an inside across the hall for the kids.

Roz

[O2cruise]

We always cruise 3 to a suite (3 women even), and have had no problems. We do start getting ready for dinner a little earlier than most people in order to share the bathroom, but that's really no big deal. My sister sleeps on the pull-out sofa bed and says she has always been very comfortable. I think you'll be fine.

[iluvcruzin]

I know this may not be an ideal solution but something we've done before on travels. One person sleeps on the couch using twin fitted sheets - not opened up. The 2nd person sleeps on a twin areobed/mattress on the floor next to it. I've packed areobeds before for vacation - not a cruise but I guess anything's possible. I wonder if you could possibally do the same set up, but see if the ship has roll-aways (they do on some cruiselines) or just ask for a twin mattress to put on the floor next to the couch to create seperate beds.

Maybe not realistic.. but just ideas..

[darnapar]

We have a sleeping bag that attaches to an airmattress that we have used for my son in a similar situation. It has its own bag, but was also easy to stuff in a duffle bag. We bought it at Kmart a few years ago for camping and found in came in handy for hotels also. During the day we would just slip it under the bed. We have cruised three inside and lived to tell about it too so a suite with four should be manageable.

[Skilla6]

I thank you all for your ideas. I REALLY wish I had discovered this board before I had booked. I booked through ************* and I booked the kids at only $199 each in the same room so it was a good deal. I asked about adjoining rooms and he told me that it would be much more. I wish I would of pursued that. In any case, I will be calling HAL about getting a rollaway in the room or something similar. We will have a ball whatever we do and the kids are thrilled to even be going. We always look at the glass half full rather than half empty. I will let you know how it went but I know we will have fun no matter what. Thanks again for your ideas!

[Jett456]

Skilla6

So how did it work out with 4 in a suite? I am contemplating doing this myself on the Amsterdam and would like to know if HAL gave you a cot. Is there a privacy drape that you can pull across to separate the sleeping areas? I hope you enjoyed your cruise?

[Krazy Kruizers]

There isn't any privacy drape to separate the sleeping area from the seating area.

The only ship that has that feature is the Princendam.

[ekerr19]

We did this on the Zuiderdam - it was no problem at all. The sleeper is a queen sleeper. My kids didn't like sharing a bed (our son was 15 and our daughter 10, at the time) but they made a "do not cross - wall of pillows" and the cabin steward got a big kick out of it - after the first night he set the bed up that way for them every night!

They had plenty of room. We never had an issue with bathroom either. We cruise with our kids quite a bit and believe me - the Suite is a heck of a lot larger than an outside quad!

[x lindsay x]

I don't see a problem with having four people in a suite. If you have traveled with your family before and stayed in a hotel room you will be used to the room taken up by a sofa bed and the amount of space everyone has to get ready. Just don't expect it to be like home, it will be much more confined.

My brother and I had to sleep on sofa beds together until we were much older than your children and we didn't have any problems. Plus if my parents were offering to pay for me to go on a cruise I would sleep in the bathroom if I had, I would not complain about a single thing.

[sail7seas]

There is no privacy curtain. The pull out couch is on one wall and the bed on the facing wall. It's alot of togetherness putting a family of four into one cabin IMO

But I do know that many people do it when the children are small. I think many others start taking a second cabin when the kids get bigger.

[ekerr19]

There is no privacy curtain. The pull out couch is on one wall and the bed on the facing wall. It's alot of togetherness putting a family of four into one cabin IMO

But I do know that many people do it when the children are small. I think many others start taking a second cabin when the kids get bigger.We tried the second cabin too... and we honestly prefer the kids with us. You are right, it is alot of family togetherness - but for us, spending time with kids is what our vacation is all about. :)

My sons (23 & 14 at the time) had their own cabin on the Holiday Noordam sailing - my youngest son decided to call some of his friends back home from the ship. He thought each call was $2.50, not realizing it was $2.50 per minute. I magine our surprise when we received a phone bill of $700! The purser was kind and understanding enough to reduce it by 50% - we are much more careful with the kids having shipboard accounts after that experience. An experience that my son, much to his chagrin, will never live down. :) For us, this episode just reinforced the fact that when we are all in one cabin, there is not much that will escape DH & I's attention!

[sail7seas]

Your eyes must have popped out of your head when you saw that phone bill!!!! The purser indeed was very understanding to cut it in half but even still........$350!! Phew, bet he does not pick up a phone on a ship at all after that.

[ekerr19]

Your eyes must have popped out of your head when you saw that phone bill!!!! The purser indeed was very understanding to cut it in half but even still........$350!! Phew, bet he does not pick up a phone on a ship at all after that.
Sail-

They slid the bill under the door during the night and he was sooo afraid to tell me, but he did. I was pretty sick about when he did - but he made an honest mistake and fessed up.

DH threatened to bring a roll of duct tape on the next cruise so he could wrap duct tape around the phone and receiver! :D

We still get nervous when we see him using the phone to call a friend in another cabin... ;)