Don't book 4 people in an NCL cabin!!

IMO - Carnival has a much better cabin setup for 3-4 passengers.

You would have to review every cabin on every ship to quantify this statement.

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The cabin situation for four people all depends on how active you are, really. If all four people are going to spend the entire day in the cabin, then maybe you can reconsider, but if you're going to be out and about pretty much all day, then even if there's a crowded situation, you can put up with it, especially if the cruise price you're getting is such a deal that you can't pass up. For example, right now NCL is offering a promotion where the 3rd to the 8th passenger can sail free is everyone is in the same cabin. Let's say, you and 3 other people can get a cabin on the Getaway, and only two people pay. If you share that cruise fare among the four passenger, you're going for 1/4 of the cost. The promo also offers cabin upgrades and for Latitude members, an onboard credit. I believe this is the first time that NCL has offered free friends and family in a promo. I've only seen where kids could go free, as the 3rd and 4th passengers in the same cabin with the two paying adults. This time, everyone's included. Free is free. Good luck with your next cruise!

Hi, OP

I watched your video.

The cabin you are in bears no resemblance to the drawings posted by others.

The alleged trundle certainly does resemble a stretcher"!!,,

I am glad that you enjoyed the rest of your cruise.

Nora

We had 4 women in ours lol If one wanted to go out the door, another was trying to get into the drawers right next to the door. If one was coming in the door, another was trying to get to the bathroom. It was cramped, but we survived. Just barely :D

was definitely wall to wall at night. I wanted to get to the balcony. Good luck with that! lol

We stopped doing 4 in single cabin when our kids were 4 & 9.

It was too crowded then and I could not imagine it now as they are 8 & 13.

We used to put them next door in a joining cabin but now across the hall in an inside room.

I don't know how people do 4 adults...

We learned the hard way on our recent Norwegian Pearl cruise the reason why NCL.com is so vague about bedding configuration in their cabins. If they were clear, nobody would likely book 4 people in a cabin on their ships!

 

Video showing the terrible website and even more terrible sleeping configuration:

http://youtu.be/dShDdN9aibE

 

Be warned if you plan to cruise on NCL with 4 people in a stateroom!

Yes, those "quad" cabins SUCK and NCL is extremely good at NOT pointing that out. And the 3rd lower "bed" aka cot, is horrible to sleep on if you are over age 10.

Our only saving grace was that we moved our 3 lower beds into a U shape which left the floor space a bit more open. Unfortunately it is how the inside and ocean view quad cabins are on the majority of the older NCL ships...Dawn, Pearl, Star, etc.

I will never understand why NCL did not put two Pullmans in the quad capacity cabins :confused: like every other cruise line.

OP: I am sorry for your experience :(.

P.S. To those of you tooting the "you should have researched" horn, really?? You do realize that the over planners like us, who are on these types of forums, account for a teeny tiny itsy bitsy percentage of folks that cruise, right? The average Joe, who decides to take a cruise, is going to call a travel agent or the cruise line directly and book with the assumption that there will be equally adequate bedding for all passengers in the same cabin. The reps on the other end of the line offer zero additional information unless you ask questions and push for more information. My very first cruise was entrusted to a travel agent who put us in the worst cabin on the ship...just glad I didn't let it ruin cruising for me and that I discovered great avenues such as Cruise Critic. Happy sailing everyone!

I wouldn't tar "all NCL ships". The new ones family inside look quite good.

image by single_cruiser, on Flickr

Yes, those "quad" cabins SUCK and NCL is extremely good at NOT pointing that out. And the 3rd lower "bed" aka cot, is horrible to sleep on if you are over age 10.

 

Our only saving grace was that we moved our 3 lower beds into a U shape which left the floor space a bit more open. Unfortunately it is how the inside and ocean view quad cabins are on the majority of the older NCL ships...Dawn, Pearl, Star, etc.

 

I will never understand why NCL did not put two Pullmans in the quad capacity cabins :confused: like every other cruise line.

 

OP: I am sorry for your experience :(.

 

P.S. To those of you tooting the "you should have researched" horn, really?? You do realize that the over planners like us, who are on these types of forums, account for a teeny tiny itsy bitsy percentage of folks that cruise, right? The average Joe, who decides to take a cruise, is going to call a travel agent or the cruise line directly and book with the assumption that there will be equally adequate bedding for all passengers in the same cabin. The reps on the other end of the line offer zero additional information unless you ask questions and push for more information. My very first cruise was entrusted to a travel agent who put us in the worst cabin on the ship...just glad I didn't let it ruin cruising for me and that I discovered great avenues such as Cruise Critic. Happy sailing everyone!

Maybe the "no research for newbies" might have been true 20 years ago... But with today's Internet there is just no reason anyone can't see virtually what they are buying. Some people research a vase they are buying on eBay more than their cruise accommodations.

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Are there showers in the gym on the Pearl that we can use as needed?

Maggie

Thanks for posting the video. We are booked in 8122 on the Jewel and it really helps to visualize it. Thankfully we are a family of 3!

To all the commenters saying "do your research", the website says that the room sleeps 4. What isn't clear is that you will get the trundle/stretcher to shove in there with the "two beds that make a queen" when many of the rooms have 2 pullmans. NCL would help the passengers by making it CLEAR which rooms have 2 pullmans, not "places" as the OP showed.

I just have to say I'm CONSTANTLY reading how Carnival has bigger rooms than NCL. This is mentioned over and over. We sailed Carnival last year for the first time and their interior room was no different than NCL's. I have to admit I had my hopes up when we went, thinking we would be getting a larger room...but that wasn't the case. So I sit here scratching my head every time someone says this. :confused:

 

 

I mean this is no bigger than the interior on a NCL ship. This was our interior on the Dream before putting the top bunk down.

 

 

 

An ocean view on NCL Star, which is the exact same set up as an interior, but with a window:

 

 

 

 

Interior on NCL Pearl...set up the same:

 

 

 

I'm still confused about NCL versus Carnival and what is different.

 

To me, sailing either, you should expect the same. :confused:

All classes of Carnival ships have the same published size for interior cabins, 170 sq. ft. NCL Spirit lists the largest inside cabins in the NCL fleet at 149 sq. ft. Pearl and Star list 141 sq. ft. Other classes of NCL ships list smaller inside cabins - P.O.A shows 132 sq. ft. Breakaway is 129 sq. ft. Now that's small.

Layout, furniture, closets etc. can make a difference. Maybe that's why the Carnival cabins didn't seem more spacious to you.

I let the time expire before I could edit my post. I wanted to add that I believe Carnival's beds are twins that convert to a King and NCL's are twins that convert to a Queen. I could be wrong, but the space on either side of the pillows seem to support that. If I'm right then that would explain why the bed-to-wall space in your pictures seems so similar.

I totally understand how the OP feels . I didn't realize our mini suite had a queen size bed made out of two twin beds pushed together and a double sofa bed for our upcoming cruise until After final payment . I was under the impression that we would have the main bed , sofa bed and a pull down bed . Now I know that I should have booked the 2 bedroom mini suite instead :(

I totally understand how the OP feels . I didn't realize our mini suite had a queen size bed made out of two twin beds pushed together and a double sofa bed for our upcoming cruise until After final payment . I was under the impression that we would have the main bed , sofa bed and a pull down bed . Now I know that I should have booked the 2 bedroom mini suite instead :(

Two bedroom mini-suite? Where are you seeing that?

I totally understand how the OP feels . I didn't realize our mini suite had a queen size bed made out of two twin beds pushed together and a double sofa bed for our upcoming cruise until After final payment . I was under the impression that we would have the main bed , sofa bed and a pull down bed . Now I know that I should have booked the 2 bedroom mini suite instead :(

Do you mean a 2-bedroom family suite? rather than a minisuite, which should not be confused with a real suite being that it's just a larger balcony stateroom.

Two bedroom mini-suite? Where are you seeing that?

Wondering the same??

Do you mean a 2-bedroom family suite? rather than a minisuite, which should not be confused with a real suite being that it's just a larger balcony stateroom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wondering the same??

Hahahaha , I do apologize , I was half asleep when I wrote that.

I meant that I would have booked the 2 bedroom suite to begin with had I known before final payment that our mini suite did not have a pull down bed and a sofa bed to accommodate guests 3 and 4. Instead , the mini suite on the Jewel has a double sofa bed for guests 3 and 4 to share . We chose the mini suite because of location and then realized that the two bedroom suites are on the same deck but I'm sure we will have a great time.

yes book two room! I always put the teens next door. They have space and the adults have alone time. Isn't that part of the fun of a vacation?

I was thinking the same thing

Hahahaha , I do apologize , I was half asleep when I wrote that.

 

I meant that I would have booked the 2 bedroom suite to begin with had I known before final payment that our mini suite did not have a pull down bed and a sofa bed to accommodate guests 3 and 4. Instead , the mini suite on the Jewel has a double sofa bed for guests 3 and 4 to share . We chose the mini suite because of location and then realized that the two bedroom suites are on the same deck but I'm sure we will have a great time.

Oh good, was hoping you weren't confused like some ppl are about the whole mini "suite" thing. We actually moved from a balcony up to a suite after final payment when they dropped the prices one year. Not sure they're actually doing that anymore but it worked for us.

Enjoy your cruise.

I couldn't ever handle having 4 people in an inside unless the kids were small. I need my space! When we just took one kid with us we had an obstructed ocean view on the gem and I felt cramped. Not sure how people do it on an inside. We had a family ocean view on the breakaway and it was great having the extra space for four of us!

Now looking at booking 2 insides instead of one for the four of us since it'd be much cheaper.

Oh good, was hoping you weren't confused like some ppl are about the whole mini "suite" thing. We actually moved from a balcony up to a suite after final payment when they dropped the prices one year. Not sure they're actually doing that anymore but it worked for us.

 

 

 

Enjoy your cruise.

Nope , I know we booked a balcony with a tub

I wouldn't tar "all NCL ships". The new ones family inside look quite good.

 

image by single_cruiser, on Flickr

This is the setup we had when we sailed with RCCL. Four of us (11/15/15/adult...three girls and one boy) were in the room. We all absolutely loved it. It felt cozy but never crowded. I would sail with four in an inside again in a heartbeat with that setup.

We learned the hard way on our recent Norwegian Pearl cruise the reason why NCL.com is so vague about bedding configuration in their cabins. If they were clear, nobody would likely book 4 people in a cabin on their ships!

 

Video showing the terrible website and even more terrible sleeping configuration:

http://youtu.be/dShDdN9aibE

 

Be warned if you plan to cruise on NCL with 4 people in a stateroom!

I had a family Inside (category I1) on the Gem. I was going solo but it holds 4. (but no increase in size of room. :( )

3rd bed = pull down from wall above one of the twin beds.

4th bed was in the ceiling located above the other twin bed.

Why a drop down from the ceiling instead of 2 pull downs from the wall, I don't know. :confused:

but would have assumed all cabins that held 4 had this set up.

wow.. never would have thought trundle bed as the 4th bed. :eek:

We found our room on the Pearl very spacious for 4 adults. It was one from the wall and one trundle. Granted, we were in an accessible cabin, so we were fortunate. We wouldn't hesitate to book it again!

I let the time expire before I could edit my post. I wanted to add that I believe Carnival's beds are twins that convert to a King and NCL's are twins that convert to a Queen. I could be wrong, but the space on either side of the pillows seem to support that. If I'm right then that would explain why the bed-to-wall space in your pictures seems so similar.

I think you are right. BTW we have been in Princess cabins, that supposedly sleep 4 and they are very similar to NCLs. I think it is just good advise period not to try and put 4 in a cabin unless 2 are very young children. I don't care what cruise line you are on, cabins are small. The exception would be a suite.