Celeste548

Thank you, everyone! I'll look into those recommendations, I really appreciate it! 

We'll be staying in Copenhagen the night before our cruise and are looking for advice on where to stay. We have three small children, so the closer/easier to get to port, the better, I think. Hotels look like they might be tricky for a family of five, so many areas where we might find an AirBnB...but open to all suggestions.

Thank you!

14 minutes ago, Heymarco said:

Typical Royal IT, it first says no connecting rooms available. However if you go to actual booking, you can book connecting rooms in interior, ocean view, and balcony for the 1/31/22 sailing. 
 

Here were some options from a very quick search. I had to pick one with the connecting symbol and the second room would open up if I clicked on same category for booking. Looks like you will have some options!

 

Interior:

 

Ocean View:

 

 

Balcony:

 

Awesome! I’ve got some research to do after the kids go to bed. Thank you so much!!

20 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

We are a family of 7 so we always book connecting cabins, I always call.

I’ll do that!

23 minutes ago, Heymarco said:

What date? Going to check if there are any connecting options showing online.

I’m looking at the 1/31/22 sailing. 

6 minutes ago, Scoobydobe7 said:

Have you checked the "oceanview" at the very front of the ship..The corner cabins are very large..I believe decks 8, 9. 10, 11

I haven’t—I’ll check that out, thank you!

55 minutes ago, Billy Baltic said:

What ages are the kids? We sailed with our three multiple times and have great memories from it. I think RC have a minimum age of 7 to use the top bunks but maybe that information is out of date. 
We normally use the 1K category of room which some people are referred to. That room is not available on Anthem. 

It’s not just a matter of having enough beds but also the extra size of the room. We tried staying in a regular room when we were four but it was just too small to do anything other than sleep in it. 

They’ll be 7/5/3 when we sail. We did Anthem when they were 3/1 and it was similar, only used the room to sleep. 

51 minutes ago, FamilyCruiserUK said:

We had an interior family room that had a queen bed, sofa bed and two bunk beds (not ceiling mounted beds) in the room on Oasis. I know not Anthem but its an option for you.

Thanks! We can drive to port for Anthem, so I’m going to try my best to make this work. 🙂 oasis sounds like a good plan b. 

1 hour ago, Heymarco said:

Anthem won’t have any 5 person rooms under a Jr Suite. if you can’t find connecting cabins online then I would recommend calling.

 

Alternatively, Oasis class offers family state rooms in interior and ocean view categories. These cabins sleep up to six.

Thanks! We’re able to drive to port for the Anthem cruise, so extra motivation to make it work. 🙂

1 hour ago, Ourusualbeach said:

If one of your kids will be under 2 at the time of sailing you can add them to a cabin meant for 2 guests.  There are lots of connecting balconies and insides on Anthem that hold 2 guests.  Use a TA or call Royal to book as you won’t be able to book this way on the website. 
 

if all your kids are over 2 then you need to search for rooms that hold 3 guests AND rooms that hold 2 guests. 

Thanks! Good advice!

29 minutes ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

What ship are you considering?

Anthem 

33 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Why not?

I can’t seem to find any available. At least right now. 

Hi everyone! We're looking to possibly take our family of five on a RCC next year--the last time we cruised we were a family of four, so adding a third child into the mix is new! It looks like we'd have to book two rooms as suite prices are still pretty high. Has anyone booked two rooms and not used one? Our kids are still young and can all sleep on the pullout. Doesn't look like connecting rooms are an option so being in separate parts of the ship aren't ideal. Any other tips/tricks for cruising with three little kiddos?

Thanks!

Tell me about it!  Cruise lines are certainly not family-of-five friendly!  Thanks, I'll check out HA.

I’d suggest a balcony cabin that’s set for 4 and use a pack and play for the youngest one. Going with a balcony would give you more space and room for the pack and play. You will find an inside cabin very crowded. Believe the seaside has some rooms where the couch pops up and becomes a bunk bed.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Do you think they would allow us to book one room for 5? This was what I was hoping to do, since the youngest is so little and I wanted to avoid booking two rooms, if possible.

Hi! I'm looking into an MSC cruise for next fall/winter and wanted a bit of advice from those who may have sailed as a family of 5. Our children will be 5, 3 and 1 at the time of sailing. The family suite is way out of our price range. What other options would make sense for us?

Thanks!

Hello! I was looking for some thoughts as I start think about our next cruise, when we will be a family of 5. We've cruised as four without a problem, but it seems that finding a room to accommodate 5 is more challenging.

We're looking to cruise the Caribbean or Panama Canal next year (in the colder months). Our kids will be 5, 3, and 1 at the time of sailing. I've looked at booking two rooms (interior and balcony) and only using the balcony room, but that seems so wasteful to pay for a room we won't use.

Any cruise line recommendations on who does this well? We want a balcony, but also want to keep the costs reasonable.

Tips based on what you've found successful for your family?

Thank you!

That is news to me, and very interesting.

It's in very small print on the cruise compass. I had brought some so we didn't get to take advantage, but will next time!

We've been on a couple of cruises with our kids - we took our older son to Alaska when he was 18 months and then just returned from the Anthem Canada/New England cruise with our two boys (12 months and 3.5 years). We loved Anthem - plenty of spaces for our kids to explore and we never felt in the way. There is an open play area near the nursery that was a lot of fun for both of them. The Windjammer staff will be fantastic, we have nothing but wonderful things to say about how doting they were, always making sure the baby had milk and a high chair and gave both boys plenty of attention. Bring an umbrella stroller and a babywearer, I used both and it was nice to have the flexibility depending on what we were doing. There are free swim diapers at the towel desks, and the splash pad is perfect for little ones.

OP, can you tell me if there is a baby splash area for little ones that are still in swim diapers? We are looking at the Anthem but can't seem to get a definite answer on this question! Thanks

Yes, it's a small area next to the kiddie pool. My younger son is 1 and it was perfect for him...except for the fact that he could see his older brother in the kiddie pool and wouldn't stay put. :) Also, the ship has complimentary swim diapers available at the towel stand. One less thing to pack!

You can ask your cabin steward for bottles of shampoo and conditioner - we did this several times, the 2-in-1 didn't agree with my hair!

Definitely FREE baby care each sea day from 8-9 a.m. and 5-6 p.m. for infants from birth to three years old. We did it each and every sea day so I can assure you there IS care. Also the baby play area outside is open all day long for moms and their tots for free...no free baby care then but a great place to go play with your little one and meet other moms and tots. HIGHLY recommend a balcony...my guy spent hours out there with his toys playing and when he napped, I sat on the balcony with a good book!

Excellent - thanks for all the great tips!

We are also going for the first time with our toddler on a cruise! :) We've been on RCCL, Norwegian, and Carnival so here is to a new ship! Excited and nervous too. I've read the same exact thing...They say balcony so you'll have a place to hang out while they nap and bedtime...We booked an OV. I definitely wouldn't do interior if you can swing it!

I agree - did inside once and don't think I could do it again, especially with a little one! I'm convinced, just need to find a reasonable flight from Ohio! Hope your family enjoys the first cruise together. :)

Hi Celeste,

Having sailed the stunning Divina three times with a toddler, I can most assuredly tell you that it is an EXCELLENT cruise line for a family with a little one. My little guy was 6 months old on his first cruise, a year on the second, and almost two on his third on Divina. We are again cruising the Divina on March 28 and again on New Year's (maybe with you!). The splash area for wee ones is excellent and the baby play area is open all day just for little guys accompanied by their mom and/or dad. They also have a drop-off one hour morning and one hour afternoon free baby care for the under three crowd. The staff goes WAY out of their way to accommodate the kids...I am so impressed with this aspect of Divina. We have also sailed Carnival with my toddler and I think Divina blows them out of the water in terms of care, affection, and genuineness with the babies. I say do it! Then we can meet!

Hi Kathie-

Thanks for all of the reassurance! The free baby care sounds lovely, we hadn't planned on that aspect at all. Do you suggest we book a balcony room? I've read on the family boards that is the way to go because you'll be spending a lot of time in your room - do you agree?

Thanks again!

Hi there,

 

How old is your child? Our son was almost 4 when we sailed the Divina and he lovvvvved the kids club. It was open until 10pm nightly, but you can pay 50.00 for the entire cruise and extend those hours until 2am. Also they will take your child to dinner, or pick them up from the dinning room. It was a great great program and we all loved the Divina. I will post some pics and more info later today.

He will be a few months shy of two, so too little for the kids club. But it sounds like between the baby activities, play area and spray park there might be enough to keep him busy.

The more I read from cruisers, the more I'm inclined to give it a try!