Room layout and bed configuration

[orangestreet]

Hello

I have been trying to book a cruise from Sydney. Our family consists of me, DW and my 3 month old daughter (who will be 1 year old at the time of the intended cruise).

 

I spoke to TA today and P & O Australia and I was surprised to hear that whilst you can 'request' a cot for the room, you cannot have a queen bed and cot for our baby in either the inside, outside or balcony cabins. The best you can have is bunk beds (lower) for the two parents and a cot for the child or if older, an upper bunk bed.

 

Unless you can afford to book a mini-suite or suite of course.

 

Is this the case with all cruise ships? I was a bit bummed because I was hoping for a romantic cruise with DW with the little one snugly tucked into her own little cot. Not sure if I would get the same enjoyment travelling in separate bunk beds!

 

How do you parents with a single child travel on cruises? Am I missing anything? I was hoping for a long cruise career sailing the open seas with my family for plenty of years to come. Not sure I would be keen to do a (20 day transpacific cruise for example) sleeping on separate bunk beds!

 

Thank you for your time.

[SadieN]

You're butting up against lifeboat Maritime Law. Cruiseships need a certain percentage of lifeboat capacity above the number of souls onboard. Many ships do not have portable beds but they might have cribs.

 

Ships built before 2000(?) are allowed to have rollaways, trundles and cots brought in. I know that Carnival has several ships that allow these. They are all sailing in the Northern Hemishpere.

 

Need to ask if a crib can be brought into a triple cabin (a cabin that has regular beds for three) for the baby. Carnival usually allows this. The Spirit is sailing in Australia.

 

Several options- take the bunk off of the upper bunk and place it on the floor. Bring on a portable crib/pack 'n play/cot. Turn the sofa (if the cabin has one) around forming a crib.

[orangestreet]

If you take the upper bunk off, can you make the lower bunks into a queen? Do all cruises have bunk beds? I would have thought Celebrity Cruises would not have quad share rooms and just twin/queen beds in all rooms with some rooms being a bit bigger to fit in a small crib.

 

I would have thought sleeping in opposite bunk beds would put off most parents with babies from traveling. Maybe I am wrong....

[boulders]

You will need to book a triple cabin with a baby. Many ships have a pullout sofa as the bed for the third. I know Royal Caribbean and HAL do. This would be easy to set up as a bed for a toddler. Otherwise, you can request a crib. But, you would still need a cabin that sleeps 3. All of the cruise lines that I've been on (see my signature) have had two twin beds that can be set up as twins or put together as a queen.

[orangestreet]

You will need to book a triple cabin with a baby. Many ships have a pullout sofa as the bed for the third. I know Royal Caribbean and HAL do. This would be easy to set up as a bed for a toddler. Otherwise, you can request a crib. But, you would still need a cabin that sleeps 3. All of the cruise lines that I've been on (see my signature) have had two twin beds that can be set up as twins or put together as a queen.

 

Thanks Boulders. I was panicking thinking you could never have a queen bed and a crib in an inside/outside/balcony cabin. Tripe cabin is fine as long as it is not a bunk bed situation. Looking forward to cruising with our little one soon.

[travelhound]

I know people from the UK use the word "cot" when in America we mean crib, pack and play, or other small bed for a baby. Is it the same in Australia? I would use the word cot to mean a portable bed that would be large enough for an adult. Often times hotels have cots that can be added to the room and some ships do it if space allows. If this is the case, I'd call back and ask if you can get a pack and play or crib in your room.

 

No NCL ship (and I think most Carnival ships) do not have couches in the lowest inside cabins. We were just on the NCL Pearl over New Years and our dd was 22 months. They pushed our two beds that make a queen/king all the way to one side and squeezed in a pack and play next to it. It was literally wall to wall beds, but it worked. There was a pull down bed but with a small child that is not useable. I don't think the mattress from that would have fit on the floor. The pack and play had to be jammed into the space.

 

Is P&O Aust owned by Princess? I've never been on P&O so I'm not sure of their layout, but it seems that the beds on most newer ships push together to make one larger.

[amc80]

Thanks Boulders. I was panicking thinking you could never have a queen bed and a crib in an inside/outside/balcony cabin. Tripe cabin is fine as long as it is not a bunk bed situation. Looking forward to cruising with our little one soon.

 

Yep, you just have to make sure the cabin a a triple or quad. We are cruising with our son (who will be 15 months at cruise time) and booked into a triple. There's a queen bed and a couch (which converts to a bed), but we have a request in for a crib.

[orangestreet]

Thank you all. I did mean a crib or a pack and play. I looked at RCI, Celebrity and Holland America, they all (from their website) suggest that we take a triple cabin (more expensive than a standard) but can accommodate 3 people. With toddlers (up to 2 years) you can 'request' a crib and more than likely, you will be granted it.

 

And yes, the two twin lower beds can be converted into a queen. Not sure about P & O Australia though. Maybe somebody here knows the answer to that one.

 

 

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[Essiesmom]

There are two places to go for more answers to your questions about P&O australia. the P&O-Australia board under Cruise Lines P-Z, and the Australia /NZ board here at CC. EM