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Tips for managing in a small cabin?

ChristinaN

By ChristinaN,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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ChristinaN

ChristinaN

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With the poor Canadian dollar, our vacation budget is not going as far as it normally would. Five of us (mom, dad, 3 boys ages 9,10 and 12) are tackling an interior cabin for the first time on the Sunshine. Besides the standard over the door shoe organizer, does anyone have any tips for making it work in the small space?

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Drazil65

Drazil65

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Hi, it will be tight but there are some things you can do to ease things up...

 

1) All suitcases and bags will fit under beds and out of the way

 

2) the boy should all go use (or at least your husband and maybe 1 or 2 of the boys at least) the gym locker rooms for showers and getting ready (all free). That way you will have plenty of room and be able to get ready for dinners and just dressing in general without much trouble.

 

3) Split the twin beds into an "L" shape against walls, this will open up floor space in middle for walking through and just give the boys more room in general.

 

4) Camp Carnival is a great thing and the kids generally have a blast, leaves some mom and dad time!

 

5) of course the over the door shoe organizer for bath, you will need it! (I think there might be some new rules on this so search it here on the boards to see the latest info)

 

6) pack light, boys do not need much and spend much of their time in swim trunks and tee shirts, limit what you bring, everyone seems to over pack!

 

Good Luck and have a blast!!!

Edited by Drazil65
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winddawn

winddawn

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With the poor Canadian dollar, our vacation budget is not going as far as it normally would. Five of us (mom, dad, 3 boys ages 9,10 and 12) are tackling an interior cabin for the first time on the Sunshine. Besides the standard over the door shoe organizer, does anyone have any tips for making it work in the small space?

Hi Christina. I'll bet you're looking forward to your cruise! Here are my suggestions for making the best of managing in a small cabin:

 

1. Check whether you can bring an over the door organizer. I think I read last year Carnival stopped allowing those.

 

2. Assign each person in the cabin closet space and unpack clean clothes there at the beginning of your cruise.

 

3. Store empty suitcases under the beds and place dirty clothes in the empty suitcases as you take dirty clothes off.

 

4. Work out a bathroom schedule in advance so each person has their own scheduled time.

 

5. Bring some quiet activities for the boys to do in their beds in the cabin for the small amount of time you will be spending in the cabin, such as books, battery electronic devices with ear buds, etc. Whatever they would enjoy doing based on their interests.

 

6. Try to work out a bathroom schedule where some can sleep in, one can be in the bathroom, and then as the bathroom person finishes that person can leave the cabin to explore the ship or get coffee, etc. while the next person has their bathroom time.

 

7. Organization, good planning, and reasonable expectations are the best tools for making a small cabin work for you.

 

8. You might consider bringing a small night light.

 

Hope you have a great cruise with your family!

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Crusin Karen

Crusin Karen

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Can someone tell me about pushing beds into an L shape? First I have ever heard of this. :confused:

OP, I pack all our clothes in bags....prevents any chances of "mishaps." But I ALSO leave them in the bags when I unpack. Shorts go in one bag, t shirts in another, bathing suits in another and so on. Place all the bags on your shelves. So when you want a t shirt, take that bag out, find what you want, put the bag back. You could do that with your boys and label each bag with their name/initial and what is in the bag. Will prevent trying to find what they are looking for and maybe having a pile of clothes on the floor! :eek::rolleyes:;):p GOOD LUCK and have a great cruise!

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crusinpsychRN

crusinpsychRN

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Can someone tell me about pushing beds into an L shape? First I have ever heard of this. :confused:

OP, I pack all our clothes in bags....prevents any chances of "mishaps." But I ALSO leave them in the bags when I unpack. Shorts go in one bag, t shirts in another, bathing suits in another and so on. Place all the bags on your shelves. So when you want a t shirt, take that bag out, find what you want, put the bag back. You could do that with your boys and label each bag with their name/initial and what is in the bag. Will prevent trying to find what they are looking for and maybe having a pile of clothes on the floor! :eek::rolleyes:;):p GOOD LUCK and have a great cruise!

 

I had my kids pick out the outfits they'd take and pair them up--tshirt, shorts, underwear--and roll it up so there was no need to go looking for a shirt to match the shorts.

 

Over the door thingie still okay.

Edited by crusinpsychRN
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KatieCharlotte

KatieCharlotte

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I unpack everyone's clothes as soon as our suitcases are in the room. I bring extra hangers and double/triple hang as much as possible (I have two girls with many dresses). My boy packs very light and re-wears everything multiple times, especially pants and shorts, so all he needs is one drawer. :D I leave anything in the suitcase that takes up space and isn't needed often -- dress shoes, just-in-case medicines, snorkel gear, etc. All suitcases go under the beds.

 

We take advantage of every bit of space. I also immediately throw away all the various flyers that are left in our rooms -- spa sales, etc.

 

We never have trouble sharing the bathroom in the morning. My late sleeper DD loves being last. But we did have to be creative about getting ready for dinner -- don't have everyone head to the room at the same time to shower and change! For example, have dad get ready early, bring the kids to the room and have them get ready, and then have dad take them somewhere while mom gets ready.

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Lace

Lace

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With the poor Canadian dollar, our vacation budget is not going as far as it normally would. Five of us (mom, dad, 3 boys ages 9,10 and 12) are tackling an interior cabin for the first time on the Sunshine. Besides the standard over the door shoe organizer, does anyone have any tips for making it work in the small space?

 

Shower in a the gym.

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fuddrules

fuddrules

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Some good posts here.

 

We did 5 in a cabin before and the suggestion to utilize the spa shower is good. When we did 5 in a cabin I didn't even know what the cabin shower looked like. I used the spa shower every day. They're much nicer too.

 

Also, you can pack lighter if you're willing to do laundry. Some are willing, some aren't. I do (regardless if we have 2 cabins or 1) and I just pack the laundry detergent instead of a bunch of extra clothes.

 

Also, lay down the law from minute 1 with your boys. Keep the room neat or else. Give them that mom stink eye that you mean business :D

Edited by fuddrules
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cruisinqt

cruisinqt

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Many cruisers are saying they are being allowed to use the over the door organizers inside their cabin, just not outside. The rules say no organizers on the door. Evidently many cruisers that were part of large groups were hanging these on the outside of the cabin door and leaving items in them for members of their group. I hope this is true because they come in handy and really cut down on clutter. We put flip flops in them along with sunscreen, hats, swimsuits, etc. :) And since the pockets are clear in one glance you see what you need and grab it.

 

I also like to use the pop up hampers that fold flat in your suitcase. Everyone just tosses their clothes into the hamper in the corner and it really helps keep the place neat and tidy.

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Mary Ellen1

Mary Ellen1

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If you send dad & the boys out to shower in the gym or spa, make sure you pack some tote bags they can use to take their clean clothes, toiletries, etc. up to the shower. Also pack them each a pair of flip-flops that they can wear in the shower. And give them the mom-stink-eye about going barefoot in the shower. Eek! :eek:

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