Three adults to a balcony cabin on Pearl...any tips?

[spudicusrex]

I (34) am sailing to Alaska with my parents (both 61) in August. When they booked the perk was 3rd person free so they asked me to come along. I am very fortunate to be enjoying a free Alaska cruise!

 

This will be my first time sailing three adults in a cabin. My parents aren't worried about the space but this is a trip of a lifetime for them and I don't want to inconvenience them too much. Does anyone have any tips for maximizing space and comfort?

[Foxinspace]

Never cruised NCL, but a few tips to get you started.

 

1. Ask room steward if you need more hangers, they may have some

2. Luggage should fit under the bed, if you have problems again ask the steward.

3. Lots of people swear by the over the door shoe hanger to hold sundries (never used personally but I can see the appeal)

4. Discuss ahead of time a vague schedule for bathroom use (specifically in the morning). In our family this tends to be a contentious area. Agree on order for showering, and so on. That way you aren't stuck doing a dance while your Dad showers and shaves!

5. Pack less. Seriously, you won't need as much as you think you will. The less you take the more room you will have!

6. As with the Bathroom, have a discussion about bed times. Make sure everyone understands each others needs and timing. If your parents are early to bed and early to rise but you are a night owl who likes to sleep in, plan out ahead how you are all going to deal with that.

7. Laundry hampers. A place to gather and hold all the dirty clothes is key to my own happiness in a small space. Pop up ones are easy to find at most dollar stores. Keeps dirty socks, shirts and so on from cluttering the room.

 

While some of my tips aren't about 'room' per se, they will make sure that you aren't crowding each others space or tripping over each other due to mis-communication of needs.

 

Hope it helps and have a great time!!

[Blondie008]

100 days in Spa passes will go on sale.

Buy yourself a Spa pass - not just for the Spa - ie sauna, steamroom, thallosotherapy pool - but for the fact there are showers etc all in there and its so easy to "get ready for the evening" in the changing rooms there.

3 adults in a cabin - Id put that Spa pass on my priority list.

 

I am just back from an Alaskan cruise with Celebrity - it was an amazing experience.

My one "don't miss" is to book the Catamaran excursion (It will be losted as Tracey Arm Fjord) - worth every penny!

Have a fabulous cruise - and how wonderful to have two great parents who are sharing this special time with you :D

[spudicusrex]

If your parents are early to bed and early to rise but you are a night owl who likes to sleep in, plan out ahead how you are all going to deal with that.

 

I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that it's actually the opposite. I'm sure I'll be in bed well before them :)

 

Thanks for the other tips!

[spudicusrex]

100 days in Spa passes will go on sale.

Buy yourself a Spa pass - not just for the Spa - ie sauna, steamroom, thallosotherapy pool - but for the fact there are showers etc all in there and its so easy to "get ready for the evening" in the changing rooms there.

3 adults in a cabin - Id put that Spa pass on my priority list.

 

I am just back from an Alaskan cruise with Celebrity - it was an amazing experience.

My one "don't miss" is to book the Catamaran excursion (It will be losted as Tracey Arm Fjord) - worth every penny!

Have a fabulous cruise - and how wonderful to have two great parents who are sharing this special time with you :D

 

Fantastic idea! I was already debating the spa pass. This definitely seals it.

[mking8288]

Three grown-ups in close living quarters for a week and there isn't much privacy or room to move around with the small sofabed setup for sleeping - you would most likely be occupying that "berth"

 

Haven't sailed with a 3rd. person on NCL with a balcony so not sure if they leave that sofa bedding as is, once setup for 3 in the stateroom - which would make access to the balcony a bit more difficult. Plus, all of you will be sitting on the beds or playing musical with that 1 chair while in the room - thus, consider having the sofa bed put away, a DIY task that's easy as Room Steward mostly likely won't (nor have the time daily ... you can speak to her/him & ask about it.) It's extra work & going above and beyond, do consider a little recognition in appreciation of the few extra minutes daily, hint: $$ directly.

 

The other is the comfort factor, the foam padding is rather thin & not very supportive, for sleeping - ask the RS for extra/foam cushion (egg crates) if available upon boarding, as you will get a better night sleeping.

 

For those standard balconies, you are inches away from their queen bed and if you are a light sleepr - pack/bring along a set of eye shades (those for flying red-eye flights) & a set of noise-isolating or noise-cancelling in-ear buds for music.

 

Alaska is still going to be cool & sometimes chilly, even in August - check the weather forecast ahead of leaving home, pack light but in layers, mix-n-match, you will still need a warm fleece or windbreaker with hoodies ... maybe a warm vest. A compact/folding rain poncho is a must as the climate is wet, it gets more rainfall than Seattle, WA - unlike what you've seen in the picture perfect.

[SueMerk]

A couple of year's ago my girlfriends and I (3 of us) shared a balcony room on the Pearl. We had no problems at all. We used the over-the-door hanger, shared toiletries that we didn't have personal preferences for such as toothpaste, aspirin, hair spray, etc. Have fun!

[alora7]

Room stewards will usually pull out and make up the sofa bed for you each night unless you ask them not to. During morning service they'll turn it back into a couch to open up some space. Definitely see if any toiletries can be shared between you and your mother. Shampoo, toothpaste, hairspray and things like that will help in the bathroom. The shampoo provided in the bathroom is terrible for my hair so if you're picky, bring your own. You'll have a vanity in the main part of the cabin with a blow dryer and mirrors for doing makeup so one person can be showering while another finishes getting ready. Bring some clips to clip wet clothing to the balcony furniture so you aren't crowding the drying string in the shower and making the shower unusable. I don't know about that particular ship but check the mirrors at the vanity and in the bathroom. They may open up like a medicine cabinet for more storage. Depending on the layout of the room your sofa bed may be closer to the balcony than the bed. If it is, you can use a command strip hook and string a shower curtain or sheet across the room so your parents don't wake you if they come back to the room after you are asleep. You'll want to take it down everyday but if you think they'll be waking you up everyday it may come in handy. You could try magnetic hooks but most of them won't hold the weight very well. We brought little folding valets, like small catch-all boxes, and each person had a different color. It helped to keep everyones small things separated, like jewelry, raffle tickets, keycards, notices and anything else you would normally just lay on the vanity. A small magnetic dry erase board can also come in handy. Put it on the outside of the door and leave messages for each other. It can be easy to lose track of where everyone is. The hardest thing we've found with sharing a cabin is keeping everything separated, and that's just with DH and I. Inevitably his boxers get tucked into a drawer with my clothes and we spend 15 minutes searching for them.

[txagfan]

My tip is ask the steward to take out any extra crap out of the room like ice bucket and such.

[MapGeek]

We sailed recently with 3 adults in an Oceanview on the Sky. Plus another 3 in the room next door. I compared the state of our room and their room and my big tips are:

 

- Unpack and put the suitcases away (under beds). My friends next door lived out of their suitcases, and the place was a mess. We had plenty of room for all our belongings and easier to find when unpacked.

 

- put the sofa bed away in the morning. The steward did not put the bed away next door and it made the room hard to get around. We put the bed away in our room, and had a lot more room. The steward re-made the bed each evening.

 

The main "busy" times were getting ready in the morning and before dinner. Other than that, we were hardly in the room (obviously ours was a shorter trip so really wasn't an issue).

[jonsmom]

There will be four of us next summer in an aft balcony. It will be tight but not worried. Pop up hamper great idea.

 

Where do you get an over the door hanger? What does it look like?

[calmpets]

I've done this a few times (3 adults in a balcony) and it's very manageable on most ships. The only time it was a little too snug was on the Spirit, as the rooms are slightly smaller. On the Pearl you should be fine, as long as everyone is considerate and doesn't leave tons of stuff out. We also keep the suitcases under the bed. I use a kitchen trash bag I keep in the closet for my laundry, and every few days I dump the dirty clothes into my suitcase. It helps. One thing of note is that when the sofa bed is open, you need to scoot across the bottom of the bed to get to the balcony. There is not a gap where you can simply walk by. Not a deal breaker for us, but if one of the main bed people is thinking of hanging out on the balcony till everyone else wakes, they'll need to factor that in. I also set out my clothes out each night on the chair for the next day, so if I'm up first I don't have to fish for anything while the rest of my party is asleep. A little planning, and you'll find it works out quite nicely. Enjoy your trip!

[spudicusrex]

Thanks everyone! There's a lot of great information to pull from here. I appreciate the input.

[zackarykeef]

Just got back from a week on the Pearl...we had FOUR in a mini-suite. Comparable to a balcony I think, except that our balcony and bathroom were bigger. It was my parents and my brother and I in our 20s...we had no issues. Of course it's tight, but nothing unmanageable.

 

One thing that the mini-suites have that I'm not sure the balconies have is a curtain that you can pull to separate the room...it may make the space feel a tad smaller, but it definitely helped for getting ready and when we went to sleep or got up at different times. If your balcony doesn't have a curtain, consider bringing some magnetic hooks for the ceiling and a shower curtain as people have done in the past.

 

We actually left the sofa bed pulled out the entire trip (we love our naps) and again, although tight, didn't have issues getting to the balcony, etc. You will have a fabulous time either way...it was simply AMAZING!

 

EDIT: As people previously mentioned, you can't live out of your suitcase. Unpack, and put the suitcases under the bed. Also, establish some sort of re-packing schedule at the end of the trip so you all aren't trying to pack at the same time...too crowded! This worked well for us.

Edited June 17, 2016 by zackarykeef

[IsanTom]

Yes, get a fourth and a second cabin!

[riclop]

I (34) am sailing to Alaska with my parents (both 61) in August. When they booked the perk was 3rd person free so they asked me to come along. I am very fortunate to be enjoying a free Alaska cruise!

 

This will be my first time sailing three adults in a cabin. My parents aren't worried about the space but this is a trip of a lifetime for them and I don't want to inconvenience them too much. Does anyone have any tips for maximizing space and comfort?

 

Yes !! get another room.

[NSnJW]

We did the 10 day Pearl Alaska cruise with 3 adults in a balcony this past May. It was snug but doable. The table is very small so most of the socializing for our trio was done seated at the buffet tables or Spinnaker Lounge. For us, in May, it was a bit cool to sit long outside.

We were all light packers so we had enough storage space. We had to put two suitcases under the bed. We then used these for our dirty clothes.

The sofa bed and small table will completely block access to the balcony so plan accordingly.

Our third passenger was a late sleeper so in the mornings we went to the buffet for coffee, tea and pastries. After that we went to the Spinnaker Lounge for great views of Alaska drifting by.

As others have suggested, ask for more padding for the sofa bed.

Edited June 18, 2016 by NSnJW

[Turtles06]

I (34) am sailing to Alaska with my parents (both 61) in August. When they booked the perk was 3rd person free so they asked me to come along. I am very fortunate to be enjoying a free Alaska cruise!

 

This will be my first time sailing three adults in a cabin. My parents aren't worried about the space but this is a trip of a lifetime for them and I don't want to inconvenience them too much. Does anyone have any tips for maximizing space and comfort?

 

Trip of a lifetime for your parents?

 

Then my advice -- get another cabin. Really nice of them to invite you, but these cabins are small enough for two people, let alone three adults. There is no privacy; if this is a regular balcony cabin, there is no curtain between the beds, and once the sofa bed is open, the whole interior feels like one big bed. I can't imagine sharing that kind of space as an adult with my parents.

 

You might want to consder booking an inside cabin where you can sleep, and then join your parents in the daytime.

[SuperCrewBear]

Fantastic idea! I was already debating the spa pass. This definitely seals it.

 

*DEFINITELY* get the spa pass. I was on Pearl to Alaska May 5-15 - first cruise, first time to Alaska. When they went on sale online I bought the pass for my shipmate because I thought she would enjoy it - a few days later I bought another for myself - I was actually lucky because I didn't realize they limited the number to something like 95 passes. On embarkation day the spa was closed but they gave us our wrist bands and put a decal on the back of our key-card plus a tour of the facility. The next day we went and there was quite a few people using everything...but it wasn't crowded by any stretch. We were talking to a lady who had been there many times and something she said was right - on day one there are a lot of people; on subsequent days, not so much. Other than the first day there was rarely more than about 4-5 others. EXCELLENT! It's like your own. We definitely enjoyed the spa! We had a mini-suite on deck 11 (cabin 11002) and it was right below the spa area - only one flight of stairs up and we were there. Very handy. I would not do the trip without the pass. :)

[jonsmom]

*DEFINITELY* get the spa pass. I was on Pearl to Alaska May 5-15 - first cruise, first time to Alaska. When they went on sale online I bought the pass for my shipmate because I thought she would enjoy it - a few days later I bought another for myself - I was actually lucky because I didn't realize they limited the number to something like 95 passes. On embarkation day the spa was closed but they gave us our wrist bands and put a decal on the back of our key-card plus a tour of the facility. The next day we went and there was quite a few people using everything...but it wasn't crowded by any stretch. We were talking to a lady who had been there many times and something she said was right - on day one there are a lot of people; on subsequent days, not so much. Other than the first day there was rarely more than about 4-5 others. EXCELLENT! It's like your own. We definitely enjoyed the spa! We had a mini-suite on deck 11 (cabin 11002) and it was right below the spa area - only one flight of stairs up and we were there. Very handy. I would not do the trip without the pass. :)

 

Dumb question....what is a spa pass & how will i know when it.goes on sale?

[Heather1972]

Room stewards will usually pull out and make up the sofa bed for you each night unless you ask them not to. During morning service they'll turn it back into a couch to open up some space.

 

I haven't had a steward ever turn it back into a couch on any cruise line. I've always seen it kept as a bed... which sucks because we don't have any where to sit but a bed.

[NSnJW]

Since the May 16 cruise on the Pearl was the only time we needed a sofa bed, my knowledge is limited. But, on this cruise, it seemed to annoy our steward when we pulled out or made up the sofa bed. He said we should call for him anytime we needed it changed.

When the sofa bed was pulled out in cabin 9602 you couldn't access the balcony without crawling over it.

Edited June 18, 2016 by NSnJW

[Barb Nahoumi]

Take advantage of the bag day for laundry. It does help to make packing somewhat lighter.

 

The idea of hanging a shoe bag on the bathroom door with command hooks will help to reduce bathroom clutter. Bring a power strip if you will have multiple devices to plug in for re charge.

Three in a balcony cabin should be fine. I was part of a three some on girlfriend cruises on Carnival.

[SuperCrewBear]

Dumb question....what is a spa pass & how will i know when it.goes on sale?

 

On The Pearl, deck 12 all the way forward, is a spa (called MANDARA SPA). I suppose anyone can go there for a massage, etc. To use the Thermo Spa one must have the "spa pass". It's offered for sale online (from what I understand) at 100 days prior to a cruise for suite guests and at 90 days prior to everyone else. When you logon to your online account and go to your cruise reservation there is a section for buying WHATEVER. Look for the spa pass there. Not everyone on the reservation has to buy one. It's a little cheaper in advance but they do sell them on board if there are any left. For my 10-day Alaskan cruise it was about $159, I think. They only sell about 95 per cruise on Pearl. The spa pass lets one do self service things like a steam room, sauna, ice-cold Japanese plunge pool, heated tile loungers, etc. The large Thalasso Therapy Pool is pretty cool - the size of a small swimming pool but like a giant jacuzzi. There are also some lounge chairs facing forward with nice views of where the ship is heading. There is a co-ed main area plus a men's & women's area with locker room, showers, the sauna, steam room, etc.

 

Here's a link for official NCL info: SPA PASS

[newmexicoNita]

I (34) am sailing to Alaska with my parents (both 61) in August. When they booked the perk was 3rd person free so they asked me to come along. I am very fortunate to be enjoying a free Alaska cruise!

 

This will be my first time sailing three adults in a cabin. My parents aren't worried about the space but this is a trip of a lifetime for them and I don't want to inconvenience them too much. Does anyone have any tips for maximizing space and comfort?

 

All I can say and this is a no brainer; keep things picked up at all times and don't over pack. You would be surprised how few clothes you really need. The more often we cruise the lighter we pack, especially since there is no reason to dress up anymore. It saves so much hassle and requires so few clothes. This doesn't mean you don't want to look nice for dinner, but it does mean you can be comfortable in nice pants all the time. I do a lot of mix and matching. Some one suggested a cloths hamper; we always use one of our suitcases (usually the smallest) stand it on its side in the closet; it works great. Our last cruise our TA actually gave us, as a thankyou gift, a box full of goodies, one was a clothes bag for our dirty clothes. We hung it in our closet.

 

As for the spa pass, yes, a good idea but if you are trying to travel on a budget, even on sale they can be pricy.

Edited June 18, 2016 by newmexicoNita