1st cruise w/ 4 in cabin - advice?

[dalspot]

We've decided to take our first cruise on RCCL to Alaska in June of next year.

 

We are a family of 4 who will be sharing a cabin. Two older teens with us.

 

I'm wondering on what sort of room we should book? I have an opportunity to book a hump room almost dead center on deck 7. Would we be too cramped in such a small room? Should we go for the Superior D1 or JS instead?

 

Thanks!

[Happy ks]

We booked a cabin equivalent in size to this when we cruised Alaska with our 2 teens. I would never do it again, we were stepping all over each other all week. Sleeping wasn't the bad part, that was easy, it was the awake part where everyone got on each others nerves.

 

Four people sharing a bathroom became a test in patience and consideration, we all got to the point where we were arguing much more than we ever had before. As we cruised with friends and family, it did become apparent to them as well. We did try our best to keep our chins up about it and we still had a great cruise. It just would have been a whole lot better if we hadn't been so cramped and frustrated.

 

If you can, at minimum book a JS. Or better yet, I'd even forego the balcony and book 2 inside cabins. Or, I notice farther up deck 7, there are cat. M inside cabins, book a balcony for you and an inside for the teens.

 

Personally, I'd rather give up other things throughout the year, to afford the extra expense of a second cabin.

 

I know you are looking for the positive recommendations, I'd much rather be honest and realistic about it.

[dalspot]

thanks! Good to hear from someone who did the same thing. We always travel in a "pack" when we go away, staying in one room and sharing one bathroom. I never considered the E3 category till I saw the available hump room. I wonder just how much time we will spend in the room. We have three days in port and I suspect the two days at sea will be spent exploring the ship. Tho we're not really night people, and hubby and son will most likely head back to the room earlier.

 

Appreciate the honest advice!

[Happy ks]

I did a quick check with an online site, the difference for two inside cabins your cruise cost would be almost $1000 less than 4 in a balcony cabin together.

 

For a balcony plus an inside across the hall, the cost would be about $500 more than 4 in the same balcony cabin. That's about $80 more per night, to me well worth it.

 

The final figure I worked out was the JS, that would be $1260 over the cost of 4 in a balcony cabin, $700 more than if you booked a balcony and an inside.

 

I'd go to a live travel agent or directly to RCI to book these cabins, online sites (including RCI's) will only give you 7 cabins at a time, there are more choices than that.

 

These prices aren't accurate, just an example.

 

Edit to add, I was typing when you responded, you're very welcome!

[dalspot]

We went to a TA and he recommended not to do the two cabins as we'd lose our 3rd and 4th person discount. Which is a fare of only $449, no matter what the category. I'll look again tho. We're looking at BJ's vacation prices which are $1200 less on the D1 than the travel agent or RCCL offers.

 

We'll book our own airfare into Seattle a day in advance, take the train to Vancouver on sail day.

 

Thanks for taking the time to price it out!

[Happy ks]

RCI has a pricing policy which disallows discounting their prices by travel agents. I would be wary of a heavily discounted price like this, it's not normal. They could be quoting you a price before taxes. Read everything you can from this travel agent before booking with them, make sure they are legitimate. Also, make sure there are not steep cancellation charges.

 

Just remember, when it is too good to be true......

 

If they are legitimate, then they should be able to get you 2 cabins for the price, or lower than what I found. It almost makes me wonder if they jacked up the first 2 pax charges and made the 3rd and 4th lower.

 

Just be careful, I hate it when I read about people getting taken advantage of by unscrupulous businesses, not that I'm sure this is the case here....just be careful!

[janetz]

Shop around! BJ"s does NOT offer the best prices. :)

[Happy ks]

I think I checked a later date in June. Yes, the 3rd 4th person rate is $449 on June 6, but it does not include tax of $120 per person, bringing the cost up to $569.

 

But, the same principle remains. I think you need to really sit down and do all the homework before booking, you have plenty of time so don't let anyone force you into a purchase now. Check several online sites, including RCI's and ask the TA you have been working with to give you a total price breakdown, not just cruise fare, but including taxes and any service charges (some charge for shipping documents) and any cancellation fees.

 

If I were you, I'd price airfare directly to Vancouver and compare it to the Seattle flight, adding on the cost of transportation up to Vancouver. Also consider the cost of airfare back from Seward (I'm not sure what airport it's near, Anchorage?). I've priced it a couple of times for us (with and without the kids) and haven't found a savings significant enough to take the time (3-4 hours) traveling between Seattle and Vancouver. You may find a one way car rental to be more cost effective for this than train or shuttle bus.

[dalspot]

Actually, flying into Seattle and taking the train is what we *want* to do, as we are train buffs. We plan to also add a day on at the end and take the Alaska RR from Seward to Anchorage. Booking air with the cruise line would cost us more than $3400! :eek:

 

I called RCCL this morning and asked them about the BJ's discount and told them I had been reading that they do not let their travel agents discount fares - and the agent told me that is true, but they give BJ's more flexibility in that aspect. Hence the discount.

 

If we book two cabins, we lose that 3rd and 4th person discount. I think we'll save our money and book a D1 cabin. We have 3 days in port, and I am sure the first day at sea we will be exploring the ship. We'll just make it a point to not be in the room :).

[Happy ks]

Have a great time, whatever you end up doing!

 

The train sounds great :) .

 

I love both Seattle and Vancouver and enjoy time spent in either citiy, you cannot go wrong .