Questions on Family Cruising

[ldeflavia]

My DH & I have cruised several times before w/out our kids. We're thinking of bringing them along in June 2009 on a Freedom Ship. I'm just confused as to what type of room would be best for us. My DD's will be 7 & 4 during the trip. Is it worth it to get a suite? What are the family suites like? They don't let you look at that cabin online nor offer pricing (need to call RCI or TA). Does it work trying to fit 4 people in a Large Oceanview room or one with a balcony? Or better to get adjoining cabins? Just trying to figure out a somewhat economical way to do this and still be comfortable in our living quarters and not too cramped.

Also, about the Adventure Ocean program, is this included in the price of the cruise or is there additional costs?

Any advice and tips on traveling with children is much appreciated!

Thanks!

[hooked-on-travel]

I'm not as much of an expert on cruising with kids, in particular older kids (yeah, 7 and 4 are "older" compared with where I'm at with 2 1/2), but I can tell you that with only 4 people you won't qualify for the family suite (minimum 5 people, sleeps up to 8). But a regular suite would be just fine for 4...so I hear. This is where I'll let other people help.

[crusinmama06]

Try a balcony at least (Category D1/2, E1/2 on RCCL)...if a Junior Suite is in your budget then go for that. The Junior Suite will add a walk in closet, a bath tub, 2 cruise credits AND priority embarkation.

 

The JS is not a "true suite" so you will not get the other suite perks like concierge service and lounge...but you aren't paying for them either. :)

[stsomewhere]

It would be tight, but you could do an inside. My kids prefer it because it is dark and they can sleep in.

 

Adventure Ocean has babysitting "after" regular hours.

[crusinmama06]

It would be tight, but you could do an inside. My kids prefer it because it is dark and they can sleep in.

 

Adventure Ocean has babysitting "after" regular hours.

 

 

Sorry, I couldn't do it. ;)

[rebeccalouise]

Kids do indeed sleep later in insides. I did my first inside cruise (after 23 outsides/balconies/suites) last month and it was great. I highly recommend them because you can sleep in.

 

If you can afford it though- I would get two connecting cabins- either outside, inside or balcony. That way you have two bathrooms and two tvs! That is better than a suite IMO. The kids are in one and you and hubby are in the other and can have some romance

[rstout]

I just got back from the FOS. We had four of us (kids are 3 and 4) in a D1 balcony room. It was VERY tight. If it's in your budget, absolutely go for the junior suite or adjoining rooms.

[Travelitis]

We would take 2 adjoining insides over 1 suite ANY day, and we've stayed in suites. We've had an OS with our own hot tub on our balcony and another large jacuzzi inside the master bath, so we know about the "suite

life" (minus Zack and Cody). Of course, we'd prefer outside cabins, but having our own bedroom and 2 bathrooms is of more importance to us than windows or other suite amenities. We like family time and time just for the 2 of us.

[abitaturbodog]

My family of 4 always travels in the same cabin, inside or balcony. We've found that the only time we're in the cabin all together is:

1. while sleeping

2. getting our stuff together to get off the ship at port

3. getting ready for dinner

 

For us, the cabin just isn't used much. I mean, the cruise line spent hundreds of millions of dollars building an AMAZING ship for us to enjoy, why waste our time in a cabin!

[crusinmama06]

My kids are too young to be in another cabin (4 and 8)...I like keeping us together. I can forgo 2 bathrooms to make sure we are all in the same cabin.

[Destin Mom]

Hi. We are very new to cruising and will be taking our 5 and 6 year old on a 12 day Med cruise this summer. We booked on Holland because the rooms were bigger. We started off with a Verandah cabin, upgraded to a suite and then moved back to a Verandah. We were able to book a 10 day Northern Europe cruise for summer of 09 with what we saved on the suite vs verandah. I'm hoping we will spend a lot less time in the room and more time out and about. On Holland, the quad rooms have a queen sized bed, a sleeper sofa for one and either a pull down single bed over the queen bed (i.e. a bunk bed built on top of the queen bed) or a pullman bed (cot style with a real mattress) which can be folded up each day for more space. With the age of our children, we have to be in one cabin and this seemed like the best option for us for the price, and the itinerary was perfect for us. Plus, we liked their wine policy and with 4 of us sharing 250 square feet, that was also important! :)

[guppy33]

We get a balcony for our family of four (DS15 & DS13). It works for us because we are rarely in the room. When we are in the room, we are usually all on the balcony enjoying the view. The only time it does get cramped is when we are all getting up in the morning. But the balcony room is fine for us.

[Livin4Real]

If your not set on RCI, you might look into the Carnival Conquest series. We did alot of research on our upcoming first family cruise and were recommended to look into the Spa Rooms. I'll report back after our trip, but they look roomy and were relatively cheap. I think we ended paying $1189 pp for the wife and I and $679 pp for our two kids. Here's a link to the thread on them http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=758711

[SelectSys]

...If you can afford it though- I would get two connecting cabins- either outside, inside or balcony...

 

Totally agree with this view. If the kids are a bit on the young side, just keep the doors between the rooms open all the time. The extra space is truly a plus - especially as the kids grow older.

[VillaHappy]

Totally agree with this view. If the kids are a bit on the young side, just keep the doors between the rooms open all the time. The extra space is truly a plus - especially as the kids grow older.

 

The key is to book as far in advance as possible. We are doing a 3 generation cruise in July, and were not able to book adjoining cabins in our price range because they had already been booked - this was 9 months out.