Family Room or Two Connecting Rooms?

[TXAKDisneyFan]

So I think we're set on a 7 night Eastern Caribbean out of PC in July 2017 for our first cruise ever. We have a family of 5 (DH, myself, and kids will be 1, 4, and 9; my brother might join us). We have too many people for a standard room, so should we do a single family room or two connecting (and list one adult in each room)? We're not interested in concierge, and would probably prefer an ocean view rather than a verandah.

- Our oldest sleepwalks, so I don't think the pull down top bunk would work for her, and our middle child tends to jump off of things so that's out for him, too. If we book a family room, we'd probably have to share our bed with one kid, have another on the couch bed, and smallest in a crib.

- I'd rather select our room(s) outright than book a restricted fare (I guess don't even know how any of that works).

- How much extra would two connecting rooms (ocean view, deck?) tend to cost versus a single family room? I'm not particularly worried about the money, but I'd rather not throw it away if I don't need to.

- If we book two connecting rooms with one adult and one child in one, and one adult and two children in another, could we later add my brother to one of the rooms? He probably won't know if he's joining us for a few more months.

- Any suggestions on which deck to choose? Like I said, we have three small children and would prefer ocean view. I'm not sure how far these things are from one another on the Fantasy (our likely ship), but we'd probably like to be close to dining and the kids clubs. Also probably midship, since I don't know if any of us will get seasick?

How do I book two connecting rooms? I've played around on the DCL website and every time I try to book two separate rooms, it automatically selects rooms nowhere even close to one another. Do I need to just have a TA do it, or call DCL instead of booking online?

TIA!

 

[jdb in AZ]

So I think we're set on a 7 night Eastern Caribbean out of PC in July 2017 for our first cruise ever. We have a family of 5 (DH, myself, and kids will be 1, 4, and 9; my brother might join us). We have too many people for a standard room, so should we do a single family room or two connecting (and list one adult in each room)? We're not interested in concierge, and would probably prefer an ocean view rather than a verandah.

- Our oldest sleepwalks, so I don't think the pull down top bunk would work for her, and our middle child tends to jump off of things so that's out for him, too. If we book a family room, we'd probably have to share our bed with one kid, have another on the couch bed, and smallest in a crib.

- I'd rather select our room(s) outright than book a restricted fare (I guess don't even know how any of that works).

- How much extra would two connecting rooms (ocean view, deck?) tend to cost versus a single family room? I'm not particularly worried about the money, but I'd rather not throw it away if I don't need to.

- If we book two connecting rooms with one adult and one child in one, and one adult and two children in another, could we later add my brother to one of the rooms? He probably won't know if he's joining us for a few more months.

- Any suggestions on which deck to choose? Like I said, we have three small children and would prefer ocean view. I'm not sure how far these things are from one another on the Fantasy (our likely ship), but we'd probably like to be close to dining and the kids clubs. Also probably midship, since I don't know if any of us will get seasick?

How do I book two connecting rooms? I've played around on the DCL website and every time I try to book two separate rooms, it automatically selects rooms nowhere even close to one another. Do I need to just have a TA do it, or call DCL instead of booking online?

TIA!

A good travel agent can book connecting rooms for you. If you use a travel agent you "should" get an onboard credit -- up to $200 to spend onboard.

I would definitely go with two connecting rooms to give you an extra bathroom and twice as much storage/closet space. Mickey doesn't do bed check; you can sleep wherever you want. If you add your brother later, and rates have gone up in the meantime, he will have to pay the higher rate. It's simpler to book him now and cancel if necessary and get your deposit refunded, before the paid-in-full date. There has to be room on lifeboats for every passenger, and sometimes the life-boat capacity is reached before all the rooms fill up. So your brother might not be able to book later -- even if there's a bed available in your room, there might not be space available on the lifeboat.

 

[TestingH2O]

A good travel agent can book connecting rooms for you. If you use a travel agent you "should" get an onboard credit -- up to $200 to spend onboard.

I agree with everything jdb says except the OBC. The max offer from some agencies is much higher than $200.

Booking your brother at opening day rates then cancelling is definitely the way to go.

 

[ldo]

we have found the family room is cheaper, b/c 1st and 2nd persons are a higher rate. If you book 2 rooms, put your brother on the reservation when you book. You can always take him off up until final payment---but ships can reach capacity and then you might not be able to add him later. If the cost is not a big difference, I would get 2 rooms for more space, use 1 room for naps, etc.

 

[TXAKDisneyFan]

I'm aware of on board credit, but I've been hesitant to book with a TA because of "horror" stories and because I tend to be very controlling and want to be able to book/select things (like Palo, Remy, excursions, etc) myself.

We've considered booking through Costco or BJs for the gift card to either place, but I don't know how much control I'd have if we book through either of them. I haven't checked, but we also have USAA and I don't know how booking through their affiliated TA would work.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

I'm aware of on board credit, but I've been hesitant to book with a TA because of "horror" stories and because I tend to be very controlling and want to be able to book/select things (like Palo, Remy, excursions, etc) myself.

We've considered booking through Costco or BJs for the gift card to either place, but I don't know how much control I'd have if we book through either of them. I haven't checked, but we also have USAA and I don't know how booking through their affiliated TA would work.

If you book by phone directly with DCL, you'll still have the opportunity to make changes, payments etc on the website when you want.

I'd definitely do 2 rooms, we always do and it's great. Also keep in mind the inside rooms on the Fantasy have the magic portholes so you have a realtime view of what's going on outside, plus every 30 minutes or so Disney characters will appear on the screen. A couple of insider tips on this; the "porthole" is located on the wall opposite the door and that is the view you will have. So if the porthole wall is on the aft end of the cabin you'll have an aft view. People often complain that they never see the characters appear, there is always a fireworks blast before the characters show up that you can see throughout the cabin so you know when to turn your head to the porthole.

Our favorite cabins on the Fantasy are in the picture below, the aqua rooms are the standard insides and the purple are the deluxe insides that have the 2, 1/2 baths. We love this area because it is mid ship, only 2 decks up to the pools and drink stations and they have a private hallway to enter the cabins, so they are super quiet. Plus, since you'll have both cabins you'll have no next door neighbors.
There are the same bank of cabins on deck 8. Just my $.02

 

[squirk]

I agree with everyone else - definitely get two rooms. I don't think a single family room is going to give you enough space, especially for a 7-night cruise, double-especially if you are using a crib, and triple-especially if your brother comes with. Split bathroom aside, that is still a realllly tight squeeze for three adults, two kids and an infant.

We have three kids, and we sailed for the first time when they were roughly the same age as yours will be next July. It was our first cruise ever and we were not sure we were going to like it, so I went on the cheap and got two connecting inside staterooms with the magic portholes. I do not for one second regret getting the two rooms. Again, the second bathroom was really convenient and also, when the baby went to nap or sleep for the night, everyone else could stretch out in the other room and not worry about keeping the lights dim or being super-quiet so as not to wake him.

As far as rooms go, if you want to be as near as possible to Small World and Oceaneers Club/Lab, take a look at Deck 6 Aft. You will avoid much of the foot traffic associated with people bringing kids to/from the clubs on Deck 5, but you will only have to go up/down one flight of stairs to get to the clubs yourself (rather than wait for an elevator). The Aft elevators will also shoot you straight up directly to Cabana's or straight down directly to Animator's.

My wife is prone to motion sickness so we booked our first cruise mid-ship under the same thinking as you. She did not get sick or even feel like she was getting sick, even when hanging around Forward/Aft. Four cruises later, we have stayed in Forward and Aft cabins, and she still has never gotten sick and has never needed meds to keep from getting sick. YMMV, but the ship stabilizers on the Dream/Fantasy work very well, in our experience.

Folks may disagree with me on this, but generally speaking, we don't like mid-ship cabins because the mid-ship elevators should be avoided during sea days and avoided at all costs at dinnertime. Otherwise, you might find yourself waiting a very long time for an elevator with enough space to let you get on. Also, people are often rude and will jump into an elevator knowing full well that you were waiting long before them. The midship elevator experience can be somewhat hellish.

 

[TestingH2O]

I'm aware of on board credit, but I've been hesitant to book with a TA because of "horror" stories and because I tend to be very controlling and want to be able to book/select things (like Palo, Remy, excursions, etc) myself.

We've considered booking through Costco or BJs for the gift card to either place, but I don't know how much control I'd have if we book through either of them. I haven't checked, but we also have USAA and I don't know how booking through their affiliated TA would work.

TA's don't do any of the things you mention. Check in, excursions, etc are all up to you. The TA just handles monetary transactions and room changes as needed. Our first TA was awful but we still got everything we wanted because I had done the research and was in charge of the day to day aspects.

 

[TXAKDisneyFan]

If you book by phone directly with DCL, you'll still have the opportunity to make changes, payments etc on the website when you want.

I'd definitely do 2 rooms, we always do and it's great. Also keep in mind the inside rooms on the Fantasy have the magic portholes so you have a realtime view of what's going on outside, plus every 30 minutes or so Disney characters will appear on the screen. A couple of insider tips on this; the "porthole" is located on the wall opposite the door and that is the view you will have. So if the porthole wall is on the aft end of the cabin you'll have an aft view. People often complain that they never see the characters appear, there is always a fireworks blast before the characters show up that you can see throughout the cabin so you know when to turn your head to the porthole.

Our favorite cabins on the Fantasy are in the picture below, the aqua rooms are the standard insides and the purple are the deluxe insides that have the 2, 1/2 baths. We love this area because it is mid ship, only 2 decks up to the pools and drink stations and they have a private hallway to enter the cabins, so they are super quiet. Plus, since you'll have both cabins you'll have no next door neighbors.
View attachment 151342 There are the same bank of cabins on deck 8. Just my $.02

Are there also connecting ocean view rooms? I havent spoken to my husband about what type of room he'd want, but he's very much into views and I doubt he'd be happy with just a magic porthole. (He might want a verandah, but we'll at least book ocean view.) The extra cost for an ocean view over an inside room(/rooms) doesn't bother us.

 

[TXAKDisneyFan]

TA's don't do any of the things you mention. Check in, excursions, etc are all up to you. The TA just handles monetary transactions and room changes as needed. Our first TA was awful but we still got everything we wanted because I had done the research and was in charge of the day to day aspects.

So even if we use a TA, I still have total control over booking Palo/Remy, massages (idk if spa treatments can be booked early or if that's done on the ship), excursions, selecting a dining time, etc? I don't have to tell them what our preferences are and then wait for the TA to take care of it?

Side question: If we have just our family of 5, would we be seated with others at dinner? What about if my brother comes (making us 6), and/or if my parents join us? (My middle child and I are pretty shy, and I know he won't eat if strangers are right there at the table with him, so I'd rather just have our group at the table. I don't know if that's something I'd even need to request with our party size or if we'd automatically have our own table.)

 

[PrincessShmoo]

So even if we use a TA, I still have total control over booking Palo/Remy, massages (idk if spa treatments can be booked early or if that's done on the ship), excursions, selecting a dining time, etc? I don't have to tell them what our preferences are and then wait for the TA to take care of it?

Side question: If we have just our family of 5, would we be seated with others at dinner? What about if my brother comes (making us 6), and/or if my parents join us? (My middle child and I are pretty shy, and I know he won't eat if strangers are right there at the table with him, so I'd rather just have our group at the table. I don't know if that's something I'd even need to request with our party size or if we'd automatically have our own table.)

Selecting a dining time (for the Main Dining Rooms) is part of the reservation process. If you need to change from one seating to the other, your TA would handle it.

In our experience, once as a party of 5 (had our own table), and once as a party of 3 (seated with a party of 5), it's 50/50 whether you'll be seated alone or with others. Each service team serves a 4 top; a 6 top and an 8 top. If you want to be seated alone, your TA would have the request placed on your reservation.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

Are there also connecting ocean view rooms? I havent spoken to my husband about what type of room he'd want, but he's very much into views and I doubt he'd be happy with just a magic porthole. (He might want a verandah, but we'll at least book ocean view.) The extra cost for an ocean view over an inside room(/rooms) doesn't bother us.

Yep, here is a pic of some of the connecting rooms on deck 9. The rooms that connect with each other have tiny little doors in the drawing, so you can see here that 9502 connects with 9504

Another great option for connecting ocean view cabins are on deck 5, 5020/5022 and 5520/5522. These rooms are square and have a larger square footage than the others. Each cabin had 2 of the massive portholes with cushions for the kids to sit in. These cabins however do not have the split bathrooms but if you have 2 cabins I doubt that would be a problem.

Sorry, it looks like my pics got reversed

ETA: Here is a link to the deck plans on cruise critic, you can scroll through all the deck plans very easily there.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/disney-fantasy-deck-plans/dp/?shipID=549&deck=5

 

[WeLoveStitch42]

Side question: If we have just our family of 5, would we be seated with others at dinner? What about if my brother comes (making us 6), and/or if my parents join us? (My middle child and I are pretty shy, and I know he won't eat if strangers are right there at the table with him, so I'd rather just have our group at the table. I don't know if that's something I'd even need to request with our party size or if we'd automatically have our own table.)

Maybe we've just been lucky, but we've always had our own table for our family of four.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Maybe we've just been lucky, but we've always had our own table for our family of four.

One cruise - party of 6 - had our own table
One cruise - party of 5 - had our own table (6 top)
One cruise - party of 3 - 8 top with a party of 5
7 cruises - party of 2 - 5 of them at an 8 top with 3 other adult couples; 2 of them at a 4 top with another couple.

 

[jahber]

So I think we're set on a 7 night Eastern Caribbean out of PC in July 2017 for our first cruise ever. We have a family of 5 (DH, myself, and kids will be 1, 4, and 9; my brother might join us). We have too many people for a standard room, so should we do a single family room or two connecting (and list one adult in each room)? We're not interested in concierge, and would probably prefer an ocean view rather than a verandah.

- Our oldest sleepwalks, so I don't think the pull down top bunk would work for her, and our middle child tends to jump off of things so that's out for him, too. If we book a family room, we'd probably have to share our bed with one kid, have another on the couch bed, and smallest in a crib.

- I'd rather select our room(s) outright than book a restricted fare (I guess don't even know how any of that works).

- How much extra would two connecting rooms (ocean view, deck?) tend to cost versus a single family room? I'm not particularly worried about the money, but I'd rather not throw it away if I don't need to.

- If we book two connecting rooms with one adult and one child in one, and one adult and two children in another, could we later add my brother to one of the rooms? He probably won't know if he's joining us for a few more months.

- Any suggestions on which deck to choose? Like I said, we have three small children and would prefer ocean view. I'm not sure how far these things are from one another on the Fantasy (our likely ship), but we'd probably like to be close to dining and the kids clubs. Also probably midship, since I don't know if any of us will get seasick?

How do I book two connecting rooms? I've played around on the DCL website and every time I try to book two separate rooms, it automatically selects rooms nowhere even close to one another. Do I need to just have a TA do it, or call DCL instead of booking online?

TIA!

If you want your brother to sail with you, you're going to need two rooms anyway. You can't put 3 adults and 3 kids (even with one in a crib) in a family stateroom. I think the consensus is pretty clear that you should do two rooms anyway, but I wanted to let you know in case you fell in love with a particular family stateroom (namely, the price, if it ends up being cheaper--which it can be). You would have to book your brother in his own room at that point, which would be expensive. So go ahead and do what others said and book him in one of the rooms immediately. And have fun!!!