To suite or not to suite - that is the question?

[fredms]

I am planning a Disney Cruise with my sister and her two babies ages 3 and infant. I am thinking about getting a one bedroom suite as I think with two little ones and napping it will be much easier to have two rooms but obviously am thinking about the costs. Any experiences - how beneficial is it to have a one bedroom suite?

Thanks!

 

[mindelmouse]

I am planning a Disney Cruise with my sister and her two babies ages 3 and infant. I am thinking about getting a one bedroom suite as I think with two little ones and napping it will be much easier to have two rooms but obviously am thinking about the costs. Any experiences - how beneficial is it to have a one bedroom suite?

Thanks!

We had a one bedroom suite on our first and only disney cruise thus far and we wouldn't travel any other way. With two little ones it will be easier because the bedroom has a door that can be closed and then the other area is completely separate.

 

[kcashner]

It will seriously increase your costs, but that's the only negative.

The normal cabins have a curtain between the area with the large bed and the "living" area, and separate light controls in the two areas.

You can have the infant in the pack and play crib, a 3 year old on the couch/bed, and you (or sis) would still be able to use the "bed" area or the balcony in a "normal" cabin. The suite is lovely, but the prices are thru the roof....another thought might be to book a cat 8...or 10...or 11 and hope to be able to upgrade to a 3 at the port. Granted, you can't count on an upgrade, but it is a very serious savings.

 

[luv that cruise]

we have sailed over 20 times in last 10 years. kids started off as 3 & 5 with 5 of us in 1 bedroom suite. over the years it has been harder to secure a suite and we have split in to 2 cat 6/11 rooms across the hall and that has worked much better for us and has been quite a bit cheaper. i don't cost compare anymore so not sure of the comparison now. kids are now 14 and almost 17. gives us great mother/daughter/grammee time and gives dad/son some bonding time too.

with little ones in a pack-n-play perhaps connecting rooms would be an idea you could explore. good luck. dcl has been a great thing for our family.

 

[Olga]

Babies and toddlers can nap anywhere. They fall asleep in strollers, at meals on chairs, on excursions, etc;;whenever and wherever the mood stikes.
I like the suites for the space and conveniences that the perks offer for adults. My rule of thumb is to get the category room you feel comfortable paying for. DCL has many choices to fit every price range and the children will do fine no matter what.

 

[HallsofVA]

Have you priced out the cost of getting connecting cabins in lower categories (oceanvies, navigator verandah, verandah) in comparison to the suite? Then you can make your own suite, and it gives you greater separation than in the 1BR suite alone. We found that to be much cheaper than booking a suite in advance. With such young ones it's not quite as economical if you are a party of 4 older folks or kids, but since they're charging for babies now its not quite as much of a penalty as it was when they were free.

If you still want the suite you can look into upgrading at the port (though having 2 rooms is a bit of a disadvantage then because you end up holding an extra room or throwing it away since you only upgrade 1 room) and it would be much cheaper than booking the suite in advance, though it is not guaranteed.

 

[eva]

Have you priced out the cost of getting connecting cabins in lower categories (oceanvies, navigator verandah, verandah) in comparison to the suite? Then you can make your own suite, and it gives you greater separation than in the 1BR suite alone. We found that to be much cheaper than booking a suite in advance. With such young ones it's not quite as economical if you are a party of 4 older folks or kids, but since they're charging for babies now its not quite as much of a penalty as it was when they were free.

If you still want the suite you can look into upgrading at the port (though having 2 rooms is a bit of a disadvantage then because you end up holding an extra room or throwing it away since you only upgrade 1 room) and it would be much cheaper than booking the suite in advance, though it is not guaranteed.

This would be my suggestion too.

 

[Homemom]

Our one and only cruise was also in a one bedroom suite and we won't cruise without it again. It was spacious and great for our one year old to have somewhere to play. Especially since I stayed in the room with her while DH took DD9 to shows etc. We also discovered on our first night that dinner in the restaurants would not work for the baby, so being a suite guest we were able to have dinner delivered from the main restaurants every night and breakfast from Triton's every morning. We were also able to get a continental breakfast from room service on our last morning and stay in the room until 8:30. They also stocked our fridge with bottled water and soda, whatever we asked for, so we never had to leave to get drinks. We had a DVD player and they would bring movies (and popcorn) so the kids could be entertained in the room at night or waiting for dinner. They also brought treats everyday. We found some of these coveniences to be life savers and worth every penny.

 

[Davids-Coco]

This is the reason we booked a suite. Frankly, our 3 year old stopped being able to sleep in the same room as us around 16 mo. He would wake up and want to play. We recently did another trip where we all stayed in one room - the infant did okay, but the three year old was a major problem. He refused to sleep. For our upcoming cruise, the infant will then be a toddler who will wake up and want to play if in the same room. Our kiddos also ONLY sleep anywhere if absolutely exhausted. Neither sleeps in the car seat or stroller... so an ideal sleep environment is key to mom & dad's sanity.

Now, you could go connecting, but it might not be as cost effective... you won't know without comparing though.