Best Option for Family of 6?

[TXBelle]

DH and I have 4 DDs. We won't fit into a family room. If we get 2 cabins, I think we have to pay for at least 2 of the children as adults. Anyone know what the best option is for a family of 6?

 

[CraftyMouse]

Your best option is two cabins. Really, it is your only option unless you are willing to pay for a suite, which would be far more than two cabins even with the adult fares for 2 of your kids. Are there grandparents or an aunt/uncle who might like to go? If so you could book them in one room with two of your kids and the rest of you in the other cabin. Either way, I'd try to get connecting cabins (they are available in several categories) as they would allow you to open the door between them and have one large space.

 

[cats mom]

Lots of different answers to that question.
It depends on what is most impostant to you.

You could book a suite (cat 1 or 2)
All of you would be in one room
Expensive option

Or you could book 2 rooms:

Connecting rooms are available in Cat 4-10

10 is the least expensive option, inside cabins, no porthole
9 would be a little more money, but would get you some natural light
8 same as 9 on a different deck
7 is the least expensive option if you want a verandah (navigators verandah)
6 if you want the full open balcony
5 same as 6 different deck
4 a tad more space but for a lot more money

If your kids are older and you're OK with them being across the hall from you rather than in a connecting cabin it opens up more possibilities:

Cat 9 w/cat 10 across the hall (deck 1 or 2)
Cat 8 w/cat 10 across the hall (deck 7)
Cat 8 w/cat 11 across the hall (deck 5 or, 6)
Cat 6 or 7 w/ cat 11 across the hall (decks 5, 6, 7)

The least expensive option would be 2 Cat 11 rooms, but there are no connecting cabins available in this category

I didn't include cat 12 cabins since you cannot pick the location of those, so it's possible that your cabins would be nowhere near each other.

Edited to add:
If you do go with different category cabins book 2 people in the most expensive cabin and the other 4 in the least expensive cabin.

 

[happymommy]

How old are the kids? You could do one room with a verandah and an inside room across the hall if they're old enough.
We booked two cat 10's connecting, and it was cheaper than all 4 of us in a higher category room (and only $100 more than all 4 of us sharing one cat 10).
Just go online and price out your options.

 

[lizzie64]

We are a family of 6 as well.

I went with a Category 5 for my hubby, myself and DS9 and DS7.
DS19 and DD19 are in a Cat 11 directly across the hall.

 

[michellem1118]

I could be wrong, but it seems to me that you could book you & two kids in one room, and your spouse & two kids in the other, and still pay for all the kids as kids.... and then just figure out sleeping arrangements once you get on the boad...

 

[Mic]

In 2002, we booked 2 cat. 11's for our family of 6. They were not connecting rooms(only cat. 10 and up have connecting rooms), but they were right next door to each other on deck 5. When we booked, we had 1 room with myself and 2 oldest daughters, and 1 room with my DH and 2 youngest children in it. For check-in, I had 2 folders with all the pertinent information for the three people in each room (3 birth certificates, ID cards, etc.)...that saved a lot of time! Once onboard, we were allowed to change the names on the room keys, so the three girls were in 1 room, and me, DH, and son were in the other room. We are planning to go on another cruise sometime this year (if I win the lottery) or next, but this time the 2 oldest daughters will be over 18. And after staying in a cat. 7 a few weeks ago, DH says we will be booking a room across the hall from the cat. 11! If your children are young, I highly recommend you book connecting cat. 10's. They are usually only $100-200 more per room, and it would provide peace of mind. There were no connecting 10's left when we booked our 4-day, but we felt our 14-year-old was responsible enough to be in the room next to us without a connecting door.

 

[CraftyMouse]

I could be wrong, but it seems to me that you could book you & two kids in one room, and your spouse & two kids in the other, and still pay for all the kids as kids.... and then just figure out sleeping arrangements once you get on the boad...

The first two passengers in any stateroom must pay the adult rate, no matter their age.

 

[ellenmiele]

We are taking our first cruise in June and we are also a family of 6 - me, DH and 3DD & DS who are quadruplets and will be 11 when we cruise. I went back and forth for a long time as to what type of cabin(s) to book. DH really wanted a veranda and I know the kids would enjoy that too because they always love the balconies in WDW. I would have loved a suite but they are just SOOOO expensive (and then what we would do on the next cruise!!) I had made up my mind to book connecting cat 7's w/the navigators veranda but then someone on these boards suggested the across the hall option so that is what I did - we have a cat 6 and a cat 11 right across the hall. So this way we do have a verandah and I figure that's the room we'll spend most of our time in (which I'm sure will be very little time!)and we'll keep all our bags/stuff in the cat 11 room so we have more room in the cat 6. Not quite sure yet as too how we'll do sleeping arrangements - I'll have to wait until I actually see the rooms to make that determination. And just to confirm what someone else already said - the first 2 people in the room are counted as adults at the adult rate even if they are children. But even with that, the 2 cabins were still less $$ than a suite.