Confused about rooms...

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Hi, I'm a bit confused about rooms and how many they "sleep" and why.
What I mean is from what I've read and SEEN (the virtual tours shown in another thread)- what really is the difference between the family suite (cat 4) and say cat 10 or 11? I can't see the difference! I mean in the sleeping arrangements... the beds look the same, the couch the same, the pull down bunk from ceiling the same- so why does one say sleeps 4 and the family suite says sleeps 5? I don't get it... it seems to me there is just as much room for sleeping the same amount of people in both....

Also another question- if you do land/sea ... how do they work that on rooms? What I mean is if you book cat 1 or 2 (sleeps 7 or 5) or family suite cat 4 (sleeps 5)- how do they get you all in one room at the resort you can pick from? I saw the note that if you have more than 5 in cat 1 you'd need to pay for another room at GF... but that only confused me, you can't sleep 5 in a room at GF can you? I thought it was only 4 per room.
So let's say you book cat 1 or 2 or 4.... land/sea... and you have 5 in your family.... how do they book you into one resort room that only sleeps 4?

 

[Scratch42]

if I remember correctly one of the sites that had the virutal tours of the rooms did not show the proper categories. To get a better idea of what the rooms arrangements are go to the DCL Book.

Regarding the room at the GF, they make you get an extra room at your expense. They will not allow 5 to stay in a room for 4! It's in the fine print.

Hope this helps somewhat.

Scratch

 

[WDWLVR]

The difference with the Category 4's is that they have a bit more space and a not only the pull down bed from the ceiling but also a pull down murphy bed from the wall.

 

[SeaSpray]

As far as I know, ALL of the rooms at the Grand Floridian sleep 5 people. There are 2 queen beds plus a daybed. My DSs took turns between the second queen bed and the day bed and both said the day bed was very comfortable.

 

[my3kids]

The category 1 and 2 on the ship are very hard to get since there are so few of them. But, over 5 people in one of those rooms means you have to pay for a second room at the GF. For less than the cost of one of those suites, you could probably book 2 rooms in another ship category, then get 2 rooms on land also.

The only difference in the category 4 vs. the actual room in 10 thru 5 is enough room an the verandah door end of the sofa for a murphy bed to flip from the wall. When it comes down, it crosses right at the verandah door. Other than that, the room is the same.

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

I don't think I made my questions clear enough....

What I mean is if you book a cat 1 or 2 ... which sleep 5 or more- and you have FIVE in your party- then how do they get you in the GF room? Because it only says if you have MORE than 5 and book those categories that you'll have to pay for a 2nd room. I thought GF only allowed 4 to a room- including children ages 3 and up. So I didn't think we could fit 5 in one room.
Apparently I was wrong about that and 5 can sleep in a GF room? (according to SeaSpray- thanks for that info!)

Scratch- booking online it does not say anything about having to have a 2nd room if you book those categories and have more than 4 people... it says if you have more than 5 then you have to get another room.

My3kids... if I'm reading you correctly the only difference is a murphy bed that pulls down? Or are you saying it is bigger to allow room for that murphy bed? In some of the other categories it shows sleeps 3 (some sleep 4) -listed like that... and looking at the pictures it shows a larger bed (not sure of the size- queen? double?) and a couch (assuming it turns into a daybed of some sort?) and shows a pull down bunk... for OUR family that would sleep 5 just as well as the larger bed, couch, & murphy bed in the cat 4 family suite. This is why I'm trying to figure out why they consider that sleeping 5 but there's just as much sleeping arrangements in other categories??

 

[lbgraves]

As far as the staterooms that sleep 3 or 4, the ones with 4 have the pull down bed from the ceiling while the ones for 3 do not. They would look the same during the day when the bed is put away.

Just reread your post. DCL will not put 5 people in a room that is made to sleep 4 no matter what their size. Even if you need a pack & play for one of the 5, they will not let you stay in one room meant for 4 people. They say the bed is a queen but it is like a king to me. It is 2 twin beds that are placed together or seperated. HTH.

 

[KathyTX]

The majority of rooms at the Grand Floridian sleep 5, on two queen beds and one daybed.

There are a few "dormer rooms" that are a bit smaller and will only sleep four, and I don't know about the concierge turret rooms or honeymoon suites... but the vast majority of the regular guest rooms here sleep 5.

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Learn something new every day. See, I thought from now one if we stayed in a resort onsite we'd either (in the early years when they are little) stay at POR with the trundle beds or have two rooms (which without being connecting rooms is NOT an option I will choose when they are young.. or we'd have to pay for 2 rooms but really all sleep in the same room which seems like such a waste!). But now I know we can stay at GF with 5! Cool.... all the more reason to spend more to stay there -I want to anyway. LOL Thanks for letting me know about that!

I get that DCL won't let 5 stay in a room listed as sleeping 4- what I'm having a problem figuring out is HOW the cat 4 is different- how it really sleeps 5, more than the ones listed sleeping 4. It seems to sleep the same amount as other categories listed to sleep 4. Can someone explain that to me so I can understand why they consider it different? Why they consider cat 4 able to sleep 5 while other categories listed for 4 only sleeping 4? In some cases- it seems like the same amount of sleeping arrangements!

 

[Cruisin]

I think the simple answer might be

2 people in the large bed
1 in the day bed
1 in the pull down bunk
1 in the Murphy pull down bed.

without the Murphy pull down bed they only sleep 4

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Okay okay... so are you saying in cat 4 you have ALL of that and with a cat 10 it's minus the murphy bed? If I'm reading that right- then I finally understand why they consider it different (5 vs 4). So I got that (thank you for explaining!!)

But with my family- atleast until they got older- we probably wouldn't use the murphy bed.... we could easily sleep 2 on the daybed- 1 in bunk. The daybed isn't any smaller than a twin size or twin bunk (bottom bunk) size is it? For instance my 3 have, and could easily continue to do so for a few years atleast, all slept on a queen together. Youngest 2 can easily sleep on a twin together- and often do when they want to sleep together in my son's bottom bunk which is small twin size. LOL But they don't care what you CAN sleep.. it's all about how many humans. right? hehe

(ps. the cat 4 isn't more ROOM either is it? I mean more spacious? Or does it have more room for that murphy bed to pull down meaning if you don't use the murphy bed you end up with more space there? Also it was mentioned that it pulls down in front of the verandah doors.... so there goes any chance of going OUT on the verandah if the murphy bed is in use at the time with a child sleeping on it- right?)

Oh and thank you all for helping me figure all this out. Apparently cat 1 or 2 is hard to come by so I guess I'm kinda in a time crunch to figure out if that is what I want to go with, or just a cat 4, or just 2 cat 10's or what. LOL

 

[hilltopfamily]

Bibbidy:

I think you've got it now, the difference in Cat. 10 & Cat. 4 IS the murphy bed (which is where the 5th person sleeps).

Not sure of the size of your kids, but I know mine would have trouble sleeping 2 on the couch/day bed (and my kids are all "slim"--they just wouldn't fit very comfortably IMHO, they would have trouble falling asleep, etc.) I do think it is about twin bed size but it seemed shorter in length. It is the couch turned into the bed and I felt like the couch wasn't very long (maybe a cross between a couch & a loveseat??)

We went with 2 connecting cat 10's with our family of 5 & this worked great. Total square feet ends up at 428' (214' multiplied by 2) for 2 Cat 10s vs. 304' for 1 Cat. 4. Plus we enjoyed 2 showers/tubs, 2 toilets, 4 sinks total, 2 TV's and double the closet space. Gave up the veranda, but since we had never cruised before, we didn't know what we were missing. Don't know anything about rooms at GF so can't help out there. Good luck making your decision.

And, from the posts I've read on this board, yes, the murphy bed DOES block entrance to/from the veranda when it is pulled down from the wall, making that square feet useful mostly during the day, between morning & evening cleanings of the room.

 

[Karel]

Yes, the Murphy bed does make it awkward to get out onto the veranda but it is doable. You also can't get into the clothes 'trunk' - doors won't open because of bed. This is the one bad thing about a '4'.

Rooms that sleep three only have 2 beds which can be made into one big one and the couch/daybed.

Rooms that sleep four have the 2 bed/one big bed, pull out couch and the bed from the ceiling.

Rooms that sleep five - cat 4 - have the murphy bed too.

The upper bunk has a weight limit. You have to have enough beds for bodies.

All deluxes except for Wilderness lodge and standard AKL rooms sleep 5.

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Wow... still learning! All Deluxe resorts sleep 5 except WL and AKL??? YEAH! I thought we were doomed to only POR then 2 rooms (meaning probably not deluxes if booking two rooms LOL) when staying onsite from here on out (youngest wouldn't be under 3 from here on out). But I guess not! We can try out all the Deluxes! (GF has to be first though... I just won't tell DH that all the deluxes sleep 5 until AFTER that WDW trip LOL)

My kids are pretty little- and still will be unless they do some MAJOR growing in the next year or so. LOL The youngest two can (and do) fall asleep together on our loveseat at times- if that gives you an idea. But hopefully my little squirt (son who is still way small for his age) will grow some by then. My youngest is on the small side for her age also. But they might grow by then- so that would be crowded. (The oldest would use the upper bunk I'm sure.. but the younger two might be crowded if they grow- even if DCL allowed it, which they won't. LOL) So I get that now...

But I do NOT like the idea of the verandah problem with the murphy bed being used. There goes any late night sitting on the verandah together. *pout* We would basically be using our stateroom to sleep- so the extra room during the DAY is of no use to us. We're the type that only shower/sleep a few hours in our resort room and that's IT. LOL I imagine with so much to do on the cruise- it would be the same there too!

Okay so now we have the decision of either going with 1 or 2 bedroom suite (sleeps 5 right?) or connecting rooms in another category. Let's say cost was not an issue- connecting rooms would be nice- once they go to sleep we'd have our own stateroom/verandah to ourselves. However, I like the idea of concierge too... save us the trouble of stressing about lines for ressies and such- right?
But here's another question- where can I find out what deck each category is on? This is going to sound like a stupid question- but am I right to assume that the higher the category the higher up you are? If so, that might be a problem... I'm not sure how any of us are going to do with sea-sickness. With 5 of us- the odds are atleast one of us is going to have issues with this (probably me knowing my luck- LOL). I say that because even in our new travel trailer this summer if it was windy... I could feel the "swaying" when we were set up for the night and did not like it when I was trying to fall asleep. I imagine that's "similar" to the swaying on a ship if higher???
I really like the idea of a verandah- although the navigator's verandah appeals to me the most from what I've heard. (blocks wind more/etc.) So do they have navigator's verandah staterooms that are connecting? If so, what room numbers are those? I have seen deck plans with room numbers, and info on what cat staterooms the magic has... (we'd be going 7 day Western cruise by the way) -but haven't figured out how to put the two together to know what room numbers are what cat! Can anyone help me with that?

Okay so that's more than one question... sorry. I really appreciate all your help! This cruise thing can be kind of overwhelming at first- lots to learn... good thing I have a little time. LOL

 

[my3kids]

The deck plans are all in the DCL book, and I think also available on the website. Connecting category 7 rooms would likely be MUCH less expensive than a category 1 or 2, but I've not priced that specific comparison....someone can surely give you an idea. Also on allseastravel.com, they do list pricing for category 1 and 2 rooms, I believe.

There are some connecting category 7 rooms. Each of that category sleeps 3 only. With 2 adults and 3 children, that shouldn't be a problem at all. We booked connecting rooms both times we reserved instead of the category 4 room. The very small amount of extra space(only enough for the murphy to flip down onto the floor) didn't justify the additional cost, and the loss of an extra bathroom, space and privacy.

Yep, GF will sleep 5. Only deluxe you won't be able to stay in with 5 is WL...although they might have a suite that does....not sure.

DCL won't let you put more people in a room than it has a bed for, so even if the kids like to pile in together, DCL won't do that. Even infants count as a person on the ship, unlike at the resorts.

One thing to remember...when you book 2 rooms, the first 2 people in each room pay the full, adult fare. You'd pay 4 adult prices and 1 child price to be in connecting rooms. In the category 4 room, you'd pay 2 adults and 3 children fares.

I would not book the suite just for the concierge to take care of the reservations. Getting what you want is not nearly the headache it appears to be after reading about the people rushing for them. On the 7 night, there are lots of Palo and spa reservation slots. If you arrive in a timely manner to the ship, you'll be fine on your own. That isn't saying don't book a suite...just that you shouldn't feel like you HAVE to to get reservations.

If you are doing the 7 night trip and want to visit WDW also, you can book a room wherever you want. There isn't a "package" thing that assigns a land room based on the ship room. On the 7 night Land/Sea package, that is the case though. If you are just planning to visit WDW, make the reservations yourself, not when you book the 7 night Western. You'll be able to find much better pricing on your own than having the cruise line book you a rack rate room.

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Thanks for all your help/advice! It is really appreciated!

I don't know what book you are referring to- but I haven't found the info about what decks/room #'s go with what cat staterooms so far online.

I agree with you that the additional cost just for the extra space that the murphy bed goes (AND blocking our verandah no less...) is not worth it. I think we'd prefer to either go with 2 connecting rooms in navigators verandah cat or other cat.... OR go with 2 bedroom stateroom. Just trying to decide between the two. Weighing the cost vs. what we want... about the concierge I was just thinking having someone to help with things like ressies and a little "extra" special treatment might be worth the little extra a 1 or 2 bedroom might cost over TWO other staterooms (yes, I realize with 2 we'd be paying for 4 adults/1 child even though we have 2 adults/3 children- that figures into the costs and comparing our options)

But thank you also for the reassurances that the ressies aren't as hard to get when it's a 7 day cruise.

We probably would not do the land/sea... that's just too short of a cruise IMO. LOL I'd be a nervous wreck trying to do everything in only a few (or 4) days. I'd probably prefer to fly in a day or two early, stay at a resort- then do the cruise... and possibly stay another day afterwards- getting in my MK fix before we go back to Texas. LOL I'm so used to going to MK first and last thing when we go to that area- I'm not sure I could handle just doing the cruise and not seeing MK atleast... as well as other parks.

Thanks again!

 

[my3kids]

http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/disneycruiseline/ratesanddates/ships/deckindex?id=Deck1

This link is for the deck plans. Connecting rooms are denoted by little triangles.

The book is the Disney Cruise Line promotional book you can order from Disney, or pick up from any travel agent.

 

[KathyTX]

Originally posted by BibbidyBobbidyBoo
I don't know what book you are referring to- but I haven't found the info about what decks/room #'s go with what cat staterooms so far online.

Go to www.disneycruise.com

"Stateroom Descriptions" will describe the staterooms, show a floorplan diagram, show where a murphy bed goes in a family stateroom, give you a room's SF, and tell you what category that room is.

"Deck Plans" will show where things are on each deck, will show where cabins of the different categories are located, and will show which cabins connect.

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Thank you both!