Family of Five

[scottygirl]

We would love to do a Disney Cruise. However, it seems to be cost prohibitive for a family of five. We would have to get two connecting staterooms or the family suite. I am frustrated that I have to pay so much more. I realize that it will cost more for an extra person, but it ends up being twice as much money because we have an "extra" kid. Am I the only one with three kids? Any advice out there on how to make a trip affordable? Thanks for letting me vent.

 

[mmouse37]

You are 100% correct....the one extra child can make the whole trip so much more.

We also have a family of 5 and we went with the Cat 4. Now when we cruise we get two Cat 9's for more space and privacy.

The only thing I would suggest is trying to cruise in off peak times, even if it may mean taking the kids out of school. There can be huge savings that way.

MJ

 

[cjsmith]

We're a family of 5 and I've found on our last two cruises and our upcoming 7 night in June, it's a lot cheaper for me to have 2 staterooms than the family stateroom. I get a category 6 for my husband and I and my three kids are in a category 11 right across the hall from us. My kids are 10, 12 and 15 and it's worked out beautifully for us. I love the extra bathroom and the extra space. Of course, it's still more than our friends who cruise and only have a family of 4, but what are you going to do, I'm stuck with them!!!!!
Carolyn

 

[kajohn]

scottygirl,

I know how you feel! Society in general really punishes you if you have 5 instead of 4! I have two kids of my own and a stepson, so when we travel there is usally 5 of us. What a difference when my stepson is with us compared to when he isn't! Whether it is staying at a hotel, or getting a table at a restaurant it is so much harder!

Unfortunately, we didn't find any cheaper way to go, so we paid the $5000+ to stay in a category 4 room. It is the same way at WDW too, to find a room that sleeps 5 you must pay through the nose! That is why we opt to stay off property in a condo, two bedrooms, plenty of room for everyone. Unfortunately we miss out on staying on property, but it is a sacrafice I've had to make.

I guess I'm venting too! It just seems my husband and I are very aware of it, because sometimes we are 4 and sometimes 5.

By the way, I live just east of you in Macomb! Good luck in whatever you work out!

 

[Scratch42]

You are not alone, being a single parent I must pay adult price for my child too!

But like suggested, go during times where it is not peak season and book early for the early booking savings, that helps a little bit.

Happy Cruisin'

Scratch

 

[lotsofboys]

We are in the same "boat" (no pun intended ). We went with Grandma & Grandpa the first time and stuck 2 kids in their room. This next cruise we booked while onboard and what started out as hoping the other set of Grandparents would go has turned out to be 12 of us going, cousins, etc. and we had to get a third room. If you don't have family interested in going, ask around and I bet you can get some friends to go. Of course, they can only have 1 child so you can stick one of yours in their room!

Good luck, I hope you get to go because it will be the trip of a lifetime for you and your family. Oh, and I second trying to go in off peak times. Our first cruise was over the 4th of July and we paid dearly for not wanting to take the kids out of school. Next cruise is Feb 7, 2004 and the savings is over $6,000, mind you that also includes Cat 5 vs. Cat 11, but still on deck 7.

 

[Auntie Bon]

I won a trip for 4 people in cat. 11 but needed accomodations for 5 people. DCL wanted $4400 to upgrade and include the 5th person. Instead I booked a second cat. 11 and paid through the nose for the single price.

I think the 5th person and the single person often get squeezed for extra money by most travel companies. The way they see it is that one person is taking the space of 2. Of course the single person doesn't get any better treatment or double the fun for the price.

 

[AnnaS]

We also get two inside staterooms.

 

[tezb]

We too are a family of 5! First 2 times have booked Cat 4 and this upcoming July cruise are trying 2 rooms. Cat 11 for my 3 boys...2 are teens and youngest 11.... and Cat 5 for me and my husband. We really don't think much about it...have just accepted it since it's always been our way of life. It is true, the world is made for either family of 4 or even numbers....but hey they did make a TV show about us....Party of Five!

 

[Rock'n Robin]

I've run into this problem as well. Not so much in hotels yet (they can all still squeeze into one bed--and when they can't, bring out the sleeping bag) but on our cruise I booked a cat. 4 with DVC points. That is one reason we did DVC, we can get the 2BR rooms with so much more room than the deluxe rooms we are limited to with the 3 kids.
On our 7 day in 2004, I was quoted $8300 for a cat. 4 and $6300 for two cat. 10 connecting SPH rooms. WOW! You have to remind yourself that at least you aren't paying for food, but still, it would be easier to fit snugly into a cat. 7. We'll be giving up the verandah but it can't be worth $2000!
Robin M.

 

[dzneprincess]

We are a family if 5 soon to be 6, and found ourselves in the same situation. The only thing we found was EBS as soon as possible book that cruise! As soon as you can afford that 1250 depo do it! We also could not see spending so much money on a Cat 4. so we booked 2 cat 10's connecting! I never even thought about getting to different cats and being next to each other! LOL

 

[my3kids]

With the third child....the costs increase an inordinate amount from adding a second child. The travel industy is geared for families of 4.... Not 5. There isn't an inexpensive cabin for families with 3 children. Familes with 2 children can get cabins from a 12 all the way up and pay for 2 adults and 2 children. In order for a couple with 3 children to pay for 2 adults and 3 children is to get a category 4 room.....only one down from the suites. To get 2 cabins, we pay for 4 adults and 1 child. I know 3 children are expensive, but with DCL, it exceeds the usual cost of the 3rd child..... In other situations, we go to McDonalds and each child's meal costs the same. We go for ice cream and pay the same $2.00 for each cone....no big deal. But for the cruise, what would be the $399 fifth person suddenly bumps us out of inexpensive accomodations and the one $399 kid becomes two at $949 each and 1 at $399. Most familes with 3 children, as someone else wrote, pile into hotels and the kids are used to being crowded. Even an infant pushes a family out of all cabins except a #4. We booked 2 rooms for the first trip, and chose the same for our next....but the more I compare the costs of DCL vs. some other premium lines, I keep looking into perhaps saving money and going with Celebrity or Princess. We'll still pay the "third child penalty" that the travel industry has created, but it would likely be much less than DCL. DCL was inovative in having many many cabins that will hold 4 people and many connecting rooms. I've found most lines don't offer that flexibility for familes. But it would have been nice to have a couple of interior staterooms that would hold 5. I guess....where do you draw the line though. First, a few for 5, then those with 4 children would want category 12 rooms for 6 and so on and so on. Just rambling.....a third child really isn't that much more expensive in day to day life, just in day to day cruising.

 

[tecdavidt]

We're a family of six! The first two DCL cruises all 6 of us went. We had to get 2 staterooms, the large 2 bedroom suites were gone. We found out 2 cat. 6's were cheaper. The next 2 DCL cruises we were a family of 5, still had to go with the 2 cat. 6's. This last cruise it was just my husband, myself and our daughter age 10. The boys were all in college. We ended up with a cat. 3 so we had privacy and the second bathroom. We got use to 2 baths after having 2 connecting staterooms.

The cruise industry has a mindset that the family is 2 parents and 2 children. I don't know how true that is, we know a lot of families that have 3 children!
Kathy

 

[d'Isigny]

We are also a family of 5...not too sure if we get any breaks. It appears to be - book 2 rooms or a cat 4 (or higher). Last time we took our Grands and had one DD assigned to their room.

Would love to hear from anyone with suggestions.

 

[trishy]

We joined DVC for the same reason. We were planning our first WDW trip with a cruise attached and the cost was out of this world cash-wise. This June we are heading out to WDW for the 4th time in 3 years and our 3rd cruise. We rely heavily on Priority Seating to get around that 5 person problem at the restaurants. Our friends think we're rich to cruise so often with a WDW vacation attached - but we know better. We always get the Cat 4, but as they get older we know the two cabins will be necessary.

 

[scottygirl]

Misery loves company!!! I am glad I am not the only one who has this "problem", I know a lot of families with 3 kids, and guess what? They still want to go on vacation!!! I like the post about grandparents going, maybe we can try that. We usually budget about $5K a year for vacations, so maybe we will have to skip a year to be able to go on a cruise. If my kids were older the idea of two staterooms across from each other would be great. What is the advantage of DVC and cruises? Do you save money if you are a DVC member? Of course if we were DVC members we would have to have a 2 bedroom villa$$$$$. Thanks for your support.

 

[TerriBelle]

We are a family of 5 and I am sooooo confused! We would love to try a cruise but I don't know how to start.

1) Did you book through Disney or travel agent?
2) Should we get a suite or 2 rooms? Our kids are 10, 5, 5
3) We have DVC but I have heard that this is not the best way to use the points. We were hoping to cruise for 4 nights and then maybe use our points to stay at Vero or WDW.
4) Another family of 5 might go. Should we consider sharing a third room?

Thanks for any help

 

[JOC]

Renting your DVC points, then using the cash to pay for the cruise, would probably be more cost effective.

 

[BarbOKW]

We're a family of 6 and I always point out to friends that have 3 kids that if they decide to add a 4th they move up to 2 hotel rooms every vacation! The hotels will usually allow 5 in a room but not 6. All I have to say is thank goodness for DVC, I wouldn't be able to afford 2 deluxe hotel rooms at WDW but get to stay at the deluxe resorts with my DVC membership.

As far as the cruise goes we book 2 category 6 state rooms. We went on the 4 day cruise March 2002 and we loved it so much that we decided to go on the 7 cruise in 2004. I watched every week for when they opened the 2004 schedule for booking. I think I made my reservation on the first or second day. My early booking discount was over $5,000. I often check the current prices and if I were to book today it would cost me $2,000 more than I paid.

The way I look at it, I'll be so use to spending tons on vacation that when my kids are grown and DH and I traveling alone, we'll be able to take fabulous vacations and it will seem cheap!

 

[tezb]

From our own experience,

Some hotels who offer suites will allow 5 people but most will only allow 4 so we usually have to get 2 rooms for our family of 5. Especially once you have teens!