Sleeping 5 in a Stateroom Made for 4

[Canadian Girl]

I always thought they were very strict about room capacity because of safety regulations for life boats. I am not sure it would be allowed if someone found out on-board there was an extra passenger in a four person room. The 5Cs are also not very big. There have been times that someone wanted to add a third person onto a Magic cabin and could not do so because it was over capacity for the lifeboats even though it could potentially hold three or four. I saw you are GTY, so it could be anywhere on the ship. Unless you were in an adjoining room and in the same lifeboat area, it would never be allowed. I don't think even Disney can violate the rules.

 

[Christy B.]

I'm a little confused. The Navigator's verandah rooms are category 7A and most only sleep 3. The 5C category rooms are regular verandah rooms and lots of them sleep 4. So I'm going to assume you have a regular verandah, not a Navigator's verandah room.

I double checked my reservation, and you're right. It's a regular verandah. That's a pleasant surprise. When we first booked the cruise it was going to be just my husband and I in a 7A. Then we decided to bring the kids!

 

[Christy B.]

I always thought they were very strict about room capacity because of safety regulations for life boats. I am not sure it would be allowed if someone found out on-board there was an extra passenger in a four person room. The 5Cs are also not very big. There have been times that someone wanted to add a third person onto a Magic cabin and could not do so because it was over capacity for the lifeboats even though it could potentially hold three or four. I saw you are GTY, so it could be anywhere on the ship. Unless you were in an adjoining room and in the same lifeboat area, it would never be allowed. I don't think even Disney can violate the rules.

Thank you for the warnings. I'd sure rather find out now than when we're on board. Because my son actually sleeping in with my friends would be awkward for all!

 

[Christy B.]

You can always take the top bunk mattress off and put that on the floor for your littlest two to sleep on, that way if one rolls around more it wouldn’t be a big deal.
Have a fun time!

Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[FigmentSpark]

On that note... are the rooms connected? You could take the bunk mattress from your friend's room and put it on your floor (still leaving your bunk and pullman intact).

As for the lifeboat, your 9 year old will go to whatever lifeboat is assigned for your friend's room. Hopefully, it will be the same as yours.

 

[lilsonicfan]

I would be somewhat surprised if DCL actually cared about having 5 people in a room that sleeps 4, as long as all passengers are correctly booked into an appropriate room somewhere on the ship. Lifeboat capacity is not changed in OP's situation. I do not think most cruiselines care where people actually sleep. Of course, you will want to make sure you know where everyone's muster station is, of course, as there is a chance that 9yo's muster station is different than yours. Hopefully the rooms are close and therefore there is a chance the muster station is the same.

On another cruiseline, we had a room for 2 booked and a room for 3 booked, but it turned out that we switched our kids around and had 3 people sleeping in a room that technically held 2. The room steward offered to put enough child lifejackets in both cabins in case the kids changed their minds.

 

[gotomu212]

I always thought they were very strict about room capacity because of safety regulations for life boats. I am not sure it would be allowed if someone found out on-board there was an extra passenger in a four person room. The 5Cs are also not very big. There have been times that someone wanted to add a third person onto a Magic cabin and could not do so because it was over capacity for the lifeboats even though it could potentially hold three or four. I saw you are GTY, so it could be anywhere on the ship. Unless you were in an adjoining room and in the same lifeboat area, it would never be allowed. I don't think even Disney can violate the rules.

Mickey doesn’t care where you sleep each night. The capacity difference is that if there was an actual emergency her son would need to go to the muster station and lifeboat with the family friends who have him on their room assignment (he’ll do that during the drill as well).

When we travel with my extended family we do all kinds of room swaps to avoid grandma paying single supplements and then during the cruise so each couple get one or two nights without the kids.

 

[Dug720]

I would be somewhat surprised if DCL actually cared about having 5 people in a room that sleeps 4, as long as all passengers are correctly booked into an appropriate room somewhere on the ship. Lifeboat capacity is not changed in OP's situation. I do not think most cruiselines care where people actually sleep. Of course, you will want to make sure you know where everyone's muster station is, of course, as there is a chance that 9yo's muster station is different than yours. Hopefully the rooms are close and therefore there is a chance the muster station is the same.

On another cruiseline, we had a room for 2 booked and a room for 3 booked, but it turned out that we switched our kids around and had 3 people sleeping in a room that technically held 2. The room steward offered to put enough child lifejackets in both cabins in case the kids changed their minds.

If the cabins are in different muster stations, which being GTY they could very well be, it certainly DOES affect lifeboat capacity.

Also, if there were to be an emergency in the middle of the night that required going to muster stations, the kid assigned to the friends' cabin would have to be taken to that station and remain with the friends.

Seems like a lot of trouble to go to for a Navigator's Verandah rather than a cabin that will actually accommodate 5.

 

[lilsonicfan]

If the cabins are in different muster stations, which being GTY they could very well be, it certainly DOES affect lifeboat capacity.

Also, if there were to be an emergency in the middle of the night that required going to muster stations, the kid assigned to the friends' cabin would have to be taken to that station and remain with the friends.

Seems like a lot of trouble to go to for a Navigator's Verandah rather than a cabin that will actually accommodate 5.

It affects lifeboat capacity in the sense that the 9yo is supposed to go to another muster station, it doesn't affect it in the sense that his space has already been accounted for. Someone's post above implied that the lifeboats would be over capacity - that's absolutely not true.

I completely agree that it is a risk, and much more so given the GTY booking, that the 9yo's muster station will be in a different place and thus it is a risk in the event of an emergency.

 

[gotomu212]

Seems like a lot of trouble to go to for a Navigator's Verandah rather than a cabin that will actually accommodate 5.

Depending on the cruise they could be saving $500-$1500 booking this way (even after paying their friends for their son’s spot). Those 5 people rooms have an absurd premium.

She also clarified they have a regular verandah not a navigator.

 

[Dug720]

Depending on the cruise they could be saving $500-$1500 booking this way (even after paying their friends for their son’s spot). Those 5 people rooms have an absurd premium.

She also clarified they have a regular verandah not a navigator.

In the event of an emergency where the kid has to be evacuated with the friends, they may wish they had paid it though. It is likely, no. But then NO emergency is likely - and so much can go wrong. I'm not a parent, but if I was, I could not imagine having to take my kid to another station and leave him or her with people (who though friends I for some reason wasn't comfortable having my child sleep in their room) and go back to my own leaving him or her there not knowing if I'd see them again. If the worst happened, I could never forgive myself for essentially saying to the world that my child's life was worth saving maybe $1500.

Is that an extreme case? Of course. But it COULD happen.

 

[MomOTwins]

Just wanted to point out a risk I don't think has been mentioned -- what happens if your friends get sick right before the cruise and are denied boarding, or have to cancel due to a family emergency? Pretty sure your son would be denied boarding too because he would be in their room, and a child cannot stay in a room without a supervising adult being assigned to that room. I guess you could try for an upgrade to a 5 person room then, but if they are all sold out (which, as someone who only ever books 5 person rooms, I can tell you happens a lot as our cruise choices are frequently quite limited), that could be bad. Other option would be to book the second room/take over your friends' reservation and split up the parents between the two rooms, but that would be VERY expensive as you'd be paying the minimum two-adult fare for the second room instead of the single child fare you are currently paying.

I am a worrywart, so that would probably never happen, but just wanted to point it out because it is something that would make be balk at trying to do the 5 in a 4 person room arrangement.

 

[professorandmom]

wow, has this simple question explored the "rabbit hole"

to the OP, you'll make this work, as many other folks have done

 

[gotomu212]

In the event of an emergency where the kid has to be evacuated with the friends, they may wish they had paid it though. It is likely, no. But then NO emergency is likely - and so much can go wrong. I'm not a parent, but if I was, I could not imagine having to take my kid to another station and leave him or her with people (who though friends I for some reason wasn't comfortable having my child sleep in their room) and go back to my own leaving him or her there not knowing if I'd see them again. If the worst happened, I could never forgive myself for essentially saying to the world that my child's life was worth saving maybe $1500.

Is that an extreme case? Of course. But it COULD happen.

Your example is dramatic and also untrue and unfair. In an extreme unlikely scenario that there is an abandon ship emergency he still has a lifeboat spot- it’s just in a different boat. So no, you aren’t saying your child’s life isn’t worth $1500. You’d be saying that if you refused to buy a lifeboat spot but that’s not what’s happening here at all. People have to split their kids into different rooms on DCL all the time (whether due to family size, CC perks, trying to even out pricing with others) which can mean different muster stations and yet I would never think that means they are devaluing a child. Jeez.

 

[MichelleCanada]

I did not read every word of everyone’s answers (so I apologize if I missed something) but here’s a different suggestion....
For sleeping - do the head to tail idea and put the two youngest kids on the same bed. The 5 of you sleeping together.
For the reservation - would it be the same cost if you put you or your husband in your friend’s room? Then in the event of an emergency you are sending an adult off on their own to a different muster station and the kids are all staying with a parent. This would give me peace of mind as a parent.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Just my thoughts - I wouldn't want to sleep on the floor in any public space room (hotel rooms, staterooms onboard, whatever). The chemicals they use for cleaning the carpets initially come to mind. That, plus, you don't know what's been spilled (or otherwise deposited) on those carpets.

 

[dvcdisney]

Just a suggestion about the Muster Drill/Lifeboats. If you're unsure whether your drill station is the same as your friends, I would suggest you trade places with your 9yr old and assign yourself to your friend's stateroom. That way, if there is any issue, your 9yr old will be with your husband and kids and not with your friends.

When I book 2 staterooms that require one person in each stateroom has our CC status, I book one for myself and one for my husband. I then book my children with my husband and I book the relatives with me. For me, I would feel better, that both my children are booked with one of us.

 

[DCSWO]

Just a suggestion about the Muster Drill/Lifeboats. If you're unsure whether your drill station is the same as your friends, I would suggest you trade places with your 9yr old and assign yourself to your friend's stateroom. That way, if there is any issue, your 9yr old will be with your husband and kids and not with your friends.

When I book 2 staterooms that require one person in each stateroom has our CC status, I book one for myself and one for my husband. I then book my children with my husband and I book the relatives with me. For me, I would feel better, that both my children are booked with one of us.

If I remember correctly, if they did this it would result in a fare increase. If the 9yr old moves to mom's room and dad moves to the friend's room, DCL will charge an adult fare for the 9YO since the first 2 fares in a stateroom are charged as adults - regardless of age. They would also still have to pay the adult fare for dad being booked with friends.

 

[Kkb0517]

Also the muster stations are assigned to be close to where the stateroom so an emergency you can get there quickly. While very unlikely, in a true emergency it may take longer or possible be blocked by fire, etc to get to a different muster station than the one assigned. Just something to think about.

 

[dvcdisney]

If I remember correctly, if they did this it would result in a fare increase. If the 9yr old moves to mom's room and dad moves to the friend's room, DCL will charge an adult fare for the 9YO since the first 2 fares in a stateroom are charged as adults - regardless of age. They would also still have to pay the adult fare for dad being booked with friends.

I believe you need to think of it as the price of the first two guests and not the price of an adult.

The third person (adult or child) will cost less than the first 2 guests, no matter how old they are. However, I will agree that it would cost a bit more if the guest is an adult vs a child. But, I recall that this was not a lot (perhaps $100-$200 - at least not the same as the first 2 guests) more to add an adult instead of a 9yr old child. For me, this would be worth having my child with his/her parent.

With regards to the their stateroom, it wouldn't make a difference since the first two (no matter how old you are) will incur the same price....meaning, if they left the Dad in the room, the total for the room would still remain as 2 guests (whether it's 1 adult and 1 9yr old OR 2 adults). The other children will still be the 3rd and 4th guest.

Not sure if I'm explaining this correctly...but essentially, replacing the 9yr old in the friend's stateroom will likely increase the cost by very little (as I said perhaps $100/$200). The OPs stateroom will remain the same since the first 2 guests (whether adult or child) will cost the same, and therefore their stateroom cost will be exactly the same....again, the only increase is the small amount needed to add an adult to the friend's room vs a 9yr old.

Does that make sense?