Staterooms 1 Room 4 or 2 Room 11's?

[spm23]

We are thinking of booking for a 4 night cruise next year and its working out about $4700 for a Cat 4 for us or only $3600 for 2 Cat 11's.

I will be traveliing with DW, DS (13 and big), DD (13). We will be staying in total for 3 weeks so will have a fair amount of baggage but starting with the cruise.

My questions and advice from the many who have done the 4 night cruise are:

Is it worth paying the extra for the balcony versus the extra space we will have from the 2 Cat 11's

What are the drop down beds like? Would you put a 13 year old on one, and do they ever roll off in the night?

Do you have to pay parking if we drive to the port or are we better off getting transfers/taxi?


Sorry for these, but even after looking at the rooms, layouts etc, we are not sure what is the best option as we will get the views etc from on deck, so does it matter about the room when all you will do is sleep and it is a lot of money which could go towards staying on site at Universal?

Many Thanks

 

[my3kids]

All 4 of you would fit in one category 11, or 1 of any cat. except 12 and 7. You'd have a lot more space and storage, plus the extra bathroom with the 2 rooms though. Cat. 11 do NOT connect so if you want the physical proximity to the children's cabin, you'd have to go with a cat. 10 or higher. I would not pay the additional for the cat. 4 vs. any other balcony room for only 4 people. The amount of extra space is very small; only enough for a murphy bed to flip down for the 5th person. Your 13 yo could fit in the top bunk. I think the weight limit is 200 pounds or so. It is just about like a regular twin bed.

 

[mommasita]

I agree..ALthough our kids are younger, we always book a cat.11 to save money...We are in our room very little...If you were a family who thought you would spend more time in the room, then it would be a good idea...

Also, you could do a cat.11 with a cat..6 across the hall if you needed the verandah...

 

[F1Julie]

I'd go for 2 staterooms. You'll appreciate the extra space and bathroom. I'd rather have that than being crowded and having a verandah.

 

[deefranco]

We are a family of 6 and leaving in 6 days. We got 2 Cat. 6 staterooms vs. a Cat 4 room. The 2 Cat. 6 rooms (connecting) gives us more room and the extra bathroom. Also 2 TV's, so no fighting over that either. A Cat 4 would have been nice, but the Cat. 6 was cheaper. I wanted the verandah because the last time I was on a cruise I was sea sick, so I am looking forward to having the fresh air at night. I don't know that I am any help to you, but I hope you have a great trip!

 

[spm23]

Many Thanks. I think we may save the money and go for 1 room, I have found out that we can leave some of our baggage back at SSR when we leave there and use the money to stay at Universal on our return.

Another Question: Whats the best way to get to the port, do people use the Disney busses, they seem expensive at $59 pp.

 

[mommasita]

Many Thanks. I think we may save the money and go for 1 room, I have found out that we can leave some of our baggage back at SSR when we leave there and use the money to stay at Universal on our return.

Another Question: Whats the best way to get to the port, do people use the Disney busses, they seem expensive at $59 pp.

YEs, they can be quite pricey..It is cheaper to rent a car, and return it at the port..ANd sometimes to get a town car pickup.. We go for the pickup...

dcltribute.com has lots of info on this and other things..