Staterooms: Help me make a smart choice!

[phinz]

I have a hard enough time dealing with two people in a stateroom. I can't imagine five. I'd be all about two connecting rooms.

 

[laceltris3]

We are a family of 5 and do both, depending on circumstances. My kids were almost the exact same ages as yours on our first cruise. Our youngest was 2 months shy of 3. We did a verandah on our first, a Fantasy EC, in Alaska, our WC out of Galveston last month, and in the Baltic this summer. We did insides with our first holiday cruise, a Bahamian out of Galveston, and our Christmas cruise this year, same itinerary.

Two rooms is nice, as is a Verandah. I guess we tend to get one room when the view will be more interesting than the Gulf of Mexico.

 

[DISNEYFAN3260]

Really, it's totally up to you and how comfortable you think you'll be in the space(s) you choose. Definitely consider the experienced input you get here, but in the end you should go with your gut because YOU know your family best. For my part, with with kids those young ages, I'd save a few bucks and stick with one room. You will likely find you're not in it much, and storage is surprisingly ample in all rooms. Use the extra money for excursions, cherished photos, etc. Whatever you choose, ENJOY it and make memories!

 

[adisneyaunt]

I didn't read thru the thread, so just my two cents... I'd only stay mid ship, only mid/higher level, I'd only stay Balcony. And I always review the itinerary to see the direction of travel for the best view... I love watching those Islands that seemingly pop up in the middle of nowhere, while sipping my coffee/libation depending on the time of arrival lol. Enjoy!! Cruise critic dot com is THE best, by the way.

 

[carrielouhoo]

Thank you so much, everyone, for your awesome insight and replies! My TA actually made the change yesterday evening, but now seeing all these families of five with kids that are much older than mine still getting a family verandah room, I'm hoping I didn't just make a huge mistake! Ughhh...why must this be so difficult?!?

I do think that connecting rooms are a must, otherwise the one 5 person is probably a better choice

They are definitely connecting! I'd be too scared to put my kids in a separate room if they weren't...LOL!

Does then 3 year old still nap (or will he/she need to on the very busy/exciting cruise)? One of the reasons we went with the verandah was so that whoever is on nap duty with our 2.5 year old has someplace pleasant to hang out....

The 3 year old probably won't nap. If she does, she'd probably just crash in my arms for 15-20 minutes. I feel fairly certain that she'll want to be in the action all the time just like the bigger kids, but if she does want to nap, I figure we could put her in the "other" room and hang out/watch tv/play on our devices in the "main" room.

In my opinion, booking 2 rooms would be a waste of space (and money)...

I would either keep the verandah (because having a verandah is awesome) or downgrade to OV or inside (and keep only one room.)

Because...

1) You don't spend that much time in the room except for sleeping, napping and showering.

2) There is a lot of room for clothes in the cupboards/drawers + you can store luggage under the bed as well.

-The woman living in a tiny house.

Because we're a family of 5, the only options for keeping one room are the deluxe family rooms (verandah or OV), so unfortunately, we can't just get one inside room. I"d consider downgrading to a family OV, but those have even less space than the family verandah rooms. Two inside rooms comes out to only around $200 more than one deluxe family verandah room, so the price difference is actually pretty negligible.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

Don't sweat it! You know your family better than we do! I think you are doing the right thing. Two connecting rooms, you can have the connecting door open all night if you want. More space, more bathrooms, a separate room for napping. Two TVs. You'll be great! Have fun!

 

[Pens Fan]

We have always sailed in balcony cabins. Love, love them! Spend tons of time on the balcony and would not want to sail without one. However, we are a family of three and now that our son is in college it's often going to be just the two of us.

All that being said, I completely agree you did the right thing in switching to two rooms. As much as we love having a balcony, 5 people and one bathroom (even if it is split), would be a no go for me. Two rooms would be the way to go. Even with our small family we usually book 2 hotel rooms when we travel so that our son has his own and have done so for the last couple of years. The older they get, I definitely think they (and DH and I!!!) need their own space.

I also think as your children are still young, you aren't necessarily going to want to go to bed when they do. Having a separate room to relax in after they go to sleep would be wonderful. A lot of people use a balcony for that, I know, but I would imagine that it's kind of hard to get out there with the murphy bed down. Though I've never had to do that, so can't say for sure. (Admittedly I didn't read this whole thread, so someone with first hand knowledge may have already touched on that.)

At the end of the day, don't stress. You're going on a cruise!! Have fun and enjoy your two rooms! Thousands of people sail in inside cabins every week and they love it.