That's a total of nine? In three cabins? That would mean you'd have to do the following:
Cabin with one adult
Cabin with two adults
Cabin with two adults
Then, add the kids to the above cabins. Too crowded!

I would *consider* depending on the age of the children, getting an inside cabin for all 4 of the kids, and three outsides directly across the hall for the adults (you'd have your own cabin this way). If there are small children, then they could bunk as a third with parents. My teens were 16 and 18, and loved having that inside cabin (although it really burned grandma because they slept so late every day - but hey it's their vacation too!).

Hi,

It is a good suggestion to do an inside stateroom for the kids, but you will need to have an adult registered in the stateroom. An adult needs to be responsible for travelers under age 25. It is just a requirement of the cruise lines.

Usually, I recommend to my clients that they try to stay away from stairwells or elevators as much as possible. People tend to congregate in those areas and it can get noisy. Even just a few doors forward or back from those areas can make a big difference, but still have the easy access to the public areas of the ship. Laundry rooms are another location to avoid, if possible.

Best Regards,
Julia

Decided to do 4 cabins, several rooms down from elevators. Grandkids ages 3, 6, 8, 10 so they can't be in own room. What do we do, other than stay in swimming pool, so they enjoy cruise as much as the 5 adults? Can we take them to shows? This is an adventure!

Hi,

Holland America has a nice children and teens programs with special activities and staff members for the kids. The kids seem to enjoy it when I talk to them on the ships.

There are also movies on the ship - on the Maasdam in June - there was a wide variety of movies for all interests, including "Finding Neverland," "The Pacifier," "Hitch" for example.

Also, the dining and room stewards absolutely pamper the children on the ships....

Best Regards,
Julia