Cruise accommodations with kids
 

Hi,
I have always wondered what type of accommodations people get on cruise ships when they travel with kids. My husband and I have been thinking about taking our 13 and 16 year old but we can't picture a situation that would be comfortable unless they had a room of their own to share. My husband and I would like some privacy. Cruise ship rooms are small. (Yes I've cruised before - 3 times). I can't imagine sharing a small cabin / bathroom between 4 people. Do cruise ships have rooms that accommodate parents and teens. I know the suite rooms are large enough but the price is expensive for 4. (Land vacations seem cheaper with better accommodations). Thanks for your info. Almost any cruise destination / ship would be of interest to us. Let me know what you think.
Thanks!

I am certainly not a cruise expert, but when we did a one week cruise last summer the price for our teens was the same as adults - so why not get 2 cabins since this is based on double occupancy. Cruise line made us list occupancy as one adult and one teen per cabin, but no one cares who actually stays in which cabin.

Even so-called suites on many ships do not seem to offer much space or privacy for 4 people.

When we cruised with our teens in spring 2003, we had connecting rooms on Explorer. It worked out great to have two bathrooms available as well as the extra storage space. For privacy, we would close the door between the rooms each night.

When I went on a cruise with my parents (when I was younger) my brother and I had our own separate room and we liked that.

I don;t really think you have any choice in the matter - they still don;t have those inner double bunk bed rooms for 4 people anymore do they? I thought those went out years ago!

I had a quad room on a Alaskan cruise last year (Alaska).It was fine for 2 kids 8 & 11.we didnt spend a lot of time in it any way.

Thanks for all your input. The seperate room seems like the way to go. (I like the idea of connecting cabins). However since you have to use 2 rooms the price of a cruise for 4 people doesn't seem like much of a bargain anymore. Don't you agree? I welcome anymore input .

Even if you put an extra person in a cabin, the discount is not all that much. You will under any circumstances have to pay adult fare for teenagers.

A bargain? Only you can decide that. It can be equivalent or less expensive than staying in nice hotel and eating out in restaurants, especially if you avoid things that cost extra on cruise (lots of alcohol, excursions). But it is certainly more expensive than camping or staying in Motel 6 and eating less expensively. Also depends on destination.

When we wanted to go to Bermuda last summer we chose to cruise since Bermuda is already an expensive destination. But a big part of it was a vacation-style issue. We enjoyed being able to let our kids have their freedom yet being able to rejoin us for meals. Would not do it for every vacation, but worked this time.

RCI has family suites with shared sitting areas so you get the best of both worlds. Some of the newer NCL ships have these also.

I would suggest two adjoining or adjacent cabins if the suites are too pricey. This way, everyone has their privacy.

We took two cabins. An outside, and an inside opposite. The inside was a bargain on this particular sailing...about the same price as adding the third and fourth to our outside cabin. OK if you are fine not having an adjoining cabin. We had a 'late' booking. Also ended up with cabin credits which also helped.

Our kids are 13 and 15 (a girl and a boy). When we go to Alaska, we have an outside cabin with balcony for mom and dad and an inside cabin for the kids to share. We did the same when we went to the Caribbean. Worked just great. I do check on them during the night! Just throw on a robe and take a peek to make sure the little darlings are sleeping soundly. We have a rule that they can't bring their new friends to their cabin - especially since they are different genders and have to work out the privacy stuff. They're not allowed in other staterooms either without an adult present. They're welcome to be in our stateroom, of course. But there are plenty of places to hang out on board.

We have done it both ways - two rooms and 4 in one and both worked out okay. While the kids would prefer the two rooms, on the next trip we will be in a quad. Why? The cost. We just got back from a cruise last week and we booked this one yesterday which will be in August. We got a 2 for 1 on the first two and then then 3rd and 4th were only $299 each - for a 10 day cruise! Couldn't pass it up and they kids understand it is the only way we were going to get to go again this soon.
The trip is the fun part and if we are a bit cramped, oh well. we have cruised before and know what to expect and we have positive attitudes and that will hopefully help us through any "tight" situations.
Also, one can always shower and dress in the gym dressing area - a lot of people did that when we had 44 women all traveling together - many in quads!