Mazey

My husband and I are thinking of going on our first cruise w/my brother and sister in law on their first cruise. Some questions I can't seem to find the answers to: on any of the commercial cruise lines (NCL, Celebrity, etc), are there suites that can accomodate 4 adults, are do we have to get 2 separate rooms? It seems the actual cruise lines websites don't offer much information. Thanks in advance for helping out a couple of newbies!

abram

I'd recommend two separate rooms--a little private time can be a good thing--and with a suite, I believe you only have one bathroom.

gail

There are usually cabins on ships that can accomodate 4 adults, sometimes using sleeper sofas or the like. We have investigated these when cruising with our almost-adult kids. But since these are usually larger suites, the cost is often more or close to cost of 2 separate cabins.

More importantly - why would you want to do this. Share a small space with brother and SIL with one bathroom and no privacy. You are certainly entitled to travel anyway you prefer - but I would rather stay home than be crammed into one cabin with 4 people. Cruise cabins are small - much smaller than even cheap hotel rooms. If cost is really an issue, get 2 inside cabins rather than do this.

patandhank

I have to agree with Gail. The cabins on most cruise ships are not what you see in the movies insofar as size and the bathrooms are about the size of a hall coat closet. You really will enjoy your first cruise experience more I believe with your own space. Perhaps you want to try a short cruise (4 nights) first if you do go the "share cabin" route just to see what you think before you commit to a longer voyage.

FainaAgain

Yes, there are cabins for 4, but it means one bathroom for all 4, if one is in the shower, the others will have to run out to the public restroom. Or wait for what seems forever to change from or into pajamas.

Also, impossible for 2 women to do make-up using one mirror (there are more mirrors, one in the bathroom occupied by the person in the shower, one at the door with no lights).

How long is the cruise? Do you want to be confined to one small room?

Save your friendship, get 2 cabins.

jamesr3939

We shared a suite twice with really good friends and we had a great time.

It was very cost effective to book a large veranda suite as the 3&4th person only paid $199 each.

However, another better option (not cheaper) is to book a small veranda cabin and see if they will open the partions between the cabins for you.

We just took are three adult children on a Carnival Spirit and were able to get them three veranda cabins next to each other and they opened the partions so them could all walk back a forth between cabins.

As I recall two of those cabins would have been cheaper than a suite large enough to be comfortable for four.

As for sharing a cabin, it isn't really that bad you figure out how to schedule you dressing/make up.

Usually, we (men) got dressed early, went to the bar while the women got ready one using the bathroom mirror and the other using the mirror at the desk.

It all seemed to work out OK.

We did have a rule about going to the public rest room to take care of certain fuctions rather than using the cabin toilet.

doug_stallings

I can tell you that NCL has suites with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, but the second bedroom has bunk beds and is much smaller and exceeding less plush than the main bedroom and bath, which might lead to a certain amount of room-envy. These cabins, though often used by 4 adults, are meant for 2 adults and 2 children. But they share a nice verandah and large living room area, which can be good for a group of 4. Still, I think the cost is probably more than the cost of 2 minisuites on and NCL ship.

Other lines have similar set-ups. I guess it depends on how friendly and comfortable you are with your brother and sister-in-law.

cruznjan

I would suggest getting adjoining cabins.

RONREYN2008

I would have to agree with all the posters that say get two ajoining outside cabins with balconies tghat you can take down the seperating partitions. I know on the Princess Cruisees we have taken we could & did do this. We met some people on CruiseCritic.com & we all became friends & we were next to one couple & we had the seperater taken down for the last several days of our cruise. It all comes down to having your Bathroom time to yourself & with four people & one BR it can be imposible to do that. Also no matter how good of friends you are, one needs to have a little alone time. Remember relaxing is one of the main reasons to take a Cruise so think of all the ways to do this in the space each situation gives you. In picking out a Cruise line can give you fits also so that will be your next qquestion.My wife & I love Princess Line but there are others that hate it, so pick out the places you want to go then see what line gives you the best way of seeing those places.

Aristotle

You really need a travel agent. If this is a big issue, you need help. It is hard to visualize cabin size etc. A good agent can really help. It's tempting to do it yourself, but even a cheap cruise is expensive and an agent will not cost anything extra, and can save you a lot of hassle. ANd someone to call when you get in a mess in Martinique

BudgetQueen

2 couples in my opinion NEED two rooms. The Caribbean has some very cheap sailings going on, so you should be able to pick up decent pricing.

I would advise you to do your homework on ports and make selections based on what your interests are, then pick a ship that goes to those ports.