1st timers w/family of 5 - stateroom help, please

[MNtwinsplus1mom]

We're planning on an Alaska cruise next May and will be a group of 5, incl. me, DH, DS17, DS14, DS14.

My DH went on a Disney cruise very long ago, when they didn't have their own ships yet, and he got seasick and didn't really like it. He is willing to try again bc it's Alaska so should be calmer and bc it's for a special birthday celebration. (He's very kind to do this!) Anyway, we were planning on a Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah, but we're unsure if we should pay for a 4A or a 4B. I hear for the smoothest trip, in the middle is preferred so lean toward 4A. Does that sound worth it? I know I could try to pick a 4B that's towards the middle, but it would still be far from center. The price difference between A & B isn't much, anyway, I think? How I wish I could see prices online already!

Anyway, an alternative would be two rooms, with one being a verandah room (for DH & me) and the other a standard inside room (for the boys, who could of course use our verandah too). This looks like a cheaper option apparently. Does anyone with kids around this age (mid to late teens) have experience doing 2 rooms like this or an opinion on what's best? I feel kind of bad sticking them in an inside room, but they might enjoy the space.

Thanks very much for any advice! Reading these boards has been so helpful. We are beyond excited to be taking this trip.

 

[cariann77]

Since your boys are older, I would do 2 rooms! They will sleep more comfortably plus, having that extra bathroom will be really helpful. We're a family of 5 and fit nicely in a deluxe family with a veranda but I wouldn't do it with bigger kids. Go for more space! I would stick with mid-ship as well.

 

[Lulu27]

If you can swing 2 rooms, do it! We cruised for the first time last year and chose to do connecting rooms for our family of 5 (kids were 16, 14, & 12 at the time). Having the extra space and bathroom was so worth it!

Also, my DH and youngest DD get motion sickness. I was so worried about how they would do with cruising. Our cabin was Deck 9 Forward - we only noticed movement the first night. DH took non-drowsy Dramamine the first 2 days and wore sea bands the entire time. DD took non-drowsy Dramamine the first day and wore her sea bands the first day. Both did fine and were not sick.

 

[closetmickey]

I replied to your post on the opening day thread. Even if the price were the same, you will love having 2 rooms!!

 

[Rob1872]

If 2 rooms is cheaper, do it! Our first cruise we did 2 connecting inside rooms and loved having the 2 bathrooms. Last cruise we did the Deluxe Family w/Verandah and I'd prefer the 2 connecting. (Even though it was nice having the verandah!)

 

[buzzrelly]

Personally, I wouldn't do two rooms unless they were connecting, and that kind of defeats the purpose of saving money. When my kids went on the Dream in 2016, they were 12 and 14 and they literally stayed out later than me every night. If they were in a room across the hall, I wouldn't sleep worrying about them coming in late and not knowing. Also, since they were out so much, it just wouldn't be worth it to me to spend extra money for a second room. Five people would be a little more cramped, but I'd deal with it, unless I could afford two connecting rooms.

 

[mrsp1030]

We booked a 4B for our Magic cruise last year and hoping to book a 4B for the Wonder for next summer to Alaska too. I love the location in the aft and a quick flight up the stairs to the back deck and drink station. We are also a family of 5 and our kids will all be 12 and under so we still stick with one room. We were next to a family of 5 in the Mediterranean who had all teens last summer and they were perfectly happy with their space they said.

 

[MUN]

My 2¢ is to book 2 connecting Oceanview rooms on deck 2. Twice the space and probably less expensive than 1 verandah. Also, we have had good luck with deck 2 concerning motion. You will be sailing on the ocean for awhile and it can get rocky.

MUN

 

[cheribelle]

Family of 5 here (17,14,9) and I vote for 2 rooms! We are actually doing our 3rd cruise with 2 rooms this summer. First one was fine in one room as they were still small and it was a 4 night. But now they are older and we cruise for 7 nights, we definitely need the two rooms.
Space is so worth it, as is the 2 bathrooms. Also my teens tend to come in later than myself so it’s easier that they have their own room (of course I stay up and wait for them!). They also sleep later and I can get up and get dressed without having to be quiet for them.
I’m learning teens are like their own species and I like to leave them alone

 

[daedelus]

We have no choice but to do 2 rooms - we are a family of 6. We always book 9B, which is Deluxe Oceanview on Deck 2 midship. We love those rooms and we always get a connecting room. While we've been tempted several times to do up to one of the higher decks, we never done it. IMHO, we don't spend a lot of time in the rooms (except sleeping, of course) so my cheap side wins out. Plus we like Deck 2, very little roll on the lower decks. I personally love it, puts me right to sleep but DW isn't a fan.

 

[wl1117]

I am prone to sea-sickness. Normally, I use the patch and it works very well. However, on our Alaska cruise, I wanted to try going without. I used Ear seeds, which are little balls on a sticky bandage that basically hit pressure points on the ear. Either they worked magically, or Alaska was no where near as rough as the Bahamas or Caribbean trips we've taken (6times). LOL

We love staying Forward, and were booked in a 4B on our Alaska trip and again for our upcoming PC trip. Personally, I've never noticed any improvement being in the middle versus forward. The one time we sailed aft, I was the most sick and I felt it was the noisiest...but that could have just been the makeup of the people surrounding us at that time.

 

[MNtwinsplus1mom]

Thank you everyone for the great input! Excellent points have been made, & it is so helpful.

I think I was wrong about 2 rooms being a little cheaper, bc I suspect that's incorrect if one is a verandah room. We really want a verandah. I know it's more expensive, but due to the itinerary its a priority for me. Plus, this may likely be our only cruise, so I'd like to make the most of it. Disney Cruise Line is just pricey for a group of 5, sadly.

I think we will go with the cheapest option that includes a verandah (in 1 room) & connecting rooms if not in 1 room together. Upon further consideration I'm not too excited to have them across the hall in an inside room. I guess that probably means the original idea of a 4A, maybe 4B. I do wonder what the price would be.

I now have the yucky task of trimming about $1000 off other travel expenses on the same trip. Thus probably means monkeying with airports and whether we spend time in Seattle or Victoria as was my original intention.

 

[MNtwinsplus1mom]

We love staying Forward, and were booked in a 4B on our Alaska trip and again for our upcoming PC trip. Personally, I've never noticed any improvement being in the middle versus forward. The one time we sailed aft, I was the most sick and I felt it was the noisiest...but that could have just been the makeup of the people surrounding us at that time.

Interesting! I hadn't heard of forward being better than aft. I really know so little about this stuff! Just don't want my DH to be miserable. I'd feel awful. I'm encouraged that Alaska went well for you. He may need to look into that patch. We already for sure plan to bring medicine (like bonine).

 

[wl1117]

Interesting! I hadn't heard of forward being better than aft. I really know so little about this stuff! Just don't want my DH to be miserable. I'd feel awful. I'm encouraged that Alaska went well for you. He may need to look into that patch. We already for sure plan to bring medicine (like bonine).

The patch works very well. I will always bring it with me, just in case. Just ask your Dr. for a scopolamine transdermal patch prescription. They say it works best if you place it (behind ear) before embarking, but I've forgotten and not put it on until I started feeling ill and it still took over and worked fine. My main reason for wanting to forgo it is that I tend to touch it a lot and you have to be careful to always wash your hands afterwards because it will dilate your eyes if you accidentally get it in them...which I managed to do once.

 

[dad of 3 addicted to DCL]

We're up for our 8th cruise next month and have always done CAT 4A. The midships availability is important for us (going below or topside). While our kids are a little younger (13/11/11), we really don't spend a lot of time together in the room. Getting cleaned up, changing and that's about it. We don't worry about the cramped spaces, because CAT 4 is very roomy.

Whatever you decide, enjoy your cruise!!

 

[triciambe]

Everyone in my family of 5 is prone to seasickness. We had connecting 8B (?) rooms on the Fantasy a couple years ago which were towards the back of the boat. I think we were on deck 9. We felt a lot of motion but with the Dramamine we took everyday, we didn’t feel sick at all. We loved having the two rooms and it was less expensive than having one room. ETA: These rooms didn’t have a verandah but did have the really large porthole you could sit in. We loved the light and view.

On our upcoming cruise next month, we are doing two connecting rooms again this time on the Magic. Our rooms are the navigators verandah rooms, and again, towards the back and also less expensive than doing one room for 5.

 

[Quellman]

Having sailed Alaska, since you generally have land on both sides, the ride isn't nearly as rocky.

I also found this image HERE that shows the Big Red Boat, which Disney Used prior to building their own ships. You can literally see the size difference with the Magic berthed right next to it. The Wonder is pretty much the same as the magic. Bigger ships don't get tossed around as much as they seemingly absorb the waves better. I think it'll turn out grand for your husband.

 

[arlopop]

Having our own family of 5, our preference is the family stateroom with veranda over two rooms. We enjoy having us all together, and the balcony is a big deal for us, especially for Alaska. The one caveat is that the top bunk (the one that folds down from the ceiling) has a weight limit. Our youngest daughter (9) sleeps there so we haven’t had a problem, but if your sons are big guys you could be out of luck for the family stateroom.

 

[hdnyc]

Just an FYI. . .I'm prone to seasickness and I've never had a problem on a Caribbean cruise. We went on an Alaska cruise and I was soooooo sick. I had to cut a massage short in the middle of it and practically crawl back to my room. This was after taking Dramamine. So I don't know if Alaska cruises are less choppy than Caribbean ones!

 

[tigerchic89]

I'd do a 5 person or 2 connecting rooms interior or OV on deck 2 and I'd probably do whichever was cheapest