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In addition, many rooms sleep three or four, and often you can find discounted cruise fares for additional passengers sharing a cabin. The laid-back line famous for "Freestyle" cruising, meaning relaxed dress codes and dining whenever and wherever you want, has also seen an increase in families onboard. Norwegian Cruise Line's newest ships feature kid-size furniture in the buffet restaurants, and plenty of larger and connecting cabins. Larger families and groups traveling together will find ample quint and quad cabins that connect to doubles and triples. This goes a long way in getting everyone out the door and reducing the number of daily arguments.
Food & Dining
Given the demand, I asked Bethge if Royal Caribbean would consider installing multiple Ultimate Family Suites per ship. She's currently of the mind that one is enough — she appreciates that families can be the sole inhabitants of the most exclusive suite on the ship. There's a private cinema room with an 85-inch 4K TV that streams movies, a popcorn machine and the latest gaming consoles.
Will Icon of the Seas' Surfside Be a Good Choice for Families With Teens?
Interconnecting cabins are adjacent cruise rooms that can be connected by opening up doors in the middle of each cabin that lead into the room next door. Booking interconnecting rooms lets parents sleep in one cabin and kids in the other, allowing parents to keep an eye on their kids while still maintaining some privacy. Even if I never get to step foot in this suite again (and I probably won't), it was fascinating to see what's available for families with a hefty travel budget. The Ultimate Family Suite accommodates up to eight guests across two bedrooms and living room. In addition to comfortable Mini-Suites and spacious Suites, larger groups can opt for a Family Suite which includes two interconnecting staterooms and sleeps up to eight on select ships. Cruise Hive was established back in 2008 and among the earliest blogs in the industry.
Incredible Cruise Ships With Family Suites
You pay for the week, ensure that you arrive to the dock on time and essentially everything else is taken care of for you. Your "genie" maps out activities and excursions for each member of your family, you get to enjoy being in the largest, most exclusive suite on the ship and you're effectively guaranteed reservations at every ride or restaurant. Though I couldn't spend the night, I was able to spend a few hours exploring the palatial 1,346-square-foot suite. It spans two decks and includes one of the most jaw-dropping balcony views on the entire ship. I recently spent two nights on board the world's largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas, during a preview sailing for media. The ship has a dizzying array of features, but for families, chief among them — albeit one that's out of range for most — is the Royal Caribbean Ultimate Family Suite.
Princess enables everyone in the family to find their place among the stars. That said, it’s essential to supervise your children at all times, especially when you’re near the edge of the ship. The line's well-designed family staterooms provide plenty of privacy and space.
Depending on the ship, guests get a total of 607 to 613 square feet to spread out in rooms that can accommodate six to eight passengers (note that the balconies are the largest, at 153 square feet, on the Diamond Princess or Sapphire Princess). Just be sure to book well in advance, as there are only two designated Family Suites aboard each Grand Class ship. Alternatively, try the Escape, which offers 25 slightly smaller versions of the Two-Bedroom Family Villas (measuring in at 540 square feet).
The best cruise ship suites — picked by someone who has seen them all - The Points Guy
The best cruise ship suites — picked by someone who has seen them all.
Posted: Thu, 18 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Seabourn says, “Daring explorers, heralded chefs, learned scholars, celebrated performers and renowned experts from every arena of the arts, sciences, politics and the humanities share your journey” on their intimate ships. While Surfside aboard Icon of the Seas is largely meant for families with children under 6 -- the popular Splashaway Bay and Baby Bay form the centerpiece of the neighborhood -- it's a fine place if you have a teen in tow as well. For starters, there will be a wide array of cabins spread across seven decks sitting right next to and overlooking the Surfside's splash zones, pools, slides, arcade games and casual eateries. To help close the gap between kid-approved action and family accommodations, the Surfside neighborhood will debut on Icon of the Seas.
Cruises
That's particularly impressive given that the cheapest it'll sell for is around $20,000 for a weeklong sailing, while peak periods such as Christmas week will demand upward of $80,000. (And yes, if you're curious, Christmas 2018 is already spoken for.) Talk about sticker shock. Inspired by the great outdoors, this cozy center is filled with sports activities and comfortable places for kids to explore, hang out and lounge. Welcome to enriching, immersive, once-in-a-lifetime experiences your whole family will never forget — especially on unique Discovery™ and Animal Planet™ Exclusive Tours that can't be booked independently, and are available only through Princess Cruises. Our team of parents and travel experts chooses each product and service we recommend.
Royal Caribbean added a new suite for families on Icon of the Seas that has more space than ever - Royal Caribbean Blog
Royal Caribbean added a new suite for families on Icon of the Seas that has more space than ever.
Posted: Mon, 22 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Cruises are a great way to bring your family together, and cruise lines know this. Disney has gone a step further by having the first-ever cabin within a cruise ship funnel. Known as The Wish Tower Suite, this first-of-its-kind accommodation can only be found onboard the Disney Wish cruise ship. At 1,966 square feet, the penthouse can sleep up to eight guests, with a first and second bedroom, along with a room for the kids, a bedroom converting library, and four full bathrooms. Most Celebrity ships have, on average, 60 to 80 connecting rooms with a variety of configurations.
Be sure to call for butler and concierge service anytime you like to help you out or plan a family culinary feast in your dining area. Disney "quint" cabins range from 200-square-foot family staterooms that feature Pullman-style pullout bunk beds to the luxurious 1,000-plus-square-foot concierge-level Royal Suite, with private veranda and separate master bedroom. Ocean View Quad Cabins include 220 square feet of space, with a split bathroom layout; one bathroom has a tub, toilet and vanity, while the other has a shower, toilet and vanity. There are no designated Family Staterooms aboard Carnival Liberty and Carnival Conquest. The only "quint" cabins available are two luxurious Captain's Suites, which come with VIP check-in and priority dining assignment, allowing you the flexibility of changing your dinner time once onboard. These are the largest suites in the fleet (650 square feet aboard Liberty and 840 square feet aboard Conquest) and feature a bathroom with junior tub and shower and a private veranda.
The kids bedroom (across the hallway) has a sofa bed, a bunk bed and a drop-down bed -- which means you can in theory get 5 kids in the bedroom, plus two in the living room -- a total of seven. Its main feature is a twisty slide connecting the kids' bedroom to the living room, flanked by a circular staircase. A multicolored hanging pod chair is the centrepiece of the space and sets the tone for the living room; colors are all bright primaries -- oranges, yellows, blues, which will definitely appeal to younger kids. The main room has an air hockey table as well as a large sofa and another giant TV, and stairs leading up to the main bedroom.
You’ll usually find twin beds or bunk beds and entertainment for children in family suites. Standard cabins hold a maximum of four people, but Royal Caribbean's Quantum-class ships have many connecting cabins, about 25 per deck, of different configurations -- quads that connect to quads or quads to doubles. Royal Caribbean has plenty of different suite configurations that sleep four if you simply want more space. One interesting addition aboard inside cabins on Navigator, Quantum and Anthem of the Seas is the "virtual balcony" -- window-size TV monitors playing a live feed of what's happening outside. Many regular cruise rooms, also called cabins or staterooms, can sleep up to four people. All rooms have two twin beds that can be pushed together to form a queen or king; additional sleeping spots might be a pullout sofa or upper bunks that fold down or pull down from the wall or ceiling.
For toddlers who are too big for cribs but too little to sleep in upper bunks, you have a few options. The first is to book a room with a pullout sofa; if needed, you can bring inflatable bed rails. (Pool noodles do the trick, as well.) Some cruise lines can also set up in-cabin rollaway beds, or you could bring your own travel cot. The room attendant will be happy to outfit it with pillows, sheets and blankets, as needed. Finally, most cruise ship beds push together to make a king, so co-sleeping is an option if that works for your family. Cruise ships with family suites are specifically designed for families with kids.
Amenities include 24-hour-a-day butler service, a complimentary welcome bottle of Cristal champagne upon arrival, complimentary soft drinks, beer and bottled water in the stock refrigerator; free Wi-Fi, fresh flowers and unlimited specialty restaurant dining. According to Jay Schneider, Royal Caribbean's chief product innovation officer, newer ships in the fleet will continue to balance suites with even more family activities. "Some are big and bold like the Ultimate Family Suite on Wonder of the Seas. Some of them will be what I call moderately bold (meaning they're not three stories tall). We continue to add more and more family-centric suites." All cruise lines provide portable cribs (usually Pack 'n Play style) on request for babies.
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