Family cruises: Best staterooms for families

By Christine Koubek

updated 2:54 p.m. ET May 19, 2006

Cruising with young children is one situation where "less is more" does not apply. As most new parents learn, traveling with kids does require more ... much more -- more luggage, more paraphernalia, and a definite need for more spacious accommodations.

While many cruise lines already have created innovative programs, facilities and even shore activities, less attention has been paid to staterooms. Standard cabins, which are typically smaller than their hotel room counterparts, can sleep four to a room with the aid of a convertible sofa bed or bunk beds that fold out from the wall. Still, that scenario can leave some families feeling cramped, with little room to store all those extras -- especially if beds are left set up during the day for afternoon naps.

The existing option of booking two connecting cabins has long been the best fallback, and is still a good choice, particularly if you want more privacy from the kids, but even that can provide a challenge these days. Now that cruisers are able to select their own cabins on the Internet, on some lines many are booking one-half of a pair of connecting cabins, leaving the other half useless for families who really want them. Sure, a nice presidential suite would solve everything, but what about folks who need family-friendly accommodations at a decent price?

Disney pioneered the concept of family-friendly accommodations when it launched "deluxe family staterooms" aboard Disney Magic and Disney Wonder in the late 1990s. The layout remains superb to this day, because of something as simple as a curtain that sections off the main bedroom area from the living room area (and which comes with a twin sofa bed and fold-out bed above it). This allows parents to change or read in bed without bothering the kids. The bath-and-a-half system -- also unique at the time (and still pretty rare today) -- offers one bathroom with a sink and small tub, and another with a sink and toilet.

Guide to family cruises What to know before you go Best shore excursions for kids Best cruises for teens Controlling your kids at sea Best staterooms for families

It may have taken years for other cruise lines to follow, but they finally did. Others have now begun to create distinctive family-oriented spaces with features like privacy partitions, small kids bedrooms, clever bed layouts that don't take up much floor space, and, in general, offering more overall space to relax and comfortably spend down time in your cabin. And the best part is you don't have to be a CEO to afford them.

Beyond that, when booking a cabin for your own brood, consider these tips:

• Balconies are a terrific option, especially for those with nap-takers, as they create a quiet (and pleasant) place in which parents or supervisors can relax without waking kids up.
• At the same time folks should make sure that balconies are kid-safe -- those that don't have spaces wide enough for the little tykes to slip through. Also ask about locks on the balcony door -- they should be too high for a young child to reach.
• Since some of the lines offer connecting cabins, it's prudent to compare the price of purchasing two connecting cabins versus the price of a family stateroom or suite for the line you are interested in. Be sure to factor in the price of your third, fourth and fifth passengers, etc. While you'll most likely have to pay the higher first- and second-passenger rates on each of the connecting cabins, it is possible that you could save money (and have a better bed configuration for your family) when you're comparing connecting staterooms to a family suite option that has high third- and fourth-passenger rates.
• In most cases (with the exception of Disney and some of Royal Caribbean's middle-age vessels) the best family accommodations can be found on the newest ships in cruise lines' fleets.
  We took a look at lines that really do make an effort to offer comfortable accommodations for families. Here are our six best picks.

Whichever family-friendly cabins you decide are best, make sure you book them as far in advance as possible, particularly if you are traveling during school vacations. Family-friendly cabins are limited on all ships, and sell out early on popular cruises.

Carnival Cruise Lines

• Why? We love the 230-square-foot Family Staterooms with floor-to-ceiling windows on its Conquest-class vessels (Carnival Conquest, Carnival Glory, Carnival Valor and Carnival Liberty) -- you get the square footage that would typically be allocated to a balcony right in your stateroom.
• Other positives: Carnival has some of the largest standard cabins in the industry, with interior staterooms to 185 square feet and ocean-view rooms to 190 square feet. These staterooms can accommodate up to five people with two lower beds that convert to a king (on most other lines the smaller-than-normal twins only double to queen size), two upper beds that fold out form the wall, and a rollaway.
  
  If you have very young children, you might want to consider the outside stateroom with veranda instead of the family stateroom, which basically allocates 40 of the 230 square feet to a balcony, leaving less interior space. This way you can have a place to sit, talk and have a light on when children are asleep.
• Nice touches: Carnival's nightly turndown service -- which includes towel animals and chocolate chip cookies on select nights -- and the Cartoon Channel, which is available on in-room TVs. All cabins on Spirit- and Conquest-class ships feature refrigerators; all ocean-view cabins come with bathrobes.
• Caveat emptor: When requesting fold-out beds, be sure to inquire where they will be located as some are placed directly above the lower beds instead of at the other end of the cabin (which would give you more privacy and distance from potential snorers).
• Details: Visit www.carnival.com for floor plans and photos.

Celebrity Cruises

• Why? The line's 271-square-foot Family Ocean View Staterooms (available on Constellation, Millennium and Infinity) include a 242-square-foot veranda that gives you your own little backyard at sea. There are 12 to 15 of these staterooms per ship, and each includes two lower beds that convert to a queen; floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors; a sitting area with two sofa beds that convert to full-size beds; and a privacy partition between the two sleeping areas.
• Other positives: The Sky Suite category (which ranges in size from 244 to 251 square feet, with verandas that range from 57 to 179 square feet) varies considerably by ship, but is your next best bet for spacious accommodations. The Sky Suites feature two lower beds that convert to a queen, an entertainment center with TV/VCR, and a sitting area with sofa bed that can sleep two and a lounge chair. In addition, these suites come with butler service that includes a few perks for parents, such as priority luggage delivery after boarding, a pillow menu, a private portrait sitting and a daily fruit selection.
• Nice touches: Celebrity caters to its youngest passengers by offering cribs, in-suite refrigerators, children's menus and even freshly mashed baby food.
• Caveat emptor: Celebrity's pre-Millennium-class ships (with the exception of Zenith) also offer Family Ocean View Staterooms with the much appreciated partition; however, sizes vary, and some do not come with a veranda. Also note: There are no privacy partitions in Celebrity's Sky Suites.
• Details: Visit www.celebrity.com for floor plans and photos.

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