Stateroom suggestions

[Nelobi]

Hi -

I need help choosing staterooms for our first cruise (4 nights) on the Utopia. We’re a family of five with 3 kids ages 9 through 15. 

Right now, we can choose between ocean view, balcony, and suites.

What suggestions do you have?

Let me know if I can provide any other information to help with the answer.

TIA

[Matt]

Welcome to the message boards!

I'd recommend two connecting cabins instead of one room.

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2022/02/15/mailbag-whats-the-best-cruise-ship-cabin-my-family

[steverk]

One thing to keep in mind is that Oasis class ships are inward focused.  That means you don't see much of the ocean unless you have an ocean view room.  For that reason I always book ocean view balconies on Oasis class ships. I'm more flexible on other ships though.

[tjcruisers]

We go with connecting staterooms, having that 2nd bathroom is a must.

[Ryan79]

2 hours ago, tjcruisers said:

We go with connecting staterooms, having that 2nd bathroom is a must.

I cannot second this enough!! 5 people sharing one small bathroom isn’t going to be a good time. Been doing this since my kids were 8.

[Nelobi]

3 hours ago, Matt said:

Welcome to the message boards!

I'd recommend two connecting cabins instead of one room.

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2022/02/15/mailbag-whats-the-best-cruise-ship-cabin-my-family

Thank you!

[Nelobi]

2 hours ago, tjcruisers said:

We go with connecting staterooms, having that 2nd bathroom is a must.

Thank you!

[27th Lady]

What is your budget like? I think the general wisdom so far is to get two bathrooms. You could accomplish this with two neighboring or connecting cabins or there are a few suites, though it looks like on Utopia only in Star Class, that have two bathrooms. These are the 2 bedroom aquatheatre and royal loft suites. 

[Nelobi]

1 hour ago, 27th Lady said:

What is your budget like? I think the general wisdom so far is to get two bathrooms. You could accomplish this with two neighboring or connecting cabins or there are a few suites, though it looks like on Utopia only in Star Class, that have two bathrooms. These are the 2 bedroom aquatheatre and royal loft suites. 

Willing to spend a little for some comfort. Thanks.

[PPPJJ-GCVAB]

Absolutely TWO bathrooms is key.  Connecting OV Balcony rooms are perfect although not sure any of them are for 3 people.  But you should be able to find two rooms next to each other…one for two people and one for 3.  Sometimes a room for 3 is very difficult to find.  In that case you can book a room for 4 and a room for 1.  Once onboard the adult you put in the room with the 3 children can move into the room with the other adult and the 3 children will have their own room.  Perk for doing it this way is the room with just one adult will earn double points.  If this way of booking is still cheaper than booking a 2 bedroom suite with 2 bathrooms (I definitely believe it would be!)…it’s a win-win.

[ScottD]

5 hours ago, PPPJJ-GCVAB said:

Absolutely TWO bathrooms is key.  Connecting OV Balcony rooms are perfect although not sure any of them are for 3 people.  But you should be able to find two rooms next to each other…one for two people and one for 3.  Sometimes a room for 3 is very difficult to find.  In that case you can book a room for 4 and a room for 1.  Once onboard the adult you put in the room with the 3 children can move into the room with the other adult and the 3 children will have their own room.  Perk for doing it this way is the room with just one adult will earn double points.  If this way of booking is still cheaper than booking a 2 bedroom suite with 2 bathrooms (I definitely believe it would be!)…it’s a win-win.

We've gotten OV Balcony rooms for 3..... the couch opens up into a nice sized bed. Definitely not as many as 2 and 4 people rooms, but you see a few on each deck. 

[Crown&AnchorEsq]

3 person rooms in generally are tough to track, particularly connecting.  A good travel agent can be key there.

Other consideration, if your kids are amenable to bunks, would be a "ultra spacious" f/k/a "family" stateroom (Cat 1A (balcony), 1K (OV) and 1R (interior).  You lose the extra bathroom, but you get a lot of space and they can even be cheaper depending upon the promotion and ages of the kids.

Then depending on budget you always have the suites.  I would probably stay away from the Juniors even if they say they can hold 5 because they do not really have enough space and unfortunately Utopia does not have GT suites.  That means you are looking at A2 or the UFS but a great get if you have the cash.

[Nelobi]

1 hour ago, Crown&AnchorEsq said:

3 person rooms in generally are tough to track, particularly connecting.  A good travel agent can be key there.

Other consideration, if your kids are amenable to bunks, would be a "ultra spacious" f/k/a "family" stateroom (Cat 1A (balcony), 1K (OV) and 1R (interior).  You lose the extra bathroom, but you get a lot of space and they can even be cheaper depending upon the promotion and ages of the kids.

Then depending on budget you always have the suites.  I would probably stay away from the Juniors even if they say they can hold 5 because they do not really have enough space and unfortunately Utopia does not have GT suites.  That means you are looking at A2 or the UFS but a great get if you have the cash.

Thanks so much!!

[FOB]

On 4/22/2024 at 2:51 AM, PPPJJ-GCVAB said:

 Once onboard the adult you put in the room with the 3 children can move into the room with the other adult and the 3 children will have their own room.  Perk for doing it this way is the room with just one adult will earn double points.  

As this is your first cruise you wont have any loyalty points.

But points go with the person with the most points - so everyone would effectively have the perks of the double points - although they would only have the single set of nights. This will be a cheaper way of speeding through the points than cruising in suites - which would also give you double points (if you did this but had 2 suites 1 with a single adult booked then that adult would get 3X the points!)

Assuming mum is the single adult then for a 7 night cruise she gets 14 points and the rest of the family get 7

Just make sure that when you cruise again, using the same trick, it is the same adult that is the single adult.

That way after 3 x 7 night cruises the single adult has 42 points (3 x 14) while the rest have 21 but are all sharing perks of Platinum and are one cruise off Emerald.

The kids get the same level as parents until they turn 18 - then they keep the level the parent had and dont move up until they have the correct nights for themselves.

Hope this makes sense

[Nelobi]

1 hour ago, FOB said:

As this is your first cruise you wont have any loyalty points.

But points go with the person with the most points - so everyone would effectively have the perks of the double points - although they would only have the single set of nights. This will be a cheaper way of speeding through the points than cruising in suites - which would also give you double points (if you did this but had 2 suites 1 with a single adult booked then that adult would get 3X the points!)

Assuming mum is the single adult then for a 7 night cruise she gets 14 points and the rest of the family get 7

Just make sure that when you cruise again, using the same trick, it is the same adult that is the single adult.

That way after 3 x 7 night cruises the single adult has 42 points (3 x 14) while the rest have 21 but are all sharing perks of Platinum and are one cruise off Emerald.

The kids get the same level as parents until they turn 18 - then they keep the level the parent had and dont move up until they have the correct nights for themselves.

Hope this makes sense

Thanks, I think I get it. 

[Nelobi]

The best I'm seeing at the moment is two connecting junior suites on deck 7.

Thoughts?

[Crown&AnchorEsq]

Connecting juniors would be a great option if you can swing it.  You get a couple extras with the juniors (try to get some coastal kitchen reservations when you are on board).  With the ages of everyone involved you can probably get away with balconies and save some cash.  If you are having trouble finding a connecting 3 person room try connecting with a good travel agent.  Alternatively, you can try putting 4 people in one room and 1 in another to see if there is at least something available.  

[Nelobi]

10 minutes ago, Crown&AnchorEsq said:

Connecting juniors would be a great option if you can swing it.  You get a couple extras with the juniors (try to get some coastal kitchen reservations when you are on board).  With the ages of everyone involved you can probably get away with balconies and save some cash.  If you are having trouble finding a connecting 3 person room try connecting with a good travel agent.  Alternatively, you can try putting 4 people in one room and 1 in another to see if there is at least something available.  

Thanks @Crown&AnchorEsq

You mean balcony over ocean view, right?

[CruiseRoyalDad]

If I can jump on this topic for a moment since we are talking Oasis Class room options. We just sailed Wonder of the Seas in February and it was phenomenal. The only downside to this member of our favorite class is that we've been priced out of SKY suites because the 2 bedroom grand suites have gone extinct. First world problems. This is where you tell me that we didn't miss anything and that the CK and the Suite lounge as well as suite amenities on Wonder are not any better than what we've experienced on the slightly older sister ships.  But I digress.

Our family of 6 is currently booked in connecting rooms for August 2025 on deck 8 (favorite Oasis class deck because of proximity to Park, Boardwalk, and promenade) on the Wonder. The rooms face the deck doors that open to the stairs. All of that to ask the question, how are these rooms affected by the noise coming from what I assume will be constant traffic going to stairs, elevators, central park. We've stayed close to this area before and haven't been negatively affected but never had our doors face the elevator and stair lobby. 

Thank you! 

[Nelobi]

1 hour ago, CruiseRoyalDad said:

If I can jump on this topic for a moment since we are talking Oasis Class room options. We just sailed Wonder of the Seas in February and it was phenomenal. The only downside to this member of our favorite class is that we've been priced out of SKY suites because the 2 bedroom grand suites have gone extinct. First world problems. This is where you tell me that we didn't miss anything and that the CK and the Suite lounge as well as suite amenities on Wonder are not any better than what we've experienced on the slightly older sister ships.  But I digress.

Our family of 6 is currently booked in connecting rooms for August 2025 on deck 8 (favorite Oasis class deck because of proximity to Park, Boardwalk, and promenade) on the Wonder. The rooms face the deck doors that open to the stairs. All of that to ask the question, how are these rooms affected by the noise coming from what I assume will be constant traffic going to stairs, elevators, central park. We've stayed close to this area before and haven't been negatively affected but never had our doors face the elevator and stair lobby. 

Thank you! 

What kind of rooms did you book on the Wonder of the Seas?

[Crown&AnchorEsq]

@Nelobi yes, I would stick with Balconies over OV.  Unless you are really tied to seeing the ocean (understandable) I would recommend a balcony to give you a little more living space and some private space to relax.  The trick is that there are very few "3 person rooms" designated and even less are connecting.  

@CruiseRoyalDad I have been 3 rooms away from the door and heard nothing.  Right next to, but not facing, the stairwells we did hear some noise but not enough to bother us . However, this was pre-children and we were up late anyways so everyone might have been asleep by the time we might have been bothered.  I would think you are running some risk of noise from the stairs facing them head on.  With that said, your floor is also going to matter, if you are right by active areas I would be more concerned than say, something on deck 10 which is only cabins anyways.  

[CruiseRoyalDad]

@Crown&AnchorEsq very good points on room location and noise. I agree on the active decks there is probably a noise multiplier for sure. Maybe I'll look to see if the same connecting rooms are available one deck up on 9. That one only has the upper level entrance to the music hall, is still close to our favorite central park, but should be somewhat more subdued. 

[CruiseRoyalDad]

18 hours ago, Nelobi said:

What kind of rooms did you book on the Wonder of the Seas?

sorry forgot to put that in there. These are connecting oceanview balcony. One is 1D 3+ person balcony the other is a 2D double occupancy. A room for the kids and one for the parents, open up the balcony divider, and benefit from double the bathrooms.