Cheapest 5 and 7 passenger staterooms

[SeanMacDonald]

We are looking to book a cruise for a couple families (2 adults and 3 kids, and 2 adults and 5 kids). Is there a "cheap" option for a stateroom that isn't a suite? On our last trip on Oasis we saw some rooms with bunkbeds that looked to handle larger families. I haven't had much luck talking with reps on the phone and nothing online allows more than 4 in a room.

Any help would be appreciated!!

[twangster]

Find a good travel agent, they know how to find the best cabins for each type of traveler.

Much of this industry is wrapped around the two occupancy cabin which is the most common type of cabin on board.  Cabins that hold more people especially 5 or more, are not common so they fetch a premium.  Often larger parties find it better to split parties into 2 or more cabins that has the additional benefit more bathrooms.  Consider looking at more than one cabin, possibly connecting cabins.

[Rackham]

Sounds like you might be thinking about the Ultra Spacious Ocean View category which can handle up to 6 on Oasis. They're on other ships as well, but there's never too many of them if they're there.

[smokeybandit]

2 bedroom suites, but those are limited.

Connecting rooms is often a cheaper approach.

[Ryan79]

What ship are you looking for? Some ships will not have any options at all for 7 and options for 5 will be limited. As @twangster said, you need to hookup with a good travel agent who knows Royal ships inside and out. They will be much more helpful than anyone you call up on RC reservation line. If I were you and suites are not in the cards…connecting rooms are what you want. A giant room with 5 or 7 people and only one bathroom is NOT going to be a good time.

[Pattycruise]

I stayed in a forward facing ocean view on Mariner…I’m sure it had a fancier title as it slept 6.  Of you put one of the other kids in your cabin for booking purposes and they get that kid an extra room key he can stay in his parents room.  
 

You should become familiar with the deck plans on the ships to find which cabins can sleep more people.  When I have travelled with my family we have done connecting our adjacent rooms too.  We are 6 when it’s all of us.

Here is Matt’s blog in the topic

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2024/04/02/royal-caribbean-cabins-5-or-more-people

[tjcruisers]

Depending on the age of the kids I wouldn't be looking a room to hold 5 and 7.  As some have commented above, would be looking at connecting rooms as the best option

[OCSC Mike]

Going with the multiple cabin theme... you may want to find a TA with group rates.

It may sound crazy but you may find that 3 cabins (with a group rate) for 5 people is cheaper than the full price options you see online.

Several other families may or may not be joining us on a cruise we already have booked for June 2026 and I am basically organizing it via my TA. At least one of them was a party of 5 and when I sent them my TA's group rates they realized they were better off with 3 group rate cabins next to each other (not connecting, just in a row) than pretty much anything else.

Just something else to consider. Lots of this will be ship/date/price dependent.

[SeaSunnedTraveler]

My two brothers and their families booked the 4 BR suite on Liberty. 

My brothers/wives took the 2 Primary BR, and the 6 cousins took the 2 inside BR. 

The girls got the inside with private bathroom, the boys got the room with the bathroom across the hall. 

$2150 pp for each adult and the 6 kids were $495 each. 

$11,500 for 10 people.  All the kids were over the age of 12. 

 

[CruiseRoyalDad]

15 hours ago, SeanMacDonald said:

We are looking to book a cruise for a couple families (2 adults and 3 kids, and 2 adults and 5 kids). Is there a "cheap" option for a stateroom that isn't a suite? On our last trip on Oasis we saw some rooms with bunkbeds that looked to handle larger families. I haven't had much luck talking with reps on the phone and nothing online allows more than 4 in a room.

Any help would be appreciated!!

I had a huge reply typed out for this one. Maybe mercifully for everyone I lost the reply with an accidental tab closure. Here's the short version. It started with there was a time where Royal was "Cheap" for the quality of product but that time is now GONE. Included benefits are increasingly now an additional cost.

As a family of 6 with children ages 4 to 12 we've been in the 5+ occupants game for years. Finding the right rooms for us and often multiple families traveling with us or multi-generational travel has become a hobby. My experience is largely with the Oasis class so I'll speak with mostly with these ships in mind. 

The aforementioned ultra-spacious oceanview is great for 6 and maybe a pack and play depending on the age of the youngest. These are found on all Freedom class and Oasis class ships. You can call to add a 7th passenger if they are in a crib. Actually, you have to call to book more than four so you are on the line regardless. Get an agent for this one. While likely cheaper than connecting cabins good luck getting this at any less than a year out and it's not that much of a savings. Plus it give you just ONE bathroom for A LOT of people. Trust me the kids will be fighting enough already much less bathroom time. 

Before Royal realized they were TOO cheap for the quality of their product the connecting oceanview balcony cabins were the most cost effective way to got and it got you two bathrooms. For some reason though many travelers not traveling with another party book connecting cabins. These connecting rooms also go quickly, I guess that this is in part because they are unknowingly booked by people that don't really need a connecting. This August we are in connecting balcony rooms on the Wonder of the Seas for our family of 6 for just over $10K. This will be one of wonder's final 7 night itineraries, may the Florida Oasis class 7 nighters rest in peace having been sacrificed to the CEO's bottom line. But I digress the former best deal, for value, was the 2 bedroom sky class grand suite. 

The 2 bedroom sky class grand suite are only available on Oasis class vessels Oasis, Allure, Harmony and Symphony. They did away with these large entry level sky class suites with the Wonder and Utopia, WHY? Cynical me thinks the profit in comfortably sleeping 8 in a suite with two bathrooms, two distinct rooms, and a living room with a gigantic balcony was not there. For comparison we had one of these August of 2023 on the Harmony for $17K. Sky amenities worth an extra 7K for 8 people!??!? YES. These suites are available on Freedom class and I do believe most of the Quantum class. I get it though, these are not necessarily a CHEAP option you are looking for but I tend to get CHEAP and VALUE confused. Anyway, RCCL killed these incredible suite values with the Wonder and you won't sniff a sky class offering like this for 8 on the icon class. You'll have to be in a $35K - $120K 7 night star class room if you want to fit more than 5 comfortably in a suite. Good luck! 

Passionate about this topic as we have to work hard to find the best fit for our family...and look at that...it was still long. Hope it helped and best bet is to find a connecting room for the 7 and squeeze the 5 in a quad if possible. 

[AlmondFarmer]

Absolute Cheapest option is to book a room for 4.

draw straws and one to three people stay home and enjoy  your live blog.