As I wandered around the new Disney Treasure with my sister and her three kids at the start of our cruise in early December, the kiddos kept asking what our cabin was going to look like when we returned that evening.
They'd gotten a look at it before we headed to dinner, but it was clear to them at the time that there was no way there was room in there for all five of us to sleep.
As someone who cruises for a living, I had an idea of what to expect, how the stateroom would turn from the standard-looking cabin they'd seen to one that could accommodate a larger group. But I decided to keep it to myself so I could enjoy watching my niece and nephews marvel at how the room transformed.
Accommodations for families of four are commonplace on contemporary cruise ships. But for Kelly Aleman, a travel advisor and director of operations at Moms at Sea Travel, finding the accommodations for larger families of five (like mine), six, seven or more is like solving a puzzle.
I spoke to Aleman as she was writing an email to a family of five who wanted to cruise on Royal Caribbean's Utopia of the Seas in October. There were no more rooms for five available, she told me.
That meant she would have to find creative solutions, such as adjoining rooms, other ships or other dates when the type of cabin they want is available.
"I don't want them to feel like they don't have options or choices," she said.
Large families are a significant part of Moms at Sea Travel's business. So much so, Aleman said, that "five is the new four."
John Lovell, president of Travel Leaders Network, has also traveled on family trips as a group of five. When he, his wife, two then-young children and his mother-in-law would cruise together, he would consult an advisor who was an expert on the brand he wanted to sail on. He said that advisor's expertise was important to lock in the right accommodations to fit the ages of the kids and the experience they wanted as a family.
"I think the cruise lines understand that there is no perfect-size family," he said. "And I think they've done a good job of building their ships to accommodate all sorts of family sizes."
Suzanne Salas, MSC Cruises' executive vice president of marketing, e-commerce and sales, said there is definitely a demand for large family accommodations as more families cruise together, including those with young kids and multigenerational groups with adult children.
"Ultimately the goal is to make sure families have the space they need to be comfortable and enjoy their time together. Whether it's a stateroom for five or a combination of connecting rooms, there's a perfect set-up for every family onboard," Salas said.
The Three-Bedroom Garden Villa in The Haven area on the Norwegian Gem. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Norwegian Cruise Line
It pays to go big
Salas and executives from other cruise lines point out that some of their larger cabin categories come with extra amenities, like access to private lounges offering food and games.
John Chernesky, senior vice president of North America sales for Norwegian Cruise Line, recommends families of five or more stay in The Haven, namely the Three-Bedroom Garden Villa. That space comes with a dedicated concierge, a 24-hour butler and a private courtyard plus access to The Haven's bar, lounge and restaurant.
These upscale rooms "might be the easiest sell," Chernesky said. "However, if The Haven is already sold out (which happens quite often), I highly recommend booking the group in two connecting balcony staterooms for more space and twice as many views of the ocean."
While Carnival Cruise Line offers a variety of cabin categories, the Family Harbor staterooms and suites come with access to a specialty family lounge with board games, family movies, video games, daily breakfast and snacks. And these rooms can accommodate large families, the line said.
"At Carnival, we sail more families and kids than any other cruise line, and so we understand that families come in all sizes," said Sarah Beth Reno, senior vice president of guest operations for the brand.
The Family Harbor staterooms and suites are a great option for families of five, she said, offering not only additional space but other perks, like eating free at many specialty dining venues and one free evening of Night Owls babysitting at Camp Ocean, the kids club, so parents can enjoy a bit of freedom, she said.
Carnival Cruise Line's Family Harbor Suites accommodate five guests. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Carnival Cruise Line
Bigger groups, bigger demand
With Royal Caribbean International marketing the Icon of the Seas as a premier family vacation destination, demand from families of various sizes has followed, said Vicki Freed, the line's senior vice president of sales, trade support and service. She said the line is seeing increased demand for parties of all sizes, including those with five or more guests.
"Due to select quantities of some of these larger spaces, demand is typically high, particularly for deluxe, unique accommodations," she said.
For example, the Ultimate Family Townhouse, a three-deck offering sleeping up to eight guests, only has one unit on the Icon of the Seas. The line has introduced other new cabin categories on that ship, including the Family Infinite Ocean View Balcony, which is more widely available, with 78 rooms located across the ship.
Four of Disney Cruise Line's ships offer both oceanview and veranda staterooms that accommodate five guests: the Disney Treasure, the Disney Wish, the Disney Dream and the Disney Fantasy.
The line's oldest ships, the Disney Wonder and Disney Magic, can accommodate parties of five but only with veranda staterooms, according to the line.
Some Disney ships also offer concierge suites that can sleep six to eight guests, although choosing to go with adjoining staterooms can create accommodations for up to 10 guests, according to the line.
Hilary MacIsaac, an authorized Disney vacation planner for Magic on Main, said she likes the variety of rooms the line offers.
"Disney is the easiest one to book if you have any families that are five-plus, because they have deluxe staterooms that fit five people. And there are not a lot of other cruise lines in a nonsuite aspect that can fit five people," she said.
But sometimes, fitting everyone into one room can be a squeeze, which leads her to recommend connecting staterooms when that option fits the situation.
MacIsaac belongs to a family of five, so she knows from experience that rooms can be tight.
"Yes, it's cramped. Yes, it's a lot. But we're not really spending a lot of time in the room," she said. "I will tell you, the only time for our family that it feels tight is probably when everybody's trying to get ready for dinner," she said.
How a stateroom transforms
When my family and I returned from dinner to our room, the kids were wowed by the setup.
There was one large bed near the split bathrooms, a twin bed was folded down from the ceiling to serve as a top bunk, the couch had been turned into a lower bunk and a Murphy bed was folded down near the balcony door.
My 10-year-old niece's first thought was: "I'm sleeping on the top."
My family and I found the room tight when the beds were set up. Accessing the balcony required going slow while navigating the perimeter of the Murphy bed next to the door.
But the kids liked the room. The oldest, one of my nephews, said he and his siblings had plenty of room to store their things, namely their clothes, a few stuffed animals and handheld game consoles they played while we adults were getting ready for the day.
The bottom bunk was more comfortable than the one up top, my niece said.
Each night after the evening shows, we retired to the room and watched a Disney movie, usually choosing one from the story lines we saw on the ship, like "Zootopia" or the animated and live-action versions of "The Lion King," as the kids drifted off to sleep.
Crowded as it might have been, I have to say it was nice to have the family all together in one room.