I'm going on my first cruise with three other friends-one of the individuals won this trip through a local radio station contest. At first she was told the trip included two rooms, but when it was booked she found out it was only one room for four adults. I'm wondering if when we get on the ship is there a possibility of rooms still being available and would the prices be crazy expensive if we asked about a second room?

If you want a second cabin you need to go ahead and book it now and be done with it. Otherwise you need to settle on the four of you in the one cabin. Depending on the cruise and the time of year, it is rare to find a ship sailing with vacancies. I can't tell you how many times I've seen a sign at the purser's desk saying the ship is full and there are no empty cabins.

Hi Darcy and welcome to Cruise-Chat.

Sometimes rooms are available when you get onboard a ship, and sometimes not. If one is available, the price will depend on the type of room that's available. Considering you're cruising for free, getting another room will be considerably more expensive, no matter what kind of room it is! The least one is likely to pay for a 3-night cruise in a minimum category is about $300 per person, depending on the time of year you're traveling. If your cruise is longer than that, the price will be higher.

Four in a room can be crowded, but on the other hand, you don't spend a whole lot of time in your room other than sleeping and changing clothes.

Sandy

Darcy, when is this cruise and how many nights is it? Which ship?

As Sandy said, 4 in a cabin is crowded and if you are on the Sovereign, Majesty, or Monarch Of The Seas the standard cabins are only 119 square feet. Not big! But it is also quite true that you probably won't be in the cabin much.

We are traveling 9/2 on Empress to Bermuda for 7 nights. It's an outside room with an obstructed view w/pullmans. I've heard we won't be in the room much-but it's three girls and one guy and that's luggage for three women!

I appreciate the feedback-I've never cruised before and two of us were hoping there might be rooms available that day.

can i be that guy?

I don't know if there will be any room left once all of us girls unload the 10+ suitcases between us! This guy that is going with us doesn't know what he's in for!

The obstructed view cabins on the Empress are 139 square feet. That includes the bathroom too. Lay out a 10 foot by 14 foot box to get a better visual. There are cabins in most categories still available for that cruise, but as Sandy said it is at least $300 per person at present.

Most people who cruise take much more luggage than they end up using. I'd take a hard look at what you all are taking with you and cut back on it. 10+ suitcases for 3 of you is a bit much!

It is quite impossible for four people to get ready for dinner in that sized cabin at the same time. You will have to set up a schedule for the shower!

Dave,
You took the words out of my mouth. Four adults in a 139 sqft room is tight. Three women trying to curl their hair in front of the vanity mirror while the guys in the bathroom. To be fair why don't you get the second room and all four split the cost? It's worth it to have a better quality experience.

We just got back from a cruise (RCCL, Deck 7) and we had two balcony rooms. One room for the two adults and one for four college age kids (three girls, one boy). I don't know if the room size is comparable but they didn't complain once! They spent a lot of time outside the cabin (including the balcony). RCCL has soooo many activities and off-shore fun. By the time they hit the beds, they were exhausted. The bathroom time just required coordination and patience and the right attitude.....which is to remember how much fun they were having and it was worth it!

Darcy, few cruise ship cabins can accommodate 10+ suitcases, no matter how many people are in there!

And few cruise ship cabins have enough storage space to hold the contents of 10 suitcases.

The first thing new cruisers say when they get back from their first cruise, is that they packed way too much stuff.

Honestly, you don't need a new outfit for every morning, afternoon, and evening. You don't need winter clothes. Bermuda's weather is about the same as South Carolina's. If you repeat an outfit, trust me, no one will notice.

I'd really suggest each of you take one suitcase and a carry-on type bag. Try to plan your clothing such that you need a minimum of different color shoes.

Sandy

Let's see if I can ballpark the storage space....

The closet will be about 4 or 5 feet long and 2 feet deep. There will be 6 to 9 drawers at the vanity table, and these will be about a foot or so long and 6 inches tall. The bathroom is about the size of a Honda Civic interior, including the shower.

4 adults in a room will be snug. The pull out bed-couch is big enough for my 13 year old and it's not a regular bed mattress just a cushion type. The drop down bed is about the same size but I think it has a mattress. The beds will be twin sized or pushed together for a queen. It’s true you don’t spend much time in the rooms. Just have a few drinks and you want realize your in a small bed.

Just wanted to let everyone know my sister and I were able to get an inside room the first night we were on the ship for $300 for the week!We just went to the guest services desk and asked if there were any rooms available, and asked what would be the lowest price we could get for the week for an inside room-we knew we wouldn't be in the room but to sleep and get ready to go! It was SO much better than trying to stay in our original room with our 2 friends. That gave them some privacy as well.
It was great!!!!!!!