Monday, January 30, 2012

How are beds laid out in a cruise ship cabin? Does it vary by class of cabin? Will I have to choose between an upper and lower bunk?

Most cruise ships have their cabins laid out such that there are two lower bunks which can be a queen size bed or separated into two twin beds. There are exceptions to the general rule though. Some of these exceptions have beds that form an L shape and can’t be pushed together.  There may also be a couch that pulls out or beds that come down from up above to provide a 3rd and 4th bed for the cabin.
When you book usually if there are only two of you planning to use the cabin you will be provided a cabin which can only accommodate two guests as the triple and quadruple occupancy cabins are typically saved for those who need 3-4 bunks.  If you do proactively choose a cabin that fits 3-4 but only book two into the cabin, know you could be moved by the cruise line if they need the cabin with additional bunks. The cruise line wants to fill every legally sellable bunk with a paying passenger on every cruise.
These pull down bunks are called Pullman bunks. They are unlocked and come down from the ceiling for bedtime and are usually stored by the cabin attendant during the daytime. These upper bunks are a mattress on a frame just like the lower bunks and are just as plush.  Pullman bunks can lay either parallel or perpendicular with the other bunks in the cabin. It is a hit or miss thing depending on how the ship was originally designed.  Regardless the sleep tends to be the same regardless of if you are sleeping with the length or beam of the ship, be it on the lower or upper bunks.
As I mentioned in some cabins (typically larger ones) a couch with a pull out bed may be employed to provide the 3rd and 4th sleeping spaces.  These will open up and the bed will be made for sleeping and folded away during the day. These beds are not quite as comfortable as the other bedding, but then so when it a couch bed as comfortable as a regular bed, never has there been one in my experience.  Note that the couch beds are for 2 people so if you take a suite and bring along your twenty-something kids one of each sex they may give you a weird look when it comes to sharing the couch bed.
The last bedding examples are rarer and usually restricted to suite, or explorer style ships.  In larger suites often the bed is a king size bed, sometimes even with rounded edges. These beds are usually made as a single bed and can’t be easily broken down into two separate beds. Also, some ships allow/have rollaway beds for adding another bunk to a larger suite cabin. This is something which would need to be reserved at the time of booking though.  My final example on explorer style ships are bunk beds where the lower bunk is a solo cruiser bunk as is the upper bunk. This may be found on some specialized explorer ships and is an atypical arrangement.
Ultimately if there are specific bedding arrangements that are critical for your cruise to be an enjoyable cruise it is key to let your cruise agent know of the requests as you are booking.  This will allow them to ensure you don’t end up in one of the exception cabins.

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