Best Family-Friendly Cruise Ship Cabins

With every new ship launch, cruise lines introduce never-before-seen cabin types, making it difficult for families to keep track of their onboard stay options. There are now options for every family group aboard the major cruise lines -- from connecting room configurations to standard cabins with family-friendly amenities to spacious family suites that can fit five, six, eight or more.

We’ve broken down the family lodging options onboard the most popular cruise lines into two types: designated family cabins (rooms or suites intended for families) and family-friendly staterooms (which anyone can book, but may have space and amenities useful for family groups). Read below to find the perfect family-friendly cruise cabin for your next sailing aboard seven of the most popular mainstream cruise lines.

1. Royal Caribbean Family-Friendly Cabins

The 9 Best Cruise Ship Inside Cabins and 3 to Avoid (Photo: Royal Caribbean International)

Since 2019, Royal Caribbean has evolved several of their staterooms with the release of Icon of the Seas, Utopia of the Seas, Wonder of the Seas, and amplified Oasis of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas, and Independence of the Seas.

Family Interior Staterooms: These windowless rooms accommodate up to six people, with two twin beds that convert to a king, a double pullout sofa and two Pullman-style bunk beds.

Family Ocean View Staterooms: These cabins feature a picture window and accommodate up to six people, in the same bed configurations as the Family Interiors.

Family Connected Junior Suite with Balcony: This suite configuration is made up of three different categories of staterooms -- a junior suite, a superior balcony stateroom and a studio cabin (which can actually sleep two) -- that connect to accommodate up to 10 passengers.

Royal Family Suite: These 560- to 580-square-foot two-bedroom suites hold eight people within two bedrooms with two twin beds that can be pushed together for a king bed and a living area with a sofa bed that pulls out to a double bed.

Presidential Family Suite: These lavish suites accommodate 14 people and include four bathrooms (two masters and two bedrooms with twin beds convertible to kings and pull-down bunks), spacious living and dining areas, and huge balconies with alfresco dining tables, hot tubs and wet bars.

Ultimate Family Suite: The two-level Ultimate Family Suite spans two decks, with the upper and lower levels connected by a tubular orange slide. Accommodations include a double bed, four bunks in a separate room (with individual TV screens) and a sofa bed, and there are two bathrooms.

Family-Friendly Cabins and Configurations on Quantum-class Ships

Standard cabins hold a maximum of four people, but Royal Caribbean's Quantum-class ships have many connecting cabins, about 25 per deck, of different configurations -- quads that connect to quads or quads to doubles.

Onboard Icon of the Seas, options include:

Ultimate Family Townhouse: This three-story, adventure-filled townhouse for up to eight people has a slide, movie room, karaoke, table tennis and even a private patio with its own entrance to Surfside.

Surfside Family Suite: With room for up to four people, highlights include a split bathroom design and a kids’ room that transforms into a living room.

Family Infinite Balcony: The addition of a hideaway bunk room in this cabin means it can sleep up to six people. There’s also a convenient split bathroom, separating the shower from the toilet.

Onboard Utopia of the Seas, 20 different types of accommodations can sleep three, four, five or more:

Solarium Suites have panoramic views that are revealed with the push of a button.

Nice Touches on Royal

• Complimentary Pack 'n Plays, cribs and minifridges can be delivered to the cabin free of charge.

• Royal Caribbean’s award-winning Adventure Ocean kids and youth program is available to vacationers.

2. MSC Cruises Family-Friendly Cabins

A Yacht Club Deluxe Balcony Suite aboard MSC World Europa (Photo: Aaron Saunders)

Whether you’re staying in MSC Yacht Club or cabins and suites elsewhere onboard, family-friendly cabins abound on MSC Cruises. Pair that with the cruise line’s beloved kids club, Doremiland, and frequent Kids Sail Free offers and MSC is a favorite for families who love to cruise together.

Family Staterooms on MSC

MSC Cruises offers connecting cabins and larger suites that offer room for the whole family.

Several ships include connecting rooms in the ocean-view and balcony levels that allow for up to 10 people to sail together. MSC Cruises’ newest ships, including the Meraviglia, Seaside and World Classes, have connecting balcony rooms that can sleep up to 10 in the same group.

In addition, some suite accommodations on the line’s Meraviglia-, Seaside- and World-class ships can sleep up to five people (select ships have cabins accommodating up to six). Additionally, the Seaside Class offers two-bedroom varieties that feature two bathrooms.

MSC Yacht Club also offers accommodations for families with various suite categories featuring two-person sofa beds in addition to a master bedroom.

Nice Touches on MSC

• Baby Laundry Service: MSC will collect your children’s items from your cabin and wash them separately from everything else, using a specialized machine, program and detergents to clean and sanitize. Items will be returned the following day clean, safe and sterilized.

• Chicco cribs/playpens are available for complimentary guest use in cabins. Housekeeping is happy to provide them and set them up on request.

3. Norwegian Cruise Line Family-Friendly Cabins

Cabin on Norwegian Prima (Photo/Colleen McDaniel)

The laid-back line famous for "Freestyle" cruising, meaning relaxed dress codes and dining whenever and wherever you want, has also seen an increase in families. Norwegian Cruise Line's newest ships, Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva, feature kids and teen programs for ages 3 to 17 and plenty of larger and connecting cabins.

Family Staterooms on NCL

Norwegian's newest ships, Prima and Viva, feature more spacious accommodations for families, connecting rooms and studios for the single relative who wants to join in the family fun.

Family Inside: These windowless cabins sleep up to four with two lower beds converting into a queen and two Pullman bunk beds.

Family Oceanview: Aboard Prima and Viva, this cabin sleeps four people, with two lower beds that convert to a queen and a double sofa bed that can accommodate two.

Family Balcony: Aboard Prima and Viva, these cabins sleep up to four with two lower beds converting into a queen and a double sofa bed that can sleep two. Some can connect to other staterooms, perfect when traveling with family or friends.

Family Club Balcony Suite: Similar to the Family Balcony but with more space, this club balcony suite sleeps four.

Family Suite: The Prima-class Suites feature two lower beds that convert to a queen, a double sofa bed, plus a forward-facing balcony offering stunning views.

Family Suite with Master Bedroom & Balcony: On Prima and Viva, these suites have plenty of room to spread out with a separate bedroom with two lower beds that convert to a queen, a double sofa bed and spacious bath.

The Haven: The Haven is Norwegian's exclusive-access suite area, which features a private pool and sun deck and, on some ships, a dining area and lounge. It's found on all ships except for Sun-class and Dawn-class ships, along with Norwegian Spirit and Pride of America. The Prima Class Haven's Two-Bedroom Family Villas are like apartments at sea, accommodating up to six people each, while the Premier Owner’s Suite sleeps eight and includes three bedrooms with king-size beds, a double sofa bed, three bathrooms with jetted showers, a half-bath and an outdoor hot tub. Aboard the Jewel- and Dawn-class ships, there's an additional Three Bedroom Garden Villa that sleeps seven to eight.

Two-Bedroom Family Suite: Each family suite has a balcony, living area, dining area, two separate bedrooms, a luxury bathroom with bathtub and a second bathroom with toilet, sink and shower.

Nice Touches on Norwegian

• Complimentary Pack 'n Plays are available on request.

• A week's worth of diapers and wipes can be delivered to your cabin for an additional charge.

• Cabins have minifridges to store your own snacks and drinks.

4. Carnival Cruise Line Family-Friendly Cabins

A standard balcony cabin aboard Carnival Luminosa (Photo: Aaorn Saunders)

Carnival is considered one of the most affordable options for families. Its "Seuss at Sea" programs bring Dr. Seuss characters and decor to the kids clubs and ship activities.

Family Staterooms on Carnival

Carnival isn't known for over-the-top luxurious suites, but families on a budget will be glad to find almost 200 "quint" cabins aboard Carnival Dream, Carnival Magic and Carnival Breeze.

Family Ocean View Staterooms: An affordable option for families of five, these 230-square-foot outside cabins are available on Carnival's Dream-class and Conquest-class ships as well as Carnival Splendor. There are two twin beds, two upper bunk beds and a single sofa bed.

Family Harbor: Carnival Vista, Horizon, Panorama and all Excel-class ships offer dedicated family zones. The space is exclusively for families, with its own suites, staterooms and a lounge just for guests staying in the family cabins. The Family Harbor Suite fits five and has a partition divider between the main bedroom and the sitting area with its pullout sofa. A special family concierge will assist family cabin passengers in planning excursions and making reservations both onboard and ashore.

Family-Friendly Cabin Configurations

Carnival ships have hundreds of connecting cabins of varying configurations. In addition, the line offers quad configurations on select inside, oceanview and balcony cabins.

Ocean View Quad Cabins include 220 square feet of space, with a split bathroom layout; one bathroom has a tub, toilet and vanity, while the other has a shower, toilet and vanity.

Nice Touches on Carnival

• Flat-screen cabin TVs have Cartoon Network, as well as pay-per-view movie options.

• Complimentary Pack 'n Plays are available upon request.

5. Disney Cruise Line Family-Friendly Cabins

A Verandah cabin on Disney Wonder (Photo: Disney Cruise Line)

Considered by many to be the gold standard among family cruise lines, Disney Cruise Line pioneered the privacy curtain (dividing the sleeping and living room area) and the family-friendly bath-and-a-half concept -- a sink and toilet in one and shower/tub combo and sink in the other.

Disney "quint" cabins range from 200-square-foot family staterooms that feature Pullman-style pullout bunk beds to the luxurious 1,000-plus-square-foot concierge-level Royal Suite, with private veranda and separate master bedroom.

There Are Family Staterooms Galore on Disney

Every cabin on a Disney ship could be considered a family cabin, but some are specifically flagged as family-focused accommodations.

Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah: Five fit into this 300-square-foot stateroom with balcony. There's a queen bed, double convertible sofa and upper pull-down bunk bed.

Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom: At 241 square feet, these balcony-less cabins have one or two round portholes with built-in window seats. There's a queen bed, single convertible sofa, wall pull-down bed and upper pull-down bunk bed in cabins that sleep five; some only sleep three or four without the pull-down beds.

Concierge Family Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah: All Disney ships now offer larger family suites that offer additional perks -- priority boarding and tender service, 24-hour concierge, access to a private sun deck and delivery of entire meals from the restaurants via room service.

The Concierge Family Oceanview Stateroom with Veranda measures 306 square feet (including the balcony) and sleeps five with a queen bed, double convertible sofa and upper pull-down bunk bed.

Family-Friendly Cabins and Configurations on Disney

Disney ships feature some 500 connecting cabins. Larger families and groups traveling together will find ample quint and quad cabins that connect to doubles and triples.

And if you're a family of just three or four on a budget, 184- to 214-square-foot interior cabins have "Magic Portholes"-- flat-screen TVs made to look like a porthole window that display views of what's happening outside. Kids love spotting the occasional Disney character that pops up on the screen.

Nice Touches on Disney

• Complimentary crib or Pack 'n Play, bottle warmers and diaper pails for in-cabin use are available on request.

• Room service will deliver kids menu items, including macaroni and cheese and Mickey ice cream bars, as well as pureed food for babies.

• "Babies Travel Light" add-on package allows parents to pre-order baby supplies and have them delivered to the cabin.

• Disney Channel and Disney movies are available on stateroom TVs.

6. Celebrity Cruises Family-Friendly Cabins

Celebrity Edge Concierge Class Cabin (Photo: Celebrity Cruises)

Celebrity's 14 ships serve a more upscale crowd and are known for having more sophisticated cuisine, amenities and activities than its sister line, Royal Caribbean. The Camp at Sea program makes it a hit with families who come onboard.

Ultra Deluxe Veranda Stateroom: These spacious cabins are the largest veranda stateroom offering and sleep five guests with two bedrooms, a large veranda, one bathroom and a living area with a pullout double sofa. The master bedroom has a queen bed and the second bedroom has a single bed. Ultra Deluxe Verandas can connect to Double Ocean View Cabins.

Family-Friendly Staterooms and Configurations on Celebrity

Most Celebrity ships have between 60 and 80 connecting rooms with a variety of configurations. All room categories on Celebrity ships can accommodate four passengers, except for the Aqua Class. Typically, a room for four would have a king and a double pullout sofa.

Nice Touches on Celebrity

• In-room babysitting for up to three children is available for an additional fee.

• Kids menus are available via complimentary room service.

• Complimentary Pack 'n Plays are available on request.

7. Holland America Line Family-Friendly Cabins

Category VA Veranda stateroom aboard Rotterdam. (Photo: Aaron Saunders)

Holland America’s Koningsdam was the first for the line to offer cabins that sleep five.

Family Ocean View Stateroom: Koningsdam's 32 quint staterooms range from 222 to 231 square feet and feature two bathrooms, one with a bathtub and shower. Two lower beds convert to a queen, and there's a double pullout sofa and one upper Pullman-style bunk bed.

Family-Friendly Staterooms and Configurations on HAL

On average, four to five percent of Holland America cabins connect to other rooms. Koningsdam has 150 connecting cabins. In addition, many rooms sleep three or four.

Nice Touches on HAL

• Complimentary Pack 'n Plays are available on request.

• Complimentary room service can be delivered 24 hours/day and includes kid-friendly foods like hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken fingers.

• In-room babysitting is offered for a fee for the first child, then a reduced fee for each additional child.

• Complimentary video games and game players (Xbox or Wii) can be checked out for use in the room.