Family Runs Into Unique Bed Problem on Princess Cruise Ship
The best way to describe most cruise cabins is tiny, but efficient. Indeed, the cruise lines have figured out how to fit full families into small staterooms that are often less than 300 or 400 square feet.
One way that Princess Cruises’ Discovery Princess makes the most of the space in her standard staterooms is by offering Pullman beds – which can come down from the ceiling or walls to accommodate four guests in one cabin.
Families or groups who need to accommodate a fourth person can use this option to do so, while travel parties with less people may not even know the hidden bed is there.
It’s also often a more cost effective option to stay in a standard stateroom with a Pullman than to invest in a bigger suite.
But one family who recently sailed aboard the 2022-launched Discovery Princess was disappointed to learn that the Pullman bed wouldn’t be accessible during the day – but instead would be brought down and made up by the cabin steward during the nightly turndown service.
“There are four of us — we knew the Pullman situation, were totally fine with the beds coming from the ceiling, the subpar quality, etc. all fine with that,” one recent cruiser shared.
“However, on day one, we were notified by our steward that he would NOT keep the Pullman beds down during the day. Absolutely refused. So when the four of us — two adults and two kids (ages 12 and 9) come into the room after a long day and need a rest prior to dinner, we’re squishing the four of us onto two twin beds,” they continued.
The room steward allegedly cited safety concerns as the reason behind the policy, which could be understandable if the bed restricts movement in the cabin in the unlikely event of an emergency or if it might get jolted while sailing through unusually rough waters.
But ultimately, the family said this made them “miserable” and they wish they had known about the policy before booking their cabin.
That said, it’s possible that this family’s experience was a fluke or the stateroom attendant was misinformed – as other recent guests of Discovery Princess and other Princess ships reported that they were allowed to keep their Pullman bed down for the duration of the sailing.
Cruise Accommodations Can be Confusing
While this family intentionally selected their stateroom to accommodate two parents and two children, the vast selections of cruise cabin categories and configurations to choose from is a common source of confusion – particularly for larger groups.
It’s always important to pay close attention to the details when selecting your cruise cabin to make sure you’re choosing the right set-up for you and your travel companions.
Indeed, as this family of four was lamenting their Pullman problem, another foursome was struggling to comprehend how their group could even fit in one cabin before booking their own Princess Cruise, or a sailing on Holland America Line, which is a sister-brand.
“When they say a room sleeps up to 4 but it just has 1 queen size bed or 2 twins that turn into 1 queen, are they just assuming the other 2 people are kids and that all 4 fit in 1 queen size bed? Do they assume everyone is the family from Willy Wonka? Am I missing something?”, the future guest inquired.
Other members of the cruise community were kind enough to advise the guest on options related to trundle beds, bunk beds, couch beds, and of course, Pullman beds. However, most advised splurging for two rooms if only for the convenience of having a second bathroom.
Read Also: What Are the Best Rooms on a Cruise Ship?
Meanwhile, Carnival Cruise Line, which sails under the same parent company that owns Princess Cruises and Holland America Line, has also made headlines for confusion regarding stateroom configurations in the past.
In this case, Carnival guests are able to indicate if they would like the beds in their stateroom to be together or separated during the online check-in process. But some guests have run into trouble where their bed requests are not followed.
But thankfully, that is an easy mistake for the room stewards to resolve. Just remember to alert them to the issue with kindness, as sometimes things do get missed with potentially thousands of staterooms to manage onboard.