Hi there, Cheyenne!
My family of six wanted to experience Alaska. We thought we'd try it out aboard the Disney Wonder. Before our sailing, we thought it would be our one and only cruise ever. But after experiencing all that the Disney Cruise Line has to offer, we were hooked. A dozen Disney cruises later and counting, it's now one of our favorite ways to vacation. But it nearly didn't happen to begin with. I admit I was confused by the subtle differences between booking a hotel room on land that could accommodate our large family versus the unique configurations of cruise ship staterooms. But once I cracked the code for booking for our family aboard a typical cruise ship, it was easy to fall in love with sailing with Captain Minnie and Captain Mickey.
The easiest way to book your large-party Disney cruise vacation is to reach out to the Disney Cruise Line Contact Center. The Cast Members on the phone will help guide you through the available options to make it as simple as possible. Or you are welcome to reserve your cruise vacation using the Find a Cruise tool on the Disney Cruise Line Website. The key piece of information you may need is that most staterooms on a cruise ship will accommodate about four passengers. So when you search for a stateroom that fits your entire party of six people, it may seem that there are very few, if any, options. The options that are available, mostly concierge-level suites tend to be beyond my family's budget. So I understand it may be confusing or even frustrating to find something that works.
What works for my family is usually to reserve two staterooms. We usually have one adult and two children in each room. Unlike typical hotel rooms, this approach is almost always more cost-effective than booking concierge suites on a cruise ship. Now, here's the part: booking multiple staterooms opens up amazing possibilities. For example, on our first cruise to Alaska, we booked one stateroom on the port side of the ship and another stateroom on the starboard side of the ship. That way, we would always be sure to have a stateroom facing the most interesting scenery during our journey through the Inside Passage of southeast Alaska. On other cruises, we have booked connecting staterooms, almost like building our own large suite to fit everyone comfortably. On some cruises, an economical approach we have used is to book one Oceanview stateroom and one inside stateroom immediately across the hall.
Tony's Tip: The best thing of all about booking two staterooms for your Disney cruise has to do with the Disney Cruise Line's innovative split bathroom design available in many stateroom categories. By booking two rooms, you get double the bathrooms. With the split bathroom layout, it's almost like having four bathrooms total between your staterooms. I'm sure you understand better than most the great benefit that would be for a large family!
I wish you fair winds and smooth seas as you finalize plans for a Disney cruise vacation, Cheyenne. I hope to hear from you again here at planDisney should you have any more cruise planning questions.
Have a magical time, Cheyenne!
~Tony