Porthole Magazine
June 1, 2002
Three Girls in a Boat

There were three of us, and we were absolutely giddy at the idea
of a cruise together. Three old college friends sharing a cabin
for a weeklong cruise to Italy, Spain and France was a once-in-a-lifetime
chance to bond on foreign shores, from the cobble stoned alleyways
of Pompeii to the Ferrari-choked streets of glamorous Monte Carlo.
Off we went last summer headed for Rome and a 7-night cruise on
Royal Caribbean's 1,950-passenger Grandeur of the Seas bound for
Naples, Livorno, Barcelona, Villefranche, and Malta. The three of
us settled into cabin #7610, a 190-square-foot category D cabin
awash in a sea of numbing beige with a pair of twin beds, pull-out
couch, balcony, and a surprisingly generous amount of storage space.
We staked our spots, divided the shelves, doubled up on the hangers,
and jumped headlong into our girly week at sea.

Our heady days and nights aboard an exciting mega ship wrapped in
its fair share of marble and brass, were filled with people-watching
and cocktails in the airy seven-deck atrium, disco dancing with
Gloria Gaynor and the Village People in the pulsating Viking Crown
Lounge, and bedtime readings of Cosmo.

We shared all this fun as well as shoes, sequin tops, moisturizer,
evening bags, and snide remarks about other passengers' formalwear.
We sipped Daiquiris and cheap wine together, shared a pack of cigarettes,
and rolled our eyes in unison at our wacky dinner mates. We hadn't
spent this much quality time together since the dorm freshman year.

Now, there are more benefits to a cruise with three friends than
loads of good times, with three you've always got a built-in back
up. If one roommate is crabby one night and wants to head back to
the cabin early, you've got friend number two waiting in the wings.
If you get the silent treatment from one, there's a spare to turn
to. If you can't bear to wear that black sleeveless number one more
time, you've got two other wardrobes to browse through. Let your
fingers do the walking through two other sets of earrings and hair
clips. If you forgot your curling iron, conditioner, or camera,
chances are one of your two friends didn't. While cruising with
your husband, children or mother has its own unique pleasures, chances
are you wouldn't want to borrow a clingy skirt from one of them.
Cruising with a pair of 30-something women friends guarantees many
more options in the borrowing department.

Of course there's there are risks too. Two cabin mates triples the
chance of the odd mood swing or imagined insult, but nothing a bit
of planning and a lot of blind-eye-turning can't fix.

Heading for the balcony or a secret chaise lounge up on deck is
a great way to diffuse a potential snit fit, while the ancient art
of ignoring works well too. To head off any preening-related bickering,
shower appointments were planned way before dinner so no one would
be late, but getting a turn at the one hairdryer became survival
of the fittest.

Clutter could have been an issue if we let it, since three adult
women collect a lot more stuff than two. Shoes were everywhere along
with strands of hennaed, highlighted and graying hair stuck to the
sink, shower, brushes, and pillows. Tchotskes times three meant
newly purchased postcards, t-shirts, and books littered the desk
and nightstands. Lire, Francs and Pesetas in coin and bills congregated
in every nook and cranny. A growing pile of menus, port maps, and
flyers for spa specials took over the top of the TV and the bathroom
floor.

Minor inconveniences aside, I'd do three in a cabin again in a heartbeat.
It's loads of fun, not to mention a bargain way to cruise. Three
was cheaper than two when it came to splitting a cab to Pompeii,
an ice-cream cone in Pisa, and of course the price of the cabin
itself. The third and/or fourth person in a cabin generally pays
only half of the regular fare, so splitting the savings among all
three knocks about 20% of each person's share.

But don't expect a great bargain on a palatial suite, you gotta
go standard to save, and luckily lots of ships' standard cabins
can accommodate three or four adults with pull-down bunks and/or
pull-out couches; and some even have balconies, a sanity-saver for
obvious reasons. More than 100 of Grandeur's 190-square-foot balcony
standards have pullout couches and more than 100 of the ship's 154
square-foot standard outside and 140-146-square-foot inside cabins
have two twins and a pair of bunks, as do many standard cabins on
most of the Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Princess, Celebrity
and Holland America ships. The roomiest are Carnival and Holland
America's 180- to 190-square-foot standard cabins, and the tightest
are the 110- to 155-square foot standards on many of Norwegian's
and Royal Caribbean's ships.

If you want to really squish and save, Carnival and Norwegian will
even allow five in a standard cabin on most of their ships, squeezing
in a rollaway bed for the lucky fifth person (don't plan on getting
to the bathroom in the middle of the night).

No matter how many you pack into one cabin though, remember it's
only the bedroom. We had the Grandeur's endless sunbathing decks
to escape to all week, plus its peaceful solarium, two sprawling
restaurants, gym, spa, Internet center, and all of those happening
bars and lounges to call home for a week. Your cabin is just a place
to hang your hat (and that new bikini).

SIDEBAR

The Dos and Don'ts of Cruising for Three:

Don't forget to wake up a napping roommate in time for dinner. When
she eventually gets there, late, she may be mad as hell.

Don't sip from roommate's Pina Colada when you know you have the
sniffles, when she gets a killer cold the next day and roommate
number three the next, it may cause undo friction.

Don't forget to assign bathroom towel racks, or a certain roommate
may go ballistic if she finds out you've been wiping sand from your
erogenous zones with the towel closet to the sink (HER towel).

Don't bring steamer trunk-sized luggage, it won't fit under the
beds along with the two steamer trunk-sized suitcases your two roommates
already stowed there.

Do bring that stretched-out black Lycra skirt you've been meaning
to give to the homeless, roommates may love it and want to borrow
it for formal night.

Do pre-plan port days so the three of you each get to see at least
one attraction of choice, otherwise screaming matches in front of
the leaning tower of Pisa could have monumental effects on an already-shaky
foundation.

Do mix up table seating at dinner, so cabin mates can also experience
the joy of sitting next to the weird single guy who makes a habit
of downing Manhattans and nodding off during dessert.

Do get as many portraits taken of three of you as possible by the
ship's photographers, one is bound to hide your double chins, shiny
noses and crows' feet, and you'll cherish it for the rest of your
lives!