Liberty Family Oceanview

[BarbH]

We have booked the family oceanview on the Liberty. It has a "queen bed", pull out sofa bed, and two bunks. We are taking our 4 teenage children. We recently purchased an inflatable twin air mattress that is rather comfortable. Should we consider taking this to use along with the couch - rather than the pull out sofa bed? I've personally never slept on a comfortable sofa bed and am thinking that maybe just using the couch (closed) and an inflatable bed would make for a better night's sleep for two of our children. Any suggestions?

[Jim C.]

They are teenagers.. they will survive. :-)

The issue I see with bringing the air mattress is space. With the sofa bed, the cabin stewards can open the sofa bed at night when they do the turn down service and close it back up to a sofa during the day. If you bring a mattress, you are going to be walking all over it everyday. Not entirely worth the trouble of dragging it along on a cruise versus making the teens sleep on a sofa bed.

[royalcruiser]

We just had a sofa bed on the legend of the seas... my friend slept on it for 12 nights and complained every morning... the mattress is about 2 inches thick.

[billybuzzy]

You might ask your cabin steward for a mattress pad or an extra duvet to provide a softer support for the back. As Jim C. has said - the issue is space and an air mattress can make things feel very cramped! If worse comes to worse consider a campers mattress pad or two - they roll up easily and won't take too much packing space!!! Place it under the mattress on the sofa bed forthe best effect - I've done it on a sofa bed at a friends house and it worked quite well!!

BillyBuzzy

[spoheat]

My kids have been on the sofa bed 8 cruises-worth. A few years ago we started requesting and egg-crate mattress topper. They have only cruised on newer, Voyager and Freedom class ships, and been plenty comfortable. One of them could sleep on the roof of a moving car, and the other can hear if someone sheds a skin cell in the room. Both seem to be able to rest comfortably on the sofa bed.

Also even uninflated this mattress will have to be packed. They are not that light weight and a lot of airlines are charging for luggage still. I am not in my room over much but concur with the above sentiment: I would not want to maneuver around it all day.

If you request a mattress topper or extra duvet to go under the bottom sheet do so early--there are only so many extra items on a given ship.

[spoheat]

Also if someone wants to crash on the couch when it is not made into a bed: this is not a traditional pull out couch but rather a sophisticated futon. You sit or lay on the "back" of the mattress when it is not open and it is quite firm and unforgiving.

[BarbH]

Thank you everyone for your advise. I really didn't want to lug the air mattress along, but want everyone to be somewhat comfortable. I will definitely ask for an egg crate or a topper of some sort right away when we arrive. (That is, if I can remember to, along with all the other wonderful tips I'm receiving from this site filed in my head). Will the room stewards be close at hand upon our arrival to our room?

[Jim C.]

Normally they are in the hallway at least. You should be able to find them. If not, look at your phone directory in the cabin, there will be a number for you to call them.

[billybuzzy]

spoheat - It sounds alot like my ex - she also was quite firm and unforgiving too! Needless to say I didn't sleep well either!!!

BillyBuzzy

[peter l]

Billybuzzy; "Now thats funny"

Peterl