Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that families of 5 are ripped off when booking holidays

87 replies

Budgiegirlbob · 08/03/2014 00:21

I've been trying to book a summer holiday with my sister , she has a family of 4, I have a family of 5.

We originally tried to book an AI holiday to Turkey, she had a quote of £4000 for 2 weeks, all 4 of them in one room. I got a quote, but as we needed 2 rooms to accommodate 5 of us, our quote was £7000. An extra £3000 for one extra child! Of course I expected it to be more than my sister, but not getting on for double. It included under occupancy charges as there would only be one adult in each room.

So we scrapped that idea, and got a quote for a cruise in a large ship, which specifically markets itself to families. Dsis quote was £3000 for four sharing a cabin. No cabins for 5 though, even on a family ship, so the cost for us was £5000. Aaargh !

I know we are lucky to be able to go on holiday at all, but AIBU to be cross that the cost for one extra child is so high just because we don't fit into the nice little holiday ideal of 2 adults, 2 kids?

OP posts:
tigermoll · 08/03/2014 00:22

Biscuit.

onehellofaride · 08/03/2014 00:23

I completely understand this as we are a family of 5 but we have managed to get holidays abroad with us all sharing one room and for much less than that quoted. Unfortunately you need to shop around a lot more than a family of 4 but there are places out there

SinglePringle · 08/03/2014 00:25

Exactly the same if you're single. Except you don't have to put up with pitying looks.

Holiday companies are designed to make money and they'll make it wherever they can.

Lighthousekeeping · 08/03/2014 00:26

Try a family of six!! It costs a fortune one adult and two children in each room. Hardly romantic. I guess the answer is a villa except it's like a bus mans holiday with sun.

NigellasDealer · 08/03/2014 00:28

try one adult two children......Grin

Original poster
Budgiegirlbob · 08/03/2014 00:38

I think that's the point, any combination that doesn't fit the ideal is disproportionately expensive.

We have also found rooms for 5 in the past, and for less than the prices I've quoted , but it really does restrict the choices.

I know it's a small price to pay in the grand scheme of things though.

OP posts:
DailyBread · 08/03/2014 00:58

But they're not charging you per child, they're charging you per room. Yoh require double the number of rooms. Why do you think the hotel should subsidise you? It's a business. They could make 4000k from putting another family of 4 in that room.

TheZeeTeam · 08/03/2014 01:03

Just keep looking. There are a gazillion and one hotels that allow 5 people in a room, with a pull out bed.

If not, just buy a cheap inflatable sleeping bag combined thing for the youngest and smuggle it in. I've never actually done that, but I probably should have.

MidniteScribbler · 08/03/2014 01:05

Single parent and one child gets screwed over as well. And as a teacher I only ever get to pay holiday rates. You have the family that you choose, and that means that costs may vary to other families.

LadyPenny · 08/03/2014 02:20

Not sure if this is your sort of holiday but we've booked centreparcs in France for August. Two adults and 5 dc. We have a premium chalet with 4 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms, whirl pool baths and a sauna. It cost £1,600 euros which is about 70% less than the same holiday in the UK.

wobblyweebles · 08/03/2014 03:07

I am reading with interest for tips on how to make holidays for families of five cheaper.

We usually do end up booking two rooms. We probably could squeeze into one but it wouldn't be much fun.

We thought about an AI holiday this year but even without the added cost of a second room it was outrageously expensive. Instead we have rented a condo.

We also bought a big, easy-to-put-up tent.

Wurstwitch · 08/03/2014 03:25

You can get rooms for 5 on Disney cruises... I booked one. (But then canx)

Mutley77 · 08/03/2014 03:30

Totally agree. If we want to have our 2 Kids in our bedroom and squeeze baby in travel cot in too why shouldn't we? I wouldn't expect a hotel to give us another room for free but why not let us take 3 kids in one large family room? V irritating.

wobblyweebles · 08/03/2014 03:32

I imagine part of it is due to what occupancy they are legally allowed, and fire safety.

TravellingToad · 08/03/2014 03:39

You require double the amount of rooms as your sis. The holiday should cost you double. Why would the hotel subsidise you? How can you not grasp this!!!

Poppy67 · 08/03/2014 05:52

Hire a villa?

isitsnowingyet · 08/03/2014 06:02

travellingtoad it's not double the amount of people though - is it??

The reason the OP 'can't grasp this' is no doubt she is amazed that there are not many places where 5 can all share one room. [there is a little b and b in dover that accommodated all 5 of us in one room for a reasonable price]

OP - the way to go is caravan holidays or villas/self catering.

QueenofLouisiana · 08/03/2014 06:03

Parents of only children end up paying under occupancy rates- even on a one bedroom apartment. The theory is that you could fit 2 children in, so you are paying for a child you don't have, to share the pace you are already paying for....

Immensely irritating, but just the way it is.

SnookyPooky · 08/03/2014 06:04

When I was repping we had some 2 bedroom accommodations that slept 6, so 2 in each bedroom and 2 on the sofa bed. Perhaps you would be better to look at self catering rather than hotels. Combine your two families and get 2 x 2 bedroom apts.

Athrawes · 08/03/2014 06:30

You chose to have such a big family. Noone made you. You should have thought about this kind of tjing in advance. It's called family planning.

Enjoyingmycoffee · 08/03/2014 06:44

Isn't it annoying that as a family of five you need....

More food
More space
More clothes
More water
Etc.

Are you surprised? Do you honestly think the holiday company should have given you the second room for peanuts when they could have rented it full price to a family of four?

TamerB · 08/03/2014 06:46

We are a family of 5 but I never wanted to all share the same room on holiday so I didn't come across the problem. We always had a double and a triple.

BeckAndCall · 08/03/2014 06:58

Why is everyone being so mean to the OP - she just mentioned it! She's not outraged or about to write to her MP! And the hike from 4k to 7 k is a lot and worth commenting on.. She's not saying the holiday company should be taken out and shot for it - just pointing it out.

We are likewise a family of 5 and there are many times when the cost of 5 is disproportionate to the cost of 4 - family tickets for museums or theme parks, for instance. Not to mention the number of times restaurants squeeze an extra chair on a table for 4 and think you should be grateful they bothered. And we typically have booked two hotel rooms in any case, but there isn't that much choice for hotels or places that sleep 5 - there are some, but the choice is more limited than a room for 4. It's a fact, don't shout at the OP for pointing it out.

And yes, of course it's obvious but it's not really the thing you think about when deciding to have number 3 or not, cos you're not at that stage yet- until you try booking a room for 5 people why would you know what your options are?

MorningTimes · 08/03/2014 07:09

LadyPenny - That sounds brilliant! Have you been to CentreParcs in France before?

Pippintea · 08/03/2014 07:13

The holiday company is charging you for the extra room needed to accommodate the number of people going.
Simple maths. If you need two rooms they'll charge you for 2. If they are offering under occupancy reduction, they are supplementing your family as they could have hired the room to another family at full price.
Find apartments for 6 (always 2,4,6,8) or hire a villa big enough for everyone.