Aoumd

Thank you everyone! Our plans changed and so we ended up on a different cruise and line for next year but this is great info to have if we can make things work with my wife’s cousin on NCL in the future!

Excellent, thank you!

Thanks this is reassuring! My concern was basically whether or not my son would be the only kid in the Stingrays group (ages 6-8) at Camp Ocean for many of the programs, or if there would be at least a few other kids on a typical day in the program.

So I'm looking at my cruise options for next year, and in addition to the usual suspects, see some 10-day and 11-day cruises from San Francisco to Alaska in August. My son (will be 7) LOVES playing with other kids in Camp Ocean and also is very social. My question is: Have any families done this cruise before, and are there more than a handful of families on these longer Alaska itineraries? On the one hand, the 10/11-day length and smaller Spirit Class size of ship might mean fewer families and kids on board. On the other hand, in early-to-mid August, many schools across the US are still on summer vacation (ours doesn't start up again until the last week of August), so it's still a school break week (or two). Curious what to expect in terms of passenger mix if we decide to make this our family vacation next year. Thanks for any advice you can provide!

After 10 cruises on Carnival and Royal Caribbean, my wife asked me about joining her cousin's family on NCL Bliss for the kids' spring break week next year. My son (will be 7) LOVES Camp Ocean on Carnival and will thus probably want to spend as much time in Splash Academy as possible -- especially with the reviews I have seen. When doing some homework on sailing NCL, I saw some comments about Splash Academy filling up quickly, sometimes turning away kids just 5-10 minutes after opening. Is this commonplace? Or was this a temporary issue due to staffing that has been resolved? Thanks in advance for any info!

Thanks for the info...I seem to recall a place within the port complex that overlooked the water and the ships. But good to know Chankanaab also is a possibility!

Do the waitstaff do their performances every night, or just certain nights? Also, does anyone have recent experience with the massage place in the port on Cozumel? When I was there in 2019, you could get a massage outside by the water in the Carnival port area for significantly less than on-board. Curious if that's still the case, as I tend to like to get my back un-bricked during vacations :-).

Thanks for finding that from the website. Sounds like the letter must be signed but doesn’t have to be notarized. Makes things a little easier.

Thank you everyone for your feedback and experiences!

Tampa to Cozumel and return.

Sailing with my DS6 later this month on a father son cruise. I remember reading in the past some parents got notarized letters from the parent not traveling, indicating permission for the child to leave the country with the parent traveling, for their cruises where one parent but not both were traveling. I asked my PVP who I booked through and she said it is not necessary. Can anyone share experiences with needing the letter or not? We’re US citizens on a closed loop cruise from and returning to a U.S. port, so the only time we clear a border formality will be coming BACK into the US. We’re traveling with our passports. Thanks!

Thanks for the info, sounds great!

Just registered my son for Camp Ocean as part of the cruise check-in process, and was curious when the activities start. In the past I recall embarkation day being when kids would get registered on board, with activities starting the following morning...but this was in 2019 on a six-night cruise. My son and I are sailing on a four night cruise on the Paradise in a few weeks, and I was curious if they do the kids' dinner or evening activities on the first night of the cruise. My son will be a Stingray this time, he was a Penguin in 2019. My son has fond memories of Camp Ocean from 2019, so I was curious when that fun could start for him. Any info would be great. Thanks!

Thanks for the info!

First cruise since 2019, taking my son on the Paradise for four nights. Memory is a little rusty on a few things and I know others have changed, so wanted to ask the experts here... For a four-night cruise, when do the Camp Ocean activities start? I recall in the past signing my son up for Camp Ocean on the first day, but programs not starting until the second morning. Is that the case on a four night cruise? And what were the program hours on the sea days and port days (e.g. all day port call in Cozumel)? Do any families here have recent experience with (or programs from) Camp Ocean on the Paradise or Elation? My son LOVED Camp Ocean on the Vista in 2019, but I realize we're on a smaller ship this time and I want to manage expectations accordingly. My son would be in the Stingray group. Curious how similar vs. different the activities and experience is in Camp Ocean on the smaller vs. larger Carnival ships. If one "only" has Gold VIFP and does not purchase FTTF, but selects a check in right at T-14 days when check in opens, any odds on getting an earlier (i.e. 11am or 12 noon) boarding time? Debating going to the Tampa Children's museum before boarding if we get stuck with a late embarkation time, will make a decision once we know our actual boarding appointment time. Conversely, if one is doing self-assist debarkation, what is the latest time one can get breakfast and get off the ship? Our flight home is not until 7pm so I am thinking of taking my son to the Aquarium after, but we're not going to be in any sort of rush. And my son likes to get his beauty sleep until 7 or 8am... Any info would be great, thanks in advance! Looking forward to getting back on a ship!