Pre-Trip Report: First Timer Family on Carnival Triumph Over Spring Break 2017

Let me first say that I am brand new to cruising. I am a Disney World "nutcase" and became interested in cruising only after listening to tons of Disney Podcasts that talk about the Disney Cruise Line. I was one of those people who never really saw myself interested in cruising, but the podcasts made it sound so much fun. So I started dreaming about a Disney Cruise.

Let me just saw WOW! I never dreamed a 5-night vacation could cost that much. So I pretty much put that out of my mind. Then I decided to see if their were podcast dedicated to cruising, and sure enough there are. I found The Royal Caribbean Podcast, Cruise Duds Podcast and Cruise Radio Podcast. Now they are all part of my playlist, along with Disney World podcast of course.

So I decided to look at other lines. I was drawn first to CR, but still the cost was more that I wanted for our first cruise, and the dates and cruise ports were not convenient. So my attention turned to Carnival, which seemed to be both affordable and convenient. So the decision was made.

In the next installment I will get into introduction and deciding on an actual cruise. I hope you will join in and follow along on this planning journey, as my family heads out to sea. I would love you input and suggestions along the way.

Glad to participate. I love hearing the excitement of new cruisers. Warning! If you are addicted to Disney, you have Apd- addictive personality disorder. Cruising will become just as addictive!!!! Lol

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. . . Warning! If you are addicted to Disney, you have Apd- addictive personality disorder. Cruising will become just as addictive!!!! Lol

 

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I know, I fear it may have already happened and I have not even been on a ship yet.

We are doing a Spring Break Cruise on The Triumph as well. What date are you sailing?

We are doing a Spring Break Cruise on The Triumph as well. What date are you sailing?

March 18

Sorry we are the 27th, but I am going to follow the thread

Now that you know how this all started, I would like to take a little time to help you get to know our traveling party.

Heath (Me) – I am the obsessed father who enjoys planning the vacation almost as much as the actual trip. After all, the fun planning takes months, the trip is over in a week. I am 40, which prompted this trip, as it is a birthday gift to me. I am a middle school teacher and also a Southern Baptist minister. We live in NE Arkansas. I am the type that has a vacation “spreadsheet” set up with all the details. My family makes so much fun of me, but my wife has learned to appreciate it. She is assured an amazing trip, without having to worry about any of the details herself. Even as a teen, I found myself organizing summer vacations to Branson, Missouri for my family. In 2009 my father passed in a unexpected manner. The next year my mom announced she was not losing a moment of memories with her grandbabies, and we were taking the vacation that was always “too expensive” when we were growing up. So I was off and planning our 1st Walt Disney World Vacation. Let me just say, to a planner, Walt Disney World is like what I imagine “Crack” must be like. I was hooked! Like “Crack” it is a very expensive habit, and you can never get enough. Since 2010, we have been back four times and counting. So this cruise is a departure and a whole new planning adventure for me.

Candi – This is my amazing wife of 18 years and mother to our three rotten kiddos. She is also a school teacher, elementary music. She is the worship leader at our church, plays the piano and has a beautiful voice. Candi is amazing mom, so enjoys nothing more than being with the kids. Though she is not the planner, she is a vacation “enabler.” Last year I woke up one Saturday morning to discover she bought “cheap” plane tickets, so I needed to plan another Disney trip. Three years ago she a tumor removed from her stomach, along with her entire stomach. Yes, you heard right. She has no stomach, and has lost a ton of wait, so food is a challenge for her. She truly has to eat right, as every bite is important. So this trip will be a new adventure for her. She is exited, but not to my extent, but I am sure she will have a blast.

Jaron – He is our oldest, and will be 11 years old by the time of the trip. He is the one holdout on the cruise. He actually says he is NOT going. Lucky for him, he does not get that choice. Our children are very intellectual (they must get it from their mom) and he is into robotics and video games. To be so smart, he is not showing reason on this trip. He is just sure that the ship is going to sink and he is going to die. I’ve tried to show him pictures and videos of all the fun things, but he does not care. Oh well, he is going! I just hope once on the ship, his mind changes.

Clayton – This is our athlete. Everything is a sport to him, and he has more energy and is louder than any one person should be. He is excited and wants to do everything. He said he wants to “jump off the boat” and swim in the ocean. I hope that is just a joke, but we will be keeping a close eye on him. He is excited about the cruise, though I am not sure he has any idea what to expect.

Ella – This is my “Princess.” Yes, she is a daddy’s girl, and as far as I’m concerned that is how it will stay until she is 40 years only, and finally able to get married. As she will turn 6 on the cruise, I still have a few years to worry about that. She is at that age that she loves to do anything. She is in dance class and loves tea parties. I know that she is going to have a fun time regardless of where we go.

Kathy – Grandma (my mother-n-law) is in her mid-sixties, and is also going with us. She has never been on a cruise, but wanted to go. This will be her Christmas & Birthday gift from us this year. The grandkids do not get to see her that often, as she live in Illinois, just south of Chicago. She is a huge reader and an amazing writer, so I’m sure she will find the perfect spot on the ship to do both on the cruise. She does have some mobility issues, and will be renting a scooter for the cruise. She does not use one on a daily basis, but does use a walking cane, and can’t walk for long distances. So this is a concern for us, especially as we look into shore excursions.

Well there you go, now you know a little more about is. I hope to try and update this post at least once a week as I continue to plan our cruise. In my next post I plan to discuss how we chose our cruise. Check back and please leave feedback.

For your mom, you might also want to consider a collapsible wheelchair (especially for the airports and travel). It will also open up a lot more possibilities for excursions as few can take mobility scooters but wheelchairs that fold up can go in almost any vehicle.

I also love planning vacations. It started with Atlantic City and tracking all of the casino freebies and offers and then progressed to Disney World. We visited 2-3 times a year from 2005-2009. In 2010 we discovered cruising and never turned back! :D I understand how planning is like crack - it's what keeps me sane between trips.

There is a FB group, Cruising with Chronic pain, that may be helpful for your mother in law. Actual cruisers with medical issues. They could explain the differences between a wheelchair and scooter on a cruise

There is a FB group, Cruising with Chronic pain, that may be helpful for your mother in law. Actual cruisers with medical issues. They could explain the differences between a wheelchair and scooter on a cruise

Thank you, I'll look it up. Do you know which forum it is under, there are so many here to dig through.

The scooter will need to be stored IN the cabin, so make sure you get something big enough to accommodate it! There is a step up into the bathroom, too, unless you get an HC cabin.

Before you cruise, check with Carnival's "Special Needs" Department for both your wife's eating and your Mother in Law's mobility issues. They can help tremendously with both of their needs.

I think Jaron will be amazed once he gets onboard the ship. He won't even realize he's on a ship. They look big until you get on them. Then they are HUGE! Were it not for the gentle motion, you'd swear you were just in a big hotel on solid ground.

This is definitely an addiction... I'm addicted to traveling in general. My parents love to cruise, and they brought myself and my daughter on our first cruise (after a short visit to Disney World no less). I just recently got bit by the Disney bug, and while I do love to cruise, my daughter and I have done land vacations the last two years (Disney and Europe) with another Disney trip planned for Spring Break 2017. Needless to say, we also have cruises booked too, which is great.

It will be fun to see your trip develop. I am admittedly not a planner, but my mom is (we're all going on a big family trip cruise in January). My mom's planning is outstanding though, she helped me plan our summer in Europe and it was a great trip because she is neurotic like that. I'm trying to get better though. My daughter is a year older than your son who is reluctant to cruise, she's super into robotics and gaming and all that stuff, and she really loves the ability to have "her" vacation while I can also have "my" vacation.

I'm following, I was bitten by the cruise bug in 2009 when planning my first for 2010. I have only been able to take 4 since then, but I will be on the Triumph in June, your chatter and review of your time on board the ship will get me through the next 250 days! I am definitely subscribing.

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The scooter will need to be stored IN the cabin, so make sure you get something big enough to accommodate it! There is a step up into the bathroom, too, unless you get an HC cabin.

I had not considered this. Will the scooters not fit in the rooms. She does not have one that she uses every day. She is renting it from a company in New Orleans that delivers them to the cruise ship. She has not handicap issues so I did not request any type of accessible room. I just assumed she would be able to pull the scooter into the room. I hope we are okay. I'll have to do some more research.

Before you cruise, check with Carnival's "Special Needs" Department for both your wife's eating and your Mother in Law's mobility issues. They can help tremendously with both of their needs.

 

I think Jaron will be amazed once he gets onboard the ship. He won't even realize he's on a ship. They look big until you get on them. Then they are HUGE! Were it not for the gentle motion, you'd swear you were just in a big hotel on solid ground.

I'll have to check into the "Special Needs" department. My wife really will not need any accomdiation, she is really good about finding just the right things to eat.

I think Jaron will be fine, but we may have to pry his hands from the railing and drag him on the ship. :D

This is definitely an addiction... I'm addicted to traveling in general. My parents love to cruise, and they brought myself and my daughter on our first cruise (after a short visit to Disney World no less). I just recently got bit by the Disney bug, and while I do love to cruise, my daughter and I have done land vacations the last two years (Disney and Europe) with another Disney trip planned for Spring Break 2017. Needless to say, we also have cruises booked too, which is great.

 

It will be fun to see your trip develop. I am admittedly not a planner, but my mom is (we're all going on a big family trip cruise in January). My mom's planning is outstanding though, she helped me plan our summer in Europe and it was a great trip because she is neurotic like that. I'm trying to get better though. My daughter is a year older than your son who is reluctant to cruise, she's super into robotics and gaming and all that stuff, and she really loves the ability to have "her" vacation while I can also have "my" vacation.

I am happy to have you follow along. I do hope that I love cruising as much as Disney, as so far it is much easier to plan.

I'm following, I was bitten by the cruise bug in 2009 when planning my first for 2010. I have only been able to take 4 since then, but I will be on the Triumph in June, your chatter and review of your time on board the ship will get me through the next 250 days! I am definitely subscribing.

 

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It is exciting. Have you been on the Triumph before? If yes, I love to hear your thoughts.

As mentioned in my opening post, we are a huge Walt Disney World family. So to decide to give up WDW for a cruise was a major step for us. Initially I thought it would not be a big deal, as I’d planned to take a Disney Cruise. However, after my travel agent quoted me a price, I backed off those plans. I did not want to go on a 3 night cruise. Even though this would be our first cruise, I was looking at a 5 or 7 night. When the Disney Cruise quote came in at just under $10,000 I lost it. That is twice as expensive as a WDW week for us, so I knew it was out. I was so bummed out, as I was so looking forward to it.

At that point I had started listening to some other podcasts and decided that Royal Caribbean would be okay. I had settled on the Liberty out of Galveston, but still the price for my group was going to be about $6,000. I just could not do it, as that is still more that a full 7 nights at WDW, and this was a 5 night cruise.

But I still really wanted to go on a cruise, so I started looking at Carnival. I just did not want to do Carnival. I had heard so many mixed reviews. Several people talked about Carnival being a “party” cruise. That is just not my family. As I said in our cast list, I’m a pastor. We do not drink at all, and I am uncomfortable abound people who are drunk and have lost control of themselves. However my principal/boss had good things to say about her experience last year over spring break. She and I are very much alike in our personalities. So I decided it would be okay to give up WDW one year to give a cruise a try.

Now that the decision is made, all that was left to do is choose a ship, a date, and put down the deposit. I’ll start that discussion in the next installment.

It is exciting. Have you been on the Triumph before? If yes, I love to hear your thoughts.

I have not, that's why I'm anxiously awaiting your report! Lol.

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This thread will be interesting to follow. Different approach.

From one Disney freak to another.. hi there :) my addiction is so bad that we have annual passes to Disneyland here in Cali and go every other weekend lol We have also done WDW.. I can say there is nothing in the world like watching it through a daughter's eyes (mine is 9yo). I will follow along to see how you enjoy it.

We also love cruising and have #7 and #8 booked for 2017. I can tell you my kids love cruising. We were also going to do a Disney cruise but there is a trick to it since their prices do not behave like normal cruise lines :) we were just too late for a reasonable deal when trying to book.

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We are a family of teachers. So Candi (my wife) and I do not have an open travel schedule. We have a couple extended breaks, but they are often centered around holidays. We live very near my family, but 8-hours from hers. That means most holidays are spent traveling to see my in-laws. That takes Thanksgiving & Christmas out of the equation. Now we are down to spring break and summer.

I was just too excited with the possibility to going on a cruise to wait until summer. So we started looking at our options over spring break. Our Spring Break officially starts at 3:15 on Friday, March 17. So whatever we selected had to happen in the next 7-day time frame. Even with all the Carnival ships out on the oceans, there were still not many that would be accessible to us in our window of opportunity we would have.

We did not really want to fly because of the added expense. Since we live in the middle of the country (NE Arkansas), we were looking for something in the Gulf. Really the best option for us was out of New Orleans. The itinerary was not really that big of a deal to us, as we have not ever cruised or been to Mexico or the Caribbean. Wherever we went would be a brand new adventure.

When my travel agent sent me information on a 5-night out of New Orleans, with a stop in Cozumel and Progresso, we booked. Google Maps says that New Orleans will be about a 7-hour drive for us, which is something we can do after school. So it looks like we will leave from school on March 17 and drive to the port area the night before.

If you continue this journey with me, I will be discussing the ship we chose for out first cruise.

I have the same addictions as your family! I have cruised on the Triumph twice, once with two friends and this last trip with my daughter, her husband and three boys ages 3,6 and 12, my son , his wife and adult daughter, and two friends. It is a great ship to get a start on cruising. The staff is friendly, there is plenty for the kids to do and you, your wife and MIL will love the relaxed atmosphere. Be sure to get a handicapped cabin for your MIL - so she can have a scooter - I travel with one and love the freedom it allows me. We did the dolphin encounter in Cozumel and booked through the ship - they indicated that I could not take my scooter, so I used a wheel chair - when we got to the location to meet the guide, he said that if I had called I could have taken my scooter - so lesson learned. That experience was incredible for all of us - there are steps to climb down and up from the water line but well worth the pain in my knees to do it.

.... Be sure to get a handicapped cabin for your MIL - so she can have a scooter - I travel with one and love the freedom it allows me. ...

We do not have a handicap room, as we did not know she was going when we booked. She was an addition. Our travel agent gave us the requirements for the scooter in a normal room. I hope that is the case when we get there.