kelly.campbell

I don't cruise for trivia -- can play trivia on boring, old land.

 

But whatever (literally) floats your boat I guess.....

It's not the ONLY thing we do, but it is something we look forward to. [emoji6] [emoji568][emoji562]

I really hope they get the trivia figured out by July. We LOVE trivia.

Can you bring a power bar with at least 3 plugs ? My son, wife and myself all use a c-pap machine.

Yes. You should put it inside your CPAP bag so that the handlers realize it's for the machine.

I've sailed the Magic three times, Liberty once, and have the Freedom for the July 4 cruise. My best advice is to decide what you're looking for.

Are you looking for adventure... the ropes course, water park, and other activities will keep you busy on your way to port.

Are you looking for relaxation and great food? Take the Liberty or Freedom.

There is plenty to do on each ship, and you'll love each one. My family enjoys all of the ships but here is what is said when we're on the Magic, "The food isn't half as good as the Liberty. Wish they would upgrade this ship!"

And while we were in the Liberty..., "Mom... I'm having a blast, but I really miss the water works on the Magic."

Just decide what you want most out of your cruise and enjoy!

My trusty CPAP has accompanied me for my last 2 cruises. I've never been paged, but guest services always calls me within 30 minutes of boarding to make sure I have everything I need.

We've sailed 5 times since these incidences and had great cruises... we just didn't bother with CC.

Here's something positive:

 

We started cruising with our kids when the youngest was 5, so I don't have much insight regarding ages younger than that. I was full of questions and worries rightfully so, but found this board very helpful for specific Camp Carnival questions and the family board very helpful for family cruising tips in general. We took 5 cruises without them. It will be different but very worth it. It's good that you registered your son already. Be sure to go to orientation on the first day. And get yourself two copies of the schedule. One for the room, one to keep on you at all times.

 

Camp closes for dinner @ 5, then reopens again for dinner @6. Night owl charges begin @ 10pm. $6.95 per hour plus gratuity. Opening hours vary depending on sea day or port day. All of this information will be listed in your fun times and in the camp schedule.

 

Both of our kids have enjoyed camp two cruises later. No complaints from either. They are now 6 and 11. They have been in both Camp Carnival and Camp Ocean. I think the little one slightly prefers camp carnival over camp ocean but not by much.

 

We did leave our son onboard last year while we did an excursion after vowing before our first cruise that I would never ever do that! His persistent request. As it turned out, everything went perfectly fine. We were half way through the trip by then. He knew the layout of the ship and had been drilled enough times about the rules and knew precisely the exactly TWO places he was allowed to go outside of camp. My son was 11. We took the 6 year old with us.

 

As a parent having kids who look forward to camp and came home talking about it, I'm a big fan of the program. Others may feel differently. Keep asking questions and search for answers until you feel comfortable. Like I said, this website was great helping me prepare. I'm all for winging it, but when it comes to the kids, I wanted to know as much as I could.

 

Enjoy your cruise on the Breeze!!

I'm so glad that they've made changes for the good. Who knows. Maybe we'll work up the nerve to try again.

DD has been cruising since she was one and hasn't ever been interested in Camp Carnival/Camp Ocean.

Back in the day- you had to go to Camp Carnival to get your child's muster station bracelet. Each time we went... There were parents beating (not knocking) on the door for 4-10 minutes before staff would answer the door. It wasn't pretty.

Always learning new stuff on these boards! Will look for that tape. Do the big box stores carry it?

 

I told my husband to get an extension cord for his CPAP. He comes home with a 20ft cord. I asked if he was planning to sleep in the hall!

20 feet... I'd be able to sleep on the balcony. Interesting, I hadn't thought of this before.

We'll be sailing on her in July. We've sailed her sister, but there is ALWAYS something that others know about the ship that you wished you knew when you were on her. So tell me your Freedom secrets.

For the teens... Magic all the way. The ropes course and water works... Tons of fun!

For the food... Freedom.

If your two year old is not potty trained yet... Pack extra diapers and wipes. I can't count the number of diapers I gave away to children who were too big or too small for the size I was carrying... Desperate times/Desperate measures.

We had a blast. No crying, no fussing, but she rarely made it through dinner before falling asleep (and we had early dining.) Enjoy your cruise!

I've decorated every cruise except for my first (because I didn't know better.) Initially, I used the excuse that my 2 year old needed to know which door was ours. However, I'm old enough to own it... I love decorating the door! We've had stockings at Christmas, There's no place like 8236, Ghosts of cruises past, Wanted for escaping and disturbing the peace, and more. Now, to figure out what to do that will be unique for our July 4 cruise. Hmmm.

They have waiters to accommodate your beverage needs (or you can walk up to the bar yourself.) The lunch was good and there was a tiny gift shop. We lounged in the shade, but there were shaded hammocks and full sun loungers.

Thanks for your response... at least it will be shaded.

In the adventure that awaits me in July (and thinking that I know the answer already)....

Is the Freedom's muster drill inside or outside?

We we're on her sister in August and watched SEVERAL faint during muster. What a terrible way to start a cruise.

This price seems like a dream, please tell us how you managed such an exciting rate. I figure with gratuities at $84, insurance around $40, taxes and port fees at least $75 you paid just over $140 per person for a 7 day cruise. At that rate it would be cheaper to live on a cruise.

I got a casino pack & play offer $50 per person plus $100 onboard credit. I upgraded to the balcony for $120 per person. We were blessed. I was snail mailed this offer. Many of my family members bad the offer when they logged in to their VIFP offers.

$340.31 each for me and my daughter. Includes gratuities and insurance. We're READY for our balcony on the Freedom... July 4.

It's late... But the OP has returned! The "heart" patients couldn't take the heat in Aruba, so they shopped and saw the sights within a mile of the ship. The youngest and I saw lots of sights and traveled the island. Tons of fun! When we got to Turks... We grabbed a photographer from the ship and took family pics on the beach. They turned out BEAUTIFUL and there was no sitting fee!

We ventured out again at Christmas (on the Magic) and are awaiting July for the Freedom.

Not to be Debbie Downer, but on our 7th cruise we were waitlisted for early and there was nothing they could do. It depends on how full the ship is. Unfortunately, our ship was at capacity so there was no changing. However, our entire group (4 of us) were confirmed to late dining.

In August of 2014, we sailed Liberty and the disembark was well organized, but the lines were long from start to finish. The crew was very punctual and no one was off the ship until 8am. Everyone was off the ship by 10:15. I'm not sure if that answers your question.

Just checking back in... We sailed Liberty in August and Magic in December. She LOVED the tea parties, but said that my cakes and sandwiches are better. Great event!

So, we previously booked Starfish Island and we will be booking it again. This was a great excursion for my family. My parents, my five-year-old and I enjoyed relaxing in the shade, picking up seashells, and listening to 'Elvis.'

Yes, the beach is hard packed sand and shells... which was perfect for a pedicure. See what I did there? Optimism. I ooze optimism.

It is the former Bannister Island. Oh, and we also got pics with a rather large starfish.

We just pulled the trigger and booked it. We've been to Belize once before and hated it. Hopefully, this will be an amazing time.

Ecstasy December 2004

Triumph December 2011

Magic March 2012

Magic December 2012

Liberty August 2014

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Ecstasy December 2004

Triumph December 2011

Magic March 2012

Magic December 2012

Liberty August 2014