Robotcake

I've been on only one cruise- Independence. At times, the windjammer and the pool deck felt a little bit too crowded for me. But, it wasn't such a turn-off that I won't cruise again. We're getting ready to book our 2nd cruise and have been comparing the Carnival ship "Breeze" to Liberty of the Seas. We're mostly looking to Breeze because we like the itinerary.

However, I feel inclined to stay with Royal b/c they don't seem to pack as many people on a ship as Carnival does. Does Carnival feel crowded compared to Royal?

Were there no witnesses? Was no one else in the video? Would it currently be public knowledge if this had the potential to be homicide and that could be part of the explanation for the lock down hours after the incident?

Curious, not trying to get anybody wound up.

Okiecruiseaddict...

My internet is all kinds of messed up this weekend so I hope you get my message! Congrats on the baby!

My cruise was awesome and I barely thought about zika the entire time. Never saw a mosquito, either. I stayed on ship in Belize, but my family went tubing and into the jungle and never saw a mosquito. The guide claimed that mosquito's are rare because of all the bats. That said, Belize was added to the CDC list the week we were set to sail. Noone in our party got a single bite.

In Cozumel, we did a dolphin encounter, not at Chakanaab. We also shopped, ate at an outdoor restaurant, and snorkeled. I wore linen pants and ended up ditching them for a swim cover-up because, again, no mosquitos.

This was in April, I am not sure how things are now. I haven't been keeping track of any zika-related news since our trip, either. But, at the time, the (known) birth defects were limited to only 2 countries.

I was able to relax the whole trip and forgot about the zika thing. I sprayed myself in Mexico, but didn't think much more about mosquitos after that. I never saw reason to re-apply after being in the water. That said, this is my fourth, with three little kiddos running around, there's no time to worry about zika! If it were my first pregnancy, I may have worried more because of the newness of pregnancy, and the anxiety that comes along with it. I have found that I worry less and less about everything with each pregnancy.

Now, I don't know how your wife is in the first trimester, but my primary concern at 10 weeks would be morning sickness. Maybe she'll be one of the lucky ones who doesn't get it, but 10 weeks is nothing short of hell for me. If I were still in the first trimester, I absolutely would have cancelled the cruise. If she does get morning sickness, I recommend diclegis. It helped quite a bit. My morning sickness ended only a few days before we set sail, but I continued to take the diclegis during the trip, to be safe. Again, maybe she'll be one of the lucky ones! And, again, Congrats!

What date are you looking at?

Nov 26, 2017. I was comparing it to the same date for RCI's Liberty but I like what I am hearing about Carnival and prefer the itinerary.

Thanks for all the input!

Having sailed on all 3, I prefer Breeze best. Try a cove balcony (Deck 2) :)

Oh, I saw those. Why do you prefer that sort of balcony?

I like the itinerary best on Breeze (Key West, 2 stops in Bahamas) and see many good reviews. The water park looks really cool. We have kids aged 1-7 and have only cruised on Royal but kept running across families on RCI who sang the praises for Carnival. What ship do y'all prefer?

I do. But I'm a nerdy mom-type and don't want to be carrying bags on vacation.

I don't, however, do fanny packs.

We did one in cozumel. Dolpinarious or something like that? We paid for me, my 5-year-old, and my sister in law and her hubby. Per the website, my 3 year old was too young. But when we were there, they let him tag along free of charge and he loved it! We didn't even ask, they insisted. I had to hold him and my sister held my older one, the water was a bit too deep. It was fun and the dolphins were beautiful.

My currently have two cruises booked for next year. The one in Sept is the farthest out I've booked, but I usually book about a year in advance. Even booking closer, I've never had trouble finding a cabin that meets my criteria. I book in advance for the pure anticipation of the vacation! I love knowing that next June I'm going back to Alaska and next September I'll be cruising the Western Med. It just plain makes me happy. I'm a planner. As soon as I booked, I was thinking about what to do in each port. It's a big chunk of the fun for me.

 

As far as the baby, you can always add him or her later. The solution the PP gave you about booking with a projected birthday and "X" with the last name is something I didn't know you could do, but it sounds like that could be a good solution for you.

 

As you get closer, just be prepared that if you mention here that you're taking a small child on a cruise you'll get naysayers telling you not to do it and that it'll ruin your vacation and the "baby won't remember it anyway" so it's a "waste of money." Don't listen. Do what's right for your family and enjoy yourself! :D

I love everything you just said. I'm totally the same, planning is part of the fun. I'm gonna do it!

Why? Can also get the deposit back. And traveling with an over one year old isn't a reason not to take a cruise. So I see no problems at all with looking to the future.

I know. My thoughts exactly. Besides, an already- born infant and even a toddler's temperament and demeanor can change drastically over the course of a few months. In persons of any age, anything can happen. Major illness, injury, etc. The only issue with us (as of now) is that we may struggle to actually book for her as she has no name or birthday yet. We may have to book for everyone else and add her on later, hoping that the price doesn't go up. My agent can help me with this.

As for the pp, I wouldn't mind taking your cruise... just don't give my kids the stink-eye, k?

I have no problem with booking far in advance (just booked a 38 day trans-pacific in spring 2018).

 

However, OP is planning a trip with an infant yet to be born. Not the brightest idea for oh-so-many reasons.

I'm sorry, you're obnoxious

By booking in advance, you lock in the price. If it goes up, you can just smile since your fare will not rise. If it goes down, you should be able to get the lower fare

I love that I can get a lower price. This is one of the "pros" I didn't even know about. I will have to talk to my agent. Thank you.

If you can get a refund up to a reasonable time, there's very little harm in booking and reserving a cruise now. My 2017 cruise was booked about 18 months in advance, and my 2018 cruise was booked almost 2 years in advance. I know I can get a full refund up to 90 days before sailing, should I want it, and I know my travel agent can get me the lower price should my cruise drop in price between now and then. Those things will vary by cruise line, so be sure to check their policies.

checking. Thank you. It's important to get a good price for us, as our family requires 2 staterooms. Unfortunately, even this far out, many rooms are already gobbled up.

Sorry but, are you kidding?

Why are you apologizing? Kidding about which part?

I found a good deal but it's in Nov to Dec 2017. I would be booking for a child who is due in Oct 2016, therefore has no birthday yet. I don't know her temperament or anything about her. And a lot can happen in that amount of time. I've seen tickers on the site boasting a cruise in over 700 days. Aside from price, what are the pros and cons of booking this far out?

I managed to pack 35 size-5 diapers for a recent cruise and just used them to pad all the suitcases. Barely noticed they were in my luggage. RCI only has up to size 4 and charges $24 for a small bag.

We just got off Independence (RCI) and it has no slides. My oldest is only 5 so the splash area, hot tubs, and pools were thrilling enough for them. My kids loved the kids club. There weren't many kids on the boat. We were with older cousins (ages 10-13) and they liked the basketball, dodge ball, rock wall, and surfing. But, I think there could have been more for them. Of the families we met, all of them seemed to prefer Carnival for kids stuff. It's cheaper, so we may try Carnival next to compare for ourselves.

Your young children will have bracelets on the entire voyage that shows their muster station. Write your room # or name on that wrist band if it is a concern.

Our bracelets ended up being navy so I couldn't even write the room number!

Luckily, everything went perfectly on the cruise. I can't wait to do it again. Even with littles, it was such a wonderful trip. They loved adventure ocean! The tot however hated the nursery and refused to go after the first night. He wanted to be with his siblings!

Just got back from our first cruise and had 3 kids under 5. We also had extended family, which helped with the toddler who refused to use the nursery and preferred to run all crazy in the main dining room. Someone was always willing to take him out to let him play outside the dining room.

We almost didn't pack a stroller but I am so glad that I did!!!! I packed a cheap, old umbrella stroller and both my 3-year-old and toddler napped in it on occasion- and neither of them are the type to nap outside of their beds. They really wear themselves out on vacation. At nightime, we rarely had bedtime battles because they were so stinkin tired. My 3-year-old shared the bed with me, the tot had the PNP, and my DH was on the couch as he tended to stay up later than the rest of us. (My DD is older and was in an adjoining room with family). The cabin steward gave me extra sheets to use in the PNP, but the PNP was brand-new with tags on it. I also recently started dappling in essential oils and used some oils on my kiddos to help them relax at night. Maybe it helped?

One thing I didn't bring that I wish'd I had brought was a watch. We were always supposed to meet family at certain times, watch the time while at port, or to keep track of ship activities. I will definitely bring one next time.

As for bath time, the toddler didn't like it, but we sponge bathed him. I was limited on space to pack and an inflatable tub was not necessary for us. As soon as we got home, we dunked all three kids in a long bath and I swear they still smell of sunscreen.

As for swimming... I saw babies in the pool. The swim diaper thing didn't seem to be enforced on my cruise (RCI). There was a toddler that did poop in one of the pools on the first day at sea, and they had to sanitize the heck out of it. It was unavailable for hours. I don't think that child was in a swim diaper. I think he straight-up pooped in there. One of my biggest parenting fears...

Don't worry. Don't overpack. Go with the flow. You'll have lots of support with your extended family there.

Your 5 YO and 3 YO will most likely get bracelets. When we sailed with our 20 month old she did not receive one as she was "always" with us. We did drop her off at the nursery a few times and they have all your info and you get a phone. I think if they are old enough for the kids club they will most likely get one, unless you dont want them to for some reason.

The toddler will probably go to the nursery a few times. Is it drop-in or do I need to make a reservation? I had a hard time figuring that out on the website.

We're sailing on Independence (RCI) later this month with our three young children- ages 5, 3, and 2. In the past, when we go to a fair or a crowded place, we'll physically write our cell phone number on their arms. Luckily, we keep a close eye on them and they never have gotten lost, but it's afforded us peace of mind. On the boat, we won't be using cell phones. Do the ships have bracelets for them or anything if a kid goes missing? If not, I may snag a few hospital bracelets from my work to put our cabin number on. Thanks...

Not sure what you are asking, but if you have special dietary needs, contact [noparse]special_needs@rccl.com[/noparse].

I was asking the PP who had figured out how to get eggs Benedict and other food items that are usually reserved for suites.

Regarding Starfish Island, do you have to leave the island at a set time or can you go back to the ship at any time?

Thanks for the review. We head on the same ship and itinerary in a few weeks.

No guarantee, but they did it for me on Allure. I plan to ask again on Liberty in about 40 days:D

Who do you call to ask for special food or food from the MDR? I will be in a balcony room, not a suite, on Independence later this month.

Has anyone gone here? Are you required to stay for the full 4-hours or can you leave earlier? Thanks!