Cruising with kiddos

2 hours ago, skywalkr2 said:

What I saw this morning was 8 - 16 foot waves in NYC on Saturday.  Not sure how the ship returns to port for us to embark?

It will be interesting to follow for sure. We have cruised several times during hurricane season, but this is the first time it might affect our trip. 

Just got back from Alaska. I agree with much of the above. The Spirit does have the roof closed unless the weather is really warm. You can for sure use the pools/hot tubs. Deck 3 is a great covered deck to be outside, but out of the rain if you happen to have a rainy cruise week. 

Everyone says layers. Every cruise will vary, but when in the fjords, you will likely need an underlayer, a t-shirt, and a long sleeve (flannel, sweatshirt, etc.) However, this is going to depend 100% on the weather you are used to. It was around 50 degrees in Glacier Bay last week. We were in t-shirts (midwest residents) and some were in winter coats (coming from Florida.)

If you have a great naturalist, their lectures are worth attending! They will give great insight on what to look for / watch for to help you spot that whale spout or the cute sea otters! If you are interested in nature and history, they also will have a lot of great information to share with you!
 

Binoculars are a great thing to have along! Scanning the shore line and ocean for wildlife is a great way to enjoy your day! 

Have a great time! 

Good morning! I am looking for first-hand experience with boarding in Whittier, Alaska for a southbound cruise. The ship doesn't sail until 8 pm. Whittier is tiny compared to most other embarkation ports. If you board the ship at 1 pm, are you allowed to board, and then get off to explore the town? Thanks in advance!

Hello! New to Holland, not new to cruising. I am trying to learn all I can before we cruise. We will be sailing on the Nieuw Amsterdam if that matters. I have recently read a couple of things, but they are pre-covid blogs. I am wondering if anyone can confirm two items for me. 

I read that you can get a free (included in your cruise fare) waffle cone? Can anyone provide more info if this is still true and if so, where do we find this? (It will make the hubs and daughter extremely happy, but I don't want to tell them about it until I confirm it!)

Also heard that they have a nacho bar? Can anyone confirm that?

Thanks! I have a ton more questions, but I am working through the boards now and trying to learn!

5 hours ago, dbrucern said:

You can, I do it all the time for our group

Agree completely.  I also manage for my group each cruise.  You will just need his booking number if you don't have it already.

19 hours ago, youngncruzin90 said:

For the Nov/Dec cruisers that have already passed final payment date, have they extended it for you all since protocols have not been released? Our final payment is due 9/12 so I am hoping the protocols are announced by then but wondering what to expect if they are not.

Our final payment was due this week.  We were offered an extension when we called, but would have needed to increase our deposit to the full deposit amount (if you booked with 50% off deposits, they were requiring full deposit (100%) in order to give the extension).  Our other options were to pay in full, move the cruise to a later date or cancel under standard cancellation policies.  

That being said, HOPEFULLY by the time your final payment is due on 9/12 they will have put something out regarding Nov / Dec protocols. 

I don't know that anyone here can answer for certain, however if I were in this position, I would do the following:

Take the QR code and letter from the Dr to my local health department.  They SHOULD be able to verify the vaccine was given and issue a CDC card.

WI also has an online Immunization Record.  I would go to that (https://www.dhfswir.org/PR/clientSearch.do?language=en) and make sure my vaccine was showing on the records.  If so, I would also take a print out of that with me (If they can't get a CDC card).  

To cover our bases, I took along our CDC cards, but also had print outs of our states Immunization Records and would have been able to produce them as well if anything was questioned.

Hope everything works out for them!

Someone asked about the 11/18 sailing of the Sensation on John Heald's FB page this morning.  Here is his response:

"I totally understand I’m nervous these times are for everybody and I promise you that no final decision has been made yet. We are continuing to work with the state of Alabama on this and I promise I will let you know any news as soon as I can. We can’t wait to see you having fun and thank you again for your patience"

3 minutes ago, bingomamma19 said:

i believe the current published protocols go through October.   They keep changing, so i would look for them to extend to the end of the year at least.   

I would not expect to see the question until they announce the November / December protocols.  Per John Heald, that "should be later this week".  (It is not yet showing for our November cruise either.)

It's been several years since we were on the Miracle.  (For reference, we sailed her in Alaska).  Gatsby's Garden on deck 3 in the front of the ship was a great place to sit and read and watch the ocean go by.  Very quiet in there and often the only other people we saw there were crew!  The exterior promenade on deck 3 is also great!  Shelter from sun and rain while still being able to be outside and close to the ocean.  The aft pool on Deck 9 used to be adults only.  I am not sure with everything right now if it still is or if it is open to everyone.  Mid ship is great as they can cover one of the pools (important if you are sailing in Alaska as well as it still makes swimming an option even if it's cold).  Mini golf on this ship is on the smaller side, but still a fun thing to do.  Hope this helps and that if you decide to cruise that you all make the absolute best of it and have an amazing trip!

1 hour ago, Homosassa said:

Sad comment that the parent has to be "comfortable" spending time with offspring on a family vacation.

I think maybe I should have worded that differently!  I meant more that depending on their comfort level they might be interested in letting her do these things with the other kids she has met onboard.  

50 minutes ago, Dwright826 said:

This will be her First cruise. And she likes all the stuff a normal 12 year old likes lol. Water slides, arcade, mini golf, hanging out, etc. 

I would say she will have a great time then.  We find that even when the waterslides are closed the mini golf for example might be open.  The kids have enjoyed the giant checkers / chest game on some ships as well.  They enjoy exploring and seeing all the cool pictures on the stairs throughout the ship.  If your ship has a library, you can often find board games in there to borrow.  We have gone to trivia before too.  A good book (if she likes to read) is nice for hanging out by the pool or up on deck.  Depending on your comfort level, she might like to do these things with you or with the "friends" she meets at the club. 

May I ask which ship you are on?  

Kids programs are running for those 12 and older that are vaccinated.  It is hard to judge if your child will have fun as it is hard to know what they enjoy.  Our children use the clubs, but not often and prefer to do other things (waterslides, mini golf, etc).  I would say if your child enjoyed cruising before, nothing has really changed for this age group in terms of what is available to them.  That being said, the clubs for those 12 and up are structured differently than the clubs for those under 12.  Just be aware that from our experience they are often not open until noon or after and tend to have more "free play" time.

On 8/17/2021 at 3:03 PM, Astra616 said:

I am on a 5 day cruise in Nov. Thanks!

She already passed them onto her sister.  😞  I can tell you that they were an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper, printed front and back in black and white.  

For our cruise, the comedy shows were much less than I remember (but this was also our first 5 day cruise).  They only offered family friendly comedy 2 of the nights - 1 show on the 2nd night of the cruise and 2 shows on the final night of the cruise.  They did have several additional adults only cruises.  The main show lounge had a couple of shows.   Not all of the activities are listed on the print out.  For example, tea time was not listed at all, however if you checked the Hub App, you found it under "Still Hungry".  
 

Lots of trivia, deck parties, crafting time, art auction, all of the other typical stuff.  If you have more questions, let me know and I will do my best to answer.

At around 10:38 he goes into an Aft Suite that appears to be FAC.  Not sure how much you will get from it, but here is the video: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ2cO3VW-GY

On 8/12/2021 at 8:14 AM, groundloop said:

 

A good idea, HOWEVER, how do you find out where your muster station is ahead of time?  As I recall I've always had to look at the ship's map once in our cabin.  I've looked but was never successful in finding the information online.

Your muster station is printed on your boarding docs.  While I can't speak for the entire fleet, the Breeze was really pushing you to go to your muster station first.  They had a TON of staff as you walked in ready to check your boarding docs and direct you where to go so that you could take care of this right away.  

Are you on a 4 or 5 day?  I grabbed a couple print out on our cruise earlier this month.  

I did give them to my Mother-In-Law to look at, but can see if she still has them.

9 hours ago, nina_930 said:

 

That's exactly what I needed to know.  Thank you, one less thing to worry about. 

 

Would you suggest going straight there or waiting until after we eat?  Hoping to get one of the first time slots on.

I would suggest going as soon as you board.  We were in and out of Muster in less than 2 minutes and could then get into vacation mode without having to remember to go back to Muster!  

Just off the Breeze.  Can't say for sure, but thinking it is going to be the same as the Horizon.  I saw several magnetic signs on the walls around the doors, but not directly on the doors making me think that this was an issue.  

Just off the Breeze.  Can't say for sure, but thinking it is going to be the same as the Horizon.  I saw several magnetic signs on the walls around the doors, but not directly on the doors making me think that this was an issue.  

Just got off the ship on Saturday.  Safe was indeed the 4 digit kind.  Stateroom Steward had already put a blank white plastic card in the slot for the lights for us and he left it there all week.  

3 hours ago, camper49 said:

What about 4 and 5 day menus?

I too am looking for those and hope someone posts as they as just starting the Breeze back up today!  I have never done a shorter cruise and have my first one booked.  Wondering what the 5 day menu looks like!

22 minutes ago, sfaaa said:

Cut down on bread waste. I am cool with that.

I am with you there.  I LOVE the bread, but they always bring more to the table than we eat.  I hate that it was wasted in the past.  I will gladly order one piece off the menu and not feel like I have to eat 3 or 4 because they are there!  😄

We LOVE it!  It's not that I don't enjoy meeting new people, but rather that we want to spend time together as a family.  We have used it for a table for 2 all the way up to a table for 12.  We have requested (and received) the same wait staff for the entire cruise as well as a change in staff when we just didn't click with the first staff.  We have gotten seats by the window as well as tables in the center of it all.  I have found that eating early typically results in a very minimal wait in the line, but seated within 5 minutes of the restaurant opening.  We have never tried eating later as early seating works best for us.

3 hours ago, TNcruising02 said:

If Carnival does announce the Texas cruise protocols for July cruises today like John said they would, is this the page to find it?

 

https://www.carnivalcorp.com/media-center

 

I would check here:  https://carnival-news.com/ (Nothing on July protocols yet!)

The link you posted looks like it is a day behind as it doesn't (at least right now) show the cruise director information that was released today.

Anyone else notice some of the balcony doors were open?  Just thought it was interesting.  I too noticed that no chairs were on the balconies which I thought odd as many other cruise lines are quarantining the crew in balcony cabins when they come on board.  Makes you wonder if they didn't have furniture out there for them?  

I also noticed (for the first time) that I completely missed it on the deck plans that this ship does not have any public areas at the front of the ship until you get all the way to the top.  Not a deal breaker, but I will for sure miss those quiet 'secret' forward decks that not many visit on some of the other ships.  They made for excellent star gazing at night due to being extremely dark because of the bridge.  Anyone else going to miss that?