Camp Carnival/Carnival with kids Questions

[JillK]

Hi all.

 

When I last sailed Carnival, I was newly married without children.

 

I am currently contemplating a cruise on the Dream with hubby and our three kids (7, 5 & weeks shy of 2).

 

Can anyone tell me more about their experience with Camp Carnival?

Did you kids enjoy it? Positives/negatives? Are the age groups split up? Will my 7 and 5 year old be able to play together?

 

How does the cruise line handle children? Are they treated well by staff or seen as an intrusion?

 

Also any opinions on whether they are strict on their age requirements would be great (ie. would they consider taking my 3 weeks shy of his 2nd birthday son?)

 

Many thanks to all who take the time to reply!

 

Jill

[suzinva]

I do not have answers to all your questions, especially the ones about multiple sibs as mine is an only child. However, he was 9 on our first cruise, 10 on our second and he LOVED Camp Carnival and the one on Royal Caribbean (he liked RC better but not by much). There were always plenty of activities for him to pick and choose from, he met other kids his age group to hang out with and he had his first all-night party, which he thought was very cool. The staff was great with the kids. Our waiter at dinner spoiled my son absolutely rotten and everyone else seemed to be fine with the kids on board.

 

I think your kids will probably like Camp Carnival but if they don't, no worries, they just spend all their time with you. Just because you sign them up doesn't mean they have to go or spend all their time there. I had a hard time getting my son away from Camp, but he's quite a joiner and being an only child, he's learned that he either drops the shyness or he gets left out.

[As You Wish]

I have cruised with my daughter at age 2 and age 3. She was treated very well by the crew members, better than me in fact :D. A number of staff would go out of their way to say hi to her and make her feel welcome. Many crew members said they love interacting with the children because they are reminded of their own kids back at home. She enjoyed her time at Camp Carnival and in fact, wanted to spend her time there instead of with her family. She is a very outgoing child though, so that may be part of the reason she enjoyed it so much.

 

I have heard that they are pretty strict about the 2 year age minimum requirement, but my daughter was two weeks past her 2nd birthday when we sailed, so I didn't have to worry. I don't have any experience with the older age groups, but you might find more information over on the Family boards: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=49

[apdchief]

Our 5yr old DD loved every minute she was there. She would of spent more time there if we let her. The counselors were great and the security was strict. I don't think they will allow you to mix age groups.

[LHP]

A few weeks "shy" of 2 is going to be a problem.

 

They are very strict about the 24 month rule...there will be no Camp Carnival the little one.

 

I would wait and book it after the little one is 24 months old.

[obx_fintoo]

A few weeks "shy" of 2 is going to be a problem.

 

They are very strict about the 24 month rule...there will be no Camp Carnival the little one.

 

I would wait and book it after the little one is 24 months old.

 

I wholeheartedly agree. If you book that few weeks later, then your 2 and 5 yo will be together. The 7 yo will be in the 6-8 group and will not want to hang with the 2-5's (at least that's per my 6yo DD). Good luck and happy cruising!

[MamaParrotHead]

Hi all.

 

When I last sailed Carnival, I was newly married without children.

 

I am currently contemplating a cruise on the Dream with hubby and our three kids (7, 5 & weeks shy of 2).

 

Can anyone tell me more about their experience with Camp Carnival?

Did you kids enjoy it? Positives/negatives? Are the age groups split up? Will my 7 and 5 year old be able to play together?

 

How does the cruise line handle children? Are they treated well by staff or seen as an intrusion?

 

Also any opinions on whether they are strict on their age requirements would be great (ie. would they consider taking my 3 weeks shy of his 2nd birthday son?)

 

Many thanks to all who take the time to reply!

 

Jill

 

We sailed twice sans-kiddos and so we were cautiously hopeful about how it would be sailing WITH kids. We were pleasantly surprised.

 

It was a wonderful balance of adult time and family time. All the kids in our group LOVED Camp...to the point they literally BEGGED to go at any opportunity. We had kids 2, 4, 6, 10 and 16 in our group and they all enjoyed Camp (and whatever it's called for the older kids, Club O2 maybe?).

 

There will be times where they combine the age groups, but most of the time it's 6-8 and 9-11 doing their own things. Although late-night babysitting hours they combined our kids (which is the norm, I believe). My kids were treated equally as well as the adults in our party were, sometimes even better :).

 

IMHO they were ALL positives, honestly. Camp was great, the staff was great, the excursions we chose were great, the kids behaved great, the food was great. We had a few hours after dinner (when the kids begged to go to Camp) to have some adult time and parts of sea days (as the Camp is closed 2-4 and 4-6), which was nice break in the day to eat together as a family and catch up on the day's activities.

 

As for your littlest one, they're quite strict and I don't know that you'd be able to have him in Camp at all. Is it possible to postpone the cruise those few weeks until he is 2?

[n2rav4]

We sailed on a cruise when our son turned 2 on the 3rd day of the cruise. We were told that the age for the WEEK is whatever they are on the sailing date, so he was unable to participate.

 

However, they do offer babysitting at night (for a fee) that there is no minimum age.

 

My son is shy, and EVERY cruise (he is now 11), he hesitates to go, and wants to stay with us. After convincing him how much fun he has had on past cruises, he reluctantly agrees to go, then we can't pull him away. 9-11's can sign themselves in and out, and we do not hesitate at all allowing him to do so. (maybe not 9, but 10 and 11 no problem). He just carries a 2-way radio to let us know when he is leaving camp.

 

As far as the crew, my son gets more attention than I do from most staff--especially dinner staff!!

 

Hope this helps.

[StinkyFeesh]

Last year when we went my children were 8 and 4. They were seperated into different age groups but when in the play area it was only a divider sperating them. They could easily see each other.

 

We had to force our kids to spend time with us, eat dinner with is, etc. They loved it. This was on the Pride.

 

HTH,

JP

[Angeleyes1382]

In March I took my 5 year old on a cruise. From the time we boarded the ship until the time we left he was "Camp Carnival, Camp Carnival, Camp Carnival". He absolutely loved it. He spent about 2-3 hours each day on average. He usually spent a little time in the morning. That gave my husband and I a chance to spend some time alone and sometimes we all three went our separate ways, which was great, too. The counselor's were great, in fact every crew member we came across just adored him and made him feel like he was at home. He ate dinner with us in the main dining room every night, except one night where he ate with his Camp Carnival friends. We took advantage of the babysitting for part of one night, he had fun playing games, watching a movie, and playing with toys. There were a lot of activities and he would choose what he wanted to do. He colored a backpack and a t-shirt, made Fruit Loop necklaces, brought back art work, and many other activities. The 2-5 age group was on one side and the 6-8 and 9-11 were on the other side. They are very strict on age requirements, in order to attend Camp Carnival the child must be 2 prior to boarding. I highly suggest waiting until your child is 2 so you can take advantage of Camp Carnival. In some cases they will let a slightly older sibling, say age 6 come down to the 2-5 group, but I'm not sure about a 7 year old. Also I'm not sure a 7 year old would really want to do the activities that the 2-5 year old's are doing. Camp Carnival is very secure, it is out of the way of other passenger traffic. You must show your S&S card each time you sign in and sign out your child. Only the names listed on the registration may pick up your child. Depending on availability if you have a child under 5 you may get a pager or phone. On my cruise they were only given to parents with children under 3 because of the number of children on the cruise. But, we never needed it anyways. The door has a latch on it that only the Camp Carnival Staff are allowed to open and there is always someone near the door. Also, the child/counselor ratio is VERY small, with usually no more than 8 kids (when I counted) per camp counselor. I hope that helps you out.

[Julienatul]

They wont make any exception foryour 2 year-old. They have a list of all kids onboard with birthdays right at sign-in and I was told it is very strict even one day before age 2 is not allowed due to insurance reasons. They do offer babysitting nightly from 10p-3a and on seadays from noon-2pm as well as port days 8-noon. That might be an option or just wait a few weeks and then sail once your little on is 2.

[jsjjkelly]

Can't answer about your 2 year old, but we just got off the Splendor with my 10 year old daughter, and 6 year old son.

 

Son was in 6-8's, and daughter was in 9-11's. They were separated most of the time. I can only think of 1 time they were together. Mine did the activities up until lunch time on the sea days. We took them with us on port days. They didn't want to go back for the afternoons, and most of the time, it was closed for "family" activities, which was usually the paid build a bear activity. My son only asked once to go back after dinner, and when he came out, he was like "Do I have to go back at night? We just played video games. I'd rather play my DS"

 

To us, it seemed like the mornings had scheduled fun things to do. My daughter said when they do "Game On" it's just letting the kids play video games and resembled baby sitting.

 

Camp Carnival was nice, but for my kids, it wasn't an all day activity.

 

Shawn in AK

[JillK]

Thanks to all of you for sharing your experiences and giving me some great advice... we'll definitely think long and hard about the chosen date (we're trying to keep it around Christmas for less interference with the school year) and might have to consider moving it back another year which I believe would not only allow for my son to participate in Camp Carnival but would also have my girls in the same group (they would be 6 and 8). Not sure I can wait that long but something to throw into the mix.

 

Thanks again!

 

Jill

[A&Jfamily]

Thanks to all of you for sharing your experiences and giving me some great advice... we'll definitely think long and hard about the chosen date (we're trying to keep it around Christmas for less interference with the school year) and might have to consider moving it back another year which I believe would not only allow for my son to participate in Camp Carnival but would also have my girls in the same group (they would be 6 and 8). Not sure I can wait that long but something to throw into the mix.

 

Thanks again!

 

Jill

 

Could you consider sailing at spring break instead? Those few weeks will make a difference for your youngest. Also, spring is a great time for the Carriebean as it is still cold in most of the US, but the islands are just perfect.

 

My kids love cruising - they have been since they were 2 and 8 and we are headed on their 5th cruise Monday. I have found the counselors to be universally great. The wait staff in the dining room is also very attentive and my kids adore them.

[WOWGirl]

My two sons ages 13 and 15 love Camp Carnival. They never want to leave, and we dont even see them for the days at sea. Our daughter who is 5, is getting ready to go on her third cruise...HATES IT. Not at any fault of their own, the counselors are GREAT. They treat her good, have activities, and we have every bit of trust in them. Our daughter just feels she is missing out on something better if her father and I go out to do something else. She was 3 and 4 on her last cruises, so in August we are going to try again. We have never used the babysitting services.

[tracyanns]

We have sailed on the Dream 2 times with our kids 9 & 15...15 is much less structured and more at night where the Camp Carnival goes on all day...she was not too much for the morning activities but enjoyed afternoon and EVERY night...

 

Every one is correct that they will not allow less than 24 months into Camp Carnival...not to get you to another ship but if you REALLY want to cruise and this is all that works for you the Oasis has a nursery for this age...Although I know our Dream cruise was much less expensive than our Oasis cruise was...PLUS Nellie in Camp Carnival is FABULOUS!!!! My daughter drew her a picture and wrote her a note and cried when we left...Abby is also wonderful...she runs it all...my daughter did not have one bad thing to say about any of them...

[krmckee]

Thanks to all of you for sharing your experiences and giving me some great advice... we'll definitely think long and hard about the chosen date (we're trying to keep it around Christmas for less interference with the school year) and might have to consider moving it back another year which I believe would not only allow for my son to participate in Camp Carnival but would also have my girls in the same group (they would be 6 and 8). Not sure I can wait that long but something to throw into the mix.

 

Thanks again!

 

Jill

 

That's not a bad move. I just returned from our cruise and my 6 yr old would occasionally be pulled in to visit my 3 yr old. She was having a blast and did not want to be bothered with little sis and the younger age group. My 3 yr old is not used to separating other than at preschool so she had a harder time at drop off..... can't imagine having to drop her off when she was two, that would've been even harder. As far as the partition between both clubs - on The Pride, they could NOT see each other..... and that was hard for the little one. I found that bribes worked like magic.

I have a lot of camp tips in my review, check it out: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1215890&highlight=carnival+pride

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Our DD has cruised with us since she was 21 months old. The travel agent assured me they would admit her to Camp Carnival because she was so close to 24 months. Imagine my surprise when they said they couldn't. Live and learn. :)

 

She has been thrilled with Camp Carnival since that first cruise. In second grade, her teacher gave the class an assignment to write an essay about their favorite place in the world. Hers started with: There's a cruise ship called the Spirit and they have a place called Camp Carnival... :D

 

We're going on a mother-daughter cruise in August (first one without DH) and she'll be 15 next week. She doesn't plan to even register for Camp Carnival this time. She knows I'd be fine with that as long as she spent some time with me, but she's pretty adamant. We'll see.

 

Have a wonderful time on your cruise--whenever you take it--and rest assured the Camp Carnival staff will take great care of your kids! :)

[gazingm42]

Our kids have been on 8 cruises with Carnival and they love the camp

programs. We have given them the choice to go to Disney world or on a

cruise and they want a cruise everytime.

 

The programs are designed by age group so your 5 and 7 will be in different

age groups. They are strict about the age groups that they are based in.

There will be evening activities that they may combine them. But depends on

the number of kids on that sailing. Program opens at 7AM - 10PM, with a

two hour lunch break at 12-2pm. You can pay normally baby sitting rates at

camp from 10AM - 3AM?

 

Our kids spend most their time in camp and loved the activities that they

did. They really keep the kids busy and they enjoy it.

 

I am very impressed on how they treat the kids and love the security they

have. If I sign them in my wife can NOT sign them out. They do check

your S&S cards etc often and your signatures.

 

 

On the down side your almost 2 year old will be out of luck. No camp for the

23 month old in the camps..

[rpouls]

 

We're going on a mother-daughter cruise in August (first one without DH) and she'll be 15 next week. She doesn't plan to even register for Camp Carnival this time. She knows I'd be fine with that as long as she spent some time with me, but she's pretty adamant. We'll see.

 

My daughter (now almost 16) first went to Camp Carnival when she was 11, and absolutely loved it. Our last two cruises (08 & 09) she was a bit older, and I barely saw her, with the exception of shore excursions and few dinners (which I made her go to!).

 

Our next cruise is June 2011 - she'll be just shy of 17, but she's already promised me that she'll go to dinner with me every evening (I'm holding her to that promise;)

 

IMO, Carnival has super programs for kids of all ages - my daughter made so many friends and has had the time of her life on each cruise.

[MamaParrotHead]

If I sign them in my wife can NOT sign them out. They do check

your S&S cards etc often and your signatures.

 

Really? My Camp registration form had space for three people who were authorized to sign the kids in/out, and me, DH and my sister took turns dropping off/picking up the kids.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

 

We're going on a mother-daughter cruise in August (first one without DH) and she'll be 15 next week. She doesn't plan to even register for Camp Carnival this time. She knows I'd be fine with that as long as she spent some time with me, but she's pretty adamant. We'll see.

 

My daughter (now almost 16) first went to Camp Carnival when she was 11, and absolutely loved it. Our last two cruises (08 & 09) she was a bit older, and I barely saw her, with the exception of shore excursions and few dinners (which I made her go to!).

 

Our next cruise is June 2011 - she'll be just shy of 17, but she's already promised me that she'll go to dinner with me every evening (I'm holding her to that promise;)

 

IMO, Carnival has super programs for kids of all ages - my daughter made so many friends and has had the time of her life on each cruise.

 

 

I'd actually like it she went to Club O2 a few times--like your DD, she's made friends every time we've sailed. I think she's worried about old Mom on a cruise without Dad. They just don't realize how much we love to see them having fun! And after 17 years of being mom and stepmom, I would be just fine on my own. LOL. But, I am looking forward to just hanging with her on the balcony--she's really good company. :D

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Really? My Camp registration form had space for three people who were authorized to sign the kids in/out, and me, DH and my sister took turns dropping off/picking up the kids.

 

 

We've done the same thing--both DH and I have been able to check DD out of Camp regardless of which one of us checked her in.