New to Carnival and bringig the kids

[mjready2go]

Hello all. It's been a while since I have posted. My family is considering a Carnival cruise for next fall. My husband and I have been on 1 RCL and 1 NCL. We loved the RCL and weren't too happy with the other. For the first time we will be bringing our kids ages 3 (almost 4) and 8. We liked the Carnival Freedom 6 day out of Fort Lauderdale and also considering the Carnival Pride out of Baltimore, which would mean no airfare. So my main concern is making sure the kids will be okay. How is Camp Carnival? Will my 8 year old be bored? Can you drop kids off for a few hours and do your own thing? Does Carnival offer kid friendly excursions? Is Camp Carnival open on sea days only?

 

Also, for the first time we would not be getting a balcony. Are the oceanview rooms big enough for the 4 of us? And last but not least, Carnival used to be known as the "Party Boat." Is that still true or is it more geared to be family oriented? Believe me, I like a party but not with the kiddies around;)

 

Thanks in advance for all your help!

[mykiddiewinks]

Hello all. It's been a while since I have posted. My family is considering a Carnival cruise for next fall. My husband and I have been on 1 RCL and 1 NCL. We loved the RCL and weren't too happy with the other. For the first time we will be bringing our kids ages 3 (almost 4) and 8. We liked the Carnival Freedom 6 day out of Fort Lauderdale and also considering the Carnival Pride out of Baltimore, which would mean no airfare. So my main concern is making sure the kids will be okay. How is Camp Carnival? Will my 8 year old be bored? Can you drop kids off for a few hours and do your own thing? Does Carnival offer kid friendly excursions? Is Camp Carnival open on sea days only?

 

Also, for the first time we would not be getting a balcony. Are the oceanview rooms big enough for the 4 of us? And last but not least, Carnival used to be known as the "Party Boat." Is that still true or is it more geared to be family oriented? Believe me, I like a party but not with the kiddies around;)

 

Thanks in advance for all your help!

 

Your 8 year old will love it, we have trouble getting our kids to come and spend time with us becasue they always make lots of new friends. Can't coment on the little one as our kids were 8 and 10 when we first cruised with them.

 

Not sure about camp being open on shore days as we always go ashore and do things as a family. There are plenty of excursions available most of which are family friendly, seach the details on the carnival website they have little icons that state who the excursion would be good for.

 

We hve sailed both Carnival and RCL and noticed no real difference in the party department, did prefer the deck party on Carnival, all the party dances, our kids had a blast and that was only one night.

[A&Jfamily]

Hello all. It's been a while since I have posted. My family is considering a Carnival cruise for next fall. My husband and I have been on 1 RCL and 1 NCL. We loved the RCL and weren't too happy with the other. For the first time we will be bringing our kids ages 3 (almost 4) and 8. We liked the Carnival Freedom 6 day out of Fort Lauderdale and also considering the Carnival Pride out of Baltimore, which would mean no airfare. So my main concern is making sure the kids will be okay. How is Camp Carnival? Wonderful. My kids have been doing it since 2 and 8 and both love it.

 

Will my 8 year old be bored? Not at all. The age group is 6-8 and they do tons of age appropriate activies from video games to candy making to sports.

 

Can you drop kids off for a few hours and do your own thing? Camp opens beginning the first night around 7. Then sea day hours are 9-12, 2-5 and 6(dinner on Lido)or 7-10. Babysitting is available for a fee after 10. We drop our boys off after breakfast and they spend the morning. Then we pick them up for lunch and usually do something as a family like putt putt or swimming. Sometimes they want to go for a hour or so in the afternoon for a particular activity. Then, they are begging to go back after dinner.

 

Does Carnival offer kid friendly excursions? Tons - depending on your ports of call. The under 4's are NO CHARGE!

 

Is Camp Carnival open on sea days only? Nope. They have larger hours on port days, opening an hour before arrival. If you chose to leave your child in camp and will be gone during lunch, they feed them too.

 

Also, for the first time we would not be getting a balcony. Are the oceanview rooms big enough for the 4 of us? The rooms are actually bigger than the balcony because the space devoted to a balcony is encompassed in the room. You will have 2 singles, pushed together as a king, and then a lower and upper bed.

 

And last but not least, Carnival used to be known as the "Party Boat." Is that still true or is it more geared to be family oriented? Very family friendly - huge numbers of families especially around holidays and spring break.

 

Believe me, I like a party but not with the kiddies around;)

 

Thanks in advance for all your help!

 

 

All in all, I think it is a great family vacation.

[WOWGirl]

Our daughter was 3 when she first sailed carnival. Camp Carnival gives you a cell phone so they can call you if you have a very young child like age 4 in the Camp.

 

I do not see Carnival as being a party ship, everyone is so friendly and we all have fun. The kids are very welcomed.

 

You can drop your child off at camp at sea days or port days. They do have activities scheduled and will provide you with a list of activities. They are closed during parts of the day, for example, Lunch time.

[mjready2go]

Thanks for your responses. I'm pretty sure we are going with the 6 night out of Florida. I just realized that the cruise we like will fall on Halloween. I'm sure they will have plenty to do for the kids and adults as well. I hope I have enough room to pack our costumes!!

 

I'm sure I will have more questions as it gets closer.

[JaniceW]

I think your kids will enjoy Camp Carnival. When my daughter was younger, she always had a great time at Camp Carnival. Your children can attend the sessions they are interested in(gives mom and dad some free time) but all day attendance is obviously not mandatory. On the first day on-board, there will be a Camp Carnival sign-up and you will receive a schedule and a briefing about the camp. Kids are broken up into groups depending on their ages.

 

The kids have an option of eating dinner with their new friends or with you. They can also attend the early evening show with the camp. I have found early seating worked a bit better for those whose child enjoys the camp and wants to participate in the evening activities. I am not certain whether shore excursions are offered for the children or not. A "pajama party" for an extra fee will also be offered so that you and your husband can enjoy some late night fun. I am not certain how the program for the younger kids works.