Lots of questions - new to CCL - looking for expert advise.

[nicki_momof3]

I wanted to thank everyone in advance for answering my many questions. We are a family of 5 (3 children ages 6,7,9). We love to cruise but have only cruised on Disney cruise line on 7 night cruises. We are looking to switch to CCL to save some $$$ but we want to have a wonderful experience also.

 

1. Can anyone tell me about the childrens programs. My kids love the ones on DCL. How do they compair?

 

2. Are the kids programs free all day? Are they open all day / evening?

 

3. Do the kids programs take the kids to dinner or lunch if they are in there at meal time?

 

4. Do they have shows every evening? How many of them are kid friendly. My kids love the shows on DCL.

 

5. Did you feel it was a "family" environment on CCL or more of a "party" environment.

 

6. Are the pools fresh water?

 

7. Can you bring beer / wine aboard with your like you can on DCL? It is a huge money saver.

 

8. Do they have themed nights? Our kids enjoyed DCL pirates nights.

 

9. Does CCl have rotational dining or is it one dining room all week?

 

10. Is soda free like DCL or do you have to purchase a soda card?

 

11. If you took younger kids like ours - did they have fun?

[clearwatergirl]

I wanted to thank everyone in advance for answering my many questions. We are a family of 5 (3 children ages 6,7,9). We love to cruise but have only cruised on Disney cruise line on 7 night cruises. We are looking to switch to CCL to save some $$$ but we want to have a wonderful experience also.

 

1. Can anyone tell me about the childrens programs. My kids love the ones on DCL. How do they compair? I've heard camp carnival is great.

 

2. Are the kids programs free all day? Are they open all day / evening? I'm not sure about cost.

 

3. Do the kids programs take the kids to dinner or lunch if they are in there at meal time? Not sure

 

4. Do they have shows every evening? How many of them are kid friendly. My kids love the shows on DCL. Yes, there is a show every night. 2 large production shows, possible magician and comedian. Most shows in the main theaters are kid friendly. Punch liner comedy club has an adult show later in the evening.

 

5. Did you feel it was a "family" environment on CCL or more of a "party" environment. i've seen lots of families and children on board my many cruises and I would say it's family oriented. There's a lot of room on the ship if you choose not to watch the Hairy chest contest lol

 

6. Are the pools fresh water? No

 

7. Can you bring beer / wine aboard with your like you can on DCL? It is a huge money saver. You're allowed 2 bottles of wine, 12 soda and 12 water. No other alcohol can be brought on.....

 

8. Do they have themed nights? Our kids enjoyed DCL pirates nights. There's always a deck party one night, themes change.

 

9. Does CCl have rotational dining or is it one dining room all week? You're assigned a dining room if you choose either early or late seating. If you chose anytime dining when you booked your cruise, you can go at anytime to either MDR.

 

10. Is soda free like DCL or do you have to purchase a soda card? Soda is not free. i believe the cost for a week is around $48pp

 

11. If you took younger kids like ours - did they have fun?

My nieces and nephews had a blast, they were between 16 and 18. Sorry i can't speak for younger aged kids.

You will have a great cruise. Don't worry. Plenty to do for all age groups.:)

[firefly333]

Carnival caters to familys. There is a family board on CC you might want to check out to see how other familys compare it to other lines if you are concerned.

 

Salt water in the pools which are small.

 

Each adult may bring one 750 ml bottle of wine (the above poster says 2, im assuming for 2 adults in their cabin).

 

The above poster says two 12 packs of nonalchoholic drinks .. actually its one package of 12 per pax .. again Im assuming they must have two in their cabin.

 

Just clearing up the above answers which could be confusing.

[okgirl]

My nieces and nephews had a blast, they were between 16 and 18. Sorry i can't speak for younger aged kids.

 

You will have a great cruise. Don't worry. Plenty to do for all age groups.:)

 

Sorry to dispute you but Your Time Dining is only in one section of one dining room. You cannot go at any time to either place. On Conquest class ships it's held in the lower level of the forward dining room.

 

To the OP about her children. The kids clubs do have very favorable reviews but your children may find them much less enjoyable to their experience on DCL.

 

Carnival is a very family friendly cruise line but I feel that most of the entertainment (outside of the kids club) is geared toward the more adult taste. Think variety shows versus animated/cartoon type shows/movies.

[seashell36]

I wanted to thank everyone in advance for answering my many questions. We are a family of 5 (3 children ages 6,7,9). We love to cruise but have only cruised on Disney cruise line on 7 night cruises. We are looking to switch to CCL to save some $$$ but we want to have a wonderful experience also.

 

1. Can anyone tell me about the childrens programs. My kids love the ones on DCL. How do they compair? We started cruising on CCL when my youngest was 4. They love the children's programs. We haven't cruised DCL so I cant compare the two.

 

2. Are the kids programs free all day? Are they open all day / evening?

The camp hours vary on port days and sea days. They do close for a couple of hours to give the counselors breaks for lunch/dinner. There is a charge for the after 10pm activities. CCL has made changes to the fee scale recently - I'm not sure what the new charges are. You can check out the family cruising section for a detailed list.

 

3. Do the kids programs take the kids to dinner or lunch if they are in there at meal time? The option is available for the kids to eat dinner in camp. I don't think they do that for lunch on sea days. If the kids are in camp on port days, and you are off the ship, they will take the kids to lunch. But, they ask that you pick the children up for lunch if you are onboard.

 

4. Do they have shows every evening? How many of them are kid friendly. My kids love the shows on DCL. On our last cruise there was one night that they did not have a show. We've taken our children to most of the music shows and the family comedy shows, not the adult comedy shows. I've heard some people say that the costumes the dancers wear are a little risque - but most of them cover more than some of the bathing suits we see on the beach.

 

5. Did you feel it was a "family" environment on CCL or more of a "party" environment. We haven't cruised during the summer or spring break times, so I haven't seen the "party" atmosphere.

 

9. Does CCl have rotational dining or is it one dining room all week? You have the same dining room/table/waiter/dinner time all week unless you choose the anytime dining.

 

10. Is soda free like DCL or do you have to purchase a soda card? Juice, lemonade, tea, milk and water are free. Soda cards can be purchased. It is about $42 for an adult and I think $35 for a child for a week. (these prices may be off - I haven't bought a soda card for a child in almost 2 years)

 

11. If you took younger kids like ours - did they have fun? Our children love cruising on Carnival. They've chosen to cruise instead of any other vacation that we've offered.

 

I hope this helps!

[firefly333]

Yes, there is a show every night. 2 large production shows, possible magician and comedian. Most shows in the main theaters are kid friendly. Punch liner comedy club has an adult show later in the evening.

 

I thought I would enlarge on this as well. There USED to be a show every night in the main theater, no more. Now there may be a game show there or bingo, but no longer a regular show. They replaced these with the comedians in a back lounge .. sadly. One cut back I didnt like.

[nicki_momof3]

I thought I would enlarge on this as well. There USED to be a show every night in the main theater, no more. Now there may be a game show there or bingo, but no longer a regular show. They replaced these with the comedians in a back lounge .. sadly. One cut back I didnt like.

 

So in the evenings what is there to do for families if there are not shows every night?

 

Game shows and bingo (I assume you have to pay extra for it) are not really kid activites.

 

Kind of disappointed that the pools are salt water. I really like fresh water pools for kids (much less stinging of the eyes and yucky taste in mouth). But I guess I have to expect less if I am paying less.

 

Thank you everyone for your posts - it really helps

[serene56]

I wanted to thank everyone in advance for answering my many questions. We are a family of 5 (3 children ages 6,7,9). We love to cruise but have only cruised on Disney cruise line on 7 night cruises. We are looking to switch to CCL to save some $$$ but we want to have a wonderful experience also.

Kids will be in different camsp 2-5 6-9 9-11 (the 9 year old will be able to sign themselves in and out with your permission. the 9 year old program is one of the best - theyneed your signature to participate in ship wide scavenger hunts and to be able to move from camp to somewhere else. (they do stay in public ares.

 

 

1. Can anyone tell me about the childrens programs. My kids love the ones on DCL. How do they compair?

DCL can not compare with the other cruiselines with the kids programing. BUT you also pay for that difference.

2. Are the kids programs free all day? Are they open all day / evening?

 

3. Do the kids programs take the kids to dinner or lunch if they are in there at meal time?

 

4. Do they have shows every evening? How many of them are kid friendly. My kids love the shows on DCL.

 

5. Did you feel it was a "family" environment on CCL or more of a "party" environment.

 

6. Are the pools fresh water? Saltwater

 

 

 

10. Is soda free like DCL or do you have to purchase a soda card? Free ice tea/lemonade soda costs $$

 

 

 

camps are not opened all day and night- on sea days they open at 10am and close at noon for lunch. Open again at 2pm closes at 5pm and opens back at 7 and FEE at 10pm

[Disneycruisers]

Our family loves Disney too. We prefer it to Carnival. The entertainment, rotational dining, pirate night, kids clubs, shows, (and a few others that you mentioned,) IMHO, cannot top Disney.

 

That said, we LOVE Carnival too. You will save a lot of $$$ on Carnival, and still have a great time. Just don't go on-board expecting Disney. You will still have a great vacation!:) (Carnival also visits a lot more ports!)

[crusinpsychRN]

To avoid a really rowdy crowd avoid spring break. Sometimes a bit too rowdy for kids.

 

The girls in the shows are sometimes wearing Vegas style outfits. Everything is covered but there's a lot to see too. Some mother's on CC have voiced their objection. My kids didn't see anything wrong with it and neither did I. If you've seen pictures of cruisers, mostly guys, posing with showgirls, that's as bad as it gets which is really showy, not un-kid-friendly.

[woodey]

You also need to remember that disney is primary family and kids....while carnival is family friendly they have adult enviroments like casinos .....i know i will probably be flaimed for this but my point is disney is for kids that is adult friendly .......where ccl is for adults that is kid friendly....

[jerseyralph]

I wanted to thank everyone in advance for answering my many questions. We are a family of 5 (3 children ages 6,7,9). We love to cruise but have only cruised on Disney cruise line on 7 night cruises. We are looking to switch to CCL to save some $$$ but we want to have a wonderful experience also.

 

1. Can anyone tell me about the childrens programs. My kids love the ones on DCL. How do they compair?

 

They really do not compare. Disney has characters and the kids LOVE the characters.

 

2. Are the kids programs free all day? Are they open all day / evening?

There are breaks in the day.

 

3. Do the kids programs take the kids to dinner or lunch if they are in there at meal time?

N/A

 

4. Do they have shows every evening? How many of them are kid friendly. My kids love the shows on DCL.

 

The shows on a Carnival ship cannot compare to the very family friendly shows on a Disney ship. No one is better at family-friendly production than Disney and it shows on cruise ships. That is why Disney costs soooo much more.

 

5. Did you feel it was a "family" environment on CCL or more of a "party" environment.

 

I know quite a few families that party, so I am not so sure what you are asking. I saw a drunken brawl oin a Disney ship. Also watched 300 people suffer from food proisoning. I have experienced neither on a Carnival ship. Not that they do not happen, just that they have not been part of our experience.

 

6. Are the pools fresh water?

 

No.

 

7. Can you bring beer / wine aboard with your like you can on DCL? It is a huge money saver.

 

You can bring one bottle of wine per person. No beer.

 

8. Do they have themed nights? Our kids enjoyed DCL pirates nights.

 

 

9. Does CCl have rotational dining or is it one dining room all week?

 

No.

 

10. Is soda free like DCL or do you have to purchase a soda card?

 

Soda is not free. Good thing, no one should be drinking it.

 

11. If you took younger kids like ours - did they have fun?

 

Our daughter loves to cruise and enjoys Carnival very much. We are Disney maniacs and visit the parks on both coasts at least once every year. The Disney cruiseline experience is great for a family with young kids. If you are sailing with teens and/or adults, Disney's cost is not justified. You get much more bang for your book on a non-Disney ship, inclduing Carnival.

 

If you can afford it, Disney may be, for you, the way to go for you.

 

Frankly, sometimes people hold Disney up to be something beyond what it actually is. If you like to cruise, Carnival will meet your needs very well. If you want the Disney show and kid's club experence, you might want to come up with that extra thousand +.

[Disneycruisers]

 

Frankly, sometimes people hold Disney up to be something beyond what it actually is.

 

Hmm. Have you sailed Disney? Don't knock it until you've tried it. Yes, it IS more expensive, but it's a LOT more than just paying for the 'kid's club experience.':)

[Kryssa]

Disney is doing free soda now? When I sailed on the Wonder in 2001, my parents had to buy us an unlimited soda mug and you go only get your "free" soda in that mug all week. I remember not liking to have to carry the mug with me all over the ship just to be able to get my soda!

[jerseyralph]

Hmm. Have you sailed Disney? Don't knock it until you've tried it. Yes, it IS more expensive, but it's a LOT more than just paying for the 'kid's club experience.':)

 

Disneycruisers,

 

If you had read the entire post, you would know that we have not only sailed with Disney, we visit Disney parks at least once each year. We have slept on the Wonder, the Magic, in the Grand Floridian, Port Orleans Riverside, the Poly, French Quarter, Corronado Springs and Wilderness Lodge. We have spent many tens of thousands of dollars visiting Disney venues and eating in Disney restaurants.

 

I also think you might note that I believe that Disney does offer more bang for the buck to KIDS than does Carnival.

 

Regarding other comparisons, like cruiseline food and stateroom size, Disney loses. Carnival far surpasses them and offers true value.

 

Sorry to offend a Disneyphile, but you might want to read everytihg before you assume, judge, and/or take offense. Here try again:

 

". Can anyone tell me about the childrens programs. My kids love the ones on DCL. How do they compair?

 

They really do not compare. Disney has characters and the kids LOVE the characters.

 

2. Are the kids programs free all day? Are they open all day / evening?

There are breaks in the day.

 

3. Do the kids programs take the kids to dinner or lunch if they are in there at meal time?

N/A

 

4. Do they have shows every evening? How many of them are kid friendly. My kids love the shows on DCL.

 

The shows on a Carnival ship cannot compare to the very family friendly shows on a Disney ship. No one is better at family-friendly production than Disney and it shows on cruise ships. That is why Disney costs soooo much more.

 

5. Did you feel it was a "family" environment on CCL or more of a "party" environment.

 

I know quite a few families that party, so I am not so sure what you are asking. I saw a drunken brawl oin a Disney ship. Also watched 300 people suffer from food proisoning. I have experienced neither on a Carnival ship. Not that they do not happen, just that they have not been part of our experience.

 

6. Are the pools fresh water?

 

No.

 

7. Can you bring beer / wine aboard with your like you can on DCL? It is a huge money saver.

 

You can bring one bottle of wine per person. No beer.

 

8. Do they have themed nights? Our kids enjoyed DCL pirates nights.

 

 

9. Does CCl have rotational dining or is it one dining room all week?

 

No.

 

10. Is soda free like DCL or do you have to purchase a soda card?

 

Soda is not free. Good thing, no one should be drinking it"

[nicki_momof3]

Disney is doing free soda now? When I sailed on the Wonder in 2001, my parents had to buy us an unlimited soda mug and you go only get your "free" soda in that mug all week. I remember not liking to have to carry the mug with me all over the ship just to be able to get my soda!

 

Disney has free soda machines on deck 9 by the Mickey pool.

[nicki_momof3]

Thank you everyone for your answers. With our families style of cruising and our expectations it sounds like DCL is best for us at this time. We LOVE the kid friendly shows on DCL every evening and we love the rotational dining. I also like the option of carrying on beer if we want (always nice to take a a soft cooler to castaway cay) and the free soda machines.

 

Maybe in a few years when our kids are older the kids programing will not matter as much but at this point the kids programs are #1 for us. I like that the kids clubs on DCL are open during dinner. On our DCL vacations our kids typically eat their entree while we eat our appetizers. Than they go off to the club and we enjoy a nice dinner for a hour or so. We than pick them up and we all go to a show. I don't think CCL closing off and on all day would be a good fit for us.

 

I guess I need to save some more $$$ so we can afford a DCL trip.

[RRLLAL]

We are a family of 5 (3 children ages 6,7,9). We love to cruise but have only cruised on Disney cruise line on 7 night cruises. We are looking to switch to CCL to save some $$$ but we want to have a wonderful experience also.

 

Our kids are now 13/14 but they have been on 5 cruises and cruised at the ages of your kids. We have only done CCL and our kids love the activities they have for kids. It's probably not Disney but it is still great.

[Disneycruisers]

 

Sorry to offend a Disneyphile, but you might want to read everytihg before you assume, judge, and/or take offense.

 

 

I think you read way too much into my post. (Hence, the smiley face.) And, I respectfully disagree with a few things you mentioned, but I'm not assumptive, judgmental, and am not taking offense. (I also saw that you'd taken numerous trips to Disney, but didn't read that you'd sailed Disney.)

 

Nicki_momof3, good for you! Continue to have fun on your Disney cruises.:)

[prchoudh]

I have done both DCL and CCL. When my kid was young, he had a great time on DCL. However, the teen did not and chose to do their own. I found the same when mine became a teen on CCl.

 

DCL and CCL do not compare as far as child care. DCL will take the kids the entire day for you. CCL breaks for lunch and dinner so, you need to pick them up for a couple of hours. DCL has not innovative and creative ways to entertain kids. CCL tends to rely on computers and video games more (depends on the age level).

 

Depending on the age level, if they are middle school or under I would stay with DCL. If they are older then move to CCL. Providing you are basing your decision on the children's program.

[nicki_momof3]

.

 

DCL and CCL do not compare as far as child care. DCL will take the kids the entire day for you. CCL breaks for lunch and dinner so, you need to pick them up for a couple of hours. DCL has not innovative and creative ways to entertain kids. CCL tends to rely on computers and video games more (depends on the age level).

 

Depending on the age level, if they are middle school or under I would stay with DCL. If they are older then move to CCL. Providing you are basing your decision on the children's program.

 

Thank you for the advise. I think you are right about the differences with age. My kids are still into "play" and stuff. This may be why they love the DCL kids clubs. They are not to into computers and video games as much.

[PatrickZJD]

...Kind of disappointed that the pools are salt water. I really like fresh water pools for kids (much less stinging of the eyes and yucky taste in mouth). But I guess I have to expect less if I am paying less....

 

Nicki (nice name, BTW -- that's my DW and DN's name!), I know you were not trying to be caustic, but I actually think that was a caustic comment you posted. I have sailed on both Carnival and RCCL, and I've learned that simply raising the cost of the cruise does not mean that you get better or more complete services. RCCL, for example, still charges for sodas and in fact charges for additional items in the MDR like steaks. Despite what sounds like minimal additional perks you receive, I think you'll find that what you are paying for on a Disney cruise is not better service but the cost of the Disney name and, even more so, the cost of the intellectual property of the Disney characters. It's kind of like the difference in price between regular bandages and bandages with characters printed on them: same product providing the same benefits and function, but one is more appealing to the user than another. Here, DCL is simply more appealing to children and Disney cartoon fans...no more, no less.

 

Hope this didn't sound like a flame; it wasn't meant to. However, even unconsciously characterizing a Carnival cruise or services thereon as inferior merely because it costs less is an invitation to criticism! Either which way, hope you enjoy your upcoming vacation.

[kjunea]

I wanted to thank everyone in advance for answering my many questions. We are a family of 5 (3 children ages 6,7,9). We love to cruise but have only cruised on Disney cruise line on 7 night cruises. We are looking to switch to CCL to save some $$$ but we want to have a wonderful experience also.

 

1. Can anyone tell me about the childrens programs. My kids love the ones on DCL. How do they compair? I've never done DCL, but my DS loves Camp Carnival! And a friend of mine says her daughter prefers Carnival to Disney!

 

2. Are the kids programs free all day? Free all day, except for the build a bear option. Are they open all day / evening?Open all day when in port, except closing about 4:45 for the counselors to have dinner. They then open up again about 6:00 if your child wants to eat dinner with them and stay open until 10:00 for free. After 10:00, open until 3:00 AM for a fee

 

3. Do the kids programs take the kids to dinner or lunch if they are in there at meal time?During port days, yes. On sea days, they close for lunch.

 

4. Do they have shows every evening? Have some shows every night. Some are Vegas Style, with sequin/short outfits on the dancers, if that bothers you. How many of them are kid friendly. all the early shows are okayMy kids love the shows on DCL.

 

5. Did you feel it was a "family" environment on CCL or more of a "party" environment. very family oriented! Last cruise it was myself (50) DH (52), my mom (84) and my DS (8)!

 

6. Are the pools fresh water?Sorry, salt water.

 

7. Can you bring beer / wine aboard with your like you can on DCL? It is a huge money saver. You can bring 1 750mL wine per adult, 12 pack beverages (soda, water, etc) per person

 

8. Do they have themed nights? Our kids enjoyed DCL pirates nights. Not really. One night they usually do a Mexican Late night buffet

 

9. Does CCl have rotational dining or is it one dining room all week? Same dining room, but you can do early, late or anytime dining, plus the buffet on the Lido deck

 

10. Is soda free like DCL or do you have to purchase a soda card?have to buy a soda card or bring it on with you. We've never had any trouble bringing more on board at different port stops.

 

11. If you took younger kids like ours - did they have fun?

My son had a blast! He's done 3 CCL cruises (at 4, 6 and 7) and will do his 4th in 9 days! He's been counting down the days because he loves them so much!!

[slk09]

I've only done 2 cruises one DCL and one CCL. I've loved both for

various reasons. My kids are older (daughter 18 and son 15) so they

are beyond the mickey, and princess phase but they loved they Disney

cruise. However, I feel that Disney is just way out of line as far

as some of the prices they are charging. I looked to see how much

the new Fantasy is for a 7 day cruise:eek:!!!!

Since I had nothing else to compare Carnival to other than my Disney

cruise I went into it with my eyes wide open and not really knowing

what to expect. We all loved this cruise so much (I was with a group

of 10) I did have my niece with us who is 8 and she loved this cruise

too! There was always something going on and so much to do. Loved

all the shows and honestly thought as far as "elegant evening" goes that

people on Carnival were more dressed up than on Disney.

It is much less than Disney and we had a great time and already

decided we are going back. Probably to do the Breeze on the Southern

itinerary.:)

[RRLLAL]

They are not to into computers and video games as much.

 

It's not all computer and video games, especially the age of your kids. There might be an hour a day but when my kids did Camp Carnival or Circle C (depending upon age), I remember them doing the following types of things.

 

Build a Bear type activity

scavenger hunt

dance party

making a memory book

sports contests

laser tag

ice cream party

dinner with new friends

educational activities

movies

making cookies

 

there are more, but that's all i can remember. like i said, i am sure it's not Disney but my kids loved it during those years. it is not just computer games.