Need the Scoop :)

[KevinsCruising]

Hi,

 

We are thinking about cruising on the Miracle on April 28th. We are normally NCL cruisers but do NCL only going to Bermuda that time we are considering cruising Carnival for warmer ports of call.

 

We really enjoy Freestyle cruising with no dinner times, not having to dress formally and not having to sit with people we do not know. We haven't cruised Carnival in years so I could use some info please.

 

During dinner, if there are 5 or 6 of us, will we have to sit with others at dinner? Are dress jeans allowed in the Main Dining room, can my 19 yr old drink beer ( on NCL we sign a waiver)? How is the kids club? ( will have a 8 yr old with us) Any other info would be greatly appreciated. Hope to decide by today or tomorrow.

 

Thank you ;)

[kcdancerkc]

you will get many replies, but to double them, post this on the kids/family message boars also! :)

[hermitstyle]

You can do Anytime/Your Time Dining. Jeans will be fine in the MDR, except for on elegant night. Jeans are jeans, "dress" or not. My nieces (4 and 5) had a blast in Camp Carnival, I'm not sure about the older kids programs, maybe someone else who has experience there can chime in. If you do not want to sit with anyone, when you get to dinner, you can request a table to yourself, but I would expect a small waiting time - even longer on the elegant nights. If you do a set time dining, you can also see the Matrie D at a set time on the first day of your cruise and request a table by yourself. Your son can not drink any alcohol until he is 21. I'm honestly a bit surprised that NCL allows this - even if they are a "foreign flagged vessel" No reason that your son can not drink at the ports of call though, as long as he is at or above the legal age to drink.

[pe4all]

Hi,

 

We are thinking about cruising on the Miracle on April 28th. We are normally NCL cruisers but do NCL only going to Bermuda that time we are considering cruising Carnival for warmer ports of call.

 

We really enjoy Freestyle cruising with no dinner times, not having to dress formally and not having to sit with people we do not know. We haven't cruised Carnival in years so I could use some info please.

 

During dinner, if there are 5 or 6 of us, will we have to sit with others at dinner? Are dress jeans allowed in the Main Dining room, can my 19 yr old drink beer ( on NCL we sign a waiver)? How is the kids club? ( will have a 8 yr old with us) Any other info would be greatly appreciated. Hope to decide by today or tomorrow.

 

Thank you ;)

I can answer most of your questions!

-Carnival has "anytime dining", where you can go to the dining room when you wish. If there is a line, they will give you a beeper. Earlier (6 pm) has less waiting time than later. (7:30 ish) As you are a "large" group, you just need to ask for a table by yourselves, and will probably get one.

- Jeans are allowed in the dining room - but on elegant night you might be turned away - depends on the maitre'd. (I have never seen it done, but have heard of cases)

-Your 19 year old cannot drink on CCL - no waivers allowed. They can drink all they want on the island, as the drinking age is usually 18. (or, as some say - they will serve you as long as you are tall enough to reach the bar!) We have bought a beer now and then on board for our 20 year old (flame away), and she was offered many drinks in the casino.

-Our kids, nieces and nephews have always enjoyed the kid's club (Camp Carnival). They have many activities, and your 8 year old can pick and choose which to go to or not. I think you have to sign him in and out - I think they can sign themselves out beginning at age 9, so that won't help you

- If you find an itinerary/price you like, Miracle is a great ship to start on. She is one of the "smaller" ships, and doesn't have the bells and whistles the "larger" CCL ships have, but we enjoyed sailing on her very much, and wouldn't hesitate to do it again. Make sure you go to the Punchliner's Comedy show (there are a few a night - the first one or two are family friendly, the others are adult rated) and go to "Ticket To Ride" - one of the best shows on the seas. (Beatles)

PS - hermitstyle types faster than me!!

[laumicmah]

We did the your-time dining (anytime) with a party of 9 and then again with a party of 6 and were always seated at a table with just our party. When we did it with a party of 9, on the Fascination, we never had a wait and we went at varying times. When we did it with a party of 6, on the Glory, we had a wait 2 of the 5 nights (when we went around 7:00)...if we went between 5:45-6:30 or after 7:45 there was not a wait. The Glory is a more crowded ship than the Fascination (they are in 2 different classes of ships) so that may account for the wait. Your Miracle is in the Spirit class and has the most square footage per passenger (so the least crowded ships) in the Carnival fleet.

 

Dress code is very laid back. Shorts (but not cut-offs or gym shorts) and jeans are permitted in the MDR except on elegant night (though some will wear jeans on elegant night). My DS-15 would wear cargo shorts and t-shirts or polos and on elegant night he'd wear a pair of khakis with a button down (or a polo). My twin DDs...one is girly and likes to dress up while the other one is a big tomboy and she wears capris every night (even elegant) and hates it. DH wears khakis on regular nights and a suit on elegant night (he feels the need to dress up) and I'll wear capris or sundresses and then a cocktail dress on formal night. DH and I tend to be on the more dressy side. The first night, we all wear whatever we wore getting on the ship...usually shorts.

 

Your DS-19 will not be allowed to drink on the ship (will be able to in some ports like Nassau where if he's tall enough to see over the counter, they'll serve him).

 

Many folks love the kids clubs. My kids have been on 2 of our Carnival cruises...the 1st one when they were 13, 11 and 11. The 13 year old had brought a friend on the cruise who did not want to do anything but sit in the cabin. My 11 year old twins (and their 11 year old friend who's family cruised with us) went in the club a very little bit. It was not appealing to them because they were the oldest in the club that was ages 8-11 or something like that. If my girls were on the ship without their friend, they would have gone more and they would have enjoyed it. The second time we cruised, they were 12,12 and 14 and didn't even check out the clubs. But, I think your 8 year old will love it.

 

The ship you've picked, the Miracle, is a much loved ship and one of the faves here on CC. It's a good ship to start with (on CCL).

[laumicmah]

I can answer most of your questions!

-Carnival has "anytime dining", where you can go to the dining room when you wish. If there is a line, they will give you a beeper. Earlier (6 pm) has less waiting time than later. (7:30 ish) As you are a "large" group, you just need to ask for a table by yourselves, and will probably get one.

- Jeans are allowed in the dining room - but on elegant night you might be turned away - depends on the maitre'd. (I have never seen it done, but have heard of cases)

-Your 19 year old cannot drink on CCL - no waivers allowed. They can drink all they want on the island, as the drinking age is usually 18. (or, as some say - they will serve you as long as you are tall enough to reach the bar!) We have bought a beer now and then on board for our 20 year old (flame away), and she was offered many drinks in the casino.

-Our kids, nieces and nephews have always enjoyed the kid's club (Camp Carnival). They have many activities, and your 8 year old can pick and choose which to go to or not. I think you have to sign him in and out - I think they can sign themselves out beginning at age 9, so that won't help you

- If you find an itinerary/price you like, Miracle is a great ship to start on. She is one of the "smaller" ships, and doesn't have the bells and whistles the "larger" CCL ships have, but we enjoyed sailing on her very much, and wouldn't hesitate to do it again. Make sure you go to the Punchliner's Comedy show (there are a few a night - the first one or two are family friendly, the others are adult rated) and go to "Ticket To Ride" - one of the best shows on the seas. (Beatles)

PS - hermitstyle types faster than me!!

Ha...just noticed we had the same thought.

[pe4all]

Ha...just noticed we had the same thought.

What's true is true!:D Unfortunately, have seen too many younger teens staggering back to the ship in Coz.