Carnival good for families?

[UKLloyd]

Hi there, I hope everyone is well.

 

Just a quick question. We normally sail NCL but not with my little girl. However we have seen a nice looking cruise on the new vista ship in Europe for 10 days next July. Just doing some research into if it will be our seen. My little one is 5 almost six before we go.

 

Is carnival good for the little ones? Sailed royal carribean once but preferred NCL, but more than happy to try carnival if it seems good. The vista looks really nice.

 

Thanks for any help.

[ProfCruise]

We've sailed Carnival with our 2 year-old 3 times (with another one scheduled) and have always had a blast. Camp Carnival is great and there are always fun activities on board for kiddos. Staff has always been wonderful with our guy -- treating him like a celebrity! We have cruises on RCCL and NCL coming up next year, so I'm looking forward to seeing what they have to offer too, but we love Carnival for family cruises.

 

I've also written 3 reviews from the perspective of our 2 year old with lots of tips and information for those traveling with little ones. Links are in my signature. If I were you, I'd go for it (especially that ship and itinerary!). Be sure to report back! :D

[beachbum53]

Hi there, I hope everyone is well.

 

Just a quick question. We normally sail NCL but not with my little girl. However we have seen a nice looking cruise on the new vista ship in Europe for 10 days next July. Just doing some research into if it will be our seen. My little one is 5 almost six before we go.

 

Is carnival good for the little ones? Sailed royal carribean once but preferred NCL, but more than happy to try carnival if it seems good. The vista looks really nice.

 

Thanks for any help.

 

It's my belief that Carnival has been trying very hard for many years to make their cruises family-friendly, primarily to compete with Disney. For those families that want to take a cruise and are on a tight budget, Carnival is definitely a more affordable opportunity. Although there are no cartoon characters to interact with, there are a lot of on board activities for the "junior" cruisers. Give the Vista a try when it sets sail. I think your 5 year old will have a lot of fun.

[riffatsea]

That particular cruise is VERY port intensive! It has a different port every single day except one.

I'd just think about if you want your child with you on shore or are you planning to try to leave the child on board without you? It doesn't sound like there are lots of days for onboard activities unless you want staff to babysit while you are touring the sites.

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

Offering no judgment but I am glad we didn't travel abroad with our kids until they turned 12. By then they were pretty self-sufficient and could take day after day of sightseeing and enjoyed it more because they understood. Now a nice leisurely Caribbean cruise with just a few stops works super for the young ones....Europe, not so much IMHO.

[Club Disney Chandler]

We've sailed Carnival with our 2 year-old 3 times (with another one scheduled) and have always had a blast. Camp Carnival is great and there are always fun activities on board for kiddos. Staff has always been wonderful with our guy -- treating him like a celebrity! We have cruises on RCCL and NCL coming up next year, so I'm looking forward to seeing what they have to offer too, but we love Carnival for family cruises.

 

I've also written 3 reviews from the perspective of our 2 year old with lots of tips and information for those traveling with little ones. Links are in my signature. If I were you, I'd go for it (especially that ship and itinerary!). Be sure to report back! :D

 

 

OP, these reviews are very helpful to trying CCL with a family, they are also very entertaining. We've only been on DCL cruises so far and were a little nervous to branch out to try CCL, (we're booked for the 8 night Mediterranean on the Vista next June). These reviews really helped put my mind at ease and I can hardly wait to step foot on the Vista.

[SadieN]

OP is probably OK doing a European cruise as it looks like he is from the UK. He can fly London-Paris in the same amount of time we can fly LAX-SFO.

[UKLloyd]

OP is probably OK doing a European cruise as it looks like he is from the UK. He can fly London-Paris in the same amount of time we can fly LAX-SFO.

 

Firstly, I would just like to thank you all for your replies so far. You are helping greatly.

Should probably specify, We are from the UK so only a short hop of 4 hours or so to Athens to start the cruise. Not really looking at the ports TBH. Mainly the ship and the amenities onboard. We of course will do a few of the ports, but more than likely be at the beach or on the ship 70% of the time. It really is just deciding whether or not to do a land based trip or a cruise.

[silvercrikhix]

I think the new Vista would be an awesome 10 day cruise with a kiddo!

It has all the new bells & whistles. You may be interested in booking a cabin the the Harbor Family category with included extras for families. For us, a cruise is THE way to vacation. Unpack once & be transported to different places is so convenient. Most reviews of the Camp Carnival staff & activities are very very positive. You can also hire a sitter for evenings you'd like a bit of alone time!

[WAHMto5]

All of our children just love to cruise on Carnival. They prefer the larger ships, as there is more for them to do;)

[9876]

It is great for families. Have fun!

[meatloafsfan]

Your little seems the right age for the Seuss at Sea stuff (brunch, parade, storytelling). There is also camp carnival (or it may be camp ocean on the Vista).

[JawjaFatBoy]

I think a 5-6 year old would love the Vista with all of the activities it has.

 

We're starting our daughter off cruising next week on the Valor. She will be 13 months and so will be with us the entire time due to the age limitations, but we couldn't stand to leave her for a week!