augirl409
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Posts posted by augirl409
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9 hours ago, maryred said:
The Dream offers Deluxe Family Oceanview cabins for 5, which provides more room than other standard staterooms. These cabins have the a king bed (or can be separated into 2 twins), 2 upper Pullman bunks and a sofa day bed. It also contains 2 bathrooms, 1 being the standard shower, toilet, vanity w/ sink set up and the second having another vanity w/ sink and a junior tub.
This chart from Carnival might help you compare some of the other features..
SHIP DETAILS
Ship Details Carnival Dream Carnival Valor Gross Tonnage 130,000 110,000 Guest Capacity 3646 2980 Length In Feet 1004 953 Onboard Crew 1367 1180 DINING
Dining Carnival Dream Carnival Valor Guy's Burger Joint 
BlueIguana Cantina Steakhouse Dining Room Guy's Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que 
Lido Restaurant Seafood Shack Pizza Pirate Swirls 24-Hour Room Service Bonsai Sushi Ol' Fashioned BBQ The Chef's Table Coffee Bar Seaday Brunch Mongolian Wok Pizzeria del Capitano Steakhouse Selections The Carnival Deli Kids' Menus Breakfast Grill Bottomless Bubbles Chef's Choice Dining Room Breakfast Good Eats Kids' Meals for Campers Pasta Bella Salad Bar Sweet Spot Special Diets ACTIVITIES
Activities Carnival Dream Carnival Valor Make It With Michaels Cooking Demonstration Atrium Mixologist Competitions Bingo Onboard Internet Art Exhibitions Mini Golf Alchemy Martini Tasting Games Art Seminars Volleyball Ocean Plaza Library Master the Martini Art Auctions Art Games Basketball BARS
CASINO
ENTERTAINMENT
EVENTS
KIDS & TEENS
Kids & Teens Carnival Dream Carnival Valor Zumbini Seuss at Sea Camp Ocean Club O2 Circle "C" Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast Night Owls Build-A-Bear Workshop at Sea Seuss-a-palooza Story Time Seuss-A-Palooza Parade Video Arcade Towel Animal Theater Arts and Crafts OUTDOOR
Outdoor Carnival Dream Carnival Valor Serenity Adult Only Retreat WaterWorks Pools Twister Waterslide SHOPS
SPA & FITNESS
ITINERARY
Carnival Dream Carnival Valor Carnival Dream Carnival Valor BACK TO ALL SHIPS Carnival Dream
Carnival Valor
Thank you! I have looked at that on the Carnival website and that’s what made me ask. I was hearing a lot of “the Dream has more to offer” but according to this comparison, I could only find volleyball and waterworks as an extra that Valor doesn’t have.
I thought maybe I was missing something!
Thanks for the info on the rooms! I’ll check those out!
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16 minutes ago, maryred said:
Just some food for thought on the kids camp, but not necessarily endorsing the use of it for your family.
Enroll in it as it is included as part of your fare as much as the dining room, library, game/card room, theater, pools, or sports deck center are. Enrollment does not mean that anything has to be attended it just registers the child as a possible participant. to the camp activities Attend the embarkation day tour or orientation as a family to get the cruise long activity schedule for each age group. Most of the activities are just for the kids in a specified camp area while some are family oriented and done as a family unit elsewhere on the ship. From there you can decide if this could be something that benefits the family.
The camp operation is broken up into "sessions" with several activities offered at a specified time during that "session", but if only 1 activity appeals there is no reason to stay for the entire session. The schedule for operation usually runs ...
8-10am for interactive family playtime especially for parents/guardians of toddlers and children under 2
10am-noon morning session of activities
noon-2pm closed for lunch
2-5pm afternoon session of activities
5-7:30pm closed for dinner though there may be several nights for the kids to attend a dinner with the counselors at the buffet
7:30-10pm evening session of activities
after 10pm the camps turn into the Night Owl at fee group "evening care" so parents can enjoy some adult activity time
During each 2 -3 hour "session" anywhere from 2 -5 activities are offered, from the counselors simply reading aloud a Dr. Seuss book while costume characters visit to individual or whole age group craft activities to digital photo scavenger hunts with families making up the teams to being part of the Dr. Seuss parade. There are some at fee activities like the Build a Bear workshop for families (usually held away from the camp rooms), but no fee alternatives are also offered at the same time inside the camp. If any of the activities are of interest to your family all that needs to be done, as long as the kids are already registered during the online check-in, is to sign the child(ren) in at the camp area at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled activity. The only exclusion is the dinner with counselors, which require a seperate sign-up.
Thank you for the info!
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1 hour ago, purplephenom said:
I think walking around as a group of 10 will be difficult on either ship. The decks aren’t that wide, everyone walks at different speeds, everyone stops to check things out and there are other people doing the same things. I say that to tell you, getting around really doesn’t matter- it’ll be somewhat difficult on either ship, but you are used to keeping your family together so it’ll be just fine.
The dream is a nice choice- more to do while you’re on the ship, but the youngest kids may get overwhelmed at the pool area when it starts to get crowded. I don’t know if you’re planning beach excursions but the younger kids may enjoy water time more in ports.
Whatever you decide, have fun! With that many people I bet you’ll get home with fun memories and good stories.
Thank you! What type of things does the Dream have that the Valor doesn’t? I don’t want to miss anything!
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2 hours ago, Tapi said:
Personally, I would go with the ship that offers the most, and in your case it will be the Dream. We had a great time on that ship.
With that said, our last cruise was on the Fantasy, and we had a great time. Yes, the ship was older and smaller, and the pool was always packed (which we used one time for like 2 minutes and got grossed out with so many people in it), but we did spent a considerable amount of time at the water slides.
I’m all about family time as well and that’s a big reason why we go on vacation; to spend time together as a family. But what I’m going to say is not meant to lecture you, just to share my family’s experience. My kids did go to the kids club at night for a few hours after dinner. They’d beg to go. Turns out that, for them, having fun with newfound friends while mom and dad enjoyed a little bit of time together to reconnect was a great way to enhance our vacation.
The reason why I’m sharing this is to reinforce selecting the Dream which has better kid facilities. Even if you’re not planning on using them, taking them into consideration to make your decision is, in my humble opinion, good advice in case they do want to attend and you discover that you wish to have a little time to yourself.
Did you find the pool/pools less packed on the Dream than on the Fantasy? (Side note: we loved our cruise on the Fantasy!)
And about the Dream offering more than the Valor...what would those things be exactly? I’ve seen that it has volleyball and Valor just has basketball and Valor doesn’t have Water Works. Is there something else that I’m missing?
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2 minutes ago, silvercrikhix said:
Welcome to Cruise Critic.
Daycare & Kids Camp aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, spending time together is a great idea too!
Hands down, definitely go on the DREAM over the Valor.
There is nothing wrong with the Valor, but the DREAM has much much much more to offer your large family.
Have a Great Family Cruise!
Thank you!!!!!!! (especially for not asking why we don’t just put the kids in Kid’s Camp!😁)
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3 minutes ago, Nic6318 said:
Hi
Welcome to cruise critic.
The older kids won't have any problem finding things to keep themselves entertained, and as you say, if they are responsible, they won't get into trouble.
However, I think it's an almost unanimous question on why you wouldn't let your younger children enjoy the kids clubs. They don't spend the entire time there, but when they are there they are being entertained. It's not for everybody, but many children have a lot of fun. They can try it and if they don't like it, they don't have to go again. It also gives you a bit of a break.
As mentioned, the pools on all the ships are always a crowed area (especially on sea days). The fact that the ship is larger doesn't change anything, it just means there are more people on board. Typically finding seating would be a challenge. The water slides are always fun for the ones that would be tall enough, and the "water works" area would be nice for the 5 y.o.'s, and would be much larger on the Dream. For your youngest, be aware that children must be potty trained to go in any of the pools.
have a great cruise
Thank you!
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Yeah, we won’t be doing the kids camp. We enjoy spending our vacation time together as a family and they just aren’t interested.
I will definitely look up Ocean Plaza! And they would definitely enjoy the basketball! Does Valor not have that?🤔
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My husband and I are planning a cruise for the two of us and our eight children (will be ages 18,17,13,11,9,5,5,and almost 2) for next May.
We have narrowed it down to a five day on either the Dream or the Valor.(same destination)
A little info...we won’t be doing kids club. Our older three are boys and are responsible enough to walk around and explore (eat, arcade,etc) together without us for certain amounts of time.
We cruised without the kiddos on the Fantasy last month and LOVED the simplicity/size of it. Because it’s so small, walking around with all eight kids would be no issue. But the pool was ALWAYS either too crowded to fit anyone else in or it was closed, so I know they would have been bored during sea days with little to do.
Here are my concerns (having never been on either ship myself)... Is the Dream so big that navigating it with five younger children (and some times all eight) in tow will be difficult? Does it’s size make pool/water areas a bit less crowded and easier for young children to play and have fun in the water?
Does one have an advantage over the other for families?
I’d love any helpful info you can give!
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Large Family Cruise Help!
in Carnival Cruise Lines
Posted
Thank you!!! We are very excited!