Skippy

Just got back from our cruise and the kids (13 & 11) were across the hall. We got duplicate keys. It worked out well. They did fine on their own.

We got the spare keys as we were traveling with the kids and had to book with one adult and one child per room. Me and dh had keys to both rooms.

No. We were just on the glory and sadly no chips. Although one night at 11pm they did have a chips and salsa event. I did have the shrimp tacos and those were good.

We ordered tests through Emed. Just completed the proctored test and it was super easy and convenient and available 24/7 with no appointments needed.

Just used Emed for testing myself and the kids. Super easy and convenient. Just have a way to prop your device to be able to view the flat surface where you are placing the card. Both front and back cameras are used.

I agree. The carnival cruise directors were so full of energy and always trying to get the crowd going, even during the evening performances. They were always out and about doing dance parties and stuff. On Royal, the cruise directors were more subdued and seemed to be less energetic.

I would pack a sweater. It tends to be chilly in the dining room and theater. Outside it’s humid, so you won’t feel chilly.

Bummer! My daughter was chosen as a contestant on the hasbro show when we cruised a few years back. She ended up winning a $100 gift card. It was the highlight of the trip for her. She was 5 at the time.

My bag got lost once. It was evening after we set sail, and my suitcase still hadn’t shown up, so I had to go to guest services and they led me and a few other people to the lost luggage room. There were so many suitcases in there including mine. The deck location tags had accidentally ripped off. I was so relieved my suitcase made it on the ship. We don’t like checking luggage on the plane, so we pack carry ons. We will check sometimes on the return flight, but that would be easier to deal with if it goes missing.

Just ordered my emed tests as well. Was going to try the bring your own tests but mine expire this month and I’ve got no more freebies available from the government. Cruise is next month. I’ve got a bunch of the I-health tests.

I’d stick with one room for kids that small. We started getting 2 rooms when the kids were 6 and 8. It was nice since they had their own bathroom. The cabins were connecting which was nice. we did cram all 4 of us in a cabin when they were 5 and 7. They loved the beds that hung from the ceiling. But it was tight for all of us.

Looking into emed as well and I have 2 vaccinated kids. Can they test all 4 of us at the same time?

For the Emed tests, do you need to make an appointment? If so, how far in advance? We would need 4.

We’re going on the glory next month. We have sailed on Splendor which was very pink at the time in 2016. Is it still pink. We also sailed on the Destiny in 2001. Don’t even know if that ship is still around.

We sail in august. I wonder if it will be gone by then.

did you also download the Verifly app and upload your vaccine card? I got those same emails and the app is the next step.

Are the tests at Walgreens free? If not, how much do they cost?

It’s been awhile, but we’ve done carnival (kids were 5 & 7), royal liberty of the seas (6 & 8 ) and Allure of the Seas (7 & 9). They loved the allure of the seas ship. So cool to wander around. Plus the diving show was really neat to watch. They did the flow rider, rock climbing, and ice skating. They weren’t huge fans of the shows. They could care less about the kids club on royal. They preferred the carnival kids club better. They spent most of their free time there including having dinner with the kids club. They also preferred some of the shows on carnival. The cruise director was definitely more outgoing. They had the hasbro game show and my dd was picked from the audience to participate and she won $100 gift card. It’s one of her favorite memories. anyway, whichever ship you go on, make the best of it. Go visit the different ports and have fun making memories.

Definitely get 2 cabins. Having that extra bathroom is great! Plus more privacy for the grown ups. I will never cram 4 of us in a cabin again. Did that when the kids were 5 and 7. Now they are 11 and 13 and we need our own space.

Does anyone know which toiletries are provided? Things like shampoo, body wash, lotion, etc? Need to know what I should pack.

On our last cruise, the kids were 10 and 8 and they were allowed to go off together within reason, like if they wanted to go get a snack from one of the stores, that was fine, or if they wanted to head back to the room while I was still at the pool. They had to stay together though. for this upcoming cruise they are now 13 and 11 and I’m going to enforce the stay together rule. My younger one looks really young for her age and I don’t want people thinking she’s 8yo and wandering around.

We’ve had connecting rooms on cruises in the past. Our last cruise was in 2018. This time around cause we booked last minute, the kids will be across the hall from us. They are 13 and 11. We trust them both to follow rules as well as check in with us should they want to go do their own thing. The extra space is worth it. Plus you get 2 bathrooms. We’re planning to get keys for their room too. We did have to book one adult and one child per cabin though.

I think last time we had photocopies of all the passports with us when going on shore.

Question about Verifly app. If I download the app and set it up on my iPad, and then if I install the app on other devices, do I have to do all the steps again or does it set up a login that dh and I can share? I got as far as it asking me to take a selfie. I’m assuming I can put the kids info under my account as well?

Are these deals last minute? Like you have to be ready to sail next week or something? I thought we got a really good deal on our upcoming cruise, but it wasn’t under $100 pp for a full week.