Ahmne

Unless you've got twins I don't think you'll go through an entire box of diapers in a week. But if it's labelled properly it may be fine.

For all our trips we've put them in suitcases and used the extra room for souvenirs on the way back. I would consider FTTF and putting them in my room myself just incase.

Thanks.

 

I booked through a TA in Canadian dollars but it's hard to find an accurate quote for 4 people in a room online in cdn.

There have been minor fluctuations in price in usd. Maybe I'll give them a call to see how it works for canadian customers.

If you book with a TA, see a price drop and submit the early saver claim yourself will Carnival automatically reject it because you didn't book directly with them?

Has anyone had the roti? I'm wondering if it is more trini or Jamaican style.

Are they made fresh to order?

As others have said Carnival is the only line with the kids club fully included for the two year old.

 

My only other advice would be to do mock bookings to the point you can see the full price for the family on all the ones you are interested in. Sometimes a sale looks great but only because the first person is marked up really high and 'regular' price on another line works our better for the family. You can remove the gratuities for the toddler. We did when our son was three without issue.

 

 

Happy planning!

I haven't been on either cruise line but they were the final three when we were comparing and deciding. (RCI being the third)

 

We went with Carnival on the Magic because

Although there were more dining options on NCL, most of them were an at a fee. The concept of anytime dining sounds good but one of the benefits for me on a cruise is the wait staff knowing your likes and dislikes and having things ready for you in the MDR. I was 10 weeks pregnant on the last cruise with nausea and by day 3 my waiter knew to have ginger ale ready for me at the table when I and ginger lemon tea for me at dessert.

We have a table for 4 to ourselves this time. If you want to spend less time at dinner just tell them or skip an appetizer or dessert and order room service or go to the buffet later if you get peckish. The reviews about the food on carnival seemed to be more positive than NCL and on par or a bit better than RCI.

 

The magic does have a ropes course, water park, sports square, movies outside at night. Although these things are great, when there is too many of them it's unlikely you'll get to do them all unless you stay on the boat during port days. This was a draw for us.

 

The shows looked better on NCL. Our kids are younger and we knew we wouldn't do many of them.

 

The rooms are bigger on CCL. We have 4 in a room so this was a big deal for us. (But went with an upper level balcony since we were afraid of noise and not being able to take the stairs to the kids club if we felt like it)

 

Cost- CCL was way cheaper with more included. That means more excursions and wine. Our youngest is 2 and we wouldn't have to pay for her to be in the kids club while on an excursion or limit the amount of time she was there. (I know that wouldn't matter to you).

We cruised with our 3 year old a few years ago and will be doing it with our 2 and now 7 year old next year.

 

We picked carnival primarily because they take the kids at age 2 in the kids club without an extra charge or limited hours.

 

To find the family board look under special interest cruising.

The exchange rate right now is killer. When we started looking I knew the prices were in usd but at the time the conversion to cdn wasn't too bad and a great deal. By the time we put down the deposit the dollar had dropped. We booked in cdn. Still much cheaper than booking a balcony room on another line for the same itinerary but by the time we factor in flights I could be doing 10 days at a 5 star AI.

 

Trying to convince hubby to drive to Buffalo to save money on the flights but right now I'm only seeing connecting flights from there. Too long a travel day with two kids.

St. Thomas for sure.

 

We had a similar itinerary and decided to just walk around the port in the morning then take advantage of the mostly empty boat for the rest of the day.

Page 24 here will show you where smoking is allowed on the Magic

 

Perfect! I was a little worried about smelling smoke drifting up to our balcony but we are on the other side of the boat

Thanks everyone! Maybe I'll forgo the steak restaurant And just do the chef's table another night.

I'm planning on sailing the magic next April and I have a few questions.

 

Is camp carnival open the first night? (I was hoping I would be able to book the steak restaurant the first night without the kids)

 

Are tours of the kitchen etc. available for free? (Did this on celebrity and really liked it)

 

Is there a place to get pastries/ desserts mid day?

 

Is smoking allowed anywhere other than the casino ( looking for places to avoid)

We booked in Canadian dollars with the hope that the price will drop later. Even with the exchange it was still much cheaper for our balcony room than other cruise lines with the same itinerary.

Does anyone know if your child can have whatever is available at the buffet if they have dinner with camp carnival? Im hoping my kids can at least at a side of veggies.

The packages are per person.