Help! First time cruising with our kids!

[potterphreak]

So, we have done two cruises with adult friends before, one on Royal Caribbean (we dubbed it, If This Boat Is A Rockin...) and one on Carnival (Cruisin' for a Boozin'!), both times to Ensenada. Well, we promised the kids after last October, the next cruise we take they will get to go. So, we are booked 2 rooms on the Carnival Paradise for 4 days (first time not a weekend trip!) and we are just totally lost what to do and what to expect. We have adult friends joining us as well (they don't have kids). So, here are the questions I have for just RIGHT NOW! LOL I am sure this will grow!

 

Our daughters are 10 and 6. What activities can they expect at Camp Carnival and is there a place where I can get more information?

 

In Camp Carnival, what has an extra cost? I don't mind paying for awesome things (I have heard of Build a Bear and slumber parties so far!), just want to be prepared and properly budgeted.

 

Read about renting a golf cart in Catalina, where do I find information for that?!

 

Does anyone have any (fairly recent) menus, adult and childrens, for the 4 day cruise?

 

Thanks so much in advance for any and all help! Thankfully, we have beaten our children well enough over the years that I have no concerns about their behavior (beating part is a joke!).

[DreDay]

We have cruised with our three kids four times. Their first cruise they were somthing like 5, 7, 10. Our last cruise was in Jan. 08 and they were 7, 9, & 12. From all I've heard Camp Carnival is awesome, but we have never used it. We decided against it because our kids would have been separated into different groups due to their ages. They all wanted to be together so that wasn't going to work.

 

We never had a problem finding things to do. Our kids loved the video game room, so we alotted time to spend with them in there. We used the ping pong tables, etc. They even went to shows with us.

 

We are going on our fifth cruise, (now the kiddos are 8,10, & 14) and this time we have a one year old that will be going with.

[seashell36]

Potterphreak, you need to check out crusinmama06's page. She has put together a wonderful collection of capers for each of the age groups for Camp Carnival. Here is a link to the web page - http://photobucket.com/cruisekidpages

 

Our last cruise was with kids age 5, 6, 9 and 11. My kids really enjoyed the activities in camp. There was art contests, t shirt coloring, movies, even a late night pajama party (there is an extra charge for this but all the kids talked about how much fun it is). The "build a bear" activity on our last cruise went on 2 or 3 different times and cost around $20-$25 dollars per animal (with an outfit).

 

I will tell you the counselor's will ask if you want to let your 10 yr old sign herself out of camp. There was one activity, a scavenger hunt, that the kids have to be able to sign themselves out and back in again for. I think that you can allow them to sign themselves out for that one activity then change it back to cannot sign themself out again.

 

When you come up with more questions just ask. There is usually someone around who can answer it for you!

[mkluvs2cruise]

I was just wondering if anyone has ever used carnival's babysitting services? My husband and I are cruising in 19 days with kids(2, 11) and it will be our annniversary one night, so were hoping to have a babysitter for a little while that night. Does anyone know the cost for this service?

[gtalum]

Carnival does not do babysitting in your cabin. They have a "slumber party" after 10 pm in Camp Carnival that costs $6 per hour for the first kid (and less for the second). The Camp transitions directly from Camp Carnival activities to the slumber party. The little kids will go to sleep on a big blanket while watching a video, and the big kids keep playing. Our daughter, who just turned 3, has been on two cruises and has had a good time in Camp Carnival and during the slumber party.

[seashell36]

The slumber party is $6 for the first child and $4 for each additional child. My kids have always had a great time at the slumber party. On our last cruise they had a special party for the older kids (ages 9 & 11 attended this one) that lasted until 3am. At the end of the party the counselors escort the kids back to their rooms and make sure they go in. They are looking forward to doing this again on the 1/30/10 cruise.