What do I do with toddler who can't go to CC?

[spicycrab]

Hello,

 

My DD will be just shy of 2 when we board the Carnival Miracle in January and will not be able to attend Camp Carnival. For those of you who have been in my boat, what did you do with your kids? We will have 4 days at sea, so I am expecting a lot of down time. Did you pack a ton of toys (or if you didn't, wish you did)?

 

Thanks! Any feedback will be extremely helpful.

[crusinmama06]

Just so you know, she won't be totally blocked from Camp Carnival. There is Under 2's babysitting times at Camp Carnival. Just keep an eye on the Caper for those times. Yes, there is a fee. But if you need it, its there. ;)

 

We always find alot of things to do outside of Camp Carnival. What about mini golf? :) And there are movies at the Lido pool deck (I think Miracle would have a screen) So look for the kid movie times.

 

Also, there is a Build A Bear on Carnival. Yes, you have to pay for it. But its done outside of Camp. Just look for the times in the Caper. Prices range from $19.99 - $29.99 for the animals with outfits. They hold it in one of the lounges. And they hold it many times throughout the week. So if you miss it once, you'll have another shot later.

 

Do you think she'll be potty trained by then? There is always swimming if she is. :)

[cb at sea]

Whatever you do at home to "entertain" her, you'll do on the ship!

[MNmomof4]

My kids always loved people watching. We did so much walking around the ship. Of course mini golf was a big hit! We didnt bring any toys at all since being on a ship was entertainment enough.

[A&Emom]

That is pretty much the case. My daughter was 2yo on her first cruise. The only thing we brought for her was a folding toy stroller and her favorite doll. We spent hours pushing it around the decks. Otherwise we got cards from the library and played matching games or we went to the arcade to dance to all the lights.

 

Kids that age can find fun in almost anything if we just step back and let them.

 

 

Whatever you do at home to "entertain" her, you'll do on the ship!

[jam82]

Hello,

 

My DD will be just shy of 2 when we board the Carnival Miracle in January and will not be able to attend Camp Carnival. For those of you who have been in my boat, what did you do with your kids? We will have 4 days at sea, so I am expecting a lot of down time. Did you pack a ton of toys (or if you didn't, wish you did)?

 

Thanks! Any feedback will be extremely helpful.

 

We cruised with our son on Carnival three times before he was 2. They do have babysitting from 12pm-2pm on sea days, from arrival in port until noon on port days, and every night from 10pm-3am. They charge $6 per hour. We used the service several times and were very pleased with the care. (DS had never had a babysitter at home but took to Camp Carnival and the counselors. They were so good with him.)

 

I usually brought more toys than we ever used. Now I just bring one or two favorites and a couple of books. They do have teddy bear workshop. We did that once and thought it was a waste of time and money as he could have cared less. A good thing thing we did is go to an empty lounge so that he could run around in a confined area. If she is potty trained you could take her swimming. My son wasn't at that age so we missed out on that. Other than that just walk her around and have her people watch. There is always something going on. Have a great cruise.

[calikak]

We went with DS when he had just turned 2, but he hated the kids' club (it happened to be extraordinarily overcrowded on our sailing and he would scream and cry when we tried to leave him there--not at all trying to say all Carnival kids clubs are like that, I think we just happened to be unlucky). We still found lots to do with him. I didn't think he'd be into the mini-golf, but he LOVED it. He loved carrying the club around and chasing the ball, it was really fun for all 3 of us. One of our best memories from that cruise. He was also REALLY into seeing Funship Freddy--they had a blow-up one in the window of one of the shops and he would ask to go see it and try to hug it through the glass. Seriously, I don't get the appeal but kids LOVE Funship Freddy, he's like a rock star. DS was also really into listening to live music, and there is a lot of it around the ship, at all different times of day.