carnival cruise with kids??

[johnlisac]

we have taken a couple of trips with disney and the kids had a great time i would like some feedback on kids programs with carnival

[yogi2929]

How old are your kids? Mine started at the age of 12 on Carnival. They both loved that age group's club and the teen club. They would get the schedule the first day and we would barely see them.

 

DD-the-older just turned 18 and was completely lost without a planned group. All wasn't lost though. She did win in the casino.:D

[johnlisac]

15 and 9 just wondering if it is anything like disney have heard some not so good things about carnival traveling with kids also could you tell me if there are any hidden fees such as charging for soda etc also can u bring booze onboard

[gatorsfam]

We've sailed both Carnival and Disney w/our kids (6-11 age). The Disney was a short cruise, so we didn't spend much time in the kids camp, but my impression was that they were more lax with folks coming in and out than was Carnival - maybe because they have a ton more kids normally to keep track of. By that I mean that w/Disney when you go p/u your kids, they just open the gate and let you roam around until you find them. Carnival handled it quite differently as you'd go p/u the kids they would go find them and bring them to you. At no point that I recall, were non-kid guests allowed into the kid camp area.

 

As for the activities, I was quite impressed with how Carnival communicated the daily activity schedule up front for the entire sailing. This was great as the kids got excited about various events and made a point to be there. Disney sprinkled a few highlights into the regular daily events newsletter, but it was harder to decipher IMO.

 

My kids enjoyed both of them though - probably Carnival a little bit more, but that may have been influenced by the length of our sailing on Carnival vs. Disney.

 

Hard to go wrong though - any day on any cruise beats just about any day anywhere else.

[Emptynesternow]

When we went on a Carnival cruise...we didn't have children with us...however, we saw the kids and they looked like they were having a blast. We saw the kids dressed as pirates - mustaches and all....touring the ship with their day care leaders...singing pirate songs ala yo-ho-ho- and honestly they were laughing and having so much fun. They were out looking for "treasure"...and I'm sure they found it!

[yogi2929]

15 and 9 just wondering if it is anything like disney have heard some not so good things about carnival traveling with kids also could you tell me if there are any hidden fees such as charging for soda etc also can u bring booze onboard

 

The things that you have probably heard can happen on any ship, any line. 'Bad' people are everywhere. We've never encounterd any 'bad' people onboard.

 

The 15 yr old will be in Club O2. They can come and go at will. Usually kids will hang out at the Club and roam around the ship other times. The youngest age groups have the named parent/guardian pickup the child. I know for the two older groups the parents do not sign the kids in/out. I do not know about the group your 9 year old will be in.

If either child has allergies a form for the camps is needed to be filled out the first night.

 

The newer ships have larger kids clubs, but all have the same basic stuff. All seem to have the latest gaming systems onboard.

 

No hidden fees--They are right out in the open.;) A soda card costs about $4/day for the kids and $6 for adults, gratuity adds another 15% This is good for all mixed soda drinks (Shirley Temples, Cherry Cokes, etc) as well as juices that are used as mixers (OJ, Pineapple, etc).

 

Our cruise this past weekend the card was replaced by a sticker.

 

Carnival allows 1 bottle of wine per adult to be brought aboard. Lot's of threads about how to get alcohol onboad.

[angiegal]

My kids love the programs, but their first cruise wasn't until they were 10 and 12. Even at that age I was impressed with the varied activities and my kids were never bored and didn't roam the ship alone. Kids programs does have some fees, but at the beginning of the week you see if right away so if you don't want to spend the money, you don't send them that day (like build-a-bear). There are some great freebies, too. My daughter colored her own T-shirt (no charge) and had all of her new friends sign it! My daughter even spent party of her spending money to go to a late night party! We do a lot of family things, too, like mini golf, shows, swimming and dinner every night, but the kids programs give us some time apart:)

[boulders]

You can also purchase a single soda for about $2 plus tip. If you purchase the soda card, you can get a soda at any bar. I don't believe any juices are included, just Coca Cola products that are dispensed by the soda gun.

 

My dd10 had a great time on Carnival. My ds13, not so much. The activities for that age group were more aimed at girls. He didn't attend.

[snowy owl]

Hi all,

If you look at my cruise history you'll see we have only cruised Carnival. A couple years ago we research RCC for a trip. But my girls now 15 & 17 said they only wanted to go on Carnival. We watch videos and everything. They are diehard Carnival Fans. We are cruising in June for my oldest dd graduation, birthday present and again she said Carnival. They have never been into the disney character though. They have really liked the camp on Carnival. The last year we ent they signed up but ended up not going they just did there on things and still had fun.