First time cruiser with a 2 yr old and a 17 yr old need help!!

[loslili2021]

Hello, I would love any and all information I can get to help me plan a vacation for a family of 4 to the western caribbean with a 2 yr old an a 17 year old. We are booking on Carnival Dream set to sail on 8/10. I am super excited as this will be our first vacation in almost 11 yrs. and it will be our very first cruise also!!!

 

Thanks in advance for all the advice

[lilpootr]

Hello, I would love any and all information I can get to help me plan a vacation for a family of 4 to the western caribbean with a 2 yr old an a 17 year old. We are booking on Carnival Dream set to sail on 8/10. I am super excited as this will be our first vacation in almost 11 yrs. and it will be our very first cruise also!!!

 

Thanks in advance for all the advice

 

First of all, you've come to the right place! Welcome to the boards!:) You will find a wealth of information here!

 

For help on what to do at your Ports of Call, if you scroll down the forums you will see a Ports of Call forum that lists all of the Ports of call (go to the Caribbean thread to find the Western Ports). Great information on excursions, etc. Also, if you are coming in a day early, which IMO is a great idea, check out the United States Port as Florida is listed there. Lots of great info on hotels, transportation, etc.

 

Since you are going on the Dream (we will be on her in April) you"ll want to check out the Carnival forum. Another one that may be helpful to look at is the First Time Cruisers section.

 

I love planning for our cruise, it's so much fun to research and plan, again, IMO :D Have Fun!

[murphalina]

Hello, I would love any and all information I can get to help me plan a vacation for a family of 4 to the western caribbean with a 2 yr old an a 17 year old. We are booking on Carnival Dream set to sail on 8/10. I am super excited as this will be our first vacation in almost 11 yrs. and it will be our very first cruise also!!!

 

Thanks in advance for all the advice

 

On the first night, go to the Camp Carnival introduction so your 17 year old can meet other teens. Then don't plan to see him again until the last day. ;) Your two year old won't be able to swim (no diapers, no swimmies in the pool) so the hardest thing is keeping them entertained (unless you pack a suitcase full of toys and that's not really practical), and you can take some advantage of Camp Carnival for that.

 

I've been to Belize, Cozumel, and Costa Maya. Not sure what a two year old would enjoy in Belize. For Cozumel, I suggest Paradise Beach so your 17 year old can have a blast with the water toys. In Costa Maya there is a free pool at the port -- not sure if your 2 year old can swim in that pool, don't know the rules -- but if so that would be a good opportunity to swim. Take a cab into the town of Majahual for lunch.

 

Have fun, your cruise will be a wonderful vacation!!!

[firefly333]

There is tons of info on a thread I work for Port Canaveral in the Florida ports under East Coast ... if you are looking for a hotel. Try Radisson. Free shuttle and free cruise parking with any room, doesnt have to be a cruise special booking (like with other hotels like drury).

[cruiserNC]

One of the best things I took for our 2 year old was a portable DVD player it came in handy during dinners in the MDR as she wasn't necessarily ready to eat then.

 

Bring a stroller that the 2 year old can sleep in. It came in handy when it was nap time but we still wanted to be out and about.

 

Without a doubt go to the camp carnival orientation...

 

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

[loslili2021]

Great info everyone, I am currently doing my research on this great site. I live in Orlando, FL so getting to the port is not an issue. Does anyone know the fee for parking?

I have narrowed down the type of stateroom my family and I would prefer (the cove) now I'm working on what to do at the ports of call. We want to see ruins, snorkel, get massages on the beach, maybe do the cave tubing and do some shopping for silver jewelry .....whew:).

We have to schedule it all while caring for my 2 yr old so most likely we will each have to pick and choose our excursions (DH, 17 yr old DD and myself)

 

Any advice would be great!

[Essiesmom]

Go to the roll call forum, choose Carnival roll calls, then Dream, and look for the date of your sailing. There will be people there talking about excursions, etc. Meet some of your fellow cruisers before you sail...EM

[lilpootr]

Great info everyone, I am currently doing my research on this great site. I live in Orlando, FL so getting to the port is not an issue. Does anyone know the fee for parking?

I have narrowed down the type of stateroom my family and I would prefer (the cove) now I'm working on what to do at the ports of call. We want to see ruins, snorkel, get massages on the beach, maybe do the cave tubing and do some shopping for silver jewelry .....whew:).

We have to schedule it all while caring for my 2 yr old so most likely we will each have to pick and choose our excursions (DH, 17 yr old DD and myself)

 

Any advice would be great!

 

Regarding the parking fee...I got this info right off the Port Canaveral site:

$15/night for vehicles up to 20 feet in length

$26/night for vehicles over 20 feet

 

Definitely check out the Ports of Call info for help on excursions, lots of great info. I personally like the Western side better when traveling with my kids (14 & 17) as there seems to be more to do than just the beach.

 

Although I have never done this myself, I have heard of some folks leaving their little ones in the ships daycare during certain excursions, you could always check in the family thread to get more info...

[loslili2021]

Awesome information my fellow cruisers.......I am in love with this site!!!:D

[Crystalbast]

I just hope that you do not take your 2 year old to any of the shows in the big theatre. I saw a lady leaving the theatre with a baby that didn't even look like it was 4 months old. The music during the show was very loud and could not have been good for the baby.