Camp carnival question....

[flgatormom29]

We've been on a couple cruises. Only once since we've had our oldest. My youngest had never been on one (well, technically she was-i was pregnant). My oldest was 4 on the cruse and LOVED camp carnival. She is very excited about going back. She will be 7. My youngest will be a month short of 3 when we cruise. I've looked at some of the activities they do and just curious.... Will my 2 year old have fun?! All the activities in the 2-5 camp look to be geared more towards the 4-5 year olds. Do they do fun things for the younger kids too? Ate there age appropriate toys for her as will as the 5 year olds?

I'm looking forward to using camp carnival so my hunny and I can also enjoy our vacation and have some adult time..... Just wondering if my youngest will enjoy it enough to want to go there as often as my 7 year old will.....

[Luv2Travelnow]

I'm thinking the 2 year old will enjoy the camp as much as a 2 year old can enjoy anything at that age...

 

I remember taking my 2 year old to Disneyland and she basically stared at a lot of stuff. I also took her to one of the kids rides and she screamed her head off. I don't think there's anything we could have done that would have been more enjoyable for her, except maybe letting her watch cartoons and play with play-doh.

[flgatormom29]

I'm just thinking she will be almost 3. So basically a 3 year old.... She is very active and smart. Has no issues keeping up with her big sissy. She loves to color and paint and run around. She isn't even still while she is sleeping. People mention all the time how "busy" she is. Definitely keeps us on our toes and I sleep like a log every night with these kids! Haha

I know the camps are colorful, which is great for her age! I remember when we went on RCCL they even had a lil slide in the room. Do they have anything like that? I think I saw a picture of the freedom, a pool for camp carnival. Do they actual take the younger kids out there?

I just want to make sure they aren't just entertaining the older kids in the group and leaving the younger ones out.

[Luv2Travelnow]

To be honest I don't recall. I think your 2 year old will be fine. Sometimes they find a lot of things to entertain themselves rather than needing an adult to entertain them. If you're really worried then you may want to consider a nanny. The ratio of the care takers to the little kids are not enough for 1 on 1 attention all the time. I think your 2 year old will have enough stuff to do. Will she have everything she could have? probably not...but the cruise isn't about catering to the 2 -3 year olds...maybe Disney would better in that regard.

 

I think even my 6 year old was a little bored at times, but it was a safe environment for her, she did all the little kids stuff, some of which was fun, some of which was boring to her. I don't think I could have expected her to totally love every aspect of it. Now that she's 7, I'm considering having her spend more time with us and less time at Camp Carnival, mainly because she's more attached to us and love just sitting next to mommy / daddy. But she will be spending at least part of the time at CC.

[kjunea]

My DS has been on cruises since he was 4. He is very active also and loves Camp Carnival! In the 2-5 group, think Fisher Price Heaven. Lots of playsets, lots of activities, etc. He has cried all 3 times when he gets to the last day! Don't be surprised if your girls beg to have dinner with the camp!

[flgatormom29]

Thanks for ur response. I don't expect her to have 1 on 1 attention. She is pretty good at entertaining herself. As long as there is stuff for her to play with. My oldest is in 1st grade and my fiance and I work opposite shifts so we can keep the youngest home for now. So she entertains herself, since its quiet during the day with daddy.

I'm not asking if they will hold their hands while there. Just asking if there are toys/activities to entertain the younger kids.

[flgatormom29]

My DS has been on cruises since he was 4. He is very active also and loves Camp Carnival! In the 2-5 group, think Fisher Price Heaven. Lots of playsets, lots of activities, etc. He has cried all 3 times when he gets to the last day! Don't be surprised if your girls beg to have dinner with the camp!

 

That is exactly what I was looking for! That there are toys for her.... Knowing its "Fisher Price Heaven" I know she will have plenty to keep her entertained and busy. Sounds like she will love it. I want them to have a blast, its my girl's vacation too!

[m5gg1]

not sure if u and hubby will have a good time i heard that if the toddler is not toilet trained then you will be paged everytime the child has to be changed. that is why we are not taking our 2 year old identical twin boys too much work my opinion. but sure the older kids love camp carnival.

[Always beach bound]

Just got back yesterday from a 7 day on the Triumph. I have 3 boys, ages 11, 7 (turned 8 on cruise) and one that just turned 3. Here is my experience...We registered all 3 for Camp Carnival, hoping to have some alone time. We briefly checked them in on the 2nd day to give it a trial run. The 11 yo hated it bc he was at the top of his age group and felt like he was surrounded by "little kids." I did not want to move him up to the next age group (which is allowed depending on the child's DOB) bc that group has open check in/out privileges. The 7 yo seemed to like it ok and the 3 yo enjoyed the slide and toys in the play area. Although you will check a box on the registration form whether or not you will allow your child 9-11 permission to swim, the children on our cruise were told that they do not get to swim while in camp carnival. The next 3 days were port days so the boys were with us. By the 5th day, my oldest had complained so much about going that the other 2 started whining about going as well but we took them back for a couple hours each day anyway. The older 2 did end up having fun after all but the 3 yo cried each time we checked him in. He did like getting his face painted tho, like a tiger. All toys and activities were age appropriate for him-same toys you have at home or would find at a day care/church nursery. My only complaint about the program is that the CC schedule is a little erratic and doesn't match up well with a typical toddler's schedule, i.e. the constant mandatory checking in/out and "parent attendance required" activities. It was just really hard to plan the day.

 

Hope this helps.

[Quilcruisers]

My son is on his 3rd cruise, he is 7 now.

 

He went in 2008 at 4, 2009 at 5 and this year at 7.

 

He loves Camp Carnival. The setup is much like a daycare or a play area at a fitness center or other facility.

 

My son enjoys going to the classroom every day. He even goes in the evenings when we are at dinner (he has gotten to where he does not want to sit in dining room for dinner with us). He wants to eat early then go with his friends.

 

We also use the babysitting services in camp carnival after 10pm and have used it up until 2 or 3am when we finish in the casino or at the shows.

 

The counselors are very good and it is always something there for the kids to do.

 

I am sure your 2 year old will enjoy it, and you all will enjoy time alone on the ship.

[flgatormom29]

not sure if u and hubby will have a good time i heard that if the toddler is not toilet trained then you will be paged everytime the child has to be changed. that is why we are not taking our 2 year old identical twin boys too much work my opinion. but sure the older kids love camp carnival.

 

Really?! They page u every time a diaper needs to be changed? What happens if we are not on the ship while at port? We are planning on doing a dolphin swim with no kids and its a 6 hour excursion. They won't change her that whole time?

We have 16 other friends and family members going with us, so I'm not worried about leaving them for 6 hours bc if there is an emergency my other family will get them, but I don't want the rest of my family to have to be responsible for diaper changes.

We are working on potty training, but want to be ready in case she is still not trained 100%.....

[prattmom]

Really?! They page u every time a diaper needs to be changed? What happens if we are not on the ship while at port? We are planning on doing a dolphin swim with no kids and its a 6 hour excursion. They won't change her that whole time?

We have 16 other friends and family members going with us, so I'm not worried about leaving them for 6 hours bc if there is an emergency my other family will get them, but I don't want the rest of my family to have to be responsible for diaper changes.

We are working on potty training, but want to be ready in case she is still not trained 100%.....

 

I don't remember that being the case with my niece last summer. She was definitely not potty trained and my SIL was never paged... in fact, she had a diaper bag with her when in camp...

[m5gg1]

that is what i was told by agent they have to be toilet trained or you will need to chage diaper so if i were you call and double check the policy. it was a big disappointment for husband and myself. i even heard that other ships the toddler has to be toilet trained to even be able to attend the kid clubs, so just double check the carnival policy.

[flgatormom29]

that is what i was told by agent they have to be toilet trained or you will need to chage diaper so if i were you call and double check the policy. it was a big disappointment for husband and myself. i even heard that other ships the toddler has to be toilet trained to even be able to attend the kid clubs, so just double check the carnival policy.

 

I know on royal caribbean they can't go unless they are potty trained. That's one reason we picked carnival, so we wouldn't have to worry if she wasn't trained. But I think having to change every diaper can be just as bad.

Hopefully more people on here will have some experiences and let us know how it works. Hope to hear more responses like prattmom's!!!

[m5gg1]

just got off the phone with carnival agent and the toddler can not be in any kid camp unless they are potty trained, no exceptions. they will not page parent which i was told they do but guess i was mis informed again......so sorry looks like you'll have your little one with you the whole vacation.

[peaece13]

Ok, that is just not true. I don't care what the person on the phone said. They will change diapers for you. We went last summer and my son was wearing pull ups and we would pack him a little bag with pull ups, wipes, and a change of clothes. There was no issue with them changing him. They DO NOT have to be potty trained.

[peaece13]

FYI, this is from the Carnival webpage for Camp Carnival...

The age-appropriate activities at Camp Carnival are sure to delight your 2-5 year-olds. The smaller children enjoy many of their fun events in the Camp Carnival headquarters. From finger painting to cartoon time, arts and crafts to puppet shows, your little ones will have a blast!

 

We also provide babysitting services in the evenings. So plan a "date night" or "quiet time" just for two. Toddlers do not have to be potty-trained in order to be part of Camp Carnival; parents simply need to provide the youth staff with diapers and toiletries for their child.

[flgatormom29]

Ok, that is just not true. I don't care what the person on the phone said. They will change diapers for you. We went last summer and my son was wearing pull ups and we would pack him a little bag with pull ups, wipes, and a change of clothes. There was no issue with them changing him. They DO NOT have to be potty trained.

 

 

Thank you! I just searched online on carnival's website and found this

 

"Toddlers--The age-appropriate activities at Camp Carnival are sure to delight your 2-5 year-olds. The smaller children enjoy many of their fun events in the Camp Carnival headquarters. From finger painting to cartoon time, arts and crafts to puppet shows, your little ones will have a blast!

We also provide babysitting services in the evenings. So plan a "date night" or "quiet time" just for two. Toddlers do not have to be potty-trained in order to be part of Camp Carnival; parents simply need to provide the youth staff with diapers and toiletries for their child. "

 

And i remembered reading that before.

But glad to hear that you just packed what they would need and you were not paged!

[RMS95]

So does it cost extra to use the CC late night baby-sitting services??

[joshchristine100700]

So does it cost extra to use the CC late night baby-sitting services??

Yes it does cost after 10 pm. Its per hour with a discount for more than one child...I wanna say 6 bucks an hour and slightly less for each addtional...we have three so I never really paid attention. It is billed to your sign and sail account.

[squares]

Your little one will be fine. My daughter sailed at 2 - LOVED IT!!! , they changed her diapers, paged me once all week, she stayed in babysitting up til 2am a couple of times, she is now a veteran cruiser and she remembered it . They were sooooo attentive. Camp Carnival is the best!!! - College trained Camp Counselors? - you can't beat that!

[cruisinbanddirectors]

We took our DS on his first cruise last summer and he was 2 at the time. He LOVED it (though I don't know that we took full advantage of it due to some of the scheduling). The toys are cool (you can go take a look around for a little while when you get on the ship) but better yet, some of the activities they do are really neat (he has a carnival Tshirt he colored that he LOVES). He was pretty newly potty trained at the time and he did have an accident while at CC and we knew nothing about it till we picked him up. I have read thread upon thread where people said they would change diapers.

[flgatormom29]

Thank u! U guys just made my day!!!

[Julienatul]

not sure if u and hubby will have a good time i heard that if the toddler is not toilet trained then you will be paged everytime the child has to be changed. that is why we are not taking our 2 year old identical twin boys too much work my opinion. but sure the older kids love camp carnival.

 

Nope that is NCL that pages you. Carnival changes diapers so they do not page you for that. My 2 year-old liked camp carnival. They do dances and bubble parties and face painting. There isnt a slide in the camp but lots of playsets, kitchen sets, blocks, balls etc. Think pre-school like classrooms