Toddler meet Turkey, our Destiny Thanksgiving

[SarahGT]

We had a great time on our Thanksgiving getaway on the Carnival Destiny (November 22-26, 2012; Key West and Cozumel) and I thought I'd share our experience with others, especially since I found so many helpful trip reports (by Cruisinini, Darth Grady, and dvdkndy, and others ). I have some pictures, but not many general pictures.

 

About us:

My husband and I live in the Washington, D.C. suburbs and have a 2 year-old daughter, Samara (25 months to be exact). We’ve travelled a lot with her (Jamaica when she was 7 months old, San Diego last summer, San Francisco this spring, lots of long car trips to see family, and a cruise this past June with family on the Allure of the Seas). She’s typically a trooper when it comes to travelling.

 

This was an almost last-minute cruise. Our Thanksgiving plans had changed and we were looking for something else to do. Despite what I had said in my previous trip report - that we had other travel planned with our toddler before taking another cruise - here we were, taking another cruise with our toddler. It was a combination of a great price and a good itinerary (Key West, specifically).

 

We booked an outside view cabin on deck 1 (Cabin 1308, specifically). I wanted at least an outside view so we/toddler could see what was going on. We enjoyed our balcony on the Allure, but weren't willing to shell out the extra for it on a four-day cruise. This was a good decision. Our window had a deep enough frame so that Samara could sit or stand (with support) and see what's going on outside - she was sure to always let us know that there was water outside.

 

We had no problems with smells or ickiness due to having a lowest-level cabin. In our treks around the ship, I did see several rooms in the forward section of our floor that had fans running to dry them out - I don't know why this was, but thought I'd mention it. There was some vibration/engine noise, but nothing disruptive that I noticed, but I generally sleep like a log anywhere.

 

I liked our room better than ours on the Allure (except we had a balcony on the Allure). This room was bigger and storage seemed much better than on the Allure. The larger shower was also a help during bathtime (the angled toilet, though, not so much).

 

Room photos:

view from the door

I think our room had been renovated as it had the flat screen tv.

 

view towards the desk/storage wall

 

Samara on the window sill - eating pretzels (food of choice on this trip)

 

 

I will be posting links to the Fun Times and most of the childcare schedules (I don't have one for Club O2).

 

If anyone has any questions, I’ll do my best to answer them. Our trip was rather toddler-focused, so we didn't do as many activities as I thought we would, and I may not remember everything, but I’ll do my best. I also don't know how fast I'll be able to finish this trip report, but I'm aiming to have it done before Christmas (holidays, you know).

 

Cheers,

Sarah

Next up:

Planning and packing

[JinxyB]

Did you take her to the kids club? I'll be taking my soon to be 26 month-old in Feb on the Dream and was just wondering how they were with a young 2 year old. Thanks!

[SarahGT]

Here are links to the Fun Times for our four night cruise on the Carnival Destiny over Thanksgiving. I've also included the deck plan that we got when we checked in.

 

Day 1: Miami

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bxl8YO3Odzt4QU01U2dEUkNUUjg

 

Day 2: Key West

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bxl8YO3Odzt4cXJMWnYwalRLVVU

 

Day 3: Cozumel

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bxl8YO3Odzt4dUp2ZDM0ZnZmYm8

 

Day 4: At sea

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bxl8YO3Odzt4a2dhWV9xeWxaa2c

 

Deck plan:

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bxl8YO3Odzt4LXlQOXhjbi1ZaFE

[SarahGT]

Here are links to the activity schedules for Camp Carnival and Circle C - I didn't get a copy of Club02 - sorry.

 

For this holiday cruise, there were 600+ kids on the ship. During the Children's Programming Orientation on the first day, staff mentioned that due to the number of children, many of the programs would be held in alternate locations - like the Point After Nightclub, Club O2, and other places, so it was important for parents to double-check the schedule for where the programs they wanted would be held. The smallest kids would always be in Club Carnival, but the other groups would likely be in other locations throughout the ship. I'm assuming this isn't the case for cruises in less kid-popular times.

 

Camp Carnival, ages 2-5

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bxl8YO3Odzt4SVJJejYtazg3bGs

 

Camp Carnival, ages 6-8

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bxl8YO3Odzt4bXB2YmNsLWpOYWM

 

Camp Carnival, ages 9-11

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bxl8YO3Odzt4UnVFaGlOSG1DWFk

 

Circle C, ages 12-14

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bxl8YO3Odzt4dkt6QUVvTHhFcm8

[CruiserBren]

Thanks for doing a review of a cruise with a toddler.

 

2 years ago we took my 2 year 3 day granddaughter on the Glory to Canada. We only used Camp Carnival during dinner. With my 3 daughters, we were able to keep the cruise "kid friendly". We wanted to eat in the MDR and being so young, she would get tired of sitting. One of us would run her up to Camp so we could finish dinner. While the staff tried to engage her, she was very young.

 

Fast forward 2 years, we took her on the 2 day CTN on the Pride in November. She's now 4 years 4 months. She LOVED being at camp and kept asking if she could "go pay with kids".

 

My daughter is getting married on the Pride in January and my granddaughter is already talking about going on the boat to play with the kids.

 

While the staff was great, she was very young and wanted to be with us. You know your child and can make the decision best for your family once your on the ship.

[SarahGT]

Did you take her to the kids club? I'll be taking my soon to be 26 month-old in Feb on the Dream and was just wondering how they were with a young 2 year old. Thanks!

 

One thing we noticed when planning for this cruise was that Carnival included 2 year olds in their children's programs. On the Allure, we had used the Babies and Tots program (6 months - 3 years old), but had to pay an hourly fee for that. At Camp Carnival, they'll change diapers, you just need to bring them with the child. They'll also provide a phone to use onboard so the staff can call you if there's a problem, or you can call to check-in on things.

 

Because of the port days, and nap schedules, and camp carnival closures (for some meals and for the Beary Cuddly events/sales), we didn't have a chance to drop Samara off at Camp Carnival until Day 4 (our only sea day).

 

She's in full-time day care, has had babysitters, etc. She does have some separation anxiety issues or just really likes practicing her screaming when I drop her off at day care every morning - it lasts just a few minutes after I leave, and then she's fine for the rest of the day - but man, is it hard to leave. Anyway, back to the ship.

 

Here's our experience with Camp Carnival: I went to drop her off at 10 am (when Camp Carnival opened for the day) and there were already several other kids there. They had lots of age appropriate toys and books. Samara liked to play with the toys with me, or have me read her a book, but when I went to leave her, she went into full-on-screaming mode. It likely didn't help that she'd been with me all the time for the last several days. I couldn't leave her like that, so we left (together). My husband was disappointed and took Samara himself. On the way there, he talked to her about how Mom and Dad need to have time for themselves, and she'll have her own adventures, without us. It worked. We had 1.5 hours of toddler-free time. And Samara enjoyed herself - she had a temporary tattoo that stayed on for days and she showed off to everyone. Right before we picked her up, she had a diaper overflow, and they changed her diaper and put her in an oversized T-shirt, since her other clothes were wet. She really liked the shirt and didn't want to take it off the rest of the day. I'll post pictures of it later.

 

All the staff I met were friendly and helpful. The facility was clean and had a good variety of toys. I think they were fine with our 2-year old and it was very nice to have some adult-only time.

 

That was a very long-winded - did it answer your question?

 

Sarah

[re-re]

Thanks for the review, I also enjoyed the Destiny. Your Baby is a cutie.:)

[JinxyB]

Yes, thank you! My son is in daycare and occasionally has a melt down when I drop him off but is fine a few min later. Hopefully he will do well in Camp Carnival!

[Chef P]

Great review so far and I am so glad you took advantage of Camp Carnival... :-)

[chipq]

Thanks for sharing. Sounds like you had a wobderful holiday.

 

http://luv2cruise.blogspot.com

[sjn911]

thanks so much for sharing your adventure..I am a permanent Auntie...boy it gets complicated, so great the drop off worked, we now have a babie 2 mos and a 2 year old, the start of the greats, if we ever take the whole living family on a cruise..I so want to do that...great job!!

[SarahGT]

Thanks for the review, I also enjoyed the Destiny. Your Baby is a cutie.:)

 

There may be another picture or two of her in the remaining review :)

[SarahGT]

We took mostly the same stuff we'd taken on our cruise earlier this year:

Collapsible bath tub (this folds up to 3” deep and we actually use it as her regular bathtub at home as well)

 

 

Umbrella stroller

She loves this stroller – it partially reclines, so we can use it for nap time and/or roaming the halls until she falls asleep. There was another family onboard with the same stroller, but in navy. We met them in the stroller parking area of the dining room.

 

but no baby carrier (Ergo) like we took on our last cruise - our daughter has refused it for a while now - preferring to be carried.

 

Since this was a short cruise, I packed all the diapers/baby supplies (snacks, medicines, a small selection of toys) in our luggage at home, rather than picking some up once we arrived in Miami.

 

We didn’t book any excursions through Carnival for this cruise. For Key West we just wanted to walk and explore on our own and in Cozumel we booked a visit to Nacci Cocom. We also didn’t try to pre-book any specialty dinners or experiences on board. It was rather nice not to try to schedule everything in advance like I’d done on our last cruise on the Allure.

 

We planned on flying to Miami the day before the cruise (or the day before Thanksgiving), just to give us a cushion and get us started on vacation early. I picked a hotel by the airport (free shuttle), since our flight was scheduled to arrive at 7:30 and I knew we wouldn't have time to see much of Miami. I just wanted a decent hotel with a shuttle, so I found one at the Hilton Miami Airport – and it had a heated pool, maybe we’d have time to explore that before we left for port.

 

We took a few hours off on Wednesday afternoon, and took a taxi to the airport. No problems at the airport; got through security; got something to eat. This was Samara’s first time to have a seat of her own on an airplane, since she was now 2 and she needed her own ticket. That’s why the airfare was a little more than the price of the cruise! We were able to get a row of seats for ourselves and settled her into her window seat. She really liked looking out the window and pointing out all the airplanes and buses she saw. Later in the flight she climbed into my lap and snoozed a bit, but it was a good flight – no drama.

 

After picking up our luggage, we went to find the hotel’s shuttle, and had to wait for 20 minutes before we spotted it. After a quick ride to the hotel, check in, go to the room. The room was fine, but there was some airplane noise – it didn’t bother me, but I sleep really soundly.

 

After we all woke up the next morning we walked to the nearest shopping center for some breakfast (McDonald’s) and to pick up some wine for the ship. Since this was Thanksgiving, the nearest grocery (Publix) was closed, so we browed Walgreen’s wine selection (slim). But we picked up a Reisling ($5 – how good with it be?) and a white blend.

 

Then we hit the pool and hot tub. The pool was heated, but the hot tub was very nice. Samara preferred the hot tub to the pool. In the hotel’s landscaping we saw my husband’s college pothos’ Amazonian cousins.

 

The giant pothos

 

the hotel pool

 

We also got to watch some planes take off and land.

 

Then we called the family up in Pennsylvania, just to mention that we were at a POOL and it was in the 60s. Not to rub it in or anything.

 

This hotel was fine. I don't know that I would stay here again - the airport noise was a little loud for the rest of the family, and there wasn't any included breakfast (I knew that before hand) and the on site restaurant was a little pricey. The pool was very nice, though.

 

Next installment:

Off to the ship!

[SarahGT]

After drying off from the pool, and re-packing, we took a taxi to the ship - I think it cost $30-$35. We left the hotel around 11:30 and arrived at the cruise terminal around noon. There was rather a large line waiting for us at the cruise terminal, that we likely could have avoided if we'd arrived sooner, but I'm glad that we had some relaxation time at the pool this morning.

 

 

It took us about an hour from when the taxi dropped us off at the curb until we were on the gangplank to the ship, so not too bad at all.

 

After boarding we headed up to the Sun & Sea Restaurant for some lunch. There was a line for food, as expected, and it took us a bit to find a table, but we found one and settled in. The food was fine - nothing spectacular, but not horrible, either. That would also be my assessment of the food for the cruise as a whole. I wasn't expecting to be "WOW-ed," by the food, so no hard feelings, Carnival?

 

My first impression of the decor on the ship, was that it was definitely time for a refresh. Not that the ship was dirty or things were broken, but the metallic dusty rose paneling that was in all the stairwells? 1985 called, and they want their decorator back. I know that the Destiny is going into dry dock soon, so hopefully the metallic look will be gone. I don't book a cruise based on the decor, so again, not a deal breaker.

 

Photos of general cruise ship areas:

Here's a view of a stateroom hallway

 

And a bank of elevators, complete with faux stone work around the doors

 

And here's the lovely pink, corrugated metal walls - gorgeous, wouldn't you agree?

 

Our room was ready by 2, so we headed there next. The crib was already set up, ready for Samara's nap. Our luggage arrived soon after we did, so I got to unpacking. Our room had lots of storage space - more than we had in our balcony room on the Allure in June. Even with the crib in front of the couch, we had plenty of room to move around. The layout was great.

 

Here's a photo of the bathroom, since I didn't include one in my earlier post:

 

Samara had a good nap and once she was awake we just until dinner time.

 

Next time:

Turkey at sea.

[SarahGT]

On our two previous cruises we'd travelled with large family groups, so we'd never had tablemates before. Ours were awesome: Henry, Esther, and their little girl from Miami, and Kathy and her two girls from Norfolk. It was great to be able to visit with them at dinner and see what they'd been up to during the day. Their girls were all older than Samara, so they also had good tips for making it through this phase of toddler-hood.

 

We had the early seating (6 pm) in the Galaxy Dining Room. The waitstaff was "eh." They often forgot our drinks (I'm okay without my iced tea, but my daughter really likes her milk), and some of the appetizers. But, there wasn't anything horrible. They were pleasant to interact with and they kept an item I had left at the table until we came back the next night.

 

Here's a photo of the dining room from our table (170) looking up the stairs to the upper level.

 

Here's a view of our table (with sippy cup)

 

The everyday side of the menu (pardon the glare)

 

The holiday side of the menu (again, pardon the glare)

 

I had the turkey for my entree. It was fine - not turkey like mom would make for Thanksgiving, but maybe that was the point. Samara had the pasta entree, plain. This was a theme for our dinners onboard.

 

My turkey dinner

 

After dinner we headed off to bed for our early morning arrival in Key West.

[SarahGT]

The Destiny arrived at Key West early on Friday morning (no Black Friday shopping for me! Although some of the stores we say, like Gap, had Black Friday sale signs, but I saw no Black Friday craziness on Duval Street) - just chicken craziness

 

We didn't have anything scheduled/pre-arranged for this port stop. Both my husband and I were very keen to see Key West - it was a big part of why we chose this cruise. Our plan was to walk down Duval Street to the Southernmost Point, then catch the Hemmingway House, and possibly the Key West Cemetery, if there was time. And pick up some Key Lime Pie on a stick (and some more pretzels for our little snacker).

 

We were off the ship by 8:30 am, with a packed stroller. The Destiny docked near Mallory Square and that was very convenient for Duval Street and our plans.

 

Here's the Customs House by Mallory Square

 

Obligatory photo of Samara and the Hemingway statue

 

Then Duval Street. It's touristy - I knew that before we walked it, but it was still impressively overwhelming. Full of bars and t-shirt shops (at least closer to Mallory Square), but every so often there was something like this:

 

The San Carlos Institute, a Cuban heritage center.

 

Or this:

 

View northwest along Duval Street.

 

Can you tell that I like history and old buildings?

 

Walgreens was open, so I popped in for some water and pretzels, while my husband took Samara on a walk around the block. He said it was a little better (i.e. less touristy), but not much. Our take on Key West would improve once we'd left Duval Street.

 

Next:

The southernmost line and KITTIES!

[SarahGT]

So at the end of Duval Street, we found the "southernmost house" (a rather nice Queen Anne-style house)

 

 

and then we headed south one block to Whitehead Street and found the buoy marking the "southernmost point." My geographer husband debated the veracity of that statement, but we got in a (short) line and posed for pictures anyway. The rest of those waiting were friendly and happy to take photos for you.

 

Our happy family

 

Then we continued down Whitehead Street to the Hemingway House. I was really looking forward to seeing this, not because I'm particularly a fan of Hemingway's writings (I think the last time I read something by him was high school, I don't remember if I liked it or not, it just hasn't been on my to-read list). I was looking forward to this as a museum and for the cats (over 40 cats on the property, some with mitten paws). We have two cats at home that Samara really likes (they sometimes return the favor) and I thought that she would have fun visiting the cats and a chance to run around outside. Yup, that's what happened. We had a really good visit here. We bought our tickets for entry, but didn't go on a tour right away, instead my husband got some coffee, and my daughter and I went in search of cats. We found them, and some were even friendly enough to let Samara pet them. I think she had an awesome time with the cats.

 

Samara, her dad, and a friendly cat

 

One of the polydactyl cats

 

After we'd exhausted the kitties, we went on a tour. As a former old-house docent, I can say that this was a very good tour. It was well-paced, the guide was entertaining and well-informed. And Samara behaved very well - okay, so she wanted held the entire time, but I'll take it. The last old house tour we tried to take her on was the Bonnett House in Fort Lauderdale, where we had to take turns being with her, off-tour.

 

Samara and her dad, learning about Hemingway

 

The tour was 30-45 minutes long - just long enough and not too long. Perfect.

 

Up next: Key West's side streets and cemetery

[SarahGT]

After settling Samara back into her stroller, we headed up Olivia Street towards the Key West Cemetery. We’ve enjoyed visiting other historic cemeteries in other cities, and this one sounded interesting.

 

Along the way, we saw some typical Key West homes

 

 

This is an eyebrow house - the second floor windows are sheltered by the front porch - looking like eyebrows peaking out beneath the porch roof as you look at the front of the house. One theory seems to be that this helps to shade the second floor and cool the interior. Or it could just be local style. Either way, they’re distinctively Key West.

 

The Key West Cemetery doesn’t have the rolling landscape with bountiful vegetation that other historic cemeteries do (like Laurel Hill in Philadelphia - which is more like a park with burials than a typical cemetery), but it was still a very interesting stop. Since the water table is so high here, many of the burials are in above-ground tombs, like New Orleans. The cemetery had a helpful brochure at the office which we used to find monuments.

 

Here’s an overall view down one of the streets within the cemetery:

 

 

We visited the memorial to the USS Maine:

 

 

by now, the stroller had lulled Samara into a nap

 

 

There’s also a monument to Los Matires de Cuba (for those who fought in the 1868 and later revolutions in Cuba)

 

 

We still had some time before we had to be on board, so we took an indirect route back to the ship (although in hindsight, maybe we should have just headed back to the Destiny).

[Cruzin_Susan]

Glad you are back to continue your review. :)

[SarahGT]

Glad you are back to continue your review. :)

 

Yeah, so it didn't get done before Christmas :o Sorry!

[Cruzin_Susan]

Yeah, so it didn't get done before Christmas :o Sorry!

 

 

lol Not a big deal. Still in time before I board the Destiny. :)

[SarahGT]

From the cemetery, we headed northwest along William or Margaret Street and found ourselves at the historic seaport area - and a crab trap Christmas tree! It really did not feel like the day after Thanksgiving and the start of the Christmas season.

 

 

We then headed back south towards the Destiny, stopping for some Key Lime pie on a stick. A co-worker said it was not-to-miss, and as I like Key Lime pie normally, I was up for it. Samara was awake by now, but she did not approve.

 

 

That just meant that my husband and I each got our own slice - and enjoyed them very much.

 

We were due back on board by 1 pm, so we were at the dock by 12:30, along with what seemed like half the ship.

 

 

Here’s what the line looked like when we were at its tail end.

 

 

And here’s what it looked like as we were finally entering the ship (at 1:30). There is a brief gap once you passed through customs, and the line split into two for entry on board, but it wasn't much of a gap.

 

So, the Destiny did not leave Key West on time today.

 

We were not looking forward to finding food on board as we suspected (rightfully) that the lines would be horrendous, as the only food available was on the Lido deck. Yep. But we got some lunch at the buffet, and were back in our room in time to watch Key West disappear on the horizon.

 

 

After all that standing in line, and chasing kitties, we all settled down for a nap.

[SarahGT]

lol Not a big deal. Still in time before I board the Destiny. :)

 

Good! When will you be sailing? Will you be on the Key West/Cozumel itinerary as well?

[SarahGT]

Dinner tonight was the dress-up evening, so we did. Not a tux for my husband, like on our last cruise, but still, very respectable looking. Not everyone followed the dress code in the main dining room, but that was fine with me. We went to the top deck before dinner for some photos and to try to catch the sunset. We opened up one of the bottles of wine that we brought with us for pre-dinner drinks. The $5 Riesling wasn’t that bad. It was pretty windy, but we had a good time dancing to the band that was playing there.

 

My husband and Samara, ready for dinner

 

I had the prime rib for dinner, Samara had the noodles -surprise.

 

The wait staff sang to us tonight. In an announcement, they said that they normally do this on the first night of the cruise, but since that had been Thanksgiving, they moved it to the second night.

 

After dinner we popped in to see the show, Nightclub Express. It was pretty fun. Samara had a blast dancing to the music and watching the dancers. While it wasn’t “OMG, wow,” like the shows on the Allure (we thought that the shows were one of the best parts of that cruise), it was a lot of fun to watch this show - especially with Samara.

 

Some of the singers and dancers

 

Samara dancing with her dad

 

 

Then it was off to bed. Or attempted bedtime. Samara had a real problem getting to sleep on this cruise. Normally at home, she’s fine - bath, story, bed, sleep. But onboard, she would not settle down for me. My husband ended up re-reading her one of her books and tucking her in every night - after sending me out of the room when she would only cry and try to get out of the crib for me - thank you, dear.

 

Next up: Early morning wanderings and Cozumel

[Cruzin_Susan]

Good! When will you be sailing? Will you be on the Key West/Cozumel itinerary as well?

 

Yes 15 days and counting. I can not wait!!! :)