New"ish" here...

[Crunchymom]

It's been a long time since I've been on this site...it's nice to be back. ;) Our 1st cruise was way back in 2002 on Celebrity Century. Our 2nd was in 2009 on Carnival Inspiration. We booked a few days ago, Carnival Fantasy...and taking our 3 kids (10,7,2) and we leave the end of this month!! We can't wait!! It's a last minute decision obviously, lol. The kids have never gone on a cruise and we're actually surprising them. They think we're going to a beach for a few days in SC, lol. :D We're big disney nuts and have been going the last 4 years in a row...excited to do something different. :)

Edited August 2, 2014 by Crunchymom

[ShakyBeef]

Welcomr back to CC and to cruising!:)

[thomarvin]

The best photo moment is when they see the ship for the first time. Have a great time. Better watch out though, you might create cruise addicts. I have.:D

[Cruise, J.D.]

Have a great time! Plenty of family fun on the Fantasy!

 

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[8335GOULR]

Wow! What a great surprise your kids will have! I don't know that I could keep the secret. I am a big Carnival fan. I think your children will enjoy the kids club activities. My son certainly does.

 

Have a great time and do the things you love as a family. That's one of the things I enjoy about Carnival. There are so many activity choices that you won't be bored. There is mini golf, kids play areas, family shows and even in-room movies. You won't find that just anywhere. I agree with another post... You will be creating little cruise addicts.

[woodey]

it should be a nice surprise for the kids....

Welcome Back and I hope you guys have a special family vacation to remember forrver

[KirkNC]

Welcome back!

[Crunchymom]

Thanks all! It'll be fun I'm sure. We're driving to SC, and we're not telling them at all. Hoping they figure it out when they see the ship, lol. It's hard to keep a secret but a couple years ago we surprised them with disneyworld and kept that a secret for a couple months....we can manage a few weeks. Can't wait! What suggestions do you all have for shore excursions? I was looking, and they're so expensive! We're going to Nassau, Grand Turk and Half Moon Cay.

[Cruise, J.D.]

Thanks all! It'll be fun I'm sure. We're driving to SC, and we're not telling them at all. Hoping they figure it out when they see the ship, lol. It's hard to keep a secret but a couple years ago we surprised them with disneyworld and kept that a secret for a couple months....we can manage a few weeks. Can't wait! What suggestions do you all have for shore excursions? I was looking, and they're so expensive! We're going to Nassau, Grand Turk and Half Moon Cay.

 

Good news. If you like the beach, you can do these ports cheap!

 

GT has a nice beach right at the end of the pier. There are shaded lounge chairs and it's free. It's so close you can easily go back to the ship for food.

 

HMC has a beautiful beach with free lounge chairs. There are shady spots too. The food and drinks are free at the lunch Carnival offers.

 

Nassau has a beach close to the port called Junkanoo. Its free to use, but you have to rent chairs and buy your own food and drinks. You could also just walk around in Nassau and sight see and shop.

 

Hope this helps!

 

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[thomarvin]

The beach in Grand Turk is very rocky. I prefer the pool. Bring a beach ball and the kids will have a great time. Half moon cay is the best beach EVER!! Again, hit the dollar store and get some blow up rafts and just enjoy. In Nassau we go to Cabbage beach. $4pp each way either by ferry or cab. Another nice beach. These are my 3 favorite ports for that reason. They can all be done really cheap. If you want to splurge, I would get a cabana at HMC. It comes with food, drinks, rafts and snorkle equipment. It also comes with nice lounge chairs and AC and a fan. Might come in handy for a 2yo to take a nap. Loved it!!

[Jersey Girl 1]

In Grand Turk when coming off the pier; go to the beach on the LEFT. We made the mistake of going to the right and that beach was so rocky we could not walk in the water. Found out after lunch the left side was smooth sand and calm waters. Best port ever!

 

In Nassau: I fell on Cabbage Beach and cut up my knee really bad it hurt for weeks afterwards. And the locals kept coming around selling everything from drinks to scarfs to beaded jewelry it was really annoying. Look for a better beach.

 

Haven't been to HMC so can't comment.

[Crunchymom]

Thank you all so much for your suggestions! We LOVE the beach, so that's probably all we'll do. I would really love to do a sting ray excursion...hubby and I did that on our 2nd cruise and it was a lot of fun. However, we obviously can't take our 2 year old. Anyone ever leave their little one on the ship just for an excursion?

[ShakyBeef]

I've never left my kids onboard (other than when they stayed onboard with their grandparents) while going ashore, and I never would. But plenty of people have, so someone will probably report on their experiences with this. Sorry I can't be of help on that.

 

But as far as the stingray excursion, have you checked on the age limit? I ask because on our first cruise, in Grand Cayman, we did this excursion and took our 3 year-old DD. The water was shallow - about 3 or 4 feet where we were and DH and I just took turns holding her. They even had toddler-size flotation vests. She loved it.:)

 

Ardastra Gardens Zoo (check out their website) is a nice excursion that you can DIY in Nassau for less than the cruiseline charges, and at your own pace. A short cab ride from the pier. You can stop at any or all of: the Fish Fry, Junkanoo Beach, the shops on Bay Street, and the Straw Market on the way back.

 

HMC has a children's play area very close to the spot where the tender boat drops you off.

[Crunchymom]

I've never left my kids onboard (other than when they stayed onboard with their grandparents) while going ashore, and I never would. But plenty of people have, so someone will probably report on their experiences with this. Sorry I can't be of help on that.

 

But as far as the stingray excursion, have you checked on the age limit? I ask because on our first cruise, in Grand Cayman, we did this excursion and took our 3 year-old DD. The water was shallow - about 3 or 4 feet where we were and DH and I just took turns holding her. They even had toddler-size flotation vests. She loved it.:)

 

Ardastra Gardens Zoo (check out their website) is a nice excursion that you can DIY in Nassau for less than the cruiseline charges, and at your own pace. A short cab ride from the pier. You can stop at any or all of: the Fish Fry, Junkanoo Beach, the shops on Bay Street, and the Straw Market on the way back.

 

HMC has a children's play area very close to the spot where the tender boat drops you off.

 

Thanks, I'll have to look into that. I would love to bring him but the age limit is 6 I believe and he's 2 1/2. I'm not totally sold on leaving him onboard...I'd be too nervous.