Has Anyone Had a Child Go Into The Younger Camp Carnival Group?

[Rowan555]

I know this is a "YMMV" thing, but I'm curious as to whether anyone here has had success getting the counselors to allow a child who just turned 6 to stay in the 2-5 group.

 

My daughter is 4 and my son just turned 6, and they are both having some residual emotional trauma, I guess, from the whole Katrina thing. I don't think either of them will do well in Camp Carnival by themselves, and it would be a much better experience for us ALL if they stay together. I'm going to address this issue with the orientation staff, of course, and hope for the best. I'm just wondering if anyone else has done this to keep their kids in the same group together. I know they will not under any circumstances let a younger child move up to the older group, but I know they sometimes bend the rules to let an older child go into the younger group. My son told me he would rather be with the little ones and stay with his sister than be in the group with the older kids, so HE is fine with it - just hoping the staff will be too. If not, we'll make the best of it - but the week after Thanksgiving I'm not expecting too many kids on the ship, and I'm hoping they can make arrangements for them to stay together.

[laura1960]

Rowan,

 

I've done the same thing - asked the camp counselors to keep my boys together, even though one of them was technically in the older age group. It's been my experience that the Camp Carnival folks want to keep your kids happy - they'd much rather have content kids than sad, unhappy siblings missing each other! So I bet if you explain the situation - especially because of the Katrina experience - they'd be more than happy to accomodate your family.

Of course, now my boys are five (almost 6!) and 7 (almost 8!) and I'm definitely putting them in separate groups, just to give them a break from each other. ;-)

 

Laura.

[Rowan555]

We'll be cruising again next December, if not sooner, and I'm SURE by then my son will enjoy being with the older group and my daughter can make her own friends in the 2-5 group - for now, though, I do hope they let him stay with the little ones. Thanks for sharing your experience with this - I feel a little less nervous about it now.

[laura1960]

No prob!

You're lucky you and your kids have not one, but TWO cruises to look forward to!

 

 

Laura

[sandyneck]

I have been on several Carnival Cruises and my son has always gone down a group to be with his sister. They are only 17 months apart, so it is not a big difference. They will not let a child go up a group, but will let them go into a younger group. Go to the Camp Carnival orientation the first night and talk to someone in charge, ask them if they will let you do this. They have never said no to me, although they do have the right to. They had told me if they had a huge group of younger kids it may have been a problem, but most of the time they can accomodate. My kids are now in the same age group so it is not a problem for me anymore. Good luck and don't worry!

[Rowan555]

Thank you! We're sailing the week after Thanksgiving so I ASSUME there won't be tons of kids. My son really prefers playing with younger kids rather than older anyway, so it will work out well. Now I just have to hope that next December when we cruise again and he's SEVEN, they'll be happy to do Camp Carnival without each other. By the time we cruise again the following year my daughter will be 6 and they'll be in the same group again.

[cruizinrican]

Yes, on our daughter's first cruise she was 5 and my son 9, he had already cruised before (we left DD at home with Grandma when she was 3 and went without her). I was very worried how she would react to him going one and her another so we had my son stay with her in her age group. After the first day, she was completely fine and she didn't need him anymore bc she made her own friends but he still came to be by her side on many occassions that week saying the kids in his group were never there for the activities and it was canceled.

 

Now they are DS13 and DD8 and love to go there own ways on the ship. But the crew will accomodate you kids if there is enough room to do so in the other age groups.

 

Have fun!

 

Cruizinrican:)

[Momto5boys]

I have been on several Carnival Cruises and my son has always gone down a group to be with his sister. They are only 17 months apart, so it is not a big difference. They will not let a child go up a group, but will let them go into a younger group.

 

This has been my experience as well. Sometimes I've done this to keep two of my boys together.

[malahide]

We were on the 30/09/05 cruise and we took our 7 and 3 yeaor old. Our 3 year old played with the 5-10 year olds for the entire cruise AND LOVED IT.

[FamilyDoc]

Carnival has never refused to let my daughter go down an age group to be with my son. I liked having them together for the extra sense of security and they got to have sibling time together :) .

This next cruise my son won't be so lucky at 13 and 16, I don't think she wants to hang with the little brother as much.

 

Camp Carnival has never let the kids down in our experience. I'm sure they'll be sure yours have fun!