Cruising Carnival w/ Kids

[SKrauss]

Hi -- we are not new to Carnival but it is our first time cruising Carnival with our girls (ages 6 & 8). We took them on DCL last year and it was FABULOUS so I hope our upcoming trip on the Horizon lives up to their standards! ;) We are planning on doing the 8:15pm dinner seating ... Just wondering do they give out crayons & a coloring sheet to keep the kids busy until their food arrives? I am debating on whether to bring my own activity book for them... We really enjoyed Disney's dine & play program where the counselors would take the kids to the kids club around 9 after they ate so the adults could enjoy a leisurely dinner.

[RenoNanaOz]

Hi -- we are not new to Carnival but it is our first time cruising Carnival with our girls (ages 6 & 8). We took them on DCL last year and it was FABULOUS so I hope our upcoming trip on the Horizon lives up to their standards! ;) We are planning on doing the 8:15pm dinner seating ... Just wondering do they give out crayons & a coloring sheet to keep the kids busy until their food arrives? I am debating on whether to bring my own activity book for them... We really enjoyed Disney's dine & play program where the counselors would take the kids to the kids club around 9 after they ate so the adults could enjoy a leisurely dinner.

When we took our Grandkids (a bit older they were 12 and 7)a couple years ago they did not supply anything to entertain them. We made up our own trivia games at the table to pass the time. My little granddaughter also brought a tablet and a pencil to draw while waiting on a couple nights. While they did not want to go I believe you can sign them up to have dinner at the buffet with the other kids.

[JaxsMama]

On the Magic they did the first night and that was it. They never even had a kids menu to offer after first night.

 

Sent from my SM-G928V using Forums mobile app

[klfrodo]

Don't mean to harsh your buzz but thinking Carnival has the Disney service at the Carnival price is setting yourself and your family up for disappointment.

 

I don't remember Carnival camp councilors picking the kids up at dinner and taking them anywhere. I remember Royal having that program, but not Carnival.

I think you can drop them off for late night activities though.

[RenoNanaOz]

Don't mean to harsh your buzz but thinking Carnival has the Disney service at the Carnival price is setting yourself and your family up for disappointment.

 

I don't remember Carnival camp councilors picking the kids up at dinner and taking them anywhere. I remember Royal having that program, but not Carnival.

I think you can drop them off for late night activities though.

They don't pick them up but on you can meet them at the Buffet and drop off your kids to eat with other kids. Not sure if it's every night, like I said we didn't use it but it was offered to us by the Camp Counselors. They meet at the Buffet at 6:00.

[healizord]

Our kids 7 and 10 love kids club on Carnival. We have never been on DCL, so I cannot compare the two. Each night the kids came to the main dining room, they were given a kids menu with activities and crayons. Some nights our kids opted to go to kids club dinner, because they liked it better than main dining room. At kids club dinner, the counselors just take the kids back to kids club after they finish meal time. Our kids never wanted to leave kids club - they had a lot of fun and made friends.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[klfrodo]

They don't pick them up but on you can meet them at the Buffet and drop off your kids to eat with other kids..

 

Then not the same service as Disney provides.

Just because you can't believe it's not butter, doesn't mean it's butter.

[RenoNanaOz]

Then not the same service as Disney provides.

Just because you can't believe it's not butter, doesn't mean it's butter.

Wasn't comparing to Disney but thanks for your witty input.

[A&Jfamily]

Your kids are going to be very unhappy with 815 dinner - unless they are used to eating late, stay up late, and you are willing to pay for Night Owls starting at 10 pm; the evening camp program runs 7-10 and most kids are gone at 10 pm. Late seating dinner makes evening camp for the kids all but impossible.

 

We have always done early dinner when our kids were this age. If you eat dinner at 6 in the MDR, and your kids have their entree while you have appetizers and have dessert during your entree, one parent can walk the kids to camp and sign them in while the other orders coffee and dessert.

 

The other option as others have mentioned is camp dinner for them on the Lido at 6 and the counselors will walk them to camp prior to 7.

[Tapi]

Carnival Platinum cruiser here who sailed on the Disney Fantasy with a 6 and an 8 year old last November. Let me start by saying that we had an absolutely fantastic time on Disney. We found that their exemplary customer service, as well as their amazing family friendly stage entertainment can’t be beat, not only by Carnival, but by pretty much any other mainstream cruise line.

 

With that said, there were things about Disney that we didn’t care for. First, the rotating dining rooms were a clever idea, but we absolutely hated the fact that they only offer fixed dining times. Even though we booked a year and a half in advance, we were never able to change our late dining time, which for kids that normally eat before 6pm back home, it meant that most times they ended the night with their faces plopped asleep on the table, or on the verge of a meltdown after a long exhausting day filled with activities. We prefer the anytime dining option on Carnival MUCH more.

 

While Disney’s kids club boasted amazing, state of the art themed facilities, we were surprised to learn that our kids liked the club on MSC and Royal much more than Disney. Why? They said that the felt trapped. Yes, the amenities are awesome, but it has very little natural light because there are very few windows, and the kids are contained in the club all the time (unlike other cruise lines where different kid activities are held at different venues which allows them to move around).

 

They also didn’t care for the food served at the club. They told us that they’d bring trays of stale cheese sandwiches every single day so they wouldn’t eat. On cruise lines like MSC, kids are taken to a section of the main buffet, specially themed for kids, with tons of selections.

 

The last thing I’ll say is that I do believe that many Disney cruisers are blinded by the pixie dust and they see the Disney product as being much better than it actually is. Yes, they do deliver a wonderful product, and they do excel in many ways, but in my humble opinion, their superlatives are not in tune with what they charge unless you sail on them because you’re a Disney fan. We are not. Our kids couldn’t even name Disney characters before last year.

 

One final thing to mention is that, even though Disney does have some “adults only” areas, we found it harder to enjoy grown up time than on other cruise lines. About the only time when we felt like we disconnected from the Disney overload was when we had dinner at Palo one night. While this Disney cruise was indeed mostly about giving our children an unforgettable vacation, and we are glad we did it, we look forward to our next cruises, none of which will be on Disney.

 

You will most likely appreciate what Carnival has to offer, BUT do adjust your expectations accordingly. There’s a reason why you’ll be paying considerably less than on Disney. The service may not be as polished, the entertainment may be more amateurish, and the overall feel may be more on the budget side, but if you focus on the things where Carnival excels, you’ll enjoy it.

 

And unless your kids are big Disney fans who find little joy in anything but Disney themed entertainment, they will have a fantastic on Carnival as well. I know that my kids are more attached to Funship Freddy (rest in peace), and MSC’s Doremi, than to any Disney character that they met on that cruise.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Edited June 8, 2018 by Tapi

[jamdoll417]

While i have not cruised Disney, i am a frequent carnival cruiser with my 6 year old daughter. She has always loved the kids program. They are very attentive. Most of the time she chooses to have dinner with them instead of eating in the dining room with us.

 

When she does come to dinner with us i bring a book or activity for her as the wait can get a little long especially with a late seating.

 

I hope you have a fabulous cruise!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[cb at sea]

That's really late for kids to be eating....at least, it was when mine were that age....I'd opt for an earlier dining time.

[Domergirl]

We've sailed on quite a few Carnival ships with our kids (see signature). All but one have had a kids menu booklet with activities for the kids, along with crayons. However, they didn't always offer it...we sometimes had to ask. Upon asking - I've only run into one ship that didn't have them (I don't recall which one as it was a few years ago).

 

As has been mentioned above, they also offer "Kids Dinner" each night from 6 -7 (after the first night). You will need to register the kids for Camp Carnival in order to take advantage of this. If you do, the schedule and menu for Kids Dinner each night will be included in your Camp Carnival schedule.

[mdsgu]

Hi -- we are not new to Carnival but it is our first time cruising Carnival with our girls (ages 6 & 8). We took them on DCL last year and it was FABULOUS so I hope our upcoming trip on the Horizon lives up to their standards! ;) We are planning on doing the 8:15pm dinner seating ... Just wondering do they give out crayons & a coloring sheet to keep the kids busy until their food arrives? I am debating on whether to bring my own activity book for them... We really enjoyed Disney's dine & play program where the counselors would take the kids to the kids club around 9 after they ate so the adults could enjoy a leisurely dinner.

 

We've been cruising with our kids for almost 9 years now. They thoroughly enjoy it, and we have never taken a Disney cruise -- mainly because of the mind-boggling price. (We have been wowed by Disney World and all the pixie dust and magic it comes with it on more than one occasion.)

 

Carnival is in a completely different league. I'm not saying that's bad, but you have to understand that going in. Carnival has good service, but not Disney-esque. We have always had kids' menus for the kids and some crayons. My wife always packs little toys for the kids (they are now 9 and 7). Royal has a great program where the kids' camp counselors come and pick up the kids from early dinner, but not on Carnival. If they finish early, you are welcome to walk them up to camp and sign them in, or you can have them eat dinner with the camp at the Lido buffet -- our 2 kids flat refuse that.

 

You'll have a great time as long as you are not expecting Disney magic.

[mom2oneXY]

We've been on several Carnival cruises with our 7 year old son. We've never been offered a kids menu, but they usually just offer a few options beyond the regular menu (chicken nuggets, pasta, pb&j, grilled cheese, etc.) I feel like Carnival has their own entertainment during the early seating because that is when a lot of families eat. We've seen pirates and magicians on our last few cruises, and of course there is the dancing from the wait staff.

 

I agree that your kids are going to miss our on a lot of the Camp Ocean activities in the evening if you are doing the late seating. DS usually eats with us then we drop him off in Camp Ocean for a few hours. He loves it! One or two nights during the cruise we'll have him eat with Camp Ocean. I would go to the MDR while DH goes to drop off DS in the Lido. Then DH comes to join me. You'll still have that option with late seating - you can drop off between 6 and 6:30. Camp Ocean takes the kids back to the kids area.

 

We LOVE Carnival and one huge reason is because DS loves Carnival. It's a win-win!

[thehappierhomemaker]

We've been cruising Carnival with our three boys (now 6, 9, and 10) for 6 years and love it. Our boys don't love the MDR and beg us to eat with the kid's camp so we normally get anytime dining and drop them with Camp in the Lido on our way to dinner. We eat, have a little grownup time and pick them up at 10. I agree with the above posters that they won't have much time after the late seating to enjoy camp. I don't recall ever having crayons/kids menu, etc but we have had great waitstaff that have done magic tricks, etc for the kids. My middle son likes to come to the MDR once or twice per trip for a "fancy" dinner and then, of course, the first night there is no camp so we've not utilized it a ton with them nor have we ever asked for them.

[end753]

Our family has cruised both Disney and Carnival. We were on Carnival Magic, and did not have kids menus/crayons. They did have random entertainment walk around, a magician and pirate come to mind. Dinner was one of the bigger differences between the DCL/CCL experiences for kids, but we still enjoyed it as a family! If you ask my kids, they actually preferred Carnival. They really enjoyed the kids club and the waterworks!

[MistyRo76]

Hi -- we are not new to Carnival but it is our first time cruising Carnival with our girls (ages 6 & 8). We took them on DCL last year and it was FABULOUS so I hope our upcoming trip on the Horizon lives up to their standards! ;) We are planning on doing the 8:15pm dinner seating ... Just wondering do they give out crayons & a coloring sheet to keep the kids busy until their food arrives? I am debating on whether to bring my own activity book for them... We really enjoyed Disney's dine & play program where the counselors would take the kids to the kids club around 9 after they ate so the adults could enjoy a leisurely dinner.

 

My three year old got crayons and a menu to color every night. We did late dining and it wasn’t an issue for her. We got her a sandwich from room service while we were getting ready for dinner. And we’d always have a fruit plate brought out for her as soon as we sat down so she’s have something to nibble on while we waited for our food. It worked out great!

[KatieBug28]

One option I haven't seen posted here that I thought I'd throw out:

 

Take your kids to dinner in the buffet instead of sending them to the kids club dinner, and then drop them off at Camp Ocean before heading down to the dining room. We did this on our last cruise (4 families, 11 kids), and it worked great. That way the kids can choose what they want to eat, we still got to spend time together as a family and they weren't stuck sitting through a forever long meal. They got to participate in the camp activities for the evening, and we got to enjoy an adults-only dinner where we could all be seated at one table. Win-win.

 

We usually went around 6 (the same time the kids club was eating) and just sat off on our own. We were done around the same time, and then we had a bit of time to either run up and change if we still needed to, or grab a pre-dinner cocktail. It was great, and we plan to do it again on our next cruise!