Conquest - 4/25 - bring stroller? kid help needed!

[flgatormom]

hi. we're traveling on the conqueset on 4/25 with our 5 yr old and 2 yr old. should i bring our own stroller vs. renting from carnival? should i tip the camp carnival people every day? end of trip? did you feel safe w/the camp carnival? would you go on an excursion w/them on the boat w/out feeling too freaked out? what are some things I should for sure bring to help make this enjoyable for everyone (besides a muzzle thanks in advance!

[flgatormom]

are we the only ones crazy enough to be traveling with kids this young???

[tef43]

Don't ask the question if you're not prepared for all possible answers.

 

Liv, please try to behave!

 

Tom <--- Curmudgeon of the Seas

 

 

 

Eleven cruises so far. Up next:

Shhhh, it's a surprise!

[serene56]

What kind of stroller do you have? I can see the umbrella kind of stroller but those wide ones....how will you use it in the hallways?

 

If you are using it for shore excursions= bring your own. If you are using it to cart your kids around the ship-- rent one.

 

Going NOWHERE

 

 

Miracle, February 13, 2005

Legend, October 22,2004

Voyager August 31,2003

Victory September 22,2002

Regal Empress,June 2001

Sensation,August 2000

 

 

[flgatormom]

so throw that out there and say nothing? i'm prepared - why the tone???!!

[tef43]

Usually a question like the one you posed in the second message in this thread will elicit STRONG opinions one way or the other regarding little ones on cruises.

 

Camp Carnival is not intended to be a daycare. I question the wisdom of leaving the kids there and then you wander off on some shore excursion with no way to contact you.

 

Tom <--- Curmudgeon of the Seas

 

 

 

Eleven cruises so far. Up next:

Shhhh, it's a surprise!

[bs_kc]

You may want to check the Family Cruising forum. Several people on there have packing lists they can send you. As far as the stroller, we took our then 1 year old on the Triumph last summer. We took a sit-n-stroll. It converts from a car seat, to a airplane seat, to a booster seat, and, to a stroller. It didn't have the best wheels for the sand on the beach but it was very handy.

 

Carnival Triumph - 06/03

RCCL Adventure of the Seas - 12/01

Carnival Paradise - 12/00

Disney Magic - 06/00

Carnival Elation - 12/99

RCCL Enchantment - 6/99

NCL Seaward - 6/97

Premier Oceanic (Big Red Boat) - 4/96

[flgatormom]

thank you to those with the advice/information about the stroller. i appreciate it. Since this is our first cruise we have no idea what to expect and was just looking for some BTDT advice. Tom, enjoy your next cruise. Maybe you could babsit my kids sometime.

[tef43]

The secret to successful babysitting is in administering large doses of tryptophan.

 

Tom <--- Curmudgeon of the Seas

 

 

 

Eleven cruises so far. Up next:

Shhhh, it's a surprise!

[dosi]

Tom would that be administered to the sittee or the sitter??

 

flgatormom--If you are flying to the cruise port bring your umbrella stroller with you. It will come in very handy at the airport for pushing all the junk we have to bring with us when we travel with our kids. You can check it in at the gate and it will be there (hopefully) when you deboard waiting to be loaded up again.

 

I think that Camp Carnival is awesome. Personally I would not be comfortable leaving my son there while I went far away on an excursion. However in Cozumel we did leave him there for a couple hours while we walked over to C n C's for a drink. The ship was about 2 or 3 blocks away and pretty much within our site so I didn't feel like we were dumping him. Plus he had waaaaay more fun at Camp Carnival than he would have at C n C's.

 

It think Tom's warning was just to let you know that there are many people who participate on these boards that do not feel that children should go on cruises EVER. I am not one of them as I am preparing to take my 4 year old on his third cruise in October. You may however receive some unasked for advice along the lines of whether it is appropriate for the kids to even come with you. Ignore them and they will hopefully go away. Have fun and feel free to email me direct if you have any more questions. We travel a lot with our son and I have lots of helpful hints and ideas. dorrob@comcast.net

 

doris

 

"I travel a lot; I hate having my life disrupted by routine"--Caskie Stinnett

 

Elation 10/20/02

Paradise 9/21/03

Star Princess 10/24/04

 

[This message was edited by dosi on 04-14-04 at 03:16 PM.]

[tef43]

Doris,

 

I can sleep anywhere, anytime, so give the turkey sandwiches to the kids to put them to sleep.

 

I agree, Camp Carnival is a much better alternative than schleping the little one to CnC's. Imagine the life-altering trauma of Junior seeing Mommy and/or Daddy being molested by the redoubtable Shot Girl.

 

Tom <--- Curmudgeon of the Seas

 

 

 

Eleven cruises so far. Up next:

Shhhh, it's a surprise!

[L2J]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by tef43:

Don't ask the question if you're not prepared for all possible answers.

 

Liv, please try to behave!

 

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

HOLY SMOKES BATMAN!! I can't believe it took me almost 5 hours to see this thread.

 

And yes, I will behave.

 

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>The secret to successful babysitting is in administering large doses of tryptophan.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

ROFLMAO...that's the funniest thing I've heard today!!

 

For the OP. If you must bring your toddler I would say bring your own stroller - no telling what kind of "presents" have been left in a rental. Swim diapers do not work therefore children in diapers should not be allowed in hot tubs or pools (they wont remember anyway). Also CCL does not furnish diapers/wipes or baby food.

 

Liv...Winds are 15 knots and holding....the whole world is a drop zone!

 

 

Until the SINsational Cruise from the Bayou

 

 

Until the Valor Vampires

 

 

 

NCL Sky 2/02

[hnrw]

We're also cruising 4/25 with 4year old boy and 2 year old girl. This will be our son's 6th cruise and daughters 3! We've always brought our own stroller, just a single graco stroller that has the storage underneath. Comes in handy especially if going into ports. I always parked my stroller outside my door w/o any problems. The last 3 cruises have been on Disney and there were stollers everywhere. Things I'm bringing to keep in the room... juice boxes (Capri Suns), a few snacks, our own beach towels, since Carnival makes you leave a deposit on towels, I like to wrap my kids in them to go back to the room, the ship is a little cool sometimes. If I think of anything else I'll let you know. I personally would not leave my kids in the camp carnival while off the ship, I like to be nearby, but do plan on using the camp a lot! Hope to see you there!!

[tef43]

Liv,

 

I personally thought that the "Shot Girl" comment was *MUCH* funnier.

 

Tom <--- Curmudgeon of the Seas

 

 

 

Eleven cruises so far. Up next:

Shhhh, it's a surprise!

[tef43]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by hnrw:

our own beach towels, since Carnival makes you leave a deposit on towels<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

No, they don't. But they *will* charge you $22 if you lose one.

 

Tom <--- Curmudgeon of the Seas

 

 

 

Eleven cruises so far. Up next:

Shhhh, it's a surprise!

[L2J]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by tef43:

Liv,

 

I personally thought that the "Shot Girl" comment was *MUCH* funnier.

 

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

Yes, that was very funny as well but didn't see it when I was posting.

 

Liv...Winds are 15 knots and holding....the whole world is a drop zone!

 

 

Until the SINsational Cruise from the Bayou

 

 

Until the Valor Vampires

 

 

 

NCL Sky 2/02

[flgatormom]

thanks so much for your posts. everyone enjoy your cruises!

[CabinForFour]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by flgatormom:

are we the only ones crazy enough to be traveling with kids this young???<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

Nope, we're crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy...we've taken little ones four times! LOL

 

I agree that an umbrella stroller is the best option. The full-size ones would be difficult to maneuver in the small spaces on the ship and islands.

 

I haven't used Camp Carnival, so I can't comment on that. Sorry. All I can offer about that was that I felt really weird on our Victory cruise last October as DH and I rode away from the boat for our horseback riding excursion in Freeport. Grandparents were keeping the kids on the ship, so I knew they were in good hands. It just felt very odd knowing that I was leaving them behind as I ventured out into another country. That being said, I don't think there's anything WRONG with leaving them behind with Camp Carnival. Just evaluate ahead of time how you think you'll feel about it to avoid any surprise worries as you head off on your excursion.

 

I do have a packing list with some tips for traveling with infants/toddlers. If you'd like to see it, just e-mail me at TravelingTot@aol.com.

 

Have a great cruise!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Two Little Sailors: Victoria's First and Benjamin's Fourth cruise -- Carnival Victory, October 2003

 

Benjamin Sails to Bermuda-- Carnival Triumph, May 2002

 

Benjamin's Birthday Cruise -- Carnival Destiny, Jan. 2002

 

Benjamin's First Cruise -- Carnival Victory 2000

 

 

Paradise 3/04 - Exotic W. Caribbean

Carnival Victory 10/03 - Bahamas

Carnival Triumph 5/02 - Bermuda

Carnival Destiny 1/02 - S. Caribbean

Carnival Victory 10/00 - Nassau

Inspiration 7/99 - S. Caribbean

Tropicale 1/99 - W. Caribbean

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