Camp Ocean not open all day anymore?

[SayHeySillyGirl]

Just got off the Valor. Our 3rd cruise. Our first two cruises: camp ocean was open from 8am until after midnight and meals were served (lunch and dinner). Not this time. 

Can’t speak to port day since we took our son with us to Cozumel. 

 

But for days at sea: No meals were served for the kids. Hours of operation were 9am to 12pm, 2pm to 5pm, and then 7pm to 10pm Fri and Sat but 7pm to 12am Sunday. 

Just a heads up this could be the case on other ships so make sure to check for hours of operation as it may interfere with any adult only amenities or meals planned (it certainly did for us) if you don’t have anyone sailing with you to pick up by the closing times each day at sea. 

[kelkel2]

I think it’s covid related. They haven’t gone back to what it used to be for camp since the start up. Not sure if it’s staffing issues or something else, but it’s a bummer for families. 

[JillK]

Thanks for posting about your recent experience so everyone is aware what they can expect.

 

We are boarding the Panorama in early July and I think my 10 and 12 year olds would like to try Camp Ocean (it will be their first Carnival cruise).

 

They were VERY disappointed when we cruised on the Norwegian Getaway this past March to find out two weeks before the cruise that the children's program weren't running at all. We had specifically booked cabins nearby so they could take advantage. We booked directly with NCL and the agent never mentioned it was closed, nor was there a notice posted on the NCL website. Very disappointing and really altered the dynamic of our cruise not being able to have a few hours each day to relax without having to mind the children.

 

At least Carnival is offering the program, even if it is with reduced hours. 

 

Interestingly, NCL generally has similar hours (pre-COVID) as to what Carnival is currently offering (closed over meal times). They made that change from always open somewhere in the early 2010's because some kids were being left at the club all day which was a problem because NCL has never provided food at meal time in the kids club. Agree that Carnival is likely not wanting to provide food at meal time due to COVID hence the closure at that time.

[1kaper]

It was the same on the Dream when we sailed in March.  

[SayHeySillyGirl]

We would have been better prepared if we had known ahead of time. Our ship was pretty chaotic during peak meal times with all the extra kids at the buffet and I did see a lot of frustrated parents. People complained that kids were in the Love & Marriage show but it was at 9:30pm and the camp closed at 10 so people just took their kids to the show rather than have to get up and miss it if it went past 10.  
 

I do think Carnival (and any other cruise lines) should update their website about kids programs. I didn’t find anything mentioned about closing for mealtimes (it still says they are served meals on Carnival) and we didn’t know this until we got on board about the change. 
 

My son was frustrated having to leave throughout the day. He’s 10 and LOVES camp ocean so this shows the staff were doing a great job at providing a good fun time while camp was open. But I’m still salty at losing my good seat on Serenity deck several times since I couldn’t have him up there since it’s adults only during the 2 hour intermittent closing times 😞

[ultrafighter]

Yeah, our kids participated with the reduced hours in February.  Our youngest was too young for the vaccine (but still old enough for Camp Ocean if they were operating under pre-covid policies) so we had to keep her with us all the time anyway.  That combined with some other stuff during the cruise left it a little.... underwhelming.  Here's to hoping things are better by the time our next cruise with kids sails!!

[SayHeySillyGirl]

Also to elaborate on one of my earlier replies about being upset about losing my “good seat” on Serenity Deck because of the 2 hours I had to leave before I could return since kids aren’t allowed there... I’m trailing a bit off topic from the original post but this particular trip had a much higher number of rude guests. There were some folks up there blasting music loudly through portable speakers on that deck (it’s supposed to be the quiet getaway) that I wanted to sit as far away from as I could. Staff tried to make them follow the rules but they seemed so short staffed they could only do so much. So while it wasn’t all peaceful and quiet it was still better than Lido by comparison of noise and crowds if you could sit farther away from those portable speakers. 

[cruizergal70]

How about family cruises where parents expect to spend time with and mind their own children. The kid's clubs are only supplementary to your actual parenting. 

 

Then, plan couple cruises where the parents leave their children at home.

Edited June 14, 2022 by cruizergal70

[pengu1n]

3 minutes ago, cruizergal70 said:

How about family cruises where parents expect to spend time and mind their own children. The kid's clubs are only supplementary to your actual parenting. 

 

Then, plan couple cruises where the parents leave their children at home.

These types of posts are unfair. My children are grown, so this does not affect me, but often kids choose this type of vacation where there are kids their age and planned fun activities. If they chose a cruise with an advertised all day kids club and it's not available, it's not the vacation they planned on.

[cruizergal70]

5 minutes ago, pengu1n said:

These types of posts are unfair. My children are grown, so this does not affect me, but often kids choose this type of vacation where there are kids their age and planned fun activities. If they chose a cruise with an advertised all day kids club and it's not available, it's not the vacation they planned on.

So, kids have all the options in the world for a vacation and they choose a cruise because of the kids clubs? Not Disneyworld, not an amusement park, not other kid heavy activities? 

 

 

[1kaper]

3 minutes ago, cruizergal70 said:

So, kids have all the options in the world for a vacation and they choose a cruise because of the kids clubs? Not Disneyworld, not an amusement park, not other kid heavy activities? 

 

 

 

I didn't know that there was childminding at Disney World or other amusement parks. 

[1kaper]

23 minutes ago, cruizergal70 said:

How about family cruises where parents expect to spend time with and mind their own children. The kid's clubs are only supplementary to your actual parenting. 

 

Then, plan couple cruises where the parents leave their children at home.

 

I happen to be one of the lucky ones who has a super amazing, supportive family who are willing to watch my kid while my husband and I do a trip.  And we can afford to do more than one trip a year.  Not everyone can do that. 

And while I thoroughly enjoy travelling with my child and spent plenty of time doing activities with him,  it was nice to have a break once in awhile on the cruise.  Even for him it was nice to get away from us.  

[cruizergal70]

1 minute ago, 1kaper said:

 

I didn't know that there was childminding at Disney World or other amusement parks. 

You missed the point. If anyone takes their children to anywhere, parenting doesn't cease. One is still responsible for their child 24 hrs a day. All other services are supplementary.  

 

If childminding is a must requirement for a vacation,  then the children are better left at home.

[1kaper]

3 minutes ago, cruizergal70 said:

You missed the point. If anyone takes their children to anywhere, parenting doesn't cease. One is still responsible for their child 24 hrs a day. All other services are supplementary.  

 

If childminding is a must requirement for a vacation,  then the children are better left at home.

 

 

That's your opinion. 

Not everyone can leave their kid at home.  Not everyone wants to. 

I have talked to people who do specifically take a cruise because they can both enjoy time and vacation with their child and use the childminding services to get a couple hours to themselves as well.  It is kind of the entire point of the kids club.  

It is the exact reason people I know have chosen a cruise over the other suggestions you made.  You missed my point. 

Edited June 14, 2022 by 1kaper

[cruizergal70]

1 minute ago, 1kaper said:

 

 

That's your opinion. 

Not everyone can leave their kid at home.  Not everyone wants to. 

I have talked to people who do specifically take a cruise because they can both enjoy time and vacation with their child and use the childminding services to get a couple hours to themselves as well.  It is kind of the entire point of the kids club.  

It is the exact reason people I know have chosen a cruise over the other suggestions you made.  You missed my point. 

1. The kid's clubs were open. Just modified hours. Parents are distressed that they have to parent for those couple of hours. That's on them. Even if they didn't know in advance, parents should assume they have 24 hr responsibility for their children. 

2. Who can't leave their children at home? Why haven't these parents built the very much needed support system?

3. If you don't want to leave your kids at home,  then expect to parent them. All day.

 

 

[MisterOJ2]

Granted, it's been a minute since our kids were young enough for Camp Ocean, but when they were a few years ago, it was never open "all day." It was open during certain hours and closed for a while. 

[Pyxie]

No, they are only open in 2-3 hour blocks right now. But to clarify, they have never been open for lunch except for port days if you left your kids on board. And they always had an hour or 2 here and there that they closed during the day.

[ultrafighter]

Good grief.  Enough with the attempts to guilt trip people who want/need a couple of hours apart from their children.  It's actually HEALTHY to be able to turn off "mom mode" and recharge your own batteries every once in a while.

[cruizergal70]

1 hour ago, ultrafighter said:

Good grief.  Enough with the attempts to guilt trip people who want/need a couple of hours apart from their children.  It's actually HEALTHY to be able to turn off "mom mode" and recharge your own batteries every once in a while.

I fully agree. Imagine a whole cruise apart. Do that. However when your children are with you, then you have to parent. The kid's clubs were open during certain hours.  Take that as your respite.

[ultrafighter]

1 minute ago, cruizergal70 said:

I fully agree. Imagine a whole cruise apart. Do that. However when your children are with you, then you have to parent. The kid's clubs were open during certain hours.  Take that as your respite.

uh I did.  And I don't feel bad about it.

[Eli_6]

3 hours ago, pengu1n said:

These types of posts are unfair. My children are grown, so this does not affect me, but often kids choose this type of vacation where there are kids their age and planned fun activities. If they chose a cruise with an advertised all day kids club and it's not available, it's not the vacation they planned on.

Thank you for defending us!  Not everyone has reliable child care where they can just leave their kids behind for a week or more...or even wants to!  Simply because a parent wants the ability to have a few hours to themselves doesn't make them a bad parent or they don't like spending time with their kids.

 

I am frankly getting sick of the judgmental posts from people who either don't have kids or haven't had young children in 20-30 years...and even when they did have them certainly didn't have to deal with homeschooling them in the middle of a pandemic while also working. The past couple of years have been really hard on people with young kids.  Under 12 only recently could get vaxed and under 5 still can't.  And schools have been closed down or virtual all over the nation.     

[Wattshout]

We went cruising in march (me, my wife and my 2 children). I didn't expect for my kids to enjoy Camp Ocean as much as they did. We're french canadians, so I thought that the language barrier (espacially for the younger one) would mean that they would try on the first day, then would not want to return. So we were expecting to have kids with us pretty much all the time.

 

But, they loved their experience. So everytime the could (they were always with us when we went on shore), the wanted to go to the Camp. The problem with the lunch and diner breaks is mostly that you spend a lot of time picking them up and dropping them off.

 

I enjoyed my trip alot, but I had the impression that I was looking at the time a lot more than  should in vacation just to make sure to pick them up in time.

 

So, for me, it's not about having time without my kids. It's about feeling that I'm not on a schedule.

[Eli_6]

3 hours ago, cruizergal70 said:

So, kids have all the options in the world for a vacation and they choose a cruise because of the kids clubs? Not Disneyworld, not an amusement park, not other kid heavy activities? 

 

 

I am taking my kids on a European cruise so they can see the amazing historical sites there.  It will be both educational and fun.  Yes, I absolutely chose Carnival over other cruise lines that cruise in Europe BECAUSE of the Kids Club and the Kid's activities like the water slides, arcade, candy shop, milk shake place, etc. that many other cruise lines do not have.  In fact, when we recently did an Alaskan cruise with CCL, I did not see a single other cruise ship at any of our ports besides ours with water slides.  Not Celebrity, NCL, HAL or Princess ships had slides.  My kids were on those slides every day.  Not everyone wants to go to Disney World for every.single.vacation and they shouldn't have to.  A vacation can be both for adults and kids. It doesn't have to be one or the other.  And the fact is that Carnival is a cruise line that specifically targets and markets itself to families.    

[TexasJohn82]

Sorry to hop on late, but we have our first cruise with kids coming up July 2.  So are you saying the times are different than what they list in the docs:

 

Sea Days 

• Scheduled complimentary programming activities run from 10:00am-5:00pm and 7:00pm-10:00pm followed by Night Owls

Port Days 

• Supervised complimentary programming Kids' Choice begins from port arrival until 12:00pm; At 12:00pm Kids' Only Lunch is offered, scheduled activities resume at 1:00pm until 10:00pm followed by Night Owls. There may be family programming offered in between 4:00pm-6:00pm (time/activity may vary)

Evenings

• Night Owls is offered each evening from 10:00pm-1:00am in Camp Ocean for a fee ($7.50 USD per hour plus an 18% service charge, per child)
• Offerings include: movies, games, toys and snacks
• Owls Jams - on select evenings of the cruise we have additional parties for a fee ($17.00 USD per party plus an 18% service charge, per child)

 

Camp Ocean (6-8 Years) Stingrays: Things to Know | Carnival Cruise Line

 

I know the group here skews towards a older demographic but I am interested if those with kids that have done the camp ocean piece recently had kids that enjoy it.  We wouldn't plan on leaving kids all day long (as the point of a family vacation is to do thing together) but I figured my younger kids would enjoy the ocean times (usually in the evening) opposed to things like shows.  We are planning on early dining (6PM) then we would probably see if the younger kids wanted to go play at camp ocean while we enjoy the show.

[1kaper]

1 minute ago, TexasJohn82 said:

Sorry to hop on late, but we have our first cruise with kids coming up July 2.  So are you saying the times are different than what they list in the docs:

 

Sea Days 

• Scheduled complimentary programming activities run from 10:00am-5:00pm and 7:00pm-10:00pm followed by Night Owls

Port Days 

• Supervised complimentary programming Kids' Choice begins from port arrival until 12:00pm; At 12:00pm Kids' Only Lunch is offered, scheduled activities resume at 1:00pm until 10:00pm followed by Night Owls. There may be family programming offered in between 4:00pm-6:00pm (time/activity may vary)

Evenings

• Night Owls is offered each evening from 10:00pm-1:00am in Camp Ocean for a fee ($7.50 USD per hour plus an 18% service charge, per child)
• Offerings include: movies, games, toys and snacks
• Owls Jams - on select evenings of the cruise we have additional parties for a fee ($17.00 USD per party plus an 18% service charge, per child)

 

Camp Ocean (6-8 Years) Stingrays: Things to Know | Carnival Cruise Line

 

I know the group here skews towards a older demographic but I am interested if those with kids that have done the camp ocean piece recently had kids that enjoy it.  We wouldn't plan on leaving kids all day long (as the point of a family vacation is to do thing together) but I figured my younger kids would enjoy the ocean times (usually in the evening) opposed to things like shows.  We are planning on early dining (6PM) then we would probably see if the younger kids wanted to go play at camp ocean while we enjoy the show.

 

No.  I do not believe that is correct.  I do believe when we sailed Night Owls was only on sea days.  I don't think they took the kids to lunch but I didn't leave him on port days. 
And it was like 2 hour intervals on sea days.  Don't remember the times off the top of my head but I think they are outlined in the OP's first post.