Camp Ocean not open all day anymore?

[1kaper]

1 minute ago, Eli_6 said:

Look, the fact of the matter is that CCL advertises a certain service and you book specifically with that in mind, it is normal to be minorly upset when you show up and it isn't what you thought it would be and wish it was different. 

 

If this was a sudden cut to any other service other than Camp Ocean (like if the bars, casino, or the buffets were suddenly shut down for two hours in the middle of the day) I suspect most of the parent-guilting poster on this thread would be up in arms protesting: "Err mah gawd! Carnival closed the bar down for 4 hours every day!"  Think about how pissed some Platinum/Diamonds have been just over the cancellation of the receptions. 

People are upset pizza is closed from 4 am til 7 am or something like that...

[Eli_6]

@TexasJohn82  You are correct. Carnival is no longer adhering to the hours for Camp Ocean that they advertise on their website.  When I was on the Splendor just a couple of weeks ago, the Kids Club was closed down for two hours at lunch and dinner. No advanced notice was given of this change. They simply told you when you showed up on the ship and took your kids to the Kid's Club. No kid's lunch or dinner was offered like in previous years/sailings.  I do not know about the Night Owls as we never used that service.  They also are not permitting children under 5 in the Kid's Club. 

[pc_load_letter]

There's been lots of Carnival frustration lately and I think Carnival needs better public relations versus a single John Heald who is clearly doing the work of what should be completed by a team of CS agents, social media people and brand reps.

 

That's a rant for another post but I think OP was doing everyone a favor who may use that program who may be unaware of the changes.

Edited June 14, 2022 by pc_load_letter

[Drazil65]

When my son was very young it was hit or miss with the kid clubs, he only went a couple times each cruise (and only stayed a couple hours) and eventually had more fun finding and playing with the kids on deck (splash pads, pools, sports deck etc).  We always took into ports with us so that was never an issue for us.  

I seem to remember even back then the clubs were not open for dinner time (2 hours maybe) and some lunch times a couple times during cruise?  

[Eli_6]

42 minutes ago, cruizergal70 said:

I understand recent societal changes. However,  it is not reasonable that a parent doesn't have a support system who can watch their children. What if the parents were in an accident?

 

Assuming two married parents, wouldn't a happy marriage require for the couple to have time away for just the two of them? 

 

Trusted support systems are created and nurtured.  They just don't happen. 

 

Now, if you want to be a martyr and take your children with you 100% of the time for 18-20 years,  that's on you.

 

In any case, Carnival is not doing anything wrong by closing the kids clubs a couple of hours.

LOL. In an ideal world, absolutely it would be GREAT to have that sort of support system. But it isn't reality. It isn't reality for me, for my friends, for my sons' classmates' parents, or virtually anyone I know with young kids. Over the past two years, most people are doing good to keep their jobs, stay on top of their kids "virtual" home schooling while also trying to work-from-home, keep everyone well, and keep the bills paid all while inflation is going through the roof.  Some people even have to deal with aging parents who need care (and are added expenses) on top of raising their children.  It is life.

 

I don't know where you live, but the relationships you describe are not available for anyone I know no matter how much "nurturing" you do.  Who are these people you talk about who you can not only unequivocally trust to watch your kids day and night for a week straight, but are even willing to?  Where are they?  I will gladly nurture the hell out of them if I could find them!  Even if I wanted to nurture a relationship like that, no one else I know would have time or a willingness to be "nurtured" because they are just as busy as I am.  I have friends, but they also have kids and no way they are going to keep my two kids on top of the 2 or 3 they have for a week straight...on top of working their jobs and all their other responsibilities. 

And like I mentioned above, not only is it asking a lot of someone to watch your kids for a week and most people simply won't do it, but you REALLY have to trust them.  Leaving your children with someone for a week isn't like leaving them at school or daycare (or the Camp Ocean) for a few hours where there are multiple adults together all at once in a big open area with numerous kids.  

Edited June 14, 2022 by Eli_6

[1kaper]

2 hours ago, cruizergal70 said:

No one called anyone a bad parent. There's nothing wrong with wanting a break. The OP was complaining that they couldn't have someone mind their children from 8 am through midnight without interruption.

 

Use the kids clubs. But if they close a couple of hours, don't freak out. Just be a parent and mind your own children.

 

Is that what she said? 
 

From The OP. I can’t seem to quite properly on my phone. 
 

“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)”

 

”We would have been better prepared if we had known ahead of time.”  And she felt the information on carnival should be updated. 

[cruizergal70]

2 hours ago, 1kaper said:

 

Is that what she said? 
 

From The OP. I can’t seem to quite properly on my phone. 
 

“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)”

 

”We would have been better prepared if we had known ahead of time.”  And she felt the information on carnival should be updated. 

The OP said "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. "

 

Did some research and Camp Ocean has never been 8 am to midnight straight through.  There were always breaks.

 

Link: https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/list/search/1/kw/Camp carnival hours/suggested/1

 

The meals thing shouldn't matter since it wasn't special food. A parent can take their child to the buffet.

Edited June 15, 2022 by cruizergal70

[jerseygirlinAZ]

16 hours ago, JillK said:

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.

 My daughter LOVED the kids program on Panorama.  (She'll be seven next month.)  It was closed for meal times (ie 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.).  FYI, the HUB app will tell you to make a reservation.  You only need to do that if there are a lot of kids signed up.  (We never had to make a reservation during our sailing.)  Just ask the people there if you might need to.  They're super awesome.

[JillK]

2 minutes ago, JillK said:

 

We have done exactly this - some family cruises and a few without the kids where hubby and I were just people for a week. 

 

We do not see the kids club as babysitting - but rather a space where our kids can meet other kids their age that has activities geared specifically for them. When we do cruise, our kids expect to be able to have time away from us at the kids club based on previous cruise experience. As another poster said, we don't make them go, they ask to go.

 

Our family has always enjoyed cruising because there are opportunities to do things together (meals, time at the pool/slides, shows, shore excursions) but also opportunities to have time independent of one another.

 

Frankly, after two years of being cooped up at home with few breaks from one another, my kids really wanted to have some time away from us on our cruise in March and were VERY disappointed when I told them the club was closed all week. My 12 year old actually said "oh great - now I have to be with you all week." This same child also chooses a cruise over a week at Disney World every time we ask so some kids DO prefer a cruise experience over other types of vacation.

 

It's unfair to paint all families with the brush that they don't watch their kids. When we take our kids on a cruise we do not ever take a vacation from parenting. If our kids aren't at the kids club, they are with us.

 

I too dislike being around other people's kids who are completely unsupervised and behave obnoxiously running ramshod all over the ship but I would never come on CC and attest that this applies to all families who are cruising. 

 

[SayHeySillyGirl]

@TexasJohn82our son LOVED camp ocean. He got mad because I showed up at 4:45 to pick him up for dinner instead of 5:00 closing time so I stood in the hallway and waited so he could have the remaining 15 minutes 😂 

 

[tbjl24]

On 6/14/2022 at 10:29 AM, SayHeySillyGirl said:

Other people (both parents and non) complained about all the kids in the buffet who I saw at Camp earlier so I know they didn’t have a choice. 
 

Don’t really understand this complaint. If they were smaller children I hope the parents were with them supervising and if they were older children the kids likely were able to check themselves out of camp and could be there regardless. The tweens/teens are always running amok on every ship I’ve ever sailed. It goes with the territory. 
 

Sounds like some cruisers picked the wrong week (vs cruise while school is in session) or the wrong cruise line.  What an odd thing to be upset over. 

[waytoodeep03]

On 6/14/2022 at 11:02 AM, 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.

 

Disagree with this. This can be a family trip as well as a little one on one with mom and dad alone. 

 

Too many parents get too wrapped up in their kids and forget about their spouse. They don't realize that before the kids it was the spouse. 

[cruizergal70]

13 hours ago, waytoodeep03 said:

 

Disagree with this. This can be a family trip as well as a little one on one with mom and dad alone. 

 

Too many parents get too wrapped up in their kids and forget about their spouse. They don't realize that before the kids it was the spouse. 

I would think that if spouses want some time alone,  they would go on a trip with just the two of them. Otherwise their time alone will be broken because they still will be interrupted by parenting needs while on the ship. The kids clubs were never meant as a  100% respite from parenting. 

[crazy4themouse]

36 minutes ago, cruizergal70 said:

The kids clubs were never meant as a  100% respite from parenting. 

 

Definitely agree! But too many times, we have seen "parents" who must have thought they could drop their kids off at the kids' club at embarkation and just pick them up a week later. Unsupervised pretty young kids at the buffet, the ice cream machines, just roaming around like an orphanage took a field trip to a cruise ship or something. Even sailing "off-season" there's always at least a handful of them. 

 

OP, it sounds like you had the right mindset -- Some time to yourselves, some time with the kids. A happy medium. And Carnival absolutely should have provided the correct info. Some things can absolutely change at the last minute, but it sounds like this has been this way for a while and it wouldn't take someone but a couple of minutes to update the info given on the website.

 

[ultrafighter]

On 6/15/2022 at 11:16 AM, SayHeySillyGirl said:

@TexasJohn82our son LOVED camp ocean. He got mad because I showed up at 4:45 to pick him up for dinner instead of 5:00 closing time so I stood in the hallway and waited so he could have the remaining 15 minutes 😂 

 

Yep, after the first session on our last cruise, my kids made sure I knew not to try to get them early.  😆

[Partyof5AZ]

On 6/14/2022 at 9:01 PM, jerseygirlinAZ said:

 My daughter LOVED the kids program on Panorama.  (She'll be seven next month.)  It was closed for meal times (ie 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.).  FYI, the HUB app will tell you to make a reservation.  You only need to do that if there are a lot of kids signed up.  (We never had to make a reservation during our sailing.)  Just ask the people there if you might need to.  They're super awesome.

I know that online it says children under 5 aren’t available. Do the 5 year olds go with the next older group or are they on their own?

[pwizzle]

On 6/14/2022 at 11:35 AM, 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.

Tell that to my kid haha

[Essiesmom]

4 hours ago, Partyof5AZ said:

I know that online it says children under 5 aren’t available. Do the 5 year olds go with the next older group or are they on their own?

Because they can’t be vaccinated, there is no camp available for that age group.  They are on YOUR own.  EM

[Partyof5AZ]

11 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

Because they can’t be vaccinated, there is no camp available for that age group.  They are on YOUR own.  EM

I thought 5 year olds could go to camp. Under 5 couldn't..I have a 5 year old..I was wondering what camp group he'd be in.

[Essiesmom]

Camp groups are 2-5 and 6-8.  The younger group is not operating.  If your 5 y/o is vaccinated you can ask if he/she can join the next group, but don’t plan on it being approved.  EM

[Partyof5AZ]

12 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

Camp groups are 2-5 and 6-8.  The younger group is not operating.  If your 5 y/o is vaccinated you can ask if he/she can join the next group, but don’t plan on it being approved.  EM

But on the carnival website under the COVID faq it says 5-17

[carohs]

I'm glad they close periodically; otherwise my kids might forget about the rest of what the cruiseline has to offer. They might even come home complaining they never got to go on the water slide if I left them in the club all day. Plus, it's nice to have set times during a vacation to re-connect with my kids (6 and 8).

[oyme]

On 6/14/2022 at 9:35 AM, 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.

You have kids? I mean the BEST parents have no children, as they say, lol. Some kids like the kids clubs more than bonding with their families. Mind your bizz.

[TexasJohn82]

We asked on our cruise in April about camp for our 5YO in July and they told us the 5yo are just going with the older group if there are not enough of them to make up their own group.  (This was Vista).  When I checked in it allowed me to register him camp so I assume they are offering something.

[Bhern05]

We went in March, and some nights they are not offering night owls and are not open past ten. I forgot which nights. Can anyone confirm who has sailed recently? We had booked the teppanyaki one of the nights it closed at 10 and had to leave mid dinner to pick up my son and have him finish dinner with us. Trying to avoid the same thing for our July cruise.