Not new to cruising, but it has been a long time… questions…

[Twinmom_2015]

We haven’t sailed in a very long time and I have some questions.  We found we prefer all inclusive resorts, but my 8 year old girls want to go on a cruise.  lol  

 

Looking at the 4 day Liberty for Early May.  This is kinda of a last minute vacation and we are on a budget.  We are also looking at RC Independence of the Seas, but found a better deal with the Liberty. 
 

How is the kids club and what kind of activities do they have for the kids?  
 

Is this cruise more of a party ship?  Not against it, but were older now with kids.  😂  we really just want to relax.  We don’t want to take a longer cruise for this due to budget and want to make sure the kids like it. 
 

Is Formal night optional?  I know years ago we use to do the whole gown with hair up do and men’s suit, but I don’t want to do anything, but put on a nice dress for this.  😂  My husband would probably wear khakis and button down.   
 

Dining times we had three options a early, late and a anytime option.  How does the anytime option work.  With kids we don’t always run on time for early, but late is probably to late for them to eat.  Does kids club feed them of they are there? 😂  and is the food still good on Carnival? 

 

and last for now is the Cheers package worth it for a four day cruise?  Can you use it on the private Island like you can on RC private island?  Not sure with two full days out it would be worth to buy the package. 
 

TIA I know this was long. 

 

Edited February 10, 2023 by Twinmom_2015

[Theosprey247]

Formal Night is optional.

Cheers does not work on Carnival's Private islands.

Food is subjective and you'll get many different OPINIONS.

I believe the kids club does feed them. (at least sometimes).

Shorter Cruises tend to be a bit more rowdy, however, 4 days cruise are calmer than 3 days but YMMV.

[mz-s]

Carnival is pretty much the bottom of the barrel as far as cruising goes right now. They've cut every aspect of the experience. Food is subjective but I think most will agree it's nowhere near as good as it was before COVID. The breakfast buffet on my last Carnival cruise was in a word disgusting.

 

You just check-in on the app when you want to eat with anytime dining and you get a pop-up when your table is ready. Generally the kids clubs don't run over supper so your kids will eat with you.

 

Carnival is cheaper for a reason...especially on an older ship like the Liberty...just want you to know what you're getting. I still like Carnival's product for what it is. But it's not the special vacation it used to be.

[csm5986142]

Khakis and a button down would be absolutely appropriate for formal night.

I think your kids will enjoy the club and it shouldn't be overly packed that time of year.

In my experience, the shorter cruises are a younger/louder crowd, but it certainly doesn't deter me from booking (we'll be on  Radiance in a week for a 3-night cruise).  I can always find a quiet place away from the crowd to relax, and it beats being at home working (where it's freezing cold).

I don't buy the Cheers package, but it is my understanding that you can't use it on the private island. 

[kdr69]

1 hour ago, Twinmom_2015 said:

Is Formal night optional?  I know years ago we use to do the whole gown with hair up do and men’s suit, but I don’t want to do anything, but put on a nice dress for this.  😂  My husband would probably wear khakis and button down.   

This is the new formal btw...You can fully dress up or do what you mention above.

[starstruck05]

1 hour ago, Twinmom_2015 said:

We haven’t sailed in a very long time and I have some questions.  We found we prefer all inclusive resorts, but my 8 year old girls want to go on a cruise.  lol  

 

Looking at the 4 day Liberty for Early May.  This is kinda of a last minute vacation and we are on a budget.  We are also looking at RC Independence of the Seas, but found a better deal with the Liberty. 
 

How is the kids club and what kind of activities do they have for the kids?  
 

Is this cruise more of a party ship?  Not against it, but were older now with kids.  😂  we really just want to relax.  We don’t want to take a longer cruise for this due to budget and want to make sure the kids like it. 
 

Is Formal night optional?  I know years ago we use to do the whole gown with hair up do and men’s suit, but I don’t want to do anything, but put on a nice dress for this.  😂  My husband would probably wear khakis and button down.   
 

Dining times we had three options a early, late and a anytime option.  How does the anytime option work.  With kids we don’t always run on time for early, but late is probably to late for them to eat.  Does kids club feed them of they are there? 😂  and is the food still good on Carnival? 

 

and last for now is the Cheers package worth it for a four day cruise?  Can you use it on the private Island like you can on RC private island?  Not sure with two full days out it would be worth to buy the package. 
 

TIA I know this was long. 

 

The kids clubs have a wide range of activities.  Arts and crafts, video games, movies, board games, etc. They close at certain hours and you have to check with the ship if they are feeding the kids. Sometimes the clubs close at normal meal times and sometimes they take the kids in a group. Usually the smaller kids of course.

 

Shorter cruises bring out more party people but it just honestly depends on the people on your ship. No one can honestly tell you before hand. There are always quiet spots to be found on board however.

 

Formal night is whatever you want it to be. Dress up fancy or dress down. You will see different styles from everyone. It was never that everyone HAD to dress up anyway.

 

YTD is my favorite and most convenient option since it's been around. You can eat whenever you want, just have to check in on the app and wait for a table. 

 

I've never done Cheers as in not a big drinker. I can tell you it does not work on Carnivals private island. You will have to determine how much you would drink to see if the value is worth it to you. I prefer to pay per drink as I only drink 1-2 a day or less.

 

As for the food onboard you are going to get opinions like the previous person commented. It subject to YOUR likes. Ignore the people who spill foolishness about cut backs and quality.  I've almost never had a bad meal on any ship and if I did , it was fixed quickly. Carnival is not waterdown or the bottom of the barrel of cruiselines. We all know this but negative people would rather make you run of Carnival then allow you to form your own opinions. 

[kdr69]

45 minutes ago, mz-s said:

Carnival is pretty much the bottom of the barrel as far as cruising goes right now.

In your opinion.....

[mz-s]

22 minutes ago, kdr69 said:

In your opinion.....

 

Everything on this site is people's opinion. I figured that would be obvious. Carnival and especially the Lido buffet certainly ain't a Sandals or Beaches, which is OP's frame of reference.

Edited February 10, 2023 by mz-s

[momof4girls]

6 hours ago, Twinmom_2015 said:

We haven’t sailed in a very long time and I have some questions.  We found we prefer all inclusive resorts, but my 8 year old girls want to go on a cruise.  lol  

 

Looking at the 4 day Liberty for Early May.  This is kinda of a last minute vacation and we are on a budget.  We are also looking at RC Independence of the Seas, but found a better deal with the Liberty. 
 

How is the kids club and what kind of activities do they have for the kids?  We've never done the kids club on this particular ship, but when my girls were the age of your girls, they LOVED kids club! They still talk about the memories and fun times they had there (and my youngest is now 16).
 

Is this cruise more of a party ship?  Not against it, but were older now with kids.  😂  we really just want to relax.  We don’t want to take a longer cruise for this due to budget and want to make sure the kids like it. I went on a 4 day Liberty cruise a couple years ago, and while it was definitely more of a younger / partier crowd, I did not feel that it was like being at a college frat party with drunk 20 somethings everywhere. HTH
 

Is Formal night optional?  I know years ago we use to do the whole gown with hair up do and men’s suit, but I don’t want to do anything, but put on a nice dress for this.  😂  My husband would probably wear khakis and button down.   That is what my husband usually wears when we do "formal" nights. We haven't actually done of of those on the last few cruises (we decided we didn't enjoy going through the "work" for it). Our girls, personally, did not really enjoy it enough to continue with it.
 

Dining times we had three options a early, late and a anytime option.  How does the anytime option work.  With kids we don’t always run on time for early, but late is probably to late for them to eat.  Does kids club feed them of they are there? 😂  and is the food still good on Carnival? Anytime is what we always choose. We like to eat "when we feel like eating". We don't do good with reservations. I haven't cruised since they started this check-in with the app thing, but I'm looking forward to it! Much better than waiting in a line (although I rarely ever had to do that). I can ALWAYS find "good food" somewhere on the ship (but I definitely don't have a "fancy" palate).

 

and last for now is the Cheers package worth it for a four day cruise?  Can you use it on the private Island like you can on RC private island?  Not sure with two full days out it would be worth to buy the package. For my husband and myself, Cheers is not worth it. We did the math, and MAYBE if we were on the ship every single day (vs any port stops), we might be able to hit the limit. My husband could hit the limit by himself, but I'm not a big drinker. The other thing is that "bucket of beers" doesn't count towards Cheers, and my husband and I like to share that when we are sitting by the pool, so we are still having to pay for those separately. It does not work on Carnival's private island (HMC). 
 

TIA I know this was long. 

 

 

[lazydayz]

I think the Liberty is a good family choice for a short cruise.  We took our three grands last year and it was the first time in about 10 cruises we actually enjoyed the Main dining room. The food was good and the service fantastic.  We had already booked the steakhouse for the last night as it was hubby’s birthday, but we would have been happy to return to the MDR.  Our grands are 13 to 22 now so no recent experience with the kids club. 

[Guest BasicSailor]

12 hours ago, Twinmom_2015 said:

We haven’t sailed in a very long time and I have some questions.  We found we prefer all inclusive resorts, but my 8 year old girls want to go on a cruise.  lol  

 

TIA I know this was long. 

 

Admitting I have taken more land vacations sense Covid raised its nasty head. Cruising still has options that I'm sure you will enjoy. Finding the right ship and port of calls.

Edited February 11, 2023 by BasicSailor

[broadwaybaby123]

Formal night is OPTIONAL but I still choose to dress up.

If you look at the Carnival website, they state that they do not feed kids during meals.

Food is completely subjective, what I like may not be your taste.

Party vibe?  A cruise is what you make of it.

My understanding is drink packages are not covered on private islands for Carnival

 

[firefly333]

On 2/10/2023 at 9:21 AM, mz-s said:

Carnival is pretty much the bottom of the barrel as far as cruising goes right now. They've cut every aspect of the experience. Food is subjective but I think most will agree it's nowhere near as good as it was before COVID. The breakfast buffet on my last Carnival cruise was in a word disgusting.

 

Carnival is cheaper for a reason...especially on an older ship like the Liberty...just want you to know what you're getting. I still like Carnival's product for what it is. But it's not the special vacation it used to be.

As a family they found a cheaper price than rcl. As a solo, rcl is cheaper. I just looked and there is nothing under $100  a day I can book on carnival. I can on rcl.

 

Every cruiseline I see these same posts about cut backs. I haven't yet done the new menu on rcl, we had a death in my family and I no showed. Half and half some are going to change to msc, take a break  and half are ok with the changes. MSC seems to now have the lowest prices overall if posts can be believed.  Celebrity cut their buffet, equal unhappy threads. Someone tried princess it was a one and done. No line hasnt made cuts. They are all struggling trying to be profitable again.

 

I hope my 14 day carnival isn't as bad as you and others say. Next jan. Prices just keep rising, now starts at $3198 plus taxes. Mostly casino rates booking my carnival journey cruise. My carnival cruise is now the most expensive cruise in my signature  .. and nothing in my offers even short cruises under $100 a day. I may join those who take a break lol. .. carnival may be cheap to those who gamble, but if you dont, it's no longer the cheapest. I'm looking at moving to Florida  .. 

 

OP I also agree the short 4 day cruise will have more drinking. People want to squeeze more into fewer days. OP just book it and go with the right attitude. No one ever starved on a cruise.

[mz-s]

48 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

As a family they found a cheaper price than rcl. As a solo, rcl is cheaper. I just looked and there is nothing under $100  a day I can book on carnival. I can on rcl.

 

Every cruiseline I see these same posts about cut backs. I haven't yet done the new menu on rcl, we had a death in my family and I no showed. Half and half some are going to change to msc, take a break  and half are ok with the changes. MSC seems to now have the lowest prices overall if posts can be believed.  Celebrity cut their buffet, equal unhappy threads. Someone tried princess it was a one and done. No line hasnt made cuts. They are all struggling trying to be profitable again.

 

I hope my 14 day carnival isn't as bad as you and others say. Next jan. Prices just keep rising, now starts at $3198 plus taxes. Mostly casino rates booking my carnival journey cruise. My carnival cruise is now the most expensive cruise in my signature  .. and nothing in my offers even short cruises under $100 a day. I may join those who take a break lol. .. carnival may be cheap to those who gamble, but if you dont, it's no longer the cheapest. I'm looking at moving to Florida  .. 

 

OP I also agree the short 4 day cruise will have more drinking. People want to squeeze more into fewer days. OP just book it and go with the right attitude. No one ever starved on a cruise.

 

There is absolutely no way I would ever consider paying MORE for a Carnival cruise vs. its competitors, except for maybe Margaritaville at Sea.

 

Carnival still has a good product but it is less and less a special vacation and more and more like you're staying at a La Quinta near the airport and eating at the Chili's across the street.

 

Now granted I went on 4 Carnival cruises last year so maybe I'm just a little jaded. Or maybe I witnessed their cutbacks happen over the past year in real time. Take my thoughts for what they're worth - absolutely nothing. I'm just one more person on here with an opinion.