First Carnival cruise (Celebration) in 2 weeks and LOTS of questions!

[Danny61231]

My wife and I (35 and 39) will be sailing on the Celebration in 2 weeks with our kids (7 and 10). My wife and I have cruised 1 other time about 5 years ago on MSC but figure this sailing will be MUCH different than our first. Any help on these questions would be greatly appreciated!

 

Do we need to sign our kids up for the kids clubs? If so, is this done before the cruise or once we're onboard? Our kids are 7 and 10 and would like to be in the same kids club, would this ever be possible being that their ages would place them in different ones?

 

Both of my kids are used to sleeping with a fan for noise but we won't be able to bring one due to flying. Does Carnival offer any fans for use on board and if so, how do you get one?

 

My kids are looking forward to the ropes course, do they have a rule for what shoes are needed? They'll most likely be wearing Keen type closed toe sandals but just want to make sure they won't be turned away

 

How is Carnival with the dress code for dinners? Jeans and a polo? Slacks and a collared shirt? Nice shorts? What about shoes - are keen type closed toed sandals ok? Are the rules the same for the kids (7 and 10)?

 

We have Anytime dining but I'm kind of confused with what restaurants are included for free. I've seen a few Youtube videos mentioning you can eat at say Chibang (or the other included more specialty restaurants) once but then after that you'll be charged. We were hoping to eat at a few of these places for multiple lunches / dinners but want to know what to expect. 

 

Any recommendations for a good beach or beach day excursion in either Cozumel or Costa Maya? None of us are drinkers and most likely won't eat so we just need something basic for the kids to play in the ocean.

 

How early can we normally get on the ship on embarkation day? Also, what is the latest we're normally allowed to get off of the ship when we return? We have a late flight coming home so we'd like to spend as much time on the ship as possible before getting off.

[becker80]

46 minutes ago, Danny61231 said:

My wife and I (35 and 39) will be sailing on the Celebration in 2 weeks with our kids (7 and 10). My wife and I have cruised 1 other time about 5 years ago on MSC but figure this sailing will be MUCH different than our first. Any help on these questions would be greatly appreciated!

 

Do we need to sign our kids up for the kids clubs? If so, is this done before the cruise or once we're onboard? Our kids are 7 and 10 and would like to be in the same kids club, would this ever be possible being that their ages would place them in different ones? You can sign them up when you do your online check in. They will not be allowed in the same club. 

 

Both of my kids are used to sleeping with a fan for noise but we won't be able to bring one due to flying. Does Carnival offer any fans for use on board and if so, how do you get one?

 

My kids are looking forward to the ropes course, do they have a rule for what shoes are needed? They'll most likely be wearing Keen type closed toe sandals but just want to make sure they won't be turned away We have worn closed toe sandals but I would check the carnival website to be sure. 

 

How is Carnival with the dress code for dinners? Jeans and a polo? Slacks and a collared shirt? Nice shorts? What about shoes - are keen type closed toed sandals ok? Are the rules the same for the kids (7 and 10)? My son wears nice shorts and a polo with nice sandals. Doesn't need to be super fancy. Some people will tell you it needs to be dressier- pretty much anything other than athletic shorts is fine.

 

We have Anytime dining but I'm kind of confused with what restaurants are included for free. I've seen a few Youtube videos mentioning you can eat at say Chibang (or the other included more specialty restaurants) once but then after that you'll be charged. We were hoping to eat at a few of these places for multiple lunches / dinners but want to know what to expect. 

 

Any recommendations for a good beach or beach day excursion in either Cozumel or Costa Maya? None of us are drinkers and most likely won't eat so we just need something basic for the kids to play in the ocean. We went to paradise beach in Cozumel. Nice beach, inflatables in the water and a nice pool area. Just grab a taxi at the port and there will be taxis waiting to take you back. 

 

How early can we normally get on the ship on embarkation day? Also, what is the latest we're normally allowed to get off of the ship when we return? We have a late flight coming home so we'd like to spend as much time on the ship as possible before getting off. When you do your check-in you will choose a time to get on the ship. The earlier you check in the better time you will get. Anywhere between 11:30-1:00 most likely. They usually try to kick everyone off the ship by 9:30ish I think. We tried to be in the last group off last year because we had a late flight and we were still off by 9:30.

 

[AllgoodOnTheRoad]

 

[Drazil65]

When you do your check-in you will choose a time to get on the ship. 

 

The time you choose a couple weeks before sail date is your check in time not your boarding ship time.  Check in time is the time frame you can check into the terminal building with your documents etc.  The boarding time onto the ship depends on what time they start boarding and they start with different priority groups like diamonds, platinum, FTTF, suites, wedding parties etc. (if you are not in one of these groups your boarding group number will be called for boarding at some point after).  

Edited January 5 by Drazil65

[ninjacat123]

In Costa Maya the port has a pool available and tons of shops.  I like taking a taxi ($4/person) to Mahahual where I get a table on the beach at The Krazy Lobster.  Nice beach with nets keeping the seaweed out.  Calm water.  Everything is ala carte so you're not paying for a package that you might not use.

I would have the kids pack a pair of khaki pants for Elegant Night, or else just go to the buffet. 

Check out Emeril's (open at varying hours, check your Hub Ap) for delicious food.  There is a small charge but it's so worth it.

If you can't get a fan, could you use a white noise app on your phone?🤷‍♀️

Have lots of fun on your cruise!! 

[Bers]

I used to sleep with a fan also, mainly just for the sound. Cruises make this difficult and I switched to this little guy below. It has a bunch of different fan sound variations and is small enough to carry with you.

 

LectroFan High Fidelity White Noise Machine with International Power Adaptors for The US, UK and EU - Global Power Edition https://a.co/d/a5BYmLV

[LatinaInTexas]

4 hours ago, ninjacat123 said:

In Costa Maya the port has a pool available and tons of shops.  I like taking a taxi ($4/person) to Mahahual where I get a table on the beach at The Krazy Lobster.  Nice beach with nets keeping the seaweed out.  Calm water.  Everything is ala carte so you're not paying for a package that you might not use.

I would have the kids pack a pair of khaki pants for Elegant Night, or else just go to the buffet. 

Check out Emeril's (open at varying hours, check your Hub Ap) for delicious food.  There is a small charge but it's so worth it.

If you can't get a fan, could you use a white noise app on your phone?🤷‍♀️

Have lots of fun on your cruise!! 

I like Crazy Lobster also. Missed it last trip because we won a free excursion. Do they still serve their drinks in a real glass, I hate plastic cup drinks lol.

[ninjacat123]

4 minutes ago, LatinaInTexas said:

I like Crazy Lobster also. Missed it last trip because we won a free excursion. Do they still serve their drinks in a real glass, I hate plastic cup drinks lol.

This pic is from May 30, 2022 which was the last time we have been there. I think it’s glass…