Divorced Father Travelling With 14 Y/O Son On Carnival Conquest

[Liegeman56]

Greetings All:

I will be travelling with my 14 year old son on the July 11 through July 18 Carnival Conquest cruise out of New Orleans. I have never been on a cruise before and was wondering what I could expect as a single. I am sure that my adventuresome son will be partaking the the activities on the ship for kids. Are there singles events?:)

I hope that someone can assist with info.

Best regards

Joe

[hstrybuf]

Hi Joe and welcome! Carnival has Camp Carnival for kids your son's age. Take him to check it out. He may not like it, but then again, it's an opportunity for him to meet other kids his age. There should be plenty of kids on a July sailing. :)

 

For adult singles, there should be a lot to do. Check in your Carnival Capers. That is the newsletter that should be in your cabin when you arrive and a new one will be placed there every evening. It will list singles get togethers. I'm sure there will be others who have cruised as a single who can give you even more information in the next couple of days. Have fun!

[serene56]

Carnival does have activites for the singles. Most of it late at night. Read your capers....(daily newspaper that you will get every night for the next day activities) Plan your day around that. You will have a ball. I did on my first cruise.

[DaveEdwards]

Hello Deb, just happened to see you post and wanted to say hello.

[cruisinqt]

There is a kids club, but your son will probably feel too old for it. My friends said their 12 year old said it was too immature for her. There are lots of little ones there. She stuck with her parents and had lots of fun. Actually there are a lot of activities you will probably both enjoy doing together. Each night your cabin attendant will leave a schedule of activities for the following day on your bed. There are trivia contests, live game shows, magic shows, and pool parties. There is a casino on board and lots of bingo contests. There are also black jack tournaments and slot tournaments. Many people enjoy laying by the pool and getting a nice tan or reading a book. There are tons of lounges with dancing and drinks. Our favorite activity onboard was the scavenger hunts. We went on several and had a blast. Most of the time, if you're by yourself, the person in charge will put you in with a group.

 

Don't worry about being alone all of the time. We have made some very good friends while cruising. If your party is small at dinner time they may ask if you want to sit at a large table with some other people. We have had a blast doing that. I keep saying we because my husband and I cruise together. But many times he wants to sit by the pool while I want to go do something else. So we each do our own thing. I went to the trivia contest by myself and got put in with a group of very fun people. They put eveyone into groups of 6-8 people for that activity. The same thing happens at the scavenger hunts. They put everyone into groups of 6-8 and I was in a really fun group that time too. I don't remember any activities that weren't group related. And there's always a host there to make sure you aren't by yourself. They have a knack for spotting the funnest group and sticking you there. I think your son may hang out with you more than you think he will. The onboard activities are pretty enticing. But if he doesn't, you won't be all by yourself. I have gone out on my own but have never been left alone for any activity.

[TVMet]

Took my 14 y.o. son on the Pride out of Florida last year and he had a blast. There just aren't many organized "Camp Carnival" activities for a kid of his age. My son is shy so I was worried, but he ended up meeting some good friends and these three guys spent the week together, just hanging out. We set up times when he had to check in or be back at the cabin and we let him know when he was expected to be dressed for dinner with the family, this wasn't an option. A few times he barely got back to the cabin to get ready for dinner, but he always made it. Yes, we did let him stay out late. I made a few casual walks around the ship to check on them without him knowing. He was always with a group of 10-20 guys and gals, they just enjoyed the freedom. We went on two CCL cruises in two years and each time my shy son (14 on the first cruise and 15 on the second) ended up with a group of friends that hated to leave at the end of the cruise.

 

On the first day, they have a Camp Carnival sign in meeting. My son didn't want to go because that "Camp Carnival is baby stuff". (We also have a 9 y.o. girl) My wife MADE my son go and just sign in. Then we made him go to the first Camp Carnival meeting for his age group, I believe it was after dinner on the first evening. Although there wasn't really anything for him to do with Camp Carnival all week, they had his name and most of the kids that formed a group of friends met that first evening. Over the next few days, other young teens who didn't attend those first meetings sort of felt left out of that original group. On our second CCL cruise (he was 15) he didn't want to attend the meeting again, my wife made him go, and the same thing happened.

 

You can get some good dad/son time on shore excursions. Think of it as an adventure, I just took my son cave tubing in Belize (wife and daughter did something boring) and he had a great time.

 

Although, there has been much said on these boards about teenagers misbehaving around the ship late at night, I didn't see any of that on either the Pride or the Legend last year. Each cruise is different, so good luck.

[glrounds]

Some of my closest internet friends I've met on cruises at a "singles" table. From the ELATION years ago, to the GLORY last October, to the PRIDE this May.

 

I still e-mail them and trade cruising information. The GLORY table is even planning a reunion cruise this fall with 5 out of the 6 at our table planning on going.

You'll be amazed and your son will have a ball.

[mohavemommy]

just a reminder.......make sure you have obtained the proper documentation from the other parent before cruising...... your son will have a blast!

[serene56]

I have cruised 4 times with my kids and never ever was asked for documents from the dad. For one- he died. And what about all the others who have no contact with the dads. or the moms for that matter.