I Think We're Gonna Do It! :)

[yesornocruising]

Hi everyone. I'm still teetering here. My mom will go b/c we've offered to pay her way (we're piggy backing on her senior discount so it will only cost us an extra $300 for her and the baby, plus gas to Miami). I'm kind of excited thinking about cruising and being able to spend a week with my girls and not leave them at home. I think I'll be able to handle the fact that it's not as relaxing as I'd like b/c me and dh are going to NYC ALONE again in a few weeks (we were just there 2 weeks ago). I really think we're gonna go for it.

 

Here's my questions. Dh doesn't care for the ports of call for the Triumph. Is there another ship (family friendly, obviously) that you'd recommend out of Miami (or Tampa) for the week of Thanksgiving that goes to the Western Carribbean? The main issue is we need a ship that will hold 5 in a stateroom and the Triumph does, while the Legend does not. I'd like Belize to be one of the stops (so we can do the zoo there) and he'd like to go to Grand Cayman b/c he thinks my oldest will like the Turtle Farm.

 

PLMK what you all think. I'm getting excited thinking about it. I think that b/c we'll be doing lots of different things that my baby will be happy most of the time and we should still have fun.

[gkrnjlr]

What is the itinerary that you're trying to avoid? What ports?

 

Great deal on taking Grandma and piggy backing with her discount!!!

[mcfam5]

. . .which sails out of Tampa. There are sailing dates of the 23rd and 30th of November.

 

Their Western itinerary is Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Belize and Roatan. We are looking forward to that itinerary next August!

 

Legend looks like a great ship as well!

 

Good luck!:D

[yesornocruising]

We WANT to do the Legend but it doesn't hold 5 people. That is the itinerary we want though. The Triump is the ship out of Miami that holds 5 in a room and it goes to San Juan, St Thomas & St Maarten. Any suggestions for excursions there?

[Julienatul]

I know the Valor also goes out of Miami as does the Victory. You could also try the Liberty out of Ft Lauderdale. I think the Glory out of Orlando is similar to the triumph.

 

Have fun, I bet your girls will have a blast.

 

BTW, we live in the Tampa Bay Area too.

[yesornocruising]

The Valor doesn't hold 5 people in a room. The Liberty also goes to the Eastern Carribbean that week. I think our best bet is the Triumph and just deal with the ports of call and make the best of it. We'll be discussing it this weekend. From what they tell me, there are several cabins still available. Are there recommendations out there for who to book with (or is that allowed on the site??)? Thanks again everyone.

 

--Rocki

[wrp96]

Instead of restricting yourself to ships that hold 5 in a cabin, have you considered looking at connecting cabins? That would open up your options. Otherwise your choices for 5 in one cabin is going to be Carnival's older ships (no Spirit or Conquest class), or RCCL's family cabins which can be much, much more expensive than booking connecting cabins many times.

[yesornocruising]

How do you all do shows @ night with a baby/toddler? I know the Camp Carnival has extended hours for a fee, but what about the baby? Do you take them and hope they sleep or do you just not do the shows or have someone else watch them? Do they offer any sort of after hours baby sitting for babies?

[gkrnjlr]

What ship is going to be taking over the itinerary that the Fascination is currently doing? I know that the Fascination is out of Miami and will put 5 in a cabin. With having only one cabin it keeps the price lower, if that helps.

 

On previous sailings we've been on we have seen people take their kids to the show and I've seen young children sitting with mom and dad during the show. The BEST thing we saw during one of the shows was a baby that was maybe......15 months old? The baby was really enjoying the music and "jiggling" (not quite dancing) to the music. It was adorable because even the little ones were having fun!

[CruisinEurope]

have you tried cruise compete dot com to try to figure out what cruises match your criteria?

 

you can plug in EXACT travel dates, exact "leaving from" ports, and any ports that you want to vist.

 

that way - at least you know who will be going where.. . and you can choose your cabins accordingly.

 

 

I would look into connecting cabins - - it's probably going to be the same price as a family room or a suite ... AND you'll get double the space to spread out in and two bathrooms. Not sure I'd like to travel with 5 to a tiny room and only one potty (esp, with my 2 kids... who ALWAYS have to go when DH or I are in there!).

 

Enjoy!

[Julienatul]

How do you all do shows @ night with a baby/toddler? I know the Camp Carnival has extended hours for a fee, but what about the baby? Do you take them and hope they sleep or do you just not do the shows or have someone else watch them? Do they offer any sort of after hours baby sitting for babies?

 

When our DD was 18mo, she loved the magic show but was bored in the others so one of us would go back to the cabin with her. At 2yrs she loved each and every single show so she was able to watch them all. Just try it, sit in the back, bring a stroller in case she wants to sleep and if all else fails, someone will have to watch her back in the cabin. Camp carnival babysitting starts at 10pm after the shows are over unfortunately. The only ones you could go to using babysitting are the midnight comedy shows. Just make sure she is well rested and has had good naps during the day and I bet she will be fine. They are mezmerized by the lights, costumes, music etc.

[beachchick]

How do you all do shows @ night with a baby/toddler? I know the Camp Carnival has extended hours for a fee, but what about the baby? Do you take them and hope they sleep or do you just not do the shows or have someone else watch them? Do they offer any sort of after hours baby sitting for babies?

 

I just read Carnival's website. Here's the babysitting info:

 

For the convenience of our guests Camp Carnival offers babysitting services for children ages 6 months - 11 years each evening from 10pm-3am allowing parents time to enjoy our fun-filled nightlife without having to worry about their little ones.

 

All babysitting services are offered within Camp Carnival in the form of a "slumber party", where kids can enjoy watching movies and cartoons. Pillows and blankets will be provided and for the younger children cribs are also available. In order to take advantage of this great service, parents should sign up in advance with Camp Carnival. The cost for this service is just $6 per hour for the first child and $4 per hour for each additional sibling in the same immediate family. Payment must be made with your Sail & Sign card and is due upon pick up. Carnival Cruise Lines does not offer any in-cabin babysitting services.

 

 

Unfortunately, it sounds like the group babysitting doesn't start until 10 pm. I don't know what services might be available before that. You can certainly always take the baby with you to the shows. If she gets fussy or needs to go to the cabin, you could easily leave the theater. But there's no reason not to at least try to bring her along. If there are no early babysitting options, I bet that grandma will be happy to babysit in the cabin at least a couple of evenings so that you can have some adult/couple time.

 

Here's the link to the page, which has a bunch more information you might need:

 

http://www.carnival.com/CMS/Static_Templates/babysitting.aspx

 

Hope you all have a wonderful cruise.

 

beachchick

[yesornocruising]

I'll be booking our cruise tomorrow.

 

We'll be doing the Triumph out of Miami on Sunday, November 23 (Thanksgiving week). I'm booking for me, dh, dd#s 1 (5 yrs old) & 2 (21 months at sailing), and my mom.

 

Ports of call are San Juan, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. Any suggestions for this ship, or ports of call (esp that) will be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks for all the advice here ladies.

[kdunn]

My family will be on that cruise too! Go to the roll call and you can get great advice on what to do on each island.