Carnival Splendor 9 Month Old & 4 Year Old

[polyphemus]

Hi Everyone -

 

Just joined the board after reading through many informative posts!

 

My wife and I are in our mid-late 30s and will have a 4 yr old daughter and a 9 month old son at departure time. We have been looking at the Carnival Splendor 7 day Mexican Riviera cruise leaving in December '09.

 

We usually go to the Mexican Riviera in December but this year, given the baby and that we live is Los Angeles, we've been looking at a cruise rather than a fly-away trip. Not a big deal since its less than 3 hours direct to PVR but price is about the same and we've never been on a cruise before.

 

All of the info and the reviews of Splendor have been informative and for the most part really positive especially as it relates to the things our 4 yr old can do.

 

I've seen a lot of comments around non-potty trained kids in the pools and I'm clear that the official policy is swim diapers and non-potty trainded kids are not allowed. I've also seen some suggestions to bring an inflatable baby pool which has been met with some mixed comments.

 

This is essentially a deal breaker for my wife and I wanted to check on how and whether the no swim diaper rule is actually enforced. To be clear, I am not saying we're planning on going and simply ignoring the rules, but given this is the only reason we wouldn't go, I'd hate to think that there are many parents taking their kids in pools anyway so we just should've gone on the cruise. There seems to be many things to do and for those 30 minutes a day that our son "may" want to swim, I thought I'd ask all of you, the experts, for your thoughts.

 

I've called Carnival literally 3 different times to inquire about the rules for the "Thunderball Pool" which is listed as a "family pool." I've gotten "no babies," "yes babies," and "not sure" as responses so the reps don't seem 100% clear. The "yes babies" rep said she had just come from a cruise and saw "many babies" swimming in all of the pools; I have to assume some of these at least were not indeed potty trained!

 

Lastly, given that several of the days are in port, can one just take a taxi to a resort and enjoy the day at the pool? I am a Starwood Gold member and a member of other loyatly programs. We were at the Westin Puerto Vallarta last year which was right next to a cruise ship port. Seems like a waste to pay for an excursion to a resort if we can hop in a cab and head to a resort that allows visitors even for a small fee.

 

Sorry for the long winded post and thanks in advance for your help and comments!

[Kerry's Girls]

Hi -

 

Don't worry about asking - it can be confusing. The answer is, your little one absolutely will not be able to go in the pools. If that is a deal-breaker, you will have to choose another ship that has a baby pool or choose a land-based vacation.

 

As someone who took her kids on 4 Mexican Riviera cruises before they were potty trained (from 13 months onward), clearly I think it would be a mistake to let that be a dealbreaker. The joy of getting on a ship in LA and having your vacation start immediately, rather than having to fly, is wonderful. Also, you can bring everything you want on board, as opposed to having to watch what you pack since you have to check luggage. I don't think there's any better way to travel with a little one.

 

You can go to a resort and/or the beach at each of the ports, so for 3 out of the 6 days. The other 3 days, the baby can play in a blow up pool. Again, if that doesn't work for your wife, then the flight to a resort is going to be better for her, but I think she may be over-estimating the importance of every-day pool-availability to your child and underestimating the joy and convenience of being catered to on a ship (a ship that also provides babysitting at night for the little one...).

 

In Puerto Vallarta the Krystal Resort is walking distance and has a kids pool, playground, nice beach. In Mazatlan you can walk to the ferry to Stone Island, or if you bring a car seat, can take the ship excursion to a resort (or go on your own to one that accepts passengers). In Cabo you can take a water taxi, or, again, bring a car seat to take a taxi to a resort.

 

Let me know if you have any questions - we always had a great time. And spent LOTS less than taking a land-based vacation.

 

Best,

Mia

[Essiesmom]

How is your 9 month old going to tell you he wants to go in the pool?

This is the thunderball pool on Splendor, definitely not for babies. child muse be 42" tall to use the slide.

Splendor has a Splash Park for little ones, with jets of water coming from below. I didn't specifically see any signs about diapers around it, but I only walked along one side.

Sorry, but these were taken last month on a rainy day in Astoria, OR. EM

[polyphemus]

Hi Mia -

 

Thank you so much for your quick reply!

 

I think I'm pretty much in agreement with you and just need to talk it over more thoroughly with my wife. She LOVES the idea of not flying and for my money, a first-time cruise seems like a wonderful experience that my daughter will also love.

 

I appreciate the insight to the crusier friendly resorts. I'll definitely look into that and have read some posts by searching for "day pass."

 

Thanks again and if anyone else has insight, please post away! There seems to be so much to learn and research before deciding on a cruise.

[polyphemus]

How is your 9 month old going to tell you he wants to go in the pool?

This is the thunderball pool on Splendor, definitely not for babies. child muse be 42" tall to use the slide.

Splendor has a Splash Park for little ones, with jets of water coming from below. I didn't specifically see any signs about diapers around it, but I only walked along one side.

Sorry, but these were taken last month on a rainy day in Astoria, OR. EM

 

Thanks so much for the pics! Looks ideal for our 4 year old. Our son loves water, bathing, and being dipped into our club's pool at home so while it's doubtful he'll be cognizant that he may be missing something, it's more about swimming all together and doing something that I know he loves already. Plus, [totally an aside and not relevant], we're big on water safety and like having our kids acclimated to water and swimming so we do it as much as possible.

 

Based on Mia's post, looks like the policy is strictly enforced which works fine for me. Just want to manage expectations.

[Essiesmom]

Host Mach on the Carnival board posted sme larger pictures of the Splash Park on the Carnival board...should be on page two or three by now...EM

[Essiesmom]

Here's the link to the other thread about the Splash Park. EM

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=999566

[Julienatul]

You will see non- potty trained kids in the pool on carnival. At least every one I have been on. I'm not saying it's right just what I have observed. The water is salt water and the pools are not chlorinated therefore it is a risk to your baby as well as others since there is nothing killing the germs if your baby or someone else has an accident. The blow up pool is the best bet as it can also double as a tub in the cabin shower. Just put it right next to the pool and you all can swim as a family. We started sailing with my dd at 7mo and will be taking my son at 8mo this summer. It really is the best bang for your buck as far as vacations.

[calikak]

For resorts in port, ditto the suggestion to try the Krystal in PV (children's play area in addition to a very shallow wading pool and a full pool and a beach). We took our son to the ME by Melia in Cabo and it worked great for us, but it's definitely a hipster hotel and if you would feel awkward being the only ones with kids there, then you might try somewhere else. No wading pool there either but the day we were there, the ocean swimming was better than it had been in PV. Both were free, no day pass required. I know the ME has charged for a day pass in the past, but they didn't when we were there in October. No help in Mazatlan because I love the old town there, it's a fun place to stroller around and just people-watch, but I'm sure there's a beach there that would meet your needs.

 

We're taking our 2-year-old on the Splendor next week (not a Mexico itinerary, though) and will be posting back with a review of the kids' club when we return. We're bringing the blow-up pool, I can't think of a way to successfully bathe DS in the cabin's shower without having one. And then we get the added bonus of having a splash pool for him that we can use on the balcony or up on deck. That is, assuming it's warm enough for one in the Pacific NW next week.

[calikak]

My review here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1010806