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Behind the scenes tour?


sandkps
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If you've done one of these, would you recommend it?

 

As part of our school this month leading up to our November cruise, I'm thinking about taking my boys (ages 11 & 7, both homeschooled). I think they'd enjoy seeing these areas of the ship after doing research on the ship.

 

Would love to hear your opinions!

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They are not cheap or short in duration (depends on ship), but are worth EVERY penny!

 

The only thing you don't see is the actual engine room, but you do see the engine control room and, of course the bridge and the captain.

 

Of course there is much more!

 

Do it and enjoy it, as it certainly gives a different perspective to cruising.

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While it is a great experience and well worth the cost, not sure a 7 year old would get as much out of it. There is a lot of walking and climbing of stairs to the different areas and also standing around and listening to the information. Not sure my 7-year old would have kept the interest in the whole process.:confused:

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I just took the tour with my husband this past Monday on the Ecstasy. It was super informative and we really enjoyed some of the areas of the ship that we wouldn't have seen otherwise.

 

The tickets that we received in our stateroom came in an envelope which included some rules and regs regarding the tour (no cameras, no sandals, etc.) and one of those rules did say "Minimum age for the tour is 8 years..."

 

I'm not sure how strict they are about that, but it's something to keep in mind for your 7 year old.

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As a former homeschooling mom (mine have all graduated..WooHoo!), I think this would be an excellent idea. Not sure about the age restrictions though. My suggestion is go directly to the shore excursion desk as soon as you board to find out and to purchase your tickets.

 

Something else that I did was have our kids do a report of one of the countries that we would be visiting so that they would have an idea about it before our trip. They would cover things such as location, size, climate, government, history, culture, commerce, industry, religion, etc.

 

I also counted those days as school days. I figured if our public schools could take kids on a field trip to the zoo that they've been to a half a dozen times already, I could take mine on a week long field trip where they could get to meet a lot of people from various cultural backgrounds (cruise staff included) and count it, too. ;)

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We did it several times (different ships) before they started charging for it. I think every person that steps on a ship needs to do the tour so they can see for themselves and appreciate what goes in to making each sailing a successful one!

 

My daughter did her first at 8 1/2 and loved every second!

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We did the behind the scenes tour a few years ago, and really enjoyed it. The kids would enjoy learning about the food prep areas, the bridge, etc. Maybe you could take the older one this cruise & save the tour for the younger one next cruise.

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Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but the minimum age to participate is 8 years old. I do not think Carnival will wave the age requirement do to liability reasons. Here is the link from Carnivals FAQ:

 

 

 

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1386/kw/behind%20the%20fun%20tour

 

 

Just want to say that we were on the Pride October 2 and we did do the behind the fun tour.

It was my husband and myself, my daughter who is 12 and we got special permission by going to guest services and them making a few phone calls to allow our seven-year-old to also take the tour.

My seven-year-old son did great on the tour and loved every minute of it

My 12-year-old thought it was very informative and love seeing how the crew work and live.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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Just want to say that we were on the Pride October 2 and we did do the behind the fun tour.

It was my husband and myself, my daughter who is 12 and we got special permission by going to guest services and them making a few phone calls to allow our seven-year-old to also take the tour.

My seven-year-old son did great on the tour and loved every minute of it

My 12-year-old thought it was very informative and love seeing how the crew work and live.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

Glad you were able to make it work. In all honesty I didn't think they would bend the rules. Ask anyone that works in risk assessment. If something had happened, even if you signed a waiver, you would have had an open and shut case for a lawsuit. (Not implying you are the type to sue) Most companies won't take the chance.

Edited by springs741
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We did the tour a few years back and honestly I don't remember now which ship it was. But it was very interesting, the time flew by...I think it lasted 3.5 - 4 hours...ended at the steakhouse. We got some fancy little soaps shaped like swans or something, and the usual gifts. We also were treated to a choice of a couple drinks while we sat for a minute at one of the steakhouse tables. IIRC, I had a mimosa. We got a complimentary copy of a picture of a group of us with the captain. I would like to do the tour again someday, maybe in a couple years.

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My wife and I did the tour on the Freedom earlier this month and absolutely enjoyed it! I'm a dorky engineer and could have spent all day talking to the guys in the engine control room. You didn't get to see the engines but you could see them on a monitor in the control room. The amount of power being generated to drive the boat was HUGE!

 

The most incredible thing to my wife and I is all of the unseen hard work that everyone does behind the scenes that you never see. We saw behind the stage in the theater, one of the store rooms, the kitchen, the environmental areas, crew break areas, crew dining room, the bridge, the engine control room, and more but I have forgotten it all. Everyone we met was smiling and seemed to be happy. The ship really is a floating city and they do a great job of keeping all of the balls in the air! We'll definitely keep that in mind on future cruises when things have a little hiccup and don't go perfect.

 

The price was $95 If I remember right and took about 3.5 or 4 hours. Lots of walking and some stairs.

Edited by tllstaco
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