KatieBug28

I have a kid. That changes life. :eek: I keep fruit/veggie pouches & granola in our travel backbag. I don't buy food at ports, we've always brought boxed cereal for ports.

 

If my kid was picky, I could see having a jar of peanut butter if the cruise line didn't offer pb&j! And yes, they are lacking in chips/candy. I never felt the need to bring or buy that kind of stuff.

OP here. We have two kids as well (2 and 6 on our upcoming cruise), but trying new things in ports is one of our favorite activities. But it sounds like eating the local food is a common concern among those of you who answered, so I can see why you would bring snacks if that wasn't your thing. DH LOVES his street tacos, so we'll probably have to seek those out every day we are in port on our Mexican Riviera cruise :p

Thanks so much to everyone who answered, you've helped me understand the rational. I think we'll save the space in our luggage, but it's good for reference! Though after that post about the Triumph, I'm tempted to bring a suitcase of nothing but food!

Hey All!

I am sorry to ask so many questions! We've got a large group going, and I'm the planner, so I've got questions from 10 people.

Some of us are interested in the Marietas Islands cruise in PV, that includes a stop at the famous hidden beach. I've seen some amazing photos online, but wanted to see if any of you have done this and what you thought. Is it really that beautiful? And how is the snorkeling around the islands?

The tour would take up most of our time in PV, so we want to be sure it's worthwhile!

I've seen several posts lately about bringing food on board, or stopping at Walmart in port to pick up snacks, etc. I'm still a newbie (only 3 cruises with a 4th booked), but I'd never heard of doing this before. And I'm not sure I understand why. Can someone fill me in on the benefits of bringing your own food? I'm wondering if I'm missing some great cruise hack or something.

I totally understand why you'd bring your own if you have a special diet, or bringing on some soda or booze so you don't have to pay bar prices. I'm just talking about the regular old stuff (chips, candy, peanut butter, etc) that I've seen posted lately. We've always just been fine with the food on board, so unless there is some compelling reason, I doubt we'll start doing it, but it just made me curious!

TIA!

What does your toddler eat at home? Our older child eats everything that we put in front of him but our younger one is a bit less adventurous. But either way, they both enjoyed rice pasta, chicken, all other types of meats, vegetables, cheeses, cold cuts, etc. In fact I can't think of many things that they did not enjoy.

I totally agree Tapi! We just take our little ones through the buffet (or Mongolian Wok, or deli, or whatever) line with us, and let them pick what looks good to them. Emphasis on fruits and veggies, with a few indulgences like pizza or a treat thrown in (it is a vacation after all). Here are some of our kids favorites on our last cruise:

Mongolian Wok - they loved creating their own meal

Deli - wraps were a big hit

Rotisserie - they liked just about everything

Tandoor - They loved all the mild curries, and particularly loved the naan and rice

Buffet - loved the burrito bar, soup and salad, meats, etc. All the kids in our group enjoyed the chance to try a little bit of something new. It's nice when there are plenty of things you know you like, so you can branch out and give something else a taste.

I would book independently, but I'm booking for a group of 10 people and we all have specific requests. We want a catamaran (not a sailboat or a motor boat), it has to leave in the morning due to the time in port and I would like for it to leave right from the cruise pier or transportation be provided via bus since I don't want to drag a car seat for my three year old just for this excursion. I'm thinking we're going to have to be less picky.

You might be able to book a private boat with a group that big. Then you can choose pretty much whatever you want! We're doing that in Cabo on our next cruise.

Another option would be to look at similar excursion operators in the port, and check with them to see if they can adjust the time of the tour for cruise ship passengers. We've had luck with this in the past as well. They might say the tour only runs M,W,F, but if the ship is in port on a Thursday, they will put together a special tour, because they can usually drum up enough business to make it worthwhile!

Did you write to John Heald about this? It looks familiar.

 

We usually cruise Carnival out of Long Beach. Carnival out of Long Beach is about as casual as you can get. I'll dress the way I usually do for the cruise out of Port Canaveral. I'll be interested to see if there's a difference.

Oh, I didn't, but I'll have to look it up! It was casual, but not classless, if that makes sense. Everyone looked pulled together, just not quite so dressed up. No one was wearing cutoffs and tank tops in the MDR, just khakis and polos for guys and cute sundresses for the ladies.

Hey all!

Weird question, but I'm wondering if you think that the departure port has any impact on the overall formality in the MDR. We've only done three cruises, all on the same line, and have a 4th coming up. All were 7-night cruises. I'm trying to decide how formal to go.

On our first cruise, I felt totally UNDER dressed in the MDR in a cocktail dress on formal night. This one left from NOLA, and most people were in tuxes and full-length formals on formal nights.

Then we left out of Miami, and felt like a cocktail dress and suit for DH was just about right.

Our last cruise was a Mexican Riviera out of Long Beach, and that's what we're doing again this time. I wore a cocktail dress, but a little more relaxed. Like what you'd wear to a summer wedding. And I was super OVER dressed! Most people were wearing sundresses or just a dressy maxi!

So, I guess what I'm getting at: is this a factor of where the cruise left from/was going, or was it just the group on that particular cruise? I want to buy a new dress for formal nights on our upcoming trip, and I want to blend in with the overall tone of the MDR. Any thoughts or experiences welcome!

John Heald posted that the Miracle will have the new American Table menu on 10/10/15, so you will have it for your November cruise.

 

Here is a link to the new menu:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2177212

Darn, that's the cruise we are sailing on! I'm actually excited to try the new menu, I just worry about inconsistent quality and service while they are implementing it. Oh well, I'm sure it will be great and we'll have a wonderful experience. It's all about attitude, right?

Our DD was 3 on our last cruise, and this time she'll be 6 and joined by her 2 year old sister. She had a blast, and can't wait to go again!

Obviously Camp Carnival (or whatever they are calling it now) is great, but there were lots of other fun things as well. Here were some of our favorites last time:

Swimming/water slide

Family movie under the stars

Afternoon tea

Family scavenger hunt

Evening shows (if age appropriate, she loved getting to stay up late)

Mini golf

Old West dress up photos (our cruise had a ton of these, the kids loved trying on all the costumes)

Arcade

Dance classes (my DD still knows the Thriller dance)

Get a fancy virgin drink and drink it while laying out (copying grandma!)

On our upcoming cruise we're hoping for the Seuss at Sea activities, too. And of course there are a ton of fun things to do in ports. We did a beach day, rode ATVs and went whale watching. All with our 3 year old and our cousins who were 8 and 9 at the time. It's great for families!

Hello! I'm hoping some of our gluten free friends can lend me a hand. We're doing a multi-generation cruise on the Miracle, and my dad is GF. He doesn't have celiac or anything, the diet just seems to help with his MS symptoms. So cross contamination isn't really an issue for him.

With that in mind, can you guys tell me some of your GF favorites in the casual eateries? I think we are in good shape in the MDR, but I'm wondering about the deli, room service, grill, etc. Do they offer GF pizza, and is it any good? What about for burgers or sandwiches? Do they have GF buns, or can they do a lettuce-wrap type thing? I know room service has a couple of salads, but that's the main option I've seen so far. I'd love it if we could offer him a little more variety.

Any tips or tricks you guys have would be much appreciated! Thank you!

Do you have to be or buy from a Lia Sophia distributor to take advantage of their liquidation?

No, you can just buy it directly from the website! So much easier that way. You just order online and it ships directly to you. I just got the regular shipping and it came in about 3 days, so not bad.

Glad to see this was helpful to someone! Hopefully they still have some good stuff left, it's been a few weeks since I ordered mine.

Thanks for the replies everyone! I will look into Norwegian and Royal, those seem like they would be a good fit for everyone. My girls are fairly well behaved, but I don't think I'm quite brave enough to bring them into the MDR on Celebrity or Cunard :p

Hopefully we'll be able to find a trip that will have something for everyone. We usually do national park trips (Yosemite, Mount Rainier, Glacier, etc.) for our reunions, so this will be a new one for us! I may be back with more questions. So glad I found this board! I had no idea about Jamaica being so homophobic, for example. Won't be booking a trip there!

I see a lot of people saying that Anytime Dining doesn't work well for larger groups, but we did it on our last cruise and never had a problem. Just be a little flexible and it will be OK. With a group that size, you are not going to all fit at one table. So just tell them you will take whatever combination they can offer at that moment. Maybe it's two tables of 8, or a mixture of 6 tops and 4 tops, etc. Then just make sure you switch it up so that people sit with a different group each night. I actually think it is more fun that way, because then you get a chance to talk with others who perhaps did something different that day, or family you don't see as often.

Excursions are always tough with a big group. We have 10 people on our upcoming cruise, ages 2-88. Four generations! So it's hard to find something for everyone. Since I'm the main planner, I usually find a few options in each port, and share them with the family. We discuss and figure out if we want to split up into groups, or if there is something we all want to do so we can stick together. For example, on our last cruise, we all wanted to go whale watching, but not everyone wanted to do the ATV trip. So half of us did ATVs, and the others planned their own thing. We'll do the same again.

Our basic philosophy when traveling with a large group (which we do at least once a year, though not always on cruises) is to have your plan and invite everyone to come along. If they want to do something else, that is OK! We'll just see them at dinner. You don't have to spend every moment together (in fact, when we travel with one aunt and uncle, it's better if we have some time apart!).

It depends on what kind of people they are. If they're going to insist that no one at their table drinks or requests the whole table do a blessing over the meal then no cruise would be good for them. I've read on here these types of situations.

If they don't have a problem with how others do things then Carnival is a good choice.

THIS! I totally agree!

We don't drink or gamble (we're Mormons), but it doesn't bother us at all if other people do. But I know other people who are really bothered by someone even having a glass of wine at dinner. So I'd say it really depends on their attitude.

One thing that will go a long way to helping them have a good cruise is to pick a departure port, date and itinerary that will be a good fit. We did our honeymoon out of NOLA, and it was like Mardi Gras the entire trip. So something like that or a cruise over Spring Break might not be a great trip for them. It seems like some ports are this way as well (people in Jamaica just don't want to take no for an answer when it comes to rum punch!), but it's never bothered us. We usually pick a longer cruise that's geared toward families now that we have kids, and while there tend to be people enjoying drinks, it's not really something that you'd notice unless you were trying. I've only found the one cruise (out of 4) to have that "party" atmosphere, and I think it was mostly due to the port and time of year.

Another vote for Rainbow! Our whole family has them, and they are so comfortable. Leather though, so not good for water. Though mine have gotten wet several times and are still fine. I like mine with the braided strap, makes them look a little more girly and fun.

For pool flip flops, the best I have ever found are Locals brand. They are from Hawaii and you can find them in the drug store for less than $5. Not sure if they are available on Amazon, etc. or not. But if you know someone going to Hawaii, they could easily pick you up a pair. Just watch out because they use European sizing. So I'm normally a 6, but in those I'd wear an 8.5 or 9.

I just saw that Lia Sophia jewelry is going out of business, and they are liquidating their entire stock. So if you are looking to try some new things, you might be able to find a great deal!

I'd never actually bought anything from Lia Sophia before, because it seemed like all the stuff I really liked was way too expensive for costume jewelry. I've been so several parties for friends over the years and just never bought, because I couldn't justify the price. But on this sale, I found a necklace I had my eye on at the last party I went to for only $40, down from $189. And I got a nice resin ring for $8 (down from $54) and some cute earrings for $5.

Anyway, the stock is kind of limited, but the price is certainly right! And I checked and the US and Canadian sites are both having sales. Hope the info is helpful to someone!

I am in love with the suits at Modcloth. Adorable, sexy and so flattering! Plus I love that they are using their staff as models! Gives you a really good idea of what the suit looks like on a lot of different body types.

I've been considering trying one of these pinup-girl style bikinis. High waisted to cover my stretch marks (thanks kids), but draw focus to the bust line and seem very flattering. I thought this one was super cute, and perfect for a cruise:

http://www.modcloth.com/shop/twopiece-swimwear/anchor-values-swimsuit-top

- Close down the piano bar one night, and be sure to sing along!

- Enter as many contests and events as you can on board

- Try a new food in every port (particularly if it is something they are famous for or something really odd or gross sounding)

- Flirt shamelessly yet innocently with much younger men :p

- Rock a new look or flaunt something you have always been self-conscious about, because you won't see any of these people again anyway! (ex: mine would be one of those retro pin-up girl high-waisted binkinis. Never worn one, always wished I had the confidence, so going to give it a try!)

My parents always got asked for one when I traveled with them as a kid, so I think it's safest to have one. We ran into a lot of questions when my Dad (technically my stepdad, but he ended up adopting me when I turned 18) came as a chaperon on a high school trip to France. We ended up volunteering to bump on a full flight, and when we went to leave Paris they actually called my mom to verify that it was real! So it's rare, but it does happen, especially if your child has a different last name from the rest of the family.

Now I get asked for one when I go home to visit my family in the States, because youngest DD has a Canadian passport, and everyone else has U.S. passports. So if DH or I are traveling alone, we make sure to get one. Just nice to have.

Hope you have a great trip!

Hi everyone!

I am relatively new to cruising (only 3 cruises, all on Carnival), so I was hoping I could get your input on a multi-generational family trip I am trying to put together.

I'm looking for your opinion on the best line that is LGBT friendly for my uncles, but also has a great children's program. I know most of the lines are LGBT friendly at least in theory, but I did worry that fellow passengers might be an issue. I just want to be sure my uncles feel safe and that they can be themselves.

Is there a particular line you'd recommend? I was thinking maybe Disney or Royal Caribbean? I know Disney is wonderfully LGBT friendly, but is there enough for adults with no children to be entertained? Also, is departure port and itinerary a factor? I saw a few gay and lesbian couples and families on our Mexican Riviera cruise out of Long Beach, but not so much on others. We're thinking of Alaska or the Caribbean for this family trip.

Anyway, any advice you have would be much appreciated! Happy cruising to all!

We had a group of 10 last time, and occasionally we had to wait 5 minutes or so while they set up the table. One time we did end up waiting about 20 minutes, but otherwise we were usually seated quite quickly. And I think the waits were mostly because we requested the same waiter all week. But overall it was not bad at all, and we're planning on doing ATD again on our next cruise.

Wow, did some of you even read my original post? You keep telling me to order off the adult menu, which I have already stated that we do. Those are my rules, and we never actually see the kids menu the entire trip. So it isn't a "parenting issue" in my family. I'd simply like to see more options for kids!

And we don't order every course for our kids either, because that is just too much food. What I am saying is that if kids want a steak or chicken or something off the main menu, they are going to end up with a giant portion that is too big for most of them. That's wasteful, and it costs Carnival money, which ends up raising the cost of cruising for everyone. I like what KatieCharlotte and others have suggested, with smaller portions of regular menu items.

And yes, I know there is an entire ship full of food for those who don't want to order off the adult menu. But some people want to enjoy a meal as a family in the MDR, so why don't we make it easier for them?

Lastly, regarding the ideas I suggested. Someone complained about a grilled cheese being unhealthy. And I will grant you that the grilled cheese you get at the local family place is pretty gross. But you can make one that is not too bad and still tasty. Use real cheese, and not too much of it. Press it in a panini maker or toast it instead of slathering it in butter. Pair it with tomato soup that's full of fresh basil and isn't swimming in cream. It's not hard. Heck, it's a cruise, I'm not saying they need to eat kale at every meal. I'm just saying it would be nice if there was an option between a giant, high quality meal for a tiny child and a hamburger.

Thank you all for your feedback. Maybe I'll change my request and just ask that they add smaller portions of regular menu items. I know I would order those myself! It sounds like there are a few better options for kids on the American Table menu, so that's great. I don't follow John Heald on Facebook, so I haven't seen the debates there. But contrary to making me want to "let it go," that actually makes me feel encouraged that there are others who feel the same way.

I understand your point. It makes more sense in normal restaurants where the food is more expensive to order off the adult menu. On a cruise, I wouldn't have any qualms ordering off the adult menu. My child is only three, so our issue is portion size. I would prefer if they offered more serving size choices.

 

I did actually see a complaint about the unhealthy offerings on the kids menu on John Heald's Facebook page. He was asking for feedback on the issue.

OP here. I totally agree about the portion size! My daughters can't eat an entire adult entree, let alone an appetizer and dessert. I feel like it's a huge waste of food! We do usually order off the adult menu for them, but we end up throwing away quite a bit, even when we only order an appetizer.

falkcor, you bring up a good point. Maybe that is what many of these kids eat at home (which is very sad and a whole issue in and of itself). So if nothing ever gets changed, we'll still continue to have a great cruise and just order off the adult menu and waste food which I will try not to feel too bad about (or let my husband eat all the leftovers so he doesn't come home 10 pounds heavier). But I'd love to see a "middle ground" for my tiny 2 year old between chicken fingers and a giant slice of prime rib that weighs as much as she does :p I often feel like kids are more adventurous eaters than we give them credit for. If we offer pizza or a burger, chances are they are going to choose that. But if we eliminate those for just one meal and offer some healthier choices, I'm sure 99% of kids would be able to find something that appeals to them.

Hey all!

I was thinking about writing to John Heald and some other folks at Carnival about what I feel is the poor quality of the MDR kids menu. But I started wondering if I'm just getting worked up over nothing, so I thought I'd ask you fine folks. Does it annoy anyone else that it is the same chicken fingers, pizza and PB&J that is found on crappy kids menus everywhere? Would your kids order something more interesting if it was available?

My kids are certainly no strangers to crappy kid food. I enjoy pizza and movie night almost every Friday. But I guess I feel like it would be nice if the MDR offerings weren't the same junk that is offered everywhere else on the ship. I'm sure my girls will get plenty of pizza and burgers and free ice cream during lunch time, so I'll be trying to convince them to eat off the adult menu in the MDR.

So, if you could change up the kids menu for the dining room, what would you put on there? I'm not asking for anything too drastic, just something more similar to what my kids normally eat at home. It doesn't have to be deep fried or smothered in cheese to be kid friendly. Here are some of my suggestions:

Pasta with choice of fresh marinara or pesto sauce

Build your own tacos with grilled chicken, beans and fresh veggies

Stir fry with noodles, veggies and protein

Rotisserie-style chicken drumstick

Grilled cheese (with real cheese) and tomato soup

Of course we'll keep the ever popular banana split for dessert, but could we lose the jello? What do you guys think? Am I nuts, or would something like this be a nice change?

Thank you so much for posting this! I'm sure that took a ton of time, but it is so nice to have all the menus in one place. Thank you so much for doing that!