cc1237

Yes they shut down on sea days at lunch time. You can however pay 6 dollars for your kids to eat with the kids club while in Bermuda.

We did not do the Cirque show as we tried to limit extra expenses. We also did not do the caves or zoo. I recommend not trying to do too much- everything takes longer with kids! In the end 2.5 days really isn't that much time there...

Also plan for your kids to stay up late as the evening kids club starts at 7 pm and the parade or main activity usually isn't until 830 - 9 pm. The time change in Bermuda does help a bit

Another recommendation is don't connect the kids card to your credit card. They try to swipe in the arcade and this would add of fast if it was actually successful.

We just got back from the May 28 cruise to Bermuda. Here are some thoughts re taking small kids on the boat:

1) Kids club. My kids (3 and 5) loved going, particularly in the evening. On the two full days in Bermuda, the kids club evening session opened at 6 pm instead of 7 pm without any extra charge, so you could make an earlier dinner reservation these nights. I recommend arriving 10 minutes early to get in line to drop off for the evening shift, especially if you plan to get to a show at 7 pm. Other than the lines to drop off at 7 pm we had no issues with lines to drop off or with the kids club being full. Both kids particularly liked the pirates night. FYI, they will come back with face paint many nights.

2) Dining. All the food was generally good with the exception of the Manhattan room where we had a really bad meal. We loved Le bistro, Moderno and Cagnes. As long as you reserve within the first day or two on the boat reservations should not be an issue. Moderno can be a fast meal so I recommend this if you have a show to get to. The service in Taste and Savor was a bit slow and daunting with two little kids (but fine if eating without kids). We actually found the buffet a better option when we all ate together. It also works well to feed kids first and then have a nice adult dinner while they are at the kids club. Margaritaville is great for breakfast. There were often only 3 tables occupied. If you really want something like an omelette you can bring it up from downstairs.

3) Shows. We had no issues getting into the comedy shows (second city)- in fact we went three times without reservations. Rock of ages and burn the floor were great but I recommend going without little ones. It was pretty easy for one parent to drop the children off at the kids club for a 7 pm show and the other to go and get seats. Even for the shows we had tickets to, there were empty seats up front. 3D star wars played on the last sea day (afternoon) which was a nice surprise.

4) Kids Activities.

Pool /Slides- Our three year old loved the small splash pool. It gets very crowded but this didn't really matter. The water was pleasantly warm. Our older child LOVED the slides. Again, the water was heated which made for a great time even when the air was not that warm. The slides were open for almost the entire trip. I recommend packing your suites in carry on bag because the slides are open right away in NYC but we did not get our luggage until late afternoon. The two "adult" slides are really fun. Beware that they are little painful on your back so if you have a swim suit that covers your back it will help. They made many people remove rash guards if they were loose. No rings / jewelry allowed on these slides. On the second sea day, the lines became long in the afternoon for the slides so we opted to do another activity. Besides that, we almost never waited more than about 3-5 minutes to take the slides!

Ropes course. Again, this was awesome. My older child is about 48 in and had no problem at all. I went behind to help move the rope. The morning is a great time to go. Hint- when the time changes on the way to Bermuda there was no one there between 10 am and 11 am! Beware, if it is at all windy or wet (condensation) they close the ropes course. I also think it was closed on the Bermuda port days for long periods of time. The ropes course opened the first day after muster drill. We never waited more than about 10 minutes for the ropes course.

Trampoline. Our 5 year old loved this, and actually says it was the best part of the trip. It is only open on 1 or 2 of the Bermuda port days and for a very short time in the morning. There is both a height and weight restriction so our 3 year old was unable to do it despite being the right weight. You need socks for this.

Spider slide- Again, lots of fun. I think height and weight requirements the same as the trampoline. This generally opened everyday i think in the morning. Very challenging but fun. Socks required.

Rock climbing. Fun activity, but only did this once. The location seems to be more shielded from the wind so perhaps more likely to be open when windy out.

5) Drinks. The drink package is great. We rarely had an issue with wait times for drinks. All of our drinks were VERY good. I recommend the martini bar in the evening and the other bars around the waterfront. You can order inside and then walk out to find seats. I'm not sure why but for some reason almost no one goes out to the waterfront in the evening. It is quiet and a beautiful place to enjoy a drink.

6) Crowds. I was very worried about the boat being too crowded. This really was not a problem. I did not think it felt much different than any other boat...

7) Bermuda. Horseshoe bay was our favorite, and surprisingly not that crowded. Water was a comfortable temperature. No jellyfish. The walk from Warwick bay was very pretty, but note that there was no food or drink available before you get to horseshoe bay. There were some nice secluded coves that had virtually no waves. People flew kites in Warwick bay from the cliff. The public bus can drop you off at Warwick bay and you can then walk to horseshoe bay along the beach. The mini bus leaves from horseshoe bay and only charged for the adults if the kids sit on the adults lap. This was much faster than the public bus. I would bring a floatation device as our younger one was knocked over at horseshoe bay.

Tobacco bay was nice and free. However, the beach is pretty small. We walked from NCL ferry to the beach (about 20 minutes). There is a grocery store on the way where you can purchase food. The ferry gets crowded particularly on the way back so get there early to get in line.

Rock of Ages is great. Seen it about 6 times already!! Dinner in the Manhattan Room when they have music and dancing too is also a great time.

Just sit on the waterfront and watch a beautiful sunset, holding cocktails. ..best time ever.

Safe sailing

When does the dinner and dancing occur?

Thanks for the input! We picked the breakaway. Our oldest is 48 in so can use the slides etc.

We are looking at a last minute trip this spring. Gem goes to Nassau, gsc and port Canaveral, breakaway to Bermuda. Which / itinerary / ship would be better for a 3 and 5 year old? I am a bit worried about the cool temperature in Bermuda and jellyfish. The older one loves slides so we would probably go to Atlantis on the gem.

On the gem we could get a minisuite on deck 11 and family balcony on the breakaway.

How busy will Atlantis be on thanksgiving day? How long should we expect "long" lines to be? We are traveling with a tall 6 year old that loves slides (48 in tall), but we are hesitant to go if it will be unpleasantly crowded.

Anyone travel out of either airport the Sunday after Thanksgiving? How horrible will it be? We are debating about extending the trip...

We are scheduled for thanksgiving cruise on splendor out of Miami. Just looked at prices for flights and they are very expensive, particularly for coming home the Sunday after thanksgiving. We are now wondering if the local ship, carnival pride out of Baltimore, is a better bet to avoid the expensive flight and travel time, etc. if we go out of Miami we likely will have to tag on 1 or 2 extra days on the trip for travel. My main concerns about the pride are the ports, cooler temperatures and potentially rough water. Kids are 3 and 6. The older one loves slides but I am not sure if the slides on the pride will be usable at that time of year. Any advice?

itinerary is below:

Pride itinerary (Baltimore) Freeport, princess keys, nasseau

Splendor (Miami): st. Thomas, San Juan, grand Turk and amber cove

Thanks for the info. Any pros / cons to the 8th deck balconies located in front of the boat compared to this area of the 7th deck? The 8th deck cabins are close to the bridge.

Does anyone know if 7392 is a loud room? We are looking for a quiet balcony room, and I am wondering if it is too close to the elevators. Other options are close to the front on the 8th deck.

We are considering breakaway vs anthem of the sea vs carnival pride going to Bahamas in November. Traveling with 3 and 6 year old kids. Any suggestions for which boat is best for these ages? The pride is much closer, but all are drivable. The pride is the only ship to go to Freeport, where as the others go to port canaveral.

We are deciding the same. What did you decide? For an interior room, the Escape with beverage package comes out a lot less than the carnival magic.

Did you find that the shows on the escape were appropriate for your 4 year old?

Is the almost 1000 dollar difference in price worth the magic over splendor for almost same itinerary? Traveling with small kids.

Please recommend a good value ship sailing to the Caribbean for a family with a 3 and 6 year old. We would like a water slide for the older one and splash area for the 3 year old. We will not likely pay for the extra dining so that doesn't matter as much.

We are traveling thanksgiving with a 3 and 6 year old. The price for the escape with an interior room for 4 is coming out cheaper than adventure of the sea and carnival magic for the same time. However, I am a little concerned about the size of the ship and extra costs. We plan to go with the included dining and shows. My older one loves water slides.

Can anyone comment on experiences on the ship that don't cost extra? Would the other ships be better for this age?