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2 hours ago, amybiff said:

 Sorry if this has been answered before, I tried searching and couldn’t find the exact answer to my question, although I found some very helpful dailies that someone had posted.

 

My little penguin is almost 2 1/2, and I am hoping to make good use of Camp Ocean during our upcoming cruise on the Sunrise. I see that there are a lot of scheduled activities, does he have to participate in those, or can he just wander around and play with toys? He has developmental delays and is more like a 12 month old, and does not engage in group activities very well yet.

 

Thank you in advance!  

Cute photo added just because  🥰

Hello!  Our son was a bit older on his first cruise...he was five.  He has autism and is also more of a wanderer and play with toys than social interactions.  The camps were great and our son had a blast!  The staff were incredibly friendly.  I recommend sending a message to the special needs team prior to cruising.  I think the E-mail is access@carnival.com and just give them a heads up on any other needs you may have.  We always ask for a separate muster drill which they’ve always accommodated.  Enjoy your trip!

We leave for the Breeze in four days, 20 hours, and 28 minutes...but, who's counting?  My kids are going to enjoy it no matter what, so I'll ask my selfish questions!

1)  Was the casino crowded?

2)  Did you try the new seafood place and if so how was it?

3)  Any shows we definitely need to check out?

Welcome home!

Longest five days of my life.

On 6/21/2019 at 3:07 PM, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

Carnival currently uses terminals 5 and 6 at Port Canaveral.  The port isn’t too bad congestion wise due to the way the terminals are spread out and it’s not crazy busy like Port Miami, for example. There are clearly marked signs outside the terminal that tell you which line you need to get in. If you are cruising in 8 days, I assume you are on Breeze, which should use terminal 6. When looking at terminal 6 from the front, the priority line will be on the right side of the terminal. The priority waiting area is located on the second floor of the terminal. There will be employees inside letting you know where to go. 

Thanks for the all the great info!

7 minutes ago, panoramaofthepast said:

Carnival's boarding procedures are pretty standard and they have lots of people to direct you. Priority boarding is usually a separate line once you are inside. There are signs and helpful folks, so you shouldn't have any trouble at all. 

Appreciate it!  I figured it would be somewhat similar!  I think I am trying to stress myself out for absolutely no reason at all! 

1 hour ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

How's going from $200 to $10,000 at blackjack playing one on one with the dealer through about 3-4 shoes compare? I can't imagine where I would have ended up if I had actually been pressing my luck (was pretty much flat betting).

 

So... Carnival has totally done away with 3/2 blackjack payouts? Is that even at the higher limit tables? Haven't sailed with them in a couple of years.

 

Tom

I was reading in the other forum that some of the $25/hand tables were still 3/2.  I leave in a week on the Breeze.....I'll report back what I see!

2 hours ago, maryred said:

You may also want to know that Diamond, Platinum, and suite priority waiting areas are different from special invitee waiting which is different than the FttF guest waiting areas area at most ports. So even if priority check-in and boarding you may find your group split to various waiting areas based on why they have priority. 

Hi Maryred!  This is our first time sailing out of Port Canveral.  We have sailed out of Charleston before which is very small and pretty smooth.  I'm assuming Canaveral is much more intensive due to the size and number of ships.  We have booked a suite which comes with priority boarding.  So is there a different part of the terminal you have to go to?  Is everything laid out pretty clearly as to where folks have to go upon arrival to the terminal?  I'm sorry for the simple questions...I just like being as prepared as I can be!  Sail in eight days and I cannot wait! 🙂

2 hours ago, pyropoodle said:

That isn't the end of the random stuff people complain about.  you should read some of the messages/ requests that John Heald gets:

"John, you didn't mention there was a tornado in Ohio last week, I want $50.00 OBC"

"John, the room steward didn't give me a chocolate, what can you do for me????"

"John, the CD made too many announcements, I need a refund!"

 

people are really ludicrous  

I just started "following" John Heald on FB.  In the past 72 hours I've rolled my eyes more than I have in 37 years of living on this planet.  

5 hours ago, sredish said:

We did a cruise with almost the same amount of people as you have (2 kids, 2 parents, 2 grands).  We booked two adjoining balconies, but on the reservation I put one of my kids on the grandparents room so we for sure both had rooms that slept more than two (one room had a pull out couch and the other had pullman beds).  The kids took turns "sleeping over" on the pullman with grandma and grandpa.  It was also nice for naps with the younger one (she was almost 4 when we went and still needed naps most days)...I could put her down and then go over onto my mom's balcony and read a book or watch tv in the room while she napped in quiet.   

That's a really good idea!  Will definitely think of this for the next cruise!  Thanks!

Hi Jessica!

My 6yo son has autism and we went on our first cruise last year with Carnival!  We had so much fun we go on our next one in 79 days and the third one in January '20 on PCL! 🙂  So, I guess my note will be more general than specific to your ship...but, as a parent of a child on the spectrum, I'm sure it will still apply somewhat.  We were very nervous as we didn't really know what to expect.  Every kid is different...my son is pretty high functioning.  He is potty-trained, but he still has accidents.  We told the Carnival staff at their kid's club and they were very good at making him go to the potty.  If he had an accident, they called my wife and I, and we would come and "clean it up".  They were very accommodating and took really good care of him!

Some general tips that we found useful:

-  We booked the shortest cruise we could at first to see how he did....it was a 5-night cruise out of Charleston on a very small ship.  We didn't want to be stuck at sea for longer than that if it was a disaster.......hindsight, wish we would've booked a 30-night cruise! 🙂 

-  Not sure if you are using a TA or booking direct, but most of the cruise lines have a disability & accessibility department.  Call them early on and let them know your situation.  Our TA contacted them early on in the booking to let them know of our son's "issues".  They provided us a letter and made sure that we had our own special muster drill that was a bit later than everyone else's.  For our son, the issue is lines (which, to be fair, no one really likes standing in lines).  We pay for a suite to get priority boarding and such....this really helps in minimizing lines at the ports.  (I understand that not everyone can do that--but if you can, it does make it a little less stressful.)

-  We choose anytime dining and try to go during times that are less crowded.  You can usually see when times are busier after the first night or so......we also let the staff know on the first night and they tried to accommodate our table to an area that was nearer the kitchen.  He likes to watch the staff and it keeps him pretty occupied.

-  As I said, my son was "potty-trained....but still had accidents".  He wears regular underwear during the day...and pull-ups at night.  HOWEVER....This was the biggest thing we learned...our son was so excited to go that we believe it caused diarrhea.  We ran out of pull-ups by the second day at noon.  There was no where to buy diapers on the ship, that second day was a sea day and the first port day was one of the private Carnival islands-no where to buy any toiletries.  It wasn't until the fourth day that we found a drug store to buy whatever they had.  It was incredibly stressful.  We spent most of the first nights washing underwear.  Bring double the amount of diapers.  Trust me.                                                                                                        -  If your kids watch a certain show...make sure you download whatever it is prior to getting on the ship.  There aren't many options on the televisions and the internet is not conducive for streaming or downloading.   

-  Straws....couldn't find them anywhere.  Always had to ask.  One of the big issues for our son is his motor skills.  Bring some from home!  (Make sure if plastic they end up in the trash!)  If your kids still need lids...didn't ever see a place that had a lid for any cups.

My son loved the cruise.  We watched a lot of youtube videos of the cruise ship prior to sailing so he could see the different areas and plan out the things he wanted to do.  (Arcade, kids club, mini golf, etc.)  The staff were all wonderful and once you get underway, the ships are so large and folks are into what they are into that it's like being anywhere else.  I hope you all really enjoy your cruise and wish you all the best!  If I think of anything else...I will let you know!  

So glad they will do this....taking our six year old on a cruise "for his birthday".  He will love this! 

That we are much better off bringing a 12 pack of coke on-board with us than purchasing bottomless bubbles. The wait at the bar was often ridiculous and that was to receive a sometimes flat half a can of coke. Insulated tumbler and a twelve pack in the room for us from now on.

We learned that as well! While it didn't really seem like a lot of money upfront (2 adults; 2 kids), when we reflected back on how few sodas we drank, we were disappointed with ourselves.