On 5/5/2023 at 10:53 AM, mz-s said:

Pack everything you think you'll need, then take half of it out.

Ha. Yeah, I think we're going to be "those people" this first time around with the kid. Way too much crap "just in case"

16 hours ago, SRQbeachgirl said:

 

We cruised the Magic with our then- teen-aged son. We had not problem using an over the door organizer for all out toiletries and miscellaneous "stuff." It was a huge help!

 

Did you hang it on the outside of the door in the hall or inside the bathroom? I usually do both - shoes on the outside, toiletries on the inside. 

Can anyone confirm the magnetic walls inside the staterooms? 

1 minute ago, Essiesmom said:

The hallway isn’t any narrower, just looks that way because it is longer to accommodate the second half bath and extra closet.  EM

Do you think a shoe organizer or two would be constantly in the way or would I be good? I hate banging into things as much as I hate clutter. LOL

This is our first time traveling with our daughter (age 6) and I'm trying to start planning on how to keep the clutter to a manageable level so I don't go crazy. It looks like at least one interior wall in the Family Deluxe Ocean View cabins is magnetic. Is that accurate? I'd love to bring hooks/clips to keep the clutter to a manageable level.  

Also, it looks like the hallway is pretty narrow, so my normal hack of an over the door shoe organizer on the outside of the bathroom doors is probably out. Anyone have tips for keeping the shoe clutter contained? 

Any other kid crap organization tips for this stateroom? 58 days til we depart! Woohoo! 

18 hours ago, staceyglow said:

Are you talking about the sushi with the raw fish?  Most pediatricians will tell you that kids under 5 shouldn't eat it because their immune systems are developed enough to handle the potential bacteria.

Sushi is both raw and cooked and I assume most sushi eaters know to introduce kids to cooked things first. Considering my now 6 year old still won't even eat cooked crabmeat much less try anything with seaweed or wasabi, it's not anything we've had to navigate. 

5 hours ago, MistyRo76 said:

That's a GREAT idea! 

 

We took my husbands kids on a cruise when they were 8 and 11. They are super pick eaters, especially his son. We told them that they had to try at least one new food at lunch and dinner every day of the cruise. My step son learned he liked fried chicken and he enjoyed the short ribs. I counted that as a win. 

 

When we had our daughter, we didn't cater to her the way his older kids were catered too. She always was given what we were having for dinner with the one exception being if we were having something highly spicy (like chili or a spicy curry - we do enjoy spicy foods!). She's 9 now and most people comment on what a good eater she is - she eats about every kind of meat, has never met a fruit she doesn't like, enjoys most veggies (green beans are a big NO for her though), and doesn't drink sodas. We'll occasionally allow her a soda when we are out somewhere - but usually after a couple sips, she's over it. 

 

We just booked a cruise for this October and it'll be her first since she was 3. I'm excited for her to be exposed to even more types of food on this vacation! It's good for them to get out of their comfort zones! 

While I think the not catering definitely helps, some kids are just picky. I was determined to have a sushi lover by 3 and she's a hot dog chicken nugget kid. Drives me batty, but I pick my battles and don't want food to be one of them. She eats a great variety of fruits and veggies and eventually she'll expand her palette. For now, she eats what we eat or cereal. Probably why she loves restaurants so much - she can get whatever she wants. Lol. 

We have a super picky eater, so I've taken to trying to encourage her to try more new things leading up to the cruise. She gets a stamp/sticker for each new thing she tries and if she fills the whole card before our cruise this summer, we told her we'd take her to the fancy restaurant to get whatever she wants, even if it's just every dessert on the menu. lol. She's 6, so if it even gets 1 new thing on her regular rotation, I'll claim it as a win.  We're already seeing less drama around new things. Just a thought. 

I use a little zipper wallet that has a clip to hook onto my pants pocket: https://a.co/d/dILoun5

1 hour ago, Eli_6 said:

John Heald announced on his Facebook page today that they will start providing "a printed version of the Funtimes in the cabin mail box the night before."  This makes me very happy. 

Yay! I was dreading having to drag my phone all over the ship. I do wish they would make it an opt-in type of deal so they don't waste a bunch of paper needlessly for those who like the app. 

I might try asking if they'll do the pick your own pasta and just leave out the pasta. 🙂 A cooked sauté of the options with sauce sounds like a delish option if they'll let me. Otherwise, it's going to be a battle of the willpower to just not eat the delish pasta on the plate. 

7 minutes ago, PekingeseLady said:

They offer a meat lasagna 😋 is excellent. 

This might still put me over my carbs per meal, but I'll definitely steal a small bite from my husband's plate! lol. 

3 hours ago, Joebucks said:

Cucina for lunch is also boring. IMO, lunch is Carnival's strongest food offering. I'm not wasting it on cheap pasta.

I actually really love eating in the main dining room on most cruises for lunch, but hubs and the kid are pasta freaks, so trying to see if I can make it work for at least one meal. I think we're going to do dinner here one night, though. 

I've seen the pick your pasta menu for lunch, but do they have other options? I'm a recenly diagnosed diabetic and trying to stay very low carb when possible.

17 hours ago, EngIceDave said:

As seen on my cruise last month

 

That's awesome!!!

1 hour ago, scoobysnacks70 said:

Yes it is still a thing!  Lol

 

DECORATING YOUR STATEROOM DOOR AND STATEROOM

We recognize some of our guests like to decorate their staterooms and we, too, love seeing your creative decorations. However, for safety reasons, we must ask that you abide by the following guidelines for decorating your stateroom door as well as the interior of your stateroom.

In the interest of guest and crew safety, the following stateroom decoration policies will be instituted and strictly enforced:

• Decorations may consist only of fire retardant materials. Please note that items sprayed with fire retardant spray are not acceptable
• Decorations may only be placed on the stateroom door and not the surrounding frame, walls or railings
• You may use magnets or Command Strips but no adhesives such as tape or glue.
• Over-the-door hanging organizers must hang inside the stateroom, must also be of fire retardant material and cannot damage the door
• No decorations of any kind are allowed on balconies
• No decorations or items may be placed over light fittings or fixtures. This may restrict the airflow and cause the item to ignite
• No string lights of any kind are allowed

"Fire retardant materials" seems challenging. So, I guess nothing paper/cardboard... plastic maybe? Hmmm...

One of my favorite parts of cruising years ago was decorating our cabin and door. Is this still a thing? Do they have any new rules around it? We haven't cruised in 6 years and this will be our daughter's first cruise. Trying to make it as fun as possible (and easy to find our room!). We're sailing over July 4th week, so I have lots of fun ideas if it's still allowed! 

2 hours ago, PrincessArlena'sDad said:

Our first experience with Club Ocean was when our youngest was 2. They do divide by age group, but sometimes combine groups when there are low numbers. We have found supervision to be excellent. Our kids really liked the staff.

 

They have both open play and supervised activities, sometimes at the same time, and the kids can pick if they want to do the activity, or something else. Supervised activities are on a schedule you'll have, so that can help in figuring out when she might want to go to the club.

 

You can check in at any time.  Parents are not allowed in the play area, but you can peek in at any time to check on her.  We've done this, almost always without our son even knowing we came by.

Ah, I would LOVE to be able to check without her realizing we stopped by so my mind can be put at ease and she won't be interrupted in her play. 

Was the schedule a physical printed thing or is it part of this new app process? We haven't cruised in 6.5 years, so looks like lots has changed! 

I did some searches, but haven't found a ton of posts around the kids Club Ocean. This will be our first time cruising with our daughter (6) and would love to know more about the Club Ocean. It looks like they divide a bit by age group, but I don't see a lot of info around whether it's just an open play drop in or if they have scheduled activities, etc. Also, how is the supervision and can we drop in any time to check in on her? I'm not a helicopter parent by any means, but this is the first time someone is watching her who we haven't personally vetted, ya know? I want her to make friends, have fun AND be safe. 

It's only offered once on our 6 day and it's sold out but I'll keep looking just in case.

Thanks!

We booked the Magic for July and the Dr Seuss breakfast is already sold out. What are the chances of a cancellation or more seats opening up? This is my daughter's first cruise and was really hoping to include this experience.