angiegal

Is it something you would allow your 12 yo son or daughter to drink at home or school?

Nope. But I wouldn't let my 12 year old drink red bull at home or school and that can be carried on.

Just avoid the pool. It's really not as hard as you might think. We have an inflatable tub that we use to bath our youngest and on his first cruise we filled it so he could splash around on our balcony but I think he only used it once. There are plenty of other things to do on the ship and in my opinion, going to the beach in port is much better than a small, crowded pool any day.

I just got off the Carnival Pride on 11/5/17. While on board, my daughter's boyfriend, purchased a "Fun Book". Neither during the ship's staff presentation on the book and of the shopping opportunities at the ports we would visit, or when the book was actually purchased was any mention made of the fact that the coupons that would entitle the book's purchaser to thousands of dollars of free things and discounts in ports all over the Caribbean were going to expire at the end of November 2017. This meant that you had exactly 25 days to take advantage of any or all of these offers.

 

I am exceeding disappointed that Carnival continued to sell these books to passengers under these circumstances. I think this is at a minimum unethical behavior and urge anyone on a Carnival cruise to pay very careful attention to the terms and conditions of what Carnival is pushing.

Just out of curiosity, how long did you think they would be valid for? I just assumed that most people that purchased them used them at the ports of the cruise they were purchased on.

He just turned six a few days ago so will be fine for the most part. Was planning on leaving bathroom light on at night with door slightly closed as we have an inside. I have a consent letter downloaded. A bit of concern is when I pick him up from camp ocean and when showering prior to dinner he'll have to sit in the room and wait. Don't want him leaving the room so wondering if I can latch the door. I can't remember if the lock is high enough. He loves hot chocolate with marshmallows. Will room service deliver at night? Thanks for all the great tips

Love these boards.

 

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I'm not sure about the latch because I don't know his height. Personally, I'd shower while he at Camp Ocean. That way you have the room to yourself and don't have to worry about what he's doing.

As far as hot chocolate, I don't remember if that's something you can get from room service or not. However, you could get a travel mug and prepare it on the lido deck if not. BTW, my youngest loved getting cookies and milk delivered at bedtime.

Have a great trip!

Go for a balcony. The extra space is worth it when you have 4 ppl. We booked an interior with our teens. It was so horribly hot in that room with the pullmans over the bed. The balcony, the Pullman was over the couch not the bed.

 

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Considering they already done it five times, I think they are aware of what it's like in an interior with four people.

There's a lot of good advice here already. Just a few things I'd add.

If he's not familiar with showers, you can bring a small inflatable bathtub (there actually make a great little splash pool in a pinch, too).

Bring a few things from home to help him feel comfortable. A few of the things our kiddo loved were magnets for the door, window clings unless you have an interior, and a tablet with some of his favorite shows/movies already downloaded. Another great thing was the nightlight from his own bedroom so it's was something familiar if he woke up in the middle of the night.

Talk to the crew. They've dealt with A LOT of toddlers and can be your biggest ally! Room stewards will work around nap schedules and bedtime, wait staff will fill special cups and or have milk waiting for you, and the childcare staff is incredible! We've had Lido deck crew members sword fight our son with straws and photographers remember his name and high five him every time we pass. All of the staff we've encountered was great with him!

Last tip, don't be afraid to take him to shows or the dining room. Be prepared to have an exit strategy just in case you need it, but our son LOVED the shows and made it all the way through dinner in the MDR every night.

Most importantly, have fun and take a lot of pictures!

As far as the Green Eggs and Ham breakfast, we had an incredible time the first year! The second time we went it was less than fantastic, but our son had a blast! Every time we read the book now, he asks if he can have the red cookie. It was his favorite part of the breakfast :)

Our trip to Cozumel was rerouted but we've cruised with a toddler before. You'll get a definite split on the carseat: I'd never travel without a carseat and just put the kid on your lap, he/she will be fine. Many taxis won't have seatbelts but you can wait for a taxi that does if the parents choose to use one. I know I sound like a sanctimommy, but the laws of physics don't stop because you are on vacation and accidents DO happen. In my opinion (and I know not everyone agrees), we only go where we can walk or take a shuttle in port. We do take our carseat on cruises if we fly because we use it pre and post cruise. We just stored it in the closet in the cabin. It's really not a hassle.

I'm pretty sure Conquest is our next cruise. Love the info :D

Ours was the same on the Sensation in August. So long and hot. People couldn’t stand that long. It was the worst we’ve ever experienced. I hope the sold out Sunshine is better on Nov 18!

 

Each of had to be scanned. Plus if you speak a foreign language, they will call you out for personal instructions. We all had to wait for them as well. Then they escorted people to the boats. Was not professional in my opinion.

Our trip on the Sensation in early October was a cluster *&^*! They only scanned one card per cabin but the crew we encountered didn't seem to know how to work the iPad or who to scan. At first call, they were missing more than 50 people. They ended up calling out names of more than 20 people, but half of them claimed to have already been scanned. Kids had to be told repeatedly to get out of the pool, people kept going to the upper deck and being told they had to move, people were eating, drinking, on their phones, whole groups of people talking and dancing, staff on the stage were talking and dancing. It took FOREVER and was just chaos! (I'm sure I sound like a huge PITA but trying to teach a 3 year old to follow rules when no one around you is following them is really hard to do!) We were stuck on the Lido deck. The other half of our party sat in the lounge for their muster drill and then had to walk to the lifeboats. Totally different experience. Staff was super strict about drinks and talking. Unfortunately, it still took forever for them, too, because muster drill happens ship wide. UPSIDE- at least we didn't have to wear life vests and be packed in like sardines in front of the life boats like our first Sensation cruise :D

We live right in the middle of PA and have cruised from Baltimore. It's nice to drive to port, parking is relatively inexpensive (compared to say NY), many hotels offer free parking and shuttle deals, the bridges make it a fun first night and the Pride is a great ship. We went at the beginning of December and I loved having snow on the ground one day and warm, sunny weather on the next. You'll have a great time!

Got off the Dream today. Taste bar was there as well as a really nice pay sushi bar called "bonsai". It was very popular and the food looked and smelled great very reasonably priced.

 

 

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Bonsai is a different sushi place from what they are replacing the Taste Bar with. Bonsai is a place with drinks, desserts, soup & salad, sushi, etc. There is a fee but it was worth is in my opinion! It is really great! What has been put in place of the Taste Bar is just a small sushi cart with VERY limited hours. Sushi is $1.50 a piece, $5+ for a roll (from what I remember). No Yuzu Custard or Green Tea cupcakes or any of the meal options at the little cart.

Our very first cruise was a 3 day. None of our cruises have been longer than 6 days because we combine them with a land vacation. I'm not a drinker and not really a gambler either, but I have a blast. It is fast! No sooner do you get the lay of the ship and the trip is over, but if it's cheaper than a hotel, go for it!

OK....I am totally @ lost concerning this topic ... but can someone explain what this change means? Sorry for being so dumb... but I don't understand what changes are being made with the S&S card.:rolleyes:

Instead of getting your sail and sign card when you check in, the card is in an envelope waiting outside your stateroom. I didn't think it would make that much of a difference, but check in was super fast!

It becomes an unaffordable vacation.

 

I will stop cruising Carnival if they keep focusing on being "family friendly" and keep ignoring loyal adult customers who don't want to be around children. There was no reason they should of allowed kids in the aft pools. They need to correct this or they will lose mine and many others business.

 

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I always travel with my kids and absolutely love them dearly, but I completely agree with this! There needs to be a place (more than one place actually) set apart for adults, especially a pool and hot tub. I haven't been in either since my first cruise because the kids drive me freaking insane! And nothing is harder than trying to make your kids understand why they have to follow the rules when other kids are not. More and more I understand why people complain about kids on Carnival ships. My older two are 19 and 22 now and my youngest is a perfect 3 year old angel :rolleyes: so, of course, not MY kids ;p

For ships that don't have mailboxes, the envelope or tamper resistant whatever it's called is tucked behind the placard on the wall with your cabin number. We just experienced this on the Sensation a few weeks ago. My Dad was stressed that someone would steal his card no matter how many times I told him that even if that DID happen, they would cancel that card and issue him a new one. My concern was how to I buy alcohol before 1:30pm ;)

We were just on the Pride last week and they still do Muster outside on deck. We had two elderly people - stuck way in the back - just about passed out. The entire group was waving frantically to get the attention of the staff. There at least needs to be concessions for the elderly. It was ridiculous.

When we were on the Pride at the end of 2015 the staff stopped me as I went out to the deck because my 1 1/2 year old was in a Tula sleeping and they said I didn't have to take him outside. Although it was December in Baltimore so maybe that's the difference. They led me to a hallways outside some of the formalities shops and there were quite a few people with babies, in wheelchairs, older folks, etc. and most had at least one person sitting with them. They had staff members do the muster drill right there. It's amazing how different things are depending on the which crew members you happen to encounter. I don't understand why they don't have something like this all the time.

We used QLS Transportation recently and loved them! Brand new van, great driver, everyone was friendly and professional. I don't remember the rate exactly but it was between $10-15 per person for the trip. There is a pick up area just outside. There were a number of taxis and companies offer shuttle service that day as well.

Great review! We were recently on the Sensation, too. It was our first ship in 2008 and we decided to take another quick trip on her this year. She's old but great.

And I am so glad I'm not the only one who hate the coconut! My husband, dad and kids all thought it was the greatest thing in the world, especially with rum. Did you use the machete to crack it open and try the meat inside? My hubby was like a little kid and wanted a video of himself cracking open the coconut!

Glad you had a great trip!

MD can't always accommodate a table for two. But if he can request a private table for two . If not you will be sitting side by side in a row of so called table of two tops,which becomes a large twelve top. ;)

I've always thought it was fun the way they are set up. I know that space is limited, but we had a good sized family group right next to a couple on their honeymoon. They started talking to us and by the second night, they pretty much ended up at our table ;p

When we were on the Pride in 2015 we had cookies and milk delivered every night for our toddler. The room steward suggested it when we met with him on the first day. We just called room service and asked them. Milk comes in cartons, not glasses, and we had a set time it was delivered. For us, it was 7:30pm. Room service can't get into your cabin, but you COULD check with formalities on having something special delivered each night. You'd still have to get the milk though.

Or don't allow you underage daughter to wander the ship alone. You can look back years ago I posted I wouldn't allow my daughter to sunbathe alone on her graduation cruise bc of as you stated ..there are too many pervs.

Unfortunately, it happens even if they aren't alone. My daughter was 19 on our last cruise. We have always had a "safer in a group" guideline for both our son and daughter and reiterated it before the cruise. I couldn't believe how many times men offered to buy her drinks in various areas of the ship when I was with her. Even happened twice when she was with her dad! In one of the clubs two of the men apologized and said they just assumed she was 21 because she was in a bar. During a deck party, one guy told her she was legal because she was in international waters. I'm not an idiot and know that my daughter does, on occasion drink, but we only allowed her to drink in port.

If she was balancing on her stomach with her upper body over the rail and her legs sticking up, someone could have bumped her feet if it was crowded. That would be enough to take her over the edge.

 

 

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This is the only way I can see someone bumping her and causing her to fall forward.

I went back to see pictures from our trip on the Glory and I have one of my Dad (about 5'10"), husband (6'1") and son standing (6'3") at that railing one deck lower than she was when she fell. All three of them have their hands on the railing, leaning slightly. Any amount of bumping them wouldn't have caused any of them to fall over the railing.

Think like a child for a moment. What’s easier? to lift yourself up above the railing & lean forward (which is a difficult & risky maneuver) or to kneel down and look through the glass to the decks below. I believe she must have had something to climb up on in order to have fallen over the railing.

We were just on the Sensation last week. My son is three and can clearly see through the glass on these railing. But the first thing he did was grab the top edge and try to pull himself up because he "want to see". He was reprimanded and not allowed near the railings again.

We always liked the taste bar, too. I was surprised to see the upcharge sushi on the Sensation.

We just had an incident this past Monday in Miami. My daughter and dad had a flight booked out of FLL at 12:40pm. We thought we'd be fine. When I called to schedule the shuttle they reassured me it would be fine. The ship came into port on time but there was some kind of hold up when people started debarking. Whatever the issue was, the shuttle driver was waiting for them when they arrived and he hustled to get them to the airport on time. Fortunately, there was almost no traffic and almost no line at security and they got to the gate just as their flight started boarding. Too close for comfort for me.