cjsegninir

9 hours ago, nwo4life said:

It was a great day, fun water activities and good prices on food and drink. We got there on a minivan from a tour company working at the cruise terminal. We paid them one price which included transportation and admission. Next time there we will probably hire a taxi.

Thanks! I'll probably do the same

On 4/8/2023 at 7:51 AM, nwo4life said:

We are thinking about taking our 7 year old to Kukumba Beach. Its not too far from the port, but has mixed reviews.

Hi, 

Did you go to Kukumba beach? how was it? How did you get there? 

Thanks

On 4/8/2023 at 7:51 AM, nwo4life said:

We are thinking about taking our 7 year old to Kukumba Beach. Its not too far from the port, but has mixed reviews.

Yeah, I saw this as an option, but reviews are not the best. I'm keeping it as my last resource.

I also found a private tour guide that quoted me 370$ for 5 hours private tour to the Howler monkeys and some other stops around town (Including lunch). 

17 hours ago, bguppies said:

Everything in Belize is a trek, because you start with that long tender ride to the port area. (which isn't in the greatest area to just wander from the port area like some other ports.)

 

You may want to look into an excursion that leaves straight from the shipo, to an island beach break or something similar, to save you entertaining two small kids through too many trandportation steps to get to one.

 

Honestly, if Belize was smack in the middle of my cruise, I might just stay onboard and let the kids enjoy a less crowded day in the pools and on the slides, etc.(just make sure to lotion up. I stayed onboard once and didn't lotion enough and got the worst burn ever, just walking around the ship. Not even swimming or laying out. Belizean sun is brutal)

Thanks!

Yes, I'm basically down to that option. Going to one of the cayes for a beach day.

I thought of staying on the ship, but it only has three port days (Roatan, Belize and Cozumel) and three sea days. I'd rather do something ashore.

Regards

Hi!

this will be our second time in Belize, but first with kids. What it seems a million years ago (2011 🤣), when we were younger (and kidless), we did the X-Stream Cave tubing tour through Island Marketing. Honestly, we don't have much memories about it, besides the long and rough drive and the poor Belizean countryside.

Now with kids things are even more complicated. We'd rather do something without the long drive, so ruins and tubing is kind of off-the-picture from the research I've done.

So I've come to you, Cruise gurus, for your recommendations. Is there anything to do with 2 small kids, relatively nearby the port where we are dropped? 

Thanks!

On 11/10/2021 at 3:29 AM, GeriatricNurse said:

I've cruised Disney, (once) & surprisingly, it went quite well for an adult cruiser with no kids!

Disney Cruises are EXPENSIVE $$$!

My wife has always wanted to go on a Disney cruise, and now even more with two kids.

But everytime I see the price!!! I can do three Carnival's or the like for the same amount

thanks @Ferry_Watcher that's precisely the reason we wanted to travel before the i94 expires in late december

On 11/3/2021 at 8:29 AM, Essiesmom said:

Take one of the cruises that sails from Nassau.  EM

Thanks, this is a good idea. Do you know which cruise lines allow this?

Canada is not an option because my wife needs a Canadian visa

Some photos as promised

Check-in line at embarkation

Self-muster on embarkation

Football games by the pool

Pop show

Stateroom photos (1400)

Aft pool

Freeport

Half Moon Cay

Nassau Dolphin encounter

Movies by the pool

Baseball games

yes, that's basically what I have been thinking. Something that goes to south america, like one of the Panama Canal ones.

I guess I'll keep investigating on that line...

Regards

Summary for parents

In short words, cruising is still a very good option for a family vacation these days. It is still a lot of fun and the covid restrictions are manageable. You feel safe most of the time, safer than you would feel going on a plane or a random hotel room in a vacation destination and eating out in random restaurants.

But there are a few things you really need to consider:

1) You must budget for the bubble tours, which is additional cost

2) There are limited cruise-organized activities for kids, so you will be basically left on your own on this regard.

3) There is always the uncertainty in the planning. Having to get the covid test pre-embarkation, and waiting for the cruise line to grant you the exemption for your kids.

Carnival, what did you do?

In my honest opinion, cruising is still the best vacation. I know it is not for everyone, but it is hard to beat the price-quality relationship. And Carnival is usually hardest to beat in pricing and shiny new ships and activities. But it comes at a cost. 

I remember my first few cruises, all with Carnival, how much we loved the experience. Everything was new for us and we fell in love with it. But with every sailing we noticed things changing. Those small little things that won't make your vacation worse per-se, but once they are removed, you really miss them and you start feeling cheated. I'm talking of "silly" things like no toiletries, no chocolate mint in your bed, room service charges (Hated not to be able to have a decent breakfast in the room without paying for it!), very bad quality toilet paper, and I could go on and on.

Now that I have also experiences with other cruise lines (HAL and Princess most recently) I can see the difference, and I might be getting old, but I am starting to prefer those than Carnival. 

Not saying I won't go back to Carnival, but it breaks my heart a little to know that I don't love them as much as I did and that they won't be my automatic first option as they were in the past.

Still, what makes the cruising most enjoyable is the service you receive, and the staff was great as usual. They really try their best to make your vacation enjoyable.

Now with this I conclude my humble review. I hope it is of help to parents especially, but for anyone deciding if cruising soon. 

Keep safe and hope to meet you on-board some day.

Thanks for the answer.

On our last cruise from Galveston (To Bahamas), when we returned we only went through Carnival's Smile-and-go thingy. There was an immigration agent standing nearby, and I did ask him, but he said that since it was a closed loop cruise, we would not get a new i94. 

That's the reason for my question here

Hello cruise friends,

This question might look rather odd, as one of the beauties of cruising is exactly the opposite, not needing to do immigration, visas, passports, etc.

However, in my case, I need to get a new stamp on my passport.

Making the story short, we are in the US with a working visa, but the current stamp was dependent on the passport expiration, instead of the visa expiry. Now that we got the passport renewed, we need to leave and come back to get a new stamp and i94 (Yes, I know I can apply to extend it from within the country, but it takes several months and considerable paperwork, so it is easy just to travel).

I could take a short flight anywhere and come back within a couple days, but why not make it a vacation? And if I'm taking a vacation, why not cruising? 🙂

So, which ports/itineraries I could book in order to go through immigration?

Thanks a lot for your insight!

Cheers

39 minutes ago, mapgirl34 said:

Thank you!  We take our tests tomorrow (Tuesday) and our ship sails Thursday.

Amazing how we have to be locked in to bubble tours or can't leave the ship, but embarkation is crowded and disorganized.  I agree with you.  If someone showed up positive, it negates all the pre-cruise testing.  Seems a bit silly to me.  But I imagine they're still working out the kinks.

I know. I mean, I never felt really "scared" of getting Covid. Most of the people was wearing masks all the time. And knowing that >90% of everyone you encounter is vaccinated is very reassuring. But it is true, you cannot go out of the ship but you are still with the same people inside. Or for the testing you have chairs separated apart but there is a long line outside to enter the room. 

Many times you feel some of these restrictions are just for a "show". To make sure you get approvals from CDC and the ports' authorities. But at the same time you can understand Carnival (and all the cruise lines), they are a business and they need to do their best to avoid contagions, or at least show that they did (Or tried to do) all they could.

But even of all the seemingly complains I may have, we had a wonderful cruise and a wonderful vacation. And I always felt safer there than going to the supermarket or a restaurant or anywhere else. And surely safer than taking a plane and staying in a random hotel

Enjoy your trip! Thanks for reading

Day 8: Last sea day

So it is time to close this review. I know was less live than I first wanted, but, I was on vacation! haha.

Well, I'll try my best to remember this last day, but by now it is already a bit blurry. I will focus on what I consider the most important things, regarding debarkation preparations.

Being the last sea day we know it was going to be busy, so we planned a relatively earlier start. I woke early as usual and went to the gym, then back to the room and ready to go out before 9am. We took the kids to the Arts and Craft activity with Michael which mostly catered for adults, it was coloring in tiny canvases, but our kids enjoyed it. I went to get breakfast for them and brought it to the tables while they colored. 

The evening before we received a paper slip indicating that we had an appointment at 10am at the Burgundy lounge (5th aft, where the comedy and other smaller "shows" are held) in order for the kids to have the mandatory Covid test before debarkation. We knew this was necessary and were expecting to know how it would work. So after the coloring we moved to the room and arrived maybe at 10:10am. There was a line outside, they were checking cabin numbers and we were seated inside according to capacity. 

They kept the room to about 50% capacity, but I am sure they can do a better job in organizing it, maybe giving a more accurate appointment timing or even using different venues for the testing. I mean, having all unvaccinated guests attending the same room in the same window of time doesnt sound like a good idea. I mentioned it to the person handling the activity, and although she was not as friendly and accepting as I would have expected, I could see that she was very busy and stressed and might not have shown her best face. Her response was basically that it is not their fault that people doesnt respect the appointment timings. I agree, but still I am pretty sure that there are better ways to handle this. 

One thing to note is that not only kids and unvaccinated were having the test, also all the passengers on back-to-back cruises. That increased the amount of passengers taking the tests considerably.

The whole process took about an hour, from the time we lined out outside, to the time we waiting sitting inside and the actual testing (Normal nose swab for a rapid test). The people conducting the tests wer in full scrubs and protection and there was a lot of personnel wiping all surfaces continuously. After the test they ask you to go to your stateroom and wait there for 15 mins. If you don't get a call, you are free to resume your cruising activities. In case of a positive result, they would call to arrange for a full PCR test and you would have to quarantine in the meantime. We went to the room and waited for about 30-45mins, when there was no call, we went out again for lunch at lido.

As accustomed lunch time had the chocolate buffet at lido. There were a lot of chocolate cakes, the chocolate fountain, etc. Although I did miss some of the decorations and chocolate figurines of the old days, and I sort of preferred the Dinner time chocolate buffet, instead of lunch time, but still we ate enough chocolate for a month 😛. Some of the cakes were absolutely delicious!

One more thing that we needed to do for debarkation preparations was to get the luggage tags. They no longer send them to your room, instead we got a letter saying that we should go to certain location from 12 noon and collect them. We arrived around 2pm and there was none. We went to guest services and they told us that all were taken already! That people was taking more than they needed, etc etc etc. Not sure if that is the case, or if it is that Carnival has reduced the amount of tags that they have available (Less tags, less luggage to handle, less personnel, maybe?). In any case, I explain that I have kids and it would be impossible to handle luggage by ourselves so he went inside and sourced some tags for us. I noticed at least three more people in the same circumstances and they all got tags after asking, but not sure about people that came later than us. So my recommendation, get there early to get your tags!

Another big activity we had for the day was collecting the photos. On our past two cruises since we had kids (One with Princess and one with HAL) we purchased the all-inclusive pictures package. But Carnival doesn't offer this option, so we pre-purchased the largest package they offered (15 photos, one canvas and the digital copies for 300$). I know it is expensive, and I know we can almost cruise again for that money, but what can I say, we love the pictures. During the week we would collect all the photos and give to team who would store them in an envelope for us. Then on the last cruise day we had to come and choose the 15 we would keep. We had hundreds of photos to sort and select from, long and tedious task. After more than 1 hour we had 25 photos shortlisted, so I ended up paying another 200$ in photos. Don't kill me, it would have been harder if I said no to DW and DD haha.

Once we give them the selected photos, they keep them in an envelope to make sure the lab copies the correct digital ones in the flash drive, and then we were told to come back at 8pm to collect them. 

After crying a little (Both for the photos we didnt buy and the horrible amount of money I paid for the ones we took) we had planned to take the kids to the pool. But weather was not helping much, so we ended up roaming around the ship for a bit and then came to prepare luggage. We did all fairly quickly and were ready to go for dinner and show. We decided for early show, tonight was the America Rocks and we really enjoyed, despite my wife not being a big fan of rock music. I was surprised to see a live band playing! It was only a keyboard, a drum set, a guitar and a bass, but it really makes the difference! Plus there were two new singers (One man and one woman), which we believe might be from the band, because you could hear in their voices they are real rockers. The show was very good, although some of the songs were butchered by the ship's singers (specially one of the male cast).

After the show we went for dinner at the MDR, whcih was mostly empty. For showtime we had the same waitress singer with the Carnival goodbye song. Again she didn't dissapoint, she is really good. I can't remember what we had for dinner, but I do remember that we cried a little again because we would have to cook the next day haha. Dinner was good as usual, we said farewell to the servers and staff. Most of them were great, especially with our kids. They brought napkin animals, talked to them, brought them special meals they wanted and more. The best one we had was Indra (Say hi to him if you meet him when you cruise), we saw him several times not only in the MDR but also in Lido and he always came to greet us and talk to the kids. Also the ladies at the reception of 3rd floor MDR were very accomodating and always smiling. Certainly the staff is what makes cruising the best vacation ever!

We went back to the stateroom past 9pm and were surprised that there were no luggage outside the doors! After seeing all the tags gone so quick I was expecting the halls being full of bags, but ther was none. Again, I don't want to assume it is Carnival cutting the number of tags, it may be that the staff was very good in collecting the luggage as soon as they were put out (They did it for ours, it didn't stay at the door more than 5 mins). We put ours around 10:30pm, as the call was to bring them out from 8-11pm.

Changed the kids to their PJs and went to sleep on the shio for the last time this trip 😞 

Day 9: Debarkation

You know how debarkation works. Nothing has changed and it is as sad as always. I woke up around 6:30am and the bill was already below the door. By 7am we were on port and the first announcements came outside the room calling for the early debarkation. They called by muster station instead of floor numbers, which I think is a good idea. Close to 8am (The time we need to vacate the staterooms) the announcement came through the room speakers. At 8 o'clock there was a knock on the door. It was Abdul, our steward. He was as good as expected. He was always around, always smiling, maintained the room very clean and tidy, despite doing only one service per day instead of two (We chose evenings).

5 mins later we were in Lido having breakfast. Lido was not as crowded as I remember in previous cruises. I guess it helps that occupancy was not 100%, but also that debarkation was going very fast. On one hand, many would have been "forced" to leave the ship early carrying their own bags. On the other they were calling the bag tags 10 at a time. We had 28, which was one of the last (I think they called down to 32), but by the time we came to Lido they had already called until 10.

We finished our breakfast with no rush and maybe around 9am they called our group (21-30). We waited for most of the people to leave and moved almost last so we avoided the crowd and stress. Walked out of the ship and into the terminal, where the bags were waiting for us. There was a relatively long line for porters, but we carried our own luggage, so we came our really fast. 

One thing I noticed differently was that immigration was basically inexistent. I might have a bad recollection of my last cruise in 2015 and the previous ones, but I always remember having to hand the passport to an immigration officer and receiving a stamp (I always visited under tourist visas, this is our first time as residents). This time we only smiled at Carnival's Smile-and-go cameras until it flashed green and that was all. No line, no wait, no anything. Really convenient and fast!

Walked outside and the shuttle for the parking was waiting for us, loaded the luggage and drove us to the car. Took maybe 5-10mins with no traffic. Being in the covered parking, they dropped us first.

We loaded the bags and drove for 4 hours to get home under 2pm.

Vacation is over and I now sit on my desk working today 😞 

2 hours ago, LatinaInTexas said:

The waitress that sings is Johnamay. She was our server twice and provided the best service and entertainment. She had us laughing non stop, she's so engaging and sweet. Did you by chance get to see her dance, she's very talented all around!

Yes, we looked for her on the last day to thank her for her singing. Unfortunately she was never our server, but I could see that she is really good.

10 hours ago, mapgirl34 said:

I'm stunned when you say crowded.  I really thought ships would be a half capacity!

Just checking back in to see how the billing went as far as charging for Covid testing onboard.

Thanks for sharing so much detail.

Embarkation was indeed much crowded that I had expected. It may be a lack of better organization with the times assignment or that they were taking longer than planned to review the paperwork. But I didn't feel comfortable with the amount of people at the same time at embarkation. Especially there was no separation between vaccinated or unvaccinated, etc. I know that inside the ship we would be all together, but what if someone was there with a positive Covid? There could definitely be more organization at embarkation.

Inside the ship it was less crowded than usual, judging from previous experiences. But it was by no means half-capacity. Maybe more like 80%.

Regarding covid testing, I was surprised that we were not charged. It never appeared in our sign and sail and I was expecting it to appear directly in our credit card, but it has not so far. I just checked my bank app and all Carnival charges are still pending, and they don't amount to the total I received in the bill on the morning of debarkation, so more charges may come later.

The protocol is that they apply the rapid test and, in case it is positive, they run a full PCR. Maybe because our kids were always negative on the rapid and there was no need for the PCR, then there was no charge. But this is only speculation. I don't know if it was a mistake, if it is because of our kids ages, or if it is the rule.

When doing the test previous to debarkation (More about this later), the group behind us told us how they cruised with their grandchildren in August and they were charged the 150$ per kid. But I don't have any details about them.

If I get any charges later, I will let you know for sure

Day 7: Sea Day (2nd Elegant night)

Do you know what it means when kids go to bed a bit earlier, right? Well, they woke up early as well. Went to have breakfast in lido by 8ish and then tried a few family friendly activities, although kids were not too interested in any. There was arts and crafts, walk-a-mile, pumpkin carving and a dance class. What the kids really wanted to do was go duck hunting!

After learning about the duckies they just wanted more, so we ended walking about the ship most of the morning. After a couple unsuccessful hours we decided to hit the arcade and there we found many duckies, plus some we pulled out of the machine (1$ for a rubber duck!). Content with their new toys they wanted to go to the room to play so I took the advantage to hit the gym. 

(Pause here to say #&@$#$₡€ i lost my draft and have to write again)

After gym and shower we went for lunch at the pasta station. Fresh pasta made to your liking is always delicious, although waiting time was a bit too long, maybe about 30mins or more. 

There was a magician show at 2pm but by the time we got there it was so crowded that it was impossible to sit with the stroller. We tried the Deal or No Deal game show, but kids were bored very quickly. We roamed about a bit longer but with little to do, we ended back in the stateroom and started to get ready for photos.

There were the usual photo backgrounds everywhere. We tried maybe 3-4 before the kids didn't want a photo more. We then decided to do the early show, Flick, that i had been waiting for the whole cruise. However, with the rocking seas, the dancing and lighting was cancelled and they did it in form of a concert, with 4 singers sitting and taking turns to come up front to do their songs. Honestly, they were so bad tonight we could only stay 3-4 songs. Maybe it was the song choices, maybe the fact that there was no lighting and dancing or maybe they are just not too good. 

We then moved to the MDR for dinner. were seated in a new area and the waiter was a bit strange but tried his best. They had showtime again with the waitress singing a Celine Dion song (she really is much better than the show cast). I had beef (can't remember the cut), DW had Salmon Teriyaki, same as my eldest daughter. It was delicious. Food in general was good during the week, although not exceptional.

After dinner we roamed about a bit and then to bed.

Day 6: Nassau (Bubble Tour)

In a 3 ports, 8 nights cruise, we needed at least one bubble tour or we would go crazy on the ship. When planning the cruise we compared options between Freeport and Nassau and decided for Nassau. We booked the Dolphin Encounter with beach day in Blue Lagoon. 

When I booked on the website I was charged for the four of us, but once on the ship I read the description and it stated that children 5 or younger were free, so I checked with the excursion team and got a refund in my sail and sign account for half the fare. I think it was a great deal, 2 adults and 2 kids Dolphin Encounter for 240$ all.

On embarkation we received a small envelope with the tickets, which already had the time and location printed. The bad part is that the bubble tours leave the earliest, so that unvaccinated guests mix as less as possible with other guests. Meeting time was 6:30am with departure at 7am.

The night before we filled the room service breakfast form for 5:30-6am time. It probably arrived a tad later than 6. This is one area that Carnival has really made worse. The selection is now even more limited (basically cereal, coffee, bakery and fruits) and even the simplest breakfast is for a charge (3$ for eggs). I wrote a note asking for hard boiled eggs and they brought it with no charge, but this would be at the discretion of the team serving you, not something you should count on.

When breakfast arrived we had a quick bite and moved to the meeting location. By 7:15 we were being escorted out and walked to a smaller shuttle ship that took us through the bay to Blue Lagoon. It's a leisure sail and the team was friendly and tried to explain a few things we were seeing around us (like pointing to Atlantis or some of the homes of the famous people). Arriving in Blue Lagoon they took us directly to the Dolphin Encounter, which was great. We go down some stairs into a waist deep platform where the Dolphins come to interact with us. The trainer was great and the Dolphins happy and playful. You get a dolphin hug, see them jump, rub their bellies, take pictures and more. Your water time with them is maybe some 15-20mins, but you can stay longer outside the water while they interact with other in the group. It's worth the money for the experience in my opinion.

After the dolphins they take you to the photo area where they have some packages. We bought the full set of photos and video for 130$. Then it is to the beach area.

They have a section of beach separated from the rest, so all the guests are from bubble tours. They have chairs and umbrellas, which are included in the price, and they provide with a snack/brunch also included. It was hot dogs, burgers, veggie burgers and chicken with rice (Caribbean style). They give you one drink, but you can additionally purchase alcoholic drinks from a small bar.

There is a staff member doing some games and they have plenty of floaties for the kids. The beach is very quiet with virtually no waves, water is very clear and you can see fishes around you. Some people were snorkeling around us, but I would not expect to see corals or anything like it, just a few fishes. 

In general, it is a great beach for kids, although it feels more like a "marina" beach than a "real" beach, if you know what I mean. They also have many more things to do, like sea lions, touch tank, stingrays, Segway for rent and more, but we were "trapped" in the bubble area, so we could not participate.

By noon time the boat came for us again and we were back on the ship before 1pm, tired and satisfied with the tour. In the morning it was hard to be ready with small kids so early, but the advantage is that we also returned very early and vaccinated ones could go out in Nassau again. I did it and also saw a few others from the group doing the same.

The port itself is in a complete mess. I know they have been renovating for many years, but right now there is nothing left from the past building and nothing built of the new one, so the vendors were moved to an space outside near the entrance. Nassau is very practical because you have everything at walking distance from the port, but at the same time is not so pretty/interesting, just shops and shops, mostly catered to cruise ships. If you want a real feel of Bahamas, better get a taxi and go somewhere else (we love Ardastra Gardens, but could not visit this time).

Came back to the ship, the children were ready, so I took a shower and went for lunch at lido. The kids were very tired, so we came back for an afternoon nap until dinner time.

There were no real shows today, just the Deal or no Deal game show and the marriage show. Both are ok, but once you have seen them once, unless you plan to participate, there is no excitement to attend. Much less with small kids that would be easily bored, so we skipped the Encore lounge completely.

We went for dinner at the MDR and met a lovely couple who introduced us to the rubber duckies. I can't believe I had not read about this before! My daughters were so happy with their duckies that almost didn't eat their dinner. Honestly, I can't remember what I ate. Only remember that my older daughter stole my wife's Salmon haha. And for desert they had Banana Splits.

We had the best attendants this night, a nice gentleman called Indra. We have met him around the ship before and he is the best, always talks to our children and remembers their names. His was the idea of the banana split. There was also Showtime, with the waiters dancing.

After dinner we went back to the room, all tired, and managed to put the girls to bed before 10 which was a record on this cruise!

Day 5: Half Moon Cay

This was our first time in HMC, in part because I almost intentionally avoided it, thinking there were more interesting places to visit (I still sort of think that). However, after visiting this time I'm sold. HMC is the perfect "beach" port of call, especially with kids. Water is beautifully blue, white powdery sand, mild waves, a kiddy water park and "free" lunch (as in included on the cruise fare).

To get to HMC we need to take the water shuttle. There were announcements the day before explaining the process. As usual, first priority are the ones who purchased Carnival tours and also the Platinum and Diamond guests (for them, there was an especific location and time frame they should respect to make their privilege valid). After that they would be giving numbers you should collect from 7:30am. Once the numbers were finished, going out is just getting to the gangway.

We decided it wasn't worth the hassle to go early to get numbers, so we took our time. I woke up early and went to the gym, then back in the room to get the kids ready with their bathing suit. We were having breakfast at lido around 9 and ready to go ashore by 10. At that time there were no more numbers, so we moved straight to deck 0 and boarded the next shuttle. 

The disadvantage of arriving late is that all the umbrellas were rented and the chairs taken (chairs are free, first come first serve). We arranged our things were we could and within an hour people started going for lunch or back to ship and we found some chairs. We chose to stay near the kiddy water park at the left end of the beach. it is far from the cruise arranged activities and also far from lunch, but it is less crowded and near the playing area for the kids.

By 12ish I went to get lunch and was surprised to see that they were already packing up, but there was enough food available. Hot dogs, cheese burgers, rice and chicken, nachos with salsa and other snack style fare. Lots of fruit and also lemonade and tea. Overall a good lunch for a beach day. I got a few plates and walked back to the chairs to bring to the family. It was a far walk, but doable.

By 2pm we were already baked under the sun and moved back to the ship (last shuttle was 3pm). Even kids were tired! Waiting time was short and we were onboard by 2:30pm.

We spent a few hours resting in the cabin and went for early dinner by 6pm. Kids ordered nuggets and fries again, and I can't remember what I had 😅. DW is faithful to her Caesar and Salmon.

We then went to the first show, another juggler Manny Zúñiga. He's got lots of energy and talks less than the the other. This time we stayed the whole show, despite the kids being bored about halfway. 

After the show we walked around a bit, browsed the shows, looked at the photos and then back to our room. There was a kids movie in the pool area at 9pm, but my kids were not interested.

8 hours ago, mapgirl34 said:

Hi, thanks for all the detail.  I just found your review while searching bubble tour info.  Did they charge you $150/kid for pre-cruise testing?

• Presenting a negative PCR COVID-19 test at check-in, taken between 72 and 24 hours prior to the sailing date (for example, if the sailing is on Saturday, the test may be taken any time from Wednesday through Friday, but not on the morning of embarkation). Unvaccinated guests must take an additional antigen test at embarkation, and test again within 24 hours of debarkation on all cruises longer than 4 days. A US$150 per person charge will be assessed to the guest’s onboard Sail and Sign account to cover the cost of testing, reporting and health and safety screenings. Children under two are exempt from testing requirements.

So far, no. But also they have not placed the tips charges on the sail and sign account.

Today was the last port day (I'm falling behind writing the review here haha), so it means that there are only two more days. Check again by Sunday and I can confirm for sure. 

Enjoy @llarsen!!!

Any news @llarsen?  

I'm on board the Dream? Can I help from here?

Day 4: Freeport (sea day for us...)

This is the first port day (Key West was cancelled in advance) so the only option to debark was with a Bubble tour. The only one offered in this port was the beach getaway, which includes chairs and lunch, for 75$ per person. We thought about it, but ultimately decided it was not worth for a couple hours in the beach, especially having Half Moon Cay the next day. So we made it another sea day. Still I wanted to make sure that we, vaccinated adults on a party with kids, could still debark. And we can, no one even looked at me when I walked the gangway, I was just a passenger more.

The port of Freeport is a bit far from town, so you must take a taxi (7$ each way), but there are plenty of food, drinks and souvenir places inside the port itself. There is also free wifi. I only wandered around for 10mins and came back to the ship.

Breakfast was at lido, DW had arepas again, I had an omelette with everything and kids had cereal. The best part of staying on the ship is how empty it is, basically all for ourselves 

We had some homework to do with the kids (don't kill me, not my fault that the school still sent homework for their vacation) and then went for lunch at lido again, maybe around 3pm. I had some Mongolian Wok (not the best, but it is always trustable) and DW and kids are at the Latin America station. Food was good and plentiful as usual. The staff already know our kids and call them by name. They even brought them ice cream to the table.

Then we moved to the pool area, where they were showing a movie in the big screen (Boss Baby 2).

This brings me to something else, there has been barely no (small) kids programs in the cabin TV. Yes there is Nickelodeon, but it mostly shows teenager stuff and cartoon network, which is definitely not for 3-5 y/o. And the movies have not been for small kids either. Carnival needs to step up the game and change the TVs to a "streaming" like service instead of regular channel transmission. And even though I'm paying the full internet plan, it is not enough for Netflix and other streaming, so we ended with nothing to show them. So, my recommendation, get a lot of shows downloaded in your devices for the kids to watch.

Ater the movie we went to the room and changed for dinner and show. We had a late lunch, so planned to go to the show first. We had some time to burn, so we browsed the shops and bought some candy by the lb from Cherry on Top. Nice selection, but obviously very expensive. For the show we had Fantastic Patrick, a juggling act. We thought it would be interesting for the kids, but they were bored very quickly because he talks a lot. I mean, A LOT! It may be funnier for teenagers that can follow his jokes, but definitely not for small kids. We left maybe 15-20mins into the act and went for dinner.

The Crimson restaurant was almost empty, as it tends to happen in port days. Kids ordered pasta again, but it was taking longer, so the waiter brought some nuggets and fries in the meantime. Bad idea, they picked a bit the fries and nuggets, but then left most of the pasta. The 5 yo decided she wanted "white sauce" instead, so she made the chef to improvise something out of the menu. They were very accommodating as usual, but now we had so much food they could not eat. I hate the waste, so I wasn't happy with the kids. Hopefully they won't repeat it again.

I had the beef tenderloin that was delicious and DW had the Salmon cakes, that she didn't like, so she ate from the kids pasta.

Dessert was bitter and Blanc for both of us and the kids had some ice cream again.

After dinner we came back to the room for the night.

Let me open a bit of a parenthesis here as there were a few activities that we choose not to participate. This is a Halloween cruise, but we don't celebrate it at home. We don't like it's origins and traditions and we have taught the kids about it as well. They themselves are not attracted to the monsters and witches and other Halloween stuff, so even if we would take them to some of those activities they themselves would not want to participate. 

Said this, there have been a couple pumpkin scavenger hunts (basically images of pumpkins hidden around the ship), yesterday there was trick and treat (not cabin by cabin, but to specific locations that Carnival staff prepared), and last night there was also a costume competition, so lots of people were wearing them. There are also Halloween decorations around, especially in the atrium, and Halloween photo backgrounds. I couldn't say if these have been good or bad, since we didn't participate, but at the same time these are seasonal activities, so in "normal" conditions not sure what would be available 

17 hours ago, RGEDad said:

Thank you for your well written narrative on life on the Dream as a cruising parent with two small children with no organized cruise line activity to pawn them off too. 

 

We are on the Dream in January (but without grandkids), and we really appreciate the detail you go into on the day to day activities and life aboard the Dream.

 

What truly astounds me is that you can take care to two kids with only a 2 on 2  parents vs Kiddos - and still have the energy to write a coherent detail dialog on your days activities. I guess that is why people have kids in their 20's & 30's instead of in the 60's like we are. We have the 2 grandkids (3 & 7)  over to visit and we are totally exhausted after only an afternoon visit. 

Anyway -  Thank You for the time and effort you put forth in your write-up - we look forward to reading the remainder of the cruise.

Thanks, we are definitely exhausted as well haha. 

But at the same time cruising with kids can be easier than a normal vacation. No need to worry about meals, where do the kids want to go, etc. Though at the same time you miss a lot of cruising activities that you cannot do with kids.

But after hearing your 5 y/o say that this is the best vacation ever and that she doesn't want it to finish, then all is worth it

Day 3: Sea Day

For day 3 woke up "early" and went to the gym while the family slept. Arrived at the gym around 7:40am and asked about the aerobics area. They moved it upstairs one floor and you can access it anytime when there are no organized classes. They had one at 8am, so I couldn't go there. Cardio machines were mostly occupied but still easy to get one.

Back in the room before 9, children were awake and I took them for breakfast while DW rested a while longer (after I showered obviously haha). I had huevos rancheros and arepas from Cantina and kids had cereal. The mexican breakfast is quite good, they make their tortillas fresh and food is quite tasty, plus the condiments bar is a nice touch. My only "complain" is that those are not real arepas (I'm venezuelan, so I know what I'm talking about).

We brought some breakfast to the room for DW, rested for a bit and then went to the pool some time before 12. Most chairs were taken, but still could find one relatively easy. The pool was crowded (as expected for a sunny sea day), there were some pool games for about an hour (not really too elaborated and many people did not pay attention at all). The big screen was showing carnival advertising on a loop. I would have preferred music videos or photos from the cruise or something more interesting than the same Carnival ads. Once the games were finished, there was a DJ, but music was more like choosing songs than really DJ'ing.

We didnt stay much, the kids were a bit bored with no pool toys (my bad) and just jumping in and out the pool, which was not to the liking of many around us. There is no real kiddy pool space, the pool is built with a kind of overflow, so that the surrounding of the main water area is very shallow (ankle deep), but this is not interesting for a 3 and 5 years old. I brought their arm floaties so they could swim around but Carnival also provides kids vests if you need them (very useful!).

Went back to the room for a shower and attended the Build a bear party at 2pm. CD Deon did a 5 min speech/game with the bears hearts and then they started calling numbers they gave us at entrance, so that not too many people was at the front. We bought three bears with the clothing for about 140$(!!!). Kids (and DW haha) loved the experience and they keep playing with them. Expensive, but worth it for the kids.

We went for a Guys burger for lunch, I had the one with the bacon patty and DW the one with the onion ring. Kids had fries and fried chicken from lido. Burgers are huge and filling, very greasy but tasty. I love them, but feel my arteries plug with every bite haha

Nothing else to do after, so back in the cabin for a nap and then out for photos around 6pm and dinner at the MDR by 6:30pm. There were 3 or 4 photo backgrounds with the typical beach sunset or ship background. Friendly photographers as usual, but they are becoming very pushy selling the private shooting.

Dinner was good, kids had the pasta and ate every bite, so much than they left the ice cream for more pasta. I had ceviche and lamb, best dinner so far. For dinner showtime, one of the waitress sang a Whitney Houston song, she sings better than the ones in the show productions!

(But of course she is not blonde, just a regular Asian girl... Sorry, i disgress)

After dinner we went to the show production, tonight was the motor town something, basically a concert with everyone siting on chairs and standing to sing their songs. Showcased how some singers are better than the others (expected) and that some are just backup. Overall nice, but you can skip it with no remorse. 

Came back to the cabin early, with nothing else to do with the kids around.