sandy toes

It is a once a cruise thing for us. I would poll the family and only take the ones that really want to go. It compares to a very nice land steak house not the run of the mill mall quality steak house. Service is slow but that is considered part of the ambiance of the place. If someone wants a fast turn around for their meal this is NOT for them. If they want to dine and leisurely chat with family/friends then this is the place. Hope you get to try it out. When you get home, write a review of the dining experience so we can all share.

How wonderful! I think that is a great deal. I would have jumped on it too.

Enjoy your morning coffee and evening drinks on that balcony and think of all of us sitting at home waiting on those countdown clocks...

Hi I am a cruise addict as are my 3 girls. It has hit the teen especially hard. She has been cruising since she was 10 months old and thinks she NEEDS 2 cruises a year.

The OP asked about the Sunshine...my favorite thing is that it was the ship where I had my first Mother-Daughter cruise. Back then, it was the Destiny and we flew to San Juan from BWI (1st flight after the airport reopened after 9-11). That was a time of many memories along with family (2 cousins) loss. The trip had been planned for months and we did not allow the terrorist to make us fear travel. The crew was wonderful beyond words (we were told more than 1/3 went home to be with their families). The ship was about 1/2 emptied. We were upgraded and enjoyed the southern Caribbean itinerary. The Destiny has changed a lot since then. We were on here again in '15 and have another cruise planned for next year on her. I don't know how she does it but even with all the change overs she has one of the most friendly crews I have ever experienced.

A time will be listed on your boarding pass.

You can purchase FTTF and get the earliest or just wait and pick a time (various times are posted by the 1/2 hr on line for you to choose).

We try to get a 1230 time so most of the crazy crowd is gone and it is about time for the cabins to be available (1:00)

The cabins do open for a balcony walk through BUT the actual cabin door will be blocked so you have to all enter via the other cabin.Hope that is understandable. You can make this work. Talk to the Primary care doc and follow their advise. We all mean well but they are the experts.

Personally, I have used Bonine during a hurricane itinerary change. Bonine has only one product; the active per-tablet ingredient is 25 mg of meclizine hydrochloride, which prevents sea sickness symptoms with minimal drowsiness. Meanwhile, Dramamine offers several products, including one made from ginger and one designed for kids

Yes arriving late is OK. Arriving early is a sit and wait deal.

Yes you can board before the roommate. Each person on ship has their own boarding pass. Just print yours off and come at the assigned time. Walk around the ship, surprise your roommate learn the layout of the ship, and get a jump start on the fun.

When it is just me or even 2 adults it is Ok to cut back but when I add in some kids...we need clean towels and turn down encourages bedtime.

Carnival cabins are much more spacious than some other lines.

NCL inside cabins are barely large enough for one person on their polder ships.

Carnival has nice cabins and the pricing is very reasonable for 4. Sometimes you can even find a deal for reduced 3rd and 4th in a cabin.

The girls can even trade off the sofa and the top bunk so each have fairly equal time in each bed.

You didn't say the age of the girls. The bathroom might be a bigger issue than the room size!

OP

I noted this was your first post, welcome to CC.

Have you ever taken the kids before on a cruise?

Have you ever been on a cruise before?

You might want to look at the itineraries. Sometimes you can pack a lot into a shorter cruise. If you can find a 5 night with great ports then, as a first cruise it would be a good idea. You do not know how anyone will be on a cruise.

If you have cruised before, then I would go with the longer one...if you can make the flight and time off work all work for you and your family.

I love the longer cruises and even the back-to-back (B2B) but I take my family alot and most of the younger children cannot take much more than a week.

YOU know your family the best. Have fun.

wo5m

That is funny! A great memory. Thanks for sharing as I sit here freezing in this warming trend of 26!

Counting down to my cruise

I will pre purchase for the cabin some water but really wanted those little 8 oz ones for her.

Oh well, will bring a few cheap bottles as someone suggested and if she sits them down I won't be out much.

Thanks all!

Hacienda has a 16 yr limit and Rainforest 18 yr limit so kids are not allowed. But you can double up in the Rainforest.

I do not know if the Rainforest has reopened to tourist traffic yet. You could probably find more info by posting under the San Juan port section. Lots of other great excursions in San Juan. It is one of our favorite ports. We enjoy returning always something new to do.

REALLY?????

I just called DD to tell her it was OK.

I know on a recent RCCL cruise we took a case of water and what we didn't use we gave to the room steward.

I just did not know the CCL policy. I would hate to trash a case of water at the port.

Shady Lady

Thank you! I would rather she lose those little Deer Park bottles than her nice bottle. She gets excited and sits things down. Pooh Bear never but everything else at least once.

Amen about the drive to the ship or airport!

We now get a driver (SUV not a Limo) as I refuse to be the driver, when everyone is so excited and bouncing like Tigger in their seats!

It is less than the parking and for the peace of mind, well worth it.

Great holiday surprize. Santa is working with the cruise fairies now ; )

Does anyone know this one:

Can we bring the little child sized water bottles for a younger child on ship? The small 8oz size bottles.

If not will just pour from large bottle into a her smaller drink and keep bottle.

I know you cannot make a call from where you are but you can email guestcare@carnival.com

Explain to them the issues you are having. They will work with you and maybe they can even call you to have you give your payment information over the phone or give you a different way to pay on line.

Let us know what happens.

Hope you get it all worked out. Enjoy your cruise.

n6uqqq - what's the "Carnival Titanic in your signature?

Happening Nov 2018???

Do you have a Crystal Ball?

As to OP- groups on ship blend all the time and some of the nicest (and most fun) people are part of the LGBT group.

Cabo, the day sail is wonderful. We saw Turtles, a humpback and schools of fish. The crew was friendly, the snorkel and paddleboarding fun and food and drinks...all perfect. As you return, you are sailing into the sunset, just lovely!

Hi everyone,

I don't know if it is just because of the holidays or if people are just not signing up for their Roll Calls.

In years past, lots of people were chatting away during the holidays, giving one another good wishes, as plans were being made to meet up and visit even before Carnival offered the Meet and Mingle get togethers.

Even if you are not on my upcoming cruise, PLEASE jump over to the Roll Call and check out all the folks you will be sailing with. You might find someone you know, make a new friend or just learn something new about your ship.

Hope you all had a great holiday season. We celebrated Christmas and it was wonderful. The girls were excited to learn about the cruise and are looking forward to it.

Wishing you ALL a Happy New Year!

Love Maine in the summer. The times in the cabin at Big Lake are beyond wonderful. That is in August...

I do not enjoy that "S" word and look forward to April every November.

The kids all wanted a white Christmas. I just wanted a warm (50+) one.

Today our wind chill was 14 when the dogs went out this morning.

Looking forward to our cruise.

When we get to our 100 day mark, we have a bit of a celebration, I make a chocolate lava cake for us. You all are almost at 100 days !

Nice friendly share.

Thank you.

Way back when Andrew was off the coast of FL (1992), one of the crew, an officer, was talking to a young man probably about 15 and I was in line behind him waiting for a coffee.

The ship had already changed itineraries several times and people were getting nervous.

The young man asked if the ship was going to sink when he went to bed that night.

The Officer was so nice. He explained that the Captain would do nothing to damage the ship, she was his responsibility. Since we were all on the ship, we were guaranteed to stay safe.

I have never forgotten that little conversation. I have been in some very rough seas and that has always kept me calm.

I still bring meds in case I need them, keep a ginger ale in the cabin and a few green apples. If those work for the crew, they can work for me too.

CC is all about discussion. Everyone can and should be free to give their opinions. Someone sent me an email about this thread. LOL. I could hardly believe it! Anyway here is my view, which my friend should already know and won't be happy to see posted.

When my first grandchild was 10 months old I took her, my DD and SIL on a cruise. We flew BWI to San Juan and sailed on a 10 day southern Caribbean itinerary. We had a wonderful time. She was a very good baby/infant/toddler. She was walking at 10 months and made friends with everyone. The crew loved her. We had a nice umbrella style stroller with hood and back screen to protect her from the sun. We bought a small blow up bath tub for the shower and used it as a splash pool out on the balcony. She ate in the MDR, had a highchair provided each night and the chef even made her food blended, chopped and beautiful for her plate. We had sippy cups so NO spills. We also had a huge bib that had sleeves and covered her little dresses. She never threw a fit, was really good and liked by everyone.

That said, I agreed to spoil her, watch her, walk her around ship, she would nap every afternoon, and to put her to bed each evening. I saw early production shows (my favorites) and they went out for the late shows. We had lots of baby supplies and never had one issue with the baby.

EVERY family has their own way of dealing but I do feel someone needs to be willing to step up to help care for the baby so the parents can dine if the little one is a terror (children should never be allowed to run around a DR sitting as hot food can and does spill), someone to watch the little one so shows can be enjoyed by other guests (no screaming children or fighting parents yelling about which one has to take out the child...this was a major scene on our last cruise by someone in the theatre), someone to help with naps so parents can enjoy ports and someone to help with bedtimes. IF family cannot do this, then parents need to adjust their day (they cannot just expect the other one to ALWAYS have baby duty...something I have seen over the years many times), or to bring along a sitter (if they do this, they need to spell out what the sitter must do while on the cruise before ever leaving home). Some cruise lines do have sitters and even an infant "camp area" but parents are often expected to be there and use it as a parent&baby area as sitters are not always present. Sitters are an aditional fee but well worth a night out if that is the way you are planning to cruise. Children can cruise and even infants can be a world of fun. Just know your child and how they react to changes and strangers. Remember their favorite things, toy, blanket even shhets that smell of home instead of harsh ship laundry soap. You can even bring on your own pack N play for in the cabin.

I know several of my Grandchihldren should never attempt a cruise until they are in 2nd or 3rd grade. Not every child is the same and not all parents of families are flexible.

Make plans before your cruise and you will have a good experience.