Just Booked our first family cruise-- Any advice?

[ekatiel]

Hi guys! This is my very first post, although I have been lurking on and off for a while ;). DH and I have cruised by ourselves before (3 times with RCC, and once with Carnival), but we've never taken the kids along (we have two boys ages 5 and 3). Carnival sent us an offer we couldn't refuse this week, so we decided to take the plunge and book our first cruise as a family. We will be sailing on the Conquest, departing February 28th. Does anyone have any tips/advice for sailing with two young kids? Anything I should know about camp carnival, shore excursions, etc? Also, my 5 year old is severely allergic to eggs and nuts. Has anyone had experience contacting the special needs department? Thanks for any input you've got, guys. With vacations that are just DH and I, I am not much of a planner, but when the kids com along, I'm a complete over-planner, so I want to know everything!! --Katie

[cb at sea]

Do call the "special needs" dept. for you son....they do this EVERY cruise....they have it down to an art!

There's no need to "over-plan"...once you are on the ship, let the chips fall as they may...it's a vacation...relax and enjoy!

As far as excursions....browse what the ship offers, get a guidebook and read up on your ports...(many things are EASY to do on your own!) and then do what suits you! We're big into beaches, so excursions are rarely needed. Let the kids pick something...read them the guidebooks!

You'll have a fabulous time! Enjoy!

[K&Rs Mom]

Involve them in the planning - that's half the fun!

 

I don't know if Carnival has the same thing, but on RCCL's website you can bring up a clickable picture of your ship, and clicking on the different areas shows a photo or video of each one. My dc LOVE to spend time doing this before the cruise.

 

We also show them the online descriptions of the kids' activities. The month before our first cruise, my 4yo dd made me read her club info pretty much every day. I think she had a lot of it memorized, because she'd tell me if I skipped something. :rolleyes:

[ekatiel]

Thanks for the ideas guys. The boys seem pretty excited. I did show them the "virtual tour" off of the website, and they liked that a lot! I'm going to try not to over plan this one (although our last vacation was to Disney World in May, and I pretty much had every minute of our day planned :rolleyes:!). I was looking at shore excursions on the Carnival site and was wondering if anyone had done the Pirate Ship excursion in Grand Cayman. It sounds right up my boys' alley. Thanks again for your input! --Katie

[docs wife]

My sister and I did it with our grandsons (ages 6 & 7) in April....they loved it and that is what they tell about most when they tell people about their cruise. They have them scrub the deck, and then once they drop anchor, they let them "walk the plank" (with a snorkel vest) and we just stayed out there for about an hour for them to swim around the pirate ship, climb back up and jump off the ship again, etc. We all had a great day!

[A&Jfamily]

Hi guys! This is my very first post, although I have been lurking on and off for a while ;). DH and I have cruised by ourselves before (3 times with RCC, and once with Carnival), but we've never taken the kids along (we have two boys ages 5 and 3). Carnival sent us an offer we couldn't refuse this week, so we decided to take the plunge and book our first cruise as a family. We will be sailing on the Conquest, departing February 28th. Does anyone have any tips/advice for sailing with two young kids? Anything I should know about camp carnival, shore excursions, etc? Also, my 5 year old is severely allergic to eggs and nuts. Has anyone had experience contacting the special needs department? Thanks for any input you've got, guys. With vacations that are just DH and I, I am not much of a planner, but when the kids com along, I'm a complete over-planner, so I want to know everything!! --Katie

 

My advice is have the kids pack their own back pack, with coloring stuff, lovies, games, books etc that they want to have with them - and make them responsible for carrying it, and keeping it together in the cabin.

 

Also if you have a portable DVD player, you can hook them to the TV's in the cabin. It is great for down time in the afternoons before dinner.

 

Take advantage of the Steakhouse one night - send the kids to dinner with Camp and have a nice adult time.

 

Other than shore excursions, I don't really plan in advance what we are going to do. Let us know your ports of call and perhaps we can give some good recommendations.

[K&Rs Mom]

Also if you have a portable DVD player, you can hook them to the TV's in the cabin. It is great for down time in the afternoons before dinner.

 

This can be done with an iPod too - much smaller to carry and no separate discs! You need a cable for it that plugs into the headphone jack and the TV, but it was easy to find for about $15. I took it with us last time but didn't even use it because they were so busy with their clubs all day.

[ekatiel]

My sister and I did it with our grandsons (ages 6 & 7) in April....they loved it and that is what they tell about most when they tell people about their cruise. They have them scrub the deck, and then once they drop anchor, they let them "walk the plank" (with a snorkel vest) and we just stayed out there for about an hour for them to swim around the pirate ship, climb back up and jump off the ship again, etc. We all had a great day!

 

Thanks for the review. I think my boys will really enjoy this one. It is also a short enough activity where we won't have to eat off the ship, which can get dicey with my 5yo's food allergies!

 

My advice is have the kids pack their own back pack, with coloring stuff, lovies, games, books etc that they want to have with them - and make them responsible for carrying it, and keeping it together in the cabin.

 

Also if you have a portable DVD player, you can hook them to the TV's in the cabin. It is great for down time in the afternoons before dinner.

 

Take advantage of the Steakhouse one night - send the kids to dinner with Camp and have a nice adult time.

 

Other than shore excursions, I don't really plan in advance what we are going to do. Let us know your ports of call and perhaps we can give some good recommendations.

 

Thanks for the tip about the small backpack. They each have small backpacks that look like penguins that they got to pack with toys for Disney World. I think it's a good idea for us to do this for the cruise, too. They are already talking about needing sand toys, too, though!! I'm hoping a pail and shovel each will suffice (we have a large sandbox in our backyard, so they could literally pack a few suitcases full of sand toys if I let them!).

 

I'm not sure we feel comfortable sending my food allergic DS to eat at Camp Carnival. I will have to use my mommy spidey sense when we get on board and figure out if they can handle feeding him by themselves. A dinner by ourselves does sound nice, though!!

 

As far as our ports of call, we're stopping in Montego Bay, Jamaica; Grand Cayman; and Cozumel. We're trying to play it pretty cheap with shore excursions. I'd really appreciate any suggestions!!

 

This can be done with an iPod too - much smaller to carry and no separate discs! You need a cable for it that plugs into the headphone jack and the TV, but it was easy to find for about $15. I took it with us last time but didn't even use it because they were so busy with their clubs all day.

 

Great idea. I'll have to give DH the assignment of buying the right jack for this. . . he loves buying stuff for his Ipod anyways :D.

 

Thanks for all your helpful advice! --Katie

[A&Jfamily]

I have never been to Jamaica with a cruise, only a land vacation. What I have learned though from tons of reading on this board, combined with my experience, Jamaica needs to be seen with a reputable tour...so I would spend the money there for an excursion through the cruise line.

 

In Cozumel we did the dolphins, so that is not cheap - you might want to check though to see what age they start charging at. I have read tons of great things about the beach at Noci ???

 

As for Cayman, you see the pirate ship as you take the tender into the island. We didn't take that tour, but the one that went to Hell, the Turtle Farm and out to see the Rays. My DS then just shy of 3 was scared of the rays in the open water; he loved them this year (now 5) at Blackbeard's Caye in Nassua. Go figure. If I went back to Cayman, I would probabaly just go to 7 mile beach for the day.

 

Happy sailing!

[mindymp]

We just took a cruise with our 11 mo and went to the Grand Caymans, Cozumel, and Ocho Rios.

 

In Grand Caymans, we did the 7 mile beach. That was fine.

In Cozumel, we went to Chankanaab park. I definitely recommend this park. I'll be posting a more detailed review later.

I agree in Jamaica either don't get off the ship or buy an excursion. It is a very poor country and not suitable for touring on your own.

 

Have fun!

[BBigfoot613]

I'm not sure we feel comfortable sending my food allergic DS to eat at Camp Carnival. I will have to use my mommy spidey sense when we get on board and figure out if they can handle feeding him by themselves. A dinner by ourselves does sound nice, though!!

 

I wouldn't worry too much with the allergies. (well any more than normal) When we went last year with our DD(when she was 5) It was reported that most times they ate "kiddie" food. Pizza, nuggets and things like that. I found the staff for CC to be extremely friendly and more than willing to go the extra mile. I'd be sure to let them know at the orientation that your DS is allergic so they are aware of it. I know as a parent I worried about my DD a little while she was there, which was constant since she didn't want to leave, but I had nothing to worry about. Since your son is 5 maybe you can have him start asking if "eggs and nuts are in this". I'm sure it'll make him feel like a "big boy". I'm taking my DS on his first cruise next year and I am still surprised at the little things I've told him he's in charge of and how it's making him feel like he's a big boy. It's truly amazing how fast they grow up!

[K&Rs Mom]

They are already talking about needing sand toys, too, though!! I'm hoping a pail and shovel each will suffice (we have a large sandbox in our backyard, so they could literally pack a few suitcases full of sand toys if I let them!).

 

What about disposable sand toys? Pack a couple of small plastic fruit cups, margarine tubs, yogurt cups, etc, and don't carry them home! Mine love those spice containers with the shaker lid. Another option is stacking cups (the baby toy kind) - since the whole pile fits into the biggest one, it doesn't take up much room. Ikea has a set of 7 or 8 for $2. Pick up a couple of plastic serving spoons at Goodwill for 50 cents, and those don't have to come home either. :cool: