Parents who have cruised on the Dream (questions)...

[abs711]

Hi All,

 

My family and I are thinking about sailing on the Dream this April/May for my daughters 2nd and my neices 4th birthdays. I have a few questions:

 

If we sail the week of my daughter's birthday can she go into the Kids Camp prior to turning 2 or only after her second birthday? Our prefered sailing has her turning 2 right smack in the middle of the cruise.

 

Is there a fee for the Kids Camp? If so, how much?

 

Do you know the fee for the Babysitting Service? Have you used it? Was it a good experience?

 

Anything else I should know about the ship, carnival, traveling with small children? This will be my 6th cruise but 1st with kids. It is also my first cruise in over 10 years on Carnival. My last was not a great experience but I am thinking of giving them another try. The Dream looks awesome!

 

Thanks for any help you can give.

[JennLuvs2Cruise]

I just returned from the Dream last week.. And though my son was only 21 months old, maybe I can still help! :)

 

1. She can only be in Camp Carnival when she is two years old. The counselors are very strict in enforcing this policy and making no exceptions.

 

2. Camp Carnivl is free during day specific hours. After that, I believe 10 PM, they charge $6.50 an hour plus 15% gratuity. I'm probably not exact on the price, but the exact information can be found on the Carnival website if you look up the Night Owl program. After 10 PM, it is considered babysitting. They do not offer in-cabin babysitting, just group babysitting. I have never used it myself, but have read excellent reviews. The counselors seem to have a lot of patience and love being with the children & keeping them busy.

 

Some other advice:

Bring an umbrella stroller. The ship is huge & you will be doing lots of walking. I wouldn't suggest bringing a full size stroller since it takes up a lot of space, and you may have a hard time fitting into an elevator and other tight areas.

 

Plenty of food options. The kids & yourself won't go hungry. If you are eating at the Gathering on Lido Deck for lunch or dinner and need a high chair, just ask a staff member & they will have no problem getting one for you. Cabins are extremely spacious. I had a Deluxe Oceanview this past time on the Dream, and a Port Hole cabin my first time on the Dream. I like the Deluxe Oceanview more because it has two bathrooms, one of them having a junior tub which was perfect for my son!

 

If your child is NOT potty trained, please do not go in the pool with him. This is a health hazard for all guests on board, even if he/she is wearing a swim diaper. Its a policy that Carnival has.

 

Lastly, I would recommend the Eastern itinerary over the Western mainly because there is better, and much cleaner beaches that I'm sure the kids will enjoy.

[jdcml]

If we sail the week of my daughter's birthday can she go into the Kids Camp prior to turning 2 or only after her second birthday? Our prefered sailing has her turning 2 right smack in the middle of the cruise.

 

I have this friend see... and he knows this person see... and this person has actually done this before see...

 

There is no connection between the date of birth that you use to book your DD for this cruise and the documents you use to check in. In other words, if there was a typographical error that caused her to be 2 before you sailed it would resolve any potential issues in camp.

[serene56]

She needs to be two by the date of sailing- no exceptions.

 

Babysitting is a group setting after 10pm and again the child must be 2.

 

For her to participate in the camp-- book the following week.

[melli_fera]

If your child is NOT potty trained, please do not go in the pool with him. This is a health hazard for all guests on board, even if he/she is wearing a swim diaper. Its a policy that Carnival has.

 

This is actually a rule set by the CDC, and is part of the vehicle sanitation program (that the QM2 just failed).

 

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/training/videos/transcripts/swim.pdf

 

See last page, paragraph 5

[serene56]

She needs to be two by the date of sailing- no exceptions.

 

Babysitting is a group setting after 10pm and again the child must be 2.

 

For her to participate in the camp-- book the following week.

 

Camp will charge 6.00 per child (since they are not siblings) per hour

[serene56]

She needs to be two by the date of sailing- no exceptions.

 

Babysitting is a group setting after 10pm and again the child must be 2.

 

For her to participate in the camp-- book the following week.

 

Camp will charge 6.00 per child (since they are not siblings) per hour

[abs711]

Thank you everyone. We were thinking Eastern. We did Western alone this past February and we did Eastern for our Wedding Cruise back in 2008. So we wanted to be able to check out St. Thomas some more and my husband really wants to check out the planes on Maho Beach.

 

I am worried about the following week as it is Memorial Day weekend. Any insight? I would prefer to be able to put her in Camp for atleast a couple hours a day so that we could check out Serenity ;O) Very torn.

 

I will try my best to have her potty trained before the trip but it is kind of up to her. If not I guess we will stick to beach swimming in her water diapers.