Just the 2 of Us- Cruising Solo with a 6 yr old

[lds26]

Hey everyone! Just been back in the land of ice and cold for a week now and wanted to report we had an amazing time on the Carnival Destiny Nov14-19, 2011. I was planning to go with my boyfriend and son but boyfriend was unable to get time off so it was my baby boy and myself. My bff, her dh and ds + ds's bff were able to join us on this wonderful trip. Ports were Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay and Nassau. One Sea Day then home.

Flew in 2 days prior to cruise, booked a limo to take us to our hotel.

 

Pre Cruise - stayed at Conrad by Hilton Miami - Amazing Hotel!!!! Got an upgrade to a suite and had a 2bdrm apartment room. Son had a great time there. Nice swimming pool beautiful Hot tubs etc.

 

Went to the Everglades for a tour and it was a great time.

 

Ship Day - were at the port by 10 am got Zone 2 and were on the ship by 11:45 am. Took son for a tour around the ship and he had a great time exploring

 

Our plans for this trip was to HAVE NO plans. We didnt pre-book any excursions and just planned to relax. I bought the book Twilight Breaking Dawn as I had planned to read for relaxation. Having 5 kids, getting a bachelor's degree and working fulltime over the past 6 yrs has seriously cut into my reading time. My son wanted to hit the beach, swim and enjoy the sun sand and water. So that was our plan. RELAX!

 

First port was Grand Turk! OMG beautiful water, amazing beach and warm weather made for a spectacular day!!! We soaked up the sun rolled in the waves and my son made Sand Angels. It was a day to remembers. I had so much fun watching him enjoy himself with some new friends from Camp Carnival.

 

Speaking of Camp Carnival. This was an open option for my son. He was allowed to go as he wanted. I had him in one evening extended to 11:30 pm due to wanting to view the evenings shows and having a late dining time. He went there a few times for supper and other times it was Lido dining or room service. To be honest it was a holiday that was directed by my lil man. This guy slept like a rock, ate like a trucker and played real hard. We spent so much time in the water on both the ship and in the islands that I thought my son would have had gills by the time we got home lol.

 

As for ports I want to report that Grand Turk and HMC are amazing places for this age group. I dont think Margaritaville was age appropriate due to the party atmosphere and scantily clad guests. We did go there but didnt stay long just because I didnt want my son to see the activities. Half Moon Cay with a Cabana is awesome!!! He had snacks and drinks all day and the floating matts coupled with the snorkling gear made for a superb day. We heard that there was a childrens area there but we didnt go there as we had everything we needed. I did hear that the children's area was spectacular and those who went there thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

As for Nassau I dont think I am going to take my son back there again. We didnt do Paradise Island just due to the cost and to figure out the day rates for the hotels were a bit much. That being said I had used the Sheratons private beach on a previous trip there and prob should have gone there but tried to go to another excursion through Carnival and was very disappointed. I dont remember the beaches name but the restaraunt was called The Poop Deck ....hmmmm the beach looked like it was amply named cuz it looked like crap! We didnt stay and went back to the ship to ask for a refund - which after some complaining we did recieve.

 

All in all we had an amazing time on the Carnival Destiny and would recommend it to other families considering this ship and itinerary.

 

Post Cruise - we were in Miami for another 1.5 days as our flight didnt leave til 6pm the next day. We had booked another night at the Conrad and our rooms werent ready till 3 sowe booked a tour to the Miami Seaquarium for the day from 1-5pm the day we got off the ship. Next day we took a cab to the mall and did some christmas shopping in Target and Sports Authority. After lunch took the Metro Mover to Bayside and got a few Miami sweaters for the kids back home.

 

Flights on Delta back home were a bit delayed we almost missed our connection but thanks to bff who arrived on an earlier flight asked them to wait for us as we ran through the airport to catch the flight. I was texting her the entire way so they wouldnt leave without us. We got home to -26 C weather, snowy highways and slippery icy sections. But my baby and I sported our new sun kissed looks.

[lds26]

Carnival Destiny

 

 

Planning to Swim Each Day

 

 

Grand Turk

 

Insert "TOES" by Zac Brown in to this picture

 

Beautiful Bahamas

 

Sun, Sand and Warm Waters Turns a Energetic 6 yr old into Sleeping Log