English family in need of your expertise - 1st time cruisers on Victory Oct 05

[EnglishRose05]

Hey all you experienced cruisers. My Husband and 2 daughters ( 8/11) and I are sailing out on 23rd Oct 05. We are doing a weeks cruise and then 8 days in Orlando. We are all soooo excited but also rather aprehensive. I have so many questions and this board has been great but I still have lots to ask so please be patient with me!!!

1) Are we likely to get seasick and if so, whats the best remedy?

2) With 2 girls what is there for them to do on board?

3) will they be safe to leave in the cabin on there own for one eveninf if me and hubby want to go for a nice meal and the casino?

4) Is it going to cost us a fortune in drinks> Is all the food totally free no matter how much you eat. Daughter 11 is mad on pizza!

5) What is the best thing to do about excursions and how quickly should we book them. We were hoping to do in Mexico the Playa Mia Beach break (any thoughts on that?) In Grand Cayman the stingray sandbar, hell & turtle farm experience and in Jamaica the shaw park and dunns river falls excursion. Would anybody have up to date prices for these/ we are trying to work out how much money we will need for the week. Is the US$ taken in all these places.

6) We are staying the night before in Wyndham Miami airort hotel, is it close to the port?

7) What sort of clothes should we take. Are the children allowed at the formal night?

8) Is it difficult to get a sunlounger on deck if its busy?

9) What are the shows like and will there be enough for the girls to do?

10) How many pools are there and how hot will it be in Oct?

11) I know that there will be mostly Americans on the ship and I know they will be really helpful. How bad is it getting on and off the ship at destinations?

I have lots more questions but dont want to ask too many!!!!!!!!

Thanks so much in anticipation of your help:eek:

Nicky

[jcanino]

Hey all you experienced cruisers. My Husband and 2 daughters ( 8/11) and I are sailing out on 23rd Oct 05. We are doing a weeks cruise and then 8 days in Orlando. We are all soooo excited but also rather aprehensive. I have so many questions and this board has been great but I still have lots to ask so please be patient with me!!!

I have lots more questions but dont want to ask too many!!!!!!!!

Thanks so much in anticipation of your help

 

Hi Nicky!

 

You certainly do have a lot of questions. :) I will try to take them 1 bye 1.

 

1) Most people do not get seasick. Check locally or a do an internet search for a product called Sea Bands. They are worn on your wrists and push on a pressure point. There are people that swear by them.

 

2) Sign the girls up for Camp Carnival. Although it is not a traditional school vacation time, there will be other children aboard. Hopefully there will be others in their age group.

 

3) I believe they will be safe on their own. You can order room service for them before you go and they can have their own little party and watch movies on the tv.

 

4) No, it won't cost you a fortune for drinks unless you drink like a fish ;) . IMO, drinks are reasonably priced. There is food available 24 hours a day and all food in the restaurants, buffets and "fast food" locations. There is pizza available 24 hours a day.

 

5) I think your choices are pretty good. I was at Playa Mia last year with 4 kids ranging from 7 to 16 and they had a great time. Dunns River Falls is amust do in my book. I do not have up to date prices though. Vendors in all the locations will take US $$.

 

6) Wyndham Miami Airport hotel isa bout 20 minutes from the port. I have stayded there and it is a nice property.

 

7) Children are allowed at dinner on the formal night and some love the idea of getting dressed up. Bring a variety of clothes but do not overpack. Shorts, swimsuits and sandals for the day time and mostly casual wear for evenings.

 

8) It can be difficult to get a lounge chair sometimes. The further away from the pool the easier.

 

9) The evening shows are a mixed variety, magic and comedy. The girls are welcome at any of the shows except for the midnight shows specifically for adults. There will be plenty for them to do.

 

10) There should be 2 pools and it will be warm enough to swim in them.

 

11) It is not difficult getting off the ships. Do remember that you are on vacation and slip into Caribbean mode and go with the flow.

 

If you have more, just ask awy and I will try to help.

[serene56]

whew

 

#1- how often do you get sick on amusment rides now? car sick? If you hit rough waters you may get sick-you might not. Since I dont have a tendency to get sick I pack along the sea bands. Little bracelets you wear on both wrists. (its like an accupressure kind of thing)

 

#2 http://community.webshots.com/album/299741566PLYKOu

Each girl will be their own age group for kid activities. Camp is opened until 10pm then if they want to stay its a fee.

 

#3-- on formal nights the camps will run a coketail party for the kids. while you have your formal night alone. Kids are allowed in the dining room for ALL meals. Getting dressed up - take tons of photos around the ship makes awesome soverneiers0- there is no pressure to buy the photos either.

 

#4-kids under 12 get free soda in the dining room. Free iced tea, lemonade, fruit punch during the day. APple and orange juice in the morning.

bar menu-->http://community.webshots.com/album/37944457xihAnV

 

food is free no matter how much you eat. tell your daughter she can have a jillion pizzas all for free. Room service is free- tip when service is rendered

 

5.--check out the port of calls board located on the main board to see what is availale for you in each port. Grand cayman--swimming with the stingrays- but thee are vendors that do this excursion for a lt cheaper then the cruise lines.

 

We sailed this past February-left the snow and ice behind to head toweather of high 88. I think sailing in Octoer you will find the weather still very warm.

 

But to give you a heads up== October is still hurrican season. Like the poster above stated-- go with the flow. Disappointment is allowed in case something happens but do NOT let it ruin your vacation.

 

oh on anther thing-- here is a board for disney- http://www.disboards.com the board will help you with cheap eats, how to make reservations where the best place to stad for parades...etc.etc

get a book- "unofficial guide to disney" by using that book we never ever waited in line for anything at any of the parks.

[Legend]

If you register your booking at http://www.carnival.com it will show the shore excursions and you can book them right away. You can also see lots of info about the ship if you choose your ship from the top menu item 'funships'. Don't forget to fill in the funpass for everyone too.

If you don't want to leave the girls in the cabin in the evening you can sign them up at camp carnival for the evening babysitting from 10pm to 3 am. There is a small charge for that time.

A lot of the crew on board are British such as the gift shop, dancers, salon, doctors and some cruise directors and their staff.

Make sure you bring loads of sunscreen with you and use it. I'm British too and believe me our skin is not used to Florida sun let alone the Caribbean!!

[jckvpa0]

whew

 

 

#2 http://community.webshots.com/album/299741566PLYKOu

Each girl will be their own age group for kid activities. Camp is opened until 10pm then if they want to stay its a fee.

 

We did not use the camp but we were on the Conquest last week and a couple said their daughter stayed over night, (can't imagine), maybe some ships have different hours.

[EnglishRose05]

:D Thanks so much all of you. One more thing Do you know if there is a video or dvd like the disney vacation planners? for Carnival?

Have a goo day all of you

[serene56]

We did not use the camp but we were on the Conquest last week and a couple said their daughter stayed over night, (can't imagine), maybe some ships have different hours.

 

the camps do have a slumber party-- its til 3am. and there is a charge per hour per child.

[serene56]

:D Thanks so much all of you. One more thing Do you know if there is a video or dvd like the disney vacation planners? for Carnival?

Have a goo day all of you

 

 

Carnival does have tapes that you can see of the ship- basically its an advertisement that you are paying for.

 

for pictures of your ship-- check out http://www.cruiseclues.com and scroll down and look for your ship.

[DreadPirateRobert]

I hope you have a great time. One word of warning though, after this you'll probably be hooked on cruising forever.

 

Toast a sunset for me!

[GoinCruisin]

:D Thanks so much all of you. One more thing Do you know if there is a video or dvd like the disney vacation planners? for Carnival?

Have a goo day all of you

 

Carnival used to have videos until a couple months ago... the company that produced their videos stopped doing them.. they have someone new now and will be producing them again within the next few months... hopefully these will be a little better than the last ones... I would give them a call in a few months to see if they have them yet (1800CARNIVAL)... good luck and have fun!!!!! I cruised on 10/23/04 and had a wonderful time, perfect weather!!!

[tjohn159d]

they have someone new now and will be producing them again within the next few months... hopefully these will be a little better than the last ones

They should get "gatorclaw" to do it for them. He did a great job on that Valor video he made. :D

[Tmeister]

For seasickness, try Bonine, an over-the-counter tablet taken once a day. It's sold in all the pharmacies here, and I've always found it to be effective. It works best as a preventative--take it in the morning the day you board the ship and every day thereafter

[phabric]

This is going to be our first Carnival cruise so I am gathering all the information I can get from this board so I cann't help you will any information but

 

If you are going to Disney check out is site http://www.wdwinfo.com this site was a great help to me.

[kjunea]

You can also find info on these disney boards. (I'm a former cast member and I still use them for info and insight on what is going on at my favorite place on earth!)

 

http://www.laughingplace.com

 

http://www.allearsnet.com

 

I also found this UK site you might want to look at!

 

http://www.thedibb.co.uk

 

If you need some more help, don't hesitate to ask! I'll be happy to answer any questions you have!

 

June

[justsea]

We were on Victory in April.We did the turtle farm,Hell and string ray tour throught Carnival.My kids (14yr boy 11yr girl) loved this tour. :D We went to Hell first .You are only there about 20 min.Not a whole lot to see but the kids wanted to say they had been to Hell. :eek: Then we went to the turtle farm.We were there about 45min. We got to hold the turtles .Watch they splash when you put then back. Then we went to the boat .It was crowded .Ask if you can sit on the front of the boat.The captain told us to go up there .Kids could dangle feet over edge of boat.We loved the stringrays.Water was only 3-4 feet deep.Watch how you handle the squid they give you.I found out the hard way that if you get it on any other part of your body the will try to eat it off of there.Stringray hickies do hurt. :mad: Still have a mark after 3 weeks.We would do this trip again.

[serene56]

Justsea-- how much was this excuriosn through Carnival per person? was the kids price different?

[justsea]

Serene56 I think the price was around $250.00.No cheaper for the kids.

[Boston6]

If anyone is prone to motion sickness forget about all the voodoo cures out there. Go to your doctor and have them prescribe a Transdermal Scop patch. Wear the patch and you'll be all set with none of the side effects of dramamine, etc.

 

Disney related boards are:

 

Mousesavers.com

Intercot.com

Disboards.com

Allearsnet.com

[Ehpride]

I get motion sickness (cars, buses, planes, roller coasters, etc...) and use dramamine faithfully. I'm planning on taking it on my cruise and already have it packed for Germany! Maybe it's because I've taken it since I was little but it doesn't make me drowsy anymore, especially if I only take one, instead of two. I've also heard that ginger is supposed to be good. Has anybody tried that?

[justsea]

Ehpride I tried the ginger,might have worked better if I took it more often like they say to do.I only took it when I started to feel sick.We had rough waters on Friday ( the day that other ship got hit with that big wave) I took the ginger but then had to take bonnie.Took another bonnie in the morning and was fine the rest of the trip. Sat. night was rough also, they blocked of all the open decks above lido.Bonnie also didn't make me tired.