Dream with 2 1/2 year Old

[pbasciano]

Can anyone tell me about their recent experiences with Camp Carnival and their younger children? Some older threads do not seem real positive but I am not seeing too much recent information. We are considering booking a cruise on the Dream in late July and would like to bring our son with us- he turns 3 on September 1. Thank you.

[seaturtle5]

We just got back yesterday off the Dream with my 22 month old ds. We did not use Camp Carnival so I'm no help there but any other questions I will be happy to answer. He did great and we all had a wonderful time.

[pbasciano]

Have you sailed other Carnival ships or other lines and if so how did this compare? Also, what things would you recommend bringing along- for example car seat, stroller, etc?

[RTRMom]

You can check out the family cruising board on here. It has a lot of great info.

 

 

But we cruised a lot when our oldest was an infant and toddler. One time around three years old...he liked camp carnival to a point. They had plenty of toys and such, but there weren't many kids on the ship since it was off season, and he really didn't like being the only kid. So he didn't stay in the camp much.

 

But with the dream, they have plenty to do with three year olds. You will probably be up at the waterworks a lot.

[RTRMom]

Definitely consider a stroller, they rent them for a good price, if you don't want to bring one. But even if your child doesn't ride in a stroller now, they tend to use them more on a cruise. Our three year old used on while in ports and around the boat. And he was one who stopped using a stroller before age two on land.

 

 

We didn't bring a carseat because most ports you walk off the ship and shop. Or ride on a bus and we just held him on the bus.

[seaturtle5]

This is our 3rd Carnival cruise with ds (cruised the Fascination twice out of Jacksonville when he was 6 months and 11 months). What you plan to do on the islands will play into what you need to bring. We did bring the car seat...but you can check it with your luggage and have it delivered to the room so it's not bad bringing it onboard. Definitely recommend a stroller (we carry a small stroller to save space). Ds would constantly ask to "ride" because he loved exploring the ship. We had the deluxe ov room which was nice as there are 2 bathrooms - one with a tub which was a huge help. Our previous 2 cruises with ds we carried on a small inflatable tub.