Help us decide - gluten free travelling with an infant - which ship?

[boowaaccaa]

We are not new to Carnival but we are travelling for the first time with an infant and we are travelling for the first time gluten free.

 

We have narrowed it down to Dream, Legend and Glory.

 

I was thinking the Dream might be nice as it is the newest of the bunch but Glory had the best ports. Also Legend is closest to the spot we need to end up in (going to my MIL's condo after the cruise).

 

I don't know if all the ships have infant care (I know there is a cost) or infant programs (drop in mom and baby)?

I also bring up the fact that we are gluten free because a burger joint or taco place doesn't matter much. I do love sushi (does anyone know if they have gluten free soya sauce?).

 

I tried to look at the Carnival site but the ships description is so animated that I can't get anywhere! LOL-- I don't need pictures I just want to READ what they have! ;)

[Lerin]

I don't know if all the ships have infant care (I know there is a cost) or infant programs (drop in mom and baby)?

All the ships have night owls program beginning at 10pm, it's about $6/hr and a family time drop in in the morning at 8am(it's up to 2 hours long)

 

Not sure what gluten free and an infant have to do with picking a cruise as the ships all have pretty much the same things(based on what you are requesting).

Most people look at itinerary to decide which cruise to take.

Good luck

[Colorado Kat]

Contact the Special Needs Dept to ask about Gluten-free options. Or do a search on this board.

[RuthlessBoss]

All the ships have night owls program beginning at 10pm, it's about $6/hr and a family time drop in in the morning at 8am(it's up to 2 hours long)

 

Not sure what gluten free and an infant have to do with picking a cruise as the ships all have pretty much the same things(based on what you are requesting).

Most people look at itinerary to decide which cruise to take.

Good luck

I thought the same thing when I read the post earlier. In fact, read it more than once thinking I'd missed something;)

[boowaaccaa]

All the ships have night owls program beginning at 10pm, it's about $6/hr and a family time drop in in the morning at 8am(it's up to 2 hours long)

 

Not sure what gluten free and an infant have to do with picking a cruise as the ships all have pretty much the same things(based on what you are requesting).

Most people look at itinerary to decide which cruise to take.

Good luck

 

Actually, from what I understand some have infant programs and some do not. Not all ships are the same. Some have drop in times, some have morning babysitting. Some have both. I am not certain which ships have which things.

 

And, I brought up the gluten free portion as I do not care about extras like a burger restaurant or a taco place. AGAIN, these are specialty places that some ships have and some do not. Some people have said they would pick, for example the Breeze over the Dream because one has Guy's Burger Joint (or whatever it is called) because that is what is important to them. It is not important to us.

 

I was looking for objective ideas why one ship may be better then the other based on the situation we have.

 

Sorry if this confused people.

[boowaaccaa]

For those looking for a way to compare the ships quickly and easily, I found descriptions on vacations to go dot com. It is much easier to navigate then the picture sliding show that Carnival uses.

Edited November 9, 2013 by boowaaccaa

[Cruisegirl6]

I been on all...you must out of the three choose the Dream!!!

 

The Dream offers a lot more, nicer and newer ship, longer and heavier in tonnage. The Legend will go into dry dock/renovations in February 2014 so that's a plus over the Glory.

 

I must be gluten free. Lunch buffets in the Dream offer a lot more choices, just stick with the meats, salads, veggies (they don't put sauces on their veggies), potato, cheeses, and I recall some desserts were gluten free. You can tell the waiter you need to be gluten free and they make sure you will be. The Steakhouse is amazing, we dined there 5 out of 7 nights and always had something different to eat each night, gluten free.

 

Our favorite Carnival cruise is the Dream it was on par with Royal Caribbean, you won't be disappointed.

[boowaaccaa]

I been on all...you must out of the three choose the Dream!!!

 

The Dream offers a lot more, nicer and newer ship, longer and heavier in tonnage. The Legend will go into dry dock/renovations in February 2014 so that's a plus over the Glory.

 

I must be gluten free. Lunch buffets in the Dream offer a lot more choices, just stick with the meats, salads, veggies (they don't put sauces on their veggies), potato, cheeses, and I recall some desserts were gluten free. You can tell the waiter you need to be gluten free and they make sure you will be. The Steakhouse is amazing, we dined there 5 out of 7 nights and always had something different to eat each night, gluten free.

 

Our favorite Carnival cruise is the Dream it was on par with Royal Caribbean, you won't be disappointed.

 

Thank you for your insight! :) Is it true that there is no sushi bar on the Dream? I see that the Glory was renovated in 2012 but that said we were on a ship once after a dry dock renovation and really is wasn't THAT updated. This is why I was so interested in the Dream.

[golfadj]

I believe babies must be 2 to be accepted by camp carnival during the day

[Cruisegirl6]

There is a wasabi sushi bar, but its only available certain hours its not open the entire day into the night hours. Im not positive but I believe it was available around 3-4pm to 8-9pm but I don't eat sushi so I didn't quite take a good note on this.

 

I just can't compare the Dream which was on par with RC to the Glory and the Legend. The Dream is a class in herself and its the best, I jump on her in a heartbeat but I personally would not go on the Glory again but its just me.

[Tapi]

If you're looking for baby and toddler care available all day long, Carnival is not the cruise line to sail on.

 

You may want to look at Disney and Royal Caribbean. Freedom of the Seas from Port Canaveral and Allure/Oasis of the Seas from Ft. Lauderdale provide the Royal Babies and Toddlers program, (for babies starting at 6 months of age), with nursery services from 8am until midnight, Fisher Price and Crayola sponsored activities, a dedicated free play area at Adventure Ocean, the Baby H20 Zone (babie's water park and pool area) , as well as an in-cabin Adventure Ocean TV channel with cartoons 24 hours a day. In a nutshell, the program is absolutely FANTASTIC.

 

Unfortunately, Carnival doesn't offer anything like that, which is why were skipping Carnival altogether until our infant daughter turns 2.

 

We did sail on the Dream when our son was just shy of 2 and we had an enjoyable time although he couldn't attend Camp Carnival and at times, it was a bit challenging to keep him entertained. Technically, he wasn't allowed anywhere near any pools, but he was able to play in the spray area of the Mini-Works with Carnival staff approval.

 

I'll try to find the Under 2 Card that we received onboard and post it here so that you can get a better feel for what you can expect.

Edited November 10, 2013 by Tapi

[Tapi]

I don't know if all the ships have infant care (I know there is a cost) or infant programs (drop in mom and baby)?

 

Here's the Under 2 card from our cruise aboard the Dream:

 

Edited November 10, 2013 by Tapi

[boowaaccaa]

Thanks all for your ideas! I looked into Freedom of the Seas but it is not available for the time we are looking at. I have done Oasis before (without an infant) and I looked into it but it is more then double the price of Carnival..(boo!).

 

What would likely interest us the most would be evening baby sitting so that we could have a peaceful dinner and perhaps a comedy show after. I know that Carnival only offers sitting after 10pm. LOL - even before our baby, we were usually back in the cabin if not sleeping before 10:30! :)

 

Does anyone have experience bring a car seat on board? I know, huge pain....but what else would you do for a cab on the islands?