Camp Carnival - Be Warned!

[Sue Do-Over]

My kids liked it a lot -- age 9 and 11 at the time.

 

Remember that the camp staffed with international crew won't know what the latest game is, much less have it for them. If your child enjoys a card game or activity that allows for multiple players, suggest he take it to share/teach/learn. Rather than complain that there is NOTHING to dooooo... give them something to suggest.

 

Ours went with a couple decks of Uno cards, and had something to do when the planned activity was not their style. Maybe yours like the battle-card games like they play on Big Bang Theory, or Dungeons & Dragons, or some other easy-to-pack game.

 

DD also was into weaving friendship bracelets, she and a couple of the girls made a dozen to share.

[smrn]

My kids played basketball, they went swimming, and had scavenger hunts while in Camp Carnival. It was not all inside activities by any means. They love it!

[serene56]

My kids played basketball, they went swimming, and had scavenger hunts while in Camp Carnival. It was not all inside activities by any means. They love it!

 

Not in the 2=5. Or the 6 =8 camps. These two camps stay in one place

Edited March 16, 2014 by serene56

[amber381]

My son will be 11 when we sail on the Liberty in November. I'm kind of worried that A) since it's November, not many kids his age will be sailing, although I have met a few through roll call B) That since he is on the older end of his CC age bracket that he will be bored. He enjoys the company of older kids. We shall see! It's our first cruise, so I doubt he will be spending too much time there anyway.

[LeisaH3067]

we tried camp for a 5 year old-- being in a class witth many babies was hard for her. She said the babies all were crying-- and no one was taking care to get them to stop and she said theyw ould tell her she needed to be quiet.

So she never went back that week

 

We tried the actiivities the next cruise-- she was 7 and she did a better job with participating.

 

 

didnt you get an activitty sheet of what was happening at the given time?

 

From reading the boards it sounds like many people revolve the cruise around kids participating in the program-- some kids dont participate and others just dont like it.

 

That is one age group I really wish they could revamp. My daughter was 5, close to 6 and had difficulty being in a group with 2 year olds in diapers. I couldn't blame her. I know Carnival can be rather strict with the age groups and being it was spring break, we didn't even try to move her. Now she is 10 and hopefully the group will be a better fit for her.

[momof4boys]

I appreciate your post, OP. It is a GOOD idea to have a back up plan.

 

Our boys did not like CC when younger.......we too felt it was geared towards girl type activities. Truthfully, as a teacher, I know that sit down type activities are easier. It just doesn't work well for many boys.

 

It does make a difference if you go with another family with like ages for kids. That gives the kids an automatic friend to hang with and some of the quieter activities more likable!

 

Now when our guys got older...16 - up they went to the first night.......met people and hung together and just did a few select activities.

 

It would be hard to please everyone all the time. I do think they could try a few more varied activities to try to accommodate more active type personalities occasionally.

[Laurin612]

My son liked Camp Carnival until he was about 8. Then, after being subjected to repeatedly being made to do boring things like "sit and color" and "sit and listen to a story" or watch a Disney Princess movie he was not interested in he informed us he hated it and no longer wanted to go so for the past four years he has been hanging out with my husband and me. He is 12 now and spends a lot of time on the sports court where he has met many friends. He also goes to Circle C now, which he likes a lot better than Camp Carnival.

[Laurin612]

My son will be 11 when we sail on the Liberty in November. I'm kind of worried that A) since it's November, not many kids his age will be sailing, although I have met a few through roll call B) That since he is on the older end of his CC age bracket that he will be bored. He enjoys the company of older kids. We shall see! It's our first cruise, so I doubt he will be spending too much time there anyway.

 

If your son is a mature 11, you can try asking to move him up to Circle C. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. It depends on the camp director and the ship. It worked for us on the Freedom last year.

[pbsteve]

The only thing I can say to the OP.... all the way back in JANUARY... is that it sounds like you didn't want a family vacation, but a couples vacation. My newphews were both on the first two cruises, and while they loved the camp, it was planned as a family vacation, plans were changed since the kids were not with the rest of the family. It's all on perspective, I feel if you're bringing the kids, you should plan to have them with most of the time if not all of it, and if they like the camp, than you get to have some time away. Otherwise, leave them with the grandparents and go on your own vacation.

[serene56]

That is one age group I really wish they could revamp. My daughter was 5, close to 6 and had difficulty being in a group with 2 year olds in diapers. I couldn't blame her. I know Carnival can be rather strict with the age groups and being it was spring break, we didn't even try to move her. Now she is 10 and hopefully the group will be a better fit for her.

 

 

Personally I think the 9-11 group is the best on the ships. the 12-14 age group is just too cool and you find them hanging out together--

[cruizinisthebest]

Personally I think the 9-11 group is the best on the ships. the 12-14 age group is just too cool and you find them hanging out together--

 

We had camp ocean on the Freedom and my son had an absolute blast in the camp. He's 11. I hope he enjoys Circle C next year. Not sure what to expect or how structured it is. I will have to create a whole new set of rules for sure.

[Athankfulheart]

My kids most recent cruise was on the Dream this past January. They STILL talk about their fun staff members. I had kids in 4 different age groups and the only ones who didn't love the experience were the teenagers in the oldest group. They just don't enjoy a lot of what happens in that age group.

 

My kids are extroverts for the most part and adjust easily to new situations.

My 11yo cared more if her new friends were there at the same time, so we went when we knew they would be there. She made a great friend who she stays in touch with. She enjoyed the game times in the overflow rooms too. My 9 and 7yos were in the same group. My 13yo had a super time in circle C and in hindsight, we let her spend too much time there which won't happen on the next family trip. :p

[aaron3219]

Depending on the kid, but I think at 10+ they can do what they want and enjoy the ship. But it depends on the kid.

 

My sister in law who just turned 12 has been roaming the ships since 10 but she is very mature and responsible.

[ncovert]

We have never sailed with children... however many times we have seen the camp Carnival activities and DW and I would have loved to join in with the different types of games and shows and other activities that we have seen. Really is a good point that we should have a back up for the plan that we have in place. OP I am sorry that this affected your family vacation is such a negative way.

[near the beach]

The only time we go to camp Carnival any more is to pick up the free arcade cards for being platinum. Or to get some t-shirts for our dog.

Some children like the camp and some don’t. We found you don’t need a serenity deck if you have a balcony cabin.

[tkportersat]

Because there are some parents and other people who like to make parents that want alone time without their children every now and then, to feel like crap. I mean, why would we deserve alone time with our significant other? We should be tethered to the children 24 hours a day. :rolleyes: Sigh.....

 

I can totally relate to your post, and those who haven't been on a cruise with their children yet should appreciate you taking the time to give your point of view. I too read all the "my kid never wanted to leave", "my kid had so much fun"..blah blah blah. Well you know what? My 2 1/2 year old would not go. We tried every day to see if he would be interested and the answer was always no. I too went into our trip thinking I might get to spend some alone time with my husband for a few moments here and there...dinner, see a show, or do nothing and it wasn't meant to be. In my case the Carnival Magic staff were less than welcoming, they did nothing to engage my son and make him interested or excited to stay.

 

We are going to try again next March and this time I will go into it expecting him to be with us 24/7 and if he goes to CC we will be pleasantly surprised. If not, my husband and I will just have to take things in shifts. But I will be mentally prepared this time. He will be almost 5, so that might make a difference...it might not. Either way, I will have fun with my child and husband and make the best my vacation.

 

 

 

 

Not to stir the pot, but why a family would book a cruise knowing their kids had to be with them 24/7 is perplexing. What about all the adult activities on board? We can't partake? Then why go on a cruise? Go to Disney. I can go to my bedroom at home at night and sit there for a lot less $ than paying for a cruise!

Edited August 21, 2014 by tkportersat

[tkportersat]

PBSteve do you actually have children? Being a parent is one of the most rewarding jobs there is, it is also one of the most stressful. Not everyone has people to leave their children with. We deserve a moment to ourselves every now and then. The OP didn't say she didn't want to do things with her kids so please don't twist things around. She just wanted an hour or two a day to be with her spouse for crying out loud, give the poor woman a break.

 

Parents need to support each other, quit putting each other down for parenting choices. We all do it differently.

 

 

The only thing I can say to the OP.... all the way back in JANUARY... is that it sounds like you didn't want a family vacation, but a couples vacation. My newphews were both on the first two cruises, and while they loved the camp, it was planned as a family vacation, plans were changed since the kids were not with the rest of the family. It's all on perspective, I feel if you're bringing the kids, you should plan to have them with most of the time if not all of it, and if they like the camp, than you get to have some time away. Otherwise, leave them with the grandparents and go on your own vacation.

[aaron3219]

PBSteve do you actually have children? Being a parent is one of the most rewarding jobs there is, it is also one of the most stressful. Not everyone has people to leave their children with. We deserve a moment to ourselves every now and then. The OP didn't say she didn't want to do things with her kids so please don't twist things around. She just wanted an hour or two a day to be with her spouse for crying out loud, give the poor woman a break.

 

Parents need to support each other, quit putting each other down for parenting choices. We all do it differently.

 

People without kids do not understand.

 

Our 4 year old went, she loved it, and we loved the few hours of alone time a day. It was great and good for everyone.

[tkportersat]

Congrats on stopping smoking!! That is awesome :)

 

Now back to the topic....Balance, that is all I want. Time with family and time to unwind. I'm glad you got that!

 

People without kids do not understand.

 

Our 4 year old went, she loved it, and we loved the few hours of alone time a day. It was great and good for everyone.

[aaron3219]

Congrats on stopping smoking!! That is awesome :)

 

Now back to the topic....Balance, that is all I want. Time with family and time to unwind. I'm glad you got that!

 

Thanks.

 

Everyone needs balance in their lives. 7 days out of the year a parent wants a little bit of time to unwind without their children hanging off of them. There is nothing wrong with that.

[KLD1019]

I was really disappointed with this on our cruise a few weeks ago. i was told by A LOT of people to be prepared to kiss him goobye on the first day because we wouldnt be seeing him hardly at all because of what all there is to do for kids. boy, was that further from the truth!! it was a very miserable 7 days. i mean, not 100% miserable, but wasnt as relaxing as it should have been.

 

our almost 8 year old was able to be bumped to the 9-11 group, BUT he was not allowed to sign himself in/out because of not being 9. so, he wasnt able to leave and go do group scavenger hunts other kids were doing. he wasnt able to come and go as he pleased. he didnt enjoy CC at all.

 

he's a very independent child, always has been since he was born. neither him or us are clingy people. not a clingy child, we're not clingy parents. he's always done what he wanted when he wanted and did it freely. the kid doesnt know a stranger and has no problems making friends. Despite all that, all he wanted to do on the cruise was sit in the room. He did the sky course a couple times, slides a few times, puttputt a couple times. but it was all by himself. most kids were busy with CC, or too young for him to play with (hes a very mature child and has always gotten along better with older kids than himself)

 

it was frustrating to me because we spent thousands of dollars and all he wanted to do was sit in the room and we were out on deck having fun. i told him to go off, run around, play, slide, games, etc. he just didnt want to. and thats soooo not like him!! it wasnt a matter of not knowing where we were. we were in the same spot every day, a certain table on the lido deck with a group of the same friends. he knew where to find us.

 

the few nights he did go to CC, we bribed him. I told him before the cruise was even over that he was NOT going with us on the next one.

 

 

Yes, we take family vacation together, but that does not mean we have to be glued together ALL DAY EVERYDAY!! especially on a ship with LOTS of things to do for BOTH kids and adults. Thats the whole point of Carnival. "FUN SHIPS". stuff for kids, stuff for adults, A BABYSITTING SERVICE IS EVEN OFFERED!! Just because im a parent, doesnt mean i want to be stuck to my kid 24/7!! ITS OK to do things WITHOUT your kid(s)!!

Edited August 21, 2014 by KLD1019

[cruizinisthebest]

I was really disappointed with this on our cruise a few weeks ago. i was told by A LOT of people to be prepared to kiss him goobye on the first day because we wouldnt be seeing him hardly at all because of what all there is to do for kids. boy, was that further from the truth!! it was a very miserable 7 days. i mean, not 100% miserable, but wasnt as relaxing as it should have been.

 

our almost 8 year old was able to be bumped to the 9-11 group, BUT he was not allowed to sign himself in/out because of not being 9. so, he wasnt able to leave and go do group scavenger hunts other kids were doing. he wasnt able to come and go as he pleased. he didnt enjoy CC at all.

 

he's a very independent child, always has been since he was born. neither him or us are clingy people. not a clingy child, we're not clingy parents. he's always done what he wanted when he wanted and did it freely. the kid doesnt know a stranger and has no problems making friends. Despite all that, all he wanted to do on the cruise was sit in the room. He did the sky course a couple times, slides a few times, puttputt a couple times. but it was all by himself. most kids were busy with CC, or too young for him to play with (hes a very mature child and has always gotten along better with older kids than himself)

 

it was frustrating to me because we spent thousands of dollars and all he wanted to do was sit in the room and we were out on deck having fun. i told him to go off, run around, play, slide, games, etc. he just didnt want to. and thats soooo not like him!! it wasnt a matter of not knowing where we were. we were in the same spot every day, a certain table on the lido deck with a group of the same friends. he knew where to find us.

 

the few nights he did go to CC, we bribed him. I told him before the cruise was even over that he was NOT going with us on the next one.

 

 

Yes, we take family vacation together, but that does not mean we have to be glued together ALL DAY EVERYDAY!! especially on a ship with LOTS of things to do for BOTH kids and adults. Thats the whole point of Carnival. "FUN SHIPS". stuff for kids, stuff for adults, A BABYSITTING SERVICE IS EVEN OFFERED!! Just because im a parent, doesnt mean i want to be stuck to my kid 24/7!! ITS OK to do things WITHOUT your kid(s)!!

 

SOrry you had less than great experience with camp carnival. Why was your son bumped up? Did you request that? This is why I think the division of the groups is good and should stay the way they have it. The 9-11 YOs do different things and the scavenger hunt is one of the highlights. I was glad on our recent trip that it was a few days into the cruise, because without having that time beforehand to orient my son to the ship and go over the rules for signing himself in and out, we wouldn't have allowed him to and he would have missed out on the hunt. It's kind of messed up for your son to be in a group and then when special activities go on, he gets left behind.

 

People can say whatever they want, but I understand you. I'm a parent and my husband and I fork over a good amount of money for all of us to go away. We are entitled to some time to do adult things. We do manage to take turns in the evening if one of us wants to go out later. During the day we map it out and take turns picking up the kids and dropping them off, etc. You're absolutely right - you don't want to be glued to your kids. And in many instances, they don't want to be glue to you either. My kids got things a little twisted on our last cruise. For a couple of days it seemed liked all my husband and I were doing was catering to their schedule. Had to pump the brakes on that. They wanted to be in camp, at the pool, eat, nap, arcade, etc. Wait a minute - it's not just your vacation!

 

It would have been nice had camp worked out for your son. Maybe next year when he is able to sign in and out, it will.

[Noremacc]

I was not happy at all with the Circle C group (12-14). My son, 12, really liked it at first. But the staff had no control or even any idea of what was going on inside their room. One night he left the club with his older cousin (24) to play some mini golf because he didn't like what was going on in the club, the staff couldn't even tell me if he had been there (even though he was there for a couple hours playing games).

 

On day 3 when a group of 5-6 kids were doing things they shouldn't have been doing (throwing ice cream, hanging on the Serenity deck about 9 pm, and roaming the decks knocking on doors) my son came and hung out with family because he didn't want to be a part of any of that. Then the next day he was told by the kids that he couldn't do the scavenger hunt with them because they didn't like him anymore and the staff said/did nothing. So he left Circle C, never to go back, and had fun with his older brothers and cousin. He did miss hanging out with a couple of the kids, but it wasn't worth the hassle of the few trouble makers running the show.

[pbsteve]

PBSteve do you actually have children? Being a parent is one of the most rewarding jobs there is, it is also one of the most stressful. Not everyone has people to leave their children with. We deserve a moment to ourselves every now and then. The OP didn't say she didn't want to do things with her kids so please don't twist things around. She just wanted an hour or two a day to be with her spouse for crying out loud, give the poor woman a break.

 

Parents need to support each other, quit putting each other down for parenting choices. We all do it differently.

 

From the OP:

 

"Our whole cruise plan was changed by the fact that our kids did NOT like the camp. We thought we'd have time for relaxing, casino, 'couple time', etc. but our whole experience was shifted. "

"Me and the hubby had to take turns going to the casino, etc. because the kids were with us most of the time. "

 

Many people read the first post and saw these things. I apologize I didnt read further through where the OP said they wanted time once in a while.

 

As far as not having kids, I've been the one raising my nephews for the last 5 years. When I plan a vacation, I don't expect free time from the kids unless I've made specific arangments, IE a babysitter. I would never trust the camp to be something they would like not knowing ahead of time, I've learned in these 5 years, that they might not like whats offered and need to have something planned, not planning for it is asking for trouble. Even the campgrounds we go to has "daycamp" for kids, but I plan on something else just in case, and dont blame the campground for the kids not liking the activities. I also plan just me and my wife vacations, like the one coming up, the kids will be at grandma and grandpa's so we can get away for a little while.

 

Blaming carnival for your kids not liking the camp, and having to spend the entire time with them is like blaming a movie theater for you not liking a movie.

[KLD1019]

SOrry you had less than great experience with camp carnival. Why was your son bumped up? Did you request that? This is why I think the division of the groups is good and should stay the way they have it. The 9-11 YOs do different things and the scavenger hunt is one of the highlights. I was glad on our recent trip that it was a few days into the cruise, because without having that time beforehand to orient my son to the ship and go over the rules for signing himself in and out, we wouldn't have allowed him to and he would have missed out on the hunt. It's kind of messed up for your son to be in a group and then when special activities go on, he gets left behind.

 

People can say whatever they want, but I understand you. I'm a parent and my husband and I fork over a good amount of money for all of us to go away. We are entitled to some time to do adult things. We do manage to take turns in the evening if one of us wants to go out later. During the day we map it out and take turns picking up the kids and dropping them off, etc. You're absolutely right - you don't want to be glued to your kids. And in many instances, they don't want to be glue to you either. My kids got things a little twisted on our last cruise. For a couple of days it seemed liked all my husband and I were doing was catering to their schedule. Had to pump the brakes on that. They wanted to be in camp, at the pool, eat, nap, arcade, etc. Wait a minute - it's not just your vacation!

 

It would have been nice had camp worked out for your son. Maybe next year when he is able to sign in and out, it will.

 

yes, i requested it. online registration, i had to sign him up for the 6-8 group because of his birthday (october). but, knowing he is more mature for his age and that he gets along better with older kids than kids his age and younger, i went up to CC and explained the situation. they were more than happy to move him to the 9-11 group.

 

the 1st time i dropped him off at Circle C, i let them know the situation and they understood completely. they then asked me if i wanted the self sign in/out. i said YES, signed the permission slip and he was on his way. I told him id come and check on him later. when i did so, they told me he signed himself out and went up to our room. i said "ok" and went to leave but was stopped they told me that because was not actually 9, he could not sign himself in/out. i said "yall KNEW that when yall asked me and said he could because he was in the 9-11 group. and now yall are telling me he cant?!" So, yeah. he was allowed to be in the 9-11 group, but was not allowed to sign himself in/out with the other kids. so, i can see how he didnt have a great time, because he had to depend on ME or his dad to sign in/out and basically wait on us to do/not do something.