Put my mind to ease-Camp Carnival on the Pride

[cruizinisthebest]

No camp on the first day/night but yes they offer night owls. On my son's first cruise, he went to camp the first night just because he was so excited, he couldn't wait until the morning! I think he just played video games, which was fine with him.

[jmcghee2024]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SENDING THESE.

 

I have just started looking over them (only on the first page lol) and have to ask....SO WAIT...THEY HAVE SITTING THE FIRST NIGHT? It says sitting starting at 10pm-3am. Tell me about this. I would be happy with maybe 1-2 hours doing that after the family dance party and stuff is over. I didn't realize they had that. How much does it cost? Do you have to sign up ahead of time (like when you are registering them for Camp?)

 

Looking at the staff on the paper (which I realize things can change by the time we are on the ship)...I do NOT see the person that I had issues with on the Dream. Hallelujah! :D

 

Night Owls costs $6.75 per hour from 10PM-3AM per child. You can do one hour or any of it. They do charge in whole hours so an hour and half=2 hours. I think there is a discount for more than one child, but not totally sure since I just have one. They have this every night.

[mitsugirly]

No camp on the first day/night but yes they offer night owls. On my son's first cruise, he went to camp the first night just because he was so excited, he couldn't wait until the morning! I think he just played video games, which was fine with him.

 

I see on the schedule that was emailed to me that they do have this sitting on the first night and that it says "PlayStation 2, Game Boys, Nintendo Wii" on the listing. Is that ALL they have for the kids to do? :confused:

 

Night Owls costs $6.75 per hour from 10PM-3AM per child. You can do one hour or any of it. They do charge in whole hours so an hour and half=2 hours. I think there is a discount for more than one child, but not totally sure since I just have one. They have this every night.

 

Thanks for the info.

 

 

 

 

I'm seeing on the schedule (at least current for the Pride now, but could change once it repositions to Baltimore) that the 1st sea night they have a party for the kids (10pm-12am), which includes games and dancing with glow sticks, snacks and so on. BUT it says $12 for the first kid? :eek:

 

Then on the second sea night there's another party at the same time, which is also a dance party and they play flashlight hide & go seek, but the charge is only $6 for the first kid. :confused:

 

Of course we have to change it again on the next night, which is a port night, and that dance party...which is ALSO a flashlight hide & go seek party...which is $18.00 for the first child!!!! :eek::rolleyes:

 

Then it goes back down to $6 and then babysitting the rest of the time.

 

 

So now I'm SUPER CONFUSED since it looks to me like the "sitting services" that is from 10-3am really isn't every night because obviously they are charging different prices every night depending on the activity???? Yikes. This is going to be extremely confusing! Why would they do this? Is this what others have experienced (the different pricing every night?)

 

Normally we only allow her to stay after hours once during the cruise. But if they are having dance party's with glow sticks and flashlights, I know she would love to do something like this (at least on the sea day nights because we wouldn't allow it on the nights we need to be in bed early if we are in port the next day) but the pricing is just CRAZY!

[bambilin]

Weird about the price differences! Think I shall be following this thread as we will be sailing with our two boys (will be 8 and 10) on the Pride in August. We will also have several other kids in our group aged 3 to 12.

[txgranny]

I think my granddaughter will really enjoy all this! Those prices are weird but very reasonable.

[asdjl]

I think the price differences are because the number of hours covered by each party is different. The one that is $25 or so covers from 10 to 3, while the others are fewer hours.

 

I also think, but am not sure, that they also have babysitting, which is different than the parties. The parties are parties, in the club, or wherever and involve (obviously) lots of kids. I still think babysitting is available, that can be done in your stateroom, and is just the kids you pay for, not a group activity.

 

Now, I have only done one cruise in my adult life with kids, on the Getaway, last year, and none of my 3 (13, 10, 8 at the time) were thrilled with the kids clubs, so we just did our own thing. We are going on the Magic this year for 3 primary reasons: not having to fly to Florida (we are from southern CA), the kids club ages are 9-11 (so my now 9 year old will not be with the "little kids", and the ship has a ropes course and sports square (which was a huge hit with them on the GA).

 

My point being, I know nothing about Carnival! lol But these policies babysitting vs. Night Owls parties are what I thought I understood from my research. But, please you much more experienced Carnival cruisers, chime in!

[mitsugirly]

I think the price differences are because the number of hours covered by each party is different. The one that is $25 or so covers from 10 to 3, while the others are fewer hours.

 

I also think, but am not sure, that they also have babysitting, which is different than the parties. The parties are parties, in the club, or wherever and involve (obviously) lots of kids. I still think babysitting is available, that can be done in your stateroom, and is just the kids you pay for, not a group activity.

 

Now, I have only done one cruise in my adult life with kids, on the Getaway, last year, and none of my 3 (13, 10, 8 at the time) were thrilled with the kids clubs, so we just did our own thing. We are going on the Magic this year for 3 primary reasons: not having to fly to Florida (we are from southern CA), the kids club ages are 9-11 (so my now 9 year old will not be with the "little kids", and the ship has a ropes course and sports square (which was a huge hit with them on the GA).

 

My point being, I know nothing about Carnival! lol But these policies babysitting vs. Night Owls parties are what I thought I understood from my research. But, please you much more experienced Carnival cruisers, chime in!

 

 

Nope, this is not the case.

 

The parties are from 10pm-12am. Each are 2 hours each, so that can't be the reason for the different prices.

 

Also, the kids are never babysat in your room. They are in the kids club I'm pretty sure. :confused: At least this has always been the case for us on any cruise...even NCL.

[asdjl]

Camp Night Owls

 

 

For the convenience of our guests, Camp Carnival and Camp Ocean offer Night Owls for children 6 months to 11 years, allowing parents time to enjoy the nightlife without having to worry about their little ones.

 

 

 

When?

•Night Owls is available each evening from 10:00pm-1:00am.

•Night Owls is not available during the hours that Camp Carnival/Camp Ocean is closed or during their scheduled activities, which typically run from 10:00am-1:00pm, 2:00pm-5:00pm and 6:00pm-10:00pm.

 

 

 

How much?

•$6.75 per hour plus a 15% gratuity, per child

•No discount for additional children

•Fees are due upon pick-up and paid via Sail & Sign Card directly to the Youth Staff on duty. Cash is not an acceptable form of payment.

•Any child left past 1:00am will be charged double (for the time period beyond 1:00am) and will forfeit Night Owls privileges for the remainder of the cruise, if the policy is abused.

 

 

 

Where?

•In the Camp Carnival/Camp Ocean facility with a ‘slumber party’ type atmosphere, including movie time, toys, video games and room service snacks. 6-11 Years have fun playing video games, arts & crafts and more.

•Children sleep on pillows and blankets. Cots are not provided.

•For infants, Pack & Plays are available for usage.

•Note: Carnival Cruise Lines does not offer any in-stateroom services.

 

 

 

Sign-Up

•During the day, parents can advise the Youth Staff if their child will be participating Night Owls.

•If previously signed up and they decide to change plans, parents are asked to call up and cancel.

•If there are no children participating by 11:00pm, the Night Owls service is cancelled for the evening.

•The services close after the last child is picked up if past 11:00pm.

 

 

 

Sign-in/Sign-out Policy

•Children are not permitted to sign themselves in/out after 10:00pm. Children must be signed in and out by the Parent/Legal Guardian or the authorized persons over the age of 18.

•After 10:00pm, 9-11 year olds must be picked up by their Parent/Legal Guardian from Night Owls (as per day time policy, they are allowed to sign in/out).

•The adult is required to present their Sail & Sign card each time they drop off and pick up their child. For the safety of the child, there are no exceptions to this rule.

 

 

 

Under 2 Infant Care

•On Port Days, care for infants begins from 15 minutes before the first tour until 12:00 noon (or from 1:00pm until 5:00pm for ships arriving in port after noon time). Port Days are for drop off only. Fees Apply: $6.75 per hour plus a 15% gratuity, per child.

•On Sea Days, Under 2 time is scheduled from 8:00am-10:00am. During this time, parents have the option of leaving their child in the care of the Youth Staff. Fees Apply: $6.75 per hour plus a 15% gratuity, per child for this service or they can stay and use the Camp facilities at no charge. Please note that this time is designated for the use of Under 2’s and their parents only.

•Each evening, Night Owls is available from 10:00pm-1:00am. Fees Apply: $6.75 per hour plus a 15% gratuity, per child. During this time, there will be children from other age groups (2-11 years) participating in Night Owls.

 

 

 

Potty-Trained

Children do not have to be potty-trained in order to take part of Night Owls. Parents must provide the Youth Staff with diapers and toiletries to be used for their child. However, if children are too big to be changed on the diapering table, they will not be changed by the Youth Staff. The parents will be contacted to come and change the child. After the child is changed, they may come back into the program.

 

 

 

Late Night Parties

In addition to the Night Owls program, on selected nights of the cruise, we have different parties which offer FUN, MEMORIES AND GREAT VALUE. Advertising is mentioned in the Camp activity schedules, digital signage at Camp Carnival/Camp Ocean and Night Owls postcards (see below) are delivered to the child’s stateroom. All kids who participate in the parties will receive fun premium giveaways!

 

 

 

OWL JAMS

 

Ages: 2-11 years

 

Hours: 10:00pm-12:00am

 

Fee: $13 per child, per party, plus 15% gratuity

 

Activities Include: video games, arts & craft, music and more; snacks and beverages included

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FUN ‘TIL ONE

 

Ages: 6-8 Years

 

Hours: 10:00pm-1:00am

 

Fee: $20 per child, per party, plus 15% gratuity

 

Activities include: Theme nights, dancing, singing, video games, and more interactive activities; snacks and beverages included

 

 

FUN AT SEA

 

Ages: 9-11 Years

 

Hours: 10:00pm-1:00am

 

Fee: $20 per child, per party, plus 15% gratuity

 

Activities include: Competitions, video games, sporting events, pizza and more; snacks and beverages included

 

Note: Limited space available

[jdkbrim]

Our family has been cruising for the past 10 years, primarily on Carnival. We have been on multiple ships sailing 5 day or 7 day itineraries at various times of the year. So, I can offer a little insight, perhaps, on how things vary from ship to ship. We have never done the paid after hours care, so I do not have experience with it. But, I do believe there is a difference between signing up for a party (paying for the whole block of time for the activities described) versus just signing up for after hours “care” on an hour by hour basis.

I’ve found that the camp opens up the first night on 5 night cruises but not until the next day for 7 day cruises. There has always been a Family Dance Party in the Disco the first night of the cruise. We love it! In fact, I miss having it to kick off my cruise when my husband and I cruise by ourselves. Once the party gets going, besides dancing, they do some group games and contests. They will award medals or a ship on a stick for things like “Best dancing family”, “Best Mom Dancer”, “Best boy Dancer”, etc.

Make sure to dance with your daughter. I’ve found parental participation levels to vary from cruise to cruise. On my last cruise, it seemed like only me and one other Mom were out with our kids which I think is kind of sad.

On some cruises the Counselors have said I needed to pick my kids up earlier than the stated closing time when I dropped them off. I decided that was because they wanted kids to actually get all picked up on time. If I showed up closer to Noon (the stated closing time) instead of the requested 11:45, I didn’t get in trouble. The line for picking up kids in the 6-8 age group always seems to be the longest, especially at night (I’m guessing because that age group has the highest level of participation). If you don’t want to wait in a long line, just go early or right at closing time.

A few ships we’ve sailed on have done the “throw all the crafts in to the box for parents to fish out” approach. But, others have it sitting out to hand to the kids to bring out with them. The crafts/activities vary from ship to ship. Sometimes activities (e.g., building a volcano and then setting it off) take place over a couple days. As far as movies go, usually my kids were only watching movies at the end of the night before pick-up (and it was listed on the schedule) or if they decided to go to camp during the day on a port day during what was listed as “Free Play” time. Make sure to look for T-Shirt decorating on the schedule. My kids have always loved that. It’s been at a different day and time on every cruise we have gone on.

I sailed with two of my daughters on the Carnival Pride last February (LOVED sailing from Baltimore, by the way). There were not a lot of kids that sailing, so the two older age groups were combined most of the time. But, they still ran all of the activities as listed on the schedule.

Typically the kids’ camp closes down on the afternoon of the last sea day. Sometimes it’s to do a Talent Show and sometimes to sponsor family activities like a Scavanger Hunt. Sometimes we participate, sometimes we don’t as our kids tend to like kids’ camp in the morning and evening with the afternoon used as our pool/water slide time.

Fortunately my kids have had a good experience every time they have sailed with Carnival (although 11 year olds not as much because they think they are too big and want to be with the older kids in Circle C instead). Some Counselors are obviously better than others, but I’ve never had an experience on Carnival as bad as the one you described.

That’s all I can think of right now, but if you have any other questions I’ll be happy to try and answer them.

[mitsugirly]

Thank you so much for the information and insight on your experience jdkbrim. It really helped a lot. Maybe some of the things you described is what was happening on the Dream (with pick up times and closed times). That would explain a lot, but I would just think they would better inform parents of these things like I have always had in the past with NCL. They are always reminding you of things going on during each day..."Remember we are having ______, so make sure you have your child signed in by ____ if they are participating because we won't be here and will be _______" and so on. So informative. Giving parents information like this (in addition to just handing a schedule on the first day) would go such a long way for those that are "new" and not sure how things work. :)

 

From reading your description, I know one thing, I will definitely pay better attention to the kids Camp schedule this time around so that I don't miss anything.

 

I sounds like a lot of fun activities that I know she would probably want to participate in as long as it's not a port day the following day and they don't have mean counselors this time. :p

[Jenner9]

I know in addition to the Night Owls sitting they also have Late Night Parties, which is separate from the sitting. There is a flat rate fee for each party. My son has never gone yet as we haven't sailed on Carnival yet but I have read fantastic things about these late night parties. There are 3 different ones to choose from. They are only on certain nights where as Night Owls sitting is offered every night!

[jdkbrim]

I thought of a couple other things....

On cruises with more kids, some activities might take place in a location on the ship different from the kids' camp facilities (e.g., the disco or Circle C). It will say where each activity is taking place on the schedule.

I recommend signing up for camp on-line before you go. You then print out the forms and take them with you. You can turn them in to the staff either during open house hours or at camp registration. It will save you having to fill out the forms on the boat. FYI, even though the form asks about swimming for everyone, I've only ever seen them have group swimming time at night for the 9 to 11 year olds. Sometimes when we board there will be a Camp Carnival (I guess Camp Ocean now) representative with a little paper about that day's schedule...if they don't, it will be on listed on the Funtimes. You can pick up the full schedule at Camp Registration or by that night they will be hanging up outside the camp entrance. We haven't sat through the registration in years...just pick up the schedules and leave.

[RTRMom]

Just got off the Dream and here is our experience with Camp Carnival.

 

 

I have a 4 and 7 year old. They loved every bit of Camp Carnival. My 7 year old was mad if we picked him up even 5 mins early. Lol.

 

 

-it was open starting at 10am on sea days. Then the latest pick up time was 2:45 before they closed for family activities in the afternoon. But they made a suggestion to pick up around 1 or so. Because they don't provide lunch. They don't want you to leave the kids in for that long and not feed them. So we usually picked up around 12-1 and ate lunch then went up for the waterpark and played.

 

- evening camp started at 6 if you wanted them to eat there. 7pm if they weren't eating there. Then the pick up time was 9:45.

 

-there were plenty of activities that they did. They always came back with crafts, medals for winning games..etc. The only time they watched tv was at the end of the day right before pick up. All the activities were listed in the schedule.

 

-not sure on the exact time on port days, because they came off the ship with us. After they ate lunch with us..they headed to the camp about 1 or 2pm. I think the pick up time was 4:45 then and the evening was the same as the sea days.

 

 

 

We had the cell phone for our 4 year old. Never had a problem with it. All and all I would give them 5 stars. :)

Edited March 1, 2015 by RTRMom

[mitsugirly]

I know in addition to the Night Owls sitting they also have Late Night Parties, which is separate from the sitting. There is a flat rate fee for each party. My son has never gone yet as we haven't sailed on Carnival yet but I have read fantastic things about these late night parties. There are 3 different ones to choose from. They are only on certain nights where as Night Owls sitting is offered every night!

 

It sounds like the night that these "parties" are hosted, they do not have the Night Owls sitting during those times as posted by asdjl

 

 

When?

•Night Owls is available each evening from 10:00pm-1:00am.

•Night Owls is not available during the hours that Camp Carnival/Camp Ocean is closed or during their scheduled activities, which typically run from 10:00am-1:00pm, 2:00pm-5:00pm and 6:00pm-10:00pm.

 

So it looks likes it's going to be a hit or miss with that. Although like I said, we normally only send our daughter to the late night sitting once during the cruise (at least on NCL we only do it for the White Hot party, but actually here lately we have been taking her with us to it). I'm only considering taking her to late night now since they have actual "children" parties" that I know she would love and then also on the 1st night (sail away day) since the camp is not even open on that night and we always like to hit the casino for an hour or so.

 

I thought of a couple other things....

On cruises with more kids, some activities might take place in a location on the ship different from the kids' camp facilities (e.g., the disco or Circle C). It will say where each activity is taking place on the schedule.

I recommend signing up for camp on-line before you go. You then print out the forms and take them with you. You can turn them in to the staff either during open house hours or at camp registration. It will save you having to fill out the forms on the boat. FYI, even though the form asks about swimming for everyone, I've only ever seen them have group swimming time at night for the 9 to 11 year olds. Sometimes when we board there will be a Camp Carnival (I guess Camp Ocean now) representative with a little paper about that day's schedule...if they don't, it will be on listed on the Funtimes. You can pick up the full schedule at Camp Registration or by that night they will be hanging up outside the camp entrance. We haven't sat through the registration in years...just pick up the schedules and leave.

 

 

Oh yes, I almost forgot about signing up ahead of time and printing it off. We did that last night as well. I will definitely do that again this time. Thanks for reminding me. :)

[mitsugirly]

 

-it was open starting at 10am on sea days. Then the latest pick up time was 2:45 before they closed for family activities in the afternoon. But they made a suggestion to pick up around 1 or so. Because they don't provide lunch. They don't want you to leave the kids in for that long and not feed them. So we usually picked up around 12-1 and ate lunch then went up for the waterpark and played.

 

See, this is the party that gets me. Don't advertise that you are open from 10-2:45 and then tell me to come get my child at 1pm. That's 1 hr 45 minutes before closing and by telling me that, you make it seem like you are trying to get rid of my child or something "funny" is going on.

 

People in the kids club (or anywhere else) can not "assume" that everyone is on the same schedule in life and eat at the same time and so on. We have a VERY different schedule than most. We eat a very late breakfast (it's now 12:30pm here at home and we just finished breakfast). We usually are not eating lunch until 4-5pm or so and usually don't eat dinner until 10pm or later most nights. It's the schedule we have always been on due to our work schedules. So by "making suggestions" on when to pick up our child is just...in my opinion, rude and leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

 

You tell me when Camp is open. You tell me when Camp is closing. I will determine when to drop my child off and pick her up, which is usually never for the full time of operating hours and some where in between. But I will decide that and don't need "suggestions" from them. If the Camp closes at...say 2:45, then I'm told "come back around 1 to pick up your child", there's going to be some issues again. :(

- evening camp started at 6 if you wanted them to eat there. 7pm if they weren't eating there. Then the pick up time was 9:45.

 

-there were plenty of activities that they did. They always came back with crafts, medals for winning games..etc. The only time they watched tv was at the end of the day right before pick up. All the activities were listed in the schedule.

 

I seriously think it was just the cruise we were on (I hope). We would go and peek in the windows during any given time during the day and they would be sitting on the floor..not doing games and I know my child did not walk out of there with any medals from games and she is very competitive and loves playing the games on NCL.

 

-not sure on the exact time on port days, because they came off the ship with us. After they ate lunch with us..they headed to the camp about 1 or 2pm. I think the pick up time was 4:45 then and the evening was the same as the sea days.

 

 

 

We had the cell phone for our 4 year old. Never had a problem with it. All and all I would give them 5 stars. :)

 

Yea, our daughter is always with us on port days, so at least I don't have to worry about that thank goodness.:)

[RTRMom]

Yea, our daughter is always with us on port days, so at least I don't have to worry about that thank goodness.:)

 

It was a friendly suggestion, because I definitley knew there were some that used the camp for every second they could lol.

 

You said she is 6 now? My 7 year old was in that age group and she will love all the games and activities they have. It is more "group" oriented than the younger group. My son ended up with 4 medals from various games/challenges they had.

[mitsugirly]

It was a friendly suggestion, because I definitley knew there were some that used the camp for every second they could lol.

 

You said she is 6 now? My 7 year old was in that age group and she will love all the games and activities they have. It is more "group" oriented than the younger group. My son ended up with 4 medals from various games/challenges they had.

 

 

Oh, I didn't mean to imply that you thought we would leave her there on port days. I was just commenting that thank goodness this isn't something else to have to worry about with the club. :) I mean it works for some people (my oldest daughter left my grandson there for 1 port day last Carnival cruise and it worked out for the best for her situation, but I just could never do it and my daughter would never let me live it down...she has to be right there doing everything we do in port :D).

 

Yes, she's 6 now (will be 7 only 5 days after we return from this cruise) and I'm hoping this WILL make a bit of of difference by being in a different age group and getting to do more things this time around. :)

[RTRMom]

Oh, I didn't mean to imply that you thought we would leave her there on port days. I was just commenting that thank goodness this isn't something else to have to worry about with the club. :) I mean it works for some people (my oldest daughter left my grandson there for 1 port day last Carnival cruise and it worked out for the best for her situation, but I just could never do it and my daughter would never let me live it down...she has to be right there doing everything we do in port :D).

 

Yes, she's 6 now (will be 7 only 5 days after we return from this cruise) and I'm hoping this WILL make a bit of of difference by being in a different age group and getting to do more things this time around. :)

 

 

 

Lol, I didn't think you implied that. ;) I was just saying it was funny when some of the people dropped their kids off at 10am and they wanted to know the last possible minute they could pick them up.

 

My oldest would have stayed in there every second..if we let him. He even ate with the camp every night by his request. He made a lot of good friends that he enjoyed the waterworks with as well. Your daughter will probably do the same. :)

Edited March 1, 2015 by RTRMom

[mitsugirly]

Lol, I didn't think you implied that. ;) I was just saying it was funny when some of the people dropped their kids off at 10am and they wanted to know the last possible minute they could pick them up.

 

My oldest would have stayed in there every second..if we let him. He even ate with the camp every night by his request. He made a lot of good friends that he enjoyed the waterworks with as well. Your daughter will probably do the same. :)

 

 

Yea, that's how she's been on all the NCL cruises. She will beg to go to the kids club and have a fit when we go to pick her up begging to stay. Once she's out and we are doing things, she's asking non-stop when she can go back to play with her friends. We do like to spend family time together, but some times she thinks this cruise belongs to her and doesn't want family time...she would rather be with kids her own age and enjoying fun activities instead of being with boring mom and dad. LOL Which I guess I can understand. About the only way to coax her into hanging with us is by hanging at the pool/waterpark or shopping (and this is coming from a kid that easily entertains herself at home and is a very quiet child LOL). :p

[RTRMom]

Yea, that's how she's been on all the NCL cruises. She will beg to go to the kids club and have a fit when we go to pick her up begging to stay. Once she's out and we are doing things, she's asking non-stop when she can go back to play with her friends. We do like to spend family time together, but some times she thinks this cruise belongs to her and doesn't want family time...she would rather be with kids her own age and enjoying fun activities instead of being with boring mom and dad. LOL Which I guess I can understand. About the only way to coax her into hanging with us is by hanging at the pool/waterpark or shopping (and this is coming from a kid that easily entertains herself at home and is a very quiet child LOL). :p

 

 

 

Yeah we made sure to do the waterpark and arcade each day with them. At least then they had fun with us...boring parents. Haha.

[mitsugirly]

I'm happy to report that my daughter had a wonderful time with the Camp Carnival on the Carnival Pride. Woo Hoo. I'm so happy that she didn't have the same experience as the last time. :)