Need some advice....

[SpideyHulk24]

Hello there! First and foremost I want to say that I have been "lurking" on these boards and have found that the discussion here is invaluable and I thank you in advance for all the information I have found here. Here is our situation: My wife and I have cruised on carnival a long time ago. We loved it! Since that cruise we have had two children. We have a 5 year old and at the time of our next cruise our second child will be 15 months old. That being said we have been on Disney a bunch of times and although we enjoy that cruise line, we need a change. What things does Carnival have for children? I know they have camp carnival and pools and slides, etc, but will they get bored? Thank you in advance for your input. Disclaimer: Please don't go into how cruising is not for children.....yada, yada...yada.....(I mean that respectfully.) I was raised with morals and good behavior and my children are raised the same. If they even think of acting up in public or imposing on others....I won't have it.

 

Okay, now thank you! :)

[GoinCruisin]

Your 5 year old should be okay... as long as he/she is tall enough for the slides, that should be fun... and Camp Carnival will be fun for him/her. The 15 month old, there is nothing really for... too young for Camp Carnival, pools, etc. I think there is a block of time where parents can go in with toddlers and play in Camp Carnival? I'm not sure... but in the evenings you can use the babysitting service for some alone time... Might be some work keeping the toddler entertained, but I'm sure you guys will have a great time!

[SpideyHulk24]

Thank you for the quick response! We will definitely use the baby sitting services.

 

Thanks again!

[Diamond Graham]

Spidey,

 

I can tell you that Carnival has taken the highest honors for Children's programs several years in a row from the Porthole Magazine Reader's Choice Awards. Carnival has even beaten out Disney as the leader in many of these annual awards. I am sure that your kids will have a great time and be sure to make full use of the children's facilities and programs, it will surely enrich your cruise experience for both adults and children alike!

[CruiseIsGood]

If they even think of acting up in public

You do what, hit them? Impose severe psychological damage? They're children. Children should act like children.

[gypsyrose]

You do what, hit them? Impose severe psychological damage? They're children. Children should act like children.

 

Somebody always has to come back and say something negative. I think the op just meant he would not let them run around like monsters. I for one appreciate that.

[MidtheNight]

We've cruised on NCL (8x), Carnival (1x), Celebrity (1x) and RCCL (2x) with our kids all but once. My daughter (now 14 but only 7 or 8 when we started) still says Carnival had the best for things to do for kids. She says they always had "more to do" and "kept us so busy we didn't realize it was so late already".

 

What exactly she means I can't remember because it was probably about 4 maybe almost 5 years ago now that we last cruised on Carnival (going again in less than 2 weeks now...yippee!)...I do remember though she was always ticked when it was time to go because she was having so much fun and that didn't happen on most of our cruises at all.

[MidtheNight]

Somebody always has to come back and say something negative. I think the op just meant he would not let them run around like monsters. I for one appreciate that.

 

I for on applaud the attempt by the op. Children need to know the rules just like every one else. After all there is a time to act child-like and there's a time to act like a responsible younger individual. It's the parent's job to show them the difference in the timing.

[Newcastle]

You do what, hit them? Impose severe psychological damage? They're children. Children should act like children.

 

 

I is very sad that you do not know how to discipline a child, I can only hope that you do not have one. (Yes I understand that you are not saying to hit them or impose sever psychological damage, but you are saying that you could come up with no other way to teach them right from wrong.)

[Timmys_mom]

You do what, hit them? Impose severe psychological damage? They're children. Children should act like children.

 

Holy Cow! This was way over the top.

 

Spidey, my hat's off to you. As my dear friend, the child psychologist, says: Children need boundaries that define acceptable behavior. I have more respect for your approach to parenting than that of CIG.

 

Have a great time! My children are 8 and 5, and I wish I was able to bring them with me! Oh well, maybe next time.

[Georgia Peach2]

The first time we cruised with my daughter she was barely old enough for Camp Carnival. She absolutely LOVED it!

 

The biggest con for us though, was that she still took afternoon naps. Therefore either DH or I were pretty much confined to the stateroom for 2-3 hours every afternoon. Be sure to bring a good book...that same movie on TV gets OLD after the 2nd or 3rd day.

 

Peach

[smrn]

My 4 year old loves to cruise! He will be taking his 3rd cruise in 18 days! He started cruising at 2 and has never been on a Disney cruise. He had less fun on RCCL, but loves Carnival. We can barely get him to eat before he goes to CC and we have to drag him out of there! They have so...many activities for the children. Sometimes we show up during the day just to see what is going on. Sometimes they are having a "party" with dancing and singing. They might be being read to, and once we picked up a pirate, complete with drawn on patch and scar and handmade pirate hat. He tells me everyday that he can't wait for his Cruise "play-group." I wouldn't worry about the kids on the cruise, as hard as this may be to believe, they may have more fun than you do. Relax, and enjoy your cruise!

[SpideyHulk24]

Whoa mama! Cruisinisgood, you read my post incorrectly! Yes, I do discipline my children, but I do not beat them or cause psychological damage. However, I do raise my children to behave in public places and at home for that matter. A perfect example is dinner. If we are having dinner in the dining room, a child is a child and they may want to leave or not want the rest of their veggies and that is fine, but I will not tolerate, yelling, horseplay or anything like that. If they misbehave do I hit them? NO!!!!!!!!!!! but I take away things like staying up late (during vacation), getting a toy or going swimming for a long period of time. I for one am trying to raise decent human beings and will not criticize or allow myself to be criticized for the way I raise my children.....Now on a lighter, note, thank you for all the advice. Keep it comin' After all, this is a cruise board!

 

 

 

Thanks again!

[bobinnm]

You do what, hit them? Impose severe psychological damage? They're children. Children should act like children.

 

Rules are rules. Children need to know limits - and if they do not, they punish their parents for their failure to set limits and order in their young lifes.

 

To address your comment directly "Hit Them?" Why, yes, for the 15MO old child at least...a swat on the diaper padded butt will not, I assure you, impose severe psychological harm my friend ;)

 

Nor, for that fact, would it on the 5 year old...but by that time I am sure that the parents have the tantrum behavior under control.

 

There are too many mushy headed folks out there that equate letting "children be children" to running tyrannical roughshod over their parents and care givers.

 

Pardon the soapbox...but I hear this all the time ...

 

(Obligatory Credentials: MS Behavioral psychology UGA/PhD UMD)