First post! 78 days!

[xpanmanx]

Greetings, first post. Thanks for the community :) I hope to learn much and eventually contribute.

 

Our family of 5 (me, DW, DS16, DD14 and DS12) are contemplating our first-ever cruise, sailing on the Victory's 4-day Western Bahamas cruise out of Port Canavaral on March 20th. We think we'll fly into Orlando on the evening of the 17th and spend a couple of days at WDW. After the cruise, we'll spend a couple of days at USF and SWO, then fly home.

 

But first we have to actually book the cruise, and to that end we have four questions which ought to be easy fodder for the experienced travelers in this community :D

 

First --- Dining times with teens. Ideally we'd select the MDR's 8:15 seating, because we're late eaters. I'd like to add that I very much like the idea of having consistent wait staff and dining partners. However, I've read that many Circle C and Club 02 events have conflicts with the late MDR seating time. Can someone please elaborate and suggest how to work around the conflicts?

 

Second --- Stateroom sizes/location. We've thought about going with two indoor staterooms, adults in one and kids in another. Unfortunately that puts DD14 in close quarters with her brothers without us there to run interference. We think we'd be better off with everyone in one larger stateroom. The balcony rooms on the Panorama deck are attractive to us. Would these be a good choice in our situation?

 

Third --- We suspect there are a ton of things on which to strategize, which can be worked out after booking and before departure. But what do we need to be know prior to booking? Wow, this could be a Pandora's box, but we're mostly thinking along the lines of our previous questions regarding meal times and staterooms.

 

Fourth --- We plan to book direct with CCL. Please shout out if there is a substantially better option used by experienced travelers. Thank you!

 

TL;DR First post for a new guy with pre-booking questions.

 

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Edited January 3, 2016 by xpanmanx

[Indytraveler83]

Welcome to the forums, I can give you a little advice on #3 and #4

 

The biggest thing to look into before booking, especially this close to sail date is all the arrangements you need to make to get there. Do you need a hotel? A flight? What will they cost, and are they available? More than once we've changed dates based on expenses surrounding the cruise, rather than the cruise itself.

 

If you are a control freak like I am, book direct with CCL, that way you are in charge and can be authorized to make any changes. (I always book on the website and make several small changes as I think and rethink my plans) If you prefer a less hands on approach you can hire a travel agent, but you will have to go through them for any changes or questions as CCL will want to talk to the agent if you go that route.

Edited January 3, 2016 by Indytraveler83

[b714210]

As a mom with three kids who has had a cabin for 5 in the past, just say no. It was extremely cramped. IMHO, I would put the 2 brothers in a cabin and have the 14 year old in the cabin with parents. Even having the two bathrooms would be a big plus.

[Boozebabe]

Connecting rooms for sure. No matter how responsible parents think their kids are, the kids could roam the ship all night long getting into mischief. We have been victims of this.

[Rosethorn40]

Can you even book kids in a cabin by themselves? I know some cruise lines won't allow it.

[A&Jfamily]

Yes. Carnival allows the kids beside or across the hall from parents. We get a balcony for us and an inside for the kids. We have 2 boys but even if we had a girl in the mix, I would take the position that they all share a room and if they can't get along they will be grounded to it! With 5 and rooms under 200 sq feet, 2 is really a must.

 

As for dinner book Your Time and you can go when it suits everyone's schedule. The kids activities go until 1 or later so expect them to be out late. Another reasons for 2 rooms - they don't wake you when they come in.

 

But, you have to know your kids. Will they follow your rules? If not, then you are going to need to keep a tighter leash on them. The nice thing about a cruise is it is contained, no one is roaming off, and you will pass ur kids multiple times a day so you know what's going on.

[Naomi John]

As a mom with three kids who has had a cabin for 5 in the past, just say no. It was extremely cramped. IMHO, I would put the 2 brothers in a cabin and have the 14 year old in the cabin with parents. Even having the two bathrooms would be a big plus.

 

This would be the most logical. If you cannot obtain adjoining cabins, then across from each other.

 

I have the pre-teen schedule for Magic out of Galveston in 2014 in my signature if you want to see what that club offers. It was the first time for us with a "Teen" on a cruise, it may help, these schedules are usually simalar from ship to ship.

 

We prefer the late dinning, we have not done it with a teen, as on Magic we had ATD, (and did not like it).

[watermelonqueen99]

The one piece of advice I can give you....book directly through Carnival! Don't go through a middle man, you want to be in charge of your reservation 100%! And you will have a great time at Disney! We went for the first time last summer, and we made some incredible memories. So much that we're heading back in June. Have a great vacation!

[CRocks]

Welcome to the forum. If you select the late dinner seating, 95% chance that's what you'll get. If not, easy to change from early to late but NOT the other way around. Regarding everyone in one stateroom, the problem occurs in the bathroom gettin ready for dinner. One solution, dad and the boys carry their dinner cloths to the spa + workout. After your workout shower/shave/dress in the locker room for dinner. That leaves the cabin bathroom to the ladies. Myself, I'd look for a 5 day Caribbean cruise outta Miami. Not much more + a lot nicer than The Bahamas which are in the N Atlantic, not the Caribbean. Weather can still be iffy outta Canaveral and in the Bahamas during March. Once you've been to the Caribbean, you won't bother with Bahamas.

[MaiTaiMary]

Welcome :)

Another vote here for getting two cabins.

We are a family of five, as well. It would be VERY cramped. Doable....but very uncomfortable, IMO.

I'm not familiar with the Victory, but are there even cabins that will fit five people? They are difficult to find.

[xpanmanx]

According to the CCL online booking site, Victory does indeed have staterooms to sleep five, when a trundle is used.

 

At this point we have to do the March 20th sailing to fit into our family schedule. We're as busy as many families, and quite a bit busier than some still.

 

I will definitely book direct with CCL. Are there particular agents which are preferred by this community....or do I just roll the dice with whomever?

 

We'll be looking into adjoining staterooms if possible. The online selection tool doesn't show anything near one another, do the agents have enhanced abilities?

 

Thank you everyone for the help thus far :)

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited January 3, 2016 by xpanmanx

[angiem0217]

Do not get 1 stateroom. They are small and I cannot imagine sharing one with 3 older kids. We only have 2 kids but my older daughter takes a friend and I always get them their own room and younger son stays with us. One year we all 4 stayed in the room together and it was to small for 4 so I would definitely not do 5. Put your daughter with you and 2 boys together. You will be glad you did. I would also do anytime dining. With older kids you never know what they will want to do and what time. It's just nice to be flexible on dining time.

[xpanmanx]

I will definitely book direct with CCL. Are there particular agents which are preferred by this community....or do I just roll the dice with whomever?

 

 

To clarify ..... do I just take my chances with whichever Carnival employee answers the phone?

[angiem0217]

If you do not have a PVP you can just call the 800 number and whoever answers can help you. They can search for adjoining rooms easier than you can try and look for them online

[christyran1228]

To clarify ..... do I just take my chances with whichever Carnival employee answers the phone?

 

I guess we aren't allowed to send private messages ... but you can try extension 85594 if you don't want to cold-call someone, and this person is pretty fabulous.

 

Are we even allowed to do that? 😕

[DaytonCruiser]

Are we even allowed to do that? 😕

 

No we arent allowed to give recommendations of agents or cruise reps

 

From board guidelines:

***************************

There shall be no third-party recommendation (whether positive or negative in tone) of travel agencies on any forums within Cruise Critic. General discussions regarding the TYPE of AGENCY to be used to purchase a cruise will be allowed, as long as no recommendations for any source of purchase are posted.*

 

Touting of your personal cruise agent or cruise line "personal cruise consultant" (or any other venue by which you purchase a cruise) is not allowed on our message boards. Postings that contain "tell them John sent you" will be removed without notice.*

 

This means you should not ask about someone's travel agent, nor should you respond in kind. Offering to email someone your travel agent's name or info is also not allowed, nor is asking members to email you for the information.

 

It also means you cannot post links to travel agencies, no matter what the specific reason.

Edited January 4, 2016 by DaytonCruiser

[christyran1228]

Thanks for the copy/paste!

[xpanmanx]

I called CCL today, and have a 24-hour hold on a Promenade balcony room, and an indoor room across the hall. There also remain a couple of connecting indoor rooms on the 6th deck midships, and I could switch to them if I wish. The 6th-deck rooms are about $225 less.

 

I like the idea of the Promenade balcony, but should I be concerned about smooth sailing with rooms that high up and forward?

[xpanmanx]

......aaaaaannnnnd booked!

[xpanmanx]

(post dupe)

Edited January 7, 2016 by xpanmanx