Looking for best Carnival ship for kids under 2

[dnmccoy]

My wife and I love cruising, we have done 5 to date and all with Carnival. Over the last 10 months we have adopted 2 boys, and have had to push back our next cruise until next winter at least.

 

Im looking at transferring our cruise credit and would like some suggestions on which boats might be best for us and our 2 boys who will be 2 and 18 months. Were not looking for many sea days, I think it would be better to be able to get off the boat and hit the water.

 

Friends have suggested the vista with the dedicated family suites, but haven't heard any firsthand reviews

 

Thanks!

[flcruiser08]

Dream and magic I believe have family Oceanview that have a separate little tub which is great for littles. At that age they don't really care about the bells and whistles at least in my experience, mine just loved the dance club, arcade, different music and being on the open decks. I'd say go on excursions that you don't have to take a taxi or structured excursion.

[A&Jfamily]

First, congratulations!

 

The Sunshine has a small play ground for little ones and a large splash area; they are not allowed in the pools if not potty trained. Since you have flexibility, I would see what she has in your time frame that is port intensive. HMC would be a great port for the kiddos, as well as Grand Turk and Roatan as the beach is right there. But don't hesitate to take them out to explore; my little guy started at 2 and is now an avid traveler.

[wampuscat7]

Congratulations on your growing family!

 

Personally, I would look at the ports and what you can do there with your kids. Take into consideration whether you will be bringing car seats, whether you want ports that have convenient things to do right at/near the port, etc. You have no idea whether your kiddos will be great nappers who can sleep in strollers in a busy shopping area or will need to be back in the room for a number of hours every afternoon for quiet time. Convenience might be very important. Grand Turk and Mahogany Bay have beaches right at the dock and you can go back to the ship anytime you might need. Half Moon Cay is a little more difficult because it is a tender port.

 

Amber Cove has a large pool area with a children's splash pad right at the dock area. (Kids in swim diapers are ok there, unlike on the ship.) Costa Maya also has a pool at the port, though I can't recall if it is toddler-friendly.

 

Other ports, like Belize, don't strike me as being very toddler friendly (as it's a tender and then a bus ride to anything of interest).

 

If I were you, I'd take a look at the ports and the excursions available. What kind of things do you want to do?

[A&Jfamily]

Congratulations on your growing family!

 

Personally, I would look at the ports and what you can do there with your kids. Take into consideration whether you will be bringing car seats, whether you want ports that have convenient things to do right at/near the port, etc. You have no idea whether your kiddos will be great nappers who can sleep in strollers in a busy shopping area or will need to be back in the room for a number of hours every afternoon for quiet time. Convenience might be very important. Grand Turk and Mahogany Bay have beaches right at the dock and you can go back to the ship anytime you might need. Half Moon Cay is a little more difficult because it is a tender port.

 

Amber Cove has a large pool area with a children's splash pad right at the dock area. (Kids in swim diapers are ok there, unlike on the ship.) Costa Maya also has a pool at the port, though I can't recall if it is toddler-friendly.

 

Other ports, like Belize, don't strike me as being very toddler friendly (as it's a tender and then a bus ride to anything of interest).

 

If I were you, I'd take a look at the ports and the excursions available. What kind of things do you want to do?

 

The Costa Maya pool is toddler friendly with a gradual slope entrance on at least part. And Belize is not as bad as you think with toddlers. The Goffs Caye excursion was easy to do with our two year old; a boat ride to a private little island where he could safely explore the shore line. We booked through the ship for this one though. It all depends on how comfortable the parents are and how easy going to kids. If they are used to being out and about, Belize is just another place and my son liked the tender ride.

[dnmccoy]

Basically looking for beaches, I can't imagine trying to drag the kids for excursions. Would be nice to be able to reboard the boat if we needed to. I think Grand turk type Bea he's would be optimal

[A&Jfamily]

Then the ports of call you are looking for are:

 

Amber Cove

Roatan

Costa Maya

Cozumel (will need cab ride to one of the beaches)

Grand Turk

St. Thomas (again, cab ride)

HMC

Cayman (ride to 7 mile beach or book excursion through ship)

 

I can't think of a single cruise that I have been on that has all ports of call with beaches readily accessible; if you go western, you are going to have an issue in Belize and Cayman as both are tender ports. If you go eastern, you are going to need take a ride in St. Thomas or St. Martin, and San Juan is not beach friendly. Jamaica would also need to be a ride.

 

So no matter how you slice it, you are going to have some ports of call where you are going to have to either stay on the ship, or go out on a limb and book an excursion through the cruise line that will transport you and the kids to a beach.

 

Stay away from Nassau and Freeport - they are the most crowded and least enjoyable ports of all if you want beaches. Freeport is a 20 minute cab ride to get to the beach area, and Nassau, it's just not pretty, though there is a place, relatively near the port. But if you are feeling adventuresome, Adastra Gardens is great fun for kids.

[dnmccoy]

Booked a 5 day out of Miami. Decent itinerary with only 1 sea day:

 

1- Miami

2- Sea day

3- Grand Turk

4- Half Moon Cay

5- Nassau

 

Were not huge fans of Nassau either, but well make it work. Going on the Sensation so itll be a new boat for all of us :)

[Gardeneroflove]

Booked a 5 day out of Miami. Decent itinerary with only 1 sea day:

 

1- Miami

2- Sea day

3- Grand Turk

4- Half Moon Cay

5- Nassau

 

Were not huge fans of Nassau either, but well make it work. Going on the Sensation so itll be a new boat for all of us :)

 

You may find it easier and more fun/relaxing to stay on board with young kids. You have to time naps, possible potty breaks, diaper changes, feeding them.

 

You'll need to wear them or have strollers.

 

We stay on board, mostly. Last cruise two cruises Dh did go shopping one port with odd. I stayed on board with twins.

 

I personally love sea days as the pool/splash pad isn't as busy. But carnival isn't kid friendly so I can understand wanting to get off in ports.

[A&Jfamily]

Booked a 5 day out of Miami. Decent itinerary with only 1 sea day:

 

1- Miami

2- Sea day

3- Grand Turk

4- Half Moon Cay

5- Nassau

 

Were not huge fans of Nassau either, but well make it work. Going on the Sensation so itll be a new boat for all of us :)

 

That sounds like a good plan. And do consider Adastra in Nassau....the parading flamingos are awesome.

[CruiseBride926]

Booked a 5 day out of Miami. Decent itinerary with only 1 sea day:

 

 

 

1- Miami

 

2- Sea day

 

3- Grand Turk

 

4- Half Moon Cay

 

5- Nassau

 

 

 

Were not huge fans of Nassau either, but well make it work. Going on the Sensation so itll be a new boat for all of us :)

 

 

 

Enjoy! We did a cruise with our then 16 month old that went to grand turk and half moon cay (and freeport) and had a great time at both. We got a cabana at margaritaville for grand turk which we loved. She loved the pool and it was nice to have an enclosed place with air conditioning that we could chill out in.

 

 

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[dnmccoy]

Good idea on the cabanas. We got a Grand Suite room, wanted to make sure we could fit 2 cribs in there and still have a little moving around room.Overall I think itll be a good first cruise to get used to the idea.

[Cruise a holic]

Best of luck on your new family. Personally, I believe since the children are so little- it really doesn't matter. IMO, if you can- get the largest cabins available or if you can get two adjoining cabins. You can keep the door open and it will allow one child to nap if another is up. You can also bring a walkie talkie and leave it on if you feel more comfortable with that.

 

Enoy your cruise.

[CruiseBride926]

Good idea on the cabanas. We got a Grand Suite room, wanted to make sure we could fit 2 cribs in there and still have a little moving around room.Overall I think itll be a good first cruise to get used to the idea.

 

 

 

We had a grand suite as well and definitely enjoyed the extra space to fit a crib but also for her to move around. It's a different experience but definitely a great one.

 

 

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[dnmccoy]

Best of luck on your new family. Personally, I believe since the children are so little- it really doesn't matter. IMO, if you can- get the largest cabins available or if you can get two adjoining cabins. You can keep the door open and it will allow one child to nap if another is up. You can also bring a walkie talkie and leave it on if you feel more comfortable with that.

 

Enoy your cruise.

 

 

Never even thought of getting adjoining rooms.. I checked and it would be about $400 cheaper, if Carnival doesnt charge us anything to change the room type. Not sure it would be worth it to go from a suite to 2 balcony rooms?

[CruiseBride926]

Never even thought of getting adjoining rooms.. I checked and it would be about $400 cheaper, if Carnival doesnt charge us anything to change the room type. Not sure it would be worth it to go from a suite to 2 balcony rooms?

 

 

 

It might be for the sake of naps and night time. We would have to hang on the balcony until she would fall asleep and then sneak back in and hope not to wake her. It worked great at nighttime but not so much for naps. Having a separate space definitely would have been nice.

 

 

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[Cruise a holic]

Never even thought of getting adjoining rooms.. I checked and it would be about $400 cheaper, if Carnival doesnt charge us anything to change the room type. Not sure it would be worth it to go from a suite to 2 balcony rooms?

 

Another advantage is that you will have two bathrooms- while not important with toddlers who aren't toilet trained, both children can be washed at the same time- Have had two cabins with young kids and it works out very well-

[dnmccoy]

I will have to call carnival and see if we can change accomadations, im hoping they wont charge us a fee :rolleyes:

[dnmccoy]

Update: I called Carnival today,382 days out from sailing and it was a complete cluster

 

My wife and I juggled the pros and cons of balcony vs grand suite with extended balcony and decided the adjoining balcony rooms would probably be best for us and the boys. I figured I would call Carnival and explain the situation and ask to switch to 2 balcony rooms.With my great experiences with Carnivals customer service, I didnt think it would be a big deal, and it was only about $400 cheaper than the grand suite. I was wrong

 

I spent 45 minutes on the phone with 2 different women who came off as rude and condescending. I explained that we wernt aware Carnival had adjoining room with doors or we would have selected that immediately. They kept telling me that under the "Early Saver" fare, we couldnt downgrade. When I asked for the first woman's supervisor, I was transferred to the second woman who kept telling me it wasnt possible.

 

I kept asking to go up the chain until I could speak to someone who could make it happen. She put me on hold for about 15 minutes and came back and said they would make a "One time exception"

 

Im extremely surprised at the rudeness, Ive only had great experiences so far