Future first-time Carnival cruiser. (Fall of '19, Caribbean.) How awash in children?

[H. Manfredjinsinjin]

Hi everyone,

 

Taking my first cruise in Fall of '19. Budget considerations dictate it will likely be Carnival. I'd like to reduce the kid quotient as much as possible.

 

I'm already figuring on a 7-day cruise, since I understand that to be a kid-minimizing factor, as opposed to cruises less than a week.

 

But, will a Sep/Oct/Nov cruise knock down the total of kids substantially more? Is one month better than the other two? Under the best of autumnal circumstances, how massive will the kid count still be, in all likelihood?

 

Thanks very much.

[Sillyjilly]

Those are good months since kids are in school. I only cruise during the fall and winter for the same reason.

[KmomChicago]

Of course no one can guarantee which clientele will be on which ship at any time, but I would venture that the cheapest date will likely have the fewest children. It's cheapest because the date is the most inconvenient for the most travelers, on a cruise line that targets families as one of its key customer bases.

 

Homeschooling has somewhat changed the off-season dynamic, so Carnival will always have some kids onboard, but the old trends still mostly run true. It's a win for customers like yourselves who have the flexibility to find those rock bottom prices and enjoy a potentially less crowded voyage. Yes I am jealous as I used to do this but now I have a tween so we are many years away from snagging these deals again.

 

I hope you love your first cruise, happy planning. You'll find the cruise critic boards very helpful with any questions you may have. Seriously these people can answer anything! They're amazing!

[nicole9s]

We cruised the week of Labor Day last year and there were under 100 kids onboard. Most schools in the NE start that week. It is a more elevated time for hurricanes, however.

 

A lot of places are doing fall breaks in October now, so keep that in mind.

 

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[ash-n-brensmom]

Going to use my past Walt Disney World experience to answer this, as it probably is still helpful.

 

The previous poster was correct about Labor Day. That week and the few weeks following will have the least amount of kids compared to the entire rest of the year. Good for WDW, not so good for cruising as it's prime Hurricane season.

 

Going forward on the calendar from there, you will want to avoid the week leading into and out of Columbus Day, as many schools have a new balanced school year with a week off for a "Fall Break", and it's also Canadian Thanksgiving and many will take their kids out of school for the remainder of that week.

 

There are a lot of factors (like homeschooling) that have made figuring out that sweet spot more difficult. Good luck and remember, no matter how many kids are on the ship....so are you! Have fun!

[Schoifmom]

It somewhat depends on where you are cruising to, as well. For example, we were on a CA/NE cruise with only 100 total under 18 on board. Vacationing families with kids tend to head toward the Bahamas and Caribbean.

[April42749]

We cruised the week of Labor Day last year and there were under 100 kids onboard. Most schools in the NE start that week. It is a more elevated time for hurricanes, however.

 

A lot of places are doing fall breaks in October now, so keep that in mind.

 

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It's become a tradition for us to do Canada/NE the week of Labor Day. Hardly a kid in sight. It's probably a good time for other itineraries as well, since the majority of parents know that skipping school at the beginning of the year could be problematic.

[cruziJenn]

will a Sep/Oct/Nov cruise knock down the total of kids substantially more? Is one month better than the other two?

 

Yes definitely, as others have said any time after Labor Day week and avoiding Thanksgiving. And for comparison with at least one other cruise brand we have usually noticed actually a little less mingling presence of children overall on Carnival cruises than on Royal. Please take whatever you may read on this board that Carnival is somehow 'worse' for kids than other cruise lines with a grain of salt. I would defo say that Carnival does an excellent job of caring for and entertaining kids in their own kids' worlds and keeping them isolated from the 'misbehaving' adults on their ships :p

 

NOT meaning to be critical of either adults or kids, just saying :)

[Hotdog 52]

October thru Feb. excluding holidays and school breaks is a really good time.

[cruziJenn]

October thru Feb. excluding holidays and school breaks is a really good time.

 

We often sail in April (NOT spring break week!!) and usually get good prices and great weather. And as kid-free as fall :)

[nutterbutter818]

I think you are going at a good time. We go in April or May before school is out for the same reason.

[Saint Greg]

Going when kids are in school makes a huge difference. When I went in July we had over 1,000 kids on board. My september cruises have been more like 300-500. You almost don't notice them. Also have had good luck late feb-early mar....before spring break. Went the week before this year and it was great.

[geckoaz]

About 8 years ago we cruised ccl around hawaii and ended up in california (ensenda and bused into san diego). There were oy 2 kids on board. Both from australia. They shut down the kids camp and set up afternoon crafts for adults. I felt like i was in the retirement home. So late september is good. With year round schools you may run into 2 or 3 week breaks for fall vacation. Enjoy your cruise.

[bougiet]

We often sail in April (NOT spring break week!!) and usually get good prices and great weather. And as kid-free as fall :)

 

Love sailing in April. Great weather, calm seas, warm seas and not a ton of children :)

[Manatee Mom]

If you don't want kids, why not look at Holland America for the time of year you are looking the prices are usually about the same and there is much less chance of kids bothering you on that ship.

[Saint Greg]

If you don't want kids, why not look at Holland America for the time of year you are looking the prices are usually about the same and there is much less chance of kids bothering you on that ship.

 

May not want corpses either.

[nycruise3]

We went on the Sunshine on September 16th, there were only 40 kids. It was amazing, there was no line for the slide or SkyCourse. Anytime in mid-late September or October should be kid-free.

[H. Manfredjinsinjin]

We went on the Sunshine on September 16th, there were only 40 kids. It was amazing, there was no line for the slide or SkyCourse. Anytime in mid-late September or October should be kid-free.

 

So let it be written. So let it be done.

[H. Manfredjinsinjin]

May not want corpses either.

 

Baha-hahaha!

[H. Manfredjinsinjin]

If you don't want kids, why not look at Holland America for the time of year you are looking the prices are usually about the same and there is much less chance of kids bothering you on that ship.

 

Regrettably, Florida ports are too far for a comfortable two-day-drive. (Driving instead of flying to a port, to save money.)

[RiotAct]

our honeymoon cruise a few years back was October 18th - 25th and there were very, very few children on board.

[Jerseygirl1416]

Went this past Halloween week and there were a ton of young kids. Who would’ve thought? My kids would’ve never let me take them away from home over Halloween.

[H. Manfredjinsinjin]

Those are good months since kids are in school. I only cruise during the fall and winter for the same reason.

 

Right-o!

[H. Manfredjinsinjin]

Of course no one can guarantee which clientele will be on which ship at any time, but I would venture that the cheapest date will likely have the fewest children. It's cheapest because the date is the most inconvenient for the most travelers, on a cruise line that targets families as one of its key customer bases.

 

Homeschooling has somewhat changed the off-season dynamic, so Carnival will always have some kids onboard, but the old trends still mostly run true. It's a win for customers like yourselves who have the flexibility to find those rock bottom prices and enjoy a potentially less crowded voyage. Yes I am jealous as I used to do this but now I have a tween so we are many years away from snagging these deals again.

 

I hope you love your first cruise, happy planning. You'll find the cruise critic boards very helpful with any questions you may have. Seriously these people can answer anything! They're amazing!

 

Thank you! And yes, I will be posting further questions.

[H. Manfredjinsinjin]

We cruised the week of Labor Day last year and there were under 100 kids onboard. Most schools in the NE start that week. It is a more elevated time for hurricanes, however.

 

A lot of places are doing fall breaks in October now, so keep that in mind.

 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

 

Yes, the weather risk is a point of concern, but assorted factors make a Spring cruise unfeasible.