Carnival Fantasy in July

[legieza]

My family is take the Western Caribbean cruise with the Carnival Fantasy in July. Our kids are 8, 11, 14, and two 15 year olds, plus my husband and myself. Its pretty much everyone's first time on a real cruise. Help! I have so many questions!

 

I need help deciding on excursions- or if we even need excursions!?!?! I was thinking Ruins and dolphins, but those are expensive for 7.  (Costa Maya and Cozumel)

We were assigned late dinner- is that still early/late enough that we can catch shows/game shows/etc? 

Is there a  place I can find show times/game times for our cruise? I've looked with no luck. 

Whats the easiest way for the kids to be able to communicate with the ex's? Skype? Nothing includes Facetime. 

There's no way I want to pack "dressy" for all seven of us- are we really missing out?

My aspergers child only wears basketball shorts and tshirts, the "casual" dress says no to this- is that enforced?

 

 

Any other help or advice would be greatly appreciated. As soon as I booked I immediately felt over whelmed. lol 

 

Thank you in advance for supporting my crazy. lol

[Schoifmom]

4 hours ago, legieza said:

I need help deciding on excursions- or if we even need excursions!?!?! I was thinking Ruins and dolphins, but those are expensive for 7.  (Costa Maya and Cozumel)  Excursions are totally up to you.  I've not been to Costa Maya, but Cozumel is very easy to do on your own.  Just grab a taxi.  Check out the Ports of Call forums for some excellent ideas.

 

We were assigned late dinner- is that still early/late enough that we can catch shows/game shows/etc?  They typically schedule the shows in a way that anyone eating early or late can catch them.  Many shows are run twice.  If your not comfortable with late dining, you might see if you could switch to YTD, so you can simply go when it is convenient for you.

 

Is there a  place I can find show times/game times for our cruise? I've looked with no luck. Those will be available once you board in the Fun Times (the daily schedule/information paper) or on the HUB app.  Everything is subject to change until the day prior, so it really wouldn't do you a lot of good to rely on a schedule published beforehand.

 

Whats the easiest way for the kids to be able to communicate with the ex's? Skype? Nothing includes Facetime.  The most cost effective way is to Facebook message using the social media internet package.  The highest level package may or may not have enough bandwidth to Facetime or Skype, but it can be really sketchy.

 

There's no way I want to pack "dressy" for all seven of us- are we really missing out?  On Carnival, dressy is not really that dressy.  Elegant night really just means no jeans or shorts.  If you choose to not dress for elegant night, just have dinner on the Lido deck.  You would be missing out on lobster and prime rib (if you cruise is 6 nights or longer).

 

My aspergers child only wears basketball shorts and tshirts, the "casual" dress says no to this- is that enforced?  Here's the thing about the dress code, it is not heavily enforced.  Having said that, I truly believe in following the dress code.  Can you start working with your child now to find shorts other than basketball shorts that he will wear?  If not, if it comes up, simply explain that your child has Asperger's and this is all he can wear.  You will be fine.

 

Any other help or advice would be greatly appreciated. As soon as I booked I immediately felt over whelmed. lol 

RELAX!!  I know that planning for your first cruise is stressful, but you will get through it and everyone will have a blast!  Make sure you hop over to the Carnival forum and read through some of the threads for useful information.

 

Thank you in advance for supporting my crazy. lol

 

I'm trying to help all I can, so see above in red 🙂

[legieza]

Thank you so much!! That was very helpful! I’ve been reading through the forums and trying to gather as much I formation as possible! This message board is awesome!