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Large Family Cruise Help!


augirl409
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My husband and I are planning a cruise for the two of us and our eight children (will be ages 18,17,13,11,9,5,5,and almost 2) for next May.

 We have narrowed it down to a five day on either the Dream or the Valor.(same destination)

 

 A little info...we won’t be doing kids club. Our older three are boys and are  responsible enough to walk around and explore (eat, arcade,etc) together without us for certain amounts of time.

 

We cruised without the kiddos on the Fantasy last month and LOVED the simplicity/size of it. Because it’s so small, walking around with all eight kids would be no issue.  But the pool was ALWAYS either too crowded to fit anyone else in or it was closed, so I know they would have been bored during sea days with little to do.

  Here are my concerns (having never been on either ship myself)... Is the Dream so big that navigating it with five younger children (and some times all eight) in tow will be difficult? Does it’s size make pool/water areas a bit less crowded and easier for young children to play and have fun in the water? 

Does one have an advantage over the other for families?

I’d love any helpful info you can give!

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50 minutes ago, augirl409 said:

My husband and I are planning a cruise for the two of us and our eight children (will be ages 18,17,13,11,9,5,5,and almost 2) for next May.

 We have narrowed it down to a five day on either the Dream or the Valor.(same destination)

 

 A little info...we won’t be doing kids club. Our older three are boys and are  responsible enough to walk around and explore (eat, arcade,etc) together without us for certain amounts of time.

 

We cruised without the kiddos on the Fantasy last month and LOVED the simplicity/size of it. Because it’s so small, walking around with all eight kids would be no issue.  But the pool was ALWAYS either too crowded to fit anyone else in or it was closed, so I know they would have been bored during sea days with little to do.

  Here are my concerns (having never been on either ship myself)... Is the Dream so big that navigating it with five younger children (and some times all eight) in tow will be difficult? Does it’s size make pool/water areas a bit less crowded and easier for young children to play and have fun in the water? 

Does one have an advantage over the other for families?

I’d love any helpful info you can give!

Why not enroll you children ages 2 to 13 in the youth group. They can meet new friends and the programs are great. For the 2 year olds, they will give you a phone to contact you. The 11 and 13 year olds can check themselves out of the area with parent permission. Sometimes they can hang out with their new found friends.

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I would pick the Dream, it has the Water Works - for the kids.  Dream also has Ocean Plaza - all ages. Volleyball & basketball for the older boys.

The Dream holds almost 1600 more passengers than the Fantasy.

I don't have small ones, but why not let the little ones try Camp Carnival on the first day - they may like it.

The pools are crowed on all ships. 😁

 

Happy cruising!

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Hi

 

Welcome to cruise critic.

 

The older kids won't have any problem finding things to keep themselves entertained, and as you say, if they are responsible, they won't get into trouble.

 

However, I think it's an almost unanimous question on why you wouldn't let your younger children enjoy the kids clubs. They don't spend the entire time there, but when they are there they are being entertained. It's not for everybody, but many children have a lot of fun. They can try it and if they don't like it, they don't have to go again. It also gives you a bit of a break.

 

As mentioned, the pools on all the ships are always a crowed area (especially on sea days). The fact that the ship is larger doesn't change anything, it just means there are more people on board. Typically finding seating would be a challenge. The water slides are always fun for the ones that would be tall enough, and the "water works" area would be nice for the 5 y.o.'s, and would be much larger on the Dream. For your youngest, be aware that children must be potty trained to go in any of the pools. 

 

have a great cruise

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Yeah, we won’t be doing the kids camp. We enjoy spending our vacation time together as a family and they just aren’t interested.

 I will definitely look up Ocean Plaza! And they would definitely enjoy the basketball! Does Valor not have that?🤔

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3 minutes ago, Nic6318 said:

Hi

 

Welcome to cruise critic.

 

The older kids won't have any problem finding things to keep themselves entertained, and as you say, if they are responsible, they won't get into trouble.

 

However, I think it's an almost unanimous question on why you wouldn't let your younger children enjoy the kids clubs. They don't spend the entire time there, but when they are there they are being entertained. It's not for everybody, but many children have a lot of fun. They can try it and if they don't like it, they don't have to go again. It also gives you a bit of a break.

 

As mentioned, the pools on all the ships are always a crowed area (especially on sea days). The fact that the ship is larger doesn't change anything, it just means there are more people on board. Typically finding seating would be a challenge. The water slides are always fun for the ones that would be tall enough, and the "water works" area would be nice for the 5 y.o.'s, and would be much larger on the Dream. For your youngest, be aware that children must be potty trained to go in any of the pools. 

 

have a great cruise

Thank you!

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Welcome to Cruise Critic. 

Daycare & Kids Camp aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, spending time together is a great idea too! 

Hands down, definitely go on the DREAM over the Valor. 

There is nothing wrong with the Valor, but the DREAM has much much much more to offer your large family. 

Have a Great Family Cruise! 

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2 minutes ago, silvercrikhix said:

Welcome to Cruise Critic. 

Daycare & Kids Camp aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, spending time together is a great idea too! 

Hands down, definitely go on the DREAM over the Valor. 

There is nothing wrong with the Valor, but the DREAM has much much much more to offer your large family. 

Have a Great Family Cruise! 

Thank you!!!!!!! (especially for not asking why we don’t just put the kids in Kid’s Camp!😁

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Personally, I would go with the ship that offers the most, and in your case it will be the Dream. We had a great time on that ship.

 

With that said, our last cruise was on the Fantasy, and we had a great time. Yes, the ship was older and smaller, and the pool was always packed (which we used one time for like 2 minutes and got grossed out with so many people in it), but we did spent a considerable amount of time at the water slides. 

 

I’m all about family time as well and that’s a big reason why we go on vacation; to spend time together as a family. But what I’m going to say is not meant to lecture you, just to share my family’s experience.  My kids did go to the kids club at night for a few hours after dinner. They’d beg to go. Turns out that, for them, having fun with newfound friends while mom and dad enjoyed a little bit of time together to reconnect was a great way to enhance our vacation.

 

The reason why I’m sharing this is to reinforce selecting the Dream which has better kid facilities. Even if you’re not planning on using them, taking them into consideration to make your decision is, in my humble opinion, good advice in case they do want to attend and you discover that you wish to have a little time to yourself. 

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I think walking around as a group of 10 will be difficult on either ship. The decks aren’t that wide, everyone walks at different speeds, everyone stops to check things out and there are other people doing the same things. I say that to tell you, getting around really doesn’t matter- it’ll be somewhat difficult on either ship, but you are used to keeping your family together so it’ll be just fine. 

 

The dream is a nice choice- more to do while you’re on the ship, but the youngest kids may get overwhelmed at the pool area when it starts to get crowded. I don’t know if you’re planning beach excursions but the younger kids may enjoy water time more in ports. 

 

Whatever you decide, have fun! With that many people I bet you’ll get home with fun memories and good stories. 

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2 hours ago, Tapi said:

Personally, I would go with the ship that offers the most, and in your case it will be the Dream. We had a great time on that ship.

 

With that said, our last cruise was on the Fantasy, and we had a great time. Yes, the ship was older and smaller, and the pool was always packed (which we used one time for like 2 minutes and got grossed out with so many people in it), but we did spent a considerable amount of time at the water slides. 

 

I’m all about family time as well and that’s a big reason why we go on vacation; to spend time together as a family. But what I’m going to say is not meant to lecture you, just to share my family’s experience.  My kids did go to the kids club at night for a few hours after dinner. They’d beg to go. Turns out that, for them, having fun with newfound friends while mom and dad enjoyed a little bit of time together to reconnect was a great way to enhance our vacation.

 

The reason why I’m sharing this is to reinforce selecting the Dream which has better kid facilities. Even if you’re not planning on using them, taking them into consideration to make your decision is, in my humble opinion, good advice in case they do want to attend and you discover that you wish to have a little time to yourself. 

Did you find the pool/pools less packed on the Dream than on the Fantasy? (Side note: we loved our cruise on the Fantasy!)

 And about the Dream offering more than the Valor...what would those things be exactly? I’ve seen that it has volleyball and Valor just has basketball and Valor doesn’t have Water Works. Is there something else that I’m missing?

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1 hour ago, purplephenom said:

I think walking around as a group of 10 will be difficult on either ship. The decks aren’t that wide, everyone walks at different speeds, everyone stops to check things out and there are other people doing the same things. I say that to tell you, getting around really doesn’t matter- it’ll be somewhat difficult on either ship, but you are used to keeping your family together so it’ll be just fine. 

 

The dream is a nice choice- more to do while you’re on the ship, but the youngest kids may get overwhelmed at the pool area when it starts to get crowded. I don’t know if you’re planning beach excursions but the younger kids may enjoy water time more in ports. 

 

Whatever you decide, have fun! With that many people I bet you’ll get home with fun memories and good stories. 

Thank you! What type of things does the Dream have that the Valor doesn’t? I don’t want to miss anything!

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Just some food for thought on the kids camp, but not necessarily endorsing the use of it for your family.

 

Enroll in it as it is included as part of your fare as much as the dining room, library, game/card room, theater, pools, or sports deck center are. Enrollment does not mean that anything has to be attended it just registers the child as a possible participant. to the camp activities Attend the embarkation day tour or orientation as a family to get the cruise long activity schedule for each age group. Most of the activities are just for the kids in a specified camp area while some are family oriented and done as a family unit elsewhere on the ship. From there you can decide if this could be something that benefits the family. 

 

The camp operation is broken up into "sessions" with several activities offered at a specified time during that "session", but if only 1 activity appeals there is no reason to stay for the entire session. The schedule for operation usually runs ...

8-10am for interactive family playtime especially for parents/guardians of toddlers and children under 2

10am-noon morning session of activities

noon-2pm closed for lunch

2-5pm afternoon session of activities

5-7:30pm closed for dinner though there may be several nights for the kids to attend a dinner with the counselors at the buffet

7:30-10pm evening session of activities

after 10pm the camps turn into the Night Owl at fee group "evening care" so parents can enjoy some adult activity time 

 

During each 2 -3 hour "session" anywhere from 2 -5 activities are offered, from the counselors simply reading aloud a Dr. Seuss book while costume characters visit to individual or whole age group craft activities to digital photo scavenger hunts with families making up the teams to being part of the Dr. Seuss parade. There are some at fee activities like the Build a Bear workshop for families (usually held away from the camp rooms), but no fee alternatives are also offered at the same time inside the camp. If any of the activities are of interest to your family all that needs to be done, as long as the kids are already registered during the online check-in, is to sign the child(ren) in at the camp area at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled activity. The only exclusion is the dinner with counselors, which require a seperate sign-up.

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16 minutes ago, maryred said:

Just some food for thought on the kids camp, but not necessarily endorsing the use of it for your family.

 

Enroll in it as it is included as part of your fare as much as the dining room, library, game/card room, theater, pools, or sports deck center are. Enrollment does not mean that anything has to be attended it just registers the child as a possible participant. to the camp activities Attend the embarkation day tour or orientation as a family to get the cruise long activity schedule for each age group. Most of the activities are just for the kids in a specified camp area while some are family oriented and done as a family unit elsewhere on the ship. From there you can decide if this could be something that benefits the family. 

 

The camp operation is broken up into "sessions" with several activities offered at a specified time during that "session", but if only 1 activity appeals there is no reason to stay for the entire session. The schedule for operation usually runs ...

8-10am for interactive family playtime especially for parents/guardians of toddlers and children under 2

10am-noon morning session of activities

noon-2pm closed for lunch

2-5pm afternoon session of activities

5-7:30pm closed for dinner though there may be several nights for the kids to attend a dinner with the counselors at the buffet

7:30-10pm evening session of activities

after 10pm the camps turn into the Night Owl at fee group "evening care" so parents can enjoy some adult activity time 

 

During each 2 -3 hour "session" anywhere from 2 -5 activities are offered, from the counselors simply reading aloud a Dr. Seuss book while costume characters visit to individual or whole age group craft activities to digital photo scavenger hunts with families making up the teams to being part of the Dr. Seuss parade. There are some at fee activities like the Build a Bear workshop for families (usually held away from the camp rooms), but no fee alternatives are also offered at the same time inside the camp. If any of the activities are of interest to your family all that needs to be done, as long as the kids are already registered during the online check-in, is to sign the child(ren) in at the camp area at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled activity. The only exclusion is the dinner with counselors, which require a seperate sign-up.

Thank you for the info!

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The Dream offers Deluxe Family Oceanview cabins for 5, which provides more room than other standard staterooms. These cabins have the a king bed (or can be separated into 2 twins), 2 upper Pullman bunks and a sofa day bed. It also contains 2 bathrooms, 1 being the standard shower, toilet, vanity w/ sink set up and the second having another vanity w/ sink and a junior tub.

This chart from Carnival might help you compare some of the other features..

SHIP DETAILS

Ship Details Carnival Dream Carnival Valor  
Gross Tonnage 130,000 110,000  
Guest Capacity 3646 2980  
Length In Feet 1004 953  
Onboard Crew 1367 1180  

DINING

Dining Carnival Dream Carnival Valor  
Guy's Burger Joint Available Available  
BlueIguana Cantina Available Available  
Steakhouse Available Available  
Dining Room Available Available  
Guy's Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Available Not Available  
Lido Restaurant Available Available  
Seafood Shack Available Available  
Pizza Pirate Not Available Available  
Swirls Available Available  
24-Hour Room Service Available Available  
Bonsai Sushi Available Not Available  
Ol' Fashioned BBQ Not Available Available  
The Chef's Table Available Available  
Coffee Bar Available Available  
Seaday Brunch Available Available  
Mongolian Wok Available Available  
Pizzeria del Capitano Available Not Available  
Steakhouse Selections Available Available  
The Carnival Deli Available Available  
Kids' Menus Available Available  
Breakfast Grill Available Available  
Bottomless Bubbles Available Available  
Chef's Choice Available Available  
Dining Room Breakfast Available Available  
Good Eats Available Available  
Kids' Meals for Campers Available Available  
Pasta Bella Available Not Available  
Salad Bar Available Available  
Sweet Spot Available Available  
Special Diets Available Available  

ACTIVITIES

Activities Carnival Dream Carnival Valor  
Make It With Michaels Available Available  
Cooking Demonstration Available Available  
Atrium Available Available  
Mixologist Competitions Available Available  
Bingo Available Available  
Onboard Internet Available Available  
Art Exhibitions Available Available  
Mini Golf Available Available  
Alchemy Martini Tasting Available Available  
Games Available Available  
Art Seminars Available Available  
Volleyball Available Not Available  
Ocean Plaza Available Not Available  
Library Available Available  
Master the Martini Available Not Available  
Art Auctions Available Available  
Art Games Available Available  
Basketball Available Available  

BARS

CASINO

ENTERTAINMENT

EVENTS

KIDS & TEENS

Kids & Teens Carnival Dream Carnival Valor  
Zumbini Available Available  
Seuss at Sea Available Available  
Camp Ocean Available Available  
Club O2 Available Available  
Circle "C" Available Available  
Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast Available Available  
Night Owls Available Available  
Build-A-Bear Workshop at Sea Available Available  
Seuss-a-palooza Story Time Available Available  
Seuss-A-Palooza Parade Available Available  
Video Arcade Available Available  
Towel Animal Theater Available Available  
Arts and Crafts Available Available  

OUTDOOR

Outdoor Carnival Dream Carnival Valor  
Serenity Adult Only Retreat Available Available  
WaterWorks Available Not Available  
Pools Available Available  
Twister Waterslide Available Available  

SHOPS

SPA & FITNESS

ITINERARY

Carnival Dream Carnival Valor   Carnival Dream Carnival Valor  
BACK TO ALL SHIPS

Carnival Dream

Carnival Valor

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9 hours ago, maryred said:

The Dream offers Deluxe Family Oceanview cabins for 5, which provides more room than other standard staterooms. These cabins have the a king bed (or can be separated into 2 twins), 2 upper Pullman bunks and a sofa day bed. It also contains 2 bathrooms, 1 being the standard shower, toilet, vanity w/ sink set up and the second having another vanity w/ sink and a junior tub.

This chart from Carnival might help you compare some of the other features..

SHIP DETAILS

Ship Details Carnival Dream Carnival Valor  
Gross Tonnage 130,000 110,000  
Guest Capacity 3646 2980  
Length In Feet 1004 953  
Onboard Crew 1367 1180  

DINING

Dining Carnival Dream Carnival Valor  
Guy's Burger Joint Available Available  
BlueIguana Cantina Available Available  
Steakhouse Available Available  
Dining Room Available Available  
Guy's Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Available Not Available  
Lido Restaurant Available Available  
Seafood Shack Available Available  
Pizza Pirate Not Available Available  
Swirls Available Available  
24-Hour Room Service Available Available  
Bonsai Sushi Available Not Available  
Ol' Fashioned BBQ Not Available Available  
The Chef's Table Available Available  
Coffee Bar Available Available  
Seaday Brunch Available Available  
Mongolian Wok Available Available  
Pizzeria del Capitano Available Not Available  
Steakhouse Selections Available Available  
The Carnival Deli Available Available  
Kids' Menus Available Available  
Breakfast Grill Available Available  
Bottomless Bubbles Available Available  
Chef's Choice Available Available  
Dining Room Breakfast Available Available  
Good Eats Available Available  
Kids' Meals for Campers Available Available  
Pasta Bella Available Not Available  
Salad Bar Available Available  
Sweet Spot Available Available  
Special Diets Available Available  

ACTIVITIES

Activities Carnival Dream Carnival Valor  
Make It With Michaels Available Available  
Cooking Demonstration Available Available  
Atrium Available Available  
Mixologist Competitions Available Available  
Bingo Available Available  
Onboard Internet Available Available  
Art Exhibitions Available Available  
Mini Golf Available Available  
Alchemy Martini Tasting Available Available  
Games Available Available  
Art Seminars Available Available  
Volleyball Available Not Available  
Ocean Plaza Available Not Available  
Library Available Available  
Master the Martini Available Not Available  
Art Auctions Available Available  
Art Games Available Available  
Basketball Available Available  

BARS

CASINO

ENTERTAINMENT

EVENTS

KIDS & TEENS

Kids & Teens Carnival Dream Carnival Valor  
Zumbini Available Available  
Seuss at Sea Available Available  
Camp Ocean Available Available  
Club O2 Available Available  
Circle "C" Available Available  
Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast Available Available  
Night Owls Available Available  
Build-A-Bear Workshop at Sea Available Available  
Seuss-a-palooza Story Time Available Available  
Seuss-A-Palooza Parade Available Available  
Video Arcade Available Available  
Towel Animal Theater Available Available  
Arts and Crafts Available Available  

OUTDOOR

Outdoor Carnival Dream Carnival Valor  
Serenity Adult Only Retreat Available Available  
WaterWorks Available Not Available  
Pools Available Available  
Twister Waterslide Available Available  

SHOPS

SPA & FITNESS

ITINERARY

Carnival Dream Carnival Valor   Carnival Dream Carnival Valor  
BACK TO ALL SHIPS

Carnival Dream

Carnival Valor

Thank you! I have looked at that on the Carnival website and that’s what made me ask. I was hearing a lot of “the Dream has more to offer” but according to this comparison, I could only find volleyball and waterworks as an extra that Valor doesn’t have.

 I thought maybe I was missing something!

Thanks for the info on the rooms! I’ll check those out!

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On 5/24/2019 at 5:20 PM, augirl409 said:

My husband and I are planning a cruise for the two of us and our eight children (will be ages 18,17,13,11,9,5,5,and almost 2) for next May.

 We have narrowed it down to a five day on either the Dream or the Valor.(same destination)

 

 A little info...we won’t be doing kids club. Our older three are boys and are  responsible enough to walk around and explore (eat, arcade,etc) together without us for certain amounts of time.

 

We cruised without the kiddos on the Fantasy last month and LOVED the simplicity/size of it. Because it’s so small, walking around with all eight kids would be no issue.  But the pool was ALWAYS either too crowded to fit anyone else in or it was closed, so I know they would have been bored during sea days with little to do.

  Here are my concerns (having never been on either ship myself)... Is the Dream so big that navigating it with five younger children (and some times all eight) in tow will be difficult? Does it’s size make pool/water areas a bit less crowded and easier for young children to play and have fun in the water? 

Does one have an advantage over the other for families?

I’d love any helpful info you can give!

 

Hi OP!

DH and I have six kids and we love cruising.  We, too, use kids’ clubs sparingly. Our kids just prefer to be with us and vice versus. 

 

We only done Disney and NCL so far, but have a 5-N Valor cruise coming in August.  We’d like to do Vista next year. 

 

I guess I can’t do much help you, as just encourage you that cruising is a wonderful family vacation. 

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I’ll say that for our first cruise we categorically we’re not planning to use the kids’ clubs. We did visit each one (DCL) on embarkation and we did some family programming in them. 

 

On our NCL cruise we again visited the clubs on embarkation and got schedules. It turned out that then 12 yo DD wanted to play some deck games (dodgeball and volleyball) when her kids’ club did. We were able to watch it and she had a great time.   

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33 minutes ago, Vacationdreamer<>< said:

 

Hi OP!

DH and I have six kids and we love cruising.  We, too, use kids’ clubs sparingly. Our kids just prefer to be with us and vice versus. 

 

We only done Disney and NCL so far, but have a 5-N Valor cruise coming in August.  We’d like to do Vista next year. 

 

I guess I can’t do much help you, as just encourage you that cruising is a wonderful family vacation. 

Thank you!!! We are very excited!

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On 5/24/2019 at 7:16 PM, augirl409 said:

Yeah, we won’t be doing the kids camp. We enjoy spending our vacation time together as a family and they just aren’t interested.

 I will definitely look up Ocean Plaza! And they would definitely enjoy the basketball! Does Valor not have that?🤔

Stick with the Dream, or any ship in the Dream class. Much more for your kids to enjoy. My daughter sailed the Valor and was very disappointed. I just sailed the Breeze, and have the Magic booked for April—both in the Dream class.

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When my kids were younger they never used the camp either. They’re 3 brothers and had plenty to do together and with the other kids they met doing different activities, so I get it.

 

I’d pick the Dream because of the added waterworks but I do want to warn you that Carnival doesn’t allow any swim diapers or children not potty trained in any of the water features. This even includes the splash pad area. 

 

Have a great cruise on whichever you decide.

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From what I gathering, sound like the Dream will be the best option. Ik the the Dream have the Ocean view cabin that can hold up to 5 people, also has tub and shower great get everyone clean.  Or can go the Suite way on the valor.   When come to tough choice between to we but the facts out to the family and a  silent vote taken.  At the end of the day the wife and myself have the finally say.   Keep us posted which way you go, best of luck to you and your family.

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Good tip about the pools since your not wanting to take advantage of the kids club how about take advantage of early morning pool time - If you go first thing in the morning say 7 am everyone else is still sleeping or trying to get breakfast .... Have one of you stay and watch the kids and have the other go grab a couple of plates of random things pasties, sausages, bacon, biscuits etc so the kids can grab a bite take a swim grab a bite take a swim etc this way you can get the early morning swimming done before it gets crowded -- when it gets crowded go ahead and leave 

 

 

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