Back from the Carnival Glory with a 16-month old

[Baxter]

Just back from the Glory with our DD. Overall, we had a wonderful time (as we always do when we cruise). Just a few things to note.

 

- We assumed that there was no where for our little one to swim. We were told that there was a splash pool (1 foot) on deck 12 forward that she could swim in. That was a pleasant surprise.

 

- There was no whole milk available. I was not impressed...but bad on me for not asking before we left. We have sailed before and never had a problem getting whole milk. She had to drink 2% for the week. I know...probably not a big issue for a week, but not what I had wanted to do. Be warned.

 

- Most of the passengers were wonderful and pleasant to our daughter. We did run into a few people who felt the need to make rude comments about wanting a ship that didn't allow kids (and another who felt the need to give unsolicited parenting advice). But you always run into a few bad apples.

 

- The staff treated her like the Princess that she is. :)

 

- We stuck to beach excursions and it worked out wonderfully. A pail and a shovel go a long way.

 

That's all I can think of right now. Feel free to ask questions!

[crusinmama06]

Is she potty trained?

 

The reason I am asking (as you probably know...lol) is that we try to keep a record of which cruiseships have an area for non potty trained infants/toddlers.

 

Was this area specifically for non-potty trained children? Or was this a children's pool for potty trained children? (like the other Carnival ships)

 

And if it was for non-potty trained kids, did you get a picture of the sign saying infants/toddlers allowed?

 

It will be nice to give parents of small children another option for cruises.

[Baxter]

Definitely not potty-trained. And we made that pefectly clear to staff. But the sign by the pool was the usual "no diapers, etc". We never saw anyone else in it (or near it) during the trip so no one took issue. I felt guilty (we are very much rule-followers) but the supervisor told my husband it was for little ones in diapers.

[ANETLY]

That's awesome, I hope we get so lucky! I noticed you recently were on the elation, any chance of that happening there? My ds is 24 months and I'm trying to PT him, but not much success yet and doubt there will be in the next month before we leave.

 

What were your sleeping arrangements and did you stick to nap and bedtime schedules?

 

Also, did you use the camp?

[crusinmama06]

Elation DID have a children's pool when we were there. They are phasing out the pool when they create the Evolutions of Fun. This area becomes an adult only area with lounge chairs and hottubs for the 18+ crowd. But I don't think the "Evolution" has made it to Elation yet.

 

But I do have to tell you. The pools aren't suppose to be for non-potty trained kids. Baxter got lucky with a crew member who said go ahead. ;)

 

Unfortunalty, when there is an accident in the pool, then it gets shut down for all of the kids. Which is what happened to us on a sea day. A non potty trained child pooped in it and it got shut down. :(

 

[Baxter]

That's awesome, I hope we get so lucky! I noticed you recently were on the elation, any chance of that happening there? My ds is 24 months and I'm trying to PT him, but not much success yet and doubt there will be in the next month before we leave.

 

What were your sleeping arrangements and did you stick to nap and bedtime schedules?

 

Also, did you use the camp?

 

We had the crib put in the room, but that was a waste. She spent most of her sleeping time with us in the bed. I think we all take advantage of "vacation time"...she never ever sleeps in our bed at home, so it's nice to snuggle. We absolutely stuck to nap and bedtime schedules. For us, that's how we ensure a happy camper. Sometimes naps took place on a beach, or walking around, but she slept when she would have normally slept.

 

As for the camp, we weren't too impressed. When we sailed Princess in December, we were free to use the kid's facilities at any time they were open so long as one of us was with her. It was nice to go up after dinner and let her burn off some energy after sitting through dinner. On the Glory, there were 2 hours available during the port days (12pm-2pm). And because we were the only ones in there, they tried to shooo us out early so they could let the campers in early. There seemed to be a lot of missing toys -- Little People sets that were missing the actual pieces....things like that. I'm sure we'll have a different perspective once she's older and able to participate, but for little ones it was not a lot of fun.

 

And funny...on the Elation, they made it abundantly clear that there was NO pool for the diapered ones. I'm not happy to hear otherwise (because we certainly would have used it!).

[pms4104]

Definitely not potty-trained. And we made that pefectly clear to staff. But the sign by the pool was the usual "no diapers, etc". We never saw anyone else in it (or near it) during the trip so no one took issue. I felt guilty (we are very much rule-followers) but the supervisor told my husband it was for little ones in diapers.

Is it possible no one else used that pool because they chose not to jeopardize the health and safety of their young ones by allowing them in a pool being used by a non-potty-trained child? How unfortunate that the supervisor may not have a functional English literacy and/or ability to follow line policies/procedures.

[richkinkade]

It's not a ship policy or a cruise line policy. It's a US public health policy that prohibits non potty-trained children from being allowed in cruise ship pools. The supervisor was either misinformed or chose to ignore the regulations.

[MomTo2InVA]

What beaches did you go to on your excursions?

[khm1]

What is up with the negativity and Flaming on this thread?!?!?!:confused:

Can't everyone lighten up? Guess what? Kids have a right to be on cruises. They paid their fare like everyone else. I see rudeness on cruises quite often and I don't feel compelled to tell people how to behave. What gives anyone the right to comment on another person's parenting or the behavior of their child? In the abscense of any public danger, everyone should mind their own business!

[Baxter]

 

I have to ask - why did you let her cry around other people before her nap? I don't think you should have been surprised that someone made a comment if your child was crying.

 

Have a good day

 

Because they forced us to report to immigration before clearing the ship in St Thomas. And would not allow us to bring a stroller into the theatre. I suppose we could have kept her in the cabin, and held up the immigration process for the 2000+ passengers waiting to disembark, but we figured reporting for immigration was the lesser of the two evils. I'll consider the other option next time ;)

 

But thanks for assuming we make random poor-parenting decisions ;)

[Baxter]

What beaches did you go to on your excursions?

 

 

We bought a day pass at the Wyndam Hotel in Nassau, went to Megan's Bay in St. Thomas and Orient Beach in St. Maarten. We would definitely do these again -- but I will caution that Orient Beach was VERY wavy. Fortunately, she's at the age where she's content to walk in the sand and play with her sand toys, but we weren't comfortable actually taking her in the water.

[crusinmama06]

Because they forced us to report to immigration before clearing the ship in St Thomas. And would not allow us to bring a stroller into the theatre. I suppose we could have kept her in the cabin, and held up the immigration process for the 2000+ passengers waiting to disembark, but we figured reporting for immigration was the lesser of the two evils. I'll consider the other option next time ;)

 

But thanks for assuming we make random poor-parenting decisions ;)

 

Oh I hate being herded into the theatre for immigration. We've always had to do it so early in the am. No wonder she was crying. I feel like crying too when I stand in that line. ;) :D

[habsgirl]

I can't believe the negative comments on here... people do you have nothing better to do then cut up someone elses comments....

 

 

We are just back from the glory on Feb 2 with a 2 1/2 yr old. She was very well behaved (which kind of surprised me) We heard the comments and the elevator shutting as well.....

 

I have to agree that families are allowed to vacation and cruise... Last I checked this was the fun ship and they have a kids club which tells me that carnival welcomes families... Some of the other cruisers were not happy to see kids at all. My daughter does not run around she is very clingy to my husband and I and after nearly getting run over by scooters/electric wheelchairs and literally being stepped on by people who didn't care for kids at all. They did there best to pretend she wasn't there... It was very strange to me... i am sure that most of these people have grandchildren and great grandchildren and judging by the age of people on this cruise great great grandchildren.

 

 

We used the kids pool a few times and there were kids in it with swim diapers. My dd is toilet trained so we didn't have a problem. I have attached a picture of the pool so people can understand just how little water was in the pool. I personally saw it emptied and refilled a number of times. I think the young kids need somewhere to swim....

 

Camp carnival was AMAZING... I loved the group of people and the crafts that they did. They do need to spend some money on toys... They were missing lots of peices but they kept the kids busy with other things. It was great...

[Baxter]

Oh I hate being herded into the theatre for immigration. We've always had to do it so early in the am. No wonder she was crying. I feel like crying too when I stand in that line. ;) :D

 

We would have been better off first thing. We didn't have to report until 9:50. And being Canadian, we were ushered into the theatre, into seats, and there was only one immigration officer (we were told there was normally between 5 and 7). So to be forced to do that at nap time without a stroller was a recipe for disaster. But, you make the best of it. Most people are understanding and sympathetic.

[Nebr.cruiser]

Good, grief, you are getting some flack for absolutely no reason. Especially the idea that it's bad parenting to let a baby cry around others. It's not as if you can always plan or know when your child is going to cry or fuss. Babies and toddlers cry at times; it's just a fact of life, and it isn't always possible to take them away from others. Sometimes, such as in your situation with immigration, on an airplane, etc. you're just stuck. It doesn't mean that you're a bad parent if you can't remove them or quiet them instantly!

 

Please know that many of us remember perfectly what it was like to have a fussy baby. I would have mostly felt a great compassion for you as I know you most likely felt uncomfortable, embarrassed and flustered. Been there, done that!

 

I'm glad that most of your cruise was positive and fun. Just ignore the rude comments from people who obviously have forgotten what young kids are like and think everything should be about them.

[MomTo2InVA]

I'm gearing up for my cruise on March 9th with my just turned 2 year old. I can't believe some of the comments made to you - but I'm glad to be warned so I can be prepared for it. If people don't want to be around kids on vacation they should go to adult only resorts - not a cruise ship that OFFERS a kids program!

 

And thanks for your information on the beaches! I think we're going to walk around Atlantis in the Bahamas, go to Coral World/Coki Beach in St. Thomas and maybe Divi Bay Resort in St. Maarten. If my daughter likes the camp program we might leave her on the ship in St. Maarten and do our on thing.

[EJ'S MOM-MOM]

Go get them Baxter. Don't let negative rude people get to you ever. It does sound like you have a good outlook & are not letting that happen. I will be going in April on a cruise with my family & we will have a 3 & 1/2 yr old & a 15 month old with us & God help anyone who treats them badly. My daughter waited until she was 34 yrs old to have children & is a elementry school teacher she loves kids & does not take kindly to people who treat little ones like 3rd class citizens...My grandson is a very polite little boy but he is still a child & sometimes, as all kids & adults too, he has a bad day.... ;) ..

[Baxter]

 

Baxter: sorry you had to experience such negativity.. I am glad you had a lot of positive comments as well. Those are the ones we will be looking forward too? Did you by chance use the babysitting service after 10 p.m. and if so how was it?

 

I'm sure the service is good and someone else hopefully can speak to it. But we're not comfortable with the idea of leaving our little one with anyone, let alone strangers. We're big on maintaining her schedule so she and one of us were long asleep by 10pm! :)

[mommiejaxx]

thanks baxter:

we have actually only left our kids with their grandparents so I am with you on the whole not letting anyone watch my children thing. We have a vast age range 12, 11 and 17 months. I was just wondering if they seperate ages at that time. If they all 3 were to go in together I might consider (possibly) being as the older 2 would be there to watch their sister as well as each other.. If anyone knows anything about this please feel free to chime in.. Thanks!

[pixie123]

I'm gearing up for my cruise on March 9th with my just turned 2 year old. I can't believe some of the comments made to you - but I'm glad to be warned so I can be prepared for it. If people don't want to be around kids on vacation they should go to adult only resorts - not a cruise ship that OFFERS a kids program!

 

And thanks for your information on the beaches! I think we're going to walk around Atlantis in the Bahamas, go to Coral World/Coki Beach in St. Thomas and maybe Divi Bay Resort in St. Maarten. If my daughter likes the camp program we might leave her on the ship in St. Maarten and do our on thing.

 

Are you really thinking of leaving your 2yo on the ship while you are in port? What happens if you get stuck somewhere and you miss the ship? What if your child get hurt or sick?

[crusinmama06]

thanks baxter:

we have actually only left our kids with their grandparents so I am with you on the whole not letting anyone watch my children thing. We have a vast age range 12, 11 and 17 months. I was just wondering if they seperate ages at that time. If they all 3 were to go in together I might consider (possibly) being as the older 2 would be there to watch their sister as well as each other.. If anyone knows anything about this please feel free to chime in.. Thanks!

 

Those ages are separated. The older ones will have a party going on late at night. The younger ones have blankets laid out with pillows while a movie is playing.

 

It's possible for a 6-8 year old sibling to go and check on a younger sibling. But having older children (11/12), they will be in a different area.

 

When my kids were that young (under 2) I didn't let them go to the late night babysitting (after 10). Once my kids hit 2/3...they always asked to go for ONE night. I would hang back and keep checking on them. It never fails, by 10:30 they were too pooped to party...lol.

 

Kids that young just need to be kept to a semi normal schedule. My kids can BARELY make it past 10pm. So I make sure to get them into bed at that time on every cruise. At home, they are both asleep by 7:30pm.

 

On our last cruise, the family traveling with us had a mom who wanted to stay out and go dancing. She told her 6 and 7 year old that they NEEDED to stay in the club till midnight or later. :rolleyes: By 11pm, those kids were a sobbing mess. I had her put ME on their pick up list and I went and rescued the poor kids and I put them to bed in our cabin with my kids.

[mommiejaxx]

Michele,

Thanks for clarifying.. I wasn't sure I would use it even if they were together but it will be my 15th wedding anniversary so I thought if they did we might take advantage of it one evening to go get a celebration drink. We don't gamble. So we will have to be creative and maybe bring a drink to the cabin after kids are asleep. We will be on a cruise so it will be fine no matter what.. Thanks again!

[MomTo2InVA]

Are you really thinking of leaving your 2yo on the ship while you are in port? What happens if you get stuck somewhere and you miss the ship? What if your child get hurt or sick?

 

At most we'd only be gone a couple of hours - and I think the boat is docked until 6 or 8pm - I don't think we'll miss the boat. My daughter is in daycare every day and it's an hour from where I work. I think she'll be ok in the camp program for a couple of hours.

[Mich1121]

What is up with the negativity and Flaming on this thread?!?!?!:confused:

Can't everyone lighten up? Guess what? Kids have a right to be on cruises. They paid their fare like everyone else. I see rudeness on cruises quite often and I don't feel compelled to tell people how to behave. What gives anyone the right to comment on another person's parenting or the behavior of their child? In the abscense of any public danger, everyone should mind their own business!

 

Finally! Someone I can agree with. There is no harm in letting a baby splash around for a couple of minutes. Obviously no one wants poop in a pool but come on now. Who's to say the potty trained kids aren't peeing in the pool??? U could be swimming in adult pee too... At least if a baby does it you can inform the proper staff and will not fear embarassment. Since you cannot guarantee that anyone will hold in their body waste at any age is it really fair to punish those in swim diapers??? When I sailed on the NCL Spirit they had a little pool for babies to use and they were all in swim diapers. No accidents and the babies had a lot of fun. I'm not saying it's the most health wise choice but the kids had fun and that is what matters. Unless you can guarantee that no children are peeing in pool-which u can't-then they should have something set up for those in swim diapers.