CKEA_Cruising_Family Posted March 10, 2008 #1 Share Posted March 10, 2008 The 2-5 Kids Crew was great! Let me know if you have any questions. Already looking next year for another family cruise. We loved sailing out of NYC (about a 4 1/2 hour drive). Has anyone done the Carnival Miracle 8 day out of NY? We may even consider the same NCL Gem cruise next year but it's also fun to try something new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gupsmom Posted March 10, 2008 #2 Share Posted March 10, 2008 I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise so much. we love cruising. I do have a few questions: 1) How old was your child in the 2-5yr old program? 2) Did the age group seem chaotic or well organized? I'll take any details about the program (activities, beepers, time frame, etc.) 3) Other than being in the club, what was there for your child to do? 4) How did freestyle dining work? I would think it would be nice to be flexible with a young child...but I've also heard stories of having to line up everyday to get reservations. Thanks... Jess Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KerCar Posted March 10, 2008 #3 Share Posted March 10, 2008 The 2-5 Kids Crew was great! Let me know if you have any questions. Already looking next year for another family cruise. We loved sailing out of NYC (about a 4 1/2 hour drive). Has anyone done the Carnival Miracle 8 day out of NY? We may even consider the same NCL Gem cruise next year but it's also fun to try something new. Welcome back! Glad you had a great trip! what did you end up doing in Port Canaveral??? We'll be stopping there this spring and am not sure what to do. As of this year, the Dawn and Spirit also sail out of NY and have top notch kid's crews. Next year, I believe the Spirit is going to Boston so it is possible that NCL will bring another ship to NYC. Stay tuned! The 2009 schedules should be out by the end of April. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CKEA_Cruising_Family Posted March 10, 2008 Author #4 Share Posted March 10, 2008 I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise so much. we love cruising. I do have a few questions: 1) How old was your child in the 2-5yr old program? 2) Did the age group seem chaotic or well organized? I'll take any details about the program (activities, beepers, time frame, etc.) 3) Other than being in the club, what was there for your child to do? 4) How did freestyle dining work? I would think it would be nice to be flexible with a young child...but I've also heard stories of having to line up everyday to get reservations. Thanks... Jess 1) 4 year old daughter and 2 year old son both in Kids Club. 2) Very well organized activities, but sign in/sign out was a bit chaotic at times -- lots of family Spring Breakers from Montreal on our sailing. We were given a phone each time for our 2 year old and were called once for a diaper change. Most of the time the 2-5 year olds are in a separate area unless they are doing jungle gym time. I would have liked to peek in a little more often but you couldn't see the toddler room from the check in area. When I was a nervous mom with my 2 year old the first couple of days, the counselors were more than happy to peek in and give me the thumbs up that he was doing well. 3) Far more activities for my 4 year old daughter who is potty trained. There is an enclosed small kids pool with a slide. It's very small so kids over about 5 would probably not enjoy it. She also enjoyed lots of time in the big pool and went down the water slide several times with one of us. In the kids pool area there were some toys that my 2 year old enjoyed. He also enjoyed just walking around, getting ice cream and sitting in the Great Outdoors. My 4 year old loved going to the "fancy" restaurants with mom or dad. There were a couple of family activities. We did the Family Amazing Race which was fun. The last day we headed up to the Spinnaker Lounge when there were no events scheduled and it was perfect for the kids just to run around and dance on the dance floor, try out all the funky chairs, and great views. 4) Freestyle was wonderful for us. The buffet on the Gem is delicious with tons of variety. We actually ate dinner there twice and I'm typically not a buffet person. Often we fed the kids in the buffet, dropped them off Kids Club and then went to dinner just the 2 of us. We showed up at the Grand Pacific around 7:15 and typically waited 5 minutes or less for a table for 2. We had no problems getting reservations and ate at Tequilas and Teppanyaki although we did get an upsell to a Penthouse so we had reservations made through the Concierge - very nice perk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CKEA_Cruising_Family Posted March 10, 2008 Author #5 Share Posted March 10, 2008 Welcome back! Glad you had a great trip! what did you end up doing in Port Canaveral??? We'll be stopping there this spring and am not sure what to do. As of this year, the Dawn and Spirit also sail out of NY and have top notch kid's crews. Next year, I believe the Spirit is going to Boston so it is possible that NCL will bring another ship to NYC. Stay tuned! The 2009 schedules should be out by the end of April. In Port Canaveral, we took a taxi to Jetty Park. It's very close but a $15 cab ride (10 minute ride max) so I would actually suggest renting a car to go there instead. The park was perfect for us. It's right at the inlet and has a beautiful and uncrowded beach area. There is also a huge playground. I've got some pictures that I need to download... would be happy to send you some pics if interested. I'm anxiously awaiting the remaining 2009 schedules! I'd love to do the Gem again but sounds like Carnival also has a great kids program so we may branch out and try another line as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abba_dabba_doo Posted March 10, 2008 #6 Share Posted March 10, 2008 This is great to know....we are thinking of doing NCL Gem out of NY next April.....glad to see it worked out well. I've seen both good and bad reviews....I guess it just all depends upon your expectations...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmom Posted March 13, 2008 #7 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Please tell me what the freestyle is all about. I have never been on NCL and would love to know what all this is. How is this different then the other cruise lines? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CKEA_Cruising_Family Posted March 15, 2008 Author #8 Share Posted March 15, 2008 Please tell me what the freestyle is all about. I have never been on NCL and would love to know what all this is. How is this different then the other cruise lines? The biggest difference is a more casual atmosphere. The main dining rooms do not have set dinner times and more casual clothes are acceptable (although shorts are not allowed at dinner). There are also a number of specialty restaurants to choose from. Freestyle dining was really nice when travelling with 2 young ones. On a few nights we fed the kids, dropped them off in Kids Crew and went to dinner by ourselves around 7:15. We had a great cruise but I can't say it made me an NCL loyalist. I think we'd enjoy any cruise, freestyle or not! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovewdw Posted March 16, 2008 #9 Share Posted March 16, 2008 The 2-5 Kids Crew was great! Let me know if you have any questions. Already looking next year for another family cruise. We loved sailing out of NYC (about a 4 1/2 hour drive). Has anyone done the Carnival Miracle 8 day out of NY? We may even consider the same NCL Gem cruise next year but it's also fun to try something new. I am so glad you loved Freestyle! I've heard mixed reviews. But we sail in on 4/27 from NYC...NCL Spirit. 1) My DD is almost 3, so she will be in that same group. What kind of activities did your kids like best? 2) Which ship did you go on? 3) Did you have the soda card? If so, how easy was it to get a soda around the ship? 4) Is there a place you can get ice cream during the day (and not have to pay for it? lol) 5) If I don't rent a car in Port Canaveral, is there a local beach I can go to? Can I walk? 6) Which was your favorite specialty restaurant? 7) Do you feel the specialties were worth the surcharges? 8) Was there a surcharge for the Italian restaurant? 9) Did you dress formal at all? 10) Was there enough to do on the ship? Thanks in advance! This is our first time going on a cruise as a family! DH and the kids have never been on a cruise. I have been on X and Carnival YEARS ago!!!!!! I really can't wait! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rileyz Posted March 17, 2008 #10 Share Posted March 17, 2008 I'll be on the Gem in 2 weeks and was wondering if parents are allowed in the play areas or do you have to drop the child off with staff? I am particularly interested in the pool and jungle gym. My 3 year old has a mild sensory disorder and is very sensitive to change/new people. I highly doubt she would be up for staying with the crew, we are bringing the grandmothers along so we can have some free nights just for this reason. Thanks for any info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CKEA_Cruising_Family Posted March 17, 2008 Author #11 Share Posted March 17, 2008 I'll be on the Gem in 2 weeks and was wondering if parents are allowed in the play areas or do you have to drop the child off with staff? I am particularly interested in the pool and jungle gym. My 3 year old has a mild sensory disorder and is very sensitive to change/new people. I highly doubt she would be up for staying with the crew, we are bringing the grandmothers along so we can have some free nights just for this reason. Thanks for any info. The pool is not part of the Kids Club so no staff, just parents and tots. The jungle gym is within the Kids Club and other than the first day when you can tour and register, parents do not come into that area. They will provide a pager and call if your child is having any issues. I would suggest talking to the counselors during registration to see what they suggest. They seem really good at getting to know the kids and working with the parents to determine what will work best. When we were picking up one night, a counselor was talking to a parent for a child that they were having a hard time with and the parent was providing some input on what may work. I was pleased to hear they encouraged the child to keep coming and wanted to make it work even with having some struggles the first couple of days. On port days (although it costs $$$), there are very few kids in the area. Obviously you know your child best, but I wonder if being introduced to the area with much fewer kids would help to start? There is an under 2 area as well which I didn't see but apparantley it has age appropriate toys and is intended for use with child and parent. I'm not sure if they are flexible, but maybe you can talk to them about being able to use this area for supervised activities. Have a great trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noahsmom Posted March 17, 2008 #12 Share Posted March 17, 2008 Has anyone done the Carnival Miracle 8 day out of NY? . I sailed the Carnival Miracle out of NYC in Oct. If you have any Questions let me know. I had a great time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CKEA_Cruising_Family Posted March 18, 2008 Author #13 Share Posted March 18, 2008 I sailed the Carnival Miracle out of NYC in Oct. If you have any Questions let me know. I had a great time. Was it a 8 day sailing? I'm wondering if there will be a decent number of kids on board. I want to make sure to take a cruise with an active Kids program and I would think if there were just a few kids on board, that may not be as much fun. Is there a Kids pool on the Miracle? How is the food in the buffet? We often like to feed the kids in a more casual setting then do the formal dining room just for us. I'm waiting for all the lines to put out their schedules for 2009, but I'm definitely interested in anything from Norfolk, Baltimore, or NYC!!! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noahsmom Posted March 18, 2008 #14 Share Posted March 18, 2008 When I went on The 8 day Miracle cruise I was with my sister. My son did not come. So I don't know how well the kids program was. I do know there was quite alot of kids for it being an Oct cruise. No there was not a kids separate pool like there is on NCL. There is an "adult only pool" on the back of the boat. There still seemed to be alot of kids there though. It didn't bother me but there were some adults that had a problem with it. As far as the buffet, It was good. They had a wide selection to choose from. Pizza, Burgers, Fries, Panini sandwiches, asian food, quite a bit more that I can't remember right now. I didn't see alot of the kids around during the day so most of them must have been at the kids program because I hung out at the middle pools . Thats were alot of the adult activities were. (band, dancing, hairy chest contest etc.) It was my first cruise and I had a great time. I would cruise carnival again most definately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CKEA_Cruising_Family Posted March 19, 2008 Author #15 Share Posted March 19, 2008 Thanks! We enjoyed Freestyle but the 1 NCL cruise did not make us loyalists so we're definitely willing to branch out and like the idea of 8 days. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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