Cruise report with 2.5 year old

[madshopper]

Just returned from 5 days on Carnival Elation to Cabo and Ensenada with my 2 1/2 year old daughter. Since I'd spent hours on this board pre-trip, thought I'd report back on my experience. I'll start by saying that my daughter is developmentally a bit ahead of her age group but is slow to warm up to new situations and to strangers. Overall we had a good time but there were some areas that could have been better.

 

Length of time: Five days seemed to be about right for her first cruise. By Day 4 my daughter was asking when we were going to go home and was satisfied with staying another day.

 

Camp Carnival: We showed up at Camp Carnival on the 1st morning at sea and there was a line to get in. Returned about 30 minutes later and still a line. Finally got in to find 30+ kids in a pretty small space and more were coming. At least half the kids were scared, disoriented, and obviously didn't want to be there. To their credit, the counselors were doing a good job keeping everything under control but there was a lot going on and the atmosphere was stressful. I stayed for a few minutes but DD clung to me crying so we left. Several other parents were getting beeped back as well. We returned another day and it was much better--just a few kids and all seemed quite happy. Unfortunately the "damage" was done and DD refused to reconsider camp. If I had to do it over I would definitely skip the first morning and start in the afternoon or the next day when all the chaos has subsided. Other parents on board had similar experiences.

 

Excursions: In Cabo San Lucas we went to a resort with a kids pool which my daughter LOVED. That was one of the best parts of the trip. We spent the day in Ensenada shopping (much better deals than Cabo).

 

Food: The variety of food was a highlight of the trip. Our fickle eater could choose whatever she wanted and the dining room kitchen is GREAT about special orders, strange requests, etc. They made freshly cooked mashed veggies every day for a baby at our table.

 

Kiddie Pool: There's been lots of discussion on the board about kids in diapers using the kiddie pool. For what it's worth, during our afternoon at the pool around 2/3 of the kids were wearing swim diapers in the pool. There were no Carnival staff anywhere and no parents made any comments about it, even though signs were posted. The water was pretty cold and most kids didn't stay in more than a half hour. I had considered taking a blowup pool as was suggested by the board but was happy that I did not; my DD is a too old to have chosen it over the larger pool and we did not need it as a bath in the cabin as she was happy to use the shower "like a grown up". An inflatable pool would be a good idea for younger kids.

 

Other activities: I was disappointed that there were very few family oriented activities. There was a workshop where you could make a stuffed animal that cost $20 but nothing else organized for parents and young kids. DD's favorite activity was putt-putt golf.

 

Staff and passengers: Overall everyone was very sweet to my daughter, especially the staff. We had an awkward time of our waitress being TOO nice to my daughter--always trying to hug her and giving her lots attention that DD wanted none of!

 

What I was happy I brought:

- kids inflatable Aerobed which my DD loves to sleep in and fit well on the floor

- DVD player, even though the ship showed a different child’s movie every day it was still good to have the old favorites. The TV in our cabin did not have jacks so we had to watch on the small screen.

- Stroller, ours was a cheapo one but perfect for shore excursions (quick fold for taxis and tenders)

- Little sticker books and toys for entertainment at dinner, this allowed me to have dessert!

 

What I wished I’d brought:

- warmer PJs--even in hot Cabo, the cabin was quite chilly at night

- a watch/clock--there is none in the cabin unless you turn on the TV to check time

 

Sorry for the long post. Hope that helps you future cruising parents!

[Kerry's Girls]

Thanks for the great review! Which resort was it in Cabo? Sounds like my toddlers would like to go there. Did you go as part of the ship's excursion?

 

Thank you.

 

Best,

Mia

[sas80]

Thanks for the review, comments and suggestions!

 

I particularly like the idea of waiting out the kids club until later in the day so that it is less hectic and, therefore, not as overwhelming. Great suggestion!

[tamiflood]

great info...was this your first cruise with a baby?

[crusinmama06]

I actually have a suggestion that may have helped in that Camp situation, sign up the night you arrive when they hold the Open House. It's always best to get in on the first night to give the child a chance to see the area without having to commit to staying there.

 

And you pretty much hit the nail on the head as to why I stay away from Carnival....there were kids swimming in diapers and the crew said NADA. So then when there is an accident (which happened on our Sensation cruise) they just shut the whole darn pool down. :rolleyes:

 

Good advice about the warmer PJ's. I always forget how downright cold it gets with the AC on all over the ship. I am always looking for warmer clothes for the kids once we're there.

 

Welcome back!

[madshopper]

The irony of our trip is that I chose Carnival because of Camp Carnival. Ha ha. We did miss the Camp open house but had toured it on the first day.

As for Cabo, I really wanted to go to a resort but nothing like that was offered through the ship and most of the resorts do not allow day visitors. After asking a couple locals, we took a taxi to Pueblo Bonito. They had lots of security to get in but waved us through when we said we were just there for lunch. We had our lunch and drinks at the pool. ;)

[crusinmama06]

The irony of our trip is that I chose Carnival because of Camp Carnival. Ha ha. We did miss the Camp open house but had toured it on the first day.

 

Awww, that's a shame. But she is young. When my oldest (now 8) was in a cruise kid's camp at age 2, I was paged about 5 minutes after dropping her off. She was NOT happy. The following year I had to BEG her to come out and spend some time with me. :rolleyes:

[bmgaritty]

And you pretty much hit the nail on the head as to why I stay away from Carnival....there were kids swimming in diapers and the crew said NADA. So then when there is an accident (which happened on our Sensation cruise) they just shut the whole darn pool down. :rolleyes:

 

 

I guess the parents were illiterate, even the OP mentions the POSTED signs. Pretty selfish behavior (esp when pool has to be shut down as on your cruise)

 

From Madshopper's review:

"For what it's worth, during our afternoon at the pool around 2/3 of the kids were wearing swim diapers in the pool. There were no Carnival staff anywhere and no parents made any comments about it, even though signs were posted."

[Tgianco]

We went on our first cruise with Carnival during spring break in March with our 2.5 year old, and we chose Carnival specifically because Camp Carnival was the only cruise line (west coast) with that type of set up.

 

Because I had read these boards, we went straight to Camp Carnival with the kids once we were on board, played with them in Camp Carnival and introduced them to the staff. There was no line, no wait at that time and because my kids were amongst the first in there, the staff kind of got to know them right away.

 

Of course, it probably helps that we go to a gym with this type of set up. My 6 year old daughter has asked every day when we're going back on the "bog boat."