if you're bored and feel like answering questions...

[MM1998]

 

has anyone every used camp carnival? for what ages? thoughts? i'd like to try my 2 year old out when we're having a day at sea so that we can check on her frequently. she's never stayed in daycare and i don't know how she'll do. the other kids i'm not worried so much about.

 

Camp Carnival is awesome (according to my kids). We had to pull them away the last night with tears in their eyes. They had a blast and can't wait until the next cruise.

 

snuba? safe or not? relatives that are experienced cruisers (one of which used to scuba) have scared me about it. i was thinking of letting the 9,11, and 14 year old go with my husband and i.

 

My then 8 year old did snuba in Key West. He loved it--loved it so much he just got certified to scuba dive at age 10 (PADI). Here's a pic of him on his snuba trip. It is very safe.

 

 

Have fun on your cruise!

[ammo4343]

We were on the Fantasy in January with a 2 year old. She thouroughly

enjoyed Camp Carnival. I highly recommend taking everyone to dinner.

Our Wait staff took really great care of her as well as most of the Wait staff in our area. They definitely went out of their way to make sure she had anything that she needed. They will also have High Chairs and Boosters in the Dining room. I don't remember seeing any at the buffet line. After the first night they will have everything set up when you arrive.

You will definitely enjoy it.

[bmacri]

Please do not skip the dining room.

If you don't want to pack the elegant clothes for elegant night, then eat at the buffet those nights.

 

But, the dining room is where you will get the good food.

We just cruised a couple of weeks ago and we noticed all the kids in the dining room. The waiters bend over backwards to cater to them.

I recall a young man (about 5) having his special ordered pizza cut into bite sized pieces every night. Of course, kids can have anything on the menu but we thought it was cute.

 

Also, I remember sparklers in the desserts for the kids.

 

They will love it. They also bring things to do while you are waiting for your meal if you have kids.

 

Please, go to the dining room!!!

[stargate fan]

My recommendation is to book a tour to Xcaret for Cozumel. Xcaret is an eco-park. It is beautiful You will take a boat from Cozumel to Playa del Carmen, then a bus to the park. Our kids were 11.5 and 14 when we went the first time. We all loved it and wished we had days to spend there.

Check out this link:

www.xcaret.com

[old sole]

My recommendation is to book a tour to Xcaret for Cozumel. Xcaret is an eco-park. It is beautiful You will take a boat from Cozumel to Playa del Carmen, then a bus to the park. Our kids were 11.5 and 14 when we went the first time. We all loved it and wished we had days to spend there.

 

Check out this link:

www.xcaret.com

 

I agree that Xcaret is a fabulous place, and everyone in the family would enjoy it, but your itinerary only has you at Cozumel for 8 hours, from 9:00 to 5:00. You will have to be back on the ship by 4:30, and you probably won't be off the gangway at exactly 9:00 either so really you probably only have about 7 usable hours on shore. The ferry ride between Cozumel and the mainland is a 45 minute trip, then you have to walk 3 blocks or so to your bus, then a 15 minute ride to the park. That's 2 to 2 1/2 hrs in-transit out of the 7. Xcaret is big. I just don't think you would have enough time at the park to do it justice or to justify the expense. We spent a full day there on a land vacation a couple of years ago and still didn't see everything we had planned to. My advice would be to save Xcaret for another cruise that has more time in port at Cozumel, or one that stops in Calica (5 minutes from Xcaret), or a land vacation at one of the terrific resorts in Playa del Carmen or Playacar.

 

All that said, we just did it three weeks ago with our two grandkids. But we had one more hour in port than you, and we had been there before so we spent zero time looking at the park map, plotting out what to see next, etc. Even so, we definitely felt rushed. It is do-able, but I think you would have a far better time in Cozumel than you would by trying to get over to Xcaret.

[taralu7]

wow! you've all been so helpful! thank you so much all of you. you've just about convinced me to do the whole dining room thing every night except the fancy night. i do NOT want to try to worry about clothes for that. :D and knowing that the dining room is relatively kid -friendly alleviates my worries.

 

keep the tips coming if you think of ANYTHING else. everything seems really muddled and confusing to me right now so every little tid bit helps me. thanks again!

[taralu7]

just thought of another question. how much does it cost to buy the all-you -can -drink soda thing? i heard it's very expensive.

[MM1998]

just thought of another question. how much does it cost to buy the all-you -can -drink soda thing? i heard it's very expensive.

 

 

I believe it is $6.50 a day for adults (cheaper for kids), so multiply that by how many days your cruise is PLUS 15% gratuity. It's called the Fountain Card. It's a good deal only if you drink alot of soda. :o) Just FYI, you can bring soda and bottled water with you on the ship. We aren't big soda drinkers so we usually bring on a 12 pack and that is more than enough for the week.

 

Kim

[Cuizer2]

does anyone have any advice? anything that you just would like to share. any tips? about carnival, the fantasy, the club carnival (kids' groups), dining, cozumel, progreso, snuba??? anything that you want to share will be appreciated.

 

i know all of you probably know the answers to these questions and i'm sorry if it's all redundant but i can't read every single post on here, although i have been reading up. i want to make the most of our experience.

 

specific questions that i have...

 

has anyone every used camp carnival? for what ages? thoughts? i'd like to try my 2 year old out when we're having a day at sea so that we can check on her frequently. she's never stayed in daycare and i don't know how she'll do. the other kids i'm not worried so much about.

 

how much do you tip? who all do you tip?

 

is it realistic to think that we can avoid the dining room altogether and just eat in the more informal places?

 

snuba? safe or not? relatives that are experienced cruisers (one of which used to scuba) have scared me about it. i was thinking of letting the 9,11, and 14 year old go with my husband and i.

 

any other excursions that are just a must for the kids? i don't think they'd enjoy looking at some of the ruins or going in shops all day.

 

thank you very much for any information you can pass on!

 

The standard tip of $10 per day per person goes to the room steward, the waiter and assistant waiter. If you order a drink a 15% tip will be added automatically. If you think the service warrants it, you can tip more. No need to tip the maitre d' unless (s)he does something for you.

 

If you want to can eat every meal at the buffet or order room service. If you order room service the food is free, but the person who brings you the food will expect a tip. $1 to $2 per order (per person) depending on how much is ordered (for just coffee tip $1 - for a full lunch tip $2) should do it. For this you will need cash (bring extra $1 with you if you are going to order room service).

 

I snubaed (if that is a word) in Grand Cayman in February. I'm at work now and don't have the photos I took posted and can't post from home until Saturday when they fix the cable (I use a cable modem). I felt it was very safe. Could you be more specific regarding your concern(s)?

[Wennfred]

Valor's Camp Carnival:

 

Ages 2-5 years http://members.cox.net/wennfred3/2-5.html

Ages 6-8 years http://members.cox.net/wennfred2/6-8.html

Ages 9-11 years http://members.cox.net/wennfred3/9-11.html

Ages 12-14 http://members.cox.net/wennfred4/12-14.html

Under 2 years old http://members.cox.net/wennfred2/Under2.html

[queenanneitis]

Start back here......this site gives you tons of tips, answers to questions, pictures, packing lists and more! It'll help you get re-acquainted to cruising!

 

http://www.prucha.com/modules.php?name=Cruise_Mania