Tips for Cruising Carnival with Kids

Thank you Carnival for partnering with me for this post-Cruising Carnival with Kids. 

So we just got back from our first ever family of 6 cruise. My husband and I have cruised plenty of times in the past but never with our kids so we were really excited but nervous to bring them along. Like any new cruiser, you wonder if you’re going to get motion sick. But thankfully none of the kids did. Because we broke the ice, and now know what to expect when cruising with little ones, especially so young and close in age (ages 1,2,4, and 7) I know the ins and outs of bringing kids along to vacation on the floating resort.

Before I go in depth, I’m sharing my experience and tips when traveling with Kids on Carnival Cruise Line. I cannot speak for any other ship, because I have not sailed with the kids on any other cruise line. You may have sailed with kids before and may have some additional tips, feel free to leave a comment below with the tip and I’ll give proper credit.

Before you read, make sure you follow me and my family on Instagram where I share daily life, and our travel adventures. 

Tips for cruising with kids:

1. Book Early: The earlier the better. This way you can lock in the cabin you want. When booking with Carnival, you have the option to pick any cabin you want through a virtual deck plan. Ideally you’d want connecting cabins, especially if you have little ones. And connecting cabins tend to go faster, so make sure you book in advance. Also, if you can look for a cabin with bunks, this saves so much space and the kids go crazy over it.
   • If for some reason there are no connecting cabins, consider getting a balcony or ocean view, and then the interior cabin immediately across the hall from you. And also, keep checking for rooms like everyday twice a day. People cancel cruises ALL THE TIME, so you may get lucky and get a connecting cabin. 
2. If your ship offers it, get a Family Harbor Cabin: This is the type of cabins we got. The family harbor balcony cabin, and family harbor interior cabin. Going forward, when traveling with kids-these are the ONLY cabins I will book for us. why? 
   1. Access to the exclusive Family Harbor Lounge between the hours of 6:00am-9:00pm, using your Sail & Sign card to enter. The family harbor lounge will become your home away from home.
      • Breakfast prepared daily and served buffet style every morning. So it’s steps away from your cabin.
      • Lunch time snacks served daily, including sandwiches, yogurt, and dessert.
      • Evening cookies and milk served daily
      • and Unlimited Ice-Cream
      • 2 large TV’s and sofas so you can spread out and retreat together as a family.
      • 2 smaller TV’s with video game consoles and games for the kids to play!
      • along with 2 computers, just in case mom and dad need to check up on some emails.
   2. Kids (11 years of age and under) dine for free off the kids’ menu in Fahrenheit 555, Cucina del Capitano, Ji Ji Asian Kitchen and Bonsai Sushi. Children must dine with an adult.
   3. One free Night Owls evening at Camp Ocean for children 11 years of age and under. This was amazing, because our total for one night, 4 kids for 3 hours (10pm-1am) was $75 and after our free night discount, we paid $0. So mom and dad got some alone time (at night).
3. PACK LOTS OF DIAPERS, and baby food: I can’t stress this one enough. If you’re traveling with a toddler or baby who requires diapers- PACK ALOT! Like a whole extra pack then you think you might need. We thought we had enough diapers, and by day 4 we realized the remaining diapers we had would not last us until day 9! When we got off at port, and pack of diapers cost us $24!! They don’t sell diapers on the boat, so don’t be like me and please pack extra diapers and wipes.
   • Also, if for some reason you run out of baby food, but your baby can eat pureed or soft foods, there are plenty of soft food and finger food options in the dining room! 
4. Leave the extra gear at home: Carnival Cruise Line offers cribs, crib sheets and highchairs (in the dining room) upon request. So you may feel compelled to bring the pack n play but to save you space, know that you can get one from your room steward free of charge. They also have strollers for rent at Carnival’s Camp ocean, so if you forgot the stroller, or decide to not bring one, they have some on board!
5. Bring Extra Clothes: Normally I’m all bout minimalism, but when traveling with kids, and messy kids I should add, bring at least 2 changes of clothes per day. There are washers and dryers on the ship, but if you’re anything like me-you don’t want to do laundry on vacation. So instead I picked extra clothes just in case someone leaks a diaper, or spilled food. If you are flying in and space is extremely limited, or you want to save on baggage fees, consider folding your clothes the Marie Kondo style, and utilize packing cubes- LINK HERE. That is what I used, and it saved so much space.

   

6. Become familiar with Camp Ocean Staff: On the first day of sailing, Camp Ocean is open but for “stay and play” only. That is where you can bring the kids to camp but you must stay with them. It’s like a playdate. The kids and yourself become familiar with the facility, the staff, and the other children. This was really important to me because this is where I really got to know the staff, and felt 101% comfortable leaving my kids with them for a couple hours or all day (because they begged to stay there).

   

   

   • Also, get to know the hours of camp ocean. When on board, you’ll want to download the Carnival Hub app which shares the camp hours for age groups. But knowing these hours are really important so you can get the most of your childcare.
   • If traveling with a toddler/infant under age 2: There are only certain hours you can drop your child off at Camp Ocean. On sea days, BEFORE it’s opened up to the rest of the children (typically 10am) and for night owls (10p-1a) and then on port days, its only open for 4 0r so hours during the same time as children over 2. I am going to do a SUPER in-depth post about camp ocean and everything you need to know because that alone is a blog post. (stay tuned)
7. If you can, arrive to the port city a day prior to setting sail: We live in the suburbs of Orlando, so about 4 hours away from Port of Miami (3.5 hours on a weekend day) but I just hated the thought of driving all those hours, then the rush of unloading our suitcases from the car, with 4 antsy kids who have been cooped up in a car all day long, then board the boat, get settled in our cabins and then explore. It just sounded like way too much for one day, so we arrived to West Palm Beach (about an hour north of Miami) the day before. We enjoyed the hotel, and just relaxed. The kids slept in because we were in no rush, we ate breakfast and then hit the road around 11:30am. We arrived to the port around 12:30 and the kids were rested from sleeping all night, tummies full from a hearty breakfast, and NOT antsy from a long car ride. It was honestly the best thing we could’ve done!

   

   

8. Consider bringing an inflatable bathtub: Our cabin only had a shower which is perfectly fine because we are shower people, not so much baths. But if your child loves baths, and can’t go without it- consider bringing one of THESE!
9. Don’t feel pressured to take the kids off the boat at port: We went to 4 different islands, and the kids only came off the boat for 2 islands. We wanted them to come with us to all of them, but they were begging to stay at Camp Ocean. So we made the choice to leave them for 2 islands, and honestly my husband and I had an amazing time exploring the island without the hassle of strollers, or feeding anyone, or diaper changes while off the boat. Now don’t get me wrong, the two islands that they come with us for, we had an amazing time and I’m so happy they got to experience another island and culture, but don’t feel pressured to explore the city with the kids if you don’t want or have to! Camp ocean Staff members are SOOOO GOOD you won’t even have to worry about their safety. Another alternative is, exploring the island or doing an excursion with just your spouse, and then coming back for the kids afterwards!

   

   

   

10. You DON’T have to dine in the dining room every night: When my husband and I cruise with just us two, we LOVE dinners in the main dining room. It’s a beautiful 3 or 4 course meal (I’m not even sure- I just eat it all) and we take our time and mingle amongst ourselves. Dinner in the main dining room with a 1,2,4, and 7 year old is not as peaceful as it once was. The kids do well in restaurants 90% of the time, but something about cruise dining rooms they are extra antsy. So we only went to the main dining room twice (on formal nights), and opted for buffet dining in the Lido Marketplace, Guy’s Burger Joint, Fine dining (which actually moves faster than main dining), room service or heck, even pizza on the lido deck. But there are other options if you have a lot of little ones who don’t do well in restaurants.

Expectation of dining with kids:

Smiling, happy and dressed adorably.

Reality of dining with kids: 

Not in the main dining room and wearing pajamas. LOL

In Conclusion:

I really hope this post was able to help you out when planning for you upcoming cruise, or the cruise you’ve wanted to take but was a little nervous about brining kids. I promise you it is 100% do-able and your children will have the best time. I still remember my first cruise when I was 9 years old, and my husband remembers his first when he was a teen! They are the best memories, and the easiest vacation-especially for a family.

Thank you Carnival Cruise Line for Partnering with me to experience the Carnival Horizon, and for putting this post together. As always, all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.