I am fully convinced that the only true vacation a mom can get if she is traveling with children is on a cruise. Let’s be honest any vacation is a lot of work on parents but especially on the mom. You have all the packing, planning, and you still have to tend the children, make meal arrangements, get everyone to where you need to be and be the activity director. Most often we return from a family vacation feeling like we need a vacation. But a cruise is a magical thing. All you need to do is get yourself there and after that, your meals are taken care of, your beds are made, there are free babysitters on board and when you wake up you are in a different place. Everything is taken care of for you and all you need to do is relax.
That being said there is a bit of preparation that comes when taking your family on a cruise, especially if it’s your first time. Transportation arrangements need to be made to get to the port, proper documents need to be secured. Not to mention packing and shopping for a cruise itself can be a beast of sorts. Pin this guide for later because we are here to make your life easier as you prepare to take a cruise with your family, answer all your questions, give you some great tips, and provide you with an extensive packing list.
Table of contents
- What is included in the cost of a Carnival cruise and what is extra?
- Should you use a travel agent to book your cruise?
- What staterooms are good for families on a Carnival Cruise ship?
- What do I need to pack for my family for a week long Carnival Cruise?
- Family Cruise Shopping list:
- Organization and packing tips for a Carnival Cruise with your family:
- How to avoid motion sickness on a cruise?
- Will my kids get motion sickness on a cruise ship?
- Carnival Cruise Embarkation Breakdown and Tips
- Carnival Cruise Disembarkation Breakdown and Tips
- How does Camp Ocean the kids club on Carnival Cruise ships work?
- Should I book an excursion through the cruise ship?
- Dining on the Carnival Vista
- Is the specialty dining worth it on a Carnival Cruise?
- What are some fun family activities we can do all together on a Carnival Cruise?
- Other great tips and things you need to know before taking your family on a Carnival Cruise:
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What is included in the cost of a Carnival cruise and what is extra?
This is an important question because in order to avoid surprises and to budget appropriately you need to know what is included in your cruise and what you will have to pay for separately and what options you can add on.
Food and Drink
Your room, buffet, main dining room, and other dining options are included with the price of your cruise. You can get coffee, iced tea, lemonade, water, and fruit juices (breakfast time), milk and chocolate milk for free. Any soft drinks or alcoholic beverages are extra. There are packages that you can pay for including unlimited drinks that subsidize the cost or you can purchase these items a la carte.
On Board Shops
There are shopping stores onboard that obviously cost extra as well as ice-cream shops, coffee shops, and specialty dining restaurants that charge a flat rate cover charge to eat at (reservations recommended). Your sail away card will be used as your charge card to pay for extras. Every guest on board receives one, regardless of age. If you have children or teens, I highly recommend setting a limit with the cruise line ahead of time of how much your kids are allowed to charge. This will eliminate possible surprises at the end of your cruise. I put a $5 limit on my kid’s cards but they are small and didn’t really need it. Any time they wanted anything they were with a parent.
Excursions
If you book excursions through the cruise that will cost extra. The cruise company offers various options at different price points.
Camp Ocean
Lastly, while daily activities at the kid’s clubs are free, there are is the option to leave the kid’s in Camp Ocean from 10 pm to 1 am for an additional fee.
Gratuities
You will also be charged a daily gratuity per person. You can prepay these charges before your cruise or you can wait until the end and they will be added automatically to your account near the end of the cruise. As of December
Should you use a travel agent to book your cruise?
It’s a personal decision, but I am going to say yes. Especially if it is your first time cruising and especially if you need more than one stateroom and/or are traveling with friends or family. Let the travel agent take care of your group and all the details, walk you through the process and answer all your questions. Many agents specialize in cruises and most likely have been on your ship or are familiar with it. They can help you get a good deal, often snagging some onboard credit or other extras for you. The best part is they typically cost nothing to you. Most of them are independent agents or small businesses so you are supporting a family when you use one.
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What staterooms are good for families on a Carnival Cruise ship?
On the Carnival Vista, which is what we sailed on our most recent November 2018 sailing out of Galveston, Texas, we noticed there were several family specific rooms on the second floor that sleep up to 5. These rooms are called Family Harbor suites and you can choose from porthole staterooms, interior staterooms, or suites. These rooms are in their own block of cabins and have their own activity room, meeting lounge and dining area with breakfast and snacks served daily. They also come with many additional perks for families.
In addition to family rooms you also have the options of adjoining rooms, balcony rooms the couch can be made into a twin and/or they will have bunks in the ceiling. For our family of
My personal preference for staterooms is to choose a room mid-ship on a mid deck. I don’t like to be high up on the ship (those tend to be more expensive
Personally, I also have a preference for a balcony. Our first cruise we were in an inside stateroom (it was just us with no kids) and then our second cruise we had a balcony and I’m not sure I can ever go back. My favorite part is that if you have kids who nap during the day, it offers a spot to relax and watch the scenery while little ones sleep.
If you ever go on an Alaskan cruise a balcony is a must as you’re constantly traveling past amazing views. When we went to Alaska we spent much of our time on the balcony just staring at the beauty.
Again, a travel agent will be very helpful in helping you choose your stateroom if it’s your first cruise and you are traveling with family or as a group.
What do I need to pack for my family for a week long Carnival Cruise?
This is where preparation is important. It is quite the undertaking packing for a family and making sure they have everything they need for a week so you can kick back and relax on your cruise.
I created a helpful printable checklist for you. As I was packing for my own trip I made a list and kept it because I knew it would be a great resource for others. Plus, I myself want to use it on future cruises we go on! Of course, you can customize this list to your own families needs.
You do not need to pack a hairdryer, beach towels, blankets, cribs, or high chairs.
Free Printable Cruise Packing List
Family Cruise Shopping list:
These are things you will want to buy ahead of time because they will cost you 3x more on the ship and you want them handy just in case.
- Lanyard – I thought this was silly so did not purchase ahead of time but I wish I had. You can get really cheap free lanyards at the casino, but if you want cute ones for your kids or yourselves I highly suggest you purchase beforehand.
- Over the counter medicines. You can always get these on the ship or at the port but having peace of mind knowing you have these before you leave will be helpful. I suggest bringing at minimum Dramamine, Tylenol, Children’s Tylenol, Tums, Pepto Bismal, and any other medications you take on a normal basis.
- Sunscreen – Both for kids and adults.
- Swimsuits – This might be a given but depending on when you cruise and where you live they may be off season and difficult to find. Near cruise ports often there is a Walmart or a Target that carry
these year round but I wouldn’t count on it. We struggled to find our 8-year-old a swimsuit last minute in November.
- Diapers
- Swim Diapers – Not allowed in ship pools, but fine for any beach.
- Wipes
- Baby Food
- Bibs and baby spoons
Formula that you will need for a whole week.- Travel sized toiletries because they are very fun to shop for and also don’t take up a lot of room in your suitcase or your tiny bathroom. You will not need shampoo, soap and body wash as those are provided unless you are attached to your particular brand.
Organization and packing tips for a Carnival Cruise with your family:
If you are traveling with a baby check out our cruising with baby tips that give excellent packing tips and ideas to make life easier.
Some of my all-time favorite purchases we have made for traveling are packing cubes and my toiletries and makeup organizer. In fact, I love this organizer so much I use it all the time for my makeup and hang it from a command hook in my RV bathroom. When we travel, I don’t have to pack it at all as it’s ready to go and I just fold it up and throw it in my suitcase.
How to avoid motion sickness on a cruise?
If you already know this is an issue for you then I highly recommend getting a stateroom midship on one of the lower levels as close to the ship’s stabilizers as you can get. People often feel like being up top on the ship means you have better staterooms but I always choose lower level midship for a smoother ride. On rough sea days, you can just hunker down in your room.
If you have never cruised before and you aren’t sure if this will be an issue always come prepared as if it might be. Plan ahead and pack Dramamine, Bonine, and Seabands. If you find the first day that you’re feeling the motion you’ll be happy that you have a supply for the rest of the cruise. It is recommended to take 30 minutes before you leave. We never really experienced heavy sway on our recent trip but our Captain always made a point to mention before departing if there were heavy winds or rough seas ahead.
When I knew it was going to be rough I would take a Dramamine before we left port and was generally fine. I will also mention that even the less drowsy type still makes you a bit drowsy. So that is definitely a downside.
Will my kids get motion sickness on a cruise ship?
Some kids do experience motion sickness, however, none of my kids were ever affected by it. They bounced all around the ship and never complained once. You never know who will be sensitive to it, so be prepared for them as well. There is a children’s Dramamine and Sea Bands available.
Carnival Cruise Embarkation Breakdown and Tips
Along with packing, there is a bit of preparation that is needed beforehand to get on the ship. You will need to get all your cruise documents ready as well as print and secure luggage tags to your suitcases. I highly suggest that after you secure the cruise luggage tags you put a layer of packing tape over them so to protect them from rips and/or weather. Even better check out these cruise specific tags that will make life easier for you.
Depending on your priority status you may not receive checked baggage until the evening of embarkation. You should be able to have access to your staterooms much earlier than your luggage arrives, so you may want to consider bringing on a carry on bag with a change of clothes for everyone. We like to pack swimsuits, some essentials (like extra diapers and wipes) and toiletries, just in case luggage is delayed or misplaced.
You will want to make sure you have your check in documents and passports, car keys, and wallets on you for embarkation. Do not make the mistake of putting them in checked bags.
Can I cruise with only my birth certificate?
Yes, but it is not advised. They will let you on the ship with a birth certificate for documentation but it will cause the embarkation process to be longer. The main reason it’s not advised is that if something were to happen and you got stuck in a port and needed to fly it would be difficult.
Passport Expiration
It is also important to note that your passport should not be expiring within six months of the end of the cruise. If it is and you are about to board, it’s ok they won’t mention it to you. It will only cause issues if you get stuck in port and need to fly out as some countries have restrictions on this.
Faster to the Fun Pass
A great tip if you are traveling with children on a Carnival cruise is to purchase a Faster to the Fun pass through the online my cruise portal. These passes tend to go fast but they will give you priority boarding, quicker access to your staterooms, early disembarkation on port days and early disembarkation on the last day. These need to be purchased for each cabin, but it will be a lifesaver and help you skip long lines which can be a headache with small children. The earlier you book your cruise the more likely you will be to have this option available. A travel agent should be able to advise you about this as well.
Luggage Porters
Once you get to the port there will be a few porters there to help you with their luggage. Make sure to tip them a few dollars per bag. If you are driving to the port and parking nearby you can drop your family off curbside, get your luggage taken care of and go park the car. There are waiting areas with restrooms where your family can wait for you.
Carnival Cruise Disembarkation Breakdown and Tips
This was a little bit of a mess for us because our ship got in an hour late. Because of this, there was a bottleneck of too many people trying to disembark at the same time. This meant
Checked Bags
Either way, you will need to be out of your room no later than 8 am. If you want your luggage carried off for you-you’ll need to pick up numbered tags the day before. They’ll be available from a predetermined deck that they’ll announce. After your tags are attached you’ll leave your bags outside your stateroom the night before disembarkation. Your luggage tags should tell you the time you are to disembark. Your luggage will be waiting for you to pick up before you go through customs.
Carry Off Luggage
The fastest way is to disembark is to carry off your luggage, and I highly suggest this if you can swing it. This is how we have always done it but with six people it was a stretch to get all of our bags off. Luckily we pack light and put our kids to work, everyone had a bag. Typically you’ll follow onboard instructions and the ship will disembark by deck if you are carrying your own luggage.
How does Camp Ocean the kids club on Carnival Cruise ships work?
Camp Ocean is the kids club on Carnival cruise ships. It is magical for both parents and kids. Often, we would go to pick up the kids from
Tour and Registration
On embarkation day Camp Ocean is only open for parents and kids to come in and see the facilities and pre-register. At this time you will be given a cell phone so that if they ever need to get a hold of you they can call you. You should keep this phone on you at all times that your children are in the club. We referred to it lovingly as the “baby phone.”
Age Restrictions at Camp Ocean
Carnival’s Camp Ocean accepts children from ages 2 to 11. This is one of the only cruise lines to accept children this young and not charge an extra fee. If you have toddlers still in diapers you will want to pack a bag for the camp with extra diapers and wipes. The staff will change the children regularly. My son did not want to be changed by staff which he made clear on day one so we opted to have them call us when he needed a change.
Camp Ocean Age Groups
Camp Ocean is broken up into age groups ranging from 2-5, 6-8, and 9-11. My five year old did not enjoy being lumped in with the 2 year olds to be honest, but I was grateful she was with her younger brother because it made it easier for him.
Camp Ocean Hours
Typically, Camp Ocean opens at 10 am in the morning and usually closes from 5-6 pm. At 6 pm you can drop the kids off on the Lido deck buffet where they will have a supervised dinner. My kid’s loved going to the camp dinners. The food
The camp’s free services close at 10 pm but stay open until 1
With parent approval children 9 and up can opt to check themselves in and out of Camp Ocean. On sea days Camp Ocean does not provide lunch, so it is up to parents to pick up kids and take them to eat. If the child is old enough they can check themselves out and get lunch and come back. Usually, we dropped the kids off at 10 am picked them up for lunch and played at somewhere onboard. Then we’d take the kids back after dinner or some nights for dinner.
Carnival for Teens
There is a separate teen center and there is no need to check teens in. Here, teens will come and go as they please. We highly recommend using the buddy system here for safety and peace of mind. Walkie Talkies are a great method for communication while on the ship or you can pay to access messaging capabilities through the Carnival app.
Should I book an excursion through the cruise ship?
Excursions are a great way to experience unique activities in some of the exotic locations you visit on your cruise.
Do you have to book an excursion through the cruise line? No. You really don’t. A lot of people feel more comfortable booking directly through the cruise line. They feel more comfortable not paying a vendor directly and they enjoy the assurance that the ship will wait for them if the excursion is running late.
Some things to know about excursions before you book them if you have kids. Always check the age before booking. Some excursions will be free for kids under a certain age. Some ages will not be allowed on certain excursions due to the nature of the activity. Always check the fine print and when in doubt double check with the cruise line.
Booking Excursions Through Carnival
You can book many excursions directly through the app while you are on the ship or through the online cruise portal before and during your trip. If you’d like you can also call Carnival directly or you can visit the excursion desk onboard. You can book most excursions all the way up to the night before depending on availability.
A nice bonus about excursions booked through Carnival. If for some reason you don’t make it back to the ship before it is scheduled to leave, they will either wait for you or find a way to get you back to the ship. This is NOT a guarantee if you book your own excursions.
Self Booking Excursions
You will likely save money booking your own excursions directly rather than your cruise line. If you do this, you’ll need to carefully schedule and make sure you can make it back to the boat on time. We have done excursions both ways. Sometimes there are experiences you can only get through the cruise ship. Other times, like in Cozumel it was cost effective for us to negotiate our own taxi fare and visit Paradise Beach on our own. We just watched the time closely and gave ourselves plenty of time to get back to the ship.
Dining on the Carnival Vista
Let’s be honest. Food is an important consideration on any cruise. We don’t drink alcohol and we don’t gamble so food is where we tend to splurge on our vacations. I love the flexibility and
Dining Options
On the Lido Deck you will find the buffet, Guys Burger Joint (our favorite), Pizzeria Del Capitano (24/7 pizza), Blue Iguana (amazing tacos and burritos), The Seafood Shack (additional charge) and of course the soft serve ice cream machines. Just one deck up from the buffet you will find Cucina Del Capitano (Italian restaurant) and Ji Ji Asian Kitchen which offer lunch for free (pasta buffet and Mongolian
I will also note there is Fahrenheit 51 the amazing steakhouse and the Bonsai Sushi restaurant both for additional cover charges. You can also check out Cherry on Top and get one of their signature custom-made ice cream sandwiches (extra charge). That was one of our favorite treats.
Of course, there is also room service available 24/7. They offer a free and a la carte menu during most hours of the day. You can still get room service during late hours for a fee. You can also order breakfast the night before to be sent to your room in the morning. This is a good option on disembarkation day or port days when you want to leave the ship early.
Main Dining Rooms
You will be assigned to one of the two main dining rooms aboard your Carnival cruise ship. On the Carnival Vista, it was either the Reflections Dining Room or the Horizon Dining Room. At booking you should be given the opportunity to choose your preferred dining time. It is completely up to you what you prefer, but I have listed some of the pros and cons of each to help you decide.
Early Dining Time: 6:00 pm seating. This is a great time for families as they can together and still have the opportunity to make it to some shows, parties, or activities in Camp Ocean. It’s usually the normal time families eat meals together anyways. There are a few drawbacks to early dining though. On Port days you may feel like you are rushing to get ready for dinner after a day
My Time Dining: My favorite choice for dining with kids. You have the flexibility of showing up when it is convenient for your family. The only catch is that depending on when you come there may be a bit of a wait. You also will likely have different waiters at different times but you can certainly request your favorite staff if they are available.
Late Dining: 8:15 pm seating. This seating may be a little late for young kids and they may get restless. It’s a great option for families with older teens that want to enjoy activities and shows with their parents.
If you decide you do not want your dining time or change your mind on embarkation day head to your assigned dining room and ask them if it is possible to switch times. They will try their best to accommodate guests.
Tips for Dining with Kids
We always opted for the buffet at breakfast for the kids. It was always
For lunch, we bounced around from the buffet or the restaurants poolside, Guy’s Burger Joint and Blue Iguana. A
Dinner was spent in the main dining room most nights, but the kids opted to eat with Camp Ocean a few nights. This allowed us to enjoy a few of the specialty restaurants as a couple.
Is the specialty dining worth it on a Carnival Cruise?
Yes. The food in the main dining room on Carnival cruises is good. It’s a fun experience to eat there as a family and the wait staff is attentive and top notch. Most nights they do a little dance performance and the specialty food was excellent. The steakhouse filet mignon and lobster was one of my favorite meals. We also tried the Italian restaurant and I’ve craved the garlic rolls we had there almost every day since.
If you are new to cruising then you may be unaware that there is an additional cover charge for the specialty dining restaurants. Also, advance reservations are recommended if not required. I would suggest booking these in advance through the online portal. You can certainly bring kids with you to all specialty dining restaurants. They have excellent kid menus at each one and the cover charge is less for them. We opted to take advantage of the kids club dinners and enjoy a romantic dinner just the two of us. Definitely some of our favorite memories from the cruise.
What are some fun family activities we can do all together on a Carnival Cruise?
There were so many well thought out fun family activities every single day that made it worthwhile for us to consider how to spend our time. Sometimes we would split up based off of interests but usually, we were all together making some amazing family memories. Here is a list of some of our favorite activities.
Dr. Seuss Breakfast
If you have small kids this is a must. But I will say that if you have older kids this is a must too. I will also say we saw plenty of tables full of adults who were there to enjoy the fun foods and get their pictures taken with famous Seuss characters too. On the last Sea Day on your Carnival cruise there will be a Dr. Seuss themed breakfast. It is $5 a person and well worth it. You will be seated in one of the main dining rooms at your choice of two times. We opted for the 8:00 am time but you can also choose 10 am if mornings aren’t’ your thing. You will be given a Dr. Seuss themed menu and you can choose from a colorful assortment of breakfast foods. Throughout the breakfast various characters will come around for pictures and to play.
Dr. Seuss Parade and Story Time
My older kids opted out of this activity because they were dying to go
The parade starts with a gathering, dancing and meeting some beloved Dr. Seuss characters including Cat in the Hat, Thing 1 and Thing 2, and Sam I am. Then you march through the ship to the main theater for story time.
Cruise director Matt led the kids in an interactive story time that had the parents rolling in laughter. I think we enjoyed it overall more than the kids. It’s a fun family activity to do on a sea day that doesn’t take up too much time. I highly recommend attending so keep an eye out for it on the activity rundown.
High Tea at Sea
A lot of people don’t know about High Tea on sea days but at 3 pm in the main dining
Dive-In Movies
These were a family favorite. A couple of nights throughout the week you can enjoy a dive in movie. Curl up in a comfy lounge chair with some popcorn or some frozen yogurt (or a plate from the buffet) and enjoy a movie together. The screen is right in front of the pool so you can also swim or float and enjoy a movie as well. All of the movies are recent releases to home video so it’s a great way to catch a movie you have been meaning to see. There were only two movies that we felt were family friendly enough for our small children so most nights we skipped it. Also look for a midday matinee of a
IMAX Movies
It may sound off to want to do something completely normal like go to a movie on a cruise ship. Many people can do that at home right? But for us we were actually excited about the thought of dropping the kids off at Camp Ocean and being able to see a movie that we want to see. It’s not often with traveling fulltime we can go to an adult movie together. This costs extra but they are new releases only in theaters.
Other Activities
Things to not miss and fun activities some of these activities vary across the ships:
- Water Activities- pools, hot tubs, adults only hot tub area
- Serenity Deck- for adults only!
- Waterslides
- Game Room
- Arcade
- Basketball
- Sky Ride (tethered bicycles)
- Mini Golf
- Ropes Course
Other great tips and things you need to know before taking your family on a Carnival Cruise:
If you are traveling with babies and toddlers you need to know that swim diapers are not allowed in pools or water features. Only potty trained children are allowed to swim.
Search on Facebook for groups featuring your sailing and ship. It’s a great way to connect with others and learn the ins and outs of your sailing and ship. You will also learn about meet and greets, great tips from seasoned travelers, make friends ahead of time, and ask a billion questions. (like where to get cheap parking at the port)
Beach towels are provided even for port days. You will just want to make sure to bring the towel from your stateroom with you and then return it back to the stateroom before you disembark to avoid charges.
Download the Carnival cruise hub app before you leave. It has a fun countdown that keeps you excited to cruise. Once you’re on board you can view meal menus, purchase cruise excursions, and stay up to date on your sail away balance. It also has a detailed schedule of everything that is going on daily all over the ship which is super helpful. The app always runs on ship time, which brings me to my next point.
If you are cruising and you will pass into different time zones, you will always run off of cruise ship time. This always stays the same as your departure port time. So, if you leave out of Galveston which is Central time zone and head to the Caribbean which is Eastern time zone, your ship’s departure time, dining times and show times will always run off Central time. This is why the Cruise hub app is helpful. It can get confusing and you don’t want to be late especially back to the ship on port days.
Each person can bring a 12 pack of soda (no bottles or glass) and each adult can bring a bottle of wine onto a Carnival cruise ship. You can no longer bring bottled water aboard the ship but you can pre-order this online and they will have it sent to your room.
We hope you have a blast cruising carnival! Let us know what your questions are and tell us where you’re cruising to.
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Our recent sailing on the Carnival Vista was sponsored by Carnival Cruise Lines. As always, our opinions are our own.
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