Carnival is the cheaper option and you get what you pay for. I was not expecting the lack of kid's entertainment. Yes, they have Camp Ocean but we didn't go on a family vacation to shove our kids in a day care. We wanted to do things together and the lack of that really bothered us.
Outside of that, everything else was amazing. The staff was top notch as always. The food was very good, maybe a step down from years past. But overall, we are still very pleased with what we got for what we paid and would still highly recommend cruising to anyone and everyone, kids or no.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Overall, the food was great. I can definitely see a drop off though in the quality of the food itself. The scrambled eggs were terrible, none of us could stomach them. Service sure hasn't slacked off.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
As an adult, there is always something to do. I was really taken back at the lack of things to do for kids though. There was zero things for small kids to do outside of camp ocean. So as a family, we had to rely on the games we brought to keep our kids, all under 10, busy and part of the vacation. The small portion of cat and the hat stuff was done well but was maybe 3 hours of stuff over the whole 5 day cruise.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
The atrium performances were outstanding. The shows in the main theater were terrible. Obnoxious, poor quality, just plain bad. Both nights we planned on going to the show in the theater, we ended up just sitting in the atrium listening to the band there or the violinist (who were amazing!).
Children's Programs
1 out of 5
The lack of kid's entertainment was the worst part of the cruise for us. The kids did enjoy Camp Ocean, but that is basically just a day care. We wanted our kids to take part in vacation with us, not just shove them off on someone else. It makes me want to never take a cruise again with Carnival due to the lack of things to do with them.
The arcade is another massive problem. We aren't smokers. The arcade is on 5 which is where the bars, nightclubs and casino is at. The whole floor is saturated in smoke smell. So for our kids to enjoy the arcade, it meant them smelling like smoke and breathing in all that mess. Just not worth it.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Best part of the cruise. The steward for our room was amazing. Every night, he would fold the kids PJ's and lay them on their beds, place their stuffed animals nice and neat by their pillows. Everyone was amazing.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Everything was amazingly clean, outside of deck 5. This would be 5 stars if it weren't for the arcade being on the smokers deck.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Size was small for a full family, including a crib. But, I totally understand we get what we pay for. So we are okay with it for the price we paid.
Ship tip
If you have kids, plan ahead and bring things for them to do with you as a family. There are very few options for small children on this cruise except for the daycare.
Agreed on the second hand smoke. I wouldn't want my children to be exposed to that either nor myself for that matter. I do feel like their newest ships are geared more towards families with children. The older ships come from a different era as far as children are concerned. My recommendation is research the ships prior to booking.
For more kid activities, check out the newer ships like Carnival Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration, or Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas.
There were some kid friendly acticities on our cruise like the Dr Suess parade/breakfast, the PG Comic show and the WaterWorks area. Hopefully there will be more kid activities on your next cruise.
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