Should You Cruise With the Kids?
By Michele Blandino
When the subject of taking a cruise this summer was raised several months ago, my first reaction was "No way!" It's not that I didn't want to go on a cruise, after all, I had never been on one and I was certainly curious to learn what all the hype was about. My reluctance came in the form of two small people - my seven year-old daughter and two-year old son.
This cruise was being taken in celebration of my in-laws' 50th wedding anniversary, so leaving the kids at home was not an option. Resigned to spending the better part of the week in our cabin, I nonetheless began to scour the Carnival Cruise Line website for ideas of how we can spend our time.
Going to Camp
Most cruise lines have extensive children's programs. You can find descriptions of these programs on the cruise line's website. Many of the programs run from early in the morning until well into the evening with different themed activities taking place throughout the day. On our cruise, the majority of the activities took place within the confines of "Pinnochio's Club", age appropriate rooms situated in an out-of-the-way portion of the ship. The activities were run by shipboard personnel and parents were generally not invited to participate.
Our daughter enjoyed going to some of the activities, particularly the ones that included some type of craft, but was less interested in the "free play" periods or "Game Boy" time. As a result, she would spend an hour or two at camp, then join us for several hours before returning to camp for another activity.
Our son, on the other hand, was less enthusiastic about attending camp. Given the fact that he is only two, being left in a strange place with people he doesn't know was not something he was willing to try. From a parent's point of view, I wasn't thrilled with the age grouping (ages 2-5 were together). As a result, our son didn't attend any camp activities, which was somewhat of a disappointment because the room was bursting with age-appropriate toys and games. And unfortunately, since he did not want to remain at the club without us, he wasn't able to use any of the facilities.
Camp Alternatives
Without camp to entertain our son, we were left to our own devices. This is where the Carnival Miracle was extremely deficient. Aside from the tiny toddler pool, there was nothing to do with our son. There were no organized activities or facilities whatsoever for parents to enjoy with their children. The shipboard activities that took place each day were decidedly "adult' in nature: a hairy chest contest, a "Survivor" themed game, and a karaoke contest were among the afternoon activities. The game room didn't offer much of a distraction - most of the games were simulated driving games or shooting galleries.
And so, we spent a great deal of time walking, or in our cabin playing with the toys we thankfully brought from home.
From what I have been able to gather by reading the websites of other cruise lines, this deficiency may not be characteristic only of Carnival. As you conduct your research of potential cruises, try to find out what types of non-camp activities are available. Ask if there are family-centered activities, game rooms (and not necessarily video-game rooms) and family-themed shows that can be enjoyed as an alternative to the traditional camp activities.
Dining Challenges
In addition to a marked lack of family activities, the ship didn't seem to understand that kids can't always be treated like adults. Here's an example: each night at dinner, my two-year old asked for orange juice. The waiter brought him juice in a water glass one night, a champagne flute the next night and a wine glass the following evening. Each night, I asked if we could simply have a plastic cup with straw and a lid and each night, our waiter told me "I don't think we have those". On some occasions, even getting a straw posed to be difficult. On the fifth night, a plastic cup with a lid and a straw miraculously appeared - but that was the first and last time we saw one (which of course raises the question of where this particular cup came from!).
To truly attract the family market, Carnival needs to spend some time - and money - examining and upgrading its services for children. Perhaps one of the many bars or lounges could be converted to a family-themed club with games, art supplies and other activities. It would certainly beat spending long afternoons in the cabin.
Cruise Review Web-sites:
One of the best ways to determine if a particular cruise will suit your needs is to visit some cruise review websites. These sites feature reviews written by people who have recently completed their cruise. These first-hand accounts are not only informative, they are, in many cases, brutally honest. For example, one reviewer at Cruise.com described the decor in the Carnival Miracle's main dining room as looking as if a bag of Skittles candy had just exploded. I laughed out loud when I read that particular review, as that particular reviewer was able to perfectly describe what to me had been indescribable.
When reading the reviews, it's important to keep in mind that the information provided is entirely from the reviewer's point of view and that different people have different preferences. That said, if you are traveling with children, you will want to focus on the reviews written by people who also traveled with children. Many of the sites allow users to enter profile information which can help you identify the reviews that would be most helpful to you. Here are some places to begin your search:
