We are planning a cruise with our 3 daughters aged 15,17 and 23 on Carnival. Any input would be appreciated?

Question

We are planning a cruise with our 3 daughters aged 15,17 and 23 on Carnival. Any input would be appreciated?

Answer 1

As a travel agent I will not book clients on Carnival or NCL.  NCL has had ongoing quality problems.  I think the other answers here about Carnival pretty much cover their problems.  

To make sure you have an enjoyable vacation that fits your budget, please contact a good agent and tell them what you are looking for.  Let them know you would not like to consider Carnival or NCL.  Rather than take a 7 day cruise on Carnival,

reduce the number of days and pay more for a better cruise line.  Believe me it will be a much better experience for your family.

When booking the cabins, I'd recommend booking something other than an inside cabin.  If you've never been on a cruise, the inside cabins are always the least expensive because they do not have any windows - no natural light and it will be dark in there without lights no matter what time of day. Its like living in a dark closet.  You'll also need to go up on deck just to see what the weather is like.  If it fits your budget, then I'd recommend booking a balcony cabin.  If not, then at least try to book an ocean view cabin with some kind of window.

Royal Caribbean has family suites on some of their ships which can sleep up to 8 comfortably.  Otherwise, check to see if you can get connecting cabins with a double for the two of you and a triple for your daughters.

Keep in mind you will also need to budget for soft drink cards, alcoholic beverages (if you partake, they average approx. $7 ea.), gratuities (plan about $11/person/day), shore excursions (anywhere from $50-$250 each per person depending on what's being offered in given ports) and gratuities for tour guides ($5/person for 1/2 day and $10/person for whole day and bus drivers $3/person for 1/2 day and $5/person for full day are recommended), souveniers, any extra services (spa, salon, etc) or purchases on board.

Each of you will receive a card (similar to a credit card) while on board.  This will act as your room key, ID, and currency while on board. Ships are cashless, except in the casinos.  On the last day of the cruise, you will receive a bill for your shipboard account in each cabin. Prior to boarding you will be asked to provide a credit card to cover your shipboard account. If you do nothing, all charges on your shipboard acct. will be put on your credit card, but you can also go to the purser's desk and pay your bill with cash or traveler's check if you'd prefer not to put the charges to your credit card.

Walkie talkies are a good way to keep in touch with everyone while on board and still allow everyone their freedom.  If you have your choice of early or late seating dinner, select the late seating so that you can maximize your time in each port an not be rushed trying to get to dinner.  Remember you have 3 daughters who will all be trying to share one very small bathroom and that means they will need extra time getting ready for dinner.  If someone gets hungry before dinner, there is always food availalble somewhere on the ship or room service is also available.

Get to your embarkation port at least 1 day prior to sailing to assure that flight delays due to weather, equipment problems, strikes, etc. don't cause you to miss your ship. No matter what cruise line you take, please be sure to purchase travel insurance, not only to cover the usual items, but travel insurance will also cover medical costs should the need arise.  Unless you have military insurance or some kind of policy that provides international coverage (most people don't) then travel insurance is a must. I recommend Travelex or TravelGuard insurance as generally offer the same or better coverage as the insurance offered by the cruise lines at a lower premium.

Hope I've provided you with some info you can use. If you don't have an agent, I'll be more than happy to discuss your options with you and, if I can find something that will appeal to you, I'd be glad to book the trip for you.  I can be reached toll free at 866-485-8175.

Bon Voyage!

Answer 2

Honestly, I would keep a close eye on them. We went on Carnival twice and will never go again. It is like one giant drunken party and is definitely not what we wanted for our family. Carnival is known as the "fun ship" but what they mean by that is you can drink as much alcohol as you want. We saw several younger children wandering around alone. This is a very dangerous situation. If I were you, I would check out some websites online regarding different cruiselines.

Answer 3

DON'T GO ON CARNIVAL IT'S NOT FUN AND THE FOOD SUCKS AND THE PEOPLE ARE NOT FRIENDLY PLUS THERE'S TONS OF OLD PEOPLE AND IT'S JUST NOT WORTH $300

Answer 4

We cruise frequently with our daughters.

I highly recommend getting the two-way radios to keep in contact as they will likely be going in different directions while on the ship.

Carnival is a good option for this age group.  It is not stuffy and the cruise line has done a good job in setting up areas were your 15 and 17 year olds can enjoy nightlife.

Use cash to open their Sail and Sign cards so you don't get sticker shock on the last day of the cruise.  That will allow them the purchase items when they are away from you but not let them go over budget.

Soda fountain cards are a good bargain for teens since cans of soda are $1.75 each.

We just returned from a Spring Break cruise on Carnival with 14 guests.  8 of those guest were teenagers,aged 13 to 18.

All of the teens had a great time.

Answer 5

Carnival is a nice budget cruise line and OK for beginners.  But I recommend one of the better cruise liens like Princess, Norwegian or Royal Caribbean.  These have better food service and ships.  You will have a much better time.

I highly recommend the new RC Freedom of the Seas (and its sister ship which will start sailing in May) the Liberty of the Seas. I went on the Freedom last November and found that it has some of the best cabins and facilities of any ship I have been on. Things like pillow top beds, flat panel TV's in the cabin, improved shower stalls, an ice skating rink (and a show in there that was great), a separate pool area for kids called the H2o Zone, and adults only pool and hot tub area, a full sized basketball court, and the new Flow Rider where you can surf on the ship.

These ships do Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries  to places like Cozumel, Gran Cayman, Ocho Rios,  St Thomas, St MArtin, etc.  You will enjoy the RC cruises.

Answer 6

Well, I hope you have either a very large cabin or you have booked 2 cabins.

The 2 younger ones cannot drink alcoholic drinks and the ship is very strict on this policy.  Watch the girls carefully so drunk male passengers do not endanger them - and on Carnival this is a good possibility.

If you are going to Grand Cayman, definitely do take the excursion from the ship to Stingray City.  It is absolutely amazing to feed the huge stingrays from your hand.  The girls would love it.

Answer 7

I am not sure what Carnival offers,But i have cruised with Royal Caribbean many times with my children. They had a teens only nightclub for those under 18. RC also offered a rock climbing wall, ice skating rink and a huge sports deck.

That came in handy on the cruising at sea days.  depending on your destination and your likes & dislikes we looked at all the excursions on line for each port and we made a  family decision as to what we do each day. And if there wasn't any really good outings we went and explored the town & shopped on our own. (Cozumel is a good example. A lot of jewelry shops at the peirs but go back a few streets & you find some very great shops & cafes) ( Belize is very similar. I liked Grand Cayman the best. It is clean, there are plenty of activities  Seven mile beach is awesome. It was the only island that no one  rushed you  or pressured you for a tip ( you will get this for some of the guides after an excursion) Also ALWAYS travel in a group & dont wear a lot of jewelry or show a lot of cash in public.  Just use good judgement.

I hope this helps.

Answer 8

Check out  the reviews of people who have experienced all the different cruises at www.ytb.com/awitravel  Click on Book Travel to research