What was your experience on Conquest (Carnival) going to Jamaica?

Question

We think about going from Galveston, Tx in late September for 7 nights. What should we know? It's our very first cruise. We're taking our 2 1/2 year old daughter with us.

Answer 1

I've done 2 cruises on with Carnival, and another with a different line.  I liked the Carnival trips better.  They pamper you - the staff work very hard to be sure that everything exceeds your needs.  The only real complaint I had is that I thought they were very heavy-handed in insinuating that you need to tip everyone from the maitre 'd down to the guy who cleans the muck off the anchor.  They give us suggested amounts and even envelopes with the names or titles of the people we were supposed to tip.  Some were out of line, I thought.  The maitre 'd was supposed to get a tip for greeting us as we entered the dining room?  I didn't think so.  The waiter and his assistant, yes, and the cabin boy that made up our room every day, yes.  The rest I didn't worry about.

Answer 2

My wife and I just also took a Carnival cruise.  We were on the Victory.  The Victory also sailed into Ocho Rios, Jamaica.  Believe me, you should go.  It is beautiful out there.  Also, stay clear of the people selling stuff, they are vultars.  Just remember the words NO MON!!  They will leave you alone.  But, yes take the cruise.  Carnival is wonderful!!  There is plenty onboard the ship for your 2 1/2 yr old also.  Carnival offers this onboard service for children called camp carnival.  It is for children all the way to age 17 I believe!!

Answer 3

Carnival is very kid friendly.  

We took the Ecstasy last June and are taking the Conquest in March.  The Port of Galveston has completed some improvements to the cruise terminal.  Plan $70 for parking at the port.

The youngest of our crew was 18-months old.  We took an umbrella stroller for her and it worked out fine.  But 4-year nephew got seasick and was too small for the Dramamine.

Camp Carnival will accept your little one at 2 1/2 years old.  The dining rooms have high chairs.  However, my sister was not pleased with the crib that Carnival provided in the cabin.

We waited until our youngest was 5 before we starting taking our daughters with us on cruises.

Answer 4

Although cruise lines welcome children, it would be sooooooo much nicer to leave the little one at home.  If you do take the 2 year old, you will wish you had left her home because you will miss out on so much on the cruise.  Since this is your first time to ever go on a cruise, there are so many things you will want to do and so many activities on board the ship.  Of course, once you port, you will want to go with your significant other to the mainland, and it would be so much more convenient not to have a little one stuck to you the whole time which will slow you down considerably.

I have a 20 month old, and we went to Australia last March.  My wife and I have been there TONS of times because she is from there, but...  we took my mom for the first time (who had never even been on an airplane).  He was fine (for the most part) going over there, but he was wound up on the way back.  Unfortuanately, even with me wanting to help my wife with the child, she insisted on doing everything.  If there had been some kind of way that we could have left him home, it would have made the trip a lot nicer because he got too tired on the long walks, and there were a lot of things we could not do that we had always had the chance to doing when we were childless.

Because it is your first cruise ever, I would make every effort to leave her home and make plans to take her on a trip in the future.  It would be so much more rewarding to you and your spouse.  You could stay in the room and have your intimacy, and could enjoy the activities that "couples" are able to enjoy.  Additionally, you would be able to make your trips ashore a lot easier than if you take little one.