Posts Tagged ‘carnival sensation’
Safety And Security At Sea For Kids
You can read more about this topic, as well as many other family cruising topics, in our new book–Cruising With Kids: A Guide To The Perfect Family Cruise Vacation. Visit our dedicated Cruising With Kids website for more details.
Safety at sea is a significant issue for many parents. We’ve covered the norovirus issue and hopefully put many parent’s fears to rest, but what about the other safety issues? Many of you may have read about the Carnival ship that had to make a sharp turn to avoid a submerged bouy a few weeks ago. This latest incident resulted in passengers being taken to the hospital. Okay, so maybe you cannot control those issues, but what about security or the child safety that we take for granted at home?
Onboard the Carnival Sensation, the Waterworks area is completely netted off so that no child would be able to accidently slip through the large horizontal spaces between the bars. However, there isn’t any other part of the ship that has that netting, so if you have a small child, you need to have your eyes on them at all times. Case in point, we were hanging around the mini-golf course, which is partly glassed in on both sides. However, within a toddlers easy reach is a potentially dangerous situation. Our 19-month old wandered off and before we could catch him, he was at the bow peeking through the bars. One slip and he would have been overboard. Luckily there were two young girls who were holding him back until we got there.
The fact is – that it is impossible to watch your child’s every move. Most of the newer ships have glass paneled half walls. Unfortunately, others, like the Carnival Sensation do not. If you have a small child and are concerned about safety, you should definitely inquire as to the type utilized on the ship that you are considering. Although you’ll never totally remove the danger, perhaps it can be minimized.
Balconies are also a frequent concern among parents, although if the correct type of wall is in place, there is little danger unless they try to climb over the “wall”. Some ship balconies have locks that are out of a child’s reach or doors that are too heavy for them to open. This is another area to consider before deciding on a ship or cabin choice.
Safety and security also extends to inside your cabin. Consider this, in most hotel rooms there are security locks, but on most cruise ships, your toddler can pull down on the handle and the door will open – locked or not. They can also lock themselves in the bathroom, which is exactly what our little Hercules did on Sunday. We were able to use the ice tongs to turn the outer screw and unlock the door, but it was scary for a brief time while he was prisoner behind that locked door.
Cruising brings unique safety and security concerns. By no means are we saying that you shouldn’t cruise. However, you should be aware of the concerns, choose your ship according to those safety concerns and be prepared to deal with any issues that may arise. Whenever you travel with kids, safety and security should always be a part of the planning process.
What other safety concerns do you have when cruising with kids?
You can read more about this topic, as well as many other family cruising topics, in our new book–Cruising With Kids: A Guide To The Perfect Family Cruise Vacation. Visit our dedicated Cruising With Kids website for more details.
Disclosure
A Typical Day On A Cruise With Kids
You can read more about this topic, as well as many other family cruising topics, in our new book–Cruising With Kids: A Guide To The Perfect Family Cruise Vacation. Visit our dedicated Cruising With Kids website for more details.
We thought this would be a great way to introduce someone who has never cruised to the basics of the cruising experience…hopefully you’ll enjoy the show.
We always fly in a day early to avoid the potential of a travel delay, missed connection or other travel emergency. Well, this time we almost needed that buffer. Traffic on a Saturday…never. Um, almost never. Seven miles from the airport was a massive traffic jam that caused my wife to bite her nails down to stubs. In the end, we did make it with about 10 minutes to spare, but it made for a bad start to a day that would only get worse. It was a good thing that it wasn’t sailing day!
After a restful night at the Four Points in Cocoa Beach, we had a terrific breakfast in the Shark Pit (the surprisingly awesome restaurant in our hotel). We’ll be writing a review later this month and if you travel to Florida, you won’t want to miss this one. After breakfast we decided to take a short walk to the beach where the kids proceeded to take turns falling into a 2 foot deep pit that someone had dug…no broken bones, so no harm done. We finished packing (yes, even a one night stay results in absolute destruction) then jumped in our blue Toyota Camry (rented from Budget the previous day) for the 2.6 mile journey to the Cape Canaveral Budget location. This process was actually rather painless, unlike the rental process the day before (it was so bad, I can’t even bear to relive it).
A quick shuttle to the terminal (we had to drop two other families first at the Freedom of the Seas) and we were in a line of about 30 people to go through security. There is a big sign that indicates that porters are salaried and tips are not required, but I’d like to see my luggage thank you. Make sure you have small bills for tips.
We were informed by the representative that we had been provided VIP check-in…thanks Aly! We were taken into a private room then escorted to a special line. Frequent Carnival cruisers also get to use this service. It is nice when the general lines are long, which wasn’t the case on this particular day. Despite being told that our cabin wasn’t ready, we proceeded to our cabin to drop off our carry-on luggage. When we arrived it turns out that our standard outside cabin on deck 5 was ready, so we chilled for a bit. We read everything there was to read, then on the brink of a breakdown, we took the kids up to check out Camp Carnival. This is where the under 12′s get to play and hang out.
It was a bit small and dated, but the toys that were out held our kids interest while we completed paperwork. The minimum age is 2 to participate and Carnival staff does change diapers. Babysitting is available from 10PM-3AM each day and select hours during port days. This is also available for those under 2. The cost is $6/hr for the first child and $4/hr for each additional sibling.
Now, it was almost 2PM and we were starving, so we headed to the buffet up on the Lido Deck (it sounds so Love Boat-ish). The selection was good as was the food quality. Typically, ships have tables with chairs, but this ship has booths too. If you have toddlers and young kids, you know that this is the holy grail…score! The kids had pizza (and made a big mess) and we ate healthy (don’t worry, we made up for it later). Next, it was a self-guided tour of the ship to familiarize ourselves with everything to make getting around more efficient later. By that time the lifeboat drill was starting, our 19 month old was fast asleep in his stroller…ahh, an hour of peace and quiet.
This is the easiest lifeboat drill we’ve ever had. No life jackets were required and we went outside for about one minute. Everyone was ready for some water play at the Carnival Waterworks, so bathing suits came out and sunscreen went on. This is an awesome place for the kids, really, a huge selling feature for Carnival. All four of us had a blast, but our 4 year-old couldn’t use the slide because he was 1/2” too short…crying ensued. We diverted his attention by going to the pool, where he refused to get in. Oh well, I enjoyed the pool.
Now, the real “fun: was about to start…unpacking. Ugh, I hate unpacking almost as much as I hate packing. Once the room looked halfway decent, we decided to dress from dinner. This time around we choose Your Time Dining, which allows you to dine in the dining room anytime between 5:45PM and 9:30PM. The downfall is that you rotate wait staff, which typically equals lesser service (some may argue, but believe me it does). The upside is that you can dine anytime, which means not having to rush around like a fool trying to get the kids ready on time to hit your mark. It also means they’ll be more focused on dinner when they’re hungry. Mission accomplished!
Unfortunately, dinner ended with one of the kids getting sick…oh well, all in a day. We still went to the buffet for desert (we never wait in the dining room with the kids…the first hour plus is enough). It was almost bedtime, but the little ones wanted to see the flashing lights again, so we obliged. The day was over, the kids were in bed and we’d survived. Now, I could get to work.
You can read more about this topic, as well as many other family cruising topics, in our new book–Cruising With Kids: A Guide To The Perfect Family Cruise Vacation. Visit our dedicated Cruising With Kids website for more details.
Disclosure
Cruise Views Marathon – Cruising Family Style With Kids
The special event that we’ve been talking about for months is almost here! From May 2nd through May 22nd, during our Cruise Views Marathon, we’ll be focusing on family cruising (with kids). During this event, we’ll be posting interviews, live onboard happenings, insider tips and more. You’ll have the opportunity to follow our trials and tribulations in addition to the excitement onboard as we sail on the Carnival Sensation, Disney Wonder and Norwegian Jewel in our quest for the most family friendly cruise (we’ll be crowning a winner at the end of this event). Read the rest of this entry »
Reader Favorites – Cruising With Kids Update
It is getting a bit hectic here as we get closer to our live blogging events scheduled for just a couple of weeks from now. We hope that you will join us in the excitement as we blog live from the Carnival Sensation, Disney Wonder and Norwegian Jewel this May. We are in the process of obtaining commitments from sponsors and Carnival Cruise Line has already jumped into the ring with some great giveaway items that the kids will absolutely love!
You can catch up on what we are planning by reading the following posts:
Have you ever wanted to go on a cruise? Do you know anyone who is thinking about cruising? Are you a veteran cruiser and just cant get enough? Be sure to join us and make sure that you tell all of your friends and family too.
On May 2nd, 2010 we will begin our Twenty-One Day Cruise Views Marathon! It will be all cruise all the time through Saturday, May 22nd, 2010. You absolutely don’t want to miss it!
We will have interviews with the cruise staff, candid reviews, insider tips, essential information for family cruisers and best of all, lots of free giveaways! Even if you have never thought about cruising - you still will not want to miss this event!
Be on the lookout for more information in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, check out some of our reader favorites…
- NCL Teaming Up With Nickelodeon
- Cruise Line Babysitting Options Reviewed
- Cruising With Infants and Toddlers
- Family Friendly Dining On The Seas
- Choosing a Family Friendly Cabin
We also have a special surprise interview scheduled for May 1st…be sure to check back with us soon to learn more.
Disclosure
Major Announcement: Live Blogging – Disney vs Carnival
We’re excited to announce another week of live onboard blogging as we continue the search for the most kid friendly programs at sea. Facing off on back to back cruises from May 2-May 9, 2010, the Carnival Sensation and Disney Wonder will both have to prove themselves as being not only kid friendly, but parent friendly too. They are in for some stiff competition – because on May 15, 2010, NCL gets their chance onboard the Norwegian Jewel with their new Nickelodeon themed program.
During these live blogging events, we’ll be exploring every aspect of the kid’s programs as well as what each cruise line has to offer for families. This will be your golden opportunity to ask questions, while we get you answers straight from the source.
We want your input! What attractions or activities would you like us to explore in Port Canaveral, Nassau and Freeport? What questions do you want answered? Who would you like to see us interview onboard? If you have interest in participating in a live Q&A session, please let us know.
You’ll also have the chance to win prizes simply for participating and commenting during these live blogging events! This is a rare opportunity to watch and participate as three top family friendly cruise lines go head to head in our quest for the best kid’s program at sea.
Stay tuned for more details…
Disclosure
