I'm not exactly sure what made us (okay, me) decide we should go on a cruise this summer. I guess it was mostly because I didn't want to deal with flying anywhere. I hate going through security at the airport. Since we live within driving distance to Galveston, it just made sense to me that a cruise would be the next most logical choice.
I did a lot of research before determining which cruise line to choose. It didn't take too long to narrow it down to two--Disney and Carnival. Whenever I found lists that discussed cruises that catered to children, both of these names were basically on every list. Both have options for childcare so parents can get some time on their own, both had activities centered around kids, and both had excursions specifically for children. When we found that Disney wouldn't be sailing out of Galveston any time during the window that we planned to go, we decided to go with Carnival. We had talked about driving to Florida to catch the Disney boat from there but since Imma explained to me that she is afraid of "squirrels and dolls" a.k.a. the Chipmunks and anyone in a costume, not to mention she is still pretty fearful of fireworks, we decided Carnival was the way to go.
Carnival's website is almost overloaded with information. There are tons of posts and articles to read. Cruising options are also almost too many to choose from. We finally decided we needed to go on the shortest cruise possible, just in case the girls hated it. So, we opted for the 4 night cruise from Galveston to Cozumel. One port, one debarkation, one re-embarkation. Seemed to make sense.
Because I like to worry a lot about everything, I determined it would be in my best interest to spend the night in Galveston the night before. I though about traffic, (Dallas traffic, Houston traffic!) and all kinds of things that could have gone wrong if we waited until the day of to make the 4ish hour drive to Galveston. So, we rented a room on the Galveston beach for the night before. I found out a few days before we left that I would actually have to pick Brian up at Houston-Hobby Airport because he had to be in Atlanta on business up until the day before we left. I was super nervous about driving the girls down by myself but it ended up working out pretty well. They were both very good on the way. They watched some new movies, stopped at McDonald's to play in Huntsville for about an hour, and asked me if we were at the beach yet about 4,000 times. Imma spent the first half of the trip under the impression that we were getting on a plane. She finally realized we were just getting Daddy at the airport and then driving on to the beach at about Corsicana. She did have a lot of fun dancing for the other kids in the play area at Old MacDonald's though. ("Shake it to the left! Shake it to the right!")
Despite getting into an argument with a construction worker at Houston-Hobby, the rest of the trip was relatively insignificant until we reached the beautiful brown waters of the Galveston Coast. Brian and I lived in Houston for about 4 years and we went to Galveston several times each summer. Even though I had been to Galveston so many times, I guess I had forgotten just how yucky the water really is. Still, the girls were excited to splash in the waves and build a sandcastle. They also got the opportunity to go ride the rides at Pleasure Pier, a place I had never been to before. So, all in all, the night we spent in Galveston was a pretty good one.
Since I have several friends who are considering going on a cruise soon (or have already booked one!) I'm going to be a little more detailed than most people really care for. Sorry! Feel free to skim. We were told to be at the Port of Galveston between 12:30 and 3:30. We waited until about 12:15 to leave our hotel. When we got to the port, about 10 minutes away, there was already a huge crowd. I found out later that people actually start arriving as early as 11:00! Now, being the practical mommy that I think I am, I decided it would make a lot of sense for us to carry most of our bags ourselves and only check things we could live without for a few hours. Big mistake! Of course, I didn't realize at the time that Lucy would refuse to walk. In order to get on the boat, you have to stand in several lines and have several documents checked several times. There's a lot of climbing stairs and ramps and various other obstacles designed to move huge numbers of people onward and upward. We used only our birth certificates and drivers licenses as proof of citizenship and that was no problem. But we had several bags and one 3 year old to drag along. Next time, I will definitely check everything--maybe even Lucy ;).
Once you get through the line, there's a photographer there, ready to take your picture as you go aboard the boat. These photographers are everywhere on the boat! At this point, we were literally dripping with sweat. Needless to say, we did not purchase that picture! It took us about an hour or so to finally get aboard. And our room wasn't quite ready yet so I sat down with the girls while Brian made trips to the room with the bags. I will say that everyone we encountered while boarding was super nice and friendly, unlike most of the people I have ran into at the airport and security was metal detectors, not that thing that scans your whole body!
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| Imma and Lucy when we set sail from Galveston Cozumel. |
When we finally got to our room, it really wasn't as small as I thought it would be. We had a window to the ocean, which was great because I love to watch the water. The bed was a full size. There was a cot that came out of the wall, which Imma claimed, and the Carnival crew turned the little couch into a Lucy sized bed.
Our suitcase that we checked arrived in our room about 15 minutes after we did. So glad we dragged 5 bags around for so long, just in case we didn't get our bags for several hours!
Aboard the ship, there were lots of things to do. There was always music coming from somewhere. Imma loved the water slide and the pools. The pools aren't very big but there was never any problem having enough room for the girls to swim. Lucy really liked running around in the two inch wading area around the outside edge of the pool and the warm shower next to each pool.
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| Deck 9, Lido |
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| Imma loved going down this green slide! |
There are also cheeseburgers, pizza, and ice cream available twenty-four hours a day, which was awesome for the girls since they wouldn't eat much else. The buffets for breakfast and lunch were nothing to write home about but they weren't terrible. Tea, water, and lemonade are on the house but if you want soda, you can buy it one can at a time or by a "Bottomless Bubbles" card and get sodas for free. We decided not to do this because it cost $27 but I think I drank at least that much in soda so I would recommend it if you tend to drink a lot of soda. And I haven't been lately, but I'm also not a fan of tap water, lemon-flavored drink, or unsweetened tea.
We did not see any of the performance shows. Brian and I did attend one of the comedy shows, which was pretty good. It was John Knight and he had some pretty good bits. But that was the only entertainment we really caught on board. We wanted to go watch Frozen on the giant TV outside on the deck the first night but it didn't start until 11:00 and by then the girls were zonked so we didn't try it. It would be great if you had kids that could stay up a little longer.
We tried the Kids Club twice, both times on the second day. Imma felt betrayed right from the beginning. Lucy was so tired that she slept the whole time when we dropped them off after lunch. We paid extra for them to attend the Night Owl Party, which lasted from 10:00 until12:45. They got a stuffed owl, a flash light, and a night light. We went to the comedy show and got a call around 11:00 that they were both crying. Lucy was exhausted and Imma was upset because they were playing a game that involved popping balloons. ("You do not pop the balloon!") So, that didn't quite work out the way we had hoped. Imma told us several times the next day, "You're not going to Kids Club!" and every day there after. So, that was the end of that idea. But it worked out okay because I was content to be with the girls anyway and while Brian would rather have some time to himself, he was able to go out and explore while I stayed with the kiddos. Incidentally, the way the Kids Club works with the little ones is that they give you a cell phone that works on board and they call you if the kids are upset or misbehaving. They do let you bring diapers if you have a non-potty-trained child. (Lucy is potty-trained when she is at her daycare providers house but not when she is with me because she "wants to be my baby.") The childcare providers are all very friendly and seemed to really like the kids. They had a lot of programs planned so the kids would never be bored, if they are the type of kids that don't mind letting go of their mother's apron-strings.
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| A view of the ocean |
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| Never get tired of looking out at the sea! |
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| Our trail |
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| The famous Carnival tail |
Let's talk about dinner. We opted for the "dine on your own time" option, which worked out pretty well for us. We could go to dinner anytime between 5:45 an 9:45. Since we have two little people, we usually went down around 6:00 and, believe it or not, the room was already starting to fill up. We dined in the London Dining Room. There were lots of food options but I was never very thrilled with anything that I ordered. It really wasn't my kind of cuisine. I probably would have been happier ordering off of the children's menu. Brian liked almost everything that he ordered so if you like fancier faire, then you'll probably be happy. I was content to stop by Guy's Burger Joint after dinner and catch "second-supper." I will say, however, that if you like chocolate, then you must order the warm chocolate melting cake whenever possible. Chocolate and I are best friends and I have never had anything so delicious in my life. On "Elegant Night" it really isn't necessary to wear anything fancier than a pair of khakis and a sun-dress. Some people wear formals and if that's your thing, go for it, but you really don't have to pack a suit if you don't want to.
I will pause here to say a few words about the wait staff and the rest of the crew. I am a pretty picky person when it comes to customer service. I expect people to be competent and friendly. I get irritated when people who are in the business of serving others are not friendly or are down-right rude. I can honestly say that, from the second we stepped on the boat until the moment we left, not once did one single individual ever come across as anything other than genuinely happy and willing to do whatever it took to make sure we had everything we needed. Even at Disney World, I can honestly say, the staff was not quite as friendly as the folks at Carnival. They went out of their way to make the girls laugh, to learn their names, to ask how they were doing and what else they could bring us. From the staff that straightened our room two to three times a day to the waiters and bus service at the restaurant, everyone was extremely friendly and accommodating. If there was a 5 star scale for customer service, I would have to give them a 6 and that's pretty unbelievable for me.
My favorite part of dinner (even better than the cake!) was last night when the servers all got up to do the Macarena and asked Imma to join them. Nearly every night they invited the girls to dance but last night, Imma actually did it. It was adorable. Alas, I did not have my video camera with me. She was so happy--and didn't know a single move--but that's okay because she was so stinking cute!
We docked in Cozumel Saturday morning. We were supposed to disembark at 9:00 at the earliest so I scheduled our dolphin swim with Dolphinaris at 11:00, thinking that would give us plenty of time. Well, we had more time than I thought and we got to the bus transport point at 10:15. Luckily, the Dolphinaris folks let us go early. The awful part was walking a quarter of a mile or so to the cab carrying Lucy, who refused to walk. Also, you aren't allowed to wear sunscreen with the dolphins so we bought the girls some big floppy hat in the duty-free shop so they wouldn't burn. Luckily, the only person who got a sunburn on this trip was me!
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| My floppy-hatted little girls waiting their turn to ride the dolphins at Dolphinaris. |
I had a really hard time deciding which dolphin company to go with, as there were two. I read several reviews of each. I know you can't always make everyone happy but we had zero problems with the company we went with. Once again, the staff was super nice. They were extremely accommodating and there was no pressure to make us purchase anything beyond our original package. We paid for Brian, Imma, and I to swim with the dolphins and do a ride-along. Lucy was free, which ended up being a big plus since she refused to get in the water. We don't have any pictures of ourselves in the water with the dolphins except for the one we purchased of Brian and Imma riding the dolphin because you aren't allowed to take your camera down with you so you buy their pictures. But I think that's understandable. You do have to wait about 45 minutes for your turn but no one was complaining. There's shade and they keep you busy talking about the experience. You can also see the groups that are in front of you so there's plenty to watch. They separated us into groups and there were 6 other people with us besides our group of 4. We were actually with 3 people we had shared a cab with so we had already met and then 3 ladies who were really friendly, which ended up being a big plus. When we got into the area where the dolphins were, there was a little landing and then a significant drop-off. Lucy refused to get off of the steps. The first thing we were asked to do was to swim out to where the dolphin was so we could touch it. Brian had to stay on the steps with Lu, which meant I was in charge of swimming with Imma. We all had on life-jackets but Imma really can't swim at all and I am not the strongest swimmer myself. Unfortunately, Imma thinks she can swim, which makes her pretty dangerous around water. The trainer asked me to take Imma to the center of the line. Despite my best swimming abilities, she continuously swam me back out to where the dolphin was located. So, I relied on the other members of our party, the ones I had basically just met, to tow Imma back in to line. Without their help, we both may have given up and gone back to the stairs with Lucy!
Imma was a little scared of the dolphin at first but she warmed up to it pretty quickly. We gave the dolphin all sorts of signals and it complied. Imma did not want the dolphin to kiss her cheek and she started screaming when it got close. After she saw me ride the dolphin (an amazing experience, by the way!) Imma decided she did want to ride. But, we were afraid she wouldn't hold on tight enough so she rode on Brian's back. She giggled and laughed so hard the entire time, it was worth all of the money just to hear her so excited. And then, she had to go to the bathroom. So, I hauled the girls inside and by the time we made it back out, it was just about over. Nevertheless, we had an awesome time.
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| Imma and Brian riding the dolphin at Dolphinaris. |
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| The dolphin pools at Dolphinaris. |
I have read that some people get pretty upset about these dolphins being kept in captivity and they complain about the conditions, etc. I can see that point of view but I will say that the trainers were very kind and gentle with the dolphins. They always told us exactly how to touch the dolphins in a way that wasn't going to hurt them. The pools that the dolphins were in were huge and the water was about the cleanest I have ever seen. They also had all of the fish they could possibly eat so it looked like a pretty good deal to me. I know that some will disagree and they are entitled to their opinion.
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| The group ahead of at Dolphinaris touching the dolphin as it swims by. |
As for the food at Dolphinarus, it was nothing spectacular. It was all you can eat but we didn't eat very much. I was happy to see that soda was included, however! It was about 12:30 when we got done and we could have probably taken a taxi to a beach or to the national park but we decided to go back to the boat instead, to beat the lines and make sure we didn't miss our ride. We didn't have to wait in line at all and all they did was scan our cruise cards (which is called Sail and Sign on Carnival, by the way.)
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| Imma going back on board after our excursion. |
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| Port of Cozumel |
This morning, we were in one of the last groups to leave the boat. You have the option of carrying your own luggage or having it brought down for you. After our experience boarding, I decided to let them do the work. We packed the bags last night and sat them outside with the proper tags. We did have to sit around for a few hours today because we weren't allowed to stay in our room but they got us off faster than they told us they would. It was pretty easy to get off of the boat. We went down the stairs, had our Sign and Sail cards scanned, and found our bags. We then found a porter with a cart, and he took us to the line where the fastest and easiest-going Custom's Officer was located, which happened to be Line 10 today. We were through pretty quickly. Brian and Lucy went to get the car and Imma and I stayed with the bags. Even though we were some of the very last people to get off of the boat and some of the people taking the next cruise were already arriving, we didn't have to wait too terribly long for Brian to make it through the traffic to pick us up.
Just a few more notes, really for my own memory more than anything else! When you get off at any floor, the "lady" on the elevator tells you the number and name of the deck. We were on Deck 1, Riviera. But, Imma misunderstood what she was saying so every time we got to our deck, Imma would announce, "Step one, to ear!" I don't know why she thought that was what the voice was saying but it was very cute. She had her own interpretation for every floor.
Also, I would recommend staying closer to Deck 9 if possible because that's where the food is.
The muster drill is required and it is miserable! You will stand in a line 5 people deep in the heat for about 20 minutes. Dress accordingly.
The showers are about one foot by one foot.
The towels are made into animal shapes each night, which lasts about 10 seconds before they are destroyed by excited little girls.
Not every ice cream machine has pink ice cream so if you find one that does, make sure you get your little girl a pink ice cream cone every time.
There are only two cartoon channels and neither one of them is Disney Junior.
All in all, we had a great time and I would totally do it again--even with two little kids. Not once did it ever cross my mind to explain to anyone that Imma has special needs because no one could ever tell. Both of the girls were just as well behaved as any other child we came across, and better than most. We had a lot of fun and made a lot of great memories. Now, if I can just figure out how to make my bed rock me to sleep at night, we'd be all set. . . .
If you have experience cruising with small children, particularly with special needs children, please leave a comment!
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