DISCLAIMER: This post was created as part of my collaboration with Carnival Cruise Lines. As always, all of the opinions, thoughts, and ideas in this post are my own.
Last year we started looking at cruises. Both Jeremy and I thought it would be a great way to celebrate our anniversary. Then I got pregnant and those plans went straight down the secret escape hatch. After LJ was born, that fire in our belly flared up again and we started thinking about planning a cruise that we could possibly do with the kids. We looked at all the options and prices and meal plans and activities and ports and everything else that cruising entails.
It got pretty overwhelming to be completely honest. Well, I am happy to announce that we are officially gonna be first-time-cruisers in November. We will be walking on Sunshine! That’s the name of the ship…The Carnival Sunshine. Cute, huh!? So I am just gonna tell you right now that the most exciting thing about this cruise is that Carnival Cruise Lines has Seuss at Sea. We are HUGE Seuss fans. Remember this one of Weston?
The Seuss books were at the top of our recommended children’s books…
We even had a Seuss Christmas tree…
I mean….c’mon. We got wockets in our pockets without even trying.
So when we started this whole planning process, we knew that the Seuss at Sea thing would be a big hit for our boys (and for us). Since our kids are so little (Weston would be barely eligible for the Camp Ocean program and LJ would have to stay with us the entire time), we knew that it would be smart to bring our own babysitters so we surprised my mom and dad by telling them that we wanted to take them on a cruise (we had ulterior motives). They kinda love the boys so they cleared their schedules and gave us the big thumbs up. It didn’t take long for us to pay for their flights so they couldn’t back out. You gotta lock in good babysitters as soon as possible.
This past weekend, we had my parents over so that we could share with them everything we had planned for the week at sea. Of course, that was the perfect excuse to throw a Cruise Planning Party with a Dr. Seuss theme. I’m nothing if not completely predictable.
The plan was to woo them with red and white striped deliciousness and then when they were full and happy, tell them about the nights that they would be responsible for our three wrecking balls. In my head it would be like that airline commercial where the people give the kids to the grandparents and they jump in the car, zoom off while the Grandpa is yelling “Don’t leave us with the babies!”. You know the commercial. I bet you guys with kids quote that one too.
But they were geared up to hear about the cruise and the time they were gonna have with their grandbabies! This is gonna be their second Carnival cruise and their first time to some of the ports.
Anyhoo…let’s get back to the food.
We served roast beast sandwiches (roast beef, white American cheese or pepperjack cheese on a Hawaiian roll), green eggs & ham (I just used food coloring for the deviled eggs), Cat in the Hat skewers (strawberries & bananas…although I have seen this with strawberries and marshmallows…but my kids would have only eaten the sweets), Hop on Popcorn, One Fish Two Goldfish, and Tuttle Turtle pie.
And yes, I photoshopped those words on the plate because otherwise you would never be able to read my handwriting 🙂
The great thing about this menu is the fact that most of the food is ready right outta the box. The prep time didn’t require exact cook times or a whole lot of effort. Everything can be prepared before hand and set on the table straight outta the fridge or the box.
As for decorating, the red and white color scheme is the main element so I used a striped piece of fabric for the tablecloth. The Cat In the Hat hat was a prize I won at the fair but you can buy stovetop hats at Party City or Target that look exactly like this. The books were obviously an element we were including because, duh, Seuss is an author. And the Lorax trees are just pool noodles cut down, wrapped with tape around the stems and a fluffy tissue paper ball was tied on top.
We also provided my parents with a packet of information. It was actually great to have something written down because it helped us bring up things that otherwise we would have forgotten to talk about, details that we needed to nail down, and events that needed to be noted or decided upon.
Here is the list of the stuff that we included in our packets:
I think it was especially helpful because I have been scouring blogs, reading websites, searching through forums for tips and info on how to cruise with a baby, a toddler and a preschooler. Not a lot of people take that task on. But I am convinced that with good pre-planning, we can make this thing smoother than a Barber Baby Bubble. (Only you Seuss people would get that reference….by the way…that whole book is completely memorized in my brain.)
Since we were all sitting there, we let Will participate by showing us the photos of the ship slideshow. It was also the perfect opportunity to sift through the excursion list and nail down what we wanted to do at each port. Apparently Jeremy is very anti-parasailing….and I, the one terrified of heights, am trying to convince him to do it with me.
The boys are kinda obsessed with the idea that there will be a real Cat in the Hat on the ship. They don’t know that we are having breakfast with the Seuss characters and having silly foods like stacked red & white pancakes as a special event. They will never want to leave.
One of my friends always throws planning parties for their family vacations and now, I am a big believer in their value. There are just so many details that you might forget to talk about. Some of the little things (let’s buy a Groupon for parking discount at the airport, pack walking shoes for day four, yes, you will need more than one bathing suit, etc.) are really important and minimizing those potential ‘waves’ in the plans saves us money, stress and makes us feel like we can enjoy the entire trip.
Plus…it’s another reason to party. And with this crew, having fun is our middle name.
So has anyone else out there cruised before with Carnival? Experienced Seuss at Sea? Had green eggs & ham?
Too cute! And too funny – I’m taking my 2 year old on the Carnival Sunshine in just a few days and I am so excited about the Dr. Seuss activities on board!
We took a carnival cruise in May! It was myself, my almost 3 little boy, my 1 1/2 little girl, hubbie, and my parents! Bringing your own babysitter is genius. We had cabins side-by-side. The camp carnival did have events that the younger ones could attend- special hours- but they charge you to attend. We did it once so that the grown ups could have a little time to themselves. 🙂 It was a Hawaiian themed toddler dance party that was definitely worth the cost of attendance- mine were stoked about it. They are also quick to learn that if they don’t eat their food- pizza and icecream is always available. Anything healthy went out the window in their minds- they were holding out for pizza, and the formal dinner environment involves just entertaining them. But hey- it’s vacation! And we loved it! It was my first cruise with the littles and I would DEFINITELY do it again. The staff was so loving towards them- the waiters would make little origami animals out of cloth napkins. 🙂
I’ve cruised with Carnival many times and loved every trip! Their ships are always packed with so many fun activities and when I took my son (who was 10) at the time on his first one, he had a blast and met so many other kids his age. Definitely let your boys go to the kid nights and meet other kids their age, plus it will give you guys time to yourselves to enjoy adult activities.
I wrote a post with my own cruise tips, hopefully you can use them to save some money on your trip! 🙂
http://www.thenorthcarolinacowgirl.com/travel-adventures/cruise-tips-save-time-and-money-on-your-next-cruise/
My very first cruise was on a Carnival cruise ship(Don’t remember the name). I had the best time! It was only a 3 day cruise to the Bahamas but I enjoyed every minute of it. I met a lot of people, got plenty of sun, swimming and shopping. I would definitely go again.
I also have an issue with motion sickness on water…oh the waves… So I made sure to pack some Dramamine. I didn’t even use it once but my mom, who thought she would have no problem, actually got sick while we were at dinner the first night on the ship.
haha, she got sick from the waves, not the food.(didn’t make that clear)
Even the name “Bower-Hughes Carnival Cruise” sounds very Seussical! You’ll love it, cruising is the best!
Eek! So excited for you! We cruised carnival for our honeymoon in 2009 and loved it! We are debating going in January with a baby who will be 9 months, but we won’t have the grandparents for babysitting. Waiting to hear how your trip goes before we book! I agree with you, there isn’t much info online about cruising with babies. Didn’t know there was a Suess cruise, that sounds awesome! Where are your ports? I loved Freeport, Bahamas.
OMG!!! I can’t wait to hear all about your vacation — it sounds like so much fun!! I had no idea Carnival did a Seuss at Sea cruise — note to self on that!! And I have never heard of a Vacation planning party , but it sounds very smart and I love your food and décor ideas!! SOOO FUN!
Hi Katie:
My extended family (mom, dad, siblings, nieces, nephews, husband, and son) went on a Royale Caribbean cruise last year for Christmas. This year we are headed out on a Christmas cruise with Carnival. They also have the Dr. Seuss theme. I am excited.
A few tips from our first adventure:
1. The kids LOVE THE KIDS CLUB! My four year old spent every evening in the kid’s club and LOVED IT! I would really encourage you to utilize in and have them participate in the activities. I am not sure what the age restrictions are with Carnival, but if you can send your kids…do it! They will have so much fun!
2. I would NOT book excursions ahead of time (or if you do, find out how much travel time there is for the excursions). We were very frustrated, because our first excursion was Belize and we spent over 2 hours on a bumpy bus (my son got sick all over) and then spent one hour at the ruins and a few more hours on a river boat. It felt way to rushed and too much travel time to get to spots. Also, we did Xel-Ha in Mexico. I have done Xel-Ha before and LOVED IT. Steve and I both thought our family would love it. However, the bus ride took so long that when we got to Xel-Ha we ONLY had 3 hours. NOT ENOUGH TIME! It was way too rushed. If you book ahead, find out about travel time versus time spent at the destination.
Love the cruise experience! Also, I loved the beverage packages!
Lori
We cruised with Carnival for our honeymoon and loved it! You guys will have a great time! Enjoy 🙂
Just adorable! Love this idea. Seem like a win-win for all! I’m guessing you have to have passports for all the babes?
I love how your dad and Jeremy are making the same faces in the last photo! And Weston and LJ’s expressions made me LOL! Super cute party. You guys are going to have such a great time on your cruise!
Try airportparkinginc.com for parking. We’ve parked at the Renaissance and Holiday Inn Express. They shuttle you to the airport. We did it with a 3yo (she loved riding the bus) and wasn’t too difficult. You could have Jeremy drop you off at the door with the grandparents and kids and he could ride the shuttle. You just have to plan a little extra time.
Sounds like fun. I think a cruise would be fun.
That last picture! I hope you guys enjoy your cruise. This post cracked me up. God Bless you and your little family. We have three boys the exact ages as all three of yours. Ha. ;o) It’s some job, no?
Go to cruisecritic.com. You will find the answer to any questions you may have. Great group of people willing to help other cruisers. Have a great trip! Been on quite a few Carnival cruises, and they have all been fun.
I’m freaking out a little inside because I love you and your family and your blog. You see, and I promise I’m not stalking you (at least not intentionally), you were in Panama City Beach, Florida the same time as me and my family and I so wanted to bump into you. And now…. we might just be on the same cruise. Not for sure. But my husband and I are going on a cruise in November on Carnival Sunshine. So if it is the same one, I really really hope I see you at some point because I want to tell you how much I love this online space you’ve created and how great of a mama you are … and well, I’ll stop so I have something left to say in person if we do get to meet. 🙂
We just got back from a 7 day Carnival cruise (our 4th) to the western Caribbean on the Liberty. I have a 4 year old, who pretty much loved Camp Carnival (he hated it last year), and we signed up for the Seuss brunch. It was so disappointing. 🙁 I hope your ship is better organized, I heard ours just went through a crew shift (which was terribly noticeable via service). The food was inedible and took over an hour to get. Our cruise was phenomenal, but I was disappointed in the brunch we had so looked forward to! I hope your cruise recap has a much happier outcome!
Is it an eastern caribbean cruise or Western? If it is Western then you have to check out the Mayan Ruins in Cozumel!
I haven’t been able to view the pictures in your last 3 or 4 post, including today’s. Any suggestions? Anyone else having this problem?
My family of five went on a Disney cruise last year we had the best time. One item I would suggest to bring is a shoe rack the cheap plastic kind that goes over the back of the door. Use it for shoes, toiletry items and create a pouch for each kid to store their badges and other things they collect along the way. Keeps everything in place and organized.
We’ve done a few cruises-with kids and without. Our kiddos we a bit older when we took them (5 and 9) but we LOVED it. We signed them up for Camp Carnival, but never took them-we had a blast with them! We traveled with another family, so the kids were happy to play together. The excursions were great-we did all through Carnival the first time, but the last time we booked our own. It was half the price, and just as amazing. My kids are 11 and 15 now, and dying for a cruise in the Med. Cruises are a great way to get a taste of things so you can plan a longer trip back to just one spot at a later time. 🙂
Hey! I’ve cruised with Carnival and I’m also an agent! If you have any questions, shoot me an email, I’m happy to help! Have a wonderful trip!
LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE cruises.
Although I love the ones sans children (I am sure my next cruise we will have to bring them, a baby and a toddler) but it sounds terrific! ENJOY!
Um, also, your chairs work really well with that themed party! 🙂
My hubs and I took the Disney Cruise last January and had the time of our lives! I’m usually a travel to Europe girl and did I mention we don’t even have any kids yet!!! Enjoy!
Neat! I never knew that a Seuss Cruise existed. Sounds like fun, and you are definitely brave for taking it on with the littles. For now, we’d rather stay on dry land with our two.
We cruised on Carnival in September! My best tip is to bring along flavor enhancing drops for the water and a refillable water bottle. We thought the ship water tasted a little funny. We were able to get the kids to drink more water by putting a drop or two of flavoring in their bottle.
This is absolutely adorable and such a great way to get the boys excited for the trip! I haven’t been on a cruise yet, but one is definitely on my to-do list. Have a great time.
http://jax-and-jewels.blogspot.com
Girl you are on top of it! I like cruises because there’s not much planning to do (we usually pick our daily activities from the Fun Times the night before or at breakfast) but this guide would be great to have! We’re going in December with our twin 2-year-olds and both sets of grandparents. Please share “cruising with toddler” tips when you get back! Our ship also has Seuss at Sea so I hope to see some of this stuff on board too. Can’t wait to hear all about your cruise!
17 cruises in the books to date… and we haven’t yet crossed our 30’s. Haven’t been on the Carnival Sunshine, but I think it sails out of Port Canaveral. We’ve always used Parkncruise, though I was not keen last time that they took my car keys (whereas previously you parked yourself) and find arriving at the port later, rather than early, seems to work the best for us. Everyone gets there before the ship is even ready to board, and then you’ll be stuck trying to entertain three overly excited kids in a space similar to an airport terminal… but wait until 1:00 or so and you’ll zip right through check in and on the ship. And….Maybe treat the grandparents to a night at the steakhouse at the end of the cruise for graciously tagging along at the end of the week! 🙂
You crack me up. This is awesome! Hope you have SO MUCH FUN!!!
Try Cruisecritic.com to find out all the information about the Carnival Sunshine. Sailed it before and it is a great ship. Have fun!
I loved our cruise with NCL. One thing I thought of was this…………… I ended up being seasick for the first 2 days. I was so surprised, because it had never happened before. I would talk to the pediatrician before you go about what meds would be appropriate for children in case it happens to them. You adults might pack something just in case too. I ended up getting a patch from the ships doctor that I wore behind my ear, and I was golden the rest of the trip. Have fun!
Gah! We are cruising in November as well….with our almost two year old! I have no idea how to cruise with a toddler but I guess I’m about to find out…. I’ve done a few Carnival cruises and they are super super awesome! But I have not had green eggs and ham!
My family and I (Me, Hubz, and 2yr old) just came back from a cruise on Carnival, about a week ago. We went to Cayman Islands and Cozumel Mexico. We went swimming with stingrays, turtle farm, Hell (Cayman’s rock formations), Mayan ruins, and the beach. My 2yr old did all of it, even swimming with the stingrays on the sand bar. A few things I suggest are those huge packing ziplock bags for wet clothes after you change from your excursions or the beach, empty drinking container for taking the juice back to your cabin, and a lanyard or something to hold your sail and sign cards throughout the trip. I loved our trip so much that I’ve already booked another. Well take care and happy sailing!
We did this past April – Carnival Pride out of Baltimore to the Bahamas! Woooooooooo! Loved it! Like you, we were brilliant and took my sweet mom along for the ride and to help with our son who was 8 at the time….nights off? Yes, please! You will have a great time! We are planning our next cruise for next April and bringing Momma along again – this time, out of NYC on the Norwegian Breakaway! Enjoy!
Yay!!! How fun!! I’ve done a couple of cruises with Norwegian Cruise Line and they’re so much fun 🙂
I’m so glad you’re going on this cruise! My in-laws are taking us over spring break and my little man will be nine months old. I’m looking forward to all your tips and advice! What have been your favorite resources so far?
We just got back from our Carnival cruise a few weeks ago! We went to celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary and took our 2 kids and one more in the womb. We also had my sister and her husband join us and it was so great to have extra helping hands. Camp Carnival was amazing, definitely take advantage of it for dinner so you can enjoy that adult time. Don’t feel like you have to book excursions at every stop, we enjoyed our beach days with the kids more when unplanned and could just relax. I could go on and on. Cruising is definitely our favorite way to travel as a family, we’re already planning our next one! There is something for everyone. Enjoy!!! I can’t wait to read all about it!
We love to cruise! Here are some random tips we’ve come to find useful over time:
– Take a collapsible clothes hamper with you – sounds silly, but the rooms are small, and dirty clothes can quickly overtake your room.
– Unpack when you arrive. The closet has some hangers, but you may want to take a few of your own. Suitcases will fit under the bed so they are out of the way, and being unpacked is SO much easier that rummaging through a suitcase daily.
– A great way to organize your bathroom is by a door hanging plastic pocket shoe organizer. You can fill the pockets with sunscreen, bathroom products, etc.
– You can take bottled water with you. Most cruise lines say a few bottles, but I have seen people with 24 packs of water.
Hope these are helpful. Have a blast, I’ve heard nothing but awesome things about the Sunshine.
That sounds like a great cruise for families. I bet you’ll have a blast 🙂
We haven’t cruised Carnival but we have gone on 2 NCL & 1 Princess. We took our daughter on the last one which was NCL. They have Nick Jr stuff for the kids & our daughter loves her some Dora the Explorer. Anywho, she was 18 months at the time. The only thing we wish we had done was to have a couple of meals in our room instead of going dining every night. She loves eating out & the attention she gets, but she was over it by the time we were done with our week. She needed a break. Otherwise, we all had a really nice time. Enjoy your trip!
Disney cruises have childcare for even small babies onboard. And really, even without kids they’re a blast!
Sounds like a fun trip! Oh, how I know what you mean on having the Seuss memorized. I’ve even started analyzing the books. Don’t you think there were some missed opportunities? Why not lion *licking* lollipop instead of just with a lollipop? Ok, maybe I have a problem.
Big A, little a, what begins with A? My youngest is 27 and I STILL remember it!!
AMEN! Barber baby bubbles *bumping* bumblebees.
xo – kb
I was always apprehensive about being stuck on a ship, but I have changed my mind. I do suggest no more than 2 days at sea between stops- I like to get off the boat and explore the ports. We have cruised 3x- twice with Carnival. It really is “the fun ship”. Have a BLAST!!!! (and yes, I’m a wee bit jealous).
Great tips!
xo – kb
I googled and pinterested a bunch of different blog posts about traveling with the baby and toddler…but honestly, I like to know exactly what days are what…so reading detailed accounts about the exact same cruise have been really helpful. Carnival’s forums are where I found most of them.
xo – kb
Oooh…good idea.
xo – kb
Great tips and 17 cruises?! WHOA you are a pro!
xo – kb
My husband and I cruised four times (three with Carnival) before we had our son. We haven’t cruised since the little one arrived, but we’ll probably do it again in a few years.
My tips:
Check out http://www.cruisecritic.com. I love the reviews and tips of every itenerary and ship.
Bring extra hangers (cheap wire ones that you can leave behind).
Bring a power strip… outlets are limited in cabins.
Have a fantastic time! Crusing is a lot of fun and a great value.
Eastern 🙂 We actually hit up Mexico for our honeymoon and I really wanted to go to Puerto Rico this time 🙂
xo – kb
So sorry to hear that…I will definitely let ya know about our experience. Hopefully yours was just an anomaly.
xo – kb
We went to Xel-Ha on our honeymoon….and you are right – it definitely needs loads of time…especially if you want to see a show!
xo – kb
You have to tell me all about it!
xo – kb
Oh no! Try seeing if your security settings still allow for photobucket.com – that is the photo hosting site (where they all live and get imported from). Then clear your cookies. If that doesn’t help, let me know!
xo – kb
So exciting! I cruised with Carnival 2 years ago (first cruise ever) and had a great time. Parasailing is amazing – the most peaceful thing ever if it’s done right – but be sure to read reviews!! I had gone through East Coast Parasail in Cape May, NJ and had an incredible experience, so I convinced my mom to come with me on an excursion at one of the cruise ports. Caribbean should be better than Jersey, right? Not so much… The excursion felt very rushed and the staff didn’t seem to care one bit about whether we had fun or felt safe. I felt guilty that I had talked my mom into a less-than-great experience.
Short version: I definitely recommend parasailing but maybe do it on another vacation!
We just went on the Carnival Breeze (similar to the Sunshine) and my boys took the Dr.Seuss pictures..adorable! You will love the ship and the experience. Our favorite part of cruising is that we can have a little alone time when the kids go to camp, and we can also have a lot of time as a family. It really is the best of both worlds!!
~ Maria
We cruised with a 12 month old. But we made the mistake of going on a cruise with ZERO activities for kids, making our only means of entertainment was rolling around on the bed in a tiny room. I mean they wouldn’t even allow her to get in the pool :(. I would say besides that, the two biggest challenges were the 2+ hour “formal” dinners. My girl is Ah-mazing going to out to eat, she is very well behaved, luckily, but sitting still for that long was tough, we had take lots of turns keeping her entertained. The other was the Bahamas excursion, we decided to try the beach, we had to stuff into a taxi with our large group and then go to public beach, which meant zero restrooms/showers/chairs etc… and as you can imagine she only lasted so long in the very hot sun and sticky sand. Which meant finding another taxi and trecking back to the boat after only a short time.
We had better luck with the cruises island, which had food provided along with showers, restrooms, and shade! But you do have take another boat to get to that, so it can be along day. We brought our smaller fold up stroller (though ours still folds down so she could sleep). The cabin quarters are tight, so a great recommendation we got was to bring one of those plastic shoe holders, and (what we forgot!) some heavy duty magnets to hang it with, since there wasn’t many places to hang it. But you can use that to put all of the bathroom/child necessities in.
A few other tips that were great for us: A bowl with suction cups on the bottom, infants/toddlers with nice plates = disaster on the floor; disposable bibs (sounds silly, but being able to throw away all that mess instead of dealing with cleaning them off every meal was amazing); a backpack diaper bag; snacks
And go to the shows!! Our 12 month old was so clapping and her eyes were all lit up, she loved it, even that young!
I am sooo jealous of the Seuss Cruise, my little’s (2 years old now!) bedtime routine are 3 of my favorites from when I was little, Marvin K. Mooney, Green Eggs and Ham, and A People’s House. Have a great time!
Definitely say hey! And promise not to take a photo of my thighs 🙂
xo – kb
Eastern Caribbean!
xo – kb
We’ve sailed the Sunshine twice (one Eastern and one Western Cari.). You must try JiJi’s and Cucina! They are both wonderful!! JiJi’s is the best Asian food I’ve ever had. We still talk about how good it is. The kids should be fine in Cucina, not sure about JiJi’s with young kids though. We check the menus outside of the main dining room in the morning and the nights the menus don’t appeal to us (1st and 3rd night both sailings on the Sunshine), we booked the specialty restaurants and haven’t had problems getting a table the day of. We didn’t care for the steakhouse on the Sunshine however. Anyways, we’ve sailed many different ships on different lines and the Sunshine is our favorite ship.
And a bumblebee. Totally laughed out loud. Amazing how those words stick in your memory.
Just what I was coming here to say! (Seuss minds think alike!)
Thanks for the info…we already told my mom that we want to do Cucina and Jer and I are gonna do the steakhouse for a date night so hopefully that will go better than your experience! Fingers crossed!
xo – kb
Hi Katie! My husband and I like to cruise because it is the perfect blend of our vacation styles. We have been on Carnival many times and enjoyed it. We don’t have children, but have cruised with friends who do and a tip I can give you from that experience; bring twice as many diapers as you think you need 🙂 Your kids will likely eat stuff they never have before which can result in more diaper usage than normal. Our friends ran out with 2 days to go on our last cruise (with the 1 day on the cruise line’s private island and a final sea day so no opportunity to buy them and the ship sundry store did not stock them) and apparently they weren’t the only parents! There was a bustling black market for diapers! Have a great vacation!
Oooh….definitely will pack some extras then!
xo – kb
Ahh I love cruises… I actually met my hubbie on a cruise and he proposed on a cruise! My husband and I went on a Carnival cruise back in March with our two boys (11 months and 2.5 at the time), parents, and grandparents. Everyone had a blast and it was very helpful having family around! Consider taking the boys to some of the family friendly shows, my boys loved them! Have an awesome vacation, you’ll be hooked!
You will have a great time… I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a Seuss cruise.
My parents took us to celebrate their 50 year anniversary and their 70th birthdays last year… and we added a wedding to the fun! 🙂 It was FAB-tastic!