Choosing to Reset

We recently got the opportunity to go on a cruise at Christmas (Carnival Magic out of Miami) this year. There were 14 in our group from us seniors down to a two year old and that age span wasn’t an uncommon occurrence on the ship.

Going on a cruise at Christmas is a great option for a family or group that wants to spend time together and every age group has something that they enjoy and there is a wide variety of excursions for every level of activity and different interests.

There are Christmas themed activities onboard particularly on days that the ship is at sea.

The food is great and you can find everything from hamburgers and pizza to steaks and salads. Our group met together every evening at 5:45 in the dining room for a sit down dinner together. Breakfast and lunches were on your own depending on what everyone was doing although we met up often.

If you want to travel with family and friends over the holidays it’s a great option, but according to some crew members the ship is more full at times kids are out of school because more rooms have adults and kiddos in the room.

In my opinion a Christmas cruise is not such a great idea if you are traveling as a couple without family or if you want a less busy, less noisy cruise.

We are not frequent cruise ship vacationers but a family Christmas cruise is definitely worth looking into if you’re thinking about a trip that would appeal to a variety of ages and interests. Check out what each Carnival ship has to offer HERE.

There are age restrictions for kids staying without parents in a cabin.

Key points about Carnival’s age policy:

• Minimum age to travel alone: 21 years old. 
• Under 12 years old: Must be in the same cabin or directly across the hall from a guardian 25 years or older. 
• 13-17 years old: Can be separated by up to three cabins from a guardian 25 years or older. 

There was a problem on our floor because someone didn’t understand that odd numbered and even numbered rooms are on different hallways.

If a Christmas cruise is in your future, start early. Room rates increase the closer to departure date and they sell out.

Here are some essentials for a cruise. Full disclosure: we did not go prepared. Our daughter and her sister in law took good care of us but this is what we needed.

• Zip lock bags- you will use them a lot.
• Empty water bottle- bottles of water are $2.00 to carry on excursions. These are a great deal. Link HERE

• Lanyard for your ship card. You need the card all the time. They are less than a dollar each ordered but over five dollars each onboard. Link HERE

• Waterproof phone covers Link HERE

• Motion sickness bands and/or patches. I only needed the bands one day. Link HERE

• Travel Power Strip Link HERE

I hope this helps.

The one last tip I have is that you aren’t a regular cruise ship vacationer, I would recommend talking with a travel agent for help.

Happy travels,

Karen