First Time Cruising as a family with Carnival Spirit
In July of 2014 I holidayed with my family on board the Carnival Spirit sailing to the stunningly beautiful islands of New Caledonia. I love a tropical holiday to break up the cold Tasmania winters, in previous years we’ve taken resort style holidays which were all wonderful but this time we were ready for something different. So after a flick through some brochures and encouragement from me (it had been over 10 years since my last cruise and that was before children) we settled on Carnival Spirit, and there may also have been some influence from my daughter’s love of an awful Chipmunk movie “Chipwrecked” which is filmed on a Carnival Ship in the Caribbean! Cruising with Carnival provides amazing value for money with meals (including all day ice-cream and pizza!), entertainment, kid’s clubs, transport and accommodation included in the fare. Cruising is also one of the easiest holidays, no international airport to contend with, you only unpack once the whole trip and you get to wake up to a new destination at each port!
Our cruise departed from Sydney, as do most of the South Pacific itineraries. Therefore to ensure we didn’t miss our sailing we flew up the day before and stayed at the Holiday Inn Old Sydney. After breakfast and a quick shop the next morning the four of us walked our wheelie cases the short distance to the Overseas Passenger Terminal. The check-in, issuing of cabin cards and boarding the ship was efficient and before we knew it were sipping cocktails and having a buffet lunch whilst waiting for our cabin to be prepared. We had an obstructed view balcony cabin and although compact it was comfortable with a King bed for the adults and a sofa and Pullman bed for the children forming a bunk. There was lots of storage room available under our bed thankfully as there is not a lot of floor space left when there are four people in a cabin. The balcony was just large enough for two chairs and a small table to rest your morning coffee or sundowner cocktail. Obstructed view cabins are cheaper than a normal balcony, they have a lifeboat hanging in front but only at floor level so you still have a good view ‘out’, just not straight down. A great option to save a little and still have the luxury of fresh air and a view.
We sailed out of Sydney Harbour whilst enjoying our first dinner in the main dining room. We chose ‘any time dining’ which worked really well for us giving us the flexibility to eat early or late, with or without the children. Only on one occasion the dining room was full and we had a wait of about 15 minutes. There are certainly ‘peak’ dining times though so if you would prefer a set reservation as a family or with a group you can choose an early or late sitting. We were seated in the same area with the same wait staff most evenings which is great as they get to know you and your preferences which adds to the whole cruise experience.
Our biggest worry about choosing a cruise holiday was that our youngest daughter suffers motion sickness. This is a very common concern amongst many of my first time cruise clients and one sick child had the potential to ruin all of our holidays! Therefore I prepared well obtaining medication from our GP and stocking up on natural remedies from the pharmacy. As it turned out I needn’t have worried, we had fantastic weather and even when there were a few waves the Ship’s stabilisers are so good the movement is hardly noticeable.
The next 8 days passed by so quickly and we had many highlights including seeing whales breaching from our balcony, the musicians who played in the bars, a magic show, Vegas style theatre shows and the infamous Green Thunder water slide (this ride has the floor drop from under your feet taking just 4 seconds to wiz around over the ocean!). Our children made new friends and loved the staff at Camp Carnival and as a couple we enjoyed some grown up time at the comedy shows and in the adult’s only ‘Serenity’ hang out, and that’s just ‘on-board’! There is also the wonderful food and so much of it, to work up an appetite there is an excellent gym and if you’re lucky like we were Shannon Ponton of ‘Biggest Looser” fame may be on board taking classes and morning deck walks as he is an ambassador for the Carnival brand in Australia. On shore my girls and I enjoyed shopping in Noumea whilst hubby played golf, we all loved a turtle safari and a highlight was the spectacularly untouched Island of Mare.
In summary I would recommend a Carnival Cruise to all ages but in particular anyone who is looking for a ‘fun’ relaxed holiday that has unbeatable value, it is also a brilliant way to celebrate milestone birthdays and anniversaries as a family group as it is such an easy way for groups to get together and have a wonderful holiday.