Keeping Kids Busy on a Carnival Cruise

In November, we took our kids on their first cruise with Carnival Cruise Line! We had such an amazing time and made memories that we will always remember. If you’ve been wondering if you should go on a cruise with kids – do it! There is so much to do for all ages on a Carnival Cruise and you won’t regret it at all.

I shared 7 things to do on the first day of your cruise with kids but wanted to share all of the other stuff there is to do too! I felt like we were always on the go because we didn’t want to miss all of the activities there were to do. We cruised on the Carnival Sunshine so take a look below on how you can keep kids busy on a Carnival cruise!

Camp Carnival

This is the big one! If you’re cruising with kids, make sure to book it on a ship that has Camp Carnival. Camp is split up into three different age groups: 2 to 5 years, 6 to 8 years, and 9 to 11 years. My girls were in the 2-5 year camp and my son was in the 6-8 years camp, but they were right next to each other and could see over a partition if needed. Hayden liked being close to his sisters. 🙂

There was SO much to do! Kids could seriously stay at Camp Carnival all day and evening because they had a schedule that was jam packed full of activities! For the younger kids, they had activities like puppet making, build your jewelry and tiaras, play-doh hour, game time and free play. Every hour during the day, they had something fun scheduled!

For my son’s age, they had video game play (his favorite!), board game hour, paint activities, Lego building and more! There were even family activities at Camp Carnival where the parents could come and have fun too – like family board game hour and even Build-A-Bear (where there was an additional cost).

Camp Carnival is a huge FREE benefit for parents – and your kids will love it too!

SportSquare

The whole family had so much fun at SportsSquare! On that deck, you”ll find a basketball court (that converts into a volleyball or soccer area), pool, foosball, ping pong, checkers, Twister, mini-golf and a SkyCourse! Yes, there are that many activities to do on a Carnival cruise ship! I loved that there was such a variety of activities to choose from that we wouldn’t normally be able to do at home. We discovered that my son was a pro at checkers – he never told us that he had learned to play at school – and there’s nothing cooler than playing mini-golf surrounded by the ocean!

Arcade and Candy Shop

Oh yes, there is an arcade AND a candy shop on Carnival Cruise Ships! On the Carnival Sunshine, it was right next to each other so we would usually stop to play some games and then go to the candy shop to get a sucker. There were a ton of fun games to choose from but warning – all you do is swipe your card so it can add up quickly. I think I spent close to $40 trying to win an iPad. 😉

WaterWorks and Pool

My 8 year old son was in awe when he first saw WaterWorks on our cruise ship! WaterWorks is basically Carnival’s waterpark! It’s packed full of fun water slides (for both kids AND adults!) and splash pad areas. There’s plenty of deck chairs for parents to relax in as they watch their kids have fun!

Hayden also loved the pool – most times it wasn’t busy at all except for a few other kids. There are also a ton of deck chairs by the pool too.

Note: Kids must be potty trained to go in the pool or WaterWorks on a Carnival Cruise trip. There’s no swim diapers allowed. Since we are still in the midst of potty training our twins, my son enjoyed this one on one pool time just him and Dad!

Hasbro, The Game Show

My 8 year old son actually really enjoyed going to the shows with me (he loved the Morning Show with Emma our cruise director which also aired on our television) and Hasbro, The Game Show is a definite hit with kids! It’s giant versions of games like Connect 4 Basketball, Sorry! Sliders and Yahtzee Bowing. It was so fun to watch and my son wanted to participate – maybe next time! 😉

Seuss at Sea

I’ll be sharing a whole post about Seuss at Sea but this is so much fun for kids! Available on all Carnival ships, kids will love activities like a character parade, interactive story time, arts & crafts activities and a fun character breakfast featuring their favorite Dr. Seuss friends!

We love Dr. Seuss books at home and the kids loved having a different Seuss activity to do on the ship each day!

Dive-In Movies

Every night of the cruise, there would be a different movie playing. Some were most definitely adults only – like Me Before You and Deadpool – but there were at least two nights where the movies were fun for kids of all ages! Grab a deck chair by the pool and watch the movie on a REALLY big screen!

There were warm blankets to check out where you would normally check out towels and there was a crew member making fresh popcorn too! (Plus, the ice cream machine is close by too!) My kids loved snuggling under the stars and watching Zootopia!

If you’re looking to go on a vacation that is fun for both adults and kids, you definitely need to look into going on a Carnival Cruise. The fun is non-stop and I love that it’s such a family oriented vacation. We are already planning our next cruise – I think the kids are more excited that we are!

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Disclosure: A huge thanks to Carnival Cruise Line for hosting us on a 7 day cruise on the Carnival Sunshine. All thoughts and opinions are my own.