Senior Sailor Says…
After three fun days in Galveston, I am ready for Carnival Breeze embarkation and a fun 5-day sailing to Cozumel and back.
I’m traveling with my daughter, Olivia, and my eight-year-old granddaughter, Ainsley.
This isn’t Ainsley’s first sailing with Carnival Cruises. It’s her third, all aboard Carnival ships. I choose Carnival because of the children’s activities, followed by spacious staterooms, excellent restaurants, spa offerings, and fun activities, to name a few. There are almost too many to list.
After lunch on the Lido deck, we drop Ainsley off at Ocean Club, Carnival’s supervised, age-based day camp: Penguins (2 to 5 years), Stingrays (6 to 8 years), and Sharks (9 to 11 years). Throughout the cruise, Ainsley joined the Stingrays for games, arts and crafts, songs, dancing, movies, and video games- all age-appropriate.
When it’s mealtime, kids eat together and get their own menus with the usual back-on-land faves like mac and cheese and chicken nuggets.
The counselors make sure everyone in these small groups has an amazing time. Plus, there’s Night Owls time (fees apply), but kids get to stay up late having fun while their parents enjoy themselves dancing, socializing and attending the evening shows.
There is also Circle “C for 12- to 14-year-olds, and Club O2 for the 15- to 17-year-old cruisers.
To top it off for children, there’s Suess at Sea with programs, book reading and a parade featuring your favorite Dr. Suess pals.
Soon, our stateroom is ready, and our luggage is delivered, allowing us to get organized before Ainsley is back in the room. Our steward, Eddy, introduces himself. We request a few more hangers, and in an instant, he is back with them.
With the day’s duties accomplished, it’s time to have some fun.
Dropping Ainsley off at Ocean Club, as a multigenerational group, we also enjoy swimming, trivia, and coloring contests together. The number of family-based activities seems endless as you plan out your day.
And, I mustn’t leave out WaterWorks featuring Twister Waterslide, “hundreds of feet of spiraling awesomeness that starts you off high in the air and gets you down low with one of the fastest, wettest rides you’ll find anywhere,” according to the website. The description my little reporter told me after two times down the featured activity is “Wow, that was fun, can I go again?”
The water park is legendary and not to be missed.
Cozumel
Our only port-of-call is Cozumel, and we chose the “Open Top Touristic Bus with Beach Club” using one of Carnival’s suggested excursions. More on a perfect day ashore in next week’s post!
Our last day on the ship flew by. There is so much to do and experience. The highlight for me was the last-day stage show presented in the theatre. All 35 nations represented by crew members are honored, followed by presentations by children who participated in club activities, including my granddaughter and the other Ocean Club members singing about the world.
Such a wonderful way to honor the excellent crew and finalize a perfect, relaxing, and forget-the-news journey.
If you go:
Ideally, arrive in Galveston two or three days before you sail. There are historic homes to tour, Moody Gardens with its Aquarium Pyramid, Rainforest Pyramid, and Discovery Museum, museums including Galveston Railroad Museum and Galveston Children’s Museum, Galveston Naval Museum, and The Bryan Museum. Plus, Pleasure Pier with its amusement rides and beautiful beaches.
For more information, click here.
WaterWorks and Green Eggs and Ham photos supplied by Carnival
