One of the most impressive amenities aboard the Carnival Fantasy and all Carnival cruise ships is the attention they pay to kids and families--from fun, family friendly activities throughout the ship to their youth programs. Today, I want to specifically talk about Camp Carnival--an award-winning children's program for children 2 to 11.

The kids are split into three age groups: 2-5 year olds, 6-8 year olds, and 9-11 year olds.

Safety is a huge concern for Carnival. For the young kids {2-5 years old} parents are given a complimentary cell phone. If anything happens to your child while at Camp Carnival {i.e. child gets sick, misses parents, etc} then they call you. You can also call them to check on your child. Parents must also check their children in and out of Camp Carnival. I think the 9-11 year olds have the option of signing themselves out IF PARENTS give permission. Camp Carnival is open from 10 am to 10 PM. Parents are free to bring their kids anytime during those hours and there is no charge. You can leave your kids for any amount of time--from 30 minutes to hours. After 10 PM, they also offer paid baby sitting services at the center.

You could call Camp Carnival a "daycare", but it is really so much more. Camp Carnival is an activity based program.

It is not a place where kids are just baby sat. No. Camp Carnival is a place where kids are provided fun and educational activities throughout the time they are there. They provide you with a daily itinerary, which lets you know exactly what they will be doing and at what time. In Lucas' age group {2-5}, they did crafts, face painting, Bear Cuddly {like Build-a-Bear} Workshops, children's parties, scavenger hunts, talent shows, and so much more.




For the older kids, Camp Carnival offers a computer room, video games, crafts, parties, and more. The 9-11 age group is also taken to the pool to swim, to play mini-golf, and to other areas of the ship for fun activities.

Camp Carnival offers parents an opportunity to spend some alone time on the ship while their kids also have a great time with their new cruise friends. Now, unfortunately for me...Lucas did not want to stay at Camp Carnival. Well, let me rephrase...he wanted to stay, but he did not want me to leave. This is not Camp Carnival's fault though. Lucas has never been in any daycare/preschool program before. Both Mike and I work from home so there is no need. Anyhow, he stayed at Camp Carnival twice for about 45 minutes, but then he would miss us and ask for the camp counselors to call us to pick him up. Hopefully, next time we go on a cruise he will be more accustomed to preschool and we'll be able to take more advantage of Camp Carnival because it truly is a great program. The camp counselors are amazing. They are all so welcoming to the kids and parents and they are just FUN. They tried over and over to help Lucas feel comfortable--they were awesome. They also made both Mike and I feel comfortable leaving Lucas. That's saying a lot coming from two parents who have never left their child in a daycare/preschool program.