Carnival Cruises

[mommy2evan05]

Anyone have any experiences, positive or negative on cruising with Carnival? We are leaving Saturday and just wondering if there are any "policies" I should be ready to deal with. I will be nursing my 18 month old any and every where on the ship and in the ports of call (3 places in the Bahamas), but just curious if anyone has been in this situation! Thanks!


(Mods--please feel free to move this if you need to. I just figured with all of the pos/neg experiences posted here, it might get the most notice.)

[Sarah102383]

I went on the Carnival Glory last month and there were plenty of nursing mothers. There were two Thai bartenders that kept running water out to this woman near me who was tanning and nursing at the same time on one of our at sea days. They were moms themselves and kept saying, "That's so good for baby, lucky girl."

[Eman'smom]

We took a Carnival Cruise 5.5 years ago when ds was just 7 months. I nursed everywhere but the fancy dinners (just not something I was comfortable with) but never had a problem. I even had one waitress comment that ds must have been breastfed because he was so happy.

There were no babies except ds on the cruise and very few children. But no problems nursing at all.

[lml41981]

I have only been on one Carnival Cruise and it was well before DD came (it was our honeymoon), but I really can't imagine there being a problem with the crew. I mean, they have an international crew and it is well known that Americans are the ones with the hang-ups about breastfeeding.

Now, snide comments from other passengers...I can't guarantee anything, but I can't imagine there being a problem with the crew.

[mommy2evan05]

thanks ladies! i am not expecting problems because of the international culture of a cruise ship, but hadn't heard if they were BF friendly or not.

oh and other passengers, bring 'em on! my "don't screw with me while i'm nursing" attitude plus the bulldog lactivist that I call "mom" will take care of that! :

[MinnieMouse]

We cruised w/ dd when she was 2.5yo and then again when she was 3.5yo. She was still nursing for both trips but at that point we were only nursing to sleep (naps and nighttime) so I can't comment much on NIP.

I do have to add that we had one negative experience w/ another passenger.. not crew.

It was an "open seating" night and we took dd w/ us to dinner (it was the trip when she was 2.5yo). We had taken her to the dining room the first night and she didn't do so great so the rest of the trip she went to the kid's camp during dinner (she had a great time there... ate earlier at the buffet). We figured w/ open seating it was more casual and she would be okay..which she was.

We were seated at a table for six and another was already there. Dd was well behaved and within 2 minutes, after the woman whispered w/ her husband... she turns to us and says... "No offense but we came on this cruise to get AWAY from our children so we are going to move to another table."

I really was offended... dd wasn't misbehaving at all and even if she had we would have left the dining room.

Just be aware that the staff may be wonderful, but your fellow passengers can still be "ugly" Americans.

[onlyboys]

We nursed everywhere. No issues at all. Have fun!

[lovingmommyhood]

Originally Posted by MinnieMouse

We cruised w/ dd when she was 2.5yo and then again when she was 3.5yo. She was still nursing for both trips but at that point we were only nursing to sleep (naps and nighttime) so I can't comment much on NIP.

I do have to add that we had one negative experience w/ another passenger.. not crew.

It was an "open seating" night and we took dd w/ us to dinner (it was the trip when she was 2.5yo). We had taken her to the dining room the first night and she didn't do so great so the rest of the trip she went to the kid's camp during dinner (she had a great time there... ate earlier at the buffet). We figured w/ open seating it was more casual and she would be okay..which she was.

We were seated at a table for six and another was already there. Dd was well behaved and within 2 minutes, after the woman whispered w/ her husband... she turns to us and says... "No offense but we came on this cruise to get AWAY from our children so we are going to move to another table."

I really was offended... dd wasn't misbehaving at all and even if she had we would have left the dining room.

Just be aware that the staff may be wonderful, but your fellow passengers can still be "ugly" Americans.

Oh, please! As if being around someone else's child is a brutal as being with your own. I don't care as long as I'm not in charge of them. I would've been so mad and probably would've made a rude comment.

[ErikaLeigh]

My sister nursed her little girl the entire time that we have went on any.

Not a problem at all.

[turtlewomyn]

Originally Posted by MinnieMouse

We were seated at a table for six and another was already there. Dd was well behaved and within 2 minutes, after the woman whispered w/ her husband... she turns to us and says... "No offense but we came on this cruise to get AWAY from our children so we are going to move to another table."

I really was offended... dd wasn't misbehaving at all and even if she had we would have left the dining room.

Just be aware that the staff may be wonderful, but your fellow passengers can still be "ugly" Americans.

That is horrible. If we are out and about without DD we love seeing other children (although it makes us miss her). It is fun to look at cute babes without having to be responsible for their every need, kwim?

[lml41981]

Originally Posted by MinnieMouse

We were seated at a table for six and another was already there. Dd was well behaved and within 2 minutes, after the woman whispered w/ her husband... she turns to us and says... "No offense but we came on this cruise to get AWAY from our children so we are going to move to another table."

I think I would have been offended, too. How can something like that *not* offend a person? I likely would have shrugged, smiled and said, "Bless your heart...I feel for your children. Good riddance to ya!"

[Firemom]

I have been on 15 carnival cruises and about 30 total in my lifetime. My son was 4 months old for his first cruise and my dd folowed suit.

My kids are Platinum members of carnival. YOu get to this level with 10 cruises

I have nursed everywhere on the ship and in every port. Never never have I had a bad comment. I nused my dd at the pool when she was 3. I also nursed her on a beach in Cozumel, Mexico when she waas 4.5 years.

You will have a great time.

I went on a cruise with just my hubby and grandma had the kids. I have to say I prefer to be at a table with just adults in this situation. No offense:

I remember before we had kids we were seated at a table with a family. The first day was ok, the kids were a bit rowdy, but we were fine with it. But.......the next few nights the parents sat together at a table behind us and left the 6 kids with us: They totally ignored the kids and they were loud and running around the dining room. Othe people asked us to keep our kids seated and so did the waiters.

After telling everybody that the kids were not ours and that the parents were sitting at the table behind us, we got up and talked to the maitre'd who changed our table.

I know no one here would do something like this, but this was a horrible experience for us .

When my son was 4 months old he did not like the dining room. he would just scream and would not nurse in there. I ended up walking out with him where he was fine and others with us would take turns. I guess it was the noise in the dining room. it was the only part of the ship he would get so upset in.

[MinnieMouse]

Originally Posted by Firemom

I have been on 15 carnival cruises and about 30 total in my lifetime. My son was 4 months old for his first cruise and my dd folowed suit.

My kids are Platinum members of carnival. YOu get to this level with 10 cruises

I have nursed everywhere on the ship and in every port. Never never have I had a bad comment. I nused my dd at the pool when she was 3. I also nursed her on a beach in Cozumel, Mexico when she waas 4.5 years.

You will have a great time.

I went on a cruise with just my hubby and grandma had the kids. I have to say I prefer to be at a table with just adults in this situation. No offense:

I remember before we had kids we were seated at a table with a family. The first day was ok, the kids were a bit rowdy, but we were fine with it. But.......the next few nights the parents sat together at a table behind us and left the 6 kids with us: They totally ignored the kids and they were loud and running around the dining room. Othe people asked us to keep our kids seated and so did the waiters.

After telling everybody that the kids were not ours and that the parents were sitting at the table behind us, we got up and talked to the maitre'd who changed our table.

I know no one here would do something like this, but this was a horrible experience for us .

When my son was 4 months old he did not like the dining room. he would just scream and would not nurse in there. I ended up walking out with him where he was fine and others with us would take turns. I guess it was the noise in the dining room. it was the only part of the ship he would get so upset in.

I totally agree w/ everything you said.

FWIW, my sister was working for Carnival both times w/ cruised w/ them. For our regular dinner seating we were at a table for five or four w/ both cruises. The first one, as I stated above, we brought dd (then 2.5yo) to the dining room w/ us just on the first night and we were seated w/ my sister and my father (in addition to dh, myself and dd)... the second cruise (when dd was 3.5yo) my father wasn't w/ us and dd sat w/ us every night.

We were VERY cognizant of dd's behavior during both trips. W/ the first we realized after the first night that she wouldn't do well for that long of a time for dinner (she was fine for the 15min that she was eating ) and we figured out another plan. Before the second cruise we practices "restaurant manners" for MONTHS ahead of time and she really did great. In fact both our waiter and the maiter'd specifically complimented her on how well she behaved.

The incident I posted above was NOT during a regular dinner seating but the one night that they had open seating. Generally we avoided open seating situations because my sister dined w/ us for most meals and if she was out in "public" (ie. not in her cabin) she had to be in uniform (she was an officer). Because she was in uniform, open seating was a bit uncomfortable for her since whomever we sat with invariably would talk her ear off for the entire meal ...eager to discover what life was like on the ship. Since sis was always polite she would answer each of their questions... and never get to eat her meal!

Sis didn't dine with us the evening that we had open seating in the main dining room (she had some work to get done) so we thought it would be a good opportunity... especially since it was so casual.

I had actually posted about the experience w/ the rude woman and her husband on a cruising message board at some point after the incident and was dismayed to discover that most of the people there would have done the same as the woman!

Looking on the bright side of the incident, I would have rather had her leave than sit there and glare at dd for the entire meal!

[sapphire_chan]

Originally Posted by MinnieMouse

We were seated at a table for six and another was already there. Dd was well behaved and within 2 minutes, after the woman whispered w/ her husband... she turns to us and says... "No offense but we came on this cruise to get AWAY from our children so we are going to move to another table."

While I'm sad for that woman's relationship with her children and feel that she could have phrased it better I have to say that they are far far better than many people. They left instead of doing something like lying to you about saving the seats for someone else and their reasons were entirely their own--they didn't try to claim that it was anything you or your dd were doing that made them leave.

[sapphire_chan]

Aren't many cruise lines run out of Norway?

[Jill0905]

Nobody should get offended since most of the girls wear VERY small swimsuits as it it. There is a topless section when we went, surely nobody would be offended on that deck!!!

[sogriffin]

We just got off of a 5 day cruise a couple days ago.
I nursed my 5mo old everywhere and no one ever said anything.
Most of their employees are from countries other then America and if my bfding was acknowledged at all, it was only with appreciation. Actually, the only comment I got from an employee was about my baby wrap. He thought it was neat and said he hadn't seen a baby being worn since he left his home in South Africa.
If anything, it'll be the other passengers that might bug you. But there was enough thongs and alcohol on our cruise that no one was looking at my baby snacking

Have fun on your cruise!