Note: We cruised as guests of Carnival Cruise Lines on board the Carnival Legend. 

I’m going to let you in on my secret to having the best time cruising with kids – jump aboard with an open mind and take part in absolutely everything! Carnival Cruise Lines knows how to deliver days of awesome activities for all the family and there’s always something to do no matter what time or wherever you are on the ship. It’s an absolute hoot, but you have to take part to really experience the fun of cruising.

Emmie (eight-years-old at the time) and I boarded the Carnival Legend in Sydney as first-timers and nine days later we farewelled the ship and its staff as very happy cruisers.

Cruising was entirely different to anything we’d done before, and it took us a little getting used to. Once we embraced the cruising life though, we had an absolute ball.

Our ship sailed to the Pacific Islands, just over two full days away by sea from our departure port of Sydney, Australia.  Our days were divided in Sea Days and Shore Days.

On Sea Days there was a super full schedule of amazing activities that we couldn’t even get to them all. Every evening we’d receive a program for the following day and we would highlight the activities we wanted to do. In just one day (and after waking up from yet another huge sleep at 9am) we played 80’s trivia, watched hobby horse races and played bingo, sang karaoke, watched a Christmas Holiday show, swam in the pool, saw a rock concert, played mini-golf, watched an incredible trio of violinists play and ate three excellent meals in Truffles restaurant. Friends also did a towel animal making lesson, saw a puppet show, watched ice carving and played Cluedo. And we didn’t even scratch the surface.

These activities are all so much fun and led by the energetic and super friendly Cruise Director Jen or one of the on board team.  There’s so much for families and kids, and if you’re a solo parent you will definitely get some me time! Perfect!

Here’s what we loved about cruising and our experience as first time cruisers.

Cruising is so relaxing

We slept a lot in the first few days! We found the gentle rolling of the ship helped us have long, deep sleeps. We slept at least 12 hours a night for the first four nights, plus we had afternoon naps. We must have needed it, but it helped that our beds were super comfy, the cabin was quiet and we were (almost) technology free. Even though our room was quite near the lifts there wasn’t any noise, and for those first few days we just slowly settled in.

Cabins are surprisingly roomy

Our cabin was much larger that I expected, with twin beds, a desk, a TV, wardrobes and drawers

with a lot of storage space (I actually unpacked instead of living out of a suitcase as we usually do) and a big balcony. The bathroom was a good size – with complimentary toiletries – and the room was serviced daily.

We loved watching the rolling seas through the huge window and the balcony made life so easy for me. I love to get up early but Emmie sleeps longer, so I could sit on the balcony and watch as we sailed on the blue sea and as we passed little islands as we arrived into port, with Emmie asleep just a few metres away.

Embrace the onboard activities EVERY SINGLE DAY

To really experience cruising in all its amazingness you need to join into the activities, let your inhibitions go and just have FUN.

Every morning Jen the cruise director would give us a rundown of the highlights over the ships’ PA system and it’s also worthwhile studying the daily activities flyer the night before so you can do as much as you can, by scheduling it all in.

Or of course you can lay by the pool all day! That’s also awesome, but while we were at sea we were all about the activities.

We loved the bingo and karaoke and Emmie made a Build-A-Bear onboard. We loved the poolside games and the trivia, and roaming around dipping into whatever activity we stumbled upon.

Hang with Dr Seuss onboard

This is really cool for kids – the Dr Seuss characters also cruise on the Carnival Legend. It’s awesome for all ages and they all really get into it. There were onboard activities like Dr Seuss parades and pantomimes, meet and greets with the characters and a special Green Eggs and Ham brunch. 

Enjoy the onboard dining

We ate almost exclusively at Truffles Restaurant. It’s a full service dining room open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and we loved it. We had such great breakfasts here – they have everything from cereals, pastries and eggs to fancy flans with roast pumpkin, tomato and potato stacks, french toast and pancakes.

The lunch menu has cold and hot dishes and desserts, plus a wine and drinks list –  and dinner…dinner is the best!

Dinner is a three course meal with so many options. There’s delicious appetisers like melon and prosciutto salads, seafood dishes and soup and pasta dishes, then the main meals are huge and hearty and include everything from baked salmon, steak, lasagne and curries. Each night has a set menu and then themed dishes so there’s a huge amount to choose from. And then there is dessert – you’ll be lucky if you can fit it in but push on!

You select your seating times, we started with the late seating at 7.45pm and changed to the earlier dinner at 5.30pm

One of the best parts of the Truffles dining is the staff. They are incredibly kind and caring and really looked after us. There’s also nightly performances where the kids can join in and everyone lets their hair down and has a boogie.

For families with lots of kids and those who don’t have time to go out to restaurants very often, each evening at Truffles is a special occasion to dress up, enjoy the wait service and enjoy being looked after by attentive staff. There’s also theme nights – while we were on board we dressed up for elegant night, 80s night and Mexican night. It was great fun and some people were so into the dress ups – you can definitely get into it as much or as little as you like.

If you’re after something more casual the Lido Restaurant  has a huge variety of food buffet style, plus it the Pirate Pizza pizza station is open 24 hours (we took one home with us almost every night) and the burgers from the burger bar are divine – and so are the chips.

The kids will love the 24 hour Swirls ice cream station too, located near the buffet and right next to the main deck pool.

Making new friends

It’s so easy to make new friends when you’re cruising with Carnival. First of all you can choose to sit with other people at meal times, and the super friendly maitre’d will match you up with other families with kids around the same age. We ended up sitting with a lovely family and the kids became great friends, even singing karaoke together (the mums did too!). Emmie made friends by the pool and at Kids Club and had lots of buddies to play with.

I had lots of opportunities to meet people as well, and because so many of the activities are group activities there’s no choice but to get to know the other passengers, which is so nice. And everyone is in a great mood because they’re cruising. It’s a happy, friendly place to be.

Honestly, you’ll never be lonely on a Carnival Cruise.

Water slides for thrill seekers

It seems to defy logic that a cruise ship would have huge water slides somewhat suspended over the side of the ship but the Carnival Legend does!  The Green Thunder is the crowd pleaser, you stand in a green tube and the floor drops away, shooting you down through an enclosed tube to the bottom. The kids loved it and the more daring adults gave it a go too – I did one ride on it and that was enough for me. Emmie went down over and over again.

 

The tamer Yellow Twister is perfect for the rest of the gang with its slower slide action and is right next the the Thunder. There’s a splash pad with pools and tipping buckets for smaller kids with seats and tables for parents. Just down a set of stairs are little cabanas and soft cushions to climb inside and relax on during the day or while the kids play.

Swimming pools for everyone

There are three pools on the Carnival Legend – two are super family friendly while the Serenity Deck is strictly adults only so you can escape from all the kids while yours are in Kids Club. Lay down on a deck chair or in a cabana, order a drink, listen to soothing music or jump in the pool or spa…all child free.

The kids pools are right near the Lido Dining buffet and bar area so it’s perfect for the whole family to pull up some seats and enjoy the sunshine and the entertainment. There’s a small stage near the main family pool and live music is on each day plus there’s fun poolside games like beanbag tossing throughout the day. There is never not something going on!

So much entertainment

Entertainment is non stop on Carnival, it has everything from kids shows to live music, evening laughs at the Punchliner Comedy Club and dazzling stage shows every night by the cast of Playlist Productions.

Later head to the Redfrog Pub, the Piano Bar or Casino for drinks and if you’re keen for a boogie there’s a nightclub too – I never made it there but I’m sure it’s a hoot. I did however enjoy cocktails from the Alchemy Bar while I listened to three amazing violinists play pop music and other singers on stage each evening while Emmie was in Camp Ocean

Fun at Camp Ocean Kids Club

Emmie loved Camp Ocean, she had an absolute ball with the kids and carers, especially Miss Cupcake! There are three age groups for Camp Ocean – the Penguins, ages 2 – 5, then the Stingrays from 6 – 8 and finally the Sharks from 9 -11, and each has age appropriate activities.

There’s a really strict sign in/sign out process too which is very reassuring, and they play lots of fun activities and games, plus have movie nights, craft sessions and Emmie’s favourite –  the treasure hunt!

Emmie mostly spent her time in Kids Club in the evenings while I did a bit of work – she really enjoyed it and a few times she sent me away with “Come back in an hour”!

If you want to have some couple time then kids can stay in Night Owls until up to midnight. It’s a small additional charge, but oh so worth it.

If your kids are a little older there’s also the Circle C club where they can relax and make new friends and take part in dance parties, games and outdoor movies from 12 years old.

Have the best time ashore on tropical islands

Whilst on your cruise you’ll visit tropical islands like Noumea or the Isle of Pines. These islands are incredibly beautiful with palm fringed white sand beaches and the bluest water. Plus after binging on all the activities and fun on board it’s great to get ashore and chill in nature.

Definitely look at the on-shore trips you can take at each port and book as soon as possible when you board as they do tend to fill up quickly.

On islands like the Isle of Pines where you can simply go ashore and swim on the stunning beach.  You will need to get a shore pass which will determine the time you leave the ship and board the tender to take you to shore. This is easily organised the night before and the crew will give you all the info on how to do it.

We found the process super super easy and fast. And it’s so helpful that the crew guides everyone along the queue and there are towels to take ashore and you just pop them into a tube when you re-board.

It’s super easy. Make sure to take money ashore as there may be locals dancing and playing local music and it’s nice to give a small tip, plus you can buy local food at the beaches too.

We loved the Isle of Pines, it’s a gorgeous white sand beach with beautiful blue water and we lazed and played all day. At Noumea we booked onto the Amadee Island excursion which was a day trip to this beautiful island, with a traditional show and lunch. At Mare we took to bus to the beach and then back at the port Emmie jumped from the rocks and we snorkelled around the shore.

Island visits are super well organised and so much fun.

Grab a game of mini golf, basketball or visit the gym

 

Back on board if you’re keen for some more outdoor activities then try the Legend’s nine hole mini golf course where you can play over and over again up on the top deck. Right next to it is a basketball court where you can play ball or join in the organised games like dodgeball and team sports. There’s also a running track around the ship and an indoor fitness centre which I should have visited but did not.

Feel happy meeting the super nice on board crew

The staff on board the Legend must love what they do because they are so kind and friendly. We never had to worry about asking for anything because the answer was always helpful and given with a smile. From the stewards to the bar staff, the wait staff and kitchen crews – and of course the entertainment team, there’s always a happy vibe. And it’s not just us that noticed, so many guests felt that the staff really made the trip extra special.

Take a Digital Detox

Cruising is the perfect time to take a digital detox and I swear your body will thank you. If you need Wifi it is available but why not put down the phone and listen to your body instead? I had a digital detox onboard and I felt so, so good for it. I think that’s why I slept so well too – no playing on my phone in bed before sleep. 

We loved our cruise with Carnival Cruise Lines on board the Carnival Legend. There’s so much for families to do and everything is just so, so easy and the crew is lovely.

My biggest tip is to immerse yourself in the cruising lifestyle and enjoy every little bit you can get your hands on. You’ll all have a ball and that is the ultimate reason to cruise – fun, fun fun for everyone. For more info and to find your cruise visit Carnival Cruise Lines!