In case you missed it, I recently took my family, my twin brother’s family, and my parents on an 8-day Caribbean cruise courtesy of Carnival. It was the experience of a lifetime, but I have to admit that I was a little worried at first. During the plane ride to Miami, a couple nagging thoughts kept…well, nagging me: “8 days is a long time. Will they have a good time? Will they be bored?”
Remember, my daughters are six and three years old. As is the case with most kids, they don’t filter their feelings. If they want to go home, they’ll say so. If they don’t like something, they’ll let anyone in earshot know without a hint of tactfulness. It just comes with the territory.
Thankfully it didn’t take long to receive my answer to those questions after we set sail on the beautiful and brand new Carnival Vista.
#1 – Eating
Although we spent a lot of time together as a ten-person unit, there were times when I was alone with one or both of the girls; and one of the first Daddy-Daughter bonding moments occurred when we first arrived on the ship to get something to eat. I must say that the food that Carnival provides is absolutely amazing. The options are endless and you can keep getting more, and more, and more — including 24-hour ice cream and pizza. You have a picky eater at home? There is something for them on the ship, trust me. And let’s be real – there are few better ways to bond with the kids than by eating some tasty food.
And that’s especially the case when it comes to dessert at Cherry On Top.
#2 – Active Stuff
The Carnival Vista is a brand new ship and is packed with activities geared towards kids, including multiple pools (which my daughters never wanted to get out of).
And the waterslides were pretty epic. There were two really big ones and a couple of smaller ones that were perfect for the kiddos.
The Sports Square was great too. My oldest daughter loves basketball and she was able to get some shots up with the most amazing scenery in the background. But if basketball isn’t your thing, they have ping-pong, bowling, mini golf, and a variety of other activities to keep the kiddos happy.
#3 – Entertainment
Are you a fan of Lip Sync Battle? Well, the Carnival Vista actually has it on the ship and it was practically identical to the version on television. My daughters had a blast dancing in the aisles as fellow cruisers strutted their stuff.
And the live musicians were great, as well. No matter what music you enjoy, there was something for everyone to get down to.
One of my favorite parts of fatherhood is creating memories with my children. Am I the perfect dad? No, but who is? One thing I can say with confidence is when my time on this earth has passed, my girls will know that Daddy gave it his all to create the best and happiest lives possible for them. The quality time we spent together in paradise helped strengthen that bond more than ever.
This post was created for Away We Go with Carnival, the destination for getting in the getaway state of mind.
