TheJellyBeans.net
The Carnival Sunshine is a great ship for sailing with young kids.
There are many activities available for your little ones and these tips will help you enjoy
them all.
Our first tip is to get familiar with Camp Carnival.
Featuring tons of kid-friendly activities, Camp Carnival is available for kids ages 2
to 11 – including little ones who are NOT potty trained – and our 5-year-old loved
every minute.
Camp Carnival hosts an open house on Embarkation day for parents to tour the facilities, pick
up activity schedules, and register kids.
Be aware that the camp has a VERY strict sign in and sign out policy, so be sure to authorize
select family members during registration or they will NOT be able to pick up your child.
Completing the online registration before you board makes the process go much faster.
Camp activities are typically available throughout the day, including Port Days.
The Night Owls program is available for late night – after 10 pm until 1 in the morning
– for a nominal charge.
Take note that Camp Carnival drop-off might not be available until after 10 pm
on Embarkation day.
For older kids, the Sunshine also has Circle C, for kids ages 12-14, and Club 02, for kids
ages 15-17.
You can find daily schedules for all the kids club activities on our website TheJellyBeans.Net
Our next tip is to take advantage of all the opportunities the Sunshine provides for burning
off some extra energy.
On Deck 10, there is a small toddler / preschool playground with a slide, seesaw, and a pirate
ship themed climbing structure located outside Camp Carnival.
There was always room for our little one to play, but it is occasionally closed when it’s
being used by Camp Carnival.
And there is a bathroom nearby, just around the corner toward the back of the ship under
the stairs leading up to Sports Square.
In addition to the playground, our little JellyBean also enjoyed dancing and running
around in Ocean Plaza when musical entertainment was provided in the evenings.
But of all the places that our JellyBean loved to explore - The Liquid Lounge (when not in
use) was her favorite.
The lights in the entrance lobby mesmerized her and, at 2 years old, she loved climbing
up and down the stairs and sitting in different seats.
Tip number 3 is to pack your kids’ bathing suits and watch them enjoy all the water fun
aboard the Sunshine.
The pools and whirlpools located at mid-ship ARE available for kids to enjoy.
Life jackets are provided but no lifeguards are on duty.
Be aware that children who are not potty trained (and those in diapers or swim diapers) are
NOT allowed to use the pool or whirlpools.
And, if you need the bathroom, the closest one to the pool
is next to the Blue Iquana Cantina.
Water Works, in the back of the ship, has a Splash area and mini racer slides for the
younger kids.
But, just like the pool, Waterworks is off limits to kids who are not potty trained.
The bathroom, by the way, is located on the left side of the ship underneath the stairs
leading up to Sports Square.
Kids who are at least 42 inches tall are allowed to ride the blue and green Speedway Splash
racing slides and the yellow Twister Waterslide.
The racing slides are MUCH MUCH faster and tend to have longer lines compared to the
twister slide.
If your kid is a bit nervous or doesn’t want to wait in a long line, steer them to
the yellow Twister slide.
The best place for a photo op of your kid coming down the slide is the bridge walkway
that spans the slide exits.
Our next tip is to consider Carnival’s “Your Time Dining”
when traveling with little ones.
We prefer “Your Time Dining” simply because the first seating starts 45 minutes
earlier than the earliest seating for “Set Time Dining.”
It also gave us flexibility on the nights our little JellyBean wanted to eat dinner
with her friends in Camp Carnival.
Dinner in the Main Dining rooms typically took about 90 minutes, so we we suggest you
bring a busy bag of activities to entertain your little ones.
A kids menu with standard kids fare of chicken nuggets, hot dogs, and peanut butter and jelly
sandwiches is provided, but kids are also allowed to order from the adult menu.
Tip number 5 is to be aware that there are many options for family activities
on the Sunshine.
The Sport Square Sports Deck has Twister, jumbo chess, ping pong, foosball, miniature
golf, and more available.
Indoor games can be found inside the RedFrog Pub on deck 5 and in the Library Bar on deck 4.
Our next tip is to set spending limits if you give your kid spending privileges on your
sign and sail account.
While some places like The Cherry on Top sweets shop have reasonable prices – and a great
selection of candy – other places, like the Warehouse arcade, can add up VERY quickly.
Our seventh tip is to bring your kids’ medicine with you on board the ship.
The medication options in the gift shop are limited, especially when it comes to medicine
for children.
We pack children’s pain reliever, fever reducer and cold medicine that we use at home
just in case we need it while sailing.
Our next tip is to be prepared for stateroom bathrooms designed for adults.
The majority of the staterooms on the Sunshine do not have a bathtub, so when JellyBean was
smaller we brought along an inflatable baby bathtub, which made life much easier.
We also found that the layout of the bathroom sink made it difficult for her to be able
to wash her hands on her own, so we bring a folding stool.
Tip number 9 is to find the paper towels at the automatic hand washing stations near the
Lido Marketplace buffet if your child doesn’t like using the loud hand dryers that are found
in all of the public bathrooms.
The automatic hand washing stations were a big hit with kids, which helps make up for
there not being any paper towels available in the public restrooms.
Our final tip is to be aware there are diaper changing facilities in the handicapped bathrooms
on the Sunshine.
Each bathroom has a changing table, diaper genie, and our favorite: hazardous waste bags.
But, be aware that Carnival does NOT sell diaper or baby supplies on board,
so come prepared!
The good news is, if you have a few too many accidents, there are self-service laundry
rooms located mid-ship on most stateroom decks.
We hope these tips help you and your little ones have the best cruise possible aboard
the Carnival Sunshine!