Travel - Cruise 101 - Carnival Cruise for Families - Onboard, Now What?

This blog reflects my own experiences on the Carnival Vista which departed out of Galveston, Texas for a Western Caribbean cruise, but some of the steps will be similar for other cruise lines and Carnival ships. The most frustrating part is that your travel agent and the cruise line will give you no useful information on what to expect once you step onto the ship. Hopefully this blog will help you with those expectations!

When we first boarded the Carnival Vista, we started on Deck 3 (shown on their map as "Lobby"). You can click here for more Carnival Vista deck plans. (For your specific ship try googling "deck plan" and the name of your ship to find the floor plans).

For the Carnival Vista, Deck 3 is where the big Dreamscape Funnel and bar sat. It's the important deck of the ship as the Customer Service desks and the Excursions desk are located here. On the first day, it will be crowded as all cruisers board the ship at this deck. Many cruisers headed to the buffet on Deck 10 (also called the "Lido Deck").

Also, if you board in the morning, the crew will not let you head to your stateroom unless you have some kind of VIP package. The elevators to some of those floors were blocked as well. So be prepared to carry your bags/purses around until the room is available. We had swim clothes packed in a carry-on just in case we couldn't get to our luggage/room. Your checked-in bags will be set outside your stateroom so don't pack any valuables in those.

The first thing you will need to do is find your muster station. This is especially important if you have children travelling with you because each of them will receive a wristband. If at any time during the cruise, your child gets lost, a helper can take them to their assigned muster station and someone will be able to reach out to their guardians. You will watch a video or presentation (or in your stateroom) that explains the safety procedures. Some cruiselines require you to acknowledge your understanding of these procedures.

Now, you can wander the ship. Some of the food options are not yet open. Casino and bars weren't opened yet. The pools and slides were open and not crowded at all.