We sailed with three young children (two three year olds and a seven year old.) We chose to have connecting OV cabins (category 6A) and were so glad that we chose to do so. The kids had their room, and Mom and Dad had theirs with a connecting door so there were no worries. Having two bathrooms was also a plus.
Embarkation was no big deal. We had a check-in time of 12-12:30. We arrived at 12:30 and never sat down. After about 40 minutes of weaving through some lines and the usual collection of sail and sign cards, we were onboard. I saw some unhappy people who apparently arrived prior to their check in time and were made to wait outside the terminal. Check in times were most certainly being enforced.
The ship was beautiful. Typical Carnival deck plan but with nice touches like the Water Works feature and other 2.0 upgrades such as Guy's Burgers and Guy's Seaside Barbecue.
Connecting with 2227; only able to reserve via phone call to Carnival. Very happy we did reserve both cabins rather than just one. The price for both cabins was less than one suite and we had more square footage and two bathrooms!
Perfect for families. Huge, beautiful swimming pools, shady palm trees, food options, and restrooms. Only wish we had more time.
No need for an excursion if it's your first visit. Beautiful beach, no cost to use lounge chairs, plenty of food options and water equipment rentals. There's also zip lines and shopping.
The cruise center is much improved since my last visit 15 years ago. Plenty of shopping and food options. With that said, if you do decide to take a taxi to downtown, be sure to confirm the published price with your driver. The first guy we solicited tried to charge us almost twice the amount. We simply moved to the next van in line. There's a splash pad in the center square for the kids to use.
Easy embarkation. Parked at Galveston Park & Cruise directly across the street. Dropped passengers and baggage off at the terminal, parked the car, and walked back across the street to the ship. Different colored flags hanging on the front of the terminal made locating the rest of our party easy.