Before we set sail on our first seven-day cruise, I was worried about whether or not my girls would enjoy the kids programming on the ship. Would they make friends? Would they miss me? Would there be fun things for them to do? I had so many questions.
As soon as we stepped inside Carnival’s Camp Ocean, my worries were gone. They wanted to spend every minute of our trip at Camp Ocean — and I can’t blame them. It was pretty awesome.
Camp Ocean is the newly renovated, ocean themed children’s programming making its way through the Carnival fleet of ships – and I was thrilled that we were able to experience it on Carnival Freedom.
From water-themed arts and crafts to ocean themed movies at night, water and sea life are the main themes and you experience it the moment you are greeted at the check-in desk.
Penguins, Sting Rays and Sharks
At Camp Ocean, kids are divided up by age with activities tailored to those specific groups.
Children ages 2 to 5 years old are ‘Penguins’ and have plenty of toys, a beach-themed play kitchen, an indoor slide and secured access to an outdoor playground too.
The Sting Rays area is for kids ages 6 to 8 — complete with board games, building blocks, books and access to Creative Cove, a place to create their own ocean-themed artwork.
The Sharks area is for kids ages 9 to 11, with video game consoles, crafts, books and plenty of room to just relax and make friends.
My girls were penguins at Camp Ocean and each time I picked them up, they couldn’t wait to tell me all about the fun activities they did while I was gone. They had fun learning about sea life and playing games with their camp counselors and I loved seeing how proud they were to call themselves penguins.