{"id":14656,"date":"2019-08-09T12:16:41","date_gmt":"2019-08-09T18:16:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sixsuitcasetravel.com\/blog\/?p=14656"},"modified":"2026-03-30T09:22:38","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T15:22:38","slug":"carnival-big-family-cruise-to-mexico-the-caribbean-first-time-cruisers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sixsuitcasetravel.com\/blog\/carnival-big-family-cruise-to-mexico-the-caribbean-first-time-cruisers\/","title":{"rendered":"Carnival Big Family Cruise to Mexico & the Caribbean – First Time Cruisers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On a trip to Galveston Island Texas last Fall, our first time visiting there, my kids took note of all the cruise ships departing and arriving.  \u201cThat would be fun to take a cruise some time!\u201d, my teen daughter said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The idea stuck with us and for fun on a wintry day, we began researching cruise lines, destinations, and duration options for a family Spring Break cruise out of the Port of Galveston. We found a holiday deal for two staterooms on the Carnival Valor<\/span><\/a> five-day Cozumel Plus cruise to the Caribbean and Mexico – $2800 for the five of us, a fantastic value for the remarkable family experience we had!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carnival Cruise Line<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Carnival.com website has a wealth of information on their ships with deck plan maps of the staterooms for each floor. We needed lodging for five (we are a family of six but our eldest\u2019s college Spring Break didn\u2019t coincide, much to her dismay) and chose an interior stateroom and a balcony stateroom on the 6th<\/sup> deck midship, near one of the main sets of staircases, thinking we\u2019d be close to everything. The pools and many dining options were three floors up on the Lido deck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You select from the staterooms available as you book so we knew exactly where we would be on the ship. Both rooms were more spacious than we had imagined and had modular beds so you can choose to have two twins separated or made up as one. The balcony stateroom also had a couch that could be made into a third twin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The kids were beyond excited about going on a cruise, visiting Mexico, & especially the 24-hour self-serve ice cream station by the pool on the ship! I was looking forward to the first family vacation I didn\u2019t have to grocery shop or cook!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pre-Cruise Stay in Galveston<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The kids & I decided to hit the beach in Galveston for a couple of days before our cruise and flew Spirit Airlines Chicago to Houston. We hired a Lyft ride to our favorite Homewood Suites on Galveston Island, much cheaper and easier than renting a car and figuring out what to do with it while we were on our cruise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I\u2019ve written in my article on our TX travels<\/a><\/span>, the Galveston Homewood Suites<\/strong><\/span><\/a> is new and directly across the street from the expansive and gorgeous Stewart Beach. The suite is roomy with two queen beds in the bedroom and a fold-out queen sofa in the TV\/kitchen area. A hearty breakfast is included as well as a manager\u2019s happy hour most evenings. Also, there\u2019s a grocery store and a Whataburger just a short walk from the hotel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ocean was much cooler and calmer than it had been in October, so we played more on the sand than in the water and eyed the cruise ships sailing with great anticipation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My husband flew in late Friday, and on Saturday morning, the hotel complimentary shuttle drove us over to our cruise ship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Cruise Ship Boarding<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Going through security and check-in flowed easily. The staff was welcoming and enthusiastic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each person over 21 can bring one 750 ml bottle of wine, and each passenger of any age could bring a twelve-pack of a can pop if they choose. Those items are inspected in the security line. We had a bottle of wine for each my husband and myself, and a twelve-pack of our family\u2019s favorite \u2013 diet orange Sunkist soda. We splurged and bought the kids the $6\/person\/day unlimited soda package, but opted not to buy the adult drink package at $52\/person\/day plus 18% gratuity, which had to be purchased for every day of your cruise!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ship Staterooms<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We found our staterooms and were delighted with the towel \u2018origami\u2019 animals and welcome materials set out for us. A Carnival tagline is \u201cChoose Fun\u201d – it\u2019s on the daily newsletter, notepads, and more. I\u2019ve added it to my list of favorite mantras!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can only book rooms with an adult assigned to each but the guest services desk happily prints multiple key cards so families can access one another\u2019s rooms. My husband and I took the interior room, the kids took the larger balcony room. From the start & throughout the cruise, the kids had a ball calling room service (complimentary of course) daily for fresh-baked cookies – oh the luxury!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We opted not to buy the wifi add-on and went off the grid for the length of the cruise. No one minded, not even our teens as there was so much activity on the ship. We did bring post-it notes to leave messages for each other in our rooms with our whereabouts, it turned out to be handy for checking in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fun-Filled Family Activities<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Our cruise itinerary:<\/p>\n\n\n\n