We were invited by Carnival to attend a free family event on the Carnival Pride ship, which sails out of Baltimore. This was the boys' (hubby included) first time on a cruise ship and my first time on one in about twenty years. I knew the boys would love checking out such a big ship!
Even though we were only visitors, we went through the entire process of boarding the ship, just like the rest of the passengers. That did mean waiting in some crazy traffic and boarding late because of some weather issues. It's all part of the adventure though, right?
Once we made it onto the ship, we were introduced to the newest candidate for President – The Cat in the Hat and his two VPs – Thing 1 and Thing 2! How fun is that? The idea comes from the new book, One Vote, Two Votes, I Vote, You Vote. The book teaches kids about the election process and how important it is to vote! Of course, it's all done in typical Dr. Seuss rhymes, making it fun for the kids!
After meeting the candidates, we went on a parade around the ship to spread the word to Vote for Cat in the Hat! Kids always love a parade!
If you'll be on a Carnival cruise from now through November, check to see if you can join in on some of the Cat in the Hat campaign events and get your kids involved in the fun of the election process! Your kids may even be able to join in a parade on your ship!
After our parade, we made our way to one of the ship's dining rooms for a fun Green Eggs and Ham Character Breakfast. The dining room looked like something right out of a Dr. Seuss book and really got everyone excited! I would definitely recommend this breakfast if you get the chance. It does cost $5 extra per person, but it's totally worth it in my opinion.
That looks like a book in the picture above, but it's the menu! And to the right you can see the little booklet that the kids receive at breakfast. There are activities in here and even a spot on the back for some character autographs (a stamp)!
The boys each ordered a giant plate of cereal-crusted french toast from the Seuss-style menu. But have no fear, mom and dad! You can order regular items as well: Tom got salmon and I opted for steak and eggs. Everything was absolutely delicious. Before our orders came out though, we were served a yummy parfait! The boys picked a fruit and yogurt parfait with granola and chocolate pieces. Tom and I both got a strawberry and yogurt parfait.
During the brunch, there are plenty of character appearances and photo opps! Perfect for the kids that love to visit, like Owen. But, for those of you with kids, like Charlie, that do not care for costumed characters, don't worry! The characters were never pushy about interacting with kids that were not interested. I always worry about taking Charlie somewhere I know there will be costumed characters, but this was perfect for the entire family and he had a great time!
After breakfast we were able to explore the ship some on our own. The boys saw kids playing in the pools, we checked out the kids camp area, and even found some super cool pink elevators that Charlie referred to as “Love Elevators”.
It was pretty hard explaining to Charlie that we needed to get off the ship before it left. He kept asking where our room was (obviously he forgot we didn't bring bags with us!). Poor kiddo really wanted to go and I can't blame him. Hopefully we'll be taking a family cruise in the future and can really share the entire adventure with you!
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