Tag Archives: Camp Ocean

Seuss proving a coup for Carnival

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With the addition of Dr. Seuss characters and the makeover of Camp Carnival into Camp Ocean on some of its ships, Carnival Cruise Line has more appeal than ever to the family cruise segment.

The changes, announced a year ago, bring an instantly recognizable name to Carnival’s kids offerings.

“For Dr. Seuss, as soon as you mention Cat in the Hat, they already know who it is,” said Ana Klacinski, youth director on the Carnival Freedom.

It’s a step up for Carnival, which competes at sea with characters from Nickelodeon (Norwegian Cruise Line), DreamWorks (Royal Caribbean International) and, of course, Disney on Disney Cruise Line.

Now Carnival offers a kids parade through the Freedom once each cruise, led by characters from “The Cat in the Hat,” as well as a Green Eggs and Ham breakfast featuring Sam I Am.

At the same time, Carnival has significantly improved the kids facilities on the Freedom and other ships. Seuss is now playing on 10 of Carnival’s 24 ships, and Camp Ocean has been installed on the Freedom, Breeze, Magic and Triumph.

The big change is to give each age group its own themed space to play in, from Penguins (ages 2 to 5) to Stingrays (6 to 8) to Sharks (9 to 11). Klacinski said kids are excited to see the play space has lost its day-care vibe.

“They have a name, but not only that, they have their own space that they don’t have to share with anybody,” she said. “And they love it.”

The Freedom also received a Dr. Seuss Bookville area adjacent to Camp Ocean. It provides space for unscheduled time that children and parents can play together and an introduction to Seuss books guests may not know.

Part of the magic of the Seuss parade is its mystery, Klacinski said. It begins with an announcement that Seuss characters are onboard and an invitation to gather in a lounge 15 minutes before the parade. No one knows quite what for. When the time is ripe, a chant begins: “Dr. Seuss is on the loose!”


One by one, the characters are introduced and then the parade begins, through the ship, with kids banging noisemakers and keeping the chant going until arrival at the ship’s main theater, where they’re invited on stage for a group reading of “The Cat in the Hat” while parents watch.

“It’s like a good, family-friendly event and comedy show at the same time,” Klacinski said.

The Green Eggs and Ham breakfast, held later in the cruise, attracted about 50 kids and parents on the cruise I was on. Food, including mint-green scrambled eggs, is served by wait staff attired as Thing One and Thing Two from “The Cat in the Hat,” and Sam I Am appears to greet and hug kids.

Chuck Soukop, a passenger from Punta Gorda, Fla., said he was delighted with the upgrades to Freedom’s kids programming. “It’s nice to have something for the kids to do that isn’t as expensive as Disney [Cruise Line],” he said.

Carnival to roll out revamped kids program

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By Tom Stieghorst
Camp Ocean logoCarnival Cruise Lines took a step to secure its base of family cruisers, announcing it will launch a new program for young children called Camp Ocean, starting in May on the Carnival Freedom.

Camp Ocean will be more themed than the current Camp Carnival, which it replaces. It will feature 200 marine-related activities for kids, ranging from assembling ocean artifact trays to creating aquariums.

The program was developed with input from a panel comprising experts in child development, toys, play and children’s media, as well as a mom who is a frequent Carnival guest.

“While our current children’s program consistently gets very high marks, we’ve challenged ourselves to exceed expectations with a truly dynamic and diverse program for our youngest guests,” said Mark Tamis, senior vice president of guest operations. He added that Club Ocean will give travel agents “an exceptionally family-friendly feature” to market.

The camp is designed for children ages 2 to 11 and is divided into three age categories, with kids 2 to 5 called Penguins, those in the 6-to-8 range dubbed Stingrays and 9- to 11-year-olds designated as Sharks.

Each group will have its own blue-and-white colored play area with custom-tailored features and activities. Penguins, for example, will be able to play in miniature igloo structures.

There will also be a new “badge challenge” program in which kids get to enjoy adventures and gain a sense of accomplishment. After completing tasks such as trying a new food or making a towel animal, kids can earn a Camp Ocean badge.

Camp Ocean is one of a steady strCamp Ocean play areaeam of product changes designed in part to redirect the conversation about Carnival after the fire on the Carnival Triumph last year.

In other changes, it has redesigned the main dining room, added a series of live concerts with widely known acts and licensed Dr. Seuss characters specifically targeting families and children.

With its 24 ships, Carnival carries more than 700,000 children annually, a greater number than any other cruise line.

Carnival said that on two ships, the Freedom and the Vista, due in 2016, there will be a common play area for all children ages 2 to 11 called Party Reef, along with Creative Cove, a breakout room for arts and crafts.

Camp Ocean will be expanded to the Carnival Magic, Carnival Breeze and Carnival Triumph later this year, with the balance of the fleet getting the program by 2016.