As every busy parent understands, finding quality time to spend with our families can be tricky. I’d been feeling a sense of disconnection recently with my eight-year-old daughter, Olive. So, when I heard about the family-friendly three-day cruise from Brisbane on Carnival Luminosa, I didn’t hesitate.
Setting sail
After an easy boarding process, Olive and I stepped onto the Luminosa and were struck by the sheer size of the vessel, ornate lighting and incredible artwork throughout the ship.
We were also pleasantly surprised when we entered our stateroom. Not only was it a good-sized room, it also had a large balcony, with uninterrupted views to enjoy sunsets and sunrises over the majestic ocean.
After settling into our room and exploring the main atrium areas further, we made our way up to the pool for the sail-away party, where a DJ was spinning fun tunes.
Fine dining
Woken up early by the delightful sunrise (and an extremely excited child), we made our way up to Level 9 for breakfast. The Lido Marketplace is self-serve casual dining featuring a variety of options. We also checked out the pizzeria and tacos and burritos restaurants, and settled for some delicious breakfast burritos packed with eggs, bacon, beans and fresh salsa.
Other kid-friendly brekkie options include the Green Eggs and Ham Dr Seuss-themed breakfast at Vela restaurant. Expect life-size characters Cat in the Hat, Thing 1 and Thing 2 to swing past your table for a photo opportunity.
Feeling peckish in between meals? The soft-serve ice cream machine is a hit with all ages, and fresh burgers from Off the Grill are guaranteed to satisfy all your cravings.
For something a little special, make sure to reserve a table at Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse for a three-course fine-dining experience ($65 per person). Both Olive and I were impressed by the quality of the food and service – the tuna tartare is a must-try!
Fun for the whole family
Luckily there’s plenty of options onboard to burn off your energy. We played a few rounds of foosball and checked out the Dr Seuss parade, where life-size characters paraded around the Supernova Atrium singing and dancing.
There’s also trivia at the Ocean Plaza, along with mini golf – we managed to squeeze in three games of mini golf on the putting green before attending the ice-carving showcase, where we marvelled at the creativity and skill of the talented staff.
All these activities left me feeling like I needed a bit of chill time, so I booked myself into the Cloud 9 Spa for a very well-priced 90-minute hot stone massage.
While I indulged, Olive was also having a wonderful experience at the Ocean Camp kids’ club, where she was supervised while enjoying ocean-themed craft activities and ball games with other children in her age group.
Come nightfall, there’s plenty of entertainment for young and old. Head to the Luminosa Theatre to enjoy Flick – a live family-friendly singing and dancing extravaganza featuring famous songs
from motion pictures.
We also enjoyed the hilarious Love & Marriage stage show (PG version!). And for those who love dress-ups, the 1980s-themed Rock-N-Glow deck party will have you dancing all night to nostalgic tunes.
Although we desperately tried to stay awake, we couldn’t make it past 9.30pm and went to bed exhausted from a full day of sunshine and activities!
The experience of a lifetime
As the end of the cruise neared and we packed our bags, Olive and I reflected on the events of the past three days and almost simultaneously declared out loud that we didn’t want our trip to end! The Luminosa experience had brought us closer together, and we had created special mother/daughter memories that will last a lifetime.
Olive also pointed out that she had not watched any TV during the entire holiday, and how she now realises how much fun can be had away from a screen. All in all, our family-friendly Carnival cruise experience was a great success, and we are already looking forward to booking another one in the future!
