Carnival Camp Ocean: Setting Sail for Unforgettable Kids’ Adventures

Carnival Cruise Line is revolutionizing family vacations at sea with the grand unveiling of Camp Ocean, a brand-new, marine-themed children’s program designed to captivate and educate young cruisers. This innovative initiative is set to transform the onboard experience for children aged 2-11 across Carnival’s impressive fleet of 24 “Fun Ships,” promising an immersive journey into the wonders of the sea through a vibrant array of engaging and educational activities. Debuting on the Carnival Freedom on May 24th, Camp Ocean replaces the beloved Camp Carnival, elevating the standard for kids’ entertainment and enrichment.

Dive into Adventure: Exploring the Vibrant World of Camp Ocean

Camp Ocean is more than just a kids’ club; it’s a meticulously designed underwater world where imagination runs wild. Stepping into Camp Ocean, youngsters are greeted by vibrant spaces adorned in soothing light blue and white, evoking the serene yet exciting atmosphere of the ocean depths. This enchanting environment is brought to life by a team of friendly, experienced staff members dedicated to ensuring every child has a safe, fun, and memorable experience. The program boasts an impressive roster of over 200 new, ocean-inspired activities, carefully crafted to blend education with entertainment.

Children can delve into a world of discovery with educational games like “Sea Creature Discovery,” where they learn about marine biology through interactive play. “Marine Life Trivia” challenges their knowledge of oceanic facts, while “Under the Sea Mad Libs” sparks creativity and laughter. The “Ocean Artifacts Memory Tray” hones their observation skills, inviting them to remember and identify various treasures from the deep. For the budding artists, “Design Your Own Aquarium” allows them to bring their aquatic visions to life, while “Make Your Own Sailboat” and “Sea Salt Art” encourage hands-on crafting. A truly unique offering, “Create a Penguin from Oreos,” combines culinary fun with artistic expression, ensuring there’s something to pique every child’s interest.

Age-Specific Fun: Welcoming Penguins, Sting Rays, and Sharks

Understanding that children of different ages have varying interests and developmental needs, Camp Ocean thoughtfully divides its participants into three distinct, age-related categories, each with its own unique identity and tailored programming:

• Penguins (Ages 2-5): The youngest cruisers will waddle into a world of wonder designed just for them. Their activities focus on sensory play, early learning, and creative expression in a safe and nurturing environment. Think engaging story times, simple crafts, and plenty of room for imaginative play in spaces like miniature play igloos.
• Sting Rays (Ages 6-8): This energetic group will glide through exciting games and collaborative projects. Activities for Sting Rays encourage teamwork, problem-solving, and exploring the marine theme through more complex crafts and active challenges.
• Sharks (Ages 9-11): The oldest group will dive deep into advanced games, interactive challenges, and social activities. Sharks can look forward to competitive games, high-tech fun at interactive gaming stations, and opportunities for independent exploration within the program’s offerings, fostering a sense of accomplishment and adventure.

Each age designation benefits from distinctive areas and activities custom-created to suit their specific developmental stages and interests. Beyond the general spaces, some ships, like the Carnival Freedom and the forthcoming Carnival Vista (debuting in 2016), feature purpose-built Camp Ocean play areas as part of multi-million dollar refurbishments. These enhanced facilities include “Party Reef,” a common shared space where all age groups can come together for larger events and celebrations, fostering a sense of community among young cruisers. Additionally, “Creative Cove” serves as a dedicated breakout room for arts and crafts activities, providing a focused environment for artistic expression and hands-on projects.

A Vision for Unforgettable Family Vacations: Leadership Perspective

Mark Tamis, Carnival’s senior vice president of guest operations, articulated the ambition behind Camp Ocean, stating, “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. With our new highly tailored age groupings and themed activities connected to the oceans and their fascinating underwater habitats, we’re excited to invite kids to Camp Ocean to have an extra special and memorable Carnival vacation experience.” This commitment underscores Carnival’s dedication to continuously enhancing the guest experience, particularly for families, by investing in programs that are both innovative and deeply engaging.

Crafting Excellence: The Carnival Play Panel Ensures Engaging Experiences

To ensure Camp Ocean’s activities are not only fun but also developmentally appropriate and culturally relevant, Carnival established the “Carnival Play Panel.” This distinguished panel comprises leading experts in child education, media, and play. Their crucial role involves developing and curating the more than 200 new activities, ensuring they resonate with today’s children and reflect the latest insights in child development. Furthermore, the panel will continually review and guide updates to the children’s programming, ensuring Camp Ocean remains fresh, exciting, and beneficial.

The esteemed panel includes:

• Toni Linder: A professor emeritus at the University of Denver, Dr. Linder is a nationally and internationally recognized consultant on child development and education for young children. She also serves as a graduate coordinator at the College of Education at the University of Denver, specializing in child engagement and education, bringing invaluable academic rigor to the program’s design.
• George Arthur Bloom: With over 20 years of experience in children’s media and programming, Bloom is a seasoned writer known for his work on beloved classics such as “Magic School Bus,” “My Little Pony,” and the original “Transformers” TV series. His expertise ensures the activities are captivating and storytelling-rich.
• Matt Brown: Recognized as an expert in play, Brown’s impressive background includes serving as vice president of LeapFrog and senior vice president of Scholastic. He is an advisor for PBS Kids and currently holds the position of chief gaming officer of Conteneo, providing insight into interactive and digital play.
• Chris Byrne: A veteran of the toy industry for over 30 years, Byrne is a current partner in aNb Media LLC and serves as content director for TTPM.com. His deep understanding of what makes toys and games appealing to children is crucial for activity selection.
• April Norris: As a loyal Carnival Cruise Lines guest and mother of two, Norris provides a vital perspective from the target audience. Her practical experience as a parent offers invaluable, trusted advice to the brand, ensuring activities meet the expectations of real families.

The new Camp Ocean activities span across 11 key categories of play, offering a comprehensive and diverse experience. These core themes include active play, games, free play, arts and crafts, and digital activities. Complementing these are additional categories such as role play, music, party time, science and discovery, social interaction, and food fun. This holistic approach is designed to find the ideal combination of activities, catering to children’s varied interests and ensuring a well-rounded and enriching experience for every child.

The Camp Ocean Badge Challenge: Collect Memories of Your Adventure

Adding an exciting element of achievement and souvenir collection, Carnival will introduce the Badge Challenge as an integral part of Camp Ocean. This innovative program provides children with the unique opportunity to earn and collect special badges throughout their cruise, serving as tangible mementos of their onboard adventures and accomplishments. The Badge Challenges are thoughtfully designed to encourage exploration, learning, and participation in a variety of unique activities. Children will engage in tasks that provide an original way to learn about their vessel, experience diverse onboard adventures, and gain a genuine sense of accomplishment. Examples of these engaging tasks might include trying a new and exotic food from the ship’s dining options, mastering the art of making an aquatic-themed towel animal (a classic cruise tradition), or bravely riding one of Carnival’s exhilarating water slides. Upon successfully completing these challenges, children will collect corresponding Camp Ocean badges, creating a personalized collection that tells the story of their unforgettable cruise vacation.

Carnival’s Enduring Commitment to Family Cruising Leadership

The introduction of the new Camp Ocean program further solidifies Carnival Cruise Line’s long-standing leadership position in the family cruising market. With more than 700,000 children expected to sail on Carnival ships in 2014 alone, the brand continually demonstrates its dedication to providing unparalleled family vacation experiences. This commitment is also evident in other recently announced enhancements to the line’s children’s programming, most notably a magical partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises. This collaboration brings the family-focused “Seuss at Sea” experience to life, offering youth, family, dining, and entertainment experiences directly inspired by the whimsical world and timeless words of Dr. Seuss.

Furthermore, Carnival ensures that older children and teenagers are equally catered to. The line’s highly popular programs for tweens and teens, “Circle C” (designed for 12-14-year-olds) and “Club O2” (for 15-17-year-olds), will continue to operate across the entire fleet. These programs provide age-appropriate social environments, activities, and events, allowing older kids to connect with peers and enjoy their cruise vacation with a sense of independence and tailored fun.

Seamless Rollout: Bringing Camp Ocean to the Entire Fleet

The phased rollout of Camp Ocean began aboard the Carnival Freedom in May 2014, following a significant multi-million dollar refurbishment. This upgrade not only introduced the new kids’ program but also included the line’s very first Dr. Seuss Bookville interactive reading venue, further enriching the family offerings. Following Carnival Freedom, Camp Ocean was introduced on the Carnival Magic, Carnival Breeze, and Carnival Triumph later that same year. The balance of Carnival’s fleet is scheduled for implementation by 2016, a process that includes the highly anticipated debut of the Carnival Vista in early 2016, which will feature a state-of-the-art, purpose-built Camp Ocean area from its maiden voyage.

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With Camp Ocean, Carnival Cruise Line continues to cement its reputation as a premier choice for family vacations. By combining expert-designed programming with an enchanting marine theme and a steadfast commitment to innovation, Carnival ensures that every child’s cruise experience is not just fun, but genuinely unforgettable. Families can look forward to sailing the high seas knowing their youngest members are embarking on their own incredible journey of discovery, creativity, and joy, making lasting memories that will be cherished long after the cruise ends.