TEGL

Has anyone been on Royal Caribbean’s Crystal Cove & Underground river excursion?

My husband and I are leaving our 4 kids behind and going on a 17 year wedding anniversary cruise.  I am trying to narrow down excursions options in Cozumel, were looking for something fun and adventurous that we typically wouldn’t be able to do because of having kids in tow.  I am hoping to get some reviews/input on the excursion as I know the actual experience isn’t always as exciting as the description on the website sounds.  

Lookin to see what the recommended beach on Coco Cay would be for relaxing.  Were 4 moms going on a girls getaway, were late 30’s-early 40’s. Between us all we have 15 kids.  We are looking for the most relaxing beach to book a beach bed at so we can sit back for the day and enjoy the beach, sun, and rest. 

Chill Island?  Coco Beach Club? South Beach? Breezy Bay? Sand Bar? 
 

Our final payment is due next week for our sailing in September and Im so torn on if I want to roll the dice and risk it or cancel now.  I know not much information is out yet on what the requirements will be which is what is making me nervous.  Will the pools be open?  The kids water park and slides be open?  Will face masks be required? Will the kids club be open?  Will we be able to get off at all the ports?  We will be traveling with our 6-year old who has special needs and if mask are mandatory that will be a big problem for us.  He will not wear a mask and if we wear one with him it is very short lived because he just wants it off our face.  We will be sailing on Freedom, we decided on this ship because of the big water park in the center for the little ones.  We sailed on the Library a few years back but he was unable to go on any of the kids water slides because he was not tall enough at the time, it was a *nightmare* for us because he wanted to go so bad.  He is finally tall enough and SO excited but I am now worried they will have that closed down or have a limited number of kids at a time.  We only get to travel once a year and I am wondering if its worth risking it and making that finally payment or if we should choose to go else where.   
I emailed our travel agent about all of this but she didn't have any answers either.  Any advice?  

We will be sailing to the Mexican Riviera mid-October.  Looking for recommendations of what to do while there.  We're an adventurous family and will be traveling with our 6yo who is busy and active so hoping to find for things to do that will keep him entertained.  Im having a difficult time finding things that are not sight-seeing/informational tours.  Any input of things for us to check out would be greatly appreciated.  Maybe a beach with water sports/activities?  a facility with waterslides?   a catamaran that is kid friendly?  We have done zip-lines in St. Thomas (we went tandem because he doesn't met weight requirements) but Im not super comfortable with the zip-lines in Mexico.

Any ideas for me to start looking into would be so helpful, thank you!

We are looking into doing the zipline tour with Tree Limin Extreme but its only 3 hours so I am throwing around the idea of hitting up a beach after and just and relaxing.  Are there any beaches near this facility that are recommended?  We will be traveling with our 6yo son who LOVES water sports so if there are any beaches that have these in the water that would be ideal.  
For those of you that have been to St. Thomas because and have other recommendations of things we could do after the zip lining I'd love to hear them.  My little one isn't much into informational/sightseeing tours so those are out!  We have been to St. Thomas twice but its been over 10 years and I am at a loss of what to do that will keep him busy and having fun.  

We will be in St. Kitts mid-September.  We will be traveling with our 6yo son so is very adventurous so we are looking for things to do to keep him entertained.  I saw the zip-line but unfortunately he does not meet the minimum weight requirement so thats out.  Are there any other excursions that are recommended?  Maybe a beach with water sports?  a facility with waterslides?   a catamaran that is kid friendly?  He does like to snorkel but for a limited time - he likes to go and then get back on the boat while mom/dad finish up.  

Any ideas for me to start looking into would be so helpful, thank you!

Not a catamaran tour but an awesome excursion.  We went with them last year and still a year later my son is talking about it.  He had a blast and we loved it.  They were super friendly, funny, and just all around awesome.  They made our cruise.  They have amazing reviews!!! 
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147347-d2083816-Reviews-Soualiga_Destinations_Boat_Tours-Philipsburg_Sint_Maarten_St_Martin_St_Maarten.html

We will be going back to St. Martin in 2 weeks and trying to book with Random Wind (its a catamaran tour that got great reviews) but currently the day we are in port they do not yet have enough people booked.  I am still hoping that they get more interest the day we are in port but if not we will be going out again with Capt Bob/Soualiga Destinations.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147347-d1014743-Reviews-Random_Wind-Philipsburg_Sint_Maarten_St_Martin_St_Maarten.html

We purchased it on our last cruise in September 2018.  It was on the Allure 7-Day sailing.  I want to say it came out on the last 2 or 3 days of sailing.
It worked perfect for us as my husband and I split it.  Im hoping to get another one on our upcoming sailing.

On 7/17/2019 at 3:05 PM, WisCruiser2 said:

We were able to rent a lounger at the Divi resort in St. Maarten (without needing a day pass). You could contact someone through the Divi resorts website to check if this is also the case in Bonaire.

I've tried emailing but I haven't heard back.  Ill send another email out.  I don't even need lounger I would be fine playing on the beach as I will be with my kiddos anyway.  We just want to play in the water for a few hours.

On 7/15/2019 at 12:51 PM, Hatteras51 said:

I've read several of your posts and I understand your dilemma. I worked with children with autism and also kids with adhd for 30 years. I know that you need to keep your son busy, but do something that's not going to be so challenging that none of you enjoy your day. 

 

My first suggestion would have been Depalm Island but I read your post about the water park being closed. My next suggestion would be to look at Depalm Tours. They list an off-road tour on their website that stops at the ostrich farm, donkey sanctuary, some cool caves, and goes to Baby Beach. The water there is shallow and perfect for kids. You can also snorkel there, just make sure that you stay in the protected area. I'm not sure if this tour is available through your ship. If not,  see if you can rent it on your own. 

 

Another suggestion would be to take a taxi to Splash Park Aruba. You can google it and see pictures.  There are chairs and umbrellas there, along with a restaurant.  It is located on Surfside Beach,  not far from the ship, and close to the airport.  We enjoy watching the planes coming and going. 

 

Lastly, I suggest taking the bus or taxi to Palm Beach and renting chairs and an umbrella for the day. The water there is consistently calm, and there are lots of restaurants and shops right there.

 

You might enjoy spending some time walking along the harborfront, near the ship. There are lots iguanas just past the walkway, and restaurants and some shops.

 

I checked the Splash Park out and that's so up his alley.  We did something like this in Cozumel at Play Mia (he was only 2.5 at the time and he LOOOOVED it).  I just emailed them to see if there are any height requirements - crossing my fingers there are not.  

Is the Splash Park near Palm Beach? 

54 minutes ago, bup1224 said:

Klein Curaçao excursions start early and the ride out can be rough. I would not suggest this for a cruise ship stop.

Thanks for the heads up.  We decided to do the Irie Tours so Im glad to see that you don't suggest Klein Curacao.  

We are sailing with Woodwind but have a few hours before and after to kill so we were thinking of just hanging ut and playing on the beach at Little Divi resort, since it right there.  Does anyone know if this beach is public or would we have to purchase a day pass?

Were staying for 2 nights post-cruise and have a few different AirBnB were looking at but they are all in different locations of the island.  Which area of the island tends to have the best beaches?  

10 minutes ago, hrmkr said:

We are doing the opposite to be able to do the 2 tours in 1 day.  We are snorkeling with Woodwind in the morning and then a tour afterwards.

Thats probably a better idea.  Im a chicken when it comes to warmth and water so I wanted to do an afternoon snorkel tour to ensure it will be super warm so I can enjoy the water, lol. 

We decided on it last night - go figure when I got the email back today they said they don't have enough interest but its still early so she made a note to contact me if they get more people wanting to book.  It looks like an awesome excursion day and I'm so bummed.  Here is to hoping more people go!!  
 

Plan A was Renaissance Private Island but learned we can't do Rbecause we have our kiddo with us so Plan B was De Palm Island but come to find out the aqua park/water slides will be closed for maintenance so that's out.
Now I'm on to Plan C .... I am looking into the ABC Tours and hoping to get some input.  It looks like they have amazing reviews over 11K with 5-stars.  Im torn between the Island Ultimate Safari that is 9.5 hours or the Cave Pool & North Coast Explorer for 4 hours, has anyone done either of these tours and can give me any input?  I'

Last year we did the Soualiga/Capt Bob Tour and LOVED it.  By fast the best excursion we had done so needless to say we were planing on doing this again when we went back to St. Martin in September.  I have been looking around on Trip Advisor and stumbled upon a small-group day sail with Random Wind.  It received 5  starts by all 110 reviewers - I would like to try something different but want to see if anyone has sailed with them before and their thoughts.  
Should I stick with what we know and what we loved = or trying something different with someone that got just as glowing reviews??

3 hours ago, EviesCruisin said:

I am wondering the same thing about De Palm Island - kept seeing hit or miss reviews as well. I thought the 7 y/o could do water park and 10 y/o old could do Snuba with Dad. But saw a lot of mixed reviews and would love feedback, too! 

Not sure when you are going but I saw on RCCL excursion that the waterpark is closed for maintenance from August - December 2019 (go figure because we are going in September).  I did email the park directly to double check though and will let you know when I get a response back.  

We will be going to Aruba in September with our 5 year old son and Ive been desperately looking for an excursion that will interest him but coming up short.  I have been looking into De Palm Island because he LOVES water slides and their aqua park looks like it would be a blast for little ones - except on RCCL it said that from August 12 - December their aqua park was closed for maintenance.  I just emailed De Palm directly to get more information.  

This place seems like it gets hit and miss reviews.  For those of you that have been there can you give me a little more insight?  Is it worth it or should I keep looking for something else to do there?  
The entire plan in Aruba was to do the Flamingo Beach on Renaissance Private Island but I wasn't aware that it was just for guest of the hotel nor that it was an adult only thing, needless to say I'm beyond sad that we can go.  We will be traveling with our 5 year old and Ive been seeing De Palm Island and thinking maybe that would be up our alley but its pricy and reviews are hit and miss.  He loooooves water slides so Im sure we would spent our entire time there.  Do they allow puddle jumpers on the slides?  Does the island have enough to do for the 10 hours we will be in port?  

On 4/5/2019 at 12:46 PM, hrmkr said:

Since I probably will never be in Bonaire again, I am trying to find a short island tour to fit in along with the Woodwind tour.  Ulf from Woodwind suggested Bonaire Vista Tours but there tours are a little long.  i emailed them to see if a can get maybe a little shorter tour or dropped off early.  If I can do both, I will coordinate with the afternoon or morning snorkeling tour.

 

If not, I will do the same thing as you.  Sleep in a little, have breakfast and just walk around town until it is time to meet Woodwind.

We are trying to do the same thing.  Our ship gets in at 8am and we don't meet with Woodwind until 1145, I'm trying to figure something to do before hand but not having much luck.  If i can't find anything we will just sleep in a little, have a relaxed breakfast, and maybe just hit up the beach by Windwoods pier for a little bit before we head over.  Would love to hear if you find something to do though 🙂

We booked with them for a trip in September.  Our ship leaves at 5pm (so I'm assuming all aboard is 430) and our sailing will be from 1145-1545.  Im sure by the time everyone is off and we are actually walking back to the pier it won't be until closer to 4pm.  Im not at all worried about it.  
We have sailed with other palaces in the past that come back with that same about of time before all aboard and we have never had a problem.  We typically still have time to roam around a little in the port shopping areas. 

We are flying in the night before our cruise and looking for a recommended place to stay that isn't expensive.  We won't be arriving at the hotel until like 10pm and will be leaving in the morning and heading to the ship so we don't need anything more than a place to shower and sleep - but in a safe area and a hotel that is clean!  Can anyone recommend places to look into.  Im hoping to find a hotel that doesn't have a resort fee since we won't really be using the hotel for much.  

 

11 minutes ago, CntPAcruiser said:

 

There is this thread about a beach area and a separate private beach close to the port: 

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2650230-beach-close-to-cruise-port/

 

It also may be possible to contact Dee and Ulf and ask if there is a beach area you can use prior to your excursion on the property where they dock. The last time we went out with them, we had to walk through a resort to get to that dock, but I don't know if they are still using the same one. 

Ill def email them and ask, great idea!  Based on their website it looks like you still walk through the hotel to get to them.  Directions for their cruise guest say to meet at the gate outside the "Casino" and then they will walk you through the hotel to their dock.  
Thank you for the link to the thread for beaches - I'm going to go read through it now 🙂

9 minutes ago, CntPAcruiser said:

My first inclination was to say that there is shopping and sometimes an artists' market within walking distance from where the ship will be docked, but it doesn't sound like that will work for your son. The meeting place for Woodwind is also very close to where the ship docks, so it isn't like there's a stop along the way. If you can't find a brief activity or attraction in port for that 2.5-hour block of time before sailing, perhaps it might be best to take advantage of the relatively empty ship and find an on-board activity with your son.

 

We have sailed with Woodwind twice, and they are very pleasant, friendly, and accommodating. The sailing portion heading out and back may be a little "slow" for an adrenaline junkie, unless just being out on the water and seeing the surroundings will be enough distraction. Presumably you have communicated any special needs to Dee and Ulf, and I have no doubt they will do their best for you. Enjoy!

Thank you so much for the reply.  I was looking at their map last night and was trying to see what was around their area, I saw that its close to the Divi hotel and their beach - do you know if that beach is public?  Maybe we can stop their for a little bit and play in the water?  
He does well on boats, ideally speed boats but I think the area where he can lay on the 'hammock' and look down at the water will keep him interested for awhile.  He also loves to watch the waves splash as they hit the boat so the distraction of all that's around us totally helps.