Sooner-Cruisers
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Posts posted by Sooner-Cruisers
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We were just on the Magic for a 7 day cruise. There is camp ocean every day, it's tons of fun and they do lots of neat activities. The water slides are great, along with waterworks and the pools. There is mini golf, basketball, ping pong, and a sky course. There's also a dr Seuss parade and dr Seuss brunch, plenty to do! Check out the family board for more info.
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We went to bananarama, it was truly beautiful! It's on west bay beach. You can book directly with bananarama, they have a cruise ship package. I think it was also $30 pp and young kids free.
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Another vote for puddle jumpers! My lo loves hers, she finds the life jackets with the crotch straps uncomfortable. I saw lots of kids in the pool and ocean with these, they truly are great! If your kid is between 30-50 pounds, I highly recommend them.
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Sooner! Always nice seeing a fellow Sooner fan on the boards. :)
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We just got back, there were 7 of us total.
My parents went to the beach by the ship, it was pretty and they enjoyed it. They were able to see some ocean life.
My in-laws came with me, my husband and 4 year old on the Victor Bodden fun-n-sun tour. We had a great time. It was warm and humid and we had our hands full so we were thrilled to take the $2 taxi up the hill. The hill wasn't that big of a deal, but it was nice to have the taxi option.
When we reserved, I told them about traveling with a car seat, there were seatbelts available and we had no issues. Our guide was Elin (not sure how she spells it) but she was interesting and shared lots of information about herbs they use as medicine. She loved her country and made it sound a bit utopian. We always felt safe, but listening to the guide would make you think there's no crime and you are in the safest place on earth. ;)
We toured around the city, made a stop at a little flea market with a view of Coxen Hole and then headed to see the monkeys. The monkey visit was so much better than I expected. They gave us a lesson on how to handle being in with the monkey and how to be safe. We then looked at the lemurs, different birds, rabbits and deer. It was a quick stop 30-40 minutes, there wasn't any time to take advantage of the free wifi.
After the monkey stop, we headed to the beach. The sand was powdery soft, my 4 year old loved it! She played in the sand and built sand castles, the water was absolutely beautiful! We saw a starfish, but the main snorkeling area is further up the beach than I expected. I would love to spend more time there for sure! I reapplied sunscreen several times, but still got burned. I'd definitely recommend a swim shirt if you have fair skin like I do.
After the beach we headed back to the ship, Elin gave a quiz and passed out prizes. Everyone had fun with that. Several people stated this was the best thing they did the whole cruise.
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We cruised with a group of 7. I had a ton of trouble planning this port since we would have our 4 year old with us.
I told my parents and in-laws about cave tubing, after researching I booked them with cave tubing .bz. They had a great time! I knew from a disappointed reviewer to prep them for possibly riding in a bus with others, etc. They were on the bus, the driving was a bit scary. The walk a bit long, but it was their favorite activity they did. It was beautiful and fun, they were pleased with getting to have nicer tubes they didn't have to carry and getting to do more than the ship tour did. They also really enjoyed the lunch.
Me, my husband and 4 year old took our time tendering over, the ride was nice. The boat was large and easy to board. The workers went around selling tours, they were pushing a city tour. They said it was negotiable, $15-30 in an air conditioned van. We left the car seat on board, so we skipped it.
We left the port area, just behind the shops was a small flea market. We took a horse carriage city tour. It was also negotiable. We settled on $40 total. The guide was nice and shared lots of information and history. We ended up spending some time sharing the road with vehicles, that made me a little uneasy safety wise. You are a bit vulnerable in the open, but we tried to be aware of our surroundings and not be flashy. The tour stays pretty close and lasted 30-40 minutes, he did offer to stop at the store if we wanted to purchase or look around. After our tour we looked around the flea market and bought some coconuts, about half price compared to the port area. We also got my lo a hair braid with beads, she was thrilled.
Then we went back in the tourist area, checked out the chocolate shop. It smelled great! My lo loved making cocoa powder and we bought a couple treats. The prices are pretty high, I would've liked to buy more, but hard to justify it. We stopped at the Wet Lizard for a quick snack, it was packed! It looked like a lot of cruisers just hang out in the port area. After that we headed back to ship and swam and played on the water slides.
Overall, we had a really nice time. The Belizean people were friendly and made a point to thank us and tell us how grateful they are to the tourists.
Ps. I had considered the calypso train, hoping it's cheaper directly. They cannot give any discounts or they will get in trouble with the cruise lines.
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I would compare the ships. Our 4 year old loved the magic. It has a great layout that's easy to navigate, the little kid slides are great along with camp ocean and the Seuss activities. The Breeze, which is comparable, may be there by then.
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Did you use this spa. And if so, do you feel the $299 was worth it?
I wanted to, but just couldn't justify the cost. We traveled with our families, so I knew I wouldn't have enough time to truly use it. Maybe if you're solo or just a couple it might be worth it.
My husband's parents bought him a massage for his birthday and he saw the pool, he said it looked nice. He was taken aback by a couple that were being inappropriate in the pool, let's just say they needed to go back to their cabin. :eek:
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Posts like this made me so nervous, but we just got off the Magic and everything we ordered was good. We even had the new American Table menus. We (group of 7) were all pleasantly surprised.
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We just got off the Magic, the flyer in the room priced a single pass for the week at $169 & a couples pass for $299.
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Interesting read since you are pregnant and traveling to the Caribbean:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/14/health/zika-virus-cdc-travel-warning-brazil-caribbean.html?_r=0
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Taxi Costs
in Roatan
This might be an option worth considering: $30pp
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Thank you, great review.
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Our lo was 2 on her first cruise. We did early dinner and I brought a different activity for her each night. I got some simple ideas from the family board, like Pom poms from the dollar store in a snack trap. We had grandparents with us, so it was the 5 of us at our own table.
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Sounds like there was lots of great entertainment, was the carousel included or extra?
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We're doing the Fun n Sun tour with Bodden & bringing our car seat, they don't have them available, but welcome them.
If you are docking at Mahogany Bay, the beach is in walking distance.
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Do the buses have car seats already installed?
Here's a great read on buses and car seats:
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It's completely up to you to make sure your kids are safe. We bought a lightweight car seat special for cruising, it's a cosco Scenera from Walmart for $39. I'm sure it's more difficult with two, but I'd do stuff in walking distance or talk to the shore excursion desk and verify they use large busses.
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We use a fan for white noise, you may try that or maybe get an app that plays white noise.
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Another option I've seen mentioned is for one of the adults to sleep in the upper bed, it may be the easiest option for your situation.
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We bought a cheap cosco Scenera at Walmart for $39, it's super lightweight. It goes up to about 40 lbs and 43 inches (be sure to verify.) It's been real handy for cruising, good luck.
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I've been researching this for my parents and came across this at cave tubing.bz
Age requirement for cave tubing?
No, we are very happy to have children on our tours. We have small tubes and life jackets for children, and very small children can ride on the lap of a parent, if they like. I have taken infants cave tubing before they can walk! Most of them really like it.
You can verify by emailing them:
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We took our lo on her first cruise just after turning 2, we requested the pad from the mini crib and made a pallet on the floor for her. She did surprisingly well with that. We did pack her blanket and lovey from home.
On our last cruise, she was 3.5, we used the sofa for her. The upper may be fine if you request some extra pillows, to help feel more comfortable safety wise. Good luck, I'm sure it'll all work out. :)
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We own that cot, it's fine. Not particularly comfortable, it does fold up small. I would be more apt to just use the bed/mattress provided.
Back from Roatan
in Roatan
Posted · Edited by Sooner-Cruisers
The tour with Victor Bodden was private (not a ship tour,) we contacted him via his website and made a reservation. Private tours aren't allowed in the tourist ship area, so it's a bit of a hike and up hill. Doable for sure, but the taxi was nice, especially with a four year old and a car seat to carry. The group tour was fun, I'd describe it as a minibus or a really large minivan. We had about 20 of us, I liked the group, everyone was friendly and from the same ship. For the monkeys we broke into smaller groups of 5 or so. They are allowed to drop you off close.
Cave tubing .bz Belize: mitsugirly has great reviews of this tour with lots of pics. I also saw the review that mentioned they were made to carry their tubes, I don't think that must happen often and didn't in my parents & in-laws case. They range in age from 65-70 years. They were very happy with the tubes and said they were much nicer than what other tours offered. I researched this company and never saw a mention of trouble getting back to port on time. I believe if you are close on time, they box your lunch up to eat on the bus.