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Galapagos cruise with children


Suzcruise97
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I’m considering a Galapagos cruise with children (7 and 10, both comfortable with snorkeling). What cruise line would you recommend that would be most accommodating to this age group? We will be sailing over North American winter break, and are hoping to have other children on board.

Thanks!

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I havent done it, so take my post for what it is worth.

I dont think you are going to find many, if any children. Between the small number of passengers and the cost. it just isnt popular with families. Too bad really, because I think it would be really a neat place to take the children. I looked into it a bit for maybe in a few years when our daughter is older(8 month right now). I did run into a smaller 16 person yacht type that looked good but the minimum age for children was 12 years old. Personally, we are going to go at some point when she is old enough to enjoy it, but she will have to be entertained by nature and us instead of hoping to hang out with other kids.

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We went on the Celebrity Xpedition in February. There were no children on board and to be honest, if there were, they would have been bored witless. We had a fantastic time, but there was no entertainment as such in the evening and each night the passengers would just have a drink and sit and chat with one another. On the islands, apart from the wildlife, there is nothing for the children to do so really they would probably be bored.

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  • 1 month later...

We did a Galapagos cruise about 5 years ago with a 13-year old, and it was fantastic. We were on the Eclipse, which was bought by Celebrity and is now called the Xperience. Back then, they had certain tours that were denoted as "family friendly," and there were a decent number of kids on the trip, as young as 5 or 6. The cruise had special activities for the kids during the day/evening, as well as a kids menu. So if you are interested, you might try looking for a similar setup.

 

Whether it would be fun or not for the kids really depends on the kids. Our 13-year old absolutely loved it, as she is interested in wildlife and snorkeling, and generally likes adventure travel. If your kids are comfortable in the water and enjoy snorkeling, that makes a huge difference. Note that snorkeling in the Galapagos is different from snorkeling in, say, the Caribbean - water is deeper, colder, and often a bit choppier, depending on the time of year. Some of the younger kids who were not as comfortable in the water weren't able to snorkel off the pangas, though they were able to do so on shore. There's also a decent amount of hiking, and it is in general a very active vacation.

 

If your kids like nature, wildlife, and are pretty active (i.e. enjoy hiking, walking - there's a lot of walking), then I would say go for it, as it is an amazing experience. On the other hand, if your kids are not that interested in wildlife, don't like hiking, and get easily seasick, then I might pass or wait until they are a bit older.

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+1 on looking for a kid friendly ship (there was not much of anything to do at night on our 4 day cruise a few years ago). As said above, you can snorkel from rafts or on the shore and see interesting things and walking the designated paths is very interesting. One thing to consider: we went in August and it was warm enough to swim without a half wet suit most of the time but another cruiser who had been in the early part of the year said it was much colder though sea life was even better. Check on that.

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That is strange about the weather as it is by the equator and we swam in deep water without any wet suit in February. It was quite hot on walks and water in beach area snorkels was very warm.

It is also when you see a lot of babies.

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That is strange about the weather as it is by the equator and we swam in deep water without any wet suit in February. It was quite hot on walks and water in beach area snorkels was very warm.

It is also when you see a lot of babies.

 

The ocean currents shift mid-year and bring colder, nutrient-rich water to the islands during the latter half of the year.

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Keep in mind that most shore excursions involve a lot of hiking through heat, sometimes over difficult terrain, and snorkeling might require stepping off from the boat and climbing back up the ladder afterwards. If your kids, especially the younger one, have the physical stamina involved and if they would be interested in viewing birds and iguanas for a week, then by all means.

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I was in the Galapagos on the Celebrity Expedition 10 years ago, so things could have changed.  There was one child on our cruise, an 8 year old with his grandparents.  When we saw him at the airport in Quito, I rolled my eyes.  This did not seem like a trip for a young child.  BUT he was great!  He was interested in everything, was comfortable hanging out with adults, and added to our enjoyment.  I really think it depends on your kids.  (Contrast this to the kids - mostly teenagers - we encountered on safari in Africa.  They were surly and bored.  A waste of their parents' money.)

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