Excursions with/without kids

[gdynkin]

We will be going on the Explorer on Feb 27th with our 2 sons, 4 & 6.

 

Can you give me some advice as to:

 

1. What excursions have you brought your kids on?

 

2. Would you leave your kids on the ship while you went, let's say, snorkeling?

 

3. Is it always better to have a stroller with you on the excursion?

[RoadTripFanatic]

We will be going on the Explorer on Feb 27th with our 2 sons, 4 & 6.

 

Can you give me some advice as to:

 

1. What excursions have you brought your kids on?

City tours, beach excursions whatever we felt she would do well with. Most of the time we just go out on our own. We aren't big group people.

2. Would you leave your kids on the ship while you went, let's say, snorkeling? I have done it twice. The first time her grandparents were on the ship with in 30 minutes of us leaving. I was fine with that. The other one we left her on the ship for 3 hrs. I was nervous the entire time. Some people are ok with it and others will flame you for it. It's your personal decision. As for safety I felt my daughter was perfectly safe with the child care staff. It was me being nervous about terrorist or something crazy like that happening. :)

 

3. Is it always better to have a stroller with you on the excursion?

For the 4 year old I would take a small umbrella stroller if I was touring the city. If I was just going to the beach or doing a boat tour I wouldn't mess with it.

[lowestar]

Which ports are you stopping at? Maybe we could you some specific tour suggestions for those ports.

[CanadianTwosome]

Oops, I misread the original post! So... here's my revised response!!

 

We come from a landlocked province, so we spend almost all of our port time doing something involving water. We've done dolphin and sealion encounters, day sails, and now we're looking forward to scuba diving (we had to wait until our daughter was 10 to try that).

 

On the first day sail we took, in Acapulco, I organized it with others on our roll call, and there were three kids. All of the parents had the opportunity to snorkel when we stopped, because there was always at least one parent watching the kids. It was a fantastic day - one of the best we've had on any cruise.

 

A stroller is going to depend on the excursion and the child. Generally if you're doing a lot of walking with a small child, it's a good idea. When I took my niece to Disneyworld at 5, she needed one, but my own daughter at 5 did not.

[gdynkin]

Which ports are you stopping at? Maybe we could you some specific tour suggestions for those ports.

 

We are going to:

Labadee, Haiti

Samana, Dominican Republic

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

Basseterre, St. Kitts

St. John's, Antigua

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

 

If you have some ideas, that would be fantastic!

[cb at sea]

Labadee is a beach day....you can snorkle off the beach, if you like. This day is included in your fare...it's RCI's private beach.

 

As far as a stroller goes, it will depend what you're doing! The 6 year old certainly won't need a stroller, and unless I was doing ALOT of walking, I wouldn't bother with it for a 4 year old, either!

[jam82]

1. I prefer to bring my almost 4 year old on water based excursions. He loves the water and is a good boater. In Antigua we did a cat cruise where they took us to two beaches and we had grilled lobster on board. In St. Thomas we did the pirate boat and the pirates worked hard to make sure my son had a fun time. He got to drive the boat and hoist the sails. It was a great trip for little boys. We also did a cat in St. Kitts where there took us to a beach on Nevis. Awesome.

2. Yes, I have left my son on the ship while I have gone on an excursion. If it were up to him, he'd stay on the ship everyday. He loves the kids club.

3. I will still bring an umbrella stroller for him when he turns 4. I don't use one on excursions or on the ship, but I like having it in the airport and while waiting at line at the terminal.

[gdynkin]

Thanks a lot for all your great tips

[MamaParrotHead]

1. I prefer to bring my almost 4 year old on water based excursions. He loves the water and is a good boater. In Antigua we did a cat cruise where they took us to two beaches and we had grilled lobster on board. In St. Thomas we did the pirate boat and the pirates worked hard to make sure my son had a fun time. He got to drive the boat and hoist the sails. It was a great trip for little boys. We also did a cat in St. Kitts where there took us to a beach on Nevis. Awesome.

2. Yes, I have left my son on the ship while I have gone on an excursion. If it were up to him, he'd stay on the ship everyday. He loves the kids club.

3. I will still bring an umbrella stroller for him when he turns 4. I don't use one on excursions or on the ship, but I like having it in the airport and while waiting at line at the terminal.

 

Can you tell me if your cat excursions were booked privately or through the ship? Looking at hitting those same ports on our next cruise and would love to do a cat. Thanks!

[williamsk]

Depending on your children and DH's parental supervision activities, snorkling with kids can be great idea or a safety nightmare. We brought our 18 month old with us into the water. She is a water baby and we accomplished this by placing her in a lifevest, then on a small raft/ board with a seaview window. My husband and I swam on each side, towing her along. We both wore a lifevest (if a child panics, are you a good enough swimmer to keep you both afloat?). I would absolutely do it again as she jabbered about the fish and sea rays... and is still jabbering about them when she sees a picture of a ray (a year later). The one thing I would do differently is bring along her lifevest from home as she is very comfortable in it and will roll over to float if she feels insecure. You can never count on excursions having properly fitted vests for little kids, or ones that are designed to make an unconscious child float with their head out of the water. The water at stingray city was also shallow enough to stand and hold a toddler, so ask questions and you may be surprised what will work.

 

The alternative is taking turns with DH amd allowing one to snorkle while the other takes guard duty.

[blondi_21]

1. I prefer to bring my almost 4 year old on water based excursions. He loves the water and is a good boater. In Antigua we did a cat cruise where they took us to two beaches and we had grilled lobster on board. In St. Thomas we did the pirate boat and the pirates worked hard to make sure my son had a fun time. He got to drive the boat and hoist the sails. It was a great trip for little boys. We also did a cat in St. Kitts where there took us to a beach on Nevis. Awesome.

2. Yes, I have left my son on the ship while I have gone on an excursion. If it were up to him, he'd stay on the ship everyday. He loves the kids club.

3. I will still bring an umbrella stroller for him when he turns 4. I don't use one on excursions or on the ship, but I like having it in the airport and while waiting at line at the terminal.

 

 

What is a cat excursion?

[MamaParrotHead]

What is a cat excursion?

catamaran, a boat.

[jam82]

Can you tell me if your cat excursions were booked privately or through the ship? Looking at hitting those same ports on our next cruise and would love to do a cat. Thanks!

 

Through the ship. If you're interested, I can look and see the boats we were on. I know the St. Thomas one was Bones. I can't remember the others off hand.