Excursion questions: Western w/4yr old

[alj1208]

We are going to the W. Caribbean on Celebrity. Thinking of doing two cruise line-sponsored excursions with our DS, 4.5. One is the dolphin encounter at Costa Maya, and the other is the Tabyana beach break in Roatan.

 

Is there anything about the dolphin encounter that would not be appropriate for our DS? How deep is the water? Anyone have a child scared by the dolphin? Our DS loves the water and has some swimming skills but cannot swim alone in deep water. I would be in the water with him and would bring his "bubble," but I was wondering what to expect.

 

Is Tabyana a good beach for kids? Would you do the cruise line's trip or just go on your own? At the other ports, we plan to just take a taxi to the beach. Thanks for any input.

[RoadTripFanatic]

I believe Tabayana beach is in West Bay. West Bay is an amazing beach. We had a wonderful time the 3 times we have been there. The snorkeling is great!! (Very deep drop-off with a great variety of fish)

As for the Dolphin excursion what is the minimum age for the excursion? I know most dolphin excursions have age limits.

[Mom2B&Z]

We did one in Nassau with our boys aged 5.5 and 3 yrs. There was no age or height limit, which is why we picked it. You stood on a waist deep platform with the dolphins interacting in front of you.

DS2 was very scared of the dolphin, in fact he was mad when it splashed salt water in his eyes :( They both quickly warmed up to them though, and the trainer was great at letting them do as much or as little as they wanted. That being said, if they opted out of an activity they didn't get a chance to try it again later. For that reason, you may want to try and be the last people in line, so the kids can see what's going on before they are asked to do it. We went in with the kids, so DH had one child and I had the other. That worked well for our boys.

We're on a western cruise early next year, looking forward to hearing other comments on excursions!

 

We are going to the W. Caribbean on Celebrity. Thinking of doing two cruise line-sponsored excursions with our DS, 4.5. One is the dolphin encounter at Costa Maya, and the other is the Tabyana beach break in Roatan.

 

Is there anything about the dolphin encounter that would not be appropriate for our DS? How deep is the water? Anyone have a child scared by the dolphin? Our DS loves the water and has some swimming skills but cannot swim alone in deep water. I would be in the water with him and would bring his "bubble," but I was wondering what to expect.

 

Is Tabyana a good beach for kids? Would you do the cruise line's trip or just go on your own? At the other ports, we plan to just take a taxi to the beach. Thanks for any input.