What to do with a toddler

[aanteau]

In 3 weeks I will be boarding the Oasis of the Seas with my husband and 3 yo. Trying to figure out what to do on the Islands with her. We are visiting Nassau, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. My husband and I have been to these Islands before but its so different with a child. Any suggestions on what to do? Good beaches? Not finding much to do in St. Maarten.

[ladeeesquire]

We were just in st martin with our 3 yr old in march. We actually ended up doing a tour with Bernard. My dd enjoyed it, she's a pretty good little traveler though. We made a few stops including one where she got to see/hold sea stars and starfish, etc then we went to Orient Beach for about 2 hrs which she loved of course. On the way back we stopped at Maho and watched the planes for awhile. I thought the noise might bother her but it didn't at all. It was a good day with a bit of everything and she was never bored.

 

The only thing to consider would be that like many of the island trips there's a LOT of rum punch going around in the vans. We don't drink. We don't care if other people do of course but would prefer not to be in a party bus with our 3 yr old. As it turned out we were in a van with bernard himself and only one other couple so it was pretty mellow. I heard the other van was more "lively" although I don't know if would have thought it inappropriate.

 

Just saying its something to consider.

 

susan

[Mack2]

The light-hearted, funny, and sarcastic thing to do is this:

 

But the honest thing to do is give some insight.

 

Nassau has Ardastra gardens... I love Ardastra... if you go on your own, and have time to explore the place, you'll be able to feed the lorie parrots, take pictures of the random birds sharing the paths with you... We were lucky enough to meet Joe, one of the trainers of the Famous Marching Flamingos.. and the kids got to interact with the birds.

 

St.Thomas... well.. you have Coral World... which is right on Coki Beach...

Two birds, one stone. What kid doesn't love an aquarium?

 

St.Maarten has a Butterfly farm... near Orient Beach.

The Butterfly farms are cool... good for teaching the kids some self-control.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

If your toddler is still in diapers the real drawback is not being able to take them swimming on the ship. So we look for opportunities to swim with the little ones. Meagan's Bay on St. Thomas was nice because the surf is gentle and I really liked the taxi ride up and over the island. Gave us an opportunity. I know there are other gentle beaches there but some are rough. One year we drove to a beach near to the ship and it was much to rough for us.

[LisaT91403]

We are doing that same Oasis itinerary in mid-June with our 3 year old DS.

 

In Nassau, I think we are going to do the Blue Lagoon Deluxe Beach excursion. My DS will like the ferry ride, and we won't have to worry about a car seat. I think he will enjoy the beach, and we can probably go watch the people who are doing the dolphin and sea lion encounters too. It's only a couple of hours long, which should be just enough sun/beach time for the little guy.

 

In St. Martin, we will probably go to Le Galion Beach (aka Baby Beach). The water is very calm and shallow...great for a 3 year old. The backup plan is Orient Beach if others in our group (who don't have toddlers) want to go too.

 

I haven't figured out St. Thomas yet, but will watch this thread to see what others suggest.

[mdance19]

HI!

 

We are going on Oasis this saturday with our 2 year old for the same itinerary!

 

In Nassau (a little on the expensive side) we are doing the shallow water dolphin/ aquaadventure at Atlantis excursion. He will love seeing the dolphins and there are several kiddie pools in atlantis for him to play in. Hoping we will all have fun on this one!

 

In st thomas we are going to Coki beach (coral world is near by which kids like). We are just taking a taxi, not a planned excursion.

 

St Thomas- mommy is going to do some shopping and then we will hit the beach for a little, again not planned.

 

I think there will be so much to do for them on the ship that a day in the sun and ocean will be fun for them! I'll let you know how it goes!

[Airmuffin]

We have a similar route on Freedom this summer. The only exception is Cococay instead of Nassau. We're hoping for 3 beach days: We are planning on taking a shopping trip in St. Thomas that goes over to St John's. We like the idea of the quietness of St. John's. It allows for 3 hrs of beach time. On St. Maarten, we found a Best of St. Maarten tour with 3 hrs. at an all inclusive resort. It includes umbrellas, beach chairs, and free drinks at the bar/lunch. Hopefully these will work out. Looks like my 2 (almost 3 year old) will be free for both excursions... On Cococay, we are planning on a lazy beach day(no excursions except for maybe the $10 raft to float on for the day:).