3 young kids doable at Stingray City?

[CactusGirly]

DH and I will be cruising with our 3 kids, ages 6, 7, and 9 this May. None are strong swimmers. We would love to visit Stingray City, but are concerned that with 3 of them and 2 of us (zone defense!) how would it work? Leaving some sitting on the boat seems less than ideal - but I would appreciate any suggestions.

[Milhouse]

We have only been to Stingray City once so can only give you a data point versus definitive info...

 

Found it to be a very tame experience when we went a few years back. My wife is only 5'2" and she easily kept her head above the water. We too are not very strong swimmers and never felt in any danger. I think I read that the water is only about 3 feet deep or so. Water was very calm also. All the companies seem to cancel the excursion when it gets too windy. Don't have to worry about the stingrays as they are gentle (tho, you should get a primer on how to interact with them prior to entering the water). There's really not anywhere to wander off to. Your guide will have food to attract the stingrays near your boat and there will be a number of other boats in the vicinity (tho, not parked right beside each other) doing the same thing.

 

Do you have any specific concerns that people can speak to?

[unionville3]

We went when our son was 5 - he knew how to swim and we brought our own life jacket so that we knew it was a perfect fit (yes, we are parents of an only child and do crazy things like that). The water is not very deep, but those stingrays really are swimming all around your legs and they are large stingrays. I can't imagine trying to handle more than one child at a time. He just clung to us to avoid the stingrays. Our solution was that he sat on the boat and watched (we were very close to the boat and the captain was still on board). Our son was thrilled with that solution. We went with Captain Marvins and they were great with him - even bringing a stingray over towards the boat for him to touch. With that said, we visited Discovery Cove in Orlando when he was 10 years old and we were snorkeling and enjoying our day when we heard this strange noise. It was our child screaming into the snorkel because he had spotted those huge stingrays. Maybe our child just wasn't meant to hang out with the rays!!! My thought is that your 9 year old will probably be okay and you will be able to deal with the younger two if needed. If you go with a smaller company (maybe not the cruise excursion) you will be in a smaller group of people. The cruise excursions are very crowded. When we went the water was also quite choppy but maybe that is not the norm.

[CactusGirly]

That is my fear... having the two smaller girls (6 & 7) clinging for dear life to us, while the 9 year old is left to fend for himself. We would definitely do a smaller tour vs. a cruise sponsored one if we did it. It was more the logistics I was trying to figure out whether we could manage or not. Our 9 year old is not too tall, so I am not even sure he could reliably stand in a wavy 4 foot deep area and not be constantly splashed in the face. Hmmm... seems like such a bummer to miss something this amazing.

[jburk]

We were thinking of doing the rays til i showed my kids the video of it. Both my 6 & 10 yr old wanted no part of it. Maybe show your kids some online video to see the reaction. Maybe that will give you a better sense of if you will get that cling of life reaction from your kids. I was very surprised that my 6 yr

Old wasnt into it.

[B&P!!!]

I've visited the stingrays twice, although both times before dd. It is a wonderful experience. The first time the sea was calm, but the second time it was quite choppy...even some adults had troubles. I know my dd, age 7, wouldn't be ready for the stingrays, despite being a decent swimmer. We're going to the Turtle Farm this year so she can swim with the turtles and also work on her snorkeling this trip. When she's a bit stronger and braver/experienced, we'll take on the stingrays.

[Colorado Kat]

I think they would be fine. I've got twins, and have taken them many places by myself. When we went there, the boat was very close, and some people sat at the end of the swim ramp, and watched. For smaller children, it's possible to have one riding on your back, and one in your arms.

[bookbabe]

Only you know your kids and how they would react in a situation like that. Do they "play strange" and get clingy in unfamiliar situations or around strange animals? If so, try the video idea and see what their reaction would be ahead of time.

 

Are they comfortable in the water? If they like the water but just aren't strong swimmers they'll be fine with that part of things as long as they have lifejackets. If you stay at a distance from the guides with the food the stingrays will have little interest in you and you can just watch.

 

The other thing to try to gauge their reaction to the stingrays themselves is to try a local petting zoo (or a farm, or just a neighbour with lots of pets). Are your kids the ones that are hesitant and cringe away from the animals, or are yours the ones that are chasing them around and/or are right in the middle of things and loving it? If they don't like that kind of environment on land, they're not going to like it in the water... :D

[CactusGirly]

Our zoo has a ray exhibit that allows the kids to reach into the water and feed them. All three loved it. Although these rays were much smaller, and only your arm is submerged with them. :)

[trsturself]

We did this with DD when she had just turned 8. She was a decent swimmer. No problems when we went snorkeling. She did not like this excursion though. She held on to me the whole time. The guides told us to shuffle our feet so you don't accidentally step on a ray. Well the water was pretty choppy with swells at least 12-18in in size. The swells would pick her up and throw her back on to the ground. She was terrified she was going to be thrown onto a ray. She liked floating at the top and snorkeling to see them but did not want to stand.

It was easy enough to hold her but I don't think DH and I could've done that with 3 kids and still pet the rays. Everyone else is right, it would be easy for the kids to wait on the boat. You are only a few feet from it and the captain stays there. You could take turns with each kid and if they didn't feel comfortable they could stay on the boat.

It was one of my favorite excursions. We are going back in a few months and I'm thinking of doing it again.