Excursions with young children?

[hlm2007]

We are going to the Caribbean on Celebrity Summit in January 2013. Our stops are St Croix, St Kitts, Dominica, Grenada, and St Thomas. I am looking to do a couple of excursions but not one at every port necesarily. We have two girls who will be 3.5 and 5.5 at the time of the cruise. Can anyone reccomend where/what would be the best exursions with them in mind? We have never been cruising or to any of these places. Thank you for any help in advance!!

[BeagleOne]

I don't have kids, so take my advice FWIW, which may not be much. On St. Kitts you could take the scenic railway, aka the sugar train...the ship probably offers a shore excursion. It takes about 3 hours altogether and it's a great way to see the island. The cars are double-decker; downstairs is enclosed with air conditioning and a bathroom; upstairs is open-air under a canopy, and you can go back and forth.

 

It's very squeaky and creaky, and the cars sway a lot, especially upstairs. The kids might or might not like that!

 

I also like the Caribelle Batik at Romney Manor. The gift shop has lots of cool stuff, including children's clothes, and the gardens are beautiful. The kids might like picking out clothes or they could explore the gardens with dad while mom shops. Or explore with mom while dad shops, LOL.

 

I'll also put in a plug for one of my favorite shops, Glass Island Designz in Basseterre. They're currently located on the north side of Independence Square but may be moving closer to the airport. If you like creative glass earrings, ornaments, dishes, frames, etc. it's worth checking out!

 

As for St. Thomas, the main town, Charlotte Amalie, is jam-packed and noisy, at least until afternoon when most of the passengers head back to their ships or do another excursion. I would not take little kids downtown during the morning and IMHO the shopping there is way over-rated, so it might be worth avoiding altogether. Magen's Bay is a beautiful beach with lots of shade. Not sure what other kid-friendly stuff is on St. Thomas, though, since I generally hop the ferry to St. John for the day.

 

I was just on St. Croix and the architecture in both main towns is worth seeing but might bore the kids. Some of my CC buddies on the trip went to the beach to the left of the dock (as you look at the shore) and said the snorkelling there was great. There were lots of vendors set up along the shore in Frederiksted that the kids might like, and the fort there is worth the price of admission; several good exhibits and lots of little rooms to check out.

 

Not sure about Dominica; I was there several years ago and we did a tour to part of the rainforest and a volcano. There are lots of "eco" activities there.

 

Never been to Grenada!

 

You might get some good info from the official cruise shore excursion descriptions. Even if you decide not to do them you might get leads on good places to see.

 

Have fun!

[wurmine]

We have done this tour on the Summit last month with our 6 and 2 year old sons. The cruise was great and really enjoyed it a lot. The Summit is a wpnderful ship and the fun factory was the best ever, reported my 6 year old.

 

St Croix: We rent a car and drove to Christiansted (nice!) and visited some beaches. The mermaid beach at the Buccaneer Hotel was great for kids- nice Beach restaurant and snorkeling too. Last time, we drove to the rainforest.

 

St Kitts: We rented a car and toured the island, went to the Cockelshell Beach. The children loved the enormose pig at the Reagge Bar.

You can also see monkeys and visit the castle or do the railway.

 

 

Dominica: We did, like last time we visited, a tour with Woody, who brought us to secret waterfalls (we were alone there) unbelivable nature, a lovely beach and a small river, where we also had a bath. great tour with kids- they both abolutly loved it.

 

Grenada: Probably a beach day at Mourne Rouge (less crowded than Grand anse) We have been to Grenada several times. This year we rented a car and visited the Mourne Fendue Plantation House. Great time, but a lot of driving. It is also nice to see the Grand Etangepark- our kids liked it and only a 30 minute drive.

 

St Thomas: Not my fave island, I have to admit. With kids, Coral world might be an idea. This time, we rented a car and took the car ferry to St John. I absolutly loved it! It was very easy to do and the beaches are just some of the best in the caribbean. Trunk Bay is a dream of a beach and it is great for snorkeling, even for smaller children. Our 2 year old called it "Pool Beach", because it really looks like a pool. When we visited the german north sea last week (very muddy) he was complaining and demanding a "pool beach" or a "pool sea".

[Karysa]

We had a lovely relaxing day at Palms Court Gardens in St. Kitts.

http://www.palmscourtgardens.com/

 

We would love to find a similar place in Dominica.

[Mercury]

We had a lovely relaxing day at Palms Court Gardens in St. Kitts.

www.palmscourtgardens.com/

 

We would love to find a similar place in Dominica.

 

Hi Karysa

 

I saw one of your posts on the Med Board regarding Slovenia. I would be so grateful if you would check on that Board as I have posted a question for you which would help me so much in my planning for my day there.

 

Here is the link:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1394842

 

Thank-you!

[Karysa]

Hi Karysa

 

I saw one of your posts on the Med Board regarding Slovenia. I would be so grateful if you would check on that Board as I have posted a question for you which would help me so much in my planning for my day there.

 

Here is the link:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1394842

 

Thank-you!

 

I'd be happy to.:)