Lamanai with infant

[PCHENG]

Thinking about doing the Lamanai excursion with my wife and 2 year old daughter. NCL advertised this excursion as "family friendly", but several independent operators had a recommended minimum age of 4. For those who had done Lamanai with babies, please advise if this is a good tour to be on. We will have a baby carrier with us, and I will be spliting time with my wife carrying the baby so it should not be too physically draining for either one of us. Is there any reason you would advise against taking a 2 year old on this excursion?

[MeHeartCruising]

My apologies for not knowing what type of carrier a 2 year old uses. If the baby "carrier" is stroller on wheels, then no, I wouldn't recommend it. You will be walking thru jungle/trails with tree roots. Pushing a stroller would not be all that easy. But if by "carrier" you refer to something you carry on the front or back of your body, then I think's possible. As long as you know you'll be walking on uneven terrain and it would be possible to trip on a tree root or something like that. It's not hilly or rugged terrain and there are dirt/gravel/grass paths that you'll be walking on. I would think you would not choose to climb up to the top of the highest ruin while carrying the child, but you could possibly take turns and still both do it. I'm sure those who recommend against it are mostly trying to help you understand it involves a fair amount of uneven walking.

[Mom2B&Z]

We went to Lamanai in January with our boys who were 6 and 4. It is an awesome trip, but there are a few things you should know before you go.

First, it is a long trip. About 1.25 hrs on a coach bus, short stop then a 1 hr LOUD boat ride down a very winding river at high speed (2-200hp outboard engines on a boat approx 35ft long holding about 30 people...it was fast!). You spend about 2 hrs at Lamanai, then return by boat to the area where you left the bus. This time, you stop and eat lunch (we ate around 2pm) before taking the bus back to port.

We brought an Ergo carrier with us for DS2 but didn't end up using it. We could have though, it would have been no different than going for a hike on a trail. Be warned though, the trails are dirt, often wet and slippery. I've hiked quite a bit with DS2 in the Ergo so this didn't bother me. DS2 climbed some of the smaller buildings, but most of the time he stayed at the bottom with DH while DS1 and I went climbing. I wouldn't climb the bigger buildings with the Ergo, but that's me. You could definitely do parts of the smaller ones.

The other thing to consider is that this is a long day, with a very late lunch and little access to toilets or food. You would definitely need to bring snacks, we were each given a bottle of water as part of the tour, but I was glad I brought more. Our boys are well beyond potty training, but this could be a big deal for you.

I am the car seat queen (!), but since this is a coach bus, there are no seatbelts. I'm ok with my guys sitting unrestrained in a bus, but again, better to know before you go. They had appropriate life jackets on the boat, honestly I dont remember the minimum weight so you may want to bring your own.

If you have any other questions just ask. We loved this excursion, it was the highlight of our cruise!