What excursions with a 20 month old.

[mymirabella]

We will be on the Freedom in March

Labadee,Haiti

Falmouth, Jamaica

George Town, Grand Cayman

Cozumel, Mexico

 

According to Royal's excursions my 20 month old can only go to the beach and take a trolly ride and such. Are they sticklers for age? How about outside non-Royal tours is there anything anyone can recommend? He's really a water-lover and I will have extra help. In my opinion he could do almost anything a 4 yo can do. I know we should avoid Dunns river falls because walking the falls can be treacherous. Obviously he can't snorkel or scuba but we would like to swim with the rays and see the sea turtles in Grand Cayman.

I don't mind just a beach day here and there but with 4 ports I would like to have a couple more exciting excursions planed.

[Clarea]

... Are they sticklers for age?...

If you are asking if the cruise line excursion operators will stick to the age limits posted in the excursion description, the answer is yes. Generally, for insurance liability reasons, they will stick to the limits.

[Ourusualbeach]

Royal will not waiver in their age requirements however if you do some research and book privately you may find that the age restrictions are different.

 

Knowing my kids attract age they loved beach days. The rays in Grand Cayman would also be a big hit.

Edited October 14, 2015 by Ourusualbeach

[knittinggirl]

We will be on the Freedom in March

Labadee,Haiti

Falmouth, Jamaica

George Town, Grand Cayman

Cozumel, Mexico

 

According to Royal's excursions my 20 month old can only go to the beach and take a trolly ride and such. Are they sticklers for age? How about outside non-Royal tours is there anything anyone can recommend? He's really a water-lover and I will have extra help. In my opinion he could do almost anything a 4 yo can do. I know we should avoid Dunns river falls because walking the falls can be treacherous. Obviously he can't snorkel or scuba but we would like to swim with the rays and see the sea turtles in Grand Cayman.

I don't mind just a beach day here and there but with 4 ports I would like to have a couple more exciting excursions planed.

When we visited Dunn River Falls, we didn't participate in their water walk. We just walked the paths next to the falls. But they really want you to rent the shoes and take the plunge. Personally, from what I heard, I'm not sure it would have been safe for me at age 20.

 

In Grand Cayman, we did the turtle farm and hell.

Edited October 14, 2015 by knittinggirl

[marci22]

We always did beach days when our kids were young. On your itinerary, it is not going to get too much more exciting than that, anyway.

 

We did this in Grand Cayman http://www.nativewaywatersports.com/our-tours

Rays, Reef and Rumpoint. It's nice because there are only about 20-25 people on your boat. The water is calm and shallow where you see the stingrays, but the snorkeling area was rough: you needed to wear flippers with the current, so your child would have to stay on the boat with you for that period. Lunch was at Rum Point at a beach with shallow water and few waves. It's a 5 hour tour. You might prefer one of the shorter tours with your child.

Edited October 14, 2015 by marci22

[BDsquared]

Hello!

 

We have done that itinerary several times with our young daughter. The first time, she was 24 months. This is what we did:

 

Labadee: A great beach day! We got off the ship fairly early and got 2 chairs and a clam shell right up front at Nellie's Beach. We also got a floating mat. DD loved the floating mat! We just sat her on top and paddled her around. I brought a small bucket and a shovel for her, as well. It was an amazing day!

 

Falmouth: Strolled around the port. It is a very nice, new, safe port. DD loved the stilt walkers and all the little shops. Then we went back to the ship and had it all to ourselves!

 

Grand Cayman: We took the public bus to the Turtle Farm and then to Public Beach. Also a great day!

 

Cozumel: Made reservations for Nachi Cocom. Great service, food. We go there nearly every year. There is the beach, and they have a very nice pool with a nice shallow area for little ones.

 

Last year we did the same itinerary when DD was 4. In GC we snorkeled and did Stingrays, Falmouth we hired a private car for a tour.

 

Have a wonderful cruise!!

[ckergald]

Jamacia, I wouldn't recommend climbing dunns river falls with a child that young but there are several entrances and exits from a boardwalk along side the climbing path that lead into pool areas you could enjoy.

 

Grand Cayman - Stingrays are fun but the water will be too deep for the child to touch the bottom (about waist deep on an adult) but could be fun if the child likes the water. Also sea turtle farm is fun.

[Homosassa]

Another note about the water level on the Cayman sting ray sand bar water level. If you are there at high tide, the water level is high enough that you may have to swim a short distance from the boat to the sand bar (not all the boats can be close to the bar). Once on the bar, the water may be as high as waist to chest deep on adults in different parts of the reef (depending on the adult's height and also the waves breaking over the bar).

[Homosassa]

As someone who has been there, done that with an 18 month old (30 years ago), shore time will basically be walks around the port or shallow water splash time on the beach.

 

In any case, it is not fair to others on an excursion to bring a baby (1 year old is still a baby) that might be cranky, whining or crying due to boredom, being sleepy, or hungry. You, as the parent, has to deal with it; others do not and should not be expected to. This was my philosophy then and definitely is mine now.

[marci22]

We did this in Grand Cayman http://www.nativewaywatersports.com/our-tours

Rays, Reef and Rumpoint. It's nice because there are only about 20-25 people on your boat. The water is calm and shallow where you see the stingrays ...

 

Just to clarify my 'shallow' comment: it is shallow and calm enough for an adult to hold a baby in a life vest. I didn't mean to imply that it was shallow enough for a baby to stand up by himself.

[cb at sea]

Labadee IS a beach day..no need for excursions at all! Plenty of sun, shade, sand and water.

[sasha96]

Labadee is a beach day and Cozumel you will probably do the beach and maybe some shopping. On Cayman, we did Native Ways with a 3 year old and 5 year old. We were with a large group and had the boat to ourselves (15 of us). I'm 5'1" and the water on the sandbar was chest high. The current was a bit strong and Cayman can often have winds. Though my girls wore life jackets there were times I found it a bit hard to hold them. You have to shuffle your feet too, so you don't step on a sting ray (and barb). That won't be easy if you lose your balance. I don't think I would do it with a 20 month old. The Turtle Farm would be great for a little one!

[mymirabella]

I'm definitely thinking beach day at Labadee I won't be zip lining with children :-) and it looks like a great beach.

 

The turtle farm sounds good I'll check that out. When you swim with the rays is it possible for someone to stay on the boat and switch there will be 12 of us potentialy?

I don't see a glass bottom boat excursion anywhere.

[marci22]

When you swim with the rays is it possible for someone to stay on the boat and switch there will be 12 of us potentially.

 

Yes, they don't make you get off the boat. You don't even have to get in the water if you don't want to. As someone said, water height in the stingray location can vary with the tides.

[mymirabella]

Yes, they don't make you get off the boat. You don't even have to get in the water if you don't want to. As someone said, water height in the stingray location can vary with the tides.

 

How much time do they give you aprox? I think I will look for a private tour company that I can do this with if the water is too deep that day we can switch.

[marci22]

How much time do they give you aprox? I think I will look for a private tour company that I can do this with if the water is too deep that day we can switch.

 

I don't remember. The private company I used was Nativeway in Grand Cayman. They take a max of 25 people on the RRR tour. See the website link I posted above. The crew was very helpful to me keeping track of my glasses and helping me on and off the boat. They offer several different tours.

[BDsquared]

Yes, if you want to do the stingrays, a private tour company will be your best bet.

 

There are a lot of choices with great reviews on Trip Adviser. We chose Acquarius Sea Tours and I highly recommend them. The main reason we chose them is because they make 3 stops - snorkeling, stingrays and starfish point. Starfish point is GREAT for young children. The water is only about 1ft deep and you can hold the starfish. :)

 

We had 45 minutes with the Stingrays. DD did not like stingray city! There were a lot of people shrieking (:rolleyes:) and a lot of stingrays! The captain (Mario) was able to lead us to a more "quiet" area, brought us a stingray for dd to pet/see and took awesome pictures of our family. After that, dh and I took turns in and out of the water.

 

Captain Mario has an amazing camera that he will use to get beautiful pictures of you and your family during your tour. They are great quality and FREE to download when you get home! :) He also serves pizza. water, punch. Free transportation to and from the ship. There were 15 total on our boat, several couples and several young families with small children.

 

We paid $50pp, DD was free.

[ckergald]

Grand Cayman also has submarine tours that you might enjoy, don't think I can link to it here but google grand cayman submarine and it will be the top result.

[mymirabella]

Yes, if you want to do the stingrays, a private tour company will be your best bet.

 

There are a lot of choices with great reviews on Trip Adviser. We chose Acquarius Sea Tours and I highly recommend them. The main reason we chose them is because they make 3 stops - snorkeling, stingrays and starfish point. Starfish point is GREAT for young children. The water is only about 1ft deep and you can hold the starfish. :)

 

We had 45 minutes with the Stingrays. DD did not like stingray city! There were a lot of people shrieking (:rolleyes:) and a lot of stingrays! The captain (Mario) was able to lead us to a more "quiet" area, brought us a stingray for dd to pet/see and took awesome pictures of our family. After that, dh and I took turns in and out of the water.

 

Captain Mario has an amazing camera that he will use to get beautiful pictures of you and your family during your tour. They are great quality and FREE to download when you get home! :) He also serves pizza. water, punch. Free transportation to and from the ship. There were 15 total on our boat, several couples and several young families with small children.

 

We paid $50pp, DD was free.

 

We just booked this tour thanks so much for the recommendation it looks like exactly what we are looking for. Any suggestins for the private tour in Falmouth? I have been to Cozumel a few times and stayed there for a week before so I'm just fine making that a beach day too unless I can find something interesting and not crazy expensive there. I'm going with a goal of 2 beach days and 2 excursion days.

[CamaCama]

Our cruise went to Cozumel last year and my daughter was 17 months... we went to Playa Mia which was awesome for kids. Great beach with lots of shade/trees, awesome splash park area with little slides and a big pool. Highly recommend.

[mymirabella]

Our cruise went to Cozumel last year and my daughter was 17 months... we went to Playa Mia which was awesome for kids. Great beach with lots of shade/trees, awesome splash park area with little slides and a big pool. Highly recommend.

 

That sounds nice. How far from the pier is it?

[BDsquared]

:)

We just booked this tour thanks so much for the recommendation it looks like exactly what we are looking for. Any suggestins for the private tour in Falmouth? I have been to Cozumel a few times and stayed there for a week before so I'm just fine making that a beach day too unless I can find something interesting and not crazy expensive there. I'm going with a goal of 2 beach days and 2 excursion days.

 

So glad you booked with them!! You will really have a great time!! Those free pictures are worth the cost of the tour alone!

 

In Falmouth we hired Marvyn's Paradise Tours. I found them on Trip Advisor. We had my parents with us so we did not get too adventurous! We saw a lot of scenery, ate at Scotchies (highly recommend) and did some shopping in an area that was HASSLE FREE! I would hire Marvyn's again in a heartbeat. We were treated like GOLD! If you email Marvyn, he will answer you back right away. He even called me when we returned home from our trip to thank us for our business. He can give you suggestions or you can tell him where you'd like to go and he will make it happen. I believe our tour lasted approx 5-6 hours and we paid around $200 (maybe less?) for 5 of us, plus food and tip.

 

Happy Sailing!!:)

[sanger727]

Just my 2 cents ref the sting rays in grand cayman. I am 5'2 and the water was well over waist high on me and I found that the sting rays were large enough that when they brushed by my legs I had a hard time not falling over and was using my arms quite a bit to keep from falling. So, just keep that in mind, in terms of deciding whether or not to go and who will be holding the baby. My bf is over 6' and did not have that issue.

[brillohead]

I've been to Chankanaab several times (Cozumel).

 

There is plenty to do there if you wish, and there's a small protected cove with a beach where the toddler can play in the sand and walk into the water easily without big waves to worry about.

 

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g150809-d185578-Reviews-Chankanaab_Beach_Adventure_Park-Cozumel_Yucatan_Peninsula.html

[mconthehighseas]

I'm definitely thinking beach day at Labadee I won't be zip lining with children :-) and it looks like a great beach.

 

The turtle farm sounds good I'll check that out. When you swim with the rays is it possible for someone to stay on the boat and switch there will be 12 of us potentialy?

I don't see a glass bottom boat excursion anywhere.

 

We have a 2 year old and instead of a glass bottom boat, I found a ship's excursion for a semi-sub, where you can walk below deck to see fish or sit on top to see the island.