fun excursions for adults and 2 yr. old.

[kelleyk]

We are doing the western caribbean on the Carnival Miracle in August. We have four adults and one 2year old. I really would like the low down on some fun excursions for both age groups. We will be stopping at Cozumel, Costa Maya, Belize, and Grand Cayman. The only thing we just have to see are some ruins. Which ruin excursion is best for my 2 year old, and what excursions have your little ones loved?

 

kelleyk

[crusinmama06]

We were just talking about these ports for kids on the RCCL board. I guess the turtle farm is a good one for young kids, Cozumel I think?

[evy123]

The turtle farm is actually Grand Cayman. We are cruising with our 2 1/2 year old in May on the same itinerary. We are looking at the turtle farm in Grand Cayman.

 

In Cozumel, we are probably going to go to the Occidental Grand which is a nice, all-inclusive resort with pools, beach chairs and food and drinks included in the price ($50/pp and $25 for child).

 

We went on a ruin tour the last time we were in Costa Maya before we had a child. I was bored and I am a big history buff. Maybe it was just the particular tour. Most ruins tours are many hours. Depending on your child, he/she may not be able to take an outing that long. So, we are going to do a beach day for Costa Maya (my son loves the water).

 

I am not sure about Belize, my husband might do cave tubing while we stay on the ship. One word of caustion for Belize...they have moquitos that carry Botfly eggs. If a mosquito bites, then the Botfly egg will set up shop under your skin and grow into a good size larvae :eek: . It has to be surgically removed.

 

I know the odds are low that this will happen, but I have read about many people who have had this fun encounter. Just be smart and use plenty of repelent with DEET when in Belize. :D

 

Whatever you all do, I'm sure it will be a great experience!!

[chrly]

We are doing the western caribbean on the Carnival Miracle in August. We have four adults and one 2year old. I really would like the low down on some fun excursions for both age groups. We will be stopping at Cozumel, Costa Maya, Belize, and Grand Cayman. The only thing we just have to see are some ruins. Which ruin excursion is best for my 2 year old, and what excursions have your little ones loved?

 

kelleyk

 

We went on the Western route in May with our 2 dd's ages 3 and 9. In Belize we did the zoo and in Grand Cayman we did a combination tour of the Village of Hell, The Turtle Farm and Stingray Sandbar. To this day all my 3yo talks about is picking the turtles up and kissing the stingrays.:D She also talks about the neat animals she saw at the zoo. :) Just keep in mind that if you are going to the zoo in Belize to spray yourself with a bug spray containing deet prior to leaving the ship and take some bottled water with you as it was quite warm on the day that we went. Your daughter will have a great time no matter what you decide to do.

[I&MsMom]

We were just on the Miracle last week. DD is 3 and DS 7. We were in Belize and Cozumel with the kids last year on the Glory.

 

In Grand Cayman, we went with Native Way: we snorkeled at a reef (DD and I stayed on the boat - my choice. The guide was very willing to help out if we had wanted to get in.) Then we went to stingray city, where DH held DD. Then on to Rum Point, a really lovely beach, where we all had lunch and the kids played in the water for awhile. It is a great beach for little ones - no surf and it stays shallow for quite a ways. DD napped on the boat back from Rum Point and on the van back to the tender dock. We met another family at Rum Point who had rented a car - they said it took about 45 minutes. But beware traffic getting back to the ship. Our van driver "took the back roads" to avoid a massive traffic jam. I would have been a nervous wreck sitting in that traffic if we had to return a rental car.

 

In Cozumel, I took the kids on the Atlantis sub. It was great. To be honest, while DD enjoyed it, I don't think I would have taken just her, as it is a little pricey, and she is kind of little to truly appreciate it. But, again, she loved it and had a great time. I booked this on our own, and it was less than through the cruise ship. Then, we hopped in a cab and went to Paradise Beach. We spent the entire day there last year. This, too, is a great place for kids. They are completely back up and running after the hurricane.

 

In Belize, we took our first ever ship's excursion (4 cruises). We went on the Altun Ha and River Wallace tour. There were large swells, and tendering took forever. Our 8:30 am excursion didn't get to the tenders until about 9:45! I can't imagine how long it took to get all the ship's excursions ashore, so that those without excursions were able to tender in.

 

In any event, we did the river portion first: we saw manatees, dolphins, crocodiles, iguanas and monkeys. To be honest, the river portion was just a little long, and the kids were getting restless and hungry at the very end. Stopped at a place on the river and had a great lunch of stewed chicken and rice and beans (even the kids liked it!) Then some time to shop before boarding the bus to the ruins. The ride took about 45 minutes.

 

The ruin portion of the tour seemed a little rushed. But we did get to climb a fairly large temple. There was a railing (not exactly child safe, but better than nothing!) The steps were uneven in height, and DD needed a little help. To be honest, I didn't let the kids hang out too long on top, and I made them sit on their behinds to go down the steps, which took awhile but was OK as all of our group was still on top. Then 45 minutes on the bus back to the tourism village, where we had no time to shop and we were on the last tender back to the ship, which ended up being 4:30. Again, DD napped on the bus ride from the ruins.

 

We booked through the ship in Belize because last year we went to Caye Caulker on our own. While we were off the ship fairly early, we just missed an earlier water taxi, and the net result was we had less time on the island than I had planned on (time for either lunch or swimming, not both.) So, while we were glad we went, the time pressures to get back to the ship on time had me really tense the whole day.

 

In Costa Maya, we booked the Chacchoben ruin tour with David and Ivan. DS absolutely loves that kind of thing...Anyway, it took about 45 minutes to get there. It is a beautiful place, with a large portion of the site still covered by forest, so it was very shady. David spent a long time explaining things, stopping periodically. He spoke not just about the Mayans, but also showed us different plants and explained what they were used for. Often, I would take DD off to the rear or side of the group, and let her explore while he spoke. So, if it is going to upset you to not hear all of what the guide is saying, this may not be a good choice for you. I was just glad to be in such a beautiful place, and the buildings were also amazing. Here, you can climb up a set of very wide stairs to a plaza with several other buildings. You really aren't permitted to climb any of the buildings. By the time we were walking out of the ruins, DD was tired, so I carried her back to the van. Unless you have a really rugged stroller, it won't do you much good as there are lots of tree roots along the paths.

 

After the tour, we asked to be dropped in Mahahual. We had some lunch (not as good as Paradise Baech, but it was OK), and the kids played in the water. Again, although it was very windy, the water was like a bathtub - there is a sand bar or reef about 100 yards out that breaks all of the waves, so the water at the shore is calm. It is also very shallow for a really long ways.

 

 

I brought DD's life vest from home, and was glad I did. It made me feel less stressed when she was in or on the water. Also brought a stroller, which frankly, we didn't use much for excursions. I brought it with us in Cozumel, and basically carried it around. Otherwise, it stayed on the ship. We used it more when we cruised a year ago, when DD was 2. I expect it depends on the child and your plans.

 

Sorry to be so long winded...Hope this helps and that you have as wonderful a time as we did! Any questions, just ask.