2 year old on explorer

[mortypro]

we just booked a cruise with our 2 year old grandson. his mom is coming also but we need help? any suggestions would be greatly appreciated
we are going on the rccl explorer western carib 1/02/05. so far we have found one excurision that will take us in belize.
thanks for any help suggestions etc.
we did book the early dinner

[serene56]

Iris: what is it you need help with? packing? excursions? Pack an over the door shoe holder. It will keep all your stuff handy without it getting in the way of the cabin. Get the one with 12 pouches.

Ship stuff- He will be to yourn for camp. They wont take him at all.

[mortypro]

[quote name='serene56']Iris: what is it you need help with? packing? excursions? Pack an over the door shoe holder. It will keep all your stuff handy without it getting in the way of the cabin. Get the one with 12 pouches.

Ship stuff- He will be to yourn for camp. They wont take him at all.[/QUOTE]


we need help with everything
this is the first trip we are taking him on.
we want to take him excursions but don't know what is safe

[serene56]

Scroll down to the family section on cruise critic, THre is a lady there with the name CABINFORFOUR. Has awesome advice on everything you will need to know. What you can expect. what to pack.

[url]http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=49[/url]

also read the port of calls board to see what excursions are there for wee ones. THere are beaches but some beache dont have fine sand- some are kinda rocky, There is the turtle farm on Grand Cayman.

[url]http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=5[/url]

[mortypro]

thanks i checked out the other posts and emailed her

[CabinForFour]

Hi, Iris! I sent you an e-mail. Let me know if you don't get it. :)

Regarding your ports of call, it looks like your itinerary includes Belize, Costa Maya, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. We haven't been to Costa Maya, so I can't offer any advice there. This is what I would suggest for a two-year-old child at the other ports:

Belize - Sounds like you have this port planned already. We did the Xunantunich Mayan Ruins tour, but it included a two-hour bus ride and probably wouldn't be appropriate for a young child. I've heard good things about the zoo there, but I haven't been there myself. Be advised that this port requires tendering ashore, and (if I recall correctly) our ship docked six miles (Yes, MILES) out because of the reef and our ride in was fairly rough because of a storm. You might consider taking along the baby's life jacket just for your own peace of mind. I wouldn't venture out on my own here, although an organized tour booked on your own would be okay. Belize City is very poor and reportedly has a terrible crime problem, but outside the city is much nicer.

Grand Cayman - You'll have to tender to shore here too. Of course, a beach day is always an option. Seven Mile Beach is nice, and you can get there by taxi. Several years ago, we took a ship-sponsored tour that visited Hell, the Turtle Farm, and a few other island highlights. He might particularly enjoy the turtle farm. The farm itself isn't fancy, but you can hold and touch the turtles. There are some really large ones there too. Stingray City is awesome, but I wouldn't try it with a young child who isn't comfortable in water. You would have to hold him the entire time or keep him in the boat because the water is about waist deep. There is also a snorkeling place called Eden Rock near the tendering pier (just take a right after you get off the tender and walk around the water line 'til you find it). There is a lot of shopping at the port in Grand Cayman, so that's an option too. There are some pictures of the port area at my link below, "10th Anniversary Cruise."

Cozumel - You may port OR tender here, depending on how busy the port is that day. I HIGHLY recommend Chankanaab Park for little ones. They have two beach areas (a sandy one for children and another for snorkeling). They also have a nice archaeological park with replicas of ancient Mexican artifacts and botanical gardens. There is a dolphin encounter near the children's beach, so he could stand there and watch the dolphins if he wished. Bathrooms and lockers/showers are located near the beach, as are refreshment stands. It costs around $7 per adult (I think), and you can get there by simply catching a taxi from the port for a few dollars. I didn't have children when we went there last time, but I would definitely take mine there next time we go to Cozumel. There's so much to do for the entire family. I've heard that flying insects can be bad in Cozumel during some seasons, so you might take along insect repellant just in case. I would NOT try the Tulum tour with a little one. Too exhausting.

Let me know here or by e-mail if you have other questions about these ports. I'll be happy to help however I can. Happy planning!

[BlueB]

mortypro,

We took our daughter on her first cruise when she was 15 months old. She did well on the beach and some shopping trips (where she got something). She did not mind bus or boat rides since at least one of us is with her. The key is that my husband and I took turns to do things, at least one of us was always with her.

Hope this helps.

[inkspress yourself]

My dd was almost 3 when we took her on our first cruise. We had a great time.

In Georgetown we visited the turtle farm and did a glass bottom boat thing through the cruise ship where a diver fed rays. We liked both stops. That trip was booked through RCCL.

In Cozumel, we shopped and then took a taxi to Mr. Sanchoz beach.

I didn't visit the other ports on that trip so I don't have any suggestios for them.

We didn't have any problems with the bus ride. I will admit, we usually bought her a new toy at every stop so that entertained her on the rides.

We are stopping at the same ports as you at the end of Sept., but she is 5 now so we have a few more choices.

We enjoy beaches and the beach in Cozumel was the nicest I've visited. This year to see something different we are going to go to Paradise Beach.

Be sure to take some toys with you. As I understand it, you aren't even allowed to step foot into the Adventure Ocean area (where the toys are) with a diapered child.

Have a great time.

Dawn

[RDH370]

We just cruised this past July with our son who had just turned 1 a few weeks prior to our trip. It was certainly a different type of cruise then we were used to however he did very well. I was very stressed over the entire trip, wondering if I was making a mistake by taking him but I'm so glad I did.

As far as excursions go, we didn't book any. I just felt like I wanted the freedom of being able to go back to the ship if he got fussy and if we were on a tour, we wouldn't have had the luxury. He and I actually stayed on the ship in Belize while others in our group including my husband ventured off and I am so glad we did. Tendering in Belize is complicated. The tenders are very small and it is a good 20 min ride to land. Because the tenders are so small the cruise line issues tickets and you cannot leave the ship until they call your specific group # and the first people allowed off the ship are the people that have booked excursions.

We did some shopping in Costa Maya and thats about it. Much easier since you are able to walk right off the ship. Went to Paradise Beach in Cozumel which was just a short taxi ride from the pier and I would highly reccomend it.

Although there is also a tender required in Grand Cayman, it is much easier then in Belize as the tenders are much larger and it is a much shorter ride to land. We hit 7 mile beach and also did some shopping there.

Feel free to write with any other questions.