lbow2006

101 days. Yay two more days until double digits! :)

You can't get a grilled chicken sandwich? :(

I'm not sure if you have one, but I would suggest bringing a carrier for the two year old that allows them to go on your back. If you're not familiar with them then you would most likely want a buckle style carrier such as: Tula, Beco, Boba, Ergobaby, etc.. (I would keep in mind if you don't already have one that you most likely will want toddler size unless your two year old is petite). It would allow you to pop your two year old up onto your back for those times when he/she doesn't want to walk, especially if you're at a port (easier than lugging a stroller around sometimes, although umbrella strollers can be good for then holding your items like drinks, snacks, diapers, etc.) and also in the buffet line it would allow you to hold a plate for both yourself and your two year old while your five year old stood in front of you with their own plate.

We booked two cabins for two people each (though ours are right next to each other, but not connecting), but our two year old will be in with my husband and myself and my mom will have her own. Not to say our two year old will never want to sleep in hers. I guess we'll see. It just made sense financially to book that way for us. I don't think Carnival will have a problem with it.

Thanks I just ordered 4 12-packs for our cruise in November. We're bringing our two year old son so not lugging water onboard is a real treat! :)

Yes, there are sidewalks. It's still a hike though. You may be adventurous and walk to the plaza and then decide to take a taxi back, especially on full stomach's and possibly carrying purchases.

Good point about full stomachs and purchases. I think we may rent a car rather than use a taxi for that and then a shuttle service to POM the next day. :)

We stayed there in Nov

I believe there was a sidewalk but did not go far from the hotel to check things out

A taxi would probably work better

 

They have a nice little restaurant in the hotel food was decent

We took the fee based shuttle to the port next day but be sure to book this when you check in if you want to use it

Shoot okay. We are actually cruising out of Miami so I may just rent a car from FLL and use that for the day and then drive to Miami and use the rental car place's shuttle to POM. :)

Nobody? :)

I booked this hotel through Hotwire as an undisclosed hotel (though I was 99% sure it was this one. Anyway does anyone have experience staying here? I am curious if there is a sidewalk that we can use to walk under the highway to Kmart and other stores, etc? If not is a cab the best way or the bus system, etc?

Shoot I missed this! If I had seen it earlier I would have gotten myself a card, my husband, my mom, my dad, etc. lol.

Is that total or per person?

I just booked Hyatt Place 17th street conference center for November through valuetrips dot com. They aren't showing rates for 2016 yet, but you may consider checking them out once the rates are available. I saved almost $100 for the night.

I just booked with them for November. 3 adults and a toddler. I'll wait for confirmation, but they list the blackout dates below and our date was 5 days outside of that so we should be good. :) Definitely the best rate for a nice hotel in an area that lets us explore shopping/food a bit and the free airport shuttle and breakfast don't hurt either!

So is 8 days the shortest cruise length they do this on? We'll be on a 6 day on the Breeze in November and it sounds like fun.

Personally I would never take a child that young on a horse. They're too unpredictable and in fact the last time I went my sister got thrown off and ended up in the hospital. If they get spooked there's no stopping them.

Okay that was part of what I wondered. A few people had mentioned how incredibly mellow the horses were and if we had gone I would have only done it if he could have ridden with me on the same horse, but knowing your sister was actually thrown off makes me rethink that option.:(

Hi everyone,

My husband and I along with our two year old son and my mom will be in Jamaica in November. As of now we are the only ship there in any of the 3 ports (Falmouth, Montego Bay and Ocho Rios). Given the limited number of people that day I'm assuming things won't be too crowded. Now I'm trying to figure out what we can do for fun that our two year old would be able to come along for.

The thing is my mom has never been out of the U.S. and Jamaica is the one place she expressed a real interest in going to (that's why I picked the cruise that I did) and I would like for her to see the most beautiful parts if at all possible.

I'm thinking possibly a horseback ride (do they let you ride with small children or is that a crazy idea?) to the beach? If so are there stables aside from Braco stables? I've read they don't take good care of their horses? :(

I read up on Blue Hole and Dunns River falls, but people have advised against that with a child so young. Would it be safe to do if I wore him on my back in a carrier though? (Obviously not jumping into the water, lol)

Are there any other recommendations for really having an enjoyable experience and seeing Jamaica? :)

I found my answer. We won't be going unfortunately. Maybe in a few more years. :)

Just wanted to give a quick follow up.

We finally decided on going as a group (of 17) to the Blue Hole. First let me just mention that we used Errol Bowen (Travel Jamaica Tours) and we HIGHLY recommend him! He is fantastic. We felt completely safe the whole time. he took us to a great spot for pictures, then the girls in the group wanted braids and he had the perfect, inexpensive spot. He then drove us to a fantastic beach and entertained us the whole way telling us everything about Jamaica. He is super friendly, knowledgeable, courteous and just an overall great guy. Trust me, you will have a great time with Errol and his air conditioned van :)

 

In regards to the Blue Hole, there is an area for elders and children to stand and watch others jump, however, there is no real sense of safety. If a child escapes his guardians grip it is very possible to fall off the cliffs as the banisters are quite precarious and children can very easily get under them. I have a 2 & and a 4 yr old and both are very curious and hyperactive and my parents, who were watching them, had quite the challenge in keeping them safe. For those of us who did the jumps we had a blast even though the current was pretty strong, so if you are not a strong swimmer, make sure you mention to the guides as they will keep a closer eye on you. My husband lost our camera that he had (not so)securely fastened to his wrist. I guess the pull from the rope broke it and the camera fell to the bottom and could not be recovered, despite the heroic efforts of the guides diving to the bottom to see if they could spot it. So a bit of advice, do NOT jump with anything, no hats, glasses, cameras etc..

 

Overall we had a great time, but if we go again, I will not bring small children or elders with mobility issues or that tire easily. There is a sitting area in the shade, but you cannot see the jumping from there.

I am so glad to read this! This is the exact info I was looking for. I heard how beautiful Blue Hole was and wanted to go, but we will have our two year old son and I will likely be pregnant when we go. I think I am the only one out of our group of 4 who would have done the jumps, lol. I was considering going and wearing my son on my back for the walk, etc., but if I can't even take him into the water then we will choose something else. :)

I was just coming here to post about this, but since you already have a post I figured I'd ask here first and maybe I won't need to make a separate post. :)

Would it be okay to take a two year old to Blue Hole? Obviously I wouldn't take him in the cave and wouldn't jump off the cliffs, but is it feasible to get to Blue Hole and swim with him (it would be 3 adults and a two year old) safely?

Hmmmm I would get it just because your room will be ready and your luggage will be delivered sooner. I'm in the same boat as you. I arrive to port early and have no need for priority tendering.

But like I said, with early access to my room, I will keep my fftf.

I'm thinking about it. At first I was like well maybe I can just get it for one room so the room is ready early, but I wouldn't want it to separate us from getting on the ship at the same time, lol.

I've read that it's a good thing and I've read that it's a waste of $50.

Still on the fence and am leaving in 30 days.:confused:

 

What does everyone think?

Same here which is why I tried to give all the info for our situation to make it easier to get opinions, lol. I'm just not quite sure. :)

I like having my room ready when we board and receiving my luggage early. This way we can drop our carry on items before getting lunch and then I can unpack and relax before dinner while my husband and son are at the pool.

I think my mindset has me remembering out last cruise where our room was ready fairly early. We went up there at around 1pm-2pm and it was good to go so I keep expecting that this time. Luggage arriving early I'm not too worried about, but I'll have to keep in mind our rooms may not be ready until later and figure out if that's worth the FTTF for us. :)

Probably not, what/how did you get the $50 OBC ?

I'm not really worried if I can't, just was curious. We got it through the most recent promotion because I booked under Early Saver and sent in the price protection forms. :)

Are you flying or driving in the morning of the cruise ? If you're planning on getting to the Port early, then with a 2 year I would consider getting FTTF.. does she/he still take naps during the day? Are you carrying a diaper bag/supplies for the baby that you would like to drop off in the cabin?

 

Personally, that is the only reason I can think of that you might consider FTTF... If not a problem, save your $50 for something else...

We're flying in the day before and staying in a hotel, but we may stay in Fort Lauderdale and get a shuttle/car to drive us to Miami in the morning vs staying in Miami the night before. (Having a hard time deciding this as well, lol). He does still take one nap a day usually, but has days where he goes without already. I'm thinking by then he could wait to nap or go without fairly easily. As for the diaper bag/supplies I honestly don't know yet. I'm sure I'll have some sort of items for him, but I think I could get by with a sippy cup and a few snacks and a diaper in my purse since there's plenty of food available on the ship. :)

Also instead of making two posts I have one more quesiton:

I paid for two rooms on the cruise. We have $50 OBC in each room. Is there a way to get the $50 from the second room transferred to my name?