Excursions with a 2 years old ?

[FirstTime05]

Hi, I am leaving in april on the Voyager of the sea with 2 kids. I know my 10 years old is gonna have fun, but what should we do with our toddler, who's gonna be 2 years and 8 months old when we leave. We are doing the western Caribbean cruise. Thanks !!!!

[I&MsMom]

Hi FirstTime05!

 

We just did the western on the Glory with our 5 (turned 6 on the cruise) year old and our 25 month old.

 

We were in Key West, Belize, Cozumel and Progreso.

 

Before I begin, let me apologize if this is too much information, but when we were planning our trip, I would have liked more input from parents of small children.

 

Also, please know that these were our just our impressions. I'm sure others would feel differently. Also, this was our first cruise, and as prepared as I felt I was (thank you all on these boards!!!), there is still definitely a learning curve...

 

In Key West (12-5, worked out to time in town of 1:15-4), we had reserved the glass bottom boat independently. As we were approaching Key West the ship announced all water-related excursions were cancelled due to poor sea conditions. Used the cell phone to call the operator, and sure enough, they too had cancelled. Ended up checking e-mails at an internet cafe and having a protracted lunch at an outdoor restaurant/bar with live music which we had frequented before (BC: before kids!) I wasn't sure about going with the kids, but they were very well received. The entertainer was a little off color on occasion, but it went over my kid's heads. Nostalgic for us and relaxing with the kids as it was outdoors. The name of the place was Schooner's Wharf.

 

In Belize, the plan was to take the water taxi to Caye Caulker. It would have been absolutely perfect if we could have gotten off the ship 30 (maybe even 15) minutes sooner - we were in the second non-ship excursion group to get off. We just missed the 9 am water taxi, and had to hang around for the 10:30. As it is a 45 minute ride, and we had to make the 1:30 back, we had very little time on the island. We did, however, walk around a little (took a stroller and was glad we did) and we enjoyed a nice (if slightly rushed) lunch. I loved the boat ride to and from, but worried about the wind on the open boat over for my daughter. It is very fast, but she was a real trooper! Partially closed boat on the way back, so it was more comfortable. In the end, it was actually nice to get away from the cruise ship crowds for a day; met a few people in the water taxi terminal we enjoyed talking with (including a couple of residents traveling with their small children), and were very surprised/happy to see the number of 50+ couples backpacking - my husband and I have a date in 15 or so years!! The idea of taking off to see the world with just a backpack held no appeal BC, but now I find the notion almost irrestible!

 

In Cozumel, we went to Paradise Beach. It was my son's birthday, and I wanted him to have a great day. He and my husband both enjoyed the massages on the beach! While Paradise Beach is absolutely everything everyone says it is, in the end, I felt it was just too-I don't know-maybe, generic...It was beautiful. The waitstaff were very accommodating, the amenities exactly as described, including very clean, the food good, the water toys accessible and fun, the water inviting, especially for little ones (no surf or current to speak of). Maybe because we live on the coast, and regularly have "Friday night cocktails on the beach" with our neighbors and their kids, it just felt kind of ordinary. Also, in fairness to Paradise Beach, we had been to Cozumel on our honeymoon almost 20 years ago, when it was slightly off the beaten path. It is now on the super-highway. This was our first cruise, and I knew we weren't going to be "discovering" places en route, but maybe this also slightly influenced how I felt about it. If you're looking for a great beach day, and you're not really looking for any true Mexican flavor, I would highly recommend it. (Just as a point of reference, after we got back on the ship, my son said to me: Mom, I thought we were in Mexico. I said: we are. He said: I thought they spoke Spanish in Mexico. I said: they do. He said: no, they don't....)

 

In Progreso, we took a taxi to Dzibultzchuan (sp?). It was great. Just the right size for little legs. Hired a guide, and asked him to just hit the highlights with the kids. Climbed one structure, learned about the amazing acoustics, checked out the chenote (but did not go in). Went back into town, where the driver gave us a quick tour, recommended a couple of places for lunch. Ate at a beachside place with traditional Yucatan food (it was good, not great - but loved the sour lime soup!). There was a playset in the sand literally within five feet of our table, so the kids played until the food was actually on the table. For that reason alone I would go back! Walked back to where you get the bus back to the ship, did a little shopping on the way and at the plaza (great straw hats for both boys and girls for $3-5, and great crocheted ones with ribbon embroidery detail for little girls for $5.) Overall, we all agreed we liked Progreso the most of all of our stops. Also, t-shirts were a lot less here than in Cozumel the day before.

 

Hope this one mom's view helps. Overall, we had a great trip. Really had no complaints about anything. Hope you all have a great trip and totally enjoy all of your ports of call. Bon voyage!!!

[I&MsMom]

Hi FirstTime05!

 

We just did the western on the Glory with our 5 (turned 6 on the cruise) year old and our 25 month old.

 

We were in Key West, Belize, Cozumel and Progreso.

 

Before I begin, let me apologize if this is too much information, but when we were planning our trip, I would have liked more input from parents of small children.

 

Also, please know that these were our just our impressions. I'm sure others would feel differently. Also, this was our first cruise, and as prepared as I felt I was (thank you all on these boards!!!), there is still definitely a learning curve...

 

In Key West (12-5, worked out to time in town of 1:15-4), we had reserved the glass bottom boat independently. As we were approaching Key West the ship announced all water-related excursions were cancelled due to poor sea conditions. Used the cell phone to call the operator, and sure enough, they too had cancelled. Ended up checking e-mails at an internet cafe and having a protracted lunch at an outdoor restaurant/bar with live music which we had frequented before (BC: before kids!) I wasn't sure about going with the kids, but they were very well received. The entertainer was a little off color on occasion, but it went over my kid's heads. Nostalgic for us and relaxing with the kids as it was outdoors. The name of the place was Schooner's Wharf.

 

In Belize, the plan was to take the water taxi to Caye Caulker. It would have been absolutely perfect if we could have gotten off the ship 30 (maybe even 15) minutes sooner - we were in the second non-ship excursion group to get off. We just missed the 9 am water taxi, and had to hang around for the 10:30. As it is a 45 minute ride, and we had to make the 1:30 back, we had very little time on the island. We did, however, walk around a little (took a stroller and was glad we did) and we enjoyed a nice (if slightly rushed) lunch. I loved the boat ride to and from, but worried about the wind on the open boat over for my daughter. It is very fast, but she was a real trooper! Partially closed boat on the way back, so it was more comfortable for the kids. In the end, it was actually nice to get away from the cruise ship crowds for a day; met a few people in the water taxi terminal we enjoyed talking with (including a couple of residents traveling with their small children), and were very surprised/happy to see the number of 50+ couples backpacking - my husband and I have a date in 15 or so years!! The idea of taking off to see the world with just a backpack held no appeal BC, but now I find the notion almost irrestible!

 

In Cozumel, we went to Paradise Beach. It was my son's birthday, and I wanted him to have a great day. He and my husband both enjoyed the massages on the beach! While Paradise Beach is absolutely everything everyone says it is, in the end, I felt it was just too-I don't know-maybe, generic...It was beautiful. The waitstaff were very accommodating, the amenities exactly as described, including very clean, the food good, the water toys accessible and fun, the water inviting, especially for little ones (no surf or current to speak of). Maybe because we live on the coast, and regularly have "Friday night cocktails on the beach" with our neighbors and their kids, it just felt kind of ordinary. Also, in fairness to Paradise Beach, we had been to Cozumel on our honeymoon almost 20 years ago, when it was slightly off the beaten path. It is now on the super-highway. This was our first cruise, and I knew we weren't going to be "discovering" places en route, but maybe this also slightly influenced how I felt about it. If you're looking for a great beach day, and you're not really looking for any true Mexican flavor, I would highly recommend it. (Just as a point of reference, after we got back on the ship, my son said to me: Mom, I thought we were in Mexico. I said: we are. He said: I thought they spoke Spanish in Mexico. I said: they do. He said: no, they don't....)

 

In Progreso, we took a taxi to Dzibultzchuan (sp?). It was great. Just the right size for little legs. Hired a guide, and asked him to just hit the highlights with the kids. Climbed one structure, learned about the amazing acoustics, checked out the chenote (but did not go in). Went back into town, where the driver gave us a quick tour, recommended a couple of places for lunch. Ate at a beachside place with traditional Yucatan food (it was good, not great - but loved the sour lime soup!). There was a playset in the sand literally within five feet of our table, so the kids played until the food was actually on the table. For that reason alone I would go back! Walked back to where you get the bus back to the ship, did a little shopping on the way and at the plaza (great straw hats for both boys and girls for $3-5, and great crocheted ones with ribbon embroidery detail for little girls for $5.) Overall, we all agreed we liked Progreso the most of all of our stops. Also, t-shirts were a lot less here than in Cozumel the day before.

 

Hope this one mom's view helps. Overall, we had a great trip. Really had no complaints about anything. Hope you all have a great trip and totally enjoy all of your ports of call. Bon voyage!!!

[I&MsMom]

Sorry...I have no idea what happened. After I tried to post the first time, I got an error message so I did it again, thinking the first had not gone through....Yikes!!! Two copies of a really long post...Sorry all.