Bringing toddlers on excursions

[mikegberg]

I have been searching the boards and the web at large for days and haven't come up with an answer to this question.

 

We have a 2-year-old who is cruising at full fare, and an infant cruising at a reduced fare. To book an excursion online for the whole family, the toddler pays the full child fee and the infant is free (for those excursions that aren't age-restricted, of course).

 

My question is: Has anyone who has travelled with such young kids before gotten away with not paying for the two-year-old? I'm sure it's a "your mileage may vary" type of question, but I was considering -- for the few excursions we may do -- paying the fare for the two adults and bringing the kids along without tickets. I don't think the tour operators will ask for any documentation of the kids' ages.

 

[sidenote to those who like to start arguments]

Thanks in advance for all of your concern, but I've read through the "do you really want to bring a baby on an excursion" threads and share all the same worries about car seats as everyone else. I'm just looking for some answers based on experience. And to those who consider trying to get a two-year-old on an excursion for free to be "stealing from the cruiseline or tour operator," you can spare me the lecture.

[/sidenote]

 

Of course, I do plan on tipping the tour operators for their willingness to bend the rules.

 

Thanks for your help.

[GORDONCHICK]

No, you pay what you are obligated to pay.

[mikegberg]

No, you pay what you are obligated to pay.

 

Cool, thanks for the advice, even if it wasn't what I wanted to hear.

 

Now that I have you in the converstion, tell me, when you cruised on the Celebrity Galaxy with your then-two-year-old, what kind of excursions did you take him on? How did he do?

[tkportersat]

Sorry, don't have any experience on this other than when I would pretend my kids were younger for reduced fare at the movie or amusement park. I imagine it would work on an independent tour; obviously not on one booked through the cruiseline. Good luck.

 

I have been searching the boards and the web at large for days and haven't come up with an answer to this question.

 

We have a 2-year-old who is cruising at full fare, and an infant cruising at a reduced fare. To book an excursion online for the whole family, the toddler pays the full child fee and the infant is free (for those excursions that aren't age-restricted, of course).

 

My question is: Has anyone who has travelled with such young kids before gotten away with not paying for the two-year-old? I'm sure it's a "your mileage may vary" type of question, but I was considering -- for the few excursions we may do -- paying the fare for the two adults and bringing the kids along without tickets. I don't think the tour operators will ask for any documentation of the kids' ages.

 

[sidenote to those who like to start arguments]

Thanks in advance for all of your concern, but I've read through the "do you really want to bring a baby on an excursion" threads and share all the same worries about car seats as everyone else. I'm just looking for some answers based on experience. And to those who consider trying to get a two-year-old on an excursion for free to be "stealing from the cruiseline or tour operator," you can spare me the lecture.

[/sidenote]

 

Of course, I do plan on tipping the tour operators for their willingness to bend the rules.

 

Thanks for your help.

[GORDONCHICK]

He was 3.5 on that cruise, and honestly, we didn't do any excursions at all and absolutely fell in love with cruising without them! After that cruise, we were very picky about the excursions we did with him and really did stuff that would be easy on him and still fun. It really depends on specifically where you are going on what I would recommend.

 

The one thing we did that would would recommend is we kept him to his nap schedule. He always took naps at home, so every day one of us would lay down in the cabin with him. Helped keep him happy and made it much more reasonable for us to expect good behavior. He was fine through 2 hour dinners in the MDR and loved the attention.

[Toyz711]

best to use a local/private company, for excursions. NCL knows the age of your child (on the paperwork)..with insurance issues, there is only so much they can do.

a private tour guide, you can ,make your own arrangements. check out the family boards and the port-of-call boards to get more information.

[GORDONCHICK]

A private excursion will sometimes tailor the trip to your family if you are the only ones. Our guide in Belize loves kids, and doted on our DS! We've used him twice and adore Maurice.

[mikegberg]

best to use a local/private company, for excursions. NCL knows the age of your child (on the paperwork)..with insurance issues, there is only so much they can do.

a private tour guide, you can ,make your own arrangements. check out the family boards and the port-of-call boards to get more information.

 

That's actually what I was leaning towards doing anyway. I just like the security of knowing the ship's not going to leave without me. I guess that's part of what you pay for, so you really can't have it both ways.

 

I know that costs are going to skyrocket out of control on this cruise and I'm just looking to save wherever I can. Too bad I didn't ask about smuggling booze, as there appear to be thousands of experts on that.

 

Happy cruising to all.

[Mooder]

That's actually what I was leaning towards doing anyway. I just like the security of knowing the ship's not going to leave without me. I guess that's part of what you pay for, so you really can't have it both ways.

 

I know that costs are going to skyrocket out of control on this cruise and I'm just looking to save wherever I can. Too bad I didn't ask about smuggling booze, as there appear to be thousands of experts on that.

 

Happy cruising to all.

 

I think you have gotten good advice about the excursion - going the private tour route - and I don't have children so I can't provide any additional info on that. I'm posting to say that I think the concern of missing the ship with a private tour operator is overblown by some people on the boards. If you select an operator who has been in business a good while and received lots of positive reviews online, I think you can relax. This is their business, they know the ship schedules better than you do, they know what time it takes to do the excursion, and can't afford to have negative reviews posted. In the years I've been on these boards I can count on half a hand the times I've read of anyone missing the ship and they were just as often ship-sponsored as private. The ship won't wait forever even if you are on their tour. The advantage then is that they may help with the situation, but that is minimal.

 

You'll save money and if you are having any issues with one of the little ones, you can stop, deal with it, and/or change the tour to suit your family.

 

Enjoy!

[SuiteRose]

We just cruised with my 2 1/2 year old nephew. All of the private tours we took were free for him. They all knew his age and there was no charge. Where are you going?

[uncleboo]

when you post something like that or any post people are open to post whatever they choose.

 

if you take your kids you wil have to pay for them regardless of age

 

tours are in business to make $ and not give away freebies.

 

also many trips are not geared for little children

[tomsuelaw]

I do not have any advice on avoiding the fees but wanted tp say we are with you. We travel with our kids everywhere and do not let them slow us down... ok so maybe we are a little slower but they don"t stop us ;)

 

We have a 2 yr old adn a 6 month old and are sailing in 2 weeks. We are doing alot of hiking type activity...one excursion thru NCL (have to pay for 2 yr old) and one with private company (2 yr old free). If you are looking for hiking or physical activity type of things I would recomend the backpack we have http://www.backcountry.com/sherpani-rumba-superlight-kid-carrier We love it and so does our toddler!

 

Anyway, just wanted to say I think it is awesome when parents step out of comfort zones and do things with thier kids. It is good for the kids to learn to be flexable and it is good for us parents to live life even if it means a little extra stress. They are only little for a short time right, lets live it up:D

[k&johio]

Amen. Take your kids and have fun. We are sailing in 5 days and we have choosen to overlook the old farts who seem to forget that they were once children themselves or better yet, that they raised children.

 

We are the parents of a 5/3/3 yo and we have always had the philosophy of go..go..go. Our kids are well mannered and expert diners, but they are still kids.

 

As for the excursion, go for it. Most of the privates are happy to serve and respond to a good tip.

[Mom2B&Z]

and our 3yo did not pay for the dolphin encounter we did through NCL at Blue Lagoon in Nassau. The description clearly says that children 3 and under are free. We did look for other tours with this option, most were for kids under 2 (i.e. like the airlines "lap child" policy). In St. Maartin, we told the water taxi people his real age, but they waved him through because I was wearing him in a carrier. I tipped her accordingly.

There are some very experienced family cruisers over in the family forum, you may also want to try posting there.

IMHO I don't mind paying for the kids when they are taking up a seat that could be filled by a full-paying passenger.

 

I have been searching the boards and the web at large for days and haven't come up with an answer to this question.

 

We have a 2-year-old who is cruising at full fare, and an infant cruising at a reduced fare. To book an excursion online for the whole family, the toddler pays the full child fee and the infant is free (for those excursions that aren't age-restricted, of course).

 

My question is: Has anyone who has travelled with such young kids before gotten away with not paying for the two-year-old? I'm sure it's a "your mileage may vary" type of question, but I was considering -- for the few excursions we may do -- paying the fare for the two adults and bringing the kids along without tickets. I don't think the tour operators will ask for any documentation of the kids' ages.

 

[sidenote to those who like to start arguments]

Thanks in advance for all of your concern, but I've read through the "do you really want to bring a baby on an excursion" threads and share all the same worries about car seats as everyone else. I'm just looking for some answers based on experience. And to those who consider trying to get a two-year-old on an excursion for free to be "stealing from the cruiseline or tour operator," you can spare me the lecture.

[/sidenote]

 

Of course, I do plan on tipping the tour operators for their willingness to bend the rules.

 

Thanks for your help.

[fdwt994]

Guys,

 

What about bringing a car seat for our 2 y/o? Anyone have any experience with using it during an excursion?

 

Thanks

[GORDONCHICK]

Guys,

 

What about bringing a car seat for our 2 y/o? Anyone have any experience with using it during an excursion?

 

Thanks

 

Most excursion vehicles I've been in didn't have anything you could hook it to, but that does depend on your ports and who you booked through.

[tomsuelaw]

Guys,

 

What about bringing a car seat for our 2 y/o? Anyone have any experience with using it during an excursion?

 

Thanks

 

The other problem is where would you keep the car seat when you are not on the bus or whatever vehicle they use? We are not bringing the carseats to excursions where tour buses/safari buses are used. I know it may not be the safest, but I do not see another alternative. We are renting a vehicle in St Thomas and will bring our carseats in port for that.

 

I asked a private tour operator if we should bring carseats for his safari bus and he said they may or may not have seat belts and that carseats are not really used in his country (Dominican Republic). So, I guess when in Rome...

 

PS-sorry Gordonchick, I hope I am not opening a can of worms by saying we are not using car seats;)

[Mom2B&Z]

excursions that did not require using road transportation. We did the dolphin encounter through a boat transfer, and used a water taxi at another port.

I will not travel with my children unless they are in the car seat/booster they use at home. I am admittedly on the extreme end of the continuum of options on this topic, as I'm a car seat tech in Canada. I did see vehicles in St. Thomas being used as taxis that would have appropriate seat belts and top tethers if you wanted to arrange alternate transportation to a destination. We chose to find transportation that didn't require us taking the car seat and booster off the ship. It's all a matter of how comfortable you are at the end of the day with your decision.

 

Guys,

 

What about bringing a car seat for our 2 y/o? Anyone have any experience with using it during an excursion?

 

Thanks

[fdwt994]

excursions that did not require using road transportation. We did the dolphin encounter through a boat transfer' date=' and used a water taxi at another port.

I will not travel with my children unless they are in the car seat/booster they use at home. I am admittedly on the extreme end of the continuum of options on this topic, as I'm a car seat tech in Canada. I did see vehicles in St. Thomas being used as taxis that would have appropriate seat belts and top tethers if you wanted to arrange alternate transportation to a destination. We chose to find transportation that didn't require us taking the car seat and booster off the ship. It's all a matter of how comfortable you are at the end of the day with your decision.[/quote']

 

There's nothing extreme about using a car seat for your child regardless of what country you're in. Not using it because it's not required or it's inconvenient is a pathetic excuse for putting your child at risk. That's right, not using it is PUTTING YOUR CHILD AT RISK. :mad:

 

Good for you.

[fdwt994]

The other problem is where would you keep the car seat when you are not on the bus or whatever vehicle they use? We are not bringing the carseats to excursions where tour buses/safari buses are used. I know it may not be the safest, but I do not see another alternative. We are renting a vehicle in St Thomas and will bring our carseats in port for that.

 

I asked a private tour operator if we should bring carseats for his safari bus and he said they may or may not have seat belts and that carseats are not really used in his country (Dominican Republic). So, I guess when in Rome...

 

PS-sorry Gordonchick, I hope I am not opening a can of worms by saying we are not using car seats;)

 

I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you are a good parent and love your children. I'll also assume that you use car seats whenever you drive wherever it is you live.

 

So why would you not use them elsewhere? The laws of physics still apply. Think about how you would feel if the tour bus was involved in an accident and your children went flying and were seriously injured, outside of the United States or Canada no less where healthcare is probably not as good. Who cares what they do in "Rome?"

 

Granted, the odds are that nothing will happen and the kids will be fine. But why take a chance like that? You're betting your child's safety that an accident won't happen. Is that a worthwhile risk?

 

Is the inconvenience of finding a shore excursion that accomodates child seats (or not going on one) more important than keeping your child safe? Of course not. So why do it?

[zqvol]

I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you are a good parent and love your children. I'll also assume that you use car seats whenever you drive wherever it is you live.

 

So why would you not use them elsewhere? The laws of physics still apply. Think about how you would feel if the tour bus was involved in an accident and your children went flying and were seriously injured, outside of the United States or Canada no less where healthcare is probably not as good. Who cares what they do in "Rome?"

 

Granted, the odds are that nothing will happen and the kids will be fine. But why take a chance like that? You're betting your child's safety that an accident won't happen. Is that a worthwhile risk?

 

Is the inconvenience of finding a shore excursion that accomodates child seats (or not going on one) more important than keeping your child safe? Of course not. So why do it?

 

You clearly have not been on any of these excursions. Most, if not all of them do not have the space or ability to accommodate car seats. Safe? Probably not but they don't have seat belts for adults either.

 

Sure you might in some locations be able to find a cab that has seat belts but it is not as easy as you think.

 

You usually have two options that being go with the flow, or stay on the ship. Unfortunately that is simply how it is outside of the US.

[cherbear4000]

I have cruised in a group including my niece and nephew who where 8 mo and 2 yrs at the time. We had to reserve tickets for the baby even if we weren't charged for them. since NCL knows their birthday, they will charge the appropriate price.

[fdwt994]

You clearly have not been on any of these excursions. Most, if not all of them do not have the space or ability to accommodate car seats. Safe? Probably not but they don't have seat belts for adults either.

 

Sure you might in some locations be able to find a cab that has seat belts but it is not as easy as you think.

 

You usually have two options that being go with the flow, or stay on the ship. Unfortunately that is simply how it is outside of the US.

 

BTW to "tomsuelaw" I appreciate your honesty in saying what many do not want to admit. ;)

 

To "zqvol"- you are making false assumptions about me. I have been on plenty of excursions and I know that space is limited and usually seatbelts are not part of the equation. I also know that cabs with seatbelts are difficult to find.

 

So what to do? Either make the extra effort to find a vehicle with seatbelts, or don't go! I understand that it's the accepted practice, but driving around an island all morning long without your child properly restrained is ridiculous. Just because so many others do it doesn't make it right or somehow keep your child immune from injury.

 

Ignoring the real possibility of injury or death won't keep it from happening.

 

Nobody's holding a gun to your head and forcing you to go on the excursion. If you go and your child is injured or killed due to not being restrained properly, it's 100% your fault.

 

Come on people! Make the extra effort and keep your kids safe! Perhaps if more of us did so the cruise lines would be more accomodating.

[tomsuelaw]

Like I said...Can of worms. So sorry mikegberg! I think this has become a thread hijack (and I am partly to blame for that). Perhaps the people who still care to debate carseats on shore excursions should start thier own thread. Mikegbergs question directly said that this thread is not for that debate!

 

Sorry. :o

[newmexicoNita]

He was 3.5 on that cruise, and honestly, we didn't do any excursions at all and absolutely fell in love with cruising without them! After that cruise, we were very picky about the excursions we did with him and really did stuff that would be easy on him and still fun. It really depends on specifically where you are going on what I would recommend.

 

The one thing we did that would would recommend is we kept him to his nap schedule. He always took naps at home, so every day one of us would lay down in the cabin with him. Helped keep him happy and made it much more reasonable for us to expect good behavior. He was fine through 2 hour dinners in the MDR and loved the attention.

 

Your way of cruising with a little one is exactly what we are doing with our great granddaugher who will be just under 4 when we cruise in a few weeks. We are going as a family and are planning tours that we can all enjoy. In Roatan we will do the beach thing with a stop at the monkey farm and the butterfly farm cause we know she will enjoy both: in Belize our daughter will take her to the zoo probably so her parents can do their thing and in another place we have chosen an all inclusive resort. We will all enjoy our tours. she loves the water, we love snorkeling and we all love to be together as much as possible. The resort tour is only charging for transportation, the Roaton will charge for the admissions to the attractions and the Belize, well, there will, of course be charges for the zoo.

 

Nita