Leaving in 4 weeks, need help!

[thekings23]

Alright we are leaving in 4 weeks from today, crunch time. This cruise will be different then our first one as the wife and I are bringing out 4 and 2 year old sons. This made booking excursions near impossible, so we are thinking of just hitting some beaches instead. Need help with where to go.

 

HMC-private island with perfect beaches, this one was easy.

San Juan- Taking the boys to tour the forts, they will like this

St Thomas- ?? Maybe Maghans Bay?-suggestions (how to get there etc.)

Grand Turk- ?? I hear Margaritaville gets a tad rowdy, so I am at a loss here

[salty dingo]

Alright we are leaving in 4 weeks from today, crunch time. This cruise will be different then our first one as the wife and I are bringing out 4 and 2 year old sons. This made booking excursions near impossible, so we are thinking of just hitting some beaches instead. Need help with where to go.

 

HMC-private island with perfect beaches, this one was easy.

San Juan- Taking the boys to tour the forts, they will like this

St Thomas- ?? Maybe Maghans Bay?-suggestions (how to get there etc.)

Grand Turk- ?? I hear Margaritaville gets a tad rowdy, so I am at a loss here

HMC - do not need an excursion. This is a perfect beach day.

 

San Juan - the forts are fascinating. You can walk there easily. Lots to see and no need for an excursion.

 

St. Thomas - you can easily get to town. It is walking distance but a cab would be easier with kids, and inexpensive. A nice place to take an island tour excursion, IMHO.

 

Grand Turk - not much to see on this island. There is a nice beach right near the dock and the Margaritaville pool is nice. I don't care for the party atmosphere, either, so we just sat on the beach and relaxed.

[soccersharon]

Alright we are leaving in 4 weeks from today, crunch time. This cruise will be different then our first one as the wife and I are bringing out 4 and 2 year old sons. This made booking excursions near impossible, so we are thinking of just hitting some beaches instead. Need help with where to go.

 

HMC-private island with perfect beaches, this one was easy.

San Juan- Taking the boys to tour the forts, they will like this

St Thomas- ?? Maybe Maghans Bay?-suggestions (how to get there etc.)

Grand Turk- ?? I hear Margaritaville gets a tad rowdy, so I am at a loss here

 

 

Great minds think alike! I picked this itinerary for our first family vacation as well :) My kids are older (DS 11, and DD, 15), but with a budget in mind, I thought these ports would be easy.

 

HMC - exactly - beach day and bbq.

St. Thomas - on our last visit, we booked a private taxi which gave us a tour of the island, and he brought us to a beach at Megan's Bay. Not sure what I'm going to plan for this port. Hoping others can chime in!

San Juan - I think we'll visit the forts as well.

Grand Turk - yes, have read the same about the Margarittaville, but they seem to have a really nice pool! There's also a beach.

 

My daughter is already counting down to the cruise (as am I).

 

I'll look for other replies to your question too.

 

Happy cruising!

[imlulu]

Your kids are young. You may find that after the 1st 2 port days especially beach that they may be exhausted. You may just need to take it easy.

 

On our 1st cruise with kids, my youngest had just turned 4. He would fall asleep at the dining table. In Cozumel, he had a meltdown at the beach. We just went with the flow. He spent some time at Camp Carnival.

 

On our 2nd cruise, he had just turned 6 and we spent time at pool on port days at leats 1 day. It was super relaxing.

 

Sea air, sun, , sand, change in routine is really exhausting for young kids and even old kids. I like to nap every afternoon on deck!

[thekings23]

HMC - do not need an excursion. This is a perfect beach day.

 

San Juan - the forts are fascinating. You can walk there easily. Lots to see and no need for an excursion.

 

St. Thomas - you can easily get to town. It is walking distance but a cab would be easier with kids, and inexpensive. A nice place to take an island tour excursion, IMHO.

 

 

How is the driving in St. Thomas? We won't be lugging car seats with us, and if the cabbies are anything like what we dealt with in Jamaica last year it will be terrifying.

[trudle]

Grand Turk does have a great pool but that is where all the partying is going on. They also have a Flo Rider near the pool, your boys might be old enough to try it out----I think there is a fee for that. we just did the beach, not so many people. Good music also near the pool. A shopping area just before you go into Margaritaville. Have a great cruise.

[Tricky Vickie]

Alright we are leaving in 4 weeks from today, crunch time. This cruise will be different then our first one as the wife and I are bringing out 4 and 2 year old sons. This made booking excursions near impossible, so we are thinking of just hitting some beaches instead. Need help with where to go.

 

HMC-private island with perfect beaches, this one was easy.

San Juan- Taking the boys to tour the forts, they will like this

St Thomas- ?? Maybe Maghans Bay?-suggestions (how to get there etc.)

Grand Turk- ?? I hear Margaritaville gets a tad rowdy, so I am at a loss here

 

I would suggest getting a cabana at HMC, especially with traveling with little ones. We are getting our first cabana this fall and my decision was made after all the rave reviews found here on CC. You can book the cabana online and it's information is very misleading. It's $199 for four and that's for all day long. You also get soft drinks, trays of food, mats to float on, and scuba gear.

The cabana does have a/c so if the little ones are napping it might make things more enjoyable. Just a suggestion.

I know in Grand Turk you can go through a private company and rent a golf cart (no good for your situation) but also was told you could rent a jeep. They might have carseats so that would work for ya.

Hope ya'll enjoy your cruise!

[CorbinCatFan]

I can only comment on two of your ports. In San Juan, there are two forts that you can tour. the smallest and nearest to the dock is San Cristóbal.

 

San Cristóbal

 

San Cristóbal

 

You can walk to this fort but it is an up hill walk. The other fort, El Moro is quite a bit farther and also uphill. You can catch the free trolley to this fort. Be advised that Old San Juan is congested and the trolley takes quite a bit of time to go from the dock to El Moro.

 

In St. Thomas, you can catch a taxi to Magen's Bay. This is a picture from Mountain Top of the bay with the beach on the right hand side.

Magen's Bay

 

A little better picture of the beach.

 

You can also get a water taxi to St. Johns and visit Trunk Bay. This is one of the worlds top ten beachs. I would recommend this if you time and budget allows.

[NanCan]

We did the same itnerary last year except I had 2 grown daughters with me.. Can't wait until I am a Gramma and can do a cruise with them! A cabana is a great idea on HMC if your budget allows, although if memory serves, they are quite a distance from the childrens play area, there are some trails with chickens and lizards popping out all over, we as adults had great fun with that! The pool at Margaritaville has a nice area away from the pool bar area (same pool but it's a BIG pool) there's a little bridge and an "island" and deck chairs so they can nap.. you can watch the flowriders in the same area, which is extremely fun to watch, mom and dad might be able to try it, I think kids age 2 and 4 would be flung off! (I'm sure you can easily google some videos) As said, the beach is RIGHT there, in front of Margaritaville, with the cruise ship sitting 300 feet in front of it (great photo op) The shops are decent. (Ron Jon's!) The fort (El Morro) in SJ is interesting but it was a LONG, hot walk from the pier. With kids, I'd expect to take twice the time to get there, but there are a lot of fun things to look at as you walk-the ocean, fountains, lots of pathways with pretty gardens, the feral cat area, a park area you will pass. There is a huge grassy expanse to walk up to get to the fort and they fly kites there.. you could buy them before ya get there and spend an hour flying kites :) The plaza area in downtown SJ has a MacDonalds and a nice place to sit and the cathedral close by is beautiful. SJ was a LOT of walking for us. Fun shopping for Mom, don't know how the rest of your family would feel about that :p Megans Bay = Heaven! Relax and play in the water and on the beach. Maybe buy them snorkle stuff and let them have fun trying to figure out how to use it :) You take one of those big taxi vans to get there (can't recall how much but nothing unreasonable, they are lined up just off the pier) and yes the ride is terrifying lol Again, great shopping here, but not much for "kids" in town. Have a wonderful cruise, I'd be SO jealous except we leave next month, too!

[loan_girl]

We've done these islands with younger kids...

Forts are really cool in San Juan and if you're there just for an evening stop, you need to get off the boats quick to get to the forts. They close early. If you are there for more time, the Caribe Hilton is one of the only hotels near port that really has a beach. If they do a day pass that would be nice. I stayed at the hotel in November for a week and the ammenities were really nice. (just not sure if they have a day pass).

 

In St. Thomas, I'd get off the boat and get a taxi either to Megan's Bay or Sapphire. I think the cost to both was similar and both beaches are beautiful & well equipped for kids.

Enjoy!

[unionville3]

One of our favorite beach days ever was spent at Magen's Bay. We just walked out of the port to the taxi area and told them where we were going. There is a small entry fee into the beach area - you will need to do a search for up to date cost. The beach is gorgeous and perfect for small kids. Trees all around the beach if you prefer shade - no need for umbrellas. We rented a lounger and a beach chair and spent the entire day in paradise. We were among the last to leave. There are taxis waiting at the front whenever you are ready to go. There are clean restrooms available and showers to wash off the sand. We took dry clothes and changed before we returning to the ship. There is a snack bar and a small store. We purchased a nice sand bucket kit for our son to play with at the beach. We took it with us and used it at our next beach day in St. Marteen. No nudity and no locals trying to sell their jewelry.

[nanuak]

How is the driving in St. Thomas? We won't be lugging car seats with us, and if the cabbies are anything like what we dealt with in Jamaica last year it will be terrifying.

 

The cab drivers in St Thomas are really good, nothing like Jamaica. Last year we spent a week on St. John; I second the idea of taking a cab to Red Hook, take the ferry to St. John, and go see (snorkel) Trunk Bay.

 

[lovethesun40]

We will be on the same ship!!!! April 10th can't come fast enough now!!

We are travelling with our 2 teens, and our in-laws in their late 70's, so with all the different ages, we are having a hard time with a couple of the ports as well!!

 

HMC was the easiest....a beach day and we booked a cabana! $199. for the day, is, I think great! I believe they are sold out though, but you could call to double check this!

San Juan......forts look like the best option with some shopping afterwards! A beautiful city with so much history! Might just book the city excursion!?

St Thomas......either Megan's Beach, or Sapphire Beach. Still researching, but even Emerald Bay might work! My daughter and I love to snorkel, but we may have to compromise here! I know there will be 6 cruise ships in that day, so any of the beaches will get crowded! Oh well.....gotta go with the flow! Then some shopping for the ladies! Hehe!

Grand Turk......I think, may be a total beach day too! Looks so beautiful but with the in-laws who will not enjoy the loud music, and partying what else is there? We will have to visit Jack's Shack at some point as they apparently are really friendly and have a great dog that my kids want to meet! Topher (I think) his name is! We LOVE dogs, and my teens really want to go there and bring him a few treats......yeah, crazy, go to the Caribbean to meet somebody's dog.....what can I say :D:D

Less than 30 days for our first cruise......woo hoo!!

[elcuchio24]

Alright we are leaving in 4 weeks from today, crunch time. This cruise will be different then our first one as the wife and I are bringing out 4 and 2 year old sons. This made booking excursions near impossible, so we are thinking of just hitting some beaches instead. Need help with where to go.

 

HMC-private island with perfect beaches, this one was easy.

San Juan- Taking the boys to tour the forts, they will like this

St Thomas- ?? Maybe Maghans Bay?-suggestions (how to get there etc.)

Grand Turk- ?? I hear Margaritaville gets a tad rowdy, so I am at a loss here

 

Ya man, HMC is awesome for adults and kids. They will have miles of beach to play on. No reason to plan anything that day. SJ-you are right on the money, they will love the fort, plus all the cannons and a huge field to run around in. St. Thomas, if you are feeling adventurous maybe take the ferry to St. John and go to the beach? Thats a fun time. If you want to stay close to the ship you can always walk over the the sky-ride and taek them up the the lookour area. That's fun too. There are tons of beach areas on GT. The main beach is right where the ship docks, and if you want to get away from the crowds it's a short walk to the right down to Governers Beach. Have fun.

[elcuchio24]

We did the same itnerary last year except I had 2 grown daughters with me.. Can't wait until I am a Gramma and can do a cruise with them! A cabana is a great idea on HMC if your budget allows, although if memory serves, they are quite a distance from the childrens play area, there are some trails with chickens and lizards popping out all over, we as adults had great fun with that! The pool at Margaritaville has a nice area away from the pool bar area (same pool but it's a BIG pool) there's a little bridge and an "island" and deck chairs so they can nap.. you can watch the flowriders in the same area, which is extremely fun to watch, mom and dad might be able to try it, I think kids age 2 and 4 would be flung off! (I'm sure you can easily google some videos) As said, the beach is RIGHT there, in front of Margaritaville, with the cruise ship sitting 300 feet in front of it (great photo op) The shops are decent. (Ron Jon's!) The fort (El Morro) in SJ is interesting but it was a LONG, hot walk from the pier. With kids, I'd expect to take twice the time to get there, but there are a lot of fun things to look at as you walk-the ocean, fountains, lots of pathways with pretty gardens, the feral cat area, a park area you will pass. There is a huge grassy expanse to walk up to get to the fort and they fly kites there.. you could buy them before ya get there and spend an hour flying kites :) The plaza area in downtown SJ has a MacDonalds and a nice place to sit and the cathedral close by is beautiful. SJ was a LOT of walking for us. Fun shopping for Mom, don't know how the rest of your family would feel about that :p Megans Bay = Heaven! Relax and play in the water and on the beach. Maybe buy them snorkle stuff and let them have fun trying to figure out how to use it :) You take one of those big taxi vans to get there (can't recall how much but nothing unreasonable, they are lined up just off the pier) and yes the ride is terrifying lol Again, great shopping here, but not much for "kids" in town. Have a wonderful cruise, I'd be SO jealous except we leave next month, too!

 

A long hot walk? It is well UNDER a mile to El Morro, and even less than that to the other one:confused:

That's one of the forts, this picture was taken on the ship, so you see it really isn't too far.

[NanCan]

A long hot walk? It is well UNDER a mile to El Morro, and even less than that to the other one:confused:

 

That's one of the forts, this picture was taken on the ship, so you see it really isn't too far.

Yes the San Cristobal in the picture is close.. we walked to El Morro, won't dispute the distance, it could be a mile, along Princess (?) Boulavard and around on the ocean side.. we certainly meandored, taking lots of photos. I believe it took us an hour to walk it. But I do stand by my HOT statement :o, both times we have been there it was very hot, 90 and no breeze, three adults in very good shape and in the heat it was still a somewhat tiring walk..

[lovethesun40]

Something I didn't think about......

 

If we go on our own and not take an excursion tour, Is there a fee to get into the forts in San Juan (San Cristobal)?? I haven't read about that yet!

 

St Thomas.....I would love to go to St John for the day (not sure about anybody else in our group) but, can someone tell me approx how long it would take with taxi and ferry?

Thanks

[elcuchio24]

Yes the San Cristobal in the picture is close.. we walked to El Morro, won't dispute the distance, it could be a mile, along Princess (?) Boulavard and around on the ocean side.. we certainly meandored, taking lots of photos. I believe it took us an hour to walk it. But I do stand by my HOT statement :o, both times we have been there it was very hot, 90 and no breeze, three adults in very good shape and in the heat it was still a somewhat tiring walk..

 

Ya, princessa is a nice walk but certainly not direct. If you head up the hill by the Sheraton and cut over by the christopher columbus monolith it's less than a mile. No disputing the heat, I don't think I have ever been there when it was under 88 degrees with 100% humidity:eek:

[elcuchio24]

Something I didn't think about......

 

If we go on our own and not take an excursion tour, Is there a fee to get into the forts in San Juan (San Cristobal)?? I haven't read about that yet!

 

St Thomas.....I would love to go to St John for the day (not sure about anybody else in our group) but, can someone tell me approx how long it would take with taxi and ferry?

Thanks

 

Last time we were there it was $3pp each fort or you could get a pass for both forts for $5 I believe.

 

Taxi to redhook is pretty short, maybe 20 min. The ferry ride itself is pretty short as well, but the ferry schedule can be wierd, so make sure you check to make sure there is one coming back at the appropriate time so you don't get stuck!

[kirby123]

Meaghans Bay is a great beach and the waves are usually mild so this is great for kids

[Cricket63]

Grand Turk......I think, may be a total beach day too! Looks so beautiful but with the in-laws who will not enjoy the loud music, and partying what else is there? We will have to visit Jack's Shack at some point as they apparently are really friendly and have a great dog that my kids want to meet! Topher (I think) his name is! We LOVE dogs, and my teens really want to go there and bring him a few treats......yeah, crazy, go to the Caribbean to meet somebody's dog.....what can I say :D:D

Less than 30 days for our first cruise......woo hoo!!

 

Jack's Shack is great. Just a short walk down the beach. DH and I were there in Sept. Very friendly, great jerk chicken, water was beautiful, and prices very reasonable!! Topher loves to play in the water with you! :D Have a great cruise!

[lovethesun40]

Jack's Shack is great. Just a short walk down the beach. DH and I were there in Sept. Very friendly, great jerk chicken, water was beautiful, and prices very reasonable!! Topher loves to play in the water with you! :D Have a great cruise!

 

Thanks so much!! It is our last port, and we are really looking forward to it!:D