Caribbean Excursions with Kids suggestions

[love4god]

My wife and I are looking to book a cruise for ourselves and our 12, 10, and 5 yo. We've both cruised twice (East Caribbean and Alaska) but this will be a first for the kids. We don't have a ship yet or an itinerary. I am probalby going to try to catch a last minute deal in the next couple of months from either FL, TX, or LA.

 

I am looking for some suggestions for good excursions for us with the following criteria...

 

1. We generally book off ship excursions. I hate paying more for the same thing when I can help it and in our experiences the off ship stuff has generally been less crowded. Convenience isn't as big a deal to me as being able to do more with my money.

2. We are doing our best to limit our spending once on the ship so less expensive is good when it comes to this. But if something is really awesome I will blow the budget a little for a great experience.

3. We are trying to find fun excursions first and base our decision on where to go form that. East, West, or South.

4. We're a pretty active family and something involving hiking, paddling, snorkeling is more up our alley than a bus/trolley tour or a swimming with dolphins.

 

As an example, one of my favorite excursions was a trip to the Baths in Virgin Gorda when we went to Tortola. We took a public ferry for a few bucks, rented snorkel gear for $10 or $15 and spent the day snorkeling and exploring the caves. Awesome experience for a lot less than the ships Snorkel adventure.

 

Also in Alaska when we went to Skagway we skipped the train tour and rented a car. We drove through the Yukon and found a horse back riding stable that wasn't in any tour books we read. We had a 2 hour private horseback tour through the Yukon and it was a "once in a lifetime" type experience.

 

So basically off the beaten path or on your own adventures are more our style. Thanks for any suggestions.

[cb at sea]

Once you decide on a destination, I'd grab a guidebook, and start looking for what's available and interesting in each port! That way, you get an overview of your ports, and THEN you can decide how to get to the things you want to do!

 

We almost never book ship's excursions...or "excursions" at all! With a bit of research, you can save a bunch of money and have a great time! Knowing something about where you're going is key!!!