Dawn excursions for 4 yr old?

[dishealth11]

:confused: I'm at the point where I just want someone to tell me what to do.

 

Here's the sitch:

We are first time cruisers, with kids 4 and 6. I would love to do an excursion

at all stops with both kids, but really don't know which to do.

 

Please please please let me know what you've done with children that age.

Do you just walk around (my kids will hate that)? Go to beach?

Stay on ship? Oh, btw, I find something very wrong with spending $600 a WDW on our limited budget. Looking to spend no more than $200/per port.

 

Please tell me what to do, because I truly cannot decide??

[miss-riss]

I had a five year old on the Dawn on 4/10/05. yes, we did Disney! But we also did Splish Splash with cookie in Miami....My daughter loved it! We also had a great time... Maybe you could check that out. I think it was like 45 dollars per person. You get a cabana, be certain to ask for one on the first floor.

[JessLCH]

We are doing the following with my 3.5 daughter and 6 month old son on Dawn next week. (This will be my daughter's 4th cruise, so we have become good at planning kid appropriate excursions.)

 

Port C: Fun and Sun Beach Excursion at Cocoa Beach. (Last time we sailed Dawn we just did the shuttle to the beach but this time we chose the full excursion because it provides use of a hotel's amenities (pool chairs, etc).

 

Since your kids are a bit older, they might enjoy oe of the amusement parks.

 

Miami: Splish Splash with Cookie. (Last time we went to the Miami Seaquarium and thought it was really rund down and wouldn't do that again.)

 

GSC: A no-brainer, easy beach day. Bring sand toys!

 

Nassau: We will tour the aquariums at Atlanits on our own. No reson at all to do ship's excursion. We did this last time too and have stayed at he resort as land guests so are very familiar with the layout.

 

Full descriptions of tours can be found on NCL site.

[ts01854]

We did the universal park for the kids, they loved it 2 of them are the same age as ours. While it was expensive it was very well worth it. They have stuff for everyone.

 

We stayed on the ship in Miami and took the kids to the pool they loved it. That is why I was able to do Universal

 

We missed GSC on our trip it wasnt open

 

Nassau we took a taxi to the Wyndham resort.They let us have free use of the pool and beach it was great. That only cost me 50 bucks round trip

 

Budged your money on what you really want to do. Dont think you have to do something at every port. Most of all have fun.

[miss-riss]

Splish Splash with cookie was very nice. It was not run down at all. We were there on 4/13/05. Hope this helps.

[Robbo66]

We have an 8 and 5 year old (girls). We took the transfer only to Disney, because unless you really need a meals voucher, it works out a bit cheaper to transfer using the NCL coaches, buy your tickets at the gate and get your own lunch. By the way, the concierge didn't think this was an option at first, she asked, "Do you have tickets?" but they do provide transfers even if you don't have pre-purchased tickets.

 

At GSC island, we hired a pedal boat. USD10 per half hour per boat (seats 2). That was great fun, but remember the kids might not be able to help with the peddles. The boat guy said we could hire 1 and split it 15mins between us, but we chose 2 boats to be out on the water at the same time.

 

At Nassau, we took a horse and carriage. It wasn't much of a tour, but it was a nice experience for the kids. We then headed down to the straw market and the girls bought some souvenirs. So we didn't use the official excursions here.

 

The benefit of using the excursions is that everything is taken care of for you. So if you are worried about where to go, book an excursion. On the other hand, if you like the idea of exploring a little for yourself, I wouldn't recommend an excursion at every port. My wife was a first time cruiser and she didn't like the queues. If you're not on a pre-booked excursion (e.g. Nassau, where you can easily walk into town from the port) you are free to go at your own pace and time.

 

The kids club also provide their services for certain hours during port days. So if the kids don't want to take an excursion, you could consider leaving them on board for a few hours. I wouldn't worry about booking everything before you get on board. Just try to book early in the cruise.

 

Hope this helps.

[dishealth11]

Nassau we took a taxi to the Wyndham resort.They let us have free use of the pool and beach it was great. That only cost me 50 bucks round trip

 

Who let you have free use of the pool and beach at Wyndham? Is that included with the cruise fare or free to everyone?

[ts01854]

I didnt know about this before we left, We just got off the ship paid the cabdriver and he took us to Wyndham. He even picked us up to take us back to the ship. The pool was great and the beach was too. The only person who asked for ID was the towel girl and I showed her my cruise card. Trust me it was worth the 50 bucks.

[jackieodonnell]

How far was the hotel from the ship? Was the $50 for the cab ride only? You just walked on the beach without a problem? The reason I'm asking is because we usually go to Rose Island when we are in Nassau but it takes soooo long to get there that we hardly have any time to enjoy the beach before we have to come back. I want to get off the ship and get to a nice beach right away. Then I want to have time left over to walk the town and shop a bit before I get back on the ship. I love Rose Island but I hate leaving it so soon. :)

[shirleygr]

I am taking my 3 and 5 yo daughters on the Dawn this Sunday. We are renting a car in PC and going to the Brevard Zoo. We get free admission with our membership card from our local zoo, so this a very inexpensive choice for us, should be about $100 total. We are using the ship excursion to do Parrot Jungle in Miami. It is about the same price to rent a car and do it on our own, so we decided it would be less hassle to use the ship for this one. GSC we are bringing sand toys for the girls to play with. In Nassau, we were going to do Atlantis but then our itinerary changed. We are going to do a horse and buggy ride instead and then some shopping since we have to be back on the ship so early--by 11:30. Hope this helps. Have a great time.

[ts01854]

It was about 10-15 minutes time. I only paid 50 for the cab back and forth.

Plus I bought lunch and had a few Pina Coloda's while I was there. If you dont want to get towels there bring them from the ship. You cant beat it. And if you dont like the ocean the pool is right there also. Picked up some good cubans too

[crusingsquid]

With the new itinerary change in Nassau (leaving early) are all of excursions still available? Specifically, the dolphin encounter?

[Jeanne S]

Sea Island is nice in Nassau or the Colonial Hilton's Beach for a small charge. In Miami recommend Parrot Jungle. Cocoa Beach in PC - all to keep within budget.

[Katmarha]

:confused: I'm at the point where I just want someone to tell me what to do.

 

on our limited budget. Looking to spend no more than $200/per port.

 

Please tell me what to do, because I truly cannot decide??

 

I know exactly how you feel. My DD is 4 and I have decided to do Seaworld in PC.

In Miami I haven't figured out what to do. :confused: :confused:

In GSC we will do the beach and in Nassau - we will go shopping :)