Galapagos w 6-year old

[lizinleesburg]

Hi - we are researching cruises for next winter (holidays 2014), potentially the Galapagos Islands, though we are open to other destinations such as Central America, other parts of South American or Africa.

 

For the Galapagos, which is the best cruise line for younger children? Our daughter will be almost-6 at the time of travel. Or is that just not a good destination for that age-group?

 

Thanks in advance!

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Six year olds are usually just excited to go anywhere! I think it depends on what you enjoy. If you are traveling purely for the six year old- the ship is probably going to be more important than the itinerary. My son was NOT interested in tours at age six. He liked playing with kids, visiting zoo's, aquariums and amusement parks.

[1025cruise]

One thing to keep in mind, the ships that do the Galapagos tend to be smaller, and not as kid friendly. You also won't find that many other kids on that type of itinerary.

[RSLeesburg]

One thing to keep in mind, the ships that do the Galapagos tend to be smaller, and not as kid friendly. You also won't find that many other kids on that type of itinerary.

 

Very small. Most of the ones I have researched are 100 passengers or so. I know Celebrity runs a ship down there, but I think they discourage children. National Geographic runs cruises for families, but not sure if there are any age limits. It would definitely be a different style of cruising compared to the mainstream cruise lines. My wife went there when she was in college, and still talks about what an amazing time she had.

[Mom2B&Z]

We have looked into Galapagos with our children and decided to put it off for a few years until they are a bit older. The most promising itinerary was with Disney, not the cruise line but they have a vacations branch that does a land and sea tour of the area. Very child friendly but very costly compared to other options.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[boulders]

We have looked into Galapagos with our children and decided to put it off for a few years until they are a bit older. The most promising itinerary was with Disney' date=' not the cruise line but they have a vacations branch that does a land and sea tour of the area. Very child friendly but very costly compared to other options.

 

[/url']

 

I agree that Adventures by Disney would be the most child friendly, but the pricing is very high - they do have a trip over the December holidays, but it would be $20K+ (not including airfare) for a party of 3.

 

We just got off HAL's Zaandam which does a 3 week South America/Antarctic itinerary over the holidays and costs about half that of the Disney itinerary and is three times as long. DS8 had a blast in the kids club.

[kitkat343]

I'm afraid I can't help on the Galapagos (but I would also really love to visit if anyone can recommend a child friendly boat) but if you live near Ft Lauderdale and are looking for an interesting itinerary, you might want to consider the 10 day roundtrip Panama Canal cruise with Princess. We took our 2 year old son on it last year, and found the port stops very interesting, especially being able to visit the spectacular city of Cartagena. We live a short flight away from Ft Lauderdale, so logistically it was a fairly easy trip for us, and Princess has a strong kids club program for children over three.

 

A six year old probably travels a lot better than a two year old, so you might be able to find a more interesting cruise in South America or Asia, but for us having something logistically easy combined with interesting ports was perfect when traveling with a two year old. Here was the cruise we took:

 

http://www.princess.com/find/cruiseDetails.do?voyageCode=6434

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I take it that you would like a nice getaway in the winter and are looking for new, more exotic locations than the Caribbean. I have not been to Costa Rica but my sister just came back and raved about her experience there. If you and your child love birds and wildlife- this would be an exciting place to visit. My sister raved about the hotel she stayed in post cruise and enjoyed eating breakfast outside with Toucans and Iguanas. She did the Windstar cruise but I'm not sure that kids are allowed on that one.

[SadieN]

Might want to look into a land tour. DD went with her HS. They went with Ecology Project International.

http://www.ecologyproject.org/get_involved/family/

 

Nice thing about the Galapagos is that Ecuador uses US$. No exchange fees.

Edited January 13, 2014 by SadieN

[kitty9]

Might not be the best idea for a young child. Most of the tours conducted in that area use those small, inflatable rafts to access the islands, that really aren't child friendly. There are no kids programs, and no babysitting services, like you find on large ships. Plus, the weather in that area can be very iffy. While I didn't do a Galapagos-centric cruise, we did stop there as part of a world cruise, and I just can't see how this would work with a young child.

[brazilgirl]

We went on the Celebrity Xpedition when our youngest was 7. We had the most amazing time

[brazilgirl]

Oops pressed reply to soon! We had the most amazing time , it was one of our best trips ever. Our 3 children talk about the trip today ...truly unforgettable. We had no issue whatsoever about not having a Kid's Club on board. We had excursions 2 aday and our kids were enthralled the whole time by the wildlife. The groups are small and all passengers were incredibly kind to our kids. We still correspond with people we met on board.

 

Obviously your kids need to have a certain personality...they must enjoy nature and have respect for rules ,as there are many rules about not touching things , going off the path etc.

 

Here is a review of our trip. Feel free to ask any questions.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1444153

[Onessa]

I agree wholeheartedly with Brazilgirl - The Galapagos is a fairly delicate environment. A 6YO should be ok, but if she is particularly rambunctios and/or does not take direction well, you may want to wait.

 

If she is not "into" wildlife and wildlife excursions it may not be the best fit either. As others have pointed out - the ships tend to be very small and without some of the kid friendly amentities.

 

With the right kid, it can be a great trip. But do some serious introspection and make certain that your family and your kid are the right fit for this type of trip.

Edited January 20, 2014 by Onessa