Cruising Gem with kids - need tips!

[Mia Bella]

Hi all, I'm cruising next June to Florida and Bahamas on Gem with my kids ages 10 and 9....or, they will be when we cruise. I booked a mid-ship minisuite with balcony. I would love to do the haven but not in the budget. I also got the UBP free included for me and the hubby.

 

A few questions:

Any suggestions for keeping the kids happy?

Is there a beverage package for the kids? My don't drink soda. Any other options?

Excursions- what are your suggestions? My kids love the beach and are great swimmers but I am NOT. I saw a few dolphin interactions but you have to be 10 or older and my daughter will be 9.

 

This is my second cruise. I did Carnival this February and I'm hooked! Any suggestions that are Norwegian-specific? Any feedback is welcome, thank you!

[luvtheships]

Port Canaveral....the Kennedy space center or the beach. If you do the space center just arrange for a taxi service to meet you at the ship and then again at ksc for the trip back a few hours later.....no need for ships excursion. I guess use the ships shuttle or take a cab if you are doing the beach

 

 

Nassau.....British colonial Hilton day pass as it is walking distance or spring for the ncl Atlantis excursion for convenience.....this is fun and you get there before the crowds when on the ncl excursion thus loungers are still plentiful.

 

Gsc....relax and swim

 

 

The kids just drink the free stuff if they don't drink soda and you can always just buy them a smoothie if you want from time to time

 

 

Just an FYI and IMHO......I would never pay the rip off prices for any sort if dolphins thing. Yuck.

 

 

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Edited July 10, 2015 by luvtheships

[NMLady]

Enroll the kids in Kids Club the first night. Then when you are not in port they will feel more comfortable in maybe spending time there.

 

Check out the family forum on Cruise Critic for ship kid activities.

 

Check the Ports of Call forum for each of your ports for more ideas.

[Zippeedee]

Ship sponsored excursions can be expensive, but I wouldn't totally rule one out if this is only your second cruise. The biggest advantage is that they have to wait for you if there is a delay in returning to the ship. Go off on your own and they can leave you! The Blue Lagoon Island excursion is a lot of fun in Nassau and they take you right to the island. Atlantis is madly overpriced but a lot of fun for kids.

[Kingmaker_inc]

A few questions:

Any suggestions for keeping the kids happy?

Is there a beverage package for the kids? My don't drink soda. Any other options?

Excursions- what are your suggestions? My kids love the beach and are great swimmers but I am NOT. I saw a few dolphin interactions but you have to be 10 or older and my daughter will be 9.

/quote]

 

Sign up for the Kids Club. My kids have loved it. Mine don't drink sodas either, so we stuck with the free milk, water, and juice. We love Atlantis. It is expensive, but a blast!! If your kids are strong swimmers, Atlantis waterpark is super fun. Otherwise, just do beaches. There are plenty of options and all are a nice way to spend the afternoon.

 

Also, there is a cruise review attached in my signature that relates to cruising on the Gem with kids. It might have something useful in it.

[chrisaf]

If they want to interact with sea life, they might also like the stingray excursion in GSC. My grandkids did it last year and loved it. You go into the water and get to see and interact with the stingrays and starfish, etc. You can do it yourself also but if you don't want to, you can accompany them to the area and watch and take pictures of them (without paying the excursion cost for yourself).

 

In PC - just head to the beach area in Cocoa Beach and there are plenty of free beach areas where you just pay a minimal fee to rent a beach chair or umbrella for the day if you want them.

 

In Nassau, we usually do the water park in Atlantis which the kids love. I do think their prices for the dolphin encounters are a little pricey. We never pay for the ship excursion to Atlantis. We just get a taxi and head over and are always there well before the excursion people get there.

[cb at sea]

I don't possibly see how a kid on a cruise could be unhappy! And, you don't have to do a thing!!!

 

The included drinks will be more than ample for kids who don't drink soda!

 

A guidebook will be MOST useful in deciding which beaches to use...and you do NOT need excursions to go to a beach! But, info is very helpful, so hit your library, and pick up a book on the ports you'll visit! Saves big $$$, and enhances your time ashore!

[Mom2B&Z]

We took our boys on the Gem's Christmas/New Years cruise and they absolutely adored the ship. Ita that the kids club is a great options, but there are also other activities, like playing the Wii on the huge screen in the atrium, shuffleboard, the parent/kid activities organized almost every day...and so on.

As for the ports, I'd avoid going to Disney as it is just too long of a trip. Our boys loved Kennedy Space Centre, we did the NCL tour as it lets you stay later than closing. Nassau has a ton of things to do, one time we did the walking tour to the Queen's staircase and the Fort, which I think was our best value tour. We did blue lagoon many years ago, the dolphin encounter was great and would be ok for your kids vis a vis age restrictions.

GSC is a beach stop, lots of fun things to do!

Enjoy the Gem :)

 

 

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[BrPanthers99]

Nassau the glass bottom boat is actually really fun and reasonably priced!!