Kids and shore excursions -- How long is TOO long?

[SleepingUgly]

Hi everyone:

 

We're heading to the southern Caribbean in a few weeks for our first cruise together as a family. We have two daughters, ages 7 and 4. I'm wondering if someone who has had experience cruising with kids this age can offer some advice re: shore excursions? How long is too long when it comes to shore excursions? Can kids this age handle a 6-7 hour tour of the island, even if many stops are included? Or has your experience been that, no matter how well-behaved your child is under normal circumstances, he/she starts to fidget or get fussy or (even worse) throws tantrums and disturbs others when the tour is too long?

 

We've pre-booked a couple of day-length tours with other groups (in Grenada with Mandoo and in Dominica with Worrell), and I'm worried that our kids may not only find the tours boring, but will also get fussy and bother others. For the most part, they are well-traveled kids -- we've taken them to Europe a few times already and they've enjoyed all the places we visited and we've never had an issue, even with tons of driving and sight-seeing, but the tours there were all on our own and not in organized groups. They are also normally well-behaved kids (but every parent says that, right? ;) ), but I'm just not sure how they will behave on a 6-7 hour organized bus tour.

 

So, any thoughts? Comments? Advice? All insight is greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks,

Linda

[foneguy]

let me ask you this......how are they in a car for 7 hrs???? that will tell you how they will be on a bus or a tour in a van, car , or bus....long time for a 4 yr old.......bring the game boys....lol we would need to also

[SleepingUgly]

I appreciate the question, but that's really comparing apples to oranges. If we drive for seven hours straight, with no stops, then yes, they would get bored. Heck, even I would throw a tantrum. :D However, I'm talking about an island tour, which the tour operators have assured me consists of many stops. And someone will be talking at us constantly. So it's really quite different from a regular ol' road trip. And that's my question too -- Do these tours really make that many stops? Or is that just a line they're giving me?

 

And yes, our kids have been in the car for seven hours or more. We drive from the East Coast to visit my parents in the Midwest quite often (14-hour drive), and believe it or not, for the most part, they are pretty well-behaved. We've also driven to Florida (8-hour drive; when they kids were 6 and 3) and have driven to northern NY (10-hour drive; when the kids were 5 and 2). Granted, we were in the minivan then and had DVDs playing at times, but the movies were turned off for many hours and we really have no horror stories / bruises to show from those journeys. We've also toured Europe by car quite extensively, but those included stops along the way, but they were day-long drives, and the kids loved the trips, actually. But, as I noted earlier, that was just the four of us and we were free to stop whenever we felt like it.

 

Again, if anyone has had any experience with these lenghty island tours with kids, and can offer any insight based on previous experience, it would be greatly appreciated. FWIW, I have arranged a couple of island tours that are private, so we would have the comfort of stopping whenever we desired, but thought I'd mix it up with a couple of group tours as well.

 

Thanks!

Linda

[kamper427]

I think it is great that you are taking your kids. This is a unique experience for them. The fact that you have already taught them how to travel and behave themselves is half the battle! Our kids were older when we cruised with them, but I think a little advanced preparation will help guarantee a great time.

 

Try to get them to bed on schedule the night before your long excusions. (That is really tough if you have late dining or evening activities.)

 

I would pack some snacks and drinks. My kids are a lot less crabby if they aren't hungry.

 

Before leaving home, read some library books about the islands you're visiting. Our kids always love seeing something "live" that they already saw in a book. It tends to keep them interested for a longer time.

 

Pack (or have in mind) a few travel games, especially ones that help them focus on what they are experiencing. "I Spy" or a home made travel BINGO with pictures of things they might see such as banana trees, lizards, pink houses, or whatever is unique to your port of call.

 

These are a few of the things that have made some of our long trips with the kids a lot more fun. The other advice I have is try to thoroughly enjoy your kids point of view on the tours. They notice things that we adults often miss and their outlook on their experience is sometimes really amazing. :)

[Eclipsepearl]

I'm shying away from doing this, not because of their behavior but mine are basically volcanos on the road. I can't have them throwing up on the bus!

 

The other issue is the carseat for the little one.

 

Any insight?

[Odd Ball]

6 to 7 hours is a long time for kids that age. Why not cut back on the length of the tours ? Don't try to do it all. For instance you don't have to see everything on Dominica. There is going to be a lot of driving and it can get very boring with nothing but rain forest. Why not just go see the falls ?