boats and little ones

[luvseaturtles]

Just wondering which, if any, of the tours to see the rays would be appropriate for my 2,5, and 7 year old to go on. They all love the water, but I'm not sure if any of the tours have age restrictions. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!:)

[cruisinqt]

I don't think there are any age restrictions. Our kids are ages 5 and 7 and we're all booked with Soto's tours.:) It was just $24 for the stingrays, a stop at the coral gardens, and a stop at the barrier reef. All four of us are booked and looking forward to it. The stingrays are huge, and may intimidate a young child. So we plan on each of us holding a child while in the water so it won't be so frightening for them. It might be a little scary for the 2 year old though.

Our children's young ages is one of the reasons we booked with a tour with a smaller boat and less crowds. Some of the others like Captain Bryan's is on a large catamaran with a larger group of people. We thought the smaller boat with only a few people on it would make it easier with the kids. If one of the kids gets frightened we could take turns and switch off. Perhaps mom could stay with the 2 year old while dad takes the other kids into the water. Then dad could watch the 2 year old while mom goes in the water with the other kids. You could contact Soto's and ask them about it. They responded to my e-mail in less than 24 hours and were very helpful.:) They also have pictures of the stingrays and their boats on their website. Their website is at [url="http://www.sotoscruises.com"]www.sotoscruises.com[/url].

[luvseaturtles]

:) Thanks for the info regarding soto's and the smaller crowds. I'm sure we will have a much better time with less people than fighting for a place in the shade. Thanks agin and I'll check them out right away.

[montgomeryfamily]

While it is possible that your 5 and 7 year old children may not be scared of the stingrays, your 2 year old may be scared by them. They are quite large and there are many of them swimming around. You may want to consider another excursion until the youngest child is older.

The water at Stingray City can be deep unless you are on a sandbar. Both times when we were there the water was over my head when we exited the boat. We went to a sandbar where the guides were feeding the stingrays and the water was not as deep, but it still came up to my neck. Apparently the water level can vary depending on weather conditions and the time you go.

One possibility since they all love the water would be to take the Nautilus semi-submersible afternoon tour which has the snorkeling/swimming. This large comfortable boat goes to Cheeseburger Reef and anchors. When we have taken this tour, we, on the way to Cheeseburger Reef we have seen large swimming sea turtles, lots of fish, and a few stingrays. At Cheeseburger Reef there are lots of fish. The divers feed the fish in front of the windows of the semi-submersible also. Although snorkeling vests are provided, the water is deep and the children would need to be able to swim in they get into the water. But there are wonderful underwater views from the large picture windows.

[luvseaturtles]

Thanks, that sounds like it would be a good alternative for my little one. Anyone have any info on the Jolly Roger for kids? I checked the website and it looks interesting, but not sure about it since it doesn't seem to come up much here on the boards. Thanks!

[mmavant]

Hey there! We just returned from a week on Grand Cayman and we took all 3 of our kids (8, 5, & 7 months) on Soto's. The crew was wonderful and very helpful. Our kids loved it!!! Soto's had a spot that was pretty shallow, our kids were able to touch for the most part. We had a wonderful time!!! On our trip, there was a little boy (4ish) who was a little intimidated by the water and wildlife, until one of the crew brought a stingray to the boat and let him look at it from the safety of the ladders. After that, he was in the water within minutes and his Mom couldn't get him out. We would recommend Soto's!

[luvseaturtles]

Thanks for all of the input regarding Sotos. We have booked for the am tour and are very excited. I can't wait to see my kids swimming with the rays, we even got the 2 yr old her own snorkel and mask set, pink of course. :) It is good to know the crew is helpful with kids. Can't wait! Thanks again!