ShedQueen77 Posted April 24, 2007 #1 Share Posted April 24, 2007 I'm still working on getting a cruise together for the family. When we sail, we'll have a 13 year old, a 7 year old, and a 6 year old. I'm relatively new to cruising. I'm pretty confident the kids will be fine on whichever ship we choose (either Carnival or RCI, but hopefully Carnival so we can get the Past Guest or Military Discount). Both lines sound like they have great programs for kids on board. I priced Disney but that seems a little steep for our budget! :) However, the ports are really baffling me. I really don't know what itinerary would work well for kids. I would like to do Mexico/Western Caribbean but am unsure about excursions for kids that age. Eastern/Bahamas is an option too but I have read that the Bahamas is pretty boring. Don't know if that is true though! :D Any tips, advice or experience? I want the kids to have a true vacation to remember! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karysa Posted April 24, 2007 #2 Share Posted April 24, 2007 Since you don't have a preference of islands or ships then I would choose an itinary that does not have any tendering. This means that all the ships dock at the port and not out in the sea which requires a smaller boat to take you to the land. My reasoning is the fact that with 3 kids (like us) it is much cheaper to book your own excursions and if you do that you will (at least that is what happpened to us) wait to get off the ship. We waited until 11 a.m. in Grand Cayman and we had to take the last tender back at 4 pm which seemed short to us. Therefore eastern or southern route would be best. Already not liking Nassau is like your kid saying "I've never had spinich and I'm never having it again". There are nice places to go in Nassau, just do your research and plan the perfect day for YOUR family. If Nassau is so awful why is it so expensive to stay there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShedQueen77 Posted April 25, 2007 Author #3 Share Posted April 25, 2007 Since you don't have a preference of islands or ships then I would choose an itinary that does not have any tendering. This means that all the ships dock at the port and not out in the sea which requires a smaller boat to take you to the land. My reasoning is the fact that with 3 kids (like us) it is much cheaper to book your own excursions and if you do that you will (at least that is what happpened to us) wait to get off the ship. We waited until 11 a.m. in Grand Cayman and we had to take the last tender back at 4 pm which seemed short to us. Therefore eastern or southern route would be best. Already not liking Nassau is like your kid saying "I've never had spinich and I'm never having it again". There are nice places to go in Nassau, just do your research and plan the perfect day for YOUR family. If Nassau is so awful why is it so expensive to stay there? Thanks for the information. I've read some about tendering ports and from what I've read so far it sounds like it can potentially be a hassle. I think cruising with 3 kids is going to be hassle enough! :) I'll make sure to keep tendering in mind. I never said I didn't like Nassau. I've never been there yet! :) Just sharing what I've read while researching ports. I've seen pictures and it looks really pretty. I just don't know how much there is to do for the kids there. I don't know much about the Bahamas at all so far except for what has been shared here. But then again, I like spinach! lol That's why I'm asking! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karysa Posted April 25, 2007 #4 Share Posted April 25, 2007 Lora, they may like the zoo with the marching flamingos I was there many, many years ago and it was very nice, the buggy rides through town may be a good way for you to see some of nassau and your children would probably rather ride then walk if they are anything like mine. We are going in the winter so I will make a couple of plans one that will involve swimming in the sea and one that won't just incase the water is too cold. Have a great cruise!:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShedQueen77 Posted April 25, 2007 Author #5 Share Posted April 25, 2007 Lora, they may like the zoo with the marching flamingos I was there many, many years ago and it was very nice, the buggy rides through town may be a good way for you to see some of nassau and your children would probably rather ride then walk if they are anything like mine. We are going in the winter so I will make a couple of plans one that will involve swimming in the sea and one that won't just incase the water is too cold. Have a great cruise!:) Oooh, a zoo?!? My kids are animal junkies. We drive about 5 hours to Omaha to a zoo there every year and they LOVE it! I'm definitely going to check into a Bahamas cruise now. Yep, my kids love riding too. Thank you so much for your help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare DCPIV Posted April 25, 2007 #6 Share Posted April 25, 2007 If your six and seven year olds are like the others I know, they need some room to run around and play on their own. Cruise ships don't have a heck of a lot of room to run around (although you can find some), so be sure and plan some of that in for your excursions. Some of the most fun I've had in port was when we were just walking aound and found a square, plaza, beach, or other spot where the kids could just run around and play for a little while. D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusinmama06 Posted April 25, 2007 #7 Share Posted April 25, 2007 On the Eastern Itinerary if you are going to St. Thomas you kids would LOVE Coral World. It's a marine park and underwater observatory. You can touch all kinds of marine life. And we laughed at the giant lizards that just leisurely walk through the park. Coral World In Bahamas there are the dolphin encounters... (One of the birds at the Unexo dolphin encounter) And if money is no object...lol....book a room at Atlantis (about $200 - $280) and explore the grounds of Atlantis on Paradise Island Bahamas. The water rides are outstanding! And it is absolute kid heaven Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShedQueen77 Posted April 25, 2007 Author #8 Share Posted April 25, 2007 Thank you for the added input. I'm really leaning towards the Eastern route now! Michele, thank you so much for the pictures. Coral World sounds like a lot of fun! While I was looking, my youngest was pointing, asking questions about the animals and getting excited already! :) Of course, I'm not going to say "we might go there" because kids have such horrible concepts of time. We're looking at late 2008 and I don't want to hear "Are we going yet" for another year! lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
granitegal Posted April 25, 2007 #9 Share Posted April 25, 2007 Might I suggest Mexico & Belize? My youngest loves animals too and we have been to Belize 3 times and see something different everytime. They have a great zoo excursion and Cozumel is just great. You can't get bored there! There is something for everybody. They have Chakunaab park (sp sorry) and within the park there is a mayan tribute walk, swim with the dolphins, snorkling, and a great beach with snacks and drinks. I haven't been to the eastern (going next year) but the west is great. I took my oldest (11 last year) to all the ruins sites. I figured he was learning and having fun with the family- so everybody wins! Hope you guys have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
familycruising4us Posted April 25, 2007 #10 Share Posted April 25, 2007 who, too, drives to the Omaha Zoo ATLEAST once a year! :D Just my 2 cents. My kids at the time of our cruise will be 13,7,5. I went with the Western on the Valor bcuz it seemed to offer a lot of different things, kid friendly, for the most part. (Stingrays, if they aren't freaked, cave tubing for kids, monkeys, iguanas, beaches, etc...) I have awhile to plan our activites, since our cruise is Jan 2009! :eek: I wanted the kids older, and I am giving it to the family as a surprise Christmas 2008 gift. A LOOONNNGG time secret! BUt, like you said, I don't hear "Are we going yet?" I've been hearing that for months for our Disney Thanksgiving/Christmas trip we are taking at the end of November!! :) I liked the Eastern too, but I'm saving it for the next, once I get the family hooked on cruising!;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShedQueen77 Posted April 25, 2007 Author #11 Share Posted April 25, 2007 who, too, drives to the Omaha Zoo ATLEAST once a year! :D Just my 2 cents. My kids at the time of our cruise will be 13,7,5. I went with the Western on the Valor bcuz it seemed to offer a lot of different things, kid friendly, for the most part. (Stingrays, if they aren't freaked, cave tubing for kids, monkeys, iguanas, beaches, etc...) I have awhile to plan our activites, since our cruise is Jan 2009! :eek: I wanted the kids older, and I am giving it to the family as a surprise Christmas 2008 gift. A LOOONNNGG time secret! BUt, like you said, I don't hear "Are we going yet?" I've been hearing that for months for our Disney Thanksgiving/Christmas trip we are taking at the end of November!! I liked the Eastern too, but I'm saving it for the next, once I get the family hooked on cruising!;) Hello, fellow Iowan! :) I'm right on the Mississippi in Eastern Iowa. That long trek to Omaha is a nightmare! I often dub the I-80 drive as the "most unscenic drive ever". I wish that we had a good zoo closer to us, but the only other one is 3 hours east in Chicago! We're looking at late 2008-early 2009 for the same reasons. Right now the youngest two are, in my opinion, too young to cope with the rigors of air and cruise travel. Might I suggest Mexico & Belize? My youngest loves animals too and we have been to Belize 3 times and see something different everytime. They have a great zoo excursion and Cozumel is just great. You can't get bored there! There is something for everybody. They have Chakunaab park (sp sorry) and within the park there is a mayan tribute walk, swim with the dolphins, snorkling, and a great beach with snacks and drinks. I haven't been to the eastern (going next year) but the west is great. I took my oldest (11 last year) to all the ruins sites. I figured he was learning and having fun with the family- so everybody wins! Hope you guys have fun! I would LOVE to do the Western, but I was concerned about tendering. I know the Cayman Islands is a tender port, but which others are on the Western? Maybe it doesn't happen as often as it seems to, but I was worried about tendering in rough conditions and possibly frightening the younger ones. Knowing my adventurous children, they'd probably think it was just a big fun ride, but I'd be shaking in my britches worrying about their safety! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bewitchedwitch Posted April 25, 2007 #12 Share Posted April 25, 2007 Can I just add one thing ~ Nassau is NOT boring. I actually used to live on Paradise Island and went to school in Nassau. There are a lot of fun things to do in Nassau/P.I. If you do happen to ever be in Nassau, definitely check out Atlantis and Paradise Island. I don't think you'll be disappointed. As far as I know, you can get a day room at Atlantis for $200 for a max. of 4 people. That way you can use all of the facilities at Atlantis including all the water slides etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusinmama06 Posted April 25, 2007 #13 Share Posted April 25, 2007 You know what, I am leaving for the Western Carib on Saturday, I will be back in a week and I'll let you know what I think of places like Cozumel. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karysa Posted April 25, 2007 #14 Share Posted April 25, 2007 Western tendering ports that we experienced are Belize (may have changed since 2004), Grand Cayman which I heard was too shallow to make a dock and since Hurricane Wilma in October of 2005 some ships have to tender in Cozumel as there was damage to a dock if I am remembering correctly. Just a note Lora that when we tendered we were on the Voyager-big ship with 3000+ passengers which definitely added to the difficulty of tendering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IamAlyce Posted April 25, 2007 #15 Share Posted April 25, 2007 When our children were in that age range, we would look for a beach experience, one where you would spend the day at a resort and have use of all the facilities. Probably the same idea as was suggested for Nassau. OUr kids use to have a great time, there was sun and sand, usually a couple of nice pools, lots of activities and some even offer a buffet and/or drinks. Once in Mexico at one resort, our daughter enjoyed a donkey ride on the beach and all three enjoyed this little monkey that would come up for a picture. It gave them lots of freedom and tired them out!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ga_Crusin Posted April 26, 2007 #16 Share Posted April 26, 2007 I think we've hit most of the major ports on the Eastern and Western itineraries, and I've never been to a port where I didn't have fun. On the east, I tend to go to the beach. Nassau is great -- clean and safe with very nice beaches. The last time I was there, the people we traveled with went to the zoo and that looks really fun, too. The other thing I like to do on the stops is to go for a hike in rain forests. When the kids were little, we'd put them in packs and carry them. Now, at 6 and 8, they can hike themselves. Last year, we did the cave tubing in Belize which involved a mile or so hike followed by the tubing and it was really fun. We also hiked two years ago in San Juan and on St. John off of St Thomas. The "hikes" are of course pretty short -- only a mile or two. But the kids had a blast looking at leaves bigger than they were, turning over rocks in streams, finding frogs and lizards. We swam under waterfalls in Guatemala. We spent a day exploring Mayan ruins at Costa Maya, and they ran around, learned about tropical medicines, climbed up the temples where allowed and had a great time. We rafted down a river in Jamacia then walked a bit in Ferngully. I just can't imagine not findings fun things to do with kids on any of those stops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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