Jon UK Posted June 30, 2007 #1 Share Posted June 30, 2007 I am getting in a panic - leaving on 21 July with 2 boys under 5. Mrs and I are getting worried having seen the cost of Princess' tours and how they do not appear that suitable for a couple of toddlers. Is there anyone out there in a similar position? What do others plan to do on the port days with their children??!! Thanks for any advice you might be able to give. Jon UK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare English Tim Posted June 30, 2007 #2 Share Posted June 30, 2007 Don't worry, just enjoy. OK, our son is 15, but we didn't do any ship's tours. We just did plenty of research, much of it on here, and did our own thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toto2Kansas Posted June 30, 2007 #3 Share Posted June 30, 2007 Definitely look into some private tours if your little ones don't tour well or the prices are too expensive. If children join a ships tour, and they are unhappy, then everyone on the tour will suffer for it, not just the children. I would go to the roll call section or ports of call section and have a look there, others might have some suggestions for you that will not only save you money, but might be more kid interesting tours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CA Posted July 1, 2007 #4 Share Posted July 1, 2007 Last year, we took the Sea Princess "Mediterranean Medley" and there were a number of young couples with small children sailing. I doubt they'll be up to doing the Princess tours but depending on the port, there are a number of relatively inexpensive activities you can do with your children. For instance, in Barcelona, you can board the hop-on/hop-off bus and do as much sightseeing of the city as you or your toddlers can handle. My suggestion is to go to the "Ports of Call" and your Roll Call boards and check to see what other people are doing. Perhaps you can share a 1/2 day private tour with someone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon UK Posted July 1, 2007 Author #5 Share Posted July 1, 2007 Thanks for the advice. Will have a look at the roll call/ports boards..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyscot Posted July 1, 2007 #6 Share Posted July 1, 2007 I am getting in a panic - leaving on 21 July with 2 boys under 5. Mrs and I are getting worried having seen the cost of Princess' tours and how they do not appear that suitable for a couple of toddlers. Is there anyone out there in a similar position? What do others plan to do on the port days with their children??!! Thanks for any advice you might be able to give. Jon UK I'm leaving mine at home with their mother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plant Posted July 2, 2007 #7 Share Posted July 2, 2007 We don't have any small children, but on Princess we wouldn't hesitate to leave them in the children's program if we wanted to go into port: http://www.princess.com/onboard/activities/youthandteens/kid_sitting.html Princess has one of the highest rated children's programs and I've never seen any negative posts about the Fun Zone. Your little ones might prefer staying on the ship instead of being "dragged around" on an excursion :) . I also agree with the others. If you want to take them with you into port, look for "child friendly" excursions. Hope you all have a wonderful cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruisin' Chick Posted July 2, 2007 #8 Share Posted July 2, 2007 On some of our cruises we left our girl in the kids' program while we went off the ship. Just be aware: 1. The counselors close down the fun zone during 12-2 for lunch so make sure you'll be back on the ship by then. 2. Make sure you're back on the ship before sailaway; else you may be separated from your child for a longgggg while. Best to do ship sponsored excursions in this case or stay within sight of the pier (that's what we usually do). 3. Make sure you sign up at least a day ahead of time. If you change your mind, you can always tell the counselors so without problem. There's no charge for the kids' program before 10pm, whether in port or at sea. 4. Usually the in-port program activities are basically movie watching and video game playing. But on our last cruise, the kids did go to a show featuring Hawaiian kids performing folk dancing. Even the adults seemed to enjoy this. usually our little one doesn't care for sightseeing, but on our last cruise, she was very willing to check out Hawaii. So the only time she stayed aboard without us was the night we were in Honolulu...and we went shopping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Globaliser Posted July 2, 2007 #9 Share Posted July 2, 2007 Mrs and I are getting worried having seen the cost of Princess' tours and how they do not appear that suitable for a couple of toddlers.Ship's excursions are always pretty overpriced. There is a market for them, to which the ship caters. The reason the ship pushes them very hard is because there is an awful lot of profit margin for them. I have heard it said that the ship generally keeps about 50% of the price it charges. So that gives you an idea of how much you could save if you were able to book with comparable local contractors. But you'll find that many - probably most - people do not take ship's tours. There are plenty of ways to DIY any port. The ports of call forums, to which you've already been directed, will give you many ideas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikjr Posted July 2, 2007 #10 Share Posted July 2, 2007 Ship's excursions are always pretty overpriced. To give you an example of how much overpriced... when we went to Alaska... we took NO ship sponsored tours, but did our own thing. At every port, there were similar tours at a fraction of the cost. And don't overlook public transportation. It can take a bit more planning and scheduling, but what a savings!! For example... one ship sponsored tour to the Saxman Village was about $25 each round trip... we took the public bus for $2.00 each round trip!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare English Tim Posted July 2, 2007 #11 Share Posted July 2, 2007 I'm leaving mine at home with their mother. He's just kidding! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plant Posted July 2, 2007 #12 Share Posted July 2, 2007 1. The counselors close down the fun zone during 12-2 for lunch so make sure you'll be back on the ship by then. I agree with you except for the times when in port. From the Princess site: HOURS OF OPERATION Sea Days: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. 7 p.m. - 1 a.m. Port Days: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. with lunch included. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruisin' Chick Posted July 3, 2007 #13 Share Posted July 3, 2007 I agree with you except for the times when in port. From the Princess site: HOURS OF OPERATION Sea Days: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. 7 p.m. - 1 a.m. Port Days: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. with lunch included. Great! Maybe it was different on our cruise and the fun zone was closed during those times. But then probably Hawaii is more kid friendly than some places. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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