Question?

[tnebell]

Okay so I will be traveling on the Carnival Legend 4/13 with my Husband, 2 1/2 yr old son, my parents and my 30 yr old younger brother.

 

What would everyone suggest would be a good shore excursion for a family with a toddler?

 

Then.....

 

What would everyone suggest would be a good shore excursion for a couple by themselves?

 

:D My parents have offered to watch our son for the day while we enjoy ourselves while in port.

 

By the way this is a western caribbean itinerary with stops in Grand Caymen, Cozumel, Belize, and Roatan.

[Paleochick]

In Grand Cayman the 2yo would LOVE the Boatswain's Beach turtle farm. Dh and I liked it, but my 3 and 1yos LOVED it. It is a huge turtle farm where you can tour the property (they have GREAT mixed drinks), hold a turtle, have lunch in a great outdoor restaurant, tour the bird area and shark tank. They also have a man-made beach area where you can use their snorkel stuff to swim in their lagoon. You have to pay extra for this when you get there, and take one of their later shuttles back to the ship, but it would be worth it. Our kids were too tired to spend more time there, but I really wanted to swim in their beautiful lagoon.

 

In Grand Cayman you're supposed to swim with the stingrays...it's supposed to be a once in a lifetime experience. Since you have SO many people going, you might want to do that. Leave the 2yo on the boat with a family member and take turns swimming with the rays.

 

Check out the Ports of Call section. Here's the one for the Cayman Islands:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=147

 

Have fun. I wish we would have taken more family with us to help with our wee one...she was a turkey on the trip. More hands would have been nice. Have a great trip.

[larronry]

In Cozumel definetly do Chankanaab where you can do the beach or the dolphin encounter. You can do this on your own it's an easy taxi ride. My personal preference is on my own.

[KC_fn]

I say this as a mother who dearly loves her daughter: I wouldn't even consider bringing a toddler on any excursion except an hour or two at the beach. When I picture what it would have been like dragging mine on a tour -- hot, tired, hungry, in unfamiliar surroundings, unable to leave if she went into meltdown -- it makes my hair stand on end. :eek:

 

I'd advise gratefully accepting your parents' offer; the little one will be much happier at the ship's pool with nap opportunities nearby, and you'll have a relaxing day.

[rebeccalouise]

Okay so I will be traveling on the Carnival Legend 4/13 with my Husband, 2 1/2 yr old son, my parents and my 30 yr old younger brother.

 

What would everyone suggest would be a good shore excursion for a family with a toddler?

 

Then.....

 

What would everyone suggest would be a good shore excursion for a couple by themselves?

 

:D My parents have offered to watch our son for the day while we enjoy ourselves while in port.

 

By the way this is a western caribbean itinerary with stops in Grand Caymen, Cozumel, Belize, and Roatan.

 

In Grand Cayman and Roatan I would go to the beach. The beach at the Weston Hotel on Grand Cayman has one of the nicest white sandy beaches with crystal clear water. The charge you for beach chairs but you get to use their large pool and hot tub. This is a great beach day. In Roatan- I asked the cab driver to take us to a nice beach. He did and came and picked us up. We drove through the very primative island. These are both good things to do with a 2.5 year old.

 

I suggest that you do some snorkling in Belize. This is supposed to be one of the best places for this. This would be good for a couple sans kid.

[larronry]

I say this as a mother who dearly loves her daughter: I wouldn't even consider bringing a toddler on any excursion except an hour or two at the beach. When I picture what it would have been like dragging mine on a tour -- hot, tired, hungry, in unfamiliar surroundings, unable to leave if she went into meltdown -- it makes my hair stand on end. :eek:

 

I'd advise gratefully accepting your parents' offer; the little one will be much happier at the ship's pool with nap opportunities nearby, and you'll have a relaxing day.

That's why Chankannaab by cab is perfect in Cozumel. It's a short cab ride, there is a beach and you can leave whenever you want. I've done this even without a child and I would do it if I went there with my son (who is 2).

[KC_fn]

That's why Chankannaab by cab is perfect in Cozumel. It's a short cab ride, there is a beach and you can leave whenever you want. I've done this even without a child and I would do it if I went there with my son (who is 2).

 

Sounds like a winner. I think with toddlers, the key thing is flexibility. You don't want to get into a situation where you can't "abandon ship" at any time. When things start going downhill with a 2-year-old, they go downhill fast, as you know. So to avoid misery for your little one, yourself, and everyone around you, steer clear of excursions where you're "stuck" for an allotted number of hours. A private cab to a nearby beach would fill the bill for sure.

[tnebell]

Thanks for all the feedback guys. I think we're actually going to do the turtle farm on Grand Cayman (DS loves turtles and fish so I think he'll get a big kick out of this) and the Chankanaab park in Cozumel.

As for dh and I, at least that narrows the search. We've done snorkling in Jamaica and Hawaii and while it was fun I think we're going to look for something else.

Thankfully DS was so easy on our last cruise with only a few meltdowns (all in places that were easy to escape from and return back to our stateroom) so I'm seriously hoping for a repeat performance of that good behaviour. Of course he's a bit older now, therefore more opinionated so I may have my hopes a little high. LOL :rolleyes:

[crusinmama06]

I think you picked some great excursions for him. KC_fn is right. As long as you have flexibility you will have no problems. :)

 

Have a wonderful cruise.