Help with shore excursion for 10 month old

[jnncooke]

Hey everyone! We are getting ready for our 8 day cruise on Carnival Liberty which is very port intensive and I was wanting to get some advice on shore excursions with our 10 month old. I would really like to take him to a beach (it will be his first time!) but I don't know if I need to do a taxi with a car seat or do an excursion with carnival. I would like to do the excursion but I am not sure if the buses will have seat belts.

We are going to St. Thomas, Tortola, Antigua, and Nassau. Any input on which beach/which island/which excursion would be best from past experience???

Thanks in advance for your help!

[Baxter]

We've done ST Thomas twice with our little one. She was 14 months and 16 months on the sailling. We took a "cab" to Megan's Bay both times and loved it (I say "cab" because it was an open bus that held about 15-20 people). We like Megan's Bay because the sand was nice, and the water was VERY calm. Good for walking along, and playing in.

 

In Nassau, we took public transportation to the Wyndamn Hotel, and bought day passes ($15 for each adult, free for the little one). We had thought we would swim in the pool, but the water was too cold in February. There is a beach right there, so we played on the beach, and LO and Dad napped in a hammock. A fantastic day.

[jnncooke]

Thanks for the info, Baxter! I have been to Megan's Bay before but I can't remember the ride..was it pretty short and calm or one of those scary caribbean rides?? I'm a little paranoid about not having DS in a car seat:rolleyes:

[crusinmama06]

Megan's Bay IS one of those "scary Caribbean cab rides" :eek: . I know exactly what you mean...lol. We took a bus in St. Thomas.

 

In Nassau, we always go to Atlantis. But my kids are a little older than yours. ;) So Wyndham would be a nice option.

[jnncooke]

I had thought a lot about Atlantis but we will only be there that afternoon and I wasn't sure if it would be worth the money. How do you get there from the terminal? Can you ride a water taxi so I don't have to worry about a car seat?

Also, do you have access to the beach??

Thanks! I will look into Wyndham too.

[crusinmama06]

I had thought a lot about Atlantis but we will only be there that afternoon and I wasn't sure if it would be worth the money. How do you get there from the terminal? Can you ride a water taxi so I don't have to worry about a car seat?

Also, do you have access to the beach??

Thanks! I will look into Wyndham too.

 

If you are only there for the day, then go to Wyndham. We book a room at Atlantis, but the ship is docked overnight. We usually return to the ship by 8pm anyway. But you would need more than a few hours to make it worth it.

 

You can get a room at Atlantis (or Comfort Suites next door) for $154 - $199 during a SALE. For us, that's good because we divide the cost by 4.

 

Yes, there is a water taxi which you get right at the port building, it's $3 one way. And it drops you off a few blocks from Atlantis.

 

For a FREE beach, you can take the $3 water taxi and walk past Atlantis to the public beach. But with a young child it's nice to have access to the facilities at the Wyndham.

 

Read this thread if you haven't yet, it's about Cable Beach and Wyndham

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=749774

[jnncooke]

If you are only there for the day, then go to Wyndham. We book a room at Atlantis, but the ship is docked overnight. We usually return to the ship by 8pm anyway. But you would need more than a few hours to make it worth it.

 

You can get a room at Atlantis (or Comfort Suites next door) for $154 - $199 during a SALE. For us, that's good because we divide the cost by 4.

 

Yes, there is a water taxi which you get right at the port building, it's $3 one way. And it drops you off a few blocks from Atlantis.

 

For a FREE beach, you can take the $3 water taxi and walk past Atlantis to the public beach. But with a young child it's nice to have access to the facilities at the Wyndham.

 

Read this thread if you haven't yet, it's about Cable Beach and Wyndham

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=749774

How would you recommend getting to Wyndham with a 10 month old? We have the radian car seat that folds for travel so we can take it if the best way is a taxi. I would love to be able to go by water taxi and not have to carry it around, though.

[jnncooke]

Also, has anyone been to Antigua with an infant?? I would like to go to a beach there also and have been researching the port boards. It sounds like Runaway beach would be a good option but I don't know if I should do an excursion through carnival called beach escape or just take a taxi to the beach?? Anyone with any experience with this?? Also does anyone know if they have good restroom facilities??

[wanderingfool]

We went to the island of St. John to Trunk Bay when we were in St. Thomas (with a 9 month old) - the excursion boat (a ferry) met us at the cruise ship dock and once there it was a pretty short bus ride to the beach - which was absolutely amazing! The water is calm, warm and so clear and the sand is wonderful. The drive wasn't overly scary, but it definitely isn't the same as being in a regular taxi cab.

 

At Tortola, on the other hand, we experienced an insanely scary bus ride (we traveled across the island to Cane Garden Bay)... the beach was amazing but I think I'd try another excursion next time - one with less crazy driving to get to.

 

If you can't catch a regular cab and you do have to go on an open air bus, since a car seat probably won't be an option, I highly recommend sitting in the center of the aisle and if you have a wearable baby carrier (Snuggly, Baby Bjorn, etc.), USE IT! It really is extra security as you WILL want both of your own hands to grasp on the seat traveling on the windy roads at top speed! :eek: :p