I guess my daughter has been on too many cruises...

[CeleBrat]

We just got back from 5 FABULOUS days on Sanibel Island. Tons of fun! While we were preparing for the trip, and packing our clothes, DD (6) came into the room with her fun glittery cruise dress. She wanted to make sure we packed it "...for when we eat dinner at night."

 

I told her, "Sweetie, this is not a cruise we're going on."

 

Her response, "Oh....so we're going to LIVE at the beach?"

 

Apparently since we usually cruise for vacation, she doesn't really know what ELSE there is to do for vacation! :eek:

 

CeleBrat

[European_CruiseGirl]

:d:d:d

[CanadianTwosome]

That's hilarious. :p I'm so glad I'm not the only one with a daughter who has cruised 'quite a bit'. (it's NEVER too much :p)

[prttygirlmss]

That is too funny. We have also been cruising for the past few years with our kids. This past Spring I rented a condo at the beach. When we walked in and got settled, my 9 year old daughter said "who is going to be making the beds and cooking the meals?" I told her we were. You should have seen the look on her face(priceless). She than stated "this is not a vacation".

[bplazo]

We just got back from 5 FABULOUS days on Sanibel Island. Tons of fun! While we were preparing for the trip, and packing our clothes, DD (6) came into the room with her fun glittery cruise dress. She wanted to make sure we packed it "...for when we eat dinner at night."

 

I told her, "Sweetie, this is not a cruise we're going on."

 

Her response, "Oh....so we're going to LIVE at the beach?"

 

Apparently since we usually cruise for vacation, she doesn't really know what ELSE there is to do for vacation! :eek:

 

CeleBrat

 

My husband made reservations for my daughter and I to go to Sanibel Island next week. We are not too exicted about since we like going on cruises but were unable to do so since I sent away for my passport and have no bc.

 

What did you do that was fun?

[asylum575]

We just got back from a long weekend away in PA. We did Sesame Place, Historic Philadelphia and Lancaster. At a hotel near Philly, we stayed in and had the breakfast buffet. DS walked up to the cereal boxes and grabbed three. He turned to me and said," I want this one now and the rest for a snack later". Realizing this was a common practice while cruising, I had to explain that we weren't on a cruise. He was so confused. 5 years old and 5 cruises under his belt. Not bad.

[CeleBrat]

My husband made reservations for my daughter and I to go to Sanibel Island next week. We are not too exicted about since we like going on cruises but were unable to do so since I sent away for my passport and have no bc.

 

What did you do that was fun?

 

Sanibel is actually a very educational place to go. Check out the Bailey Shell Museum, where you can learn all about shells (of course), as well as catch an very educational movie about crabs, snails, mollusks, and other sand-inhabiting creatures. Then, later during low tide (in the evening) you can have fun actually digging up some of these creatures to look at them, since you know how to find them.

 

There are also lots of day-cruise companies that host a very of 2-3 hour cruises. We took one the 2.5 hour Eco Tour with Adventures in Paradise, which involved cruising on a pontoon boat to the marhsy areas near Sanibel, and a stop at Picnic Island to use a net to catch things from the shallow water (more crabs, mollusks, seahorses, fish, etc). Then, on the way back to the pier, the on-board naturalist will place a net behind the boat, to see what gets caught in it. That day we caught a lot of shrimp, a pufferfish (!), robin fish (had wings, legs, and fins--crazy!) and UNBELEIVABLY, a stingray. We got to look and touch all of these things before they were released back into the water. We also saw a manatee and some dolphins. Fun! Cost--$40 adult, 30ish for a child.

 

We also visited the Sanibel Historical Village ($5 adult, free for kids), which offered a hands-on walk thru of a house, store, school, outhouse, etc, dating from 1840's onward. Very fun--and educational.

 

We spent a lot of time at the beach at our hotel (Sundial Resort) and the pool that had an oh-so-fun shell slide. Where are you staying? Our hotel also had an eco center for the kids, which featured a touch-tank full of mollusks, crabs, and sea urchins, as well as a tank w/non-touchable turtles. Hermit crabs and gerbils were also available to look at. Tons of arts/crafts available thru the hotel too.

 

Of course, we drove over to Captiva (15 minutes down the road) to look around.

 

Hope that helps. Have fun!

 

CeleBrat

[A&Emom]

That is too funny. We have also been cruising for the past few years with our kids. This past Spring I rented a condo at the beach. When we walked in and got settled, my 9 year old daughter said "who is going to be making the beds and cooking the meals?" I told her we were. You should have seen the look on her face(priceless). She than stated "this is not a vacation".

 

This is so my future. On our most recent cruise, we couldn't afford a balcony and one of the things I was most worried about was my 6yo daughter's reaction. Thankfully the upgrade faries smiled on us and we wound up in a mini-suite with a balcony. Which she quickly approved upon entering.

[bplazo]

Thank you Celebrat for all the information.

[flsunnymommy]

We live near Sanibel and are heading out on a cruise this week. Some tips from a local:

Our favorite kid friendly place to eat is the Island Cow. It is an island favorite and early brunch is the best time to go to enjoy their elaborate menu.

 

This is a great island to travel by bike and there are bike paths everywhere. It is a really safe beach and do not need to worry about rocks or currents.

 

If the kids get bored on the beach you can go to the SunSplash water park in Cape Coral.

 

Here are some of the local cruises and some go to private islands http://www.captivacruises.com/sched_cruises.html

[CeleBrat]

Our favorite kid friendly place to eat is the Island Cow. It is an island favorite and early brunch is the best time to go to enjoy their elaborate menu.

 

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OMG! We totally went to Island Cow last week!! It was great! There were tons of people waiting to get in--which is a testament to how good it is.

 

You are lucky to live in such a great place as Sanibel.

 

CeleBrat