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Intro to Caribbean Cruise Excursions with Kids
It’s Tyler here from TheTravelingToddler.com. I hope you enjoyed my earlier article on Top Tips for Cruising with Toddlers. But some of you might have some general questions about taking Cruise Excursions with Kids. Well I’m here to help so read on!
The cruise excursions that are available in the Caribbean are as follows:
adventure (ATV rides, jungle hikes, ruins), water (snorkeling, scuba diving, swim with dolphins), and leisure (beach days, city tours).
Of those, the only cruise excursion with toddlers that you would be able to do are the leisure activities. The adventure and water excursions generally have age minimums so unfortunately young guys like me can’t enjoy them.
Most cruise line day camps will watch your kids on port days.
On occasions where a cruise excursion with a toddler is not possible, you can always leave me at the day camp.
Trust me, I won’t mind. I don’t really know how to snorkel or ride an ATV and I’ll have just as much fun playing with kids my age.
Keep in mind the re-embarkation time.
For most cruise lines, it is the ship time, not the local time.
Many cruisers have confused the two (especially when your cell phone updates) and gotten left behind. Trust me I don’t want to be left behind when the ship leaves.
I recommend booking your excursions through the cruise line.
If you’re on a ship sponsored excursion and running late, they will not leave you behind.
It also saves you time and planning effort, and the upcharge versus booking the same excursion yourself is actually not that much. Some cruise lines even offer to price match if you find a cheaper price for the same excursion.
General safety precautions apply in any Caribbean port.
Although most people (rightly) think about crime, don’t forget about accidents and illness.
Watch your surroundings, watch your children, don’t carry valuables, watch for traffic, wear appropriate safety gear on your excursions, and don’t drink tap water.
Summary
Well there it is. My best tips for cruise excursions with kids. Hope that it helps you when planning your next cruise with toddlers.
Thanks for reading.
Have you ever taken a cruise excursion with toddlers? What additional tips do you have? Leave your comments below.
We don’t do any excursions when we go on a cruise. We usually just walk around the city and take in the local sights and sounds.
Just be careful! There have been reports of assaults on cruise ship passenger in some of the central american ports.
An acquaintance was mugged in a port city in south America, either panama city or belieze. Thankfully he wasn’t hurt and only lost his wallet and camera, but still…
I book all my excursions through the cruise line. Once our excursion ran late getting back to the ship and the ship waited for us in port only because we were on an official excursion. If we hadn’t we probably would have been left behind.
Definitely a reason to book through the cruise line