Caribbean ports for toddler

We are looking at 2 cruises and wondering which would be better suited for a busy, active 3.5 year told boy.

Option 1) Rotan, Costa Maya, & Cozumel

Option 2) St. Thomas, Tortola, Nassau

We stopped at Cozumel last year and LOVED Playa Mia, it was fantastic for my son and by far his favorite place and we would probably go back there again if we do Cozumel.

My husband and I did a cruise by ourself years ago that stopped at St. Thomas and we loved all the snorkeling, city tours, and shopping but that is not anything we could do now with our toddler.

For those families that have done these ports, I would love some reviews. My little one loves water park/splash pads, the beach, animals, etc. I know Rotan has the zoo but heard its a bit of a drive from port. Not sure what Tortola and Nassau offer other than beaches … but the beauty of them is outstanding.

I have been to all of them - but not Tortola via cruise. Personally I would stay away from Nassau - it's not my favorite port by far. But we did go there when my son was 3-4. We rode the bus and went to Adastra Gardens.

Roatan is both my kids favorite port. Gumbalimba park is fun to play with the monkeys and enjoy the park/small beach. But I would book a private excursion with island marketing or victor bodden. Go to see the mini zoos (IM even included a place with the cutest sloth ever!), drive the island, go to the iguana sanctuary and spend some time at West Bay.

Costa Maya would be a beach day unless you want to take an hour bus ride and go see ruins.

Cozumel you could also consider Chankanaab if he would be into touching dolphins. The beach for kids is very small but they also have a pool. a lagoon, playground, trails and crocodiles.

So that would be my choice.

But St Thomas can easily be done with the aquarium and sky ride. And Tortola as a beach day.

Have a great trip whichever you choose

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We did Nassau and St. Thomas on our last cruise. The Nassau stop was short (8-2) so we booked the Blue Lagoon dolphin encounter for my wife, my mom, and our 1.5 year old daughter. Our daughter was free. I think that it is 2 and under are free for it, but it might be 3 and under. It was a nice short trip. We are going back again this November and we will probably end up doing the Hilton resort for a day and just make it a good beach day.

St. Thomas we booked a private sail boat (Independence 44). We had it for about 4 or 5 hours and it was a lot of fun. Our daughter absolutely loved it. We did some snorkeling and they had a great float and life vest for our daughter so she was able to go in the water too. We live right by the ocean so it was not scary for her. Our daughter also took a great nap on the boat, the only one she took all cruise. I think it was due to the serenity of it. It was very peaceful and the boat was rocking ever so slightly. This was a little bit pricey but well worth the money. They were awesome. The first mate even dove down to grab a some of the sea critters for us. They also provide rum punch and some food. I would consider doing this again if we go back.

My wife and I went to Cozumel before our daughter was born. We didnt do too much around the port but took a jeep tour which would not be good for a 3.5 year old. I am not sure what is really close to the port.

One thing to be mindful of is that taxis do not have car seats. We did not really think about this until it got closer to the cruise. We ended up buying a cheap one that we didnt really care about if it got damaged on the plane. If you use a shuttle you do not technically need one, and in the Caribbean most of the islands also dont require one for taxis, but they do drive crazy down there.