1st cruise for 4yo, 2nd for us (RCCL NOTS)

This is the first time my daughter has been on a cruise, and only 2nd time on a boat (1st was a pontoon boat with small waves).

We are looking for ideas of what would be some shore excursions we can do as a family. I do not want to leave her on the ship while we go out on our own. There is very few family vacations for us so I'm not missing a moment to spend with her.

We are traveling to Labadee (we visited with a large adult crowd before), San Juan, St. Kitts, St. Maarten (Martin?) in Jan 2016. I'm guessing Labadee will be a beach day as that is just what we did the last visit. If anyone has any other family excursion suggestions, we are open.

Any suggestions on items that are a MUST for family/kids? We overpacked for ourselves the last time so we know what to bring as far as our wardrobe and things we needed or didn't need. I think I've got a handle on clothing but any other odd/ends that parents think may help out?

Sorry, I'm new to this whole site so if this is not the right place to be posting, please let me know.

4 is a great age for cruising - it is a lot easier than when they are younger and need more stuff. We've taken our (now) 4 year old on three cruises, and he loved all the excursions. We've taken him on private excursions on all the port days, and that's been enormously helpful since we can adjust our schedule for his needs. Generally, even a private tour for just our family still works out to be a little less than a ship tour.

You should try to pack as little as possible. The ships have yoghurt at breakfast (and can give you some later if you ask them at the buffet or in the main dining hall). They also have boxes of cereal and fruit at breakfast. You may not be allowed to bring fruit off the ship, but you are allowed to bring the cereal which is extremely portable with you on excursions. Whenever my son got whiny or bored, I'd let him pick a new cereal and he was happy again. Private excursions help since you have your own transportation and can leave stuff behind. We also took a stroller (a city jogger when he was 2 and went to Cartagena and the Panama Canal and a McLauren Volo when he was 3.5 and visited St. Petersburg). Even if your kid has mostly outgrown a stroller (which was the case on my son's Baltic cruise), it is helpful if you are doing tours with a lot of walking since your kid might get tired and a stroller will let him or her last longer.

We don't normally let our kids watch tv, but make an exception for plane rides. The iPad was a huge hit, along with Frozen (oddly my kid could sing all the songs from the movie since he'd learned them from his classmates in preschool even before he saw the movie). On the plane, you can also wrap small toys from the dollar store or Target's dollar section in saran wrap for the kids to open. Painter's tape also is fun for kids to play with and doesn't stick to the wall. Dover has a series of little (really tiny) reusable sticker activity books that might be good for the plane: http://www.amazon.com/Little-Airport-Sticker-Activity-Stickers/dp/0486412725/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1443749708&sr=1-1&keywords=dover+airport

I haven't visited your destinations so I don't know what to advise you - we looked at the cruise ship tours, and saw if there was anything interesting since we could hire private tour companies to visit the same attractions for less. TripAdvisor also had a lot of information about sites that might be useful, especially for kids (the ship tours usually hit all the major destinations for adults, but don't always go everywhere kids might like.)

And finally, we learned in Guatemala that it is really important if you are on small boats or doing anything in the water, please make sure you have a life vest that fits your kid. The first life vest they put on my son was too small, and he was about to have a meltdown when they found a larger one that fit perfectly. It would have been a really tough day if we made him wear a small life preserver, so try to discuss your children's needs with tour operators ahead of time or think about getting your own. Oh, and always check the life vests in your stateroom - sometimes there have only been two when we board so there wouldn't be enough for our son. The stewards are happy to bring life vests for a 3rd or 4th guest if you ask.

Also, if you are bringing a car seat, please notify your tour operators since they may not always have seat belts and once they assumed our kid would sit in someone's lap and we wound up a seat short, and someone had to ride in the back of the van near the window.

Labadee is a beach day, so there's no need to pay for excursions there...just go and let your child play in the sand and water's edge...run around, dig, etc....kids love making believe at beaches....works their imagination!

As far as your other ports, a guidebook will tell you ALL there is in each place...then you can decide what will interest your family...and we can help with the "HOW" to do it, if the guidebook doesn't give you good suggestions. Many things require no excursion at all...and that can save you a bundle!

Thanks for the boat info. I'm more of a picky eater than my daughter and husband so I'm not worried about keeping her tummy happy. And generally she's a pretty happy kid. We've done some beach trips and she loves the water and sand so Labadee will probably just be our beach day. As far as TripAdvisor....how do I look up excursions? I've never used that site before other than for hotel and flight search.

Labadee is a beach day, so there's no need to pay for excursions there...just go and let your child play in the sand and water's edge...run around, dig, etc....kids love making believe at beaches....works their imagination!

 

As far as your other ports, a guidebook will tell you ALL there is in each place...then you can decide what will interest your family...and we can help with the "HOW" to do it, if the guidebook doesn't give you good suggestions. Many things require no excursion at all...and that can save you a bundle!

So, have you been to any of the other ports that we are going? Anything you can recommend for things to do in those ports. I have a high school friend who lives in PR and she mentioned going to a spot for kite flying. Thinking about doing that, and getting a kite to take home as a keepsake for our daughter. We like to buy a little something from each place we visit just so we can have something to remember the place and talk about stories about those places.

I think the obvious thing to bring is medicine: children's motrin, dramamine, benadryl, swimmer's ear drops (we don't usually get swimmers ear but it has happened on vacation), band aids (for those invisible boo-boos). My children have sensitive skin so I bring their soap and lots of sunscreen. On our next cruise, I'm putting my kid's clothes in ziplock baggies labeled by day. I felt we were running out of clothes but that was because they'd wear something for an hour and then it was "dirty". I also bring a refillable water bottle (refill by filling a cup first and then pouring it into the bottle. It helps me see how much they drank during the day. My DD4 will get headaches when dehydrated. No need for toys but I usually bring a pack of Uno cards and just a few books. They are allowed their iPads in the morning which allows us an extra hour of sleep.

When flying, bring some chewable candy (I don't let my 4 yo have gum) for the landing (starbursts, dummies, m&m's).

The destination forums are also great for ideas on tours. In addition, I have used the RCCL for their shore excursions to get an idea, then looked for the reviews here and on Trip Advisor. I actually booked the same shore excursion as on RCCL website for quite a bit less using a 3rd party and it gave us flexibility.

Have a great trip!

On trip advisor's homepage, you type in your destination, and then choose the Things To Do option. This will let you see various attractions, some of which may be a bit under the radar (there is an amazing wildlife refuge organization in Aruba called Philip's Animal Garden that I found there, and Rick Steve's guidebook which is a bible on the Baltic forum didn't include one of our favorite stops - a hands on museum in Tallinn, which allowed my son to use a flight simulator in a plane and explore a submarine.) Local tour operators will also be listed under the things to do section, and we've had a lot of luck finding private tours there.

I think the obvious thing to bring is medicine: children's motrin, dramamine, benadryl, swimmer's ear drops (we don't usually get swimmers ear but it has happened on vacation), band aids (for those invisible boo-boos). My children have sensitive skin so I bring their soap and lots of sunscreen. On our next cruise, I'm putting my kid's clothes in ziplock baggies labeled by day. I felt we were running out of clothes but that was because they'd wear something for an hour and then it was "dirty". I also bring a refillable water bottle (refill by filling a cup first and then pouring it into the bottle. It helps me see how much they drank during the day. My DD4 will get headaches when dehydrated. No need for toys but I usually bring a pack of Uno cards and just a few books. They are allowed their iPads in the morning which allows us an extra hour of sleep.

 

When flying, bring some chewable candy (I don't let my 4 yo have gum) for the landing (starbursts, dummies, m&m's).

 

The destination forums are also great for ideas on tours. In addition, I have used the RCCL for their shore excursions to get an idea, then looked for the reviews here and on Trip Advisor. I actually booked the same shore excursion as on RCCL website for quite a bit less using a 3rd party and it gave us flexibility.

 

Have a great trip!

Thank you for the reminder of "medications" including those emergency band-aids! We always have random ouchies. I've got the tablet on my packing list, along with my laptop and some dvds, and some saved shows from our DVR loaded on said laptop. We are driving 12 hours to the port (yes flights would be easier but they are also almost as expensive as the trip and would have weight/size restrictions for souviners!) so snacks will be more than generous.

I have looked some on TripAdvisor during my lunch but will have to sit down this weekend for more in-depth research.

Thanks for all the info but does any have any suggestions on what can be done in the ports.....some personal experiences?

On the forum main page go to Ports of Call then Caribbean. I'm trying to link directly http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=587 I'm headed to the same ports in March so that is where I've been looking. Also if you look at your ship's forum page, many people will post reviews including what they did in port. Here is the link: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/royal-caribbean/navigator

At four, my Grandson LOVED the fort in San Juan. Haven't visited St. Kitts so I can't help you there. We bought a cheap stroller that was like an umbrella. It was small and lightweight and it worked perfectly with getting him around on the uneven pavement and lifting him up and over things in the stroller. No worries if it didn't make it in good shape or went missing. On the ship, it worked out so well to have it to go down the halls and on the pool deck. He even took a nap or two in it and it took up less room in the car and in the cabin. We went on a glass bottom boat and he had a great time seeing the fish underneath the boat, and we enjoyed it as well.

In San Juan, the ship will dock right in Old San Jaun. We tend to just get off the ship and walk around Old San Juan. The old buildings, the Forts, the old graveyard are kind of cool to see and it doesn't cost anything..except maybe a cab ride back to the ship if people get tired.

St Martin is a good beach day. There is one fairly close to the where the ships dock, near the main shopping strip. That said they have lots of other beaches around the island that you can get to fairly easily either with a ship excursion or on your own. The French side of the island does have clothing optional beaches (i.e. Orient Beach)...not a huge deal for 2 and 4 year olds, but something to be aware of.

We also like to budget some time to stay on the ship when in ports...the ship empties out and you get the run of the place. We usually go up to the sport court, ping pong tables, etc...things that are harder to do with young kids when the older kids are around.