Porchbeers

Coki Dive in St. Thomas is a regular cruise stop for me. You can choose a beach or boat dive (2 tank morning, 1 tank afternoon) and the dive shop is tucked between Coral World and a nice sandy beach if you have some non-divers on the cruise with you.

 

The boat only holds six divers so you might want to reserve in advance. Owner Peter Jackson has been great at accommodating less-then predictable ship arrival times.

I second. Coki Beach is a great dive spot. We elected for the beach dive and it was awesome!

I would suggest taking a look at Lake Buena Vista Palace. It’s right across from Disney Springs and they offer shuttles. The property was recently renovated and is one of our favorites. I agree with everyone else that staying on property is the way to go. You may also want to check Pop Century prices as well.

We always park right at terminal....if you factor in the time it takes to load and unload at the shuttle, waiting for people, waiting for the shuttle when you get back etc...our time is worth so much more than a few extra dollars to have the car right outside the terminal in a covered, secured garage type of facility....and the porter takes our luggage right over to the car for us and loads it....on the road within minutes of leaving the terminal, can't beat it!!! ;p

I agree. The new parking terminals make it easy to walk right across to the terminal. I drop the fam off, park the car and back in less than 10 minutes.

You might also think about bringing a small inflatable bathtub for your little one if you are staying in a cabin with a shower only.

We traveled with my son when he was one, and it was great. As far as the stroller, we took a easy collapsible stroller that came in very handy. It did the trick and he was fine. We also purchased for general use a backpack that we used in place of a diaper bag. This came in very useful not just in life but for the cruise. Easy, compact, multiple uses, totally awesome. In fact, I still use it today. The other thing we discovered, the dining room didn't work for us. The food takes a little longer, when you can go to an open seating buffet and its a lot less stressful. By the end of the cruise, there were a lot of families taking advantage of this type of seating.

We actually live in Brooklyn, so it would be cheaper/easier for us to get to Manhattan than NJ. We'll probably just take Uber or Lyft to the port.

 

Thank you all for the feedback! It sounds like all of the 7-nighters are potentially good choices. The Bermuda options are slightly more expensive (with the 5-night Bermuda on RC being similar in price to the 7-night Bahamas) because they are on newer ships. I think I'm going to rule out Celebrity this time since it's not as kid-focused. I guess next step is to research the ports and see which we'd like more - a few days in Bermuda, or a day each in 3 different ports.

 

I also have a question about staterooms - what is the most cost-effective way to sleep 4 adults & 2 children? Ideally, me, my wife & kids would have one room and my mom and mother-in-law would each have their own room, but I'd like to avoid expensive single supplements if possible. Can I book 3 rooms with 2 people in each room, but choose at least one room that sleeps 4 so the kids can actually sleep with us? Have no idea how this works on a cruise.

Are children are similar in age at 9 and 7. They have been cruising for a while. We personally like the balcony and have been going that route. The kids love it. It gives my wife and I a place to hang out and talk while they might be getting snuggled down. They love ordering breakfast and having a little pre-breakfast meal on the balcony. Also, we do the king with the two bunk beds which works out perfect for us with this age.