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following. I came here to see if there was an answer to this. Concerned that it ends at 6 and boat leaves at 9. I mean that should be plenty of time but curious about others experiences

Hi,

We are going on the NCL Getaway in a few weeks on Familymoon :) soooooo excited as its the first time our 4 yr old daughter will have been on cruise with us. She mainly wants to go to the beach, so we're looking for recommendations of nice clean & safe beaches, close to port if possible with facilities (loungers, food & toilets).

Thanks!

I did not like Chankanaab park. The water was blah. I didn't like the cove because there were a lot of drops in the deepness of the water. So my son would be playing in the shallow area and then all the sudden in a very deep area. Also it was really rocky. Their was a kiddie pool which we spent most of our time in. The unlimited buffet was like cafeteria food. Not remotely "authentic" and the lines were really long. The bar however was really fast because you tip per pour.

We hired a private tour guide which was wonderful in Ocho Rios. He took us to bamboo beach which was decent.

At Grand Cayman-I can't remember the name of the resort we went to but I think anywhere on 7 mile beach is good. We paid entry and also paid for an umbrella and they did beach side wait service which was fantastic.

Hey I just got off this cruise. I will try to post today? What is the best way for me to post pictures of it?

we bought a different car seat for travel, it was $39 from Walmart. It's as light as can be and we used it in the cab in Cozumel. It's called the cosco Scenera. I believe you can use a booster for your older child. The good news is they have luggage carts they bring to your car, so you don't have to carry them. Good luck. :)

Where did you take the cab to in Cozumel? What did you do with the carseat at your destination?

would love to know too! sounds awesome but would like to hear more reviews!

I have been to Cozumel and it is a very nice place to visit. Unfortunately for us we rented with Alamo at the Carnival pier. Big mistake. I've rented autos internationally and never had an experience like this. We went with alamo as it is a name I know but be careful. I checked the auto with the person that hands over the auto. I did find a dent in the trunk and pointed it out to the person and he wrote it down I did a good check of the whole vehicle. I did not know to check for normal wear on the plastic hub cap. You can go around the island in just an hour and see a lot. So we were with the car less than 3 hours and decided to return it and walk around. I leave it with the inspector, all is good and as I walk back to the office he radios in that there is damage on the hub cap which I know I did not do. Also, it is obvious it is wear from probably them using high pressure washers, it was very minimal,but the point is I know I did not do it as I did not drive through any paved roads, the tires have no markings as if I had hit something, and it was not scratched but worn off. Also, I did not go into any parking lots, I would stop on side of road and just stand by the car and look around. If I had damaged it, I would have gladly paid it and moved on my way but I know they do this to get extra from renters who have to leave. First they wanted to charge us for all the hib caps which was like $32, then they went down to 1 hub cap for 16.95, not sure how that is a 1/4. Again, it's not the matter of money, we spent more than that on a drink. We called the port security who confirmed that this was not new and not due to any damage we could have done. The port Security asked them if they can go lower, they went down to $12, which I was still not letting up. The we called the police and they said that it needed to be taken to the civil judge but that they would need to take the auto. We wanted to make it hard for them but they refused to take the auto and the police told them that the judge would demand they bring the auto in and they said they are not allowed to take them off the lot. Well we knew we would miss the boat at this point, we had already argued for about 2 hours and quite frankly with all the stories you hear about the police in these countries I was a little worried. Also, they said they don't care what the judge decided, they already have my credit card info and they will charge whatever they want just the same. I can't wait to see what they really charge me. But it was a lie after another. When the police came the inspector said he pointed out the damage on the trunk when he knew I had pointed it out and had told the security that I told him about it. They said they needed to buy a whole new set of hub caps to replace them and then said later they have more in stock. They also said that they charge for all damages to repair them and keep the cars looking new, then why did mine still have damage in the trunk and other hub caps had similar or worse damage. SO I hope that my 2 hours spent with them would help someone else to be ware of these charlatans and Alamo should do something when others use their name like that. If you Google this particular agency, you will find that there have been worse situations than ours. Seems like there is another rental agency that has had good reviews they are called "less expensive", I should have done some homework but I went with a name I knew and thought I would be OK. Besides that the people of Cozumel were very friendly elsewhere. it's a shame they allow this to happen.

Did you have the insurance?

cool thanks for your response. Yea I think they are not ready for Blue Hole. I'm looking into the Sky Explorer excursion on Carnival. The infinity pool looks fantastic!

Hey what cruiseline did you take? I just went to enter my credit card information then noticed in the details section it says 8+ but at the top it says any age. And the height requirement is 46".

We did Ocho Rios when my kids were 8, 7, 3 and 2. We chose to go to Mystic Mountain. It was fantastic. We took the chairlift up. They gave the toddlers seatbelts. They attached the stroller to the chairlift for us too. They were great and I never felt worried about their safety. At the top we looked through the quick museum, looked through the gift shop then I swam in the infinity pool with the two younger while hubby did the bobsled with the older ones. We then had jerk chicken and a cold drink while watching the lovely entertainment (drumming and dancing).

 

This year with the kids 2 years older we did the Blue hole. It was a lot of fun but our kids are pretty good swimmers. If yours aren't I'd give it a year or two.

cool thanks for your response. Yea I think they are not ready for Blue Hole. I'm looking into the Sky Explorer excursion on Carnival. The infinity pool looks fantastic!

I booked in September for a March cruise and its pretty much stayed the same and gone up. But its during spring break so I'm guessing that is why.

Does anyone know where I can view the Fun Times for the 6-Day Western Caribbean itinerary on the Breeze? I can find old 6-day itineraries, but not the current one. Thanks in advance!

I'm looking for one too!

Interesting replies here.

 

DH and I did the falls on our honeymoon, and we've been anxious to do it with our kids.

 

We keep trying to book a cruise with a stop in ochos rios, but it never works out.

 

Our kids are 7 and 8. Both are fairly athletic. I can't imagine them having a rough time with. The experience (in my mind's eye) was not particularly daunting.

 

Our honeymoon was 15 years ago. Have the falls changed since then? Or maybe we just went on a relatively calm day/time of year?

If my kids were 7&8 I think I would take them! Based off pictures and other comments I've seen. :)

Get a guidebook! It will tell you EVERYTHING about Jamaica! Then, you can decide HOW to do what interests you!

 

Most kids that young really don't care about "sightseeing"...they do tend to like beaches! The guidebook will tell you which ones have the least surf.....you know, you don't really "swim" in the ocean...more like splash, play in the sand, etc...

 

Many don't care for stops in Jamaica....but there's really nothing to be afraid of....just stick to the "tourist" spots....you don't want to be wandering about with no idea of where you're going...so read up on your ports!!! Get a guidebook at your library!

I will try to find one. I'm considering Bamboo Beach Club but it has such mixed reviews. I'd rather see more. I would love to sight see but the kids would probably prefer to hang at the beach. I would love to see the Falls but yea they probably can't handle climbing.

We took the cruise with DS just having his birth certificate. He could have gone into Mexico, but the kids did not get off the ship then. You can travel with just the birth certificate, but run the risk if "something were to happen". Hopefully it won't.

 

My kids had a great time. I'm sure yours will also :)

What is the risk of not having a passport? I was thinking of just doing birth certificate.

I know you already found your answer :) but wanted to say we brought along this same inflatable for our daughter.

 

 

She enjoyed it. Have a great cruise!

Where did you get that? thanks

I will be stopping at Ocho Rios with a 3&4 year old. Not great swimmers. Have you been with kids? What did you do? I am hearing bad things about this port. We'll be there via Carnival Breeze.

TIA!