Tagong
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Posts posted by Tagong
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PGPrendy,
I'm very interested to hear what others have to say and will follow your thread closely. Guidebooks are hit or miss but hearing from the voices (keyboards) of travelers who frequent this and other boards IMHO are far more valuable.
That said; I have been to two of the port mentioned and in the next two weeks will have been to two others.
St. Martin - Le Galion is as advertised the perfectly calm beach parents of little children are looking for. The amenities are limited to a little beach hut that offers drinks, burgers, sausages, salad etc. Washrooms are also available as well as chair and umbrella rentals. We took a cab from port and simply asked him to return pick us up at a designated time. The butterfly conservatory is on the same side road you'd take to the beach but imagine it would be a 10-15 minute walk. Could be wrong on timing but that's what it seemed like to me.
St. Kitts - Loved Carambola Beach Club. It was a 20 minute drive from port and offered all the amenities our group wanted from chairs, umbrellas, very nice restaurant, washroom, shower facilities. Your one yearr old would be happy hear but the six year old might be a little bored if they want water toys to jump around and play with during the day.
I'll be in Barbados and Antigua in the next two weeks and will report back on where we ended up and how we fared with our group (four adults and two kids [3.5 yrs and 1.5 yrs])
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I was in SJ two years ago and noticed horse and buggy tours. We didn't do one that day but are looking to do so this time around. Can these be booked in advance or is something you can pick up when you arrive in port?
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I know Disney embarks from Pan Am Pier but do they have their own terminal or make use of Royal's or another line?
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Did this route with an 18 month old. While by US/Can standards she was too tall for her infant seat she was within its weight limits so we brought the infant seat which can be installed in any vehicle with a seat belt (no base necessary). This worked wonders for us and allowed us to travel wherever and whenever when in port. Lastly; we visited Le Gallion and it was as advertised. Perfect for the little one.
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Barbados - lunch and day the Coral Reef Club Hotel. Book in advance. Let the O'Hara's (Budge & Cynthia) know it is part of your honeymoon ;)
Antigua - lunch and the day at Jacqui O's. Book in advance. Let Lance know it is part of your Honeymoon ;)
PORT ROYAL - does Coral Reef Club offer day passes?
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mjea35 - did you make it to Umbrella's and what was your experience like?
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ArtsyChic - have you already left on your cruise? Are you back yet? Curious to see where you ended up deciding to visit. We're wavering between two places (Weisers and JuJu's).
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On Magic back in early February we saw Captain America.
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Try to sail one of the cruise lines that has a private island in the Caribbean. That is always nice with the beach.
Keith
This is a great point. We've sailed three times with our DD (8 months, 1.5yrs and 2.5yrs) and done both Eastern and Western Caribbean. Both itineraries are great and offer what you're looking for (beaches).
That said I would 100% pick an itinerary that hits one of the lines private islands. We've been to Labadee (RCL/Celebrity) which is a fantastic day and Castaway Cay (Disney) another fantastic day. Weather permitting these are guaranteed great beach days.
Another thing you want to keep in mind is the ship and what it offers to your family to make your trip more enjoyable. If you cruise has a number of sea days you may want to make sure the ship offers a pool or space where your little one (if not potty trained) can play and splash around in water. Most lines do not offer this type of space. To my knowledge its really only Royal and Disney (but only certain ships on those lines).
Enjoy
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Davidsmum - thanks for these photos. Jacqui O's is at the top of our list for our February cruise. In your last picture there looks like there are some covered sunbeds. Were those part of Jacqui O's or another facility?
Also; how was the water? Is it relatively calm? Our group will have two little ones with us and calmer waters is preferred. TIA.
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I'm interested to hear feedback relating to the aesthetics of the ship such as kids clubs, dining areas, pool decks, cabins etc. We will be on Wonder in January on a Southern Caribbean route that the OP is considering and we are very interested in this info. Thanks in advance.
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amandajean06 - Our first family cruise was on the Celebrity Silhouette back in 2013 when our lil one was 8 months. I've included a link to my full review below. We didn't use the kids clubs so you'll see nothing about that but you will get a sense of how we were received.
You will see kids on Celebrity but certainly not as many as RC, Disney, Carnival, Norwegian etc. Our daughter became a bit of a rock star and was known to many of the crew and other guests. We were treated very well and never felt like we were being looked down upon by guests without children.
One night the three of us were sat at a table with a middle aged couple and we had the most fantastic dinner of the cruise. Fabulous people.
Hope this helps. If you have any questions that aren't answered by my review please let me know.
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1794896
Cheers
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Family and I were on Magic in January. Crib rails are available for the sofabed. My daughter LOVED it. Yes I needed to use caps. It may not be loved by all but felt it worth mentioning that crib rails are available.
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MrsKChicago
The link below will take you to my recent review of Magic. For some context before you read; 3 families (adults all aged 32-38) 3 kids (aged 6 months to 2.5 yrs).
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2161780
If you have any specific questions I'd be happy to answer.
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flcruisechick16 - our families first ever cruise was on Celebrity and after that experience we were hooked. Have been on two others since. Here is my review of Celebrity Silhouette. Our little one was 8-months at the time but the sense I got was that less kids but a good amount for those kids to enjoy.
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1794896
I hope this helps.
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ArtsyChic - unfortunately I haven't spent a lot of time researching lately. We haven't finalized where we're going yet. Hoping to finalize this in the next month. Have you finalized your plans?
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I rented a car. It was a pretty smooth process. Would do it again.
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Eight cabins. That said; regardless of whether you hit the required cabin requirements it would be worth investigating whether two cabins that accommodate two people in each may be cheaper than putting four people in one cabin. I just booked today and it was much cheaper to do this versus buying one cabin. It may not work in all situations but in ours it did.
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Fouremco - you may want to consider putting less ppl in each cabin and getting a group. We just booked a family cruise and on Royal you only need to book 8 rooms to get a group (discount applies). We are getting two cabins for 4 ppl (2 adults and 2 kids) for less than the price of one four person cabin. Cabins are adjoining so we can keep tabs on our kiddies and have double the space.
We have cruise Celebrity, Royal and Disney. Loved them all but each offered something a little different. Given you have a really young one in the group you'd be best going with Royal or Disney given my experience. If the little one isn't potty trained keep that in mind. Most ships don't have spaces for them to swim. Disney and Royal do (select ships).
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We were on deck 6 on MAGIC in January and we opened the partition. They only open about halfway but allowed for free mobility from one balcony to the next. Not sure they'd allow all four but also cannot see why they wouldn't.
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albertro - the decision to go with one line vs. another is a completely personal one. Others here will agree that you need to figure out what's most important to you in a cruise vacation and go from there as you evaluate lines, ships and itineraries.
Do you want a ship with all the new amenities?
When in port will you be off the ship or on the ship?
If you're primary interest is seeing new ports, which ones are of most interest?
Is your daughter fully potty trained? If not, she won't be able to swim on certain ships.
Will you want to put your daughter in the kids club?
These are just a few of the questions you'll need to go through to determine what's important. From there this group here on CC will help you figure out best ship for your needs.
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If your 8-month is still in an infant car seat (ours was) you can use the regular belts in any car to secure their car seat.
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Erinchristine38 - you should be able to request and have a car seat made available by the big transfer companies in Orlando and Cocoa Beach. We used a small independent company and they were able to provide seats no problem.
If you'd like to let the group know what ship and itinerary you're sailing you'll get some specific tips/tricks to make your vacation more enjoyable. In the mean time here are the two reviews I have written while cruise with my wife and DD.
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1794896
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Thanks for feedback.
Carambola Beach Club without a Reservation
in St. Kitts & Nevis
Posted
Made our first visit to Carambola two years ago (going again in less than 10 days), can't wait. I had a reservation the first time for myself, wife and DD but the rest of our group (10 others) did not make a reservation. We were all accommodated no problem at all. That said; it truly depends on how many reservations they've taken and how early/late you arrive.