Kids First Cruise Questions!!! Recent Pearl cruisers, help me out!

After many years of trying to convince the hubby, we’re finally taking the kids (7 year old son & 8 year old daughter) on their first cruise for Christmas this year out of NOLA on the Pearl! They’re super excited because they’ve been asking for years to go with us.

Since it’s their first cruise they kind of just wanted to explore the ports and not book excursions which is completely different for me & I’m not really sure what to do with myself. I did convince them to do Playa Mia on Christmas Day & have that booked. I also made reservations at Tropicante in Costa Maya because we all really enjoy the beach. I’m 99.9% sure that we’ll end up staying on the ship in Belize City and enjoying the pool & exploring the ship. Roatan is the oddball, I have no idea what there is to do in port there and they didn’t want to book anything. Any suggestions near port?

Since we’ve always done adults only cruises, the whole figuring out what to do with your kids thing is completely new.

I’m excited to see the Pearl after her renovations in the spring. I have a family member that sailed the Panama Canal on her in April & said she’s absolutely beautiful.

For those of you who have sailed on the Pearl recently, was there anything going on on the ship that we should make sure to do for the kids to enjoy? Any shows that you think they would like? Any areas on the ship that we should make sure to take them to? Anything cool?!?

We’re definitely signing them up for Splash Academy because they stayed at one of Disney’s kids clubs back in May & absolutely loved it so they want to try a kids club on a ship.

We have the SDP from the Free At Sea promotion & have booked Moderno, Cagney’s, Teppanyaki, and La Cucina. They’ll be tagging along to all of them except for Moderno. I have read on the forums before that kids can order off of the kids menu at specialty restaurants and it’s free, is that correct? I’m working on our budget and want to make sure I’m figuring that in correctly. Also, what exactly is on the kids menu? I know it’s all stuff that kids enjoy, heck if I let them eat mac & cheese every night I’m pretty sure they (as in the kids) would crown me Mom Of The Year while all of the adults shook their fingers at me. ;) I’m just wanting to let them know what the options are going to be and that sort of thing. I figure if there’s not something they want, we can just take them up to the buffet afterwards but want to give them some idea of what to expect.

Should we have them watch some YouTube videos of ship tours or maybe see if we can find any from a kids perspective of a cruise so they’re kind of prepared?

Also, if you’re sailing on the Pearl on the December 23rd sailing, I should probably apologize for the loud mouth people from Mississippi who love each other like crazy & love to have a good time even more! We’re sailing with 22 (roughly) of our family members, 13 adults & 9 kids.

I’m looking forward to exploring the Pearl & spending time with the family!!!

Sorry for the novel, I’m just super excited & all over the place tonight. I’ve been reading reviews like crazy as I do before every cruise and I swear that just makes my OCD need to plan that much more. My only saving grace for them not to want to plan anything firm is that we have another cruise in June on the Getaway that I’m researching & planning for!

Thanks to everybody who does reviews and shares their thoughts after getting through the post-cruise depression, your reviews keep me grounded!!!

Ash

In the port in Roatan there isn't a ton to do in my opinion. Do an excursion or take a short taxi to the beach in West Bay and snorkel. It's pretty easy there and most kids enjoy it.

In Belize City I went with my sister and her daughter on an ncl excursion that took us kayaking through the jungle and then there was a large pool to swim. It was fun. I can't imagine staying on the ship unless trying to save money.

In the port in Roatan there isn't a ton to do in my opinion. Do an excursion or take a short taxi to the beach in West Bay and snorkel. It's pretty easy there and most kids enjoy it.

In Belize City I went with my sister and her daughter on an ncl excursion that took us kayaking through the jungle and then there was a large pool to swim. It was fun. I can't imagine staying on the ship unless trying to save money.

I forgot to mention that we didn't "plan" either of those until we were on board. We let my niece pick then.

I'm confused. Can you even get to Belize City from Harvest Caye?

I'm confused. Can you even get to Belize City from Harvest Caye?

It’s not going to Harvest Caye. We’re on a “variation” cruise and are going to Belize City instead of Harvest Caye.

Roatan is great for kids. Bodden adventures can provide you with private transportation and you can visit monkeys and lots of animals at the owners house. There is a great iguana farm and south shore has a great ecowalk and zip lines. Don't zip line at boddens house - they do a great job with transportation, but some TripAdvisor reviews flagged safety of their zip line, and they offered to put my 3 year old on a zip line. There's also great snorkeling in Roatan. It's not a place to wander around without a tour, so organize an excursion before you go.

In Belize the zoo is small but incredible. There is also cave tubing, which you'd need to use your judgement as to whether your children are strong enough swimmers for this to be safe. When the water is low, this is extremely safe. When it is higher, you can get in trouble. If you do decide to do this, please don't take a ship excursion. The private vendors have smaller groups. Everyone is linked in a chain with your legs attached to the passenger in front of you, with guides at the front and back of the chain of passengers. The larger ship tours are more dangerous since there is a lower staff to passenger rate than the private tours and longer passenger chains.

"Since it’s their first cruise they kind of just wanted to explore the ports and not book excursions which is completely different for me & I’m not really sure what to do with myself."

Your children are 7 & 8 years old - tell them to shush ... they don't get a vote. Just book an excursion and don't worry.

A couple of options for Roatan (which is a favorite port for us) Daniel Johnson's Monkey and Sloth Hang out is a great place to start. You can do the Monkeys and the beach or Monkeys and snorkeling for a very reasonable price. They will pick you up and then back to ship. The snorkel trip was great. We had 2 families on our boat and they did a great job finding the right place to put the kids in the water. The other option is Little French Key. It was amazing, pricey but amazing.

For Costa Maya, I highly recommend a ruin tour with Native Choice or the water park. Both were good for my 7 and 9 year old boys.

You may find that good shore days are more important when you are traveling with the kids, especially on the smaller boats. I would have a few ideas for Belize just in case you really need to get off the ship for a while.

We have cruise NCL over 20 times now and probably Roatan is our favorite or near our favorite port, for kids as well as adults. Yes, a trip to the beach if nothing else is fun but like KitKat suggested Boddens or Rony's would be a great adventure for the kids. Rony will let you decide and personalize your excursion. I think Bodden will as well. Belize city: my opinion, do what you are planning, stay on the ship.

The kids should love the kids camp. I know our great granddaughter, who has cruised NCL three times loves it. Most other kids we have spoken with on the ships have as well.

As for meals, I think you have made wise choices. I am glad you are not booking Le Bistro. It is fun and a wonderful experience but not for kids as you seem to realize. Unless the kids are accustom to truly upscale dining at home Le Bistro is too formal, too slow and just not what kids enjoy. I don't think it is fair to parents, the kids or other diners to expose kids to a quiet formal dining experience at their age. Again, let me say, not all kids, some handle it well. I am gerneralizing.

We have cruise NCL over 20 times now and probably Roatan is our favorite or near our favorite port, for kids as well as adults. Yes, a trip to the beach if nothing else is fun but like KitKat suggested Boddens or Rony's would be a great adventure for the kids. Rony will let you decide and personalize your excursion. I think Bodden will as well. Belize city: my opinion, do what you are planning, stay on the ship.

 

The kids should love the kids camp. I know our great granddaughter, who has cruised NCL three times loves it. Most other kids we have spoken with on the ships have as well.

 

As for meals, I think you have made wise choices. I am glad you are not booking Le Bistro. It is fun and a wonderful experience but not for kids as you seem to realize. Unless the kids are accustom to truly upscale dining at home Le Bistro is too formal, too slow and just not what kids enjoy. I don't think it is fair to parents, the kids or other diners to expose kids to a quiet formal dining experience at their age. Again, let me say, not all kids, some handle it well. I am gerneralizing.

Led Bistro just didn’t look like something they would enjoy and since this is their first cruise we want to gear stuff around them. Glad to know we made a good choice in skipping that one.

What fun for your family! Daniel Johnson's Monkey and Sloth Hang out and Bodden are both great for big kids and small. The DH and I took both tours on separate occasions and they both provide pick up outside the port gate and can return you to inside the port by the ship.

Get a guidebook from your library on your ports and read it with the kids...let them decide what they want to see/do....the guidebook is very helpful with DIY stuff...and it's much cheaper than booking "tours"! None of your ports are too difficult to navigate on your own, if you do your research!

I would advise against too much advanced info..it takes away the element of surprise and discovery! Let them be "WOWED" by this new experience!

Get a guidebook from your library on your ports and read it with the kids...let them decide what they want to see/do....the guidebook is very helpful with DIY stuff...and it's much cheaper than booking "tours"! None of your ports are too difficult to navigate on your own, if you do your research!

 

I would advise against too much advanced info..it takes away the element of surprise and discovery! Let them be "WOWED" by this new experience!

Why in the world do I always forget about guidebooks at the library?!? That’s a great idea! Thank you so much.

I can highly recommend Victor Bodden Tours, they have a "Best of Roatan" option you can pick what you want to do. We did this in Sept and had Tex as our driver. Very informative and they will take you where you want to go you are in charge of your day. They pick you up and take you to the place where the monkeys and sloths are, you pay there and after seeing the zoo (it's great) you do whatever you want.

My kids also really liked the Mayan experience and cooking lesson with an authentic Mayan meal through native choice in costa maya.

I can highly recommend Victor Bodden Tours, they have a "Best of Roatan" option you can pick what you want to do. We did this in Sept and had Tex as our driver. Very informative and they will take you where you want to go you are in charge of your day. They pick you up and take you to the place where the monkeys and sloths are, you pay there and after seeing the zoo (it's great) you do whatever you want.

yes, that is the one we did with them several years ago. Our little great granddaughter who was 4 at the time loved it, so did we. This time we are doing Rony's which is very similar but a little less expensive. The reviews have been great on both of them. the only problem we had, at all with Bodden was the guides were so excited to show us everything and it was a crowded time. By the time we got to the beach it was packed and it was late. I have heard since, we have to take control on these types of cruises.

In Roatan check out Maya Key- it's an excursion through NCL- to a small island really close to where the ship docks. The snorkeling there is excellent, and very easy to do because there's a long pier into the water and you just go down the ladder. It's where my kids learned to snorkel. There's also a beach, pool, and wild animal rescue. Lunch is included and is really good. The boat ride over is only 5 minutes, and the return boat runs all afternoon so you can stay as long as you want. My kids specifically asked for return trips to Roatan just to go there again.

Just got off the Pearl yesterday, and although I didn't have any kids cruising with me, I was aware of some kid-friendly activities that were going on:

- There was a recurring family dodge ball event held up on the sport court. I was up there playing basketball on one side of the court and saw several families with kids and adults playing together and they seemed like they all had gotten to know each other by name. The dodge balls are just a step above round pillows, so it's safe enough for even the smallest kid.

- Early evenings they had family karaoke before the adult karaoke started.

- Watch your daily program and participate in the family / kid-friendly activities and you'll do fine.

I was glad to see there weren't any parents behaving badly, bringing kids to late-night adult-themed venues.

Just got off the Pearl yesterday, and although I didn't have any kids cruising with me, I was aware of some kid-friendly activities that were going on:

- There was a recurring family dodge ball event held up on the sport court. I was up there playing basketball on one side of the court and saw several families with kids and adults playing together and they seemed like they all had gotten to know each other by name. The dodge balls are just a step above round pillows, so it's safe enough for even the smallest kid.

- Early evenings they had family karaoke before the adult karaoke started.

- Watch your daily program and participate in the family / kid-friendly activities and you'll do fine.

I was glad to see there weren't any parents behaving badly, bringing kids to late-night adult-themed venues.

Family dodgeball!!! Everybody in our crew will love that!

Can anyone answer the question about kids menus in the specialty restaurants?

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Can anyone answer the question about kids menus in the specialty restaurants?

 

 

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It is the same kids menu in every restaurant. Typical kid stuff like pb&j, pizza, burgers, etc.

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It is the same kids menu in every restaurant. Typical kid stuff like pb&j, pizza, burgers, etc.

 

 

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If they order from the kids menu is it free? I have heard that but since we’ve never had kids cruise with us before, I’m not sure.

Yes, if they order from the kids menu it's free. It used to be that if kids ordered from the specialty menu it was half price, but now that most stuff is ala carte I don't think that exists anymore. The kids menu has typical stuff- burgers, pizza, chicken, mac n cheese, spaghetti. There's also a fruit plate listed as a dessert option on the kids menu- we often asked for that for their appetizer course so they had something besides bread and butter while we had apps.

Yes, if they order from the kids menu it's free. It used to be that if kids ordered from the specialty menu it was half price, but now that most stuff is ala carte I don't think that exists anymore. The kids menu has typical stuff- burgers, pizza, chicken, mac n cheese, spaghetti. There's also a fruit plate listed as a dessert option on the kids menu- we often asked for that for their appetizer course so they had something besides bread and butter while we had apps.

Awesome! Thank you so much!

I asked a similar question question regarding ordering from the "regular" kid's menu in the specialty restaurants, and one of the responses I received suggested you order the kid's meals at the time you order your drinks. The indication was getting the kid's meals can take longer to arrive since they come from the regular dining kitchen.