Best excursions for kids? Western cruise on Voyager...

If you could pick one great family excursion for each - Grand Cayman, Jamaica, Labadee and Cozumel - what would they be?

My four kids are almost 3, 6, 9, 12. I understand the almost 3 year old will not be able to participate fully or will have to hang back with one parent on the ship. We're used to travelling with little ones and being flexible! :)

Thanks!

For Labadee, don't plan anything ahead of time. Just go with the flow as it is a fun beach to play on. Your youngest especially may want to play in Adventure Ocean that day. Otherwise, you can always purchase access to the play areas once you get there.

Grand Cayman - do an excursion to swim with the stingrays. It is truly worth it. Even if your 3 year old can't get in the water (he'd have to be held in somebody's arms at the very least), the entire family will enjoy this.

Oh I agree with wrp96, do the Sting Ray City Sandbar trip. It is well worth it. They will all have some fun. You can hold your 3 year old in your arms and even get back on the boat earlier if you get tired of holding them and watch the rest of the action.

In Cozumel we did a snorkel and beach break. There were a lot of families at the beach club. We went to Playa Mia. They have a blow up Iceburg (type of slide), water trampolines, water toys (jet skis, paddle boats, etc), beach chairs, shopping (they are very pushy), a buffet.

I have never been to Labadee so I couldn't help you there. I have been to Jamaica but not with a Cruise. Some Hotels allow you purchase day passes and use their facilities. While I was there I did the Dunn's River Falls tour, but I would not recommend it for the 3 and 6 year old. It is very steep and a tough workout for an adult.

Another vote here for sting ray city in Grand Cayman. However, you will have to book with a private operator to bring your young ones. I think the age on the cruise operated tour was 8 years old. We used Nativeway when our son was 5 and again when he was 6. If the young ones do not want to be in the water, you can have one adult on the boat with them and then switch off.

In Jamaica, you don't say if you're going to MB or Ocho. If Ocho, I highly recommend Phil Lafayette, http://www.phil-lafayette-tours.com/. One parent and the 2 older kids can climb the Falls and Phil will take you and the 2 younger ones on a driving tour while you do it. Phil is very, very funny and entertaining and both you and the kids will love him. He will customize the day as your needs see fit, and it can include a couple of hours at Mahogany Beach if that's your desire. Skip the tubing... again only the parent and the two oldest would be comfortable with it, and while it's fun, it's not worth splitting up again.

The cost is $20pp plus the cost of any attractions. DRF is $15. I'm not sure about Mahogany Beach, but I think it's something like $3 for a lounge chair.

When you contact Phil, just explain your circumstances and he'll take it from there, or you can tell him what to do. Tell him Sarcastic Steve, Dynamite Donna and Jammin' Jeff sent you!

What date are you cruising? I'm doing the Western Caribbean on Voyager with my 8 year old son.

I've already booked the swm with dolphins at puerta aventuras (cozumel) and we are most likely going to do the stingrays as well.

http://www.geocities.com/peattaylor

We really enjoyed Peat's tour. He met us at the dock, we got to Dunn's Falls before it got crowded, then took us through the Fern Gully, and around to see the views, then back to town, where we had the option of either shopping, dining, or having him drop us back at the ship. Our friends opted for the ship, and we shopped for a little while and then Peat was there again to take us back to the ship. Very interesting.

This was two years ago. His website is still there, and I assume he's still doing his tours.

Peat Taylor for Dunn River Falls is nice... You can take the path with the 3 yr. old. You can buy the water shoes there for $10 (you will need them). :)

For GC, head to Stingray City...we went with Nativeways, and our 7-yr. old loved it. There were other children there, younger than him, and they had a ball, too.

In Coz, I'd head to Paradise Beach or Playa Mia. Tons of water toys for kids, nice beaches, and a great place to hang out and relax.

Ditto the post about Phil Lafayette. He's the best!! We still get Christmas cards from Phil and happy birthday greetings, and we were with him a year and a half ago! He is truly a wonderful ambassador for his country, and we learned a great deal in our day with him in Jamaica.

I am eternally grateful to all of you who took such efforts in responding to my questions. My kids are almost 3, 6, 9, 12. Our ship will be sailing from February 11-18th (Voyager)

I will definitely book Phil's tour - he sounds like a special guy. And flexible. I headed off to the book store yesterday and read in one of the cruise books that the tubing is awesome and one of the author's favorite excursions ever. Any thoughts? I never read that here...

Labadee I'll play by ear. One less thing to worry about.

Grand Cayman - Sounds like a catamaran trip to StingRay City with Captain Bryan may be what I need. Thanks for the idea!

Cozumel - still considering the options.

Thanks again everyone!

Lisa