caribbean excursions

[flaca]

I need to chose some excursions for my trip on top of the list are swimming with dolphins, snorkel, or cave tubing with my 5 year old. Has anyone done it before with a child of that age? How was the experience?

[crusinmama06]

Dolphins Swimming yes - I've taken my kids when they were 2 and 6. They loved it.

 

Cave Tubing no - cause I heard it was too dangerous for that age. Just heard some scary stories about snakes/being REALLY dark and thing like that...lol.

 

Snorkel - would your 5 year old know how to snorkel. My 7 year old won't...but EVERY child is different.

 

You can let the cruiseline be your guide. If you book it WITH the cruiseline...they set the appropriate age based on liability...they don't wanna get sued. ;)

 

If you are booking with a private company, they don't care how safe your kids are...your money matters to them. So the ages are often set really low if there are any set ages at all.

[flaca]

Thank you.

 

I will be skipping the cave tubing. Snakes are not my thing.

[firkat]

Where is the dolphin swimming? I am looking for an active excursion for my kids while in St. Thomas? Do they have it there?

[BethCarp]

Several people on here have said their 3-year-olds have been snorkeling. I suppose if you practice ahead of time with their own equipment they might be able to. I'm going to work on my 3yo in the pools this summer and see what happens. We're not planning an excursion though, we'll just snorkel a bit off the beach.

[crusinmama06]

Several people on here have said their 3-year-olds have been snorkeling. I suppose if you practice ahead of time with their own equipment they might be able to. I'm going to work on my 3yo in the pools this summer and see what happens. We're not planning an excursion though, we'll just snorkel a bit off the beach.

 

Yeah but snorkeling verses snorkeling in salt water is two different things. ;)

 

I kept hearing "Ewwww Gross!" from MY 3 year old everytime she got salt water in her mouth...lol. She is a fish in fresh water.

 

firkat - I've done the Bahamas dolphin swim but there is not a dolphin swim in St.Thomas...sorry.

 

The kids CAN do shark feedings at Coral World in St.Thomas

http://www.coralworldvi.com/

 

We've never done the shark feedings but we have been there just to touch the marinelife they have on display, to see the underwater observatory and to chase the HUGE iguanas they have living there naturally.

[firkat]

Thanks, Michele! I enjoyed that Coral World website. I guess my problem is that we live on the coast and have been to a bunch of aquariums already. Our 10 year old son loves to be "active" and I'm not sure that this would really appeal to him. It's so hard because the things I think he would LOVE he is too little physically for. He meets the age and height, but not the weight restrictions . . . like for the Screamin' Eagle jetboat trip.

[rebeccalouise]

I guess my kids are low maintenance. My older son likes to go to the beach and my younger son likes to stay on the ship. We have never done an excursion in the Caribbean- just take a taxi to the nicest resort on the island of choice or go to Magen's Bay in St. Thomas and rent mats and relax.

[Warmer Climes]

We took our 8 y.o. cave tubing in Belize and there were definitely NO SNAKES and that was her favorite shore excursion ever. Cave-tubingDOTcom took great care of DD and carried her tube. I am sure with younger kids they would sit on top of you on your tube. The guides actually drag the linked line of tubes through the caves and you have little headlamps. Check out their website and see for yourself or go to the Belize place on this website for other reviews.

 

Barb