Panama Canal - Family-friendly shore ideas please!

[Bluegirl]

Hi, our family group (four adults, four kids - ages 7, 5, 5, 3) is crusing through the canal next week (Nov. 21, Celebrity Mercury, 14 days) and we are still hoping for tips on the best things to do in port. We may not book any excursions, mainly because of cost and the fact that my 3-year-old sort of throws a wrench in the plans. (The other kids are so much more mature and could actually travel a bit off the beaten path.)

 

I would LOVE ideas for mild yet fun activities, and most importantly BEACHES, at our ports:

 

Cabo, Acapulco, Huatulco, Puntarenes, Cristobal Pier, Cartagena

 

This will be our third cruise (my older son's 3rd, his brother's 2nd). Last time around, our absolute favorite port was Costa Maya, where we just wandered down a deserted strip of beach in a nearly nonexistent town, settled down to sand, surf, beer and cerviche all day, then bought a few silver trinkets on the way back to the boat. It was incredibly easy, relaxing and inexpensive (compared with a booked expedition especially). Will we find anything like that?

 

THANKS IN ADVANCE! We are so excited! And I was able to get my 3-year-old toilet trained in time ... it's good to have a deadline. :)

[cb at sea]

In Panama, it's best to stay on the ship. The area is not great (Cristobel Pier is just that--a pier with shopping for t-shirts and other junk!) All of the "excursions" in Panama run between 5-8 hours--way too long for those kids! And it's HOT! Panama is only about 8 degrees off the equator. Stay on the ship--many folks will get off, and the ship won't have crowds...it's a lovely day on the ship!

For your other ports, check out the "port of call" boards, or get a good guidebook on your ports (Library's are free!) and find out which beaches will suit you best!

[2sweetgrits]

Hi, our family group (four adults, four kids - ages 7, 5, 5, 3) is crusing through the canal next week (Nov. 21, Celebrity Mercury, 14 days) and we are still hoping for tips on the best things to do in port. We may not book any excursions, mainly because of cost and the fact that my 3-year-old sort of throws a wrench in the plans. (The other kids are so much more mature and could actually travel a bit off the beaten path.)

 

I would LOVE ideas for mild yet fun activities, and most importantly BEACHES, at our ports:

 

Cabo, Acapulco, Huatulco, Puntarenes, Cristobal Pier, Cartagena

 

This will be our third cruise (my older son's 3rd, his brother's 2nd). Last time around, our absolute favorite port was Costa Maya, where we just wandered down a deserted strip of beach in a nearly nonexistent town, settled down to sand, surf, beer and cerviche all day, then bought a few silver trinkets on the way back to the boat. It was incredibly easy, relaxing and inexpensive (compared with a booked expedition especially). Will we find anything like that?

 

THANKS IN ADVANCE! We are so excited! And I was able to get my 3-year-old toilet trained in time ... it's good to have a deadline. :)

 

 

 

Check out this thread! Good Luck!

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=869982:)