Hi 1st time cruiser and travelling with a 18month old and 3 year old. Thinking of the Atlantis Digs tour (anybody know the cost?) how long is this tour? Then is there a beach close by for the kids to enjoy? Also read somewhere about a Pirates museum any info, Location, times cost etc and is it worth seeing? St. Thomas think of Trunks Bay (in December Redhook Ferry or the other ferry) need help with exact details as we don't want to take the long route with little kids or get lost, Also the Atlantis submarine andy input? St. Martin any suggesttions on a good island tour. Does Carnival charge for 18months and 3 year old with there excursions? Also any Bone Fishing in any of these Ports? Thanks for all the help!!!

Sorry can't help with the prices, but at the Atlantis resort there is a great sea life aquarium where you can actually touch crabs and a sea cucumber and such, we had a great time in Nassau. Food and drink at Atlantis was pricey, and there is a waterpark we can't go in to unless you are a guest, but looked awsome. Make sure you buy some great flavored rums, and take a cab to the resort, to far to walk with two kids, trust me. I have two as well. As far as booking through the ship, I would suggest against it, there are a ton of companies you can book through seperately and at quite a bit of a discount. have a great time, and don't forget camp carnival for the 3 yr old, time alone is always a nice thing. Not sure, but the 18 mo old may be to young. Check carnival.com to make sure.

canada,

Welcome to Cruise-Chat

You will find a wealth of information here. And some awesome people. I personally don't know the answers to all of your questions, but I am sure someone does or you will find them here.

I do always go to Red Hook for St. John ferry, and can assure you the taxi will not get lost

Welcome Aboard,
IslandCruz

Here's the ferry Schedule...
Virgin Islands Ferry Schedule Click Here

Thanks for the schedule - this will definately help. How far is Red Hook from St. Thomas port? Then how far from Red Hook to Trunks Bay? Is this faster than going Charlotte Amaile ferry and taxi to Trunk bay? Want to minimize travel time with small kids. Thanks for input!

It will take about 15 minutes by taxi to get to the Red Hook Ferry. Ferries run quite frequently fomr Red Hook and it will take about 20 minutes to reach St. John. Although the Charlotte Amalie ferry is closer to the port, it will take 45 minutes by ferry to reach St. John and the feries run less often.

You can do the Atlantis Digs excursion through the cruise line and it will cost about $50 per person for the combined Atlantis Digs/Harbor Cruise. Not sure if there is a discount for children or not. But, you can go directly to Atlantis on your own and purchase tickets for the Dig at the Temple of the Moon in the Atlantis Casino, which would be much cheaper.

Nancy

Nancy

Nancy - thanks for the info much appreciated. Is the Digs worth seeing @ Atlantis? We thought our kids 1 1/2yrs & 3 yrs would enjoy- how long is the tour? Can you stay in the Aquarium area as long as you want? Where is the public beach in relation to Atlantis within walking distance? Any suggestions for St. Martin excursion?

at the risk of being called a rude jerk, and iv'e been called worse....why would you want to bring young kids on your first cruise? can't they visit grand parents while you discover cruising?...my wife and i saw a couple struggling with their youngsters and just laughed at them, they were yelling at each other and trying to take care of infants at sea..the kids are so young they wont remember it ...i know you love them but they would be more entertained in front of the television. you have to be brave or stupid to plan a cruise, expecially with shore excursions with a toddler and infant in mind. Hate me if you want but my advise is leave them at home and enjoy yourselves, then when they get older go on a disney cruise or something. just my opinion, sorry

Wise2U - I guess everyone has there own opinions BUT you wheren't asked to give it and obviously not a parent or haven't been one for a very long time! I joined this forum for advise on cruising and port information not parenting advise. With 2 weeks of holidays a year we look forward to spending that time with our children and want a nice FAMILY vacation sorry if this doesn't conform to your idea of a vacation!

that WAS my cruising advise, I am not a parent and dont give parenting advise...so before you bite my head off...try cruising with your young children, and then take a cruise without them....then you tell me which you enjoyed more.

for most people cruises are made to relieve stress and the parents i saw on our last cruise were struggling to take care of thier young kids and were obviously stressed out.
You may love your little bundles of joy and have no problem carrying them around all over the islands and ship. it just seems easier to try your first cruise without the added responsiblities. If you leave them at home you don't have to feel guilty, it doesnt mean you dont love them anymore.

Anyway it sounds like your bound and determined to take the tykes with you, so i guess your trying to figure out the logistics of changing diapers in a jamaican bathroom and other such fun things, so i wont bother you anymore.

do us a favor and after your trip come back and post, let us know how it worked out for you.

Hi Canada

In Nassau if you want to go on a tour, I have do it both thru the cruise line and from a private taxi outside the security bldg. I do recommend the taxi. For a 5-6 hour tour we used a guy named Felix (we is very tall, real thin, about 50-60 years old and very nice and polite. The cruise line will offer 2 the one most do is the Pirates tour and it is great also. It is $50 (usd) normally. You will have lots of fun. Do visit down town area a little. If you have any questions please ask. I have been to Nassau over 40 times and on about 35-40 cruises.

Hi Canada,
Good for you for your comment to wise2u. I am also cruiseing with 2 small children in December. I agree that there are plenty of kids who don't behave well (mine are very well mannered as I'm sure yours are) but there are probably more rude ADULTS on cruises than there are children. He needs to realize that RCCL has all those WONDERFUL programs for kids because cruises are for EVERYONE. Hope he has company when he is a grumpy old man and no one wants to be around HIM.

That was a little on the harsh side. When Canada posted a question it was for opinions to be given.

Just because someone doesn't like the opinion or advice given is no reason to personally attack the person giving it.

In his "advice" he stated that you would have to be 'stupid or brave' to take your "little bundles of joy'...his wording would put many parents on the offensive. Telling her that they would be better off in front of the TV because 'they won't remember it anyway' is just WRONG! Children remember that they had great family times together- maybe they don't remember the actually activities, but family trips like this leave a lasting memory of special family times. I've said enough. If you don't get what we are saying, you won't get it no matter what I say.

I knew it might ruffle a few parental feathers, thats why i apologized at the end of my post and preluded the fact that they might not like my opinion..on the other hand i still think its sound advise to leave infants behind on your first cruise experience...i should not have used the word "stupid" and "bundles of joy" was not an alternate for screaming rugrats from hell...I have seen both on cruises.

the main thing i was trying to say is that they should try it first without the kids. its like say camping, would you rather test it to see if you like it and be prepared or would you just take the whole family? with some helpful advise from a msg board and the pressure of making it all work perfect do you think it would go smoothly for a week?, without stress?

ships have small cramped quarters, lots of germs, small public areas (besides the open deck and formal dining rooms),little for kids that age to do, one or both of you would have to be taking care of the kids most all of the time. when do you get quality time with your spouse? when do you get to relax?

I'm sorry if my advise offended your family unity..some folks cant live without thier kids for a week. It would cause them more stress than bringing them along, to leave them with relatives. this is common with new parents with small ones..but most grow out of it before the kid is a teenager.

cotefamily: yes, i am a grumpy old man of 41...i go on cruises to relax, and become less grumpy. stressed out parents with screaming kids dont make this easy. Cruises are for everybody, all i said was try it first without them and then go on disney with the kids. rccl has "MANY WONDERFUL" programs for infants and toddlers? i doubt it, i only saw one kids club and they didnt take real small kids. Tell them how much fun it will be loading a taxi in a poor island port to take the family on excursions, should they bring thier strollers or carry them papoose style? How many pounds of baby stuff will they haul in each port? I assume your "well mannered kids" walk by themselves, when did you take them on thier first cruise? lets reply to your other post: "they wont remember it anyway" is true...how many memories do you have from between 1-2 years old? this fact will no doubt piss you off, psychologists say that infants are about as intelligent as monkeys and have no conscious memories. they are stimulated by pretty colors on a tv screen, geometric shapes from mobiles, movement, thier parents voices or faces, and food. for the first year they are basically helpless little poop machines. now if you can get past your rage for me saying that, and your denial of those facts, how bout you tell canada something to help them out not just vague promises of "special family times" but real advise on how to cruise with the limitations of small children in tow...where can they go? what family style port activities can they do easily? what are some tricks to make things easier for parents on a first cruise?..answer some of the hard questions instead of poking a grumpy old man with a verbal stick.

Okay, I have to come to Wise2U's defense (not that he needs me to). When I read the post from Canada, the first thing I thought was "Why in the hell would you take two toddlers on a cruise?" Personally, I would rather be hung by my toenails and set afire. I have ONE three year old daughter and I love her more than anything in the world. But since she is not potty trained (please, if there is a God...the potty party didn't work and we need divine intervention!) there is NOTHING exclusively designed for her on a cruise except in-room sitter service that costs enough to dip into her college fund! We are sailing in January on the Jewel of the Seas without her and she will be thrilled to get to spend the week with Grammy and Grampy! My husband and I have also gone to Disney World without her and decided that when she turns five would be a good time to start including her on these long trips. Until then, we will relish our few days together where we can reconnect as a couple (and will continue to take a trip each year without her) because she will eventually leave and we don't want to be strangers when she does!
I know I am very lucky, I have parents who are completely capable of caring for her and look forward to having her. Plus, I have noticed that she really enjoys getting to be independent from me while in a safe environment. I feel it really encourages her own independence. Yes, she cries when we leave and I feel guilty, but I would feel worse if I was unable to maintain an ideal relationship with her father for her to watch and learn from. (And the guilt flows away with the first daquiri!) She goes with us on most weekend trips, but often now when we start packing (every parent knows you NEVER tell them about a trip until the night before...can you say "Is it today mommy?" a million times? She can!) she asks if she can go to grammies...go figure!
So, I'm sorry if I offend anyone who thinks you have to spend every free moment on your child, but I feel it is also my responibility to teach her how to care for herself when she is a mom, and her relationship when she is married. My mother was a martyr to her children and all it did was make us feel guilty when we didn't want to be around her ALL the time. I don't want my daughter to feel like my happiness hinges on her.

I thank you Wise2U for having the guts to warn these poor people that they are in for a rough ride. And even though I'm a mom, I don't get offended that strangers don't want to hear my precious bundle of joy screaming because I've missed her nap and our late seating for dinner is past her bedtime! I agree that cruises are for relaxing both for parents and for non-parents!

So Canada, I hope you get a little divine intervention and have a wonderful cruise. I will be getting to sleep in and go to the bathroom by myself for the first time in six months! I can't wait!!!!

I have some friends with toddlers who went on a cruise. They brought along a Nanny to stay on the ship and take care of the tykes while they went ashore. Also another friend took thier Mom. She babysat for a free cruise ticket, they got another room for the Grandmother and the toddler.

I agree with IslandCruz, Wise2U was just making a suggestion. As a mother of 3 young children myself, I understand the point he is trying to make. We are taking our kids on a cruise in Jan., we also plan on going just as a couple in 2008. He is entitled to his opinion without having it met by being attacked with "grumpy old man" and the such.

quote:

Originally posted by cotefamily:
Hi Canada,
Good for you for your comment to wise2u. I am also cruiseing with 2 small children in December. I agree that there are plenty of kids who don't behave well (mine are very well mannered as I'm sure yours are) but there are probably more rude ADULTS on cruises than there are children. He needs to realize that RCCL has all those WONDERFUL programs for kids because cruises are for EVERYONE. Hope he has company when he is a grumpy old man and no one wants to be around HIM.

its a challenge taking children with you on a cruise at ANY age for each has a different set of problems. The older kids know how to SPEND money and you worry about them getting into trouble, especially as they enter those "independent, know-it-all years." I made our youngest daughter, who turned 18 on the cruise, read stories on "cruise-bruise" before we left. Everything went great and she wouldn't even open the door for the cabin steward! I cannot even imagine the pressure of taking a baby on any cruise, much less my first one.