Blue Lagoon with 2 children?

[msr709]

Can anyone tell me their experience at Blue Lagoon? I'll be with my DD (23yo), and grandniece (3yo) and grandnephew (6yo) and from what I had read from the different website, that maybe Blue Lagoon would be for us. The four of us enjoy swimming and would like to take the kids off the boat for a while and swim at a clean beach. Can anyone give me advice about this and what would be the easiest way to get there with two children in tow? Or would it be better to just stay on board and stay at the pool, they do enjoy the pools. We are all first-time cruisers. Thanks for the info.

 

[jel0511]

I wouldn't call this a clean beach. Personally I was VERY disappointed in Blue Lagoon. It's just a small inlet, which I didn't think was very clean and the food was HORRIBLE!!! I actually got an eye infection from something there, and I didn't even put my head underwater!!! I only got splashed from my two kids. The place smelled like dead fish. I definately wouldn't recommend it. Since I had been to Nassau before I knew to stay off the beaches due to the constant harassment from the locals trying to sell something. I'd recommend staying on the ship and using the pool there. Most people will get off in Nassau, so you'll pretty much have the ship to yourselves.

 

[msr709]

Thanks Lori for your quick reply and from what I've read on the boards (after I put out my question) you're not alone in the feeling of staying on board. I would have to agree with your suggestion, since it is our first time cruising and the first time the children will be away from their parents I don't want to push them too much so I we will be staying on board and enjoying the ship more (since we also only have 3 days.) I knew I could count on these boards, someone always comes through! Thanks again!

 

[4u2dream]

We took 3 children 4, 7, 12 and 4 adults on our 3 Day cruise in May last year. It was one of the highlights of our trip. We found it very clean, no smelly fish and lunch was ok. The lagoon is very shallow and great for kids, especially young ones. The ferry ride to the island was a lot of fun. We all were dancing to the band and the view was pretty from the ferry checking out Nassau. Check out my photos, We will be going again in May this year definately!!!
http://community.webshots.com/user/4u2dream

 

[msr709]

Thanks for the reply 4U2Dream but I couldn't access your pictures. I also belong to Webshots, what the name of the album and I can do a search for it. Thanks again!

 

[Bryanne911]

HI- we did the blue lagoon beach day and dolphin swim 3 weeks ago. I found the beach clean, not smelly and the food wasn't that bad- water was nice and clean too- we picked up shells and small pieces of coral- if you book through dcl all transportation to and from island is included and you go in a group- locals on blue lagoon didn't hassle us at all. met a few on the walk to the ferry, but you couldnm't stop to buy anything from them anyway or you'd miss the ferry! my son(6) loved the beach and hated to leave. we brough our own masks and he had a blast looking at the fish etc.

 

[4u2dream]

Sorry about that, msr709. Try this link.
http://community.webshots.com/user/4u2dream

 

[obsessed]

Bryanne 911, thanks for your post. I thought that you could only book the dolphin encounter through DCL. I am hoping to do the swim and thought I would have to book it on my own. Have they changed something?

I am keeping my fingers crossed, because it would be so much easier to book through DCL!

 

[bonilla]

I will be on the Wonder in November, and I am very interested in doing the Dolphin Encounter at Blue Lagoon. Please give me all the details! Are you able to stay at the beach after your encounter? Is lunch included? Has anyone done the Stingray swim?

Thanks!

 

[Bryanne911]

Hi ! I did the dolphin swim ( have to book that throught them) My husband and son did the blue lagoonbeach day/encounter booked through dcl. so that i could be with them i booked the beach day by itself through dcl. this included the transportation and food. dcl sent me a brochure with detail about each excursion they offer and i called them prior to the cruise and booked everything- i had already booked the swim with dolphin encounters. Hope this cleared things up- it was a great experience- expensive so we wouldn't do it again- $145 for swim and the beach day for me was another $38. $113.50 for my husband and $88.50 for my 6 yr old son- each video was $48. plus we bought pix! got to have those ! let me know if i can be of anymore assistance. Holly

 

[4u2dream]

When we were there in May 2002, the people from the Dolphin Encounter were coming over to use the beach and Lagoon. If you book through DCL for $113.50/ adult and $88.50/ child the costs include the use of the beach but not sure about lunch. There is a morning encounter at 11:00am and an afternoon encounter at 2:00pm. The last ferry back to the ship is 4 :00pm, so a lot of people like to book the am encounter so they can hang around the beach afternoon. There has been a lot of posts on this encounter experience. Probably 50/50 for wether it is worth the money or not. The actual time spent with the dolphins in the water is brief, 15-25 mins. The rest of the time you spend watching the others in your group interacting with the dolphins. My opinion, is pay for the Beach day, go in the morning, relax and snorkel in the am, have lunch and after lunch wander over to Stingray City, it is only $25.00/ person and people seemed to say it was worth every penny, compared to the dolphin encounter. Either way you decide, you will enjoy, it will be a matter of how much you want to spend. Good luck and happy sailing!

 

[msr709]

Thanks for the new link 4u2dream! Your pictures are Wonderful! Can't wait for our trip!! Now I'm torn whether to do the Blue Lagoon or not. I've got a Travel Agent from Cruisesonly.com, would she be able to make the reservations for us, or do we have to contact DCL? I would like to make the reservations in advance so we won't have to board early. Anyone know? TIA!

 

[jporter]

We were torn about Blue Lagoon as well. The Dolphin encounter was
already booked when we tried to get a spot so if you want to do it
make sure you book it as soon as possible. We are thnking since
this is our first cruise and such a short one we would explore the
ship and its ameneties and try Blue Lagoon next time J.

 

[musicgirl]

I have to agree with 4U2dream. We had a very nice day at Blue lagoon. I liked the inlet because it was shallow. This is a great place for the little ones. When we go next time, I'm hoping to do a little more exploring. I think that there is more beach area over the bridge. In the snorkeling area, it was fun to sit on the rocks and watch all of the little animals in the water/sand. It was pretty shallow for a while over rocks. But be careful, it can be a little slippery and it is not flat. This is where I needed my water shoes. I didn't need them at the inlet.

I do agree that the food is ok. Certainly not what you get on the ship! We are thinking about ordering some room service to take with us. Especially the cookies. I hear they are great! We didn't have anything sweet with our lunch. The punch we had was awful!! They sold bottles of water where we met in the morning before we left for the excursion.

 

[4u2dream]

Glad to hear you liked the photos. Blue Lagoon is nice but not for everyone. I can only
say we loved it and are returning in May. You can book before you board the boat, excursions should be booked ahead due to the limited spaces. I would contact your agent and ask them if they can book on your behalf since you booked your cruise through them. Or just call
yourself by calling 1-877-566-0968. You will need your Disney Reservation number to book.
and it will just be put on your account for the cruise. I think you also have to wait until 60 days before your cruise ( when final payment is made ) to book. But call and ask if there is any
time frame. Good Luck!