Excursion ideas for eastern caribbean with small kids

[DisneyMom2000000]

@DisneyMom2000000
We just got back from our Eastern cruise and did the Disney excursion to Coral World. We had a big group with ages from 2 to 75 and it was just right in terms of time and activities. The kids loved the touch pool and being able to hold the red-footed turtles.

awesome!!

 

[Juan M]

How did you book this? Were there bathrooms onboard. Can an elderly woman sit confitabley on board in shade and observe ? My mom is traveling with

We booked online direct with Aristocat at their website, should be the top result if you look up Aristocat Charters in google. There was a bathroom on board down below, I personally didn’t use it, but as long as you are capable of backing down the steps in reverse, should be easy to access. You can see pictures of their Catamaran the ‘Sugar Rush’ on their website, there was plenty of shaded space on board as well as some ‘trampolines’ up front to lay out on if you wanted more sun. The sign posted on board said Max Passengers 38, but it seems they cap space at about 25 passengers plus 2 crew, to allow for a good amount of space to relax on. It never felt crowded and my mother in law doesn’t swim or snorkel at all, so she stayed on board either in the sun or shade the whole time.
When I booked for our party of 9, we put a deposit down for 1 adult and 1 kid, I think it’s $125 per adult 10 and up and half that for kids 3-9, with 2yrs and under being free. The balance was paid on board at the end of the excursion, they accepted cash, credit card or check, and we tipped about 15%.
You just have to enter what day you will be there and it should pop up with Disney Fantasy day sail, the times (9:30-4:30) and availability.
We were able to enjoy breakfast and be off the ship at a leisurely pace since we were able to go ashore at 7:30, and all aboard was 5:45, so there was no rush either way getting off or getting back!

 

[cadien]

@DisneyMom2000000
We just got back from our Eastern cruise and did the Disney excursion to Coral World. We had a big group with ages from 2 to 75 and it was just right in terms of time and activities. The kids loved the touch pool and being able to hold the red-footed turtles.

Did you do Coral World Comeback or Coral World by Land and Sea?

 

[ajo]

Did you do Coral World Comeback or Coral World by Land and Sea?

@cadien It was Coral World by Land and by Sea. We had the 8:15 a.m. departure.

 

[DisneyMom2000000]

@cadien It was Coral World by Land and by Sea. We had the 8:15 a.m. departure.

We are doing the comeback one. Is the under water part worth it? We can change it now but my experience with glass bottom boats or underwater viewing has never been great.

 

[cadien]

@cadien It was Coral World by Land and by Sea. We had the 8:15 a.m. departure.

Oh that would be great. We have an 11:15. It was the only choice when I signed up. It means we have to go straight back to the ship after. Maybe I'll check with the Port Adventures desk for cancellations on the earlier one.

 

[girafkiraf]

We did the Jost Van Dyke beach excursion from Tortola with two four year olds this fall. It was a fun excursion and the kids enjoyed it.

 

[ajo]

We are doing the comeback one. Is the under water part worth it? We can change it now but my experience with glass bottom boats or underwater viewing has never been great.

@DisneyMom2000000
The kids liked seeing the fish and the random items underwater (many put there by the recent hurricanes). Our guide Wendy was also very knowledgable and we enjoyed the info she shared.

In the end, I would say it was a fun thing to do but it wasn't a significant "wow" moment.

 

[ajo]

We did the Jost Van Dyke beach excursion from Tortola with two four year olds this fall. It was a fun excursion and the kids enjoyed it.

Others in our group with kids under age 6 did the Jost Van Dyke beach excursion. They did the full day and said it was great.

 

[lovingeire]

We are cruising with our 8 and 5 year old, as well as our 19 year old, brother and my parents so I'm finding excursions to be a challenge. For St. Thomas I've sent my mom the Kon Tiki and the Coral World by Land and Sea. We are planning on Jost Van Dyke for Tortola. I know no clue if my 19 year old will want to do Coral World though so I need to talk to him about it.

 

[KGmomoftwins]

We did the Jost Van Dyke beach excursion from Tortola with two four year olds this fall. It was a fun excursion and the kids enjoyed it.

Just curious did you do the transfer one or the one with lunch? How long were you at the beach. What was your departure and return time to the ship? Also how was the boat ride over? Thank you so very much for the time/answers!

 

[mouse4vt]

I am looking at the Coral World Comeback for our upcoming cruise in October. I looked at the Coral World park website and they have a Sea Lion encounter that isn't listed through Disney. They only have it 2 times per day so I'm wondering if the Disney excursion would allow me the time to add it on for my 3 year old. I know she would love to feed and play with the sea lion. Does anyone know on the Comeback excursion what the timing is?

 

[ajo]

I am looking at the Coral World Comeback for our upcoming cruise in October. I looked at the Coral World park website and they have a Sea Lion encounter that isn't listed through Disney. They only have it 2 times per day so I'm wondering if the Disney excursion would allow me the time to add it on for my 3 year old. I know she would love to feed and play with the sea lion. Does anyone know on the Comeback excursion what the timing is?

We did the Coral World excursion through Disney and went to the Sea Lion encounter while we were there. No ticket or anything required. Just head over to the indoor pavilion at the designated time. It was really fun and we learned that not all Sea Lions sound the same!

 

[Lisa F]

I am looking at the Coral World Comeback for our upcoming cruise in October. I looked at the Coral World park website and they have a Sea Lion encounter that isn't listed through Disney. They only have it 2 times per day so I'm wondering if the Disney excursion would allow me the time to add it on for my 3 year old. I know she would love to feed and play with the sea lion. Does anyone know on the Comeback excursion what the timing is?

I'm curious about this too - I want to do the swim (not encounter) with my son and wondering if it's better to do the Disney excursion to get there or just take a cab since I believe the cost includes admission.

 

[dad of 3 addicted to DCL]

FWIW, we hopped a cab to Coral World and it was easy. Even arranged for a pickup time. If you finish up early, Coki Beach is (literally) right next door. Bring cash for the lounger and snacks and a swimsuit for afters.

 

[Lisa F]

FWIW, we hopped a cab to Coral World and it was easy. Even arranged for a pickup time. If you finish up early, Coki Beach is (literally) right next door. Bring cash for the lounger and snacks and a swimsuit for afters.

you had the same cab pick you back up again?

 

[dad of 3 addicted to DCL]

you had the same cab pick you back up again?

Yep. When we got off the ship there were a bunch of cabbies on the pier. We got on an open air cab (kind of like a mini bus without doors. Or sides) It was fun. Anyway, we told him we wanted to be be back to the ship by two and he said he'd pick us up at 1. Gave us plenty of time at Coral World (we were some of the first off Fantasy) and some overflow time at Coki Beach (which was gorgeous). He was there right on time.

 

[lovingeire]

We are just off the Fantasy yesterday. we did Jost Van Dyke Beach Transfer (half day) in Tortola. Best day ever! The boat had some engine trouble so we stayed an extra 45 minutes or so on the beach, which was nice that they made up the time. The boat crew were fantastic though! The boat was loud inside so I'd recommend sunscreening up and sitting up front. The beach was gorgeous. I haven't been that relaxed in a long time. There were plenty of chairs and umbrellas. (Plus an easy walk down to Soggy Dollar Bar for the original Painkiller....they are way better there then at the bar for the Disney excursion, but I did appreciate that they gave us tickets for non alcoholic drinks which were great for water or sodas for the kids.) We had our 8 & 5 year old with us. They were happy campers!

In St. Thomas we ended up on the Kon Tiki because we couldn't get our whole group in to the Coral World excursions. We were in port with 2-3 other ships. We were a bit disappointed that even though we were first in port they picked up the people from the Symphony of the Seas first so the shaded area of the boat was totally full before we got there. (Way more full then it would have been if Disney passengers had boarded first to be honest.) We managed to weasel seats, but not together so that when they opened the glass bottom part we could see something. Unfortunately the hurricane wiped out most of the reefs. The beach we went to was far from a "white sand" beach. It was rocky and full of algae and seaweed. Not to mention super crowded. There were not enough chairs, let alone umbrellas, and there were 2 other tour boats, plus the private boats. So the boat was super fun as they provided plenty of free rum punch and fruit punch for the kids, plus my husband and kids enjoyed the limbo contest, but the beach was very lackluster and left a lot to be desired.