Excursions for Kids under 5

[KellyGal]

Looking into excursions for the whole family, including my thrill-seeking daughter, who will be 2 weeks shy of her 5th birthday on the cruise. Several excursions I've looked into have a minimum age of 5, and one I reached out to said the child needs to be exactly 5. Any suggestions? We'll be stopping in Tortola, St. Thomas, and CC.

 

[princessmommyx3]

We ran into this same issue in the past. Are you only looking at DCL excursions? If so, and if you are comfortable with it, I suggest booking an excursion outside of DCL (i.e. directly with the vendor) because many of them either do not have an age requirement, or it is lower than DCL requires. It is usually cheaper as well, and Trip Advisor is a great source to read reviews so that you feel comfortable that you will have a good experience. Obviously this doesn't help you at CC, but you could do it in Tortola and St. Thomas. We just did this ourselves in St. Thomas last year (DD was only 4) and we had a fantastic day.

 

[KellyGal]

Thanks princessmommyx3. What excursion did you choose?

 

[princessmommyx3]

We sailed with Second Wind Charters. It is pricey but an incredible experience. You can read about our day here: http://www.disneycruisemomblog.com/what-we-did-in-st-thomas/

 

[EvieBug]

I was so glad to discover outside excursions do not have as stringent an age limit. Is DCL's reasoning for liability or something? I'm just curious as I imagine lots of young families have under-5's - are they all just supposed to stay on the boat?

 

[jtba]

We sailed with Second Wind Charters. It is pricey but an incredible experience. You can read about our day here: http://www.disneycruisemomblog.com/what-we-did-in-st-thomas/

i'm beyond thrilled that you posted this link! am in the process of researching eastern carribean so this is perfect timing. thank you so much!

p.s. the photos look amazing!!'

 

[princessmommyx3]

i'm beyond thrilled that you posted this link! am in the process of researching eastern carribean so this is perfect timing. thank you so much!

p.s. the photos look amazing!!'

You're very welcome. I am happy to help out whenever I can. If you are also going to St. Maarten, you can read about our day there here: http://www.disneycruisemomblog.com/what-we-did-in-st-maarten/

 

[jtba]

You're very welcome. I am happy to help out whenever I can. If you are also going to St. Maarten, you can read about our day there here: http://www.disneycruisemomblog.com/what-we-did-in-st-maarten/

(apologies to OP for hijacking this thread)

have bookmarked your blog to peruse some more!

may i ask if the charter company provided any life jackets? you mentioned your 4-yr-old was on your back so maybe not? don't know if my kids will be water-safe by the time we go...

 

[princessmommyx3]

(apologies to OP for hijacking this thread)

have bookmarked your blog to peruse some more!

may i ask if the charter company provided any life jackets? you mentioned your 4-yr-old was on your back so maybe not? don't know if my kids will be water-safe by the time we go...

They provided life jackets and snorkel equipment for everyone, as well as pool noodles if you prefer. The pool noodles are great for strong swimmers who may not want to wear a life jacket (so that they can dive down and look at stuff) but want a little flotation when swimming on the surface.

My daughter was on my back mainly to get as far away from the barracuda as she could!

 

[amanda ek]

We went with an outside company in STT called Godfrey tours with our 2 year old. Reasonably priced and they give you a lot of options...a nice tour overall. (We did stay on the boat with our LO in Nassau on a previous cruise)