What can a 4.5 yo do on shore excursions??

[ThreeMusketeers]

This will be our first time cruising with dd (4.5 years). What will she be able to do on the islands?? We are doing E.carribean, 7 night. I see alot of excursions have a 5 year old limit..will they inforce this on my 4 month shy of 5 year old???
Also, how safe is it to use the kids clubs? This makes me nervous? Anyone have any advice?
And does the Cruise Line do anything special for the Christmas season???
Thanks to all.

 

[lbgraves]

The ships are decorated for Christmas in mid November.
The kids clubs are as safe as any environment with a bunch of kids. The counselors are top notch and work with the kids to get everyone involved in the activities, especially in the younger group. We didn't do any excursions on our last two cruises simply because the kids didn't really want to leave the ship. They kept asking to go back to the club or the pool. We also didn't like the idea of riding around with them not in car seats in taxis or buses. We have walked around each port and picked up souvenears for an hour or two, then returned back to the ship to enjoy the almost empty Mickey pool.

 

[S.Sunshine]

First of all let me tell you - your daughter is adorable. When my daughter had just turned 4 I took her on her first cruise (not Disney ).
She loved the kids club and did not want to get off to do any of the trips. Doing the Dis kids club is even better. I did not do any of the excursions last year in the Bahamas. We did our own thing. But she could not wait to get back to the ship to the "club". She will love the CC adventures with other children. Make sure you leave time for her to be with you as well for snorkeling or hanging out. As for Christmas - I am sure they do but have not had the opportunity yet. Have a GREAT trip.

 

[MelissaE1]

My daughter was exactly the same age when we cruised last time, on the Eastern like you. I was also worried about not being able to do excursions with her. It turned out to be nothing to worry about as she (and we) had a fantastic time. I would not have changed a thing. At St. Maartin we arranged our own excursion to Anguilla which was wonderful because our taxi driver took us all around the island and told us some fascinating facts and history... but our kids slept through it! The highlight of their trip was hanging out at the beach/restaurant later and playing a game where you try to swing a ring on a rope and catch it on a hook in the wall -- a local guy helped them figure it out. We had a blast and would not have ended up doing that on an excursion I bet -- it's one of my favorite memories. We wandered around St. Thomas and got color change nail polish and ice cream then went back to the ship and had a ball. Castaway Cay we just rented water tricycles and hung out... no excursion needed. This is not to say that planned excursions aren't lots of fun (we've done them on other cruises), but we had just as much fun without them. Plus there is the benefit of being able to return to the ship when you feel like it or one of you needs a nap or a swim in the pool... you are on your own schedule. No matter how you do it you will have a great time.

 

[shelly3girls]

This will be our first time cruising with dd (4.5 years). What will she be able to do on the islands?? We are doing E.carribean, 7 night. I see alot of excursions have a 5 year old limit..will they inforce this on my 4 month shy of 5 year old???
Also, how safe is it to use the kids clubs? This makes me nervous? Anyone have any advice?
And does the Cruise Line do anything special for the Christmas season???
Thanks to all.

I am so glad I saw this thread. We will be on the 12/24 Eastern with our DD who will be 2 months short of her 5th d-day. We don't really know what to do either.

 

[ThreeMusketeers]

First of all let me tell you - your daughter is adorable. When my daughter had just turned 4 I took her on her first cruise (not Disney ).
She loved the kids club and did not want to get off to do any of the trips. Doing the Dis kids club is even better. I did not do any of the excursions last year in the Bahamas. We did our own thing. But she could not wait to get back to the ship to the "club". She will love the CC adventures with other children. Make sure you leave time for her to be with you as well for snorkeling or hanging out. As for Christmas - I am sure they do but have not had the opportunity yet. Have a GREAT trip.

aww..thank you first off for the complement! And to everyone for the advice. I can't wait a year for this..I will have to talk hubby into it before.
lol
Thanks again to everyone.