Beach Exploring on a Private Island with Kids

A private tropical island experience is like opening a storybook for parents and their children. In all of our cruises, one of our favorite cruise ports of call is actually not what you might think. Yes, we do like experiencing the local culture in St. Thomas, Cozumel, Aruba and other tropical family destinations; but, what we really find exciting for our toddler is the cruise line private islands. Royal Caribbean, Holland America, Norwegian Cruise Line, Disney Cruise Line and others offer their own variety of an isolated beach escape.

CoCoCay is a favorite private island destination, owned by Royal Caribbean and located in the Berry islands chain in the Bahamas, which like others has different beach areas depending on preferences. There are watersports aplenty, albeit these are for older children. Beware though as these do have a cost associated. Island goers can try out kayaking in some of the most beautiful water you’ll see, parasail, jet ski, and even jump around in a water activity area with a trampoline and giant slide.

Specifically for kids, CoCoCay has a kids area complete with a driving experience on the Fisher-Price Power Wheels® Track, which is appropriate for small children. There’s also a sand area for kids to play. Our little one did take her turn on the ATV track, but she really soaked up the sun looking at sea life and walking around the sand bars and of course, the food!

With each of the private islands, the cruise line staff comes ashore bringing gifts! They serve a beachside BBQ lunch and there are many tiki hut bars serving adult and kid-friendly beverages. The food is included, but beverages are not, yet you can use your ship card for purchases.

Royal Caribbean also has a private beach escape in Labadee, located on the northern coast of Haiti. As with CoCoCay, there are numerous water sports to participate in and a great beachside lunch. Also, for families with children, I recommend staying on the side of the beach that is calmer versus the rougher surf area for safety concern. But don't miss the kids-area with the "pirate ship" for some water fun and treasure hunts. Despite being in another country, you do have the feel of tropical isolation, unless you walk over to the shopping area as there you will be bombarded by locals trying to make a deal. I do not recommend taking your children in this area as it is too congested and busy.

Between the two Royal Caribbean island and beach port of calls, CoCoCay ranks tops as more family-friendly and for an overall better island experience.

Another favorite we’ve visited is offered by Princess Cruises. This private beach escape is Princess Cays, located on Eleuthera in the Bahamas. Princess Cays is complete with a private area for kids complete with sand toys.

I’ve saved one of the kids favorites for last and that is Castaway Cay, located near Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas and is Disney Cruise Line’s port of call. Here kids will even see the Flying Dutchman from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Children’s programs are available to give mom and dad some alone time in the adult-only areas. Young kids will love spending time digging around in Scuttle's Cove. For your older kids, there's even a teen-only beach. Disney characters can be found throughout the island giving children even more opportunities for photo opportunities and character greetings, which is a huge bonus on a Disney cruise! Disney always thinks of everything, including free strollers (while supplies last).

I think what I like most about these private islands is the change of pace. These ports of calls are some of the best quality vacation moments you will spend together. And, I can never tire of the tropical scenery. Overall, private tropical island scenery has been the backdrop for some fun-filled family moments and famous vacation photo moments.

Which tropical destination would you like to be stranded with kids?

--Bill Thomas

PHOTO CREDIT: Tropical Latitudes Travel (www.tltravels.com)

Outer Banks Beach Fun for Families

Other than Florida, the Outer Banks in North Carolina is one of my favorite U.S. beach destinations, particularly Nags Head. The Outer Banks are very family friendly and provide a quiet and diverse vacation.

When visiting the Outer Banks, I highly recommend renting a house. You can find something that is quaint for a small family or this beach destination provides a venue for large groups and family reunions. If you have some flexibility in your travel schedule, be sure to check out the rental calendars as you will notice a big drop in prices outside of what is considered high season. The ability to cook together is one of my favorite aspects of an Outer Banks beach escape, not to say there are not some good local seafood joints to sample.

There is no entertainment venue here such as the Ocean City (Maryland or New Jersey) boardwalk scene, but the amazing beaches, wildlife, history, and excursions put the Outer Banks on the map. Following are some recommended excursions for the entire family.

Lighthouse Tour: There are four coastal lighthouses along the Outer Banks. Two of these can be climbed including the Currituck Beach Lighthouse in Corolla, Currituck County (a fee of $7 for anyone 8-years-old and above) and the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in Buxton, which is also recognized as America’s Lighthouse and is the tallest (208 feet) brick lighthouse in the world ($7 for anyone 12-years-old and above; children 11 and under, seniors and disabled pay $3). There is also the Bodie Island Lighthouse and the Ocracoke Lighthouse, the latter of which is the oldest still operating lighthouse in the state, according to Aaron Tuell, director of Public Relations, Outer Banks Visitors Bureau. “A harbor light, it emits a constant beam and does not ‘flash’.”

Sand Dune Park: A must-see, hard to miss attraction is Jockey's Ridge State Park, which according to Tuell was the state's most visited attraction in 2007, with over 1.5 million visits, an increase of 43 percent over last year. This park is free and don’t be surprised when you see kids rolling down the 90 foot sand dune. If you are not up for hang gliding, another popular activity is kite flying. One of my favorite memories at Jockey’s Ridge is watching fireworks on the 4th of July…a very unique venue.

Ocracoke, NC: Kids enjoy taking the free 40-minute ferry over to Ocracoke to experience remote stretches of beaches, wildlife and sealife. And, do not forget the lighthouse. When you come back to shore, be sure to watch the fisherman come in with their daily catch. This is quite a scene.

Of course there are other great beach escapes up and down the Eastern coast that all have its own attributes including the Hamptons, Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head, Amelia Island and others. Whatever your favorite U.S. beach destination, just go away, step back into your childhood, relive the sand and sea through the eyes of your children, and soak up the rays (don’t forget the sunscreen)!

Photo Credit: Outer Banks Visitors Bureau

Book Inspired Tropical Vacations

Reading a book takes us all into places we’ve possibly never discovered before. This same transformation is similar to what is experienced by taking a vacation. When traveling with children, there are childhood favorite stories and classics that inspire vacation choices. On a recent Today Show segment, Trisha Thompson, executive editor of Wondertime magazine, highlighted a few vacation destinations kids can relate to based on books. She discussed how kids can waddle like the duck family and take a swan boat ride in Boston as in “Make Way for Duckling” by Robert McClosky; how touring the home of Orchid House of Louisa May Alcott which was the predominant scene for Louisa and her three sisters in Little Women; or visiting Hannibal, Missouri to explore where Mark Twain ventured; or having tea in New York’s infamous Plaza Hotel where Eloise made her name known.

There are so many stories that take our and our children’s imaginations to places that we can actually take time to visit during a vacation. During her Today Show interview, Thompson explained that she is trying to help parents’ travel to be meaningful and relevant to the kids too. I take this to heart, even with a three-year-old. Our family treasures tropical family vacations and in turn, we have turned our little one onto sea creatures, marine life and pirates! A few books we have used to inspire travel for our next island vacation or tropical cruise or even a day trip to Sarasota’s Mote Aquarium include: “Shiver Me Letters: A Pirates ABC” by June Sobel; “Fidgety Fish and Friends” by Paul Bright; “Hello, Fish! Visiting the Coral Reef” by Sylvia A. Earle; and a new favorite “Mister Seahorse” by Eric Carle.

One travel tip I’ve provided before traveling to help keep kids occupied is bringing a new book or toy. Our little one loves to read so for our upcoming Carnival cruise to Cozumel, Mexico, I have already purchased a few enchanting pirate and sea tales for our adventure. We will be exploring “The Night Pirates” by Peter Harris; “A Pirate’s Tale” by Alan Jardine; and “Sharks” by Catriona Clarke. All three of these stories are available via Scholastic.

Not only by using books as a travel tool do you help stimulate the creativity for the journey, but you also are being educational in your approach. A win-win! I also encourage you to bring any travel-inspired books with you on your travels to serve as a “travel guide” for you and your kids.

What titles have inspired you and your family for your journeys?

--Jenn Thomas

Part of Tropical Family Travel’s mission is to share different family vacation ideas and tips. To accomplish this we will be featuring guest bloggers who will share their personal experiences. We are proud to introduce our first guest blogger, Amy from Ohio, who is a mom of three boys. She shares with us a family camping experience! In fact, according to the Travel Industry Association’s Adventure Travel Report, camping is the number one outdoor vacation activity in America with one-third of U.S. adults saying they have gone on a camping vacation in the past five years and nearly 50% of campers have camped with their kids. Welcome Amy!

Our boys were ages four, seven and eight when we took them to the Blue Ridge Mountains for a family camping trip. We stayed at the Bear Den Campground, which in my opinion is one of the best campgrounds in the country that is east of the Mississippi. It is a very CLEAN, family-oriented campground with very private sites. We camped in our new pop-up trailer, which had its own bathroom and shower. This is a great way to camp with kids especially if you don’t like going into buggy, gross campground showers and restrooms. There is a campground pool, game room, a pond stocked with fish and a camp store stocked with just about everything one could ever need when camping. The only thing this campground doesn’t have is cell service.

The highlight of our trip was going white water rafting with the Blue Ridge Outing Company. Unlike most rafting outfitters, this one accepts kids as young as four to take rafting. No worries of course, as the river traveled on is pretty “kid friendly” with only class one and two rapids, just enough to make “Mom” scream. The guides are great with kids and brought all kinds of snacks for us. At first, I was a bit apprehensive as our four-year-old cried when he saw the rapids. The guide was great though, and stayed practically within an arms reach from our boat (in his boat) talking and encouraging our son the entire ride. We couldn’t have asked for a better outfitter. It turned out to be an unforgettable great family experience.

The next day we went to Grandfather Mountain. This is definitely a stop you don’t want to miss if you are ever in this “neck of the woods”. We bravely trekked across the mile high swinging bridge and really enjoyed the spectacular scenery. In addition to this attraction, the kids got a great “kick” out of the bears that beg for food. (They sell special food you can feed the bears at the park.) We spent about a half hour looking at them up close and watching them literally wave for more with their paws! After that, we all enjoyed the small zoo. This is a great attraction that is not outrageously priced for what it is.

--Amy

Getting into Vacation Mindset

Transitioning from the hectic, day-to-day, mommy lifestyle into a vacation mode takes some mental and physical preparation. By taking steps to properly plan for family vacations, I find that each day I build my anticipation while crossing one more item off my "to do" list! This starts from ensuring I have proper travel documents set aside, prescriptions filled, extra memory card or spare batteries for digital camera, and newspaper halted! I do a lot of research about my dream trips—from destination information, to reading about the ship or the property, to reading past traveler’s reviews.

Preparation is the key! I find if I pre-plan much of the family vacation before going and knowing what is possible to do with children (researching kid-friendly activities, scheduling a resort dive lesson, reserving the special fishing charter, taking my own snorkeling gear, slating my semi-private ski lesson for the 2nd day), my anticipation is much greater and I am much more at ease while on the trip.

To help get me into the mindset of vacationing, I take time to plan out some fun, vacation outfits (and a shopping trip for a new pair of sandals is always required for both me and my 3-year-old) or do a checklist to ensure I have all of the needed attire for family members. Depending on the type of trip, I also have to ensure I’m physically ready. If it’s a ski vacation, then I will be sure to increase my stamina by running more or doing different types of leg lifts to get those quads ready for the slopes. If I know I’ll be in tropical locations, I definitely hit the gym and increase my intake of fruit and salads to ensure that I will not be shy strolling the lido deck, especially with post-baby body!

Once I hit the day of travel, my mind begins to go into the official decompression mode! Typically, if traveling by air, I treat myself to a great cup of coffee at the airport to start my relaxation. And I start by reading that special book or magazine I've been staring at but bills or work papers have won the battle at home for my eye attention. One of the required reading items is something about where I'm traveling to...whether about an island that the cruise is stopping at or about an activity I'm going to do while in port! Yes, this is possible even with kids as I have packed special books and surprises to keep them entertained.

Once I arrive, I immediately take in the scenery, the scents, the vibrant colors and sounds. I then take time to look around to get my bearings...such as a tour of the ship. When cruising, one of our first stops is visiting the children’s area to ensure our little one is comfortable. We do not use this feature often, but it is nice to be able to have an hour or so to take in a fitness class, enjoy a spa treatment, or adult-only drink at one of the many entertainment venues. Then I remind myself...I am on vacation and I need to savor every moment, maximize my travel time, take advantage of uninterrupted family time, and escape!

How do you prepare to disconnect from daily life to vacation life?

--Jenn