Kid Friendly destinations

[khatley]

Anyone have any good diving vacations that we can take young kids? we have been planning a vacation for a while now and the wife is wanting to do a cruise...she was thinking we could leave the kids at the kids club while we went diving but our youngest is not quite 2 and they will not allow him to stay until he is 2. We also have a 5 and 15 year old and the 15 year old has done some diving but is not too interested in it. We are looking for a place where we would feel comfortable leaving the 2 year old while we went diving that will also be a lot of fun for the kids the the rest of the time as well. I am going to get stuck going to Disney World without any diving if I don't find something quick! Any suggestions?

 

[ScubaRich]

Check out Beaches, Turks & Caicos. Very kid friendly. They (kids) have their own pool,resturant, and activities. The resturants for the adults are good and the diving is great. Plus it's all inclusive. Hope this helps!

 

[mike_s]

Anyone have any good diving vacations that we can take young kids? we have been planning a vacation for a while now and the wife is wanting to do a cruise...she was thinking we could leave the kids at the kids club while we went diving but our youngest is not quite 2 and they will not allow him to stay until he is 2.

check also on potty training requirements. some places wont' allow a kid to stay in the "kids club" until they are potty trained. (just something to check).

We also have a 5 and 15 year old and the 15 year old has done some diving but is not too interested in it. We are looking for a place where we would feel comfortable leaving the 2 year old while we went diving that will also be a lot of fun for the kids the the rest of the time as well.

I was going to suggest Beaches also like the last poster did.

I am going to get stuck going to Disney World without any diving if I don't find something quick! Any suggestions?

you can always dive in the aquarium at Epcot for $150 bucks. it's neat but not great.

but the interesting thing is that your kids can all stand on the other side of the glass and watch daddy/mommy dive. just an idea if you end up paying the big mouse for a trip.

 

[khatley]

Beaches looks great but the $9k price tag is a bit steep!

 

[mike_s]

Beaches looks great but the $9k price tag is a bit steep!

you could always go somewhere else and take a baby sitter for a lot cheaper... (assuming that the 15yo won't do it).

 

[ScubaRich]

I agree it looks steep, and you're right, it is. But they have a few resturants that you would easily pay $200.00 for dinner, wine, tips, diving etc. it is trully "All Inclusive". Other resorts, especially with kids, A burger will run you $10.00 and there is no guarantee they will even eat it. Then tell you they are hungry an hour later. We, (my wife and I) just really liked the feeling of not having to worry about how much we were spending. Just a thought!
Good luck in your search.

 

[khatley]

anyone have any experience withe Allegro in Cozumel? We usually stay at Fiesta and it is not the most kid friendly but the Allegro or White Sands looks pretty appealing.

 

[T23]

Well you could do Disney and dive at Epcot. We did that a couple of years ago and it was a lot of fun. Not cheap, but fun.

I'd never even consider diving while on a cruise. It's just not worth the hassle and unless you have made your own arrangements beforehand in the port of call you are dependent upon the cruise line setting you up with an operator. Be prepared for a cattle boat experience with a lot of people who have not been diving for a while all the time paying a cruise ship premium.

If you want to go diving... well, plan a diving vacation and make part of your criteria a hotel or location that has child care services appropriate for the ages of your children.

 

[HBO MD]

There's a group called "Rascals in Paradise" that specializes in family scuba vacations. I've heard they're quite good.

 

[AzAtty]

Some cruise lines have sitters available for the "under two" group. When on a cruise with Royal Carribbean, we left our one year old with a truly excellent staff sitter during our shore excursions.