Caribbean cruise guide

There are many small countries around the Caribbean, many of which are North and South American countries, with a very long history and cultural atmosphere. But due to special historical reasons, these countries are still relatively poor. Of course, compared with their northern neighbors, the following is a detailed strategy for everyone.

Starting from Miami, USA, I took a 7-day cruise to the Caribbean and visited Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Mexico and Cuba.

Precautions:

Cruise ships departing from the United States for the Caribbean don't need to apply for any visas-except Cuba, but it's very easy to fill out forms and pay fees on board.

Let me show you the itinerary of the cruise ship first (click to enlarge for details):

Before boarding the cruise: Miami

Several ports in Florida have cruise tours, such as Miami, Orlando and Ford.

Lauderdale is the three most common starting points. If I am a friend who deliberately travels to the United States, I would recommend taking my baby to Orlando, because there are Disneyland and Universal Studios. I can play Disney there and then go sightseeing by boat, so that I won't waste time all the way to America.

I chose Miami this time, mainly to go to Cuba, and the cruise time to Cuba is more suitable. Only MSCArmonia leaves Miami.

Miami is suitable for children, mainly Everglades Park and Aquarium.

Everglades Park

There are motorboats, known as "floating on the water", which can come and go freely on the overgrown water in the swamp. You can see all kinds of wild fish, waterfowl and crocodiles along the way. This is the first time Xiao Chang has been in such close contact with a living crocodile (when learning letters, it is basically either an apple or a crocodile, so he is familiar with this word). It's like meeting an old friend, and I'm very excited.

The following video was shot on AirBoat. You can feel the pleasure of "taking a ride" when the ship is sailing, and the feeling of close contact with crocodiles.

After getting on the air boat, you will go to the crocodile farm to listen to the introduction and performance of the alligator, and you can also take photos with the little alligator.

Miami Seaquarium

Miami Aquarium is different from the New England Aquarium we often go to. The exhibition hall is in different buildings, so it is very hot to walk outdoors for a long time when visiting. The richness of marine animals displayed is not as rich as that of the New England Aquarium or the Beijing Zoo, but we can see some large marine animals such as manatees that are not common at ordinary times.

Personally, I think this aquarium can be used to kill boarding time in the morning (boarding time is in the afternoon). If there is no time, there is no big loss if you don't go.

Xiao Chang often found a lot of shooting materials in the aquarium, holding his baby camera and shooting left and right.

The following are the photos of flamingos he took with his baby camera:

We didn't take many photos because we went to the aquarium to kill time.

Below is the turtle release pond. For various reasons, these turtles have congenital or acquired defects, or their shells are severely deformed, or their limbs are incomplete. The aquarium deliberately blocked a place in the artificial river to let these turtles die. Because this place is full of humanistic care, we took a photo as a souvenir.

(Looking at the exhibition photos at the aquarium)

Generally speaking, Miami is more suitable for adults to spend their holidays (having a drink on a beach chair and basking in the sun by the swimming pool in the hotel below is very pleasant), but it is not worth a special trip for parents and children. It is enough to spend a day shopping before taking a cruise.

(The famous Biltmore Hotel in Miami)

Day 1 day: boarding/day 2: sailing at sea

The cruise we took this time was MSC.

Armonia, a relatively small cruise ship (because Cuba's ports are relatively old, the ships going to Cuba are generally not too big), but it can also accommodate more than 2,000 tourists, and the facilities on board are relatively complete.

It's not easy to take a normal photo. This is a picture of a grimace.

Boarding procedures are very simple. Take your luggage and passport, go through the security check, follow the instructions, and board the ship smoothly (the whole process is a bit like the combination of train and hotel check-in).

The above photos are of our room. We have a desk, a wardrobe, a TV, a bathroom and a mini-bar, which are smaller than ordinary hotels, but we still have everything.

After settling down, there will be an escape drill, learn to use life jackets, and be familiar with escape routes, just in case. This is stipulated by law, and everyone must attend. After the exercise, the ship officially set sail.

As a reminder, on the first day on the ship, you must remember to go to the designated service desk to associate the credit card with the room card/room number. From now on, all expenses on the ship need to be paid by room card. The cruise price includes room and board-all cafeterias are free, and the designated dinner restaurant is also free every night-visitors can choose to eat in the designated restaurant or cafeteria. Although the food and drinks provided by the cafeteria are free, the drinks/juice/coffee in bars and cafes are extra.

After all the arrangements were made, we began to move freely. At this time, the advantages of cruise ships are reflected. If you play on land, the old man can't leave people for a moment because of the language barrier. Cruise is a relatively safe and closed environment, and the elderly can walk freely and participate in any interesting activities. For example, when Grandma Zhang saw Welcome by the Pool,

Fang, Avenue: Isn't this the square dance? I immediately joined in and experienced an international square dance:

After this pleasant experience, she will watch the DailyProgram published on the ship every day and go dancing.

Taking classes (actually a more advanced expression of square dance), plus I can go to the swimming pool and hot spring to take a bath. Basically, I don't have to worry about the old couple's free time on the boat.

The other lifeguard is junior on the boat.

Clubs, a bit like "child care centers", contain all kinds of toys, such as Lego, which can be entrusted to children to catch their breath. This is very important, because the next day, all day at sea, if there is no place for children to play, parents have to look after their children all day, and the children will be very bored and tired. With a place where children can play together, children have fun and parents are happy.

Xiaoxiao often has a good time in the youth club. On the last day of the farewell party, he won a box of colored pencils, which made him very happy. I am also very happy to take this opportunity to drink coffee and PinaColada and read books, as if I were back on a cruise ship that didn't have children ten years ago.

There are also swimming pools and water parks suitable for children on board, which are small in scale, but children naturally like to play with water and still have a good time:

An open-air water park where you can play with water guns and slides. The sunshine is particularly strong. You'd better put on your bathing suit and pay attention to sun protection.

Day 3: Jamaica

The first country we arrived in was Jamaica, and the ship docked at the port of Ochorios, a tourist city.

Jamaica was originally inhabited by Indians, then became a colony of Spain, and finally became a member of the Commonwealth. At present, more than 90% of Jamaica's population are African blacks and mulattoes.

The most famous scenic spot in Oakley is the Dunne River.

In autumn, ten years ago, Chang Ma and I climbed this small waterfall. Very interesting! However, this time, I chose a more relaxed bamboo raft tour instead of this scenic spot because I was afraid that the elderly and children would climb the waterfall too hard. If your child is older (grade two or three in primary school), I suggest you must choose this scenic spot because of Ocho.

Rios, there's nothing more interesting.

(The picture is from the Internet, so it's a pity that I couldn't go to Dunn'sRiverFall this time. )

We choose to take a bamboo raft in the deep mountains, which is not so active and has a special flavor.

The young man who supported the bamboo raft sang while supporting us. I recorded a short clip:

This young man is young and strong, so although we started in the back row, we arrived first in the end. This makes Xiao Chang, who is full of competition consciousness, particularly happy. When he returns, he will tell everyone that we won the first place by boat today!

Before we left, we bought the same handmade model as the bamboo raft we sat on as a souvenir, and went home to play in the basin:

Day 4: Cayman Islands

People who study finance have an inexplicable affinity for the Cayman Islands, because many China companies listed overseas are not registered in the Cayman Islands.

The island is the British Virgin Islands.

/kloc-was discovered by Columbus at the beginning of the 0/6th century, when it was called Turtle Island. Later, the British navigator Derek arrived here and named it Cayman Islands. /kloc-has been a British territory for 0/7th century.

It is also the fourth largest offshore financial center in the world, known as the "tax haven". 1978 was granted a royal decree, and was exempted from tax forever. Therefore, there is no direct tax and no foreign exchange restrictions, and large foreign companies come to the island to engage in financial business.

We chose Cayman Islands & byland；; The sea, as its name implies, is part of the journey on the shore and part in the sea.

On the way to the shore, we took a bus and visited several scenic spots, including the three-color sea, rum cake shop and hell (there is a place called hell, and many people sent postcards saying: Isendyou.

ThispostcardfromHELLo。 And then postmarked hell), and so on.

The most suitable place for children is SeaTurtleFarm, where you can buy bags of feed for turtles.

As soon as chinemys reevesii saw the food, they all gathered:

In the turtle pond, you can also catch a turtle and have a short close contact with it. Of course, don't watch it for too long, so as not to make the little turtle uncomfortable.

Turtles are one of the traditional food sources in Cayman Islands. It is said that the Cayman Islands is the only place in the world where turtle meat can be legally eaten, but we have never tried it.

The highlight of my trip to Cayman Islands was stingray city that afternoon.

This crystal clear sea area is the famous Devil Fish City, and the dark water is the stingray.

I often go into the water with my baby. The water is not deep, almost over my waist, so I don't need to wear a life jacket.

The close interaction with stingrays became the highlight of this trip:

In fact, the most important thing to miss in Cayman Islands is snorkeling, where you can see many fish and corals. But this activity is not suitable for children, so I chose StingrayCity this time.

If adults come to play by themselves, it is recommended to choose the combination trip of snorkeling and stingray city, which will definitely leave unforgettable memories.

Day 5: Mexico (Sumer Island)

Sumer (Sumer) is located at the junction of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. This is one of the must-see islands in Mexico.

To ask why, just look at the picture, just one word "beauty"!

Changda's camera level is limited. This is a beautiful photo borrowed from others. )

We went to XCARETECOPark, which is a large-scale ecological amusement park integrating Mayan culture and natural landscape.

This is also a park suitable for the whole family, old and young. There are many things to play in the park, and the food is good (the cafeteria can drink many local specialty drinks, which are not available in other places). Because we spent a lot of time in the water for this day's activities, we didn't take many photos. Here are a few words to explain.

(XCARETPark gate)

(the remains of Mayan civilization)

The most distinctive feature of this park is actually swimming in the underground river in a life jacket, which takes about an hour. Because Changda is a landlubber, he can play even if he can't swim in a life jacket, but he doesn't play because it is particularly inconvenient to take care of his children, for fear that something will happen to them. Grandpa and grandma often go swimming all the way and have a good time. Friends who are good at water can also try it with their babies:

Day 6-7: Cuba

Because Cuba has been dealing with "isolation" for a long time, many people are curious about Cuba. Most of the passengers on this cruise ship we are on are going to Cuba.

But overall, Cuba is not particularly suitable for parent-child travel. Although there are many places to take photos and punch cards, most of them are dilapidated, which can satisfy the curiosity of adults, but it is of little significance to children. So, here are some photos for your reference:

(Havana was taken before the cruise ship entered the port, and I thought it was not bad at that time. )

This capitol looks good. It is copied from the capitol in Washington, but it is one meter taller than Washington's and the dome is one meter longer in diameter.

The classic car on the street in Cuba is a landscape.

Many buildings in Cuba are quite distinctive and suitable for friends who like to take pictures. Strolling through the streets of Havana, slowing down and watching local performances is also a relatively pleasant way to relax. But as far as parent-child travel is concerned, it doesn't feel suitable for children.

I chose Cuba this time because I have been to three other countries ten years ago, and I want to take this opportunity to visit a new country. Friends who have never been to the Caribbean suggest another route (Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Princess, etc. There are very good 7-day tours to the eastern Caribbean or the western Caribbean), and replacing Cuba with an island suitable for playing with water, such as the Bahamas, may be more suitable for parents and children to travel.

However, I don't regret choosing this route, because I just got the news that Trump, who is firing everywhere, has pointed his gun at Cuba. From June 5 th, cruise ships departing from the United States can no longer go to Cuba. We were lucky to catch the last boat.