Caribbean Cruise Travel Guide

There are many small countries around the Caribbean, many of which are North and South American countries with very long histories and cultures. However, for specific historical reasons, these countries remain relatively poor, certainly compared to their northern neighbours. Here is a detailed strategy for you.

Departing from Miami, USA, we took a 7-day cruise to the Caribbean and visited four countries: Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Mexico, and Cuba.

Note:

Cruising from the United States to the Caribbean does not require any visa, except for Cuba, but it is very easy to fill out the form and pay money on the ship.

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

Before boarding the cruise: Miami

There are several ports in Florida that offer cruise tours. Miami, Orlando and Fort Lauderdale are the three most common departure points. If I were a friend who deliberately traveled to the United States, I would recommend taking my baby to Orlando because there are Disneyland, Universal Studios, etc. there. Moreover, it was worthwhile to play Disney there, then take a cruise, and come all the way to the United States.

This time I chose Miami because I wanted to go to Cuba. Among the cruises to Cuba, the only one with a more suitable time is MSC Armonia which departs from Miami.

The main places for children to play in Miami are the Everglades Park and the Aquarium.

Everglades Park

There are "floating" airboats that can come and go freely on the overgrown water of the swamp. You can see various wild fish, water birds, and crocodiles along the way. This is the first time that Xiao Chang has been in such close contact with a live crocodile (when I was learning letters, the words starting with A were basically either apple or crocodile, so I was familiar with this word). It was like meeting an old friend and he was so excited.

The following video was shot on an airship. You can feel the thrill of "riding" on the boat while sailing, and the feeling of close contact with crocodiles.

After taking the airboat, you will go to the alligator farm to listen to the alligator introduction and performance, and you can also take photos of the baby alligators.

Miami Aquarium

The Miami Aquarium is different from the New England Aquarium we often go to. Each exhibition hall is in a different building, so you have to walk outside for a long time when visiting. The weather is very hot. The abundance of marine animals on display is not as rich as that of the New England Aquarium or the Beijing Zoo, but you can see some large marine animals like manatees that are not usually seen.

Personally, I think this aquarium can be used to kill time in the morning before boarding (boarding time is all in the afternoon). If you don’t have time, you won’t lose much if you don’t go.

Xiao often finds a lot of shooting materials in the aquarium, taking pictures left and right with his precious camera.

Here are the flamingo photos 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 tank. These turtles have congenital or acquired defects due to various reasons, or their shells are severely deformed, or their limbs are missing. The aquarium specially blocked a place in the artificial river to let these turtles die. Because this place is full of humanistic care, we took a photo to see it.

(Looking at the exhibition photos at the aquarium)

In general, Miami is more suitable for adults to vacation (lying on a beach chair, sunbathing by the sea or by the pool of the hotel below Drinking, very pleasant), but not worth a special trip with a family and children. Spending a day shopping before taking a cruise is enough.

(Miami’s famous Biltmore Hotel)

Day 1: Boarding/Day 2: Sea voyage

The cruise we took this time It is the MSC Armonia, which is relatively small among cruise ships (because Cuba’s ports are relatively old, and ships to Cuba are generally not too big), but it can also accommodate more than 2,000 tourists, and the facilities on the ship are very complete.

(It is not easy to take a normal photo. It is a photo of a grimace)

The check-in procedure is very simple. Get your luggage and passport, go through the security check, follow the instructions, and get on the ship after successfully completing the procedures (the whole process is a bit like a combination check-in at a train hotel).

The above are some photos of our room, including a table, wardrobe, TV, bathroom and mini bar. It is smaller than the average hotel, but we still have everything.

After settling in, there will be an escape drill. Learn how to use a life jacket and be familiar with the escape routes in case of an accident, just in case. This is required by law and everyone must participate. After the exercise, the ship officially set sail.

As a reminder, on your first day on the ship, you must remember to go to the designated service desk and associate your credit card with your room card/room number. All future charges on the ship will need to be paid with your room card. The cost of this voyage includes food and accommodation. All buffets are free, and designated dining restaurants are free every night. Visitors can choose to dine in designated restaurants or buffets. While food and drinks are free at the cafeteria, drinks/juices/coffee at the bars and cafes are at an additional cost.

After everything was arranged, we began to move freely. This is when the advantages of cruise ships come into play.

If it is a land tour, the old man will definitely not be able to leave it for a moment because of the language barrier. A cruise ship is a relatively safe and closed environment where seniors can roam freely and participate in any interesting activities. For example, Grandma Chang was overjoyed when she saw the New Year's Eve Party by the swimming pool: Isn't this a square dance? I immediately joined and experienced an international square dance:

After this pleasant experience, she would read the daily program distributed on the ship every day to find dance classes (actually it is a more advanced expression of square dancing) . Plus, she can bathe in the swimming pool and hot springs. Basically I don't have to worry about the couple's free time on the boat.

Another lifesaver was the ship’s Junior Club, a sort of “child care center”. There is a wide range of toys, such as Lego, where you can take care of your children and take a breather. This is very important as we will be at sea all day the next day. If there is no place for children to play, parents should watch their children all day long. Children are bored and adults are tired. Having a place where children can play together makes the children happy and the parents happy too.

Xiao Xiao often has fun at the youth club. On the last day, he got a box of colored pencils at the farewell party, which made him very happy. And I was happy to take this opportunity to drink coffee and pina colada and read a book, as if I was back on that baby-less cruise ten years ago.

There are also swimming pools and water parks suitable for children on the ship. They are not large in scale, but children naturally like to play in water, so they have a lot of fun:

(You can play with water guns and slides. Open-air water park. The weather is particularly sunny. It’s best to wear a swimsuit and sun protection.)

Day 3: Jamaica

The first country we arrived on was Jamaica. Dock at the port of the tourist city of Ocho Rios.

Jamaica was originally inhabited by Indians, later became a Spanish colony, and finally became a member of the Commonwealth. At present, more than 90% of the population of Jamaica are black Africans and mulattoes.

Ocho Rios’ most famous attraction is Dunn’s River Falls. Ten years ago, my mother and I climbed this small waterfall. It was very interesting! However, this time I was afraid that climbing the waterfall would be too hard for the elderly and children, so I didn’t choose this attraction and chose the more relaxed bamboo raft tour. If your child is older (second or third grade in elementary school), it is recommended to choose this scenic spot, because there is no more fun place in Ocho Rios than here.

(The picture comes from the Internet, so I regret not being able to go to Dunn's River Falls this time.)

Our choice is to sit on a bamboo raft in the mountains, which is less active and has a different flavor .

I recorded a short video of the young man singing while supporting our bamboo raft:

This young man is strong and young, so even though we are at the back of the queue Set off, but we were the last to arrive first. This makes Xiao Chang, who is full of competitiveness, particularly happy. When he goes back, he will tell everyone that we won the boat today!

Before leaving, I bought a handmade model that was exactly the same as the bamboo raft we rode on as a souvenir. I went home and played in the basin:

Day 4: Cayman Islands

People who study finance have an inexplicable affinity with the "Cayman Islands" because many Chinese companies listed overseas are either registered in the Cayman Islands or the British Virgin Islands (BVI). ).

Discovered by Columbus in the early 16th century, it was called Turtle Island at the time. Later, the British navigator Derek arrived here and named it the Cayman Islands. It has been a British possession since the 17th century.

It is also the fourth largest offshore financial center in the world and is known as a "tax haven". In 1978, it was granted a royal decree by the United Kingdom and was permanently exempted from tax obligations. Therefore, there are no direct taxes, nor any foreign exchange restrictions, and large foreign companies come to the island to engage in financial business.

We chose to go overland to the Cayman Islands. As the name suggests, the trip is partly on shore and partly at sea.

On the shore trip, we took the bus and visited several scenic spots, including the Tricolor Sea, the Rum Cake Shop, and Hell (there is an area called Hell. Many people came to send postcards saying: I Send you this postcard from hello and stamp it with a hellish postmark), etc.

The best one for kids is the Turtle Farm (turtle farm), where you can buy a pack of turtle feed.

As soon as the big turtles see their food, they all gather:

In the turtle pond, you can catch a turtle and have close contact with it for a while. Of course, don't look at it for too long, just in case the little turtle feels uncomfortable.

Turtles are one of the Cayman Islands’ traditional food sources. It is said that the Cayman Islands are the only place in the world where you can legally eat turtle meat, but we did not try it.

The highlight of the trip to the Cayman Islands was the trip to Stingray City that afternoon.

This crystal clear sea is the famous Manta Ray City, and the dark water is the stingray.

I often get in the water with my baby. The water was not deep, almost above my waist, so I didn't need to wear a life jacket.

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

In fact, the most important thing to do when visiting the Cayman Islands is snorkeling, where you can see many fish and coral. But this activity is not suitable for children, so I chose Stingray City this time.

If adults come to play on their own, it is recommended to choose the snorkeling and stingray city combo trip, which will definitely leave unforgettable memories.

Day 5: Mexico (Cozumel Island)

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

If you ask why, just look at the picture and it’s just one word “beautiful”!

(Dad Chang’s camera skills are limited. This is a beautiful photo borrowed from someone else.)

We went to XCARET Ecological Park, which is a place with Mayan culture and A large ecological amusement park with natural landscape.

This is also a park suitable for the whole family. There are a lot of things to do in the park and the food is good (you can drink a lot of local specialty drinks in the cafeteria, which are not available in other places). Since we spent a lot of time in the water during this day's activity, we didn't take many photos. Here are a few pictures for you to see.

(XCARET Park Gate)

(Relics of Mayan Civilization)

The most distinctive feature of this park is actually swimming in the underground river while wearing a life jacket. The whole journey takes about an hour. Because Chang's father is a landlubber, although he can't wear a life jacket to swim, he can play. However, because it is very inconvenient to take care of children, he stops playing for fear of getting into trouble. Grandpa Chang and Grandma Chang went swimming together and had a lot of fun. Friends with good water quality can also try it with their babies:

6th to 7th: Cuba

Since Cuba has been in a "semi-isolated" state for a long time, many people are full of curiosity about Cuba. . Most of the passengers on the cruise we were on were bound for Cuba.

But in general, Cuba is not particularly suitable for family travel. Although there are many places to take pictures and check in, most of them are dilapidated and dilapidated. They can satisfy the curiosity of adults, but they are of little significance to children. So, below I will put some photos for your reference:

(Havana was taken before the cruise ship entered the port, and I thought it was pretty good at the time)

(This Capitol building looks good. This It is a replica of the Capitol Building in Washington, but it is one meter higher than the Capitol Building in Washington and the dome is one meter in diameter.)

(The old cars on the streets of Cuba are a sight)

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

The reason I chose Cuba this time is because I had been to three other countries ten years ago and wanted to take this opportunity to visit a new country. Friends who have never been to the Caribbean suggest choosing another route (Royal Caribbean, Caribbean, Princess, etc. all have good 7-day tour routes to the Eastern Caribbean or the Western Caribbean), and replace Cuba with an island like the Bahamas that is suitable for swimming. , may be more suitable for families and children.

However, I do not regret choosing this route, because I just got the news that Trump, who has been firing guns everywhere, has pointed his guns at Cuba. As of June 5, cruise ships departing from the United States can no longer go to Cuba. We were lucky enough to catch the last boat.