Best Teen & Tween Beach Vacations in the Caribbean

During the Thanksgiving holiday, our family took a Royal Caribbean cruise to the Caribbean. This was our first time on Royal Caribbean and also our first time at some of the islands we visited.

If you’ve ever wanted to take a trip or a cruise to the Caribbean with teens and/or tweens, stick around and read about our fun family experience. This article will help provide exciting things for you and your kids to do in the Caribbean.

Symphony of the Seas

Our family cruised to the Western Caribbean and Bahamas islands on Royal Caribbean’s (RC) Symphony of the Seas. This is not only RC’s largest ship, but it is the largest cruise ship in the world! Boy, were we lucky when they decided to bring this ship over to Florida!

We were able to board the cruise ship out of Miami, Florida for a seven-night cruise to the Caribbean. Before diving into the ports-of-call, I have to brag about this ship as it is worth the spotlight.

Let’s start with the onboard activities. There are super-fast water slides located on the top deck for the older kids and adults, as well as kiddie slides for toddlers. You have a few swimming pools and whirlpools for lounging around in and also a surf simulator, FlowRider for those that love the waves.

There are so many restaurants of different cuisines, bars, lounges, and buffets. The night shows are spectacular! I highly recommend taking your family to see the shows after dinner.

Of course, there is a spa, stores for shopping, a skating rink, and zip lining for the brave. We took our kids to the arcade as they both love playing games. Our kids also loved the sports court, as well as, dancing and game shows. Symphony of the Seas provides child care with an exciting children’s club for your teens and tweens too.

There’s also mini-golf, a rock-climbing wall and outdoor movie nights for the family. Our family participated in Bingo, trivia and theme nights. There are so many more family activities to mention and I need to keep some of their secrets!

Symphony of the Seas has 17 decks with different types of rooms to book. The ship offers inside rooms (some with courtyard view), oceanview rooms, rooms with balconies, in addition to suites. No matter what room you book, you will have a wonderful experience on the ship.

Roatan

Symphony of the Seas’ first stop was at Roatan, Honduras. This was our family’s first time in Honduras. This has been on my travel bucket list and was glad to have the opportunity to visit.

Pulling up to Roatan was a beautiful port surrounded by the ocean and green mountains. This view looks just like a small private island for visitors.

From the port, we left for our excursion which was an island tour followed by beach fun. This excursion was appropriate and so much fun for our 11 and 15-year-old.

We drove around the island in a comfortable air-conditioned bus with other cruise guests. There was a tour guide in addition to the bus driver which helped with descriptions of sites and provided cultural facts about Roatan.

First, the bust took us to a shopping mart where we could shop around and purchase souvenirs to take back with us. The shop also had a fantastic wrap-around view on its top deck which allowed a gorgeous snapshot opportunity.

Next, we stopped at residential property which allowed us to have a breathtaking view of the reef in the ocean. This property was also surrounded by an amazing landscape.

After we saw the reef, we were off to the Iguana Farm. This was my favorite part of the entire cruise! At the Iguana Farm, we could feed and pet iguanas!

No need to worry, the iguanas were tame and all they wanted was for you to feed them. No harm done. The kids loved feeding the iguanas too!

The Iguana Farm taught us so many fun facts about iguanas which helped us to learn and understand iguanas so much more. If you ever get a chance to visit an Iguana Farm, go for it!

At the farm, we saw tarpons and lobsters in the ocean. There was also a small birdcage with beautiful tropical birds to view. The family had so much fun here!

After the Iguana Farm, it was time to head to the beach. The last part of the excursion ended at one of Roatan’s private beaches at Las Palmas.

The beach was quaint and relaxing as there weren’t many visitors and any loud noises surrounding us. The kids were able to swim and enjoy lunch at the beach.

The beach had lots of beach lounge chairs with tiki covers for shade. There was an onsite restaurant with bar and a server to serve you right on the beach. Or if you prefer, you sit at a table with your family at the restaurant.

Our kids had pizza while the adults enjoyed a refreshing drink. The servers were very nice and provided great service. We all had a great day at the beach!

Costa Maya

Our second port stop on the cruise was at Costa Maya, Mexico. Our family has been to Mexico before, but we’ve never been to Costa Maya.

Costa Maya is located right along Mexico’s coast in the Caribbean. Costa Maya is not very far from Cancun and is also a very popular cruise port as other cruise ships were docked.

At this port, we did a water park and beach excursion. If you have a family where some members favor water park and the others favor the beach, this is the best excursion for you all!

The cruise docked at the port which was about 5 minutes from the water park. We were actually able to see the water park from the top deck of the ship before we got off, which shows how close we were.

After exiting the bus, we were guided to take the bus to the water park. We headed to Maya, Lost Mayan Kingdom water park!

This water park had something for all. You can slide down the tall fast water slides, go zip lining or lounge in the swimming pool. There is also a fun water area for younger kids to enjoy the adventure too.

Our kids had a blast on the water slides! They did all the different level heights and thrills of water slides.

We also enjoyed the calm lazy river. This was more my speed as I prefer slower and more relaxing rides. We all enjoyed our time at this water park.

Take a closer peek at Maya, Lost Kingdom water park here!

After the water park, we jumped on the bus again, but this time it took us to the beach. The beach was about 10 minutes from the water park.

Once we arrived, we saw many more tourists at the beach. This beach was a little busier than the last as there were more people, food trucks, bars, and shopping.

Our kids didn’t waste any time and dived right into the ocean. They had so much fun at the beach they didn’t want to leave.

I also walked around and did shopping with the family. My daughter loved looking at what the different vendors were selling and was amazed by the talents some shared.

Some of the vendors were artists and offered beautiful artwork, glass pieces, and paintings. There were so many cultural items to admire.

When our time was up at the beach, we were able to quickly get a taxi and head back to the ship. Upon arrival at the port, there were even more stores and vendors for us to do any last-minute shopping at. We had a fantastic day at Costa Maya!

Cozumel

Next up, Cozumel, Mexico! The third stop took us to Cozumel where we did a Downtown tour and Beach excursion.

Once exiting the ship, we were greeted by the tour guide, which then took us to our group bus. We rode the bus with other cruise passengers on the downtown tour, then to the beach.

The downtown tour consisted of a stop to the bright yellow Corpus Christi Cathedral where we could go inside and take lots of photos. It was interesting to see the many religious statues located inside.

After we left the church, we went shopping downtown. At the shopping plaza, Plaza Cozumel, we saw lots of other historic buildings, stores, and the clock tower. Make sure you have your negotiation skills ready, there were many shopping deals to be made!

At the end of the shopping experience, we headed to the beach. The beach at Cozumel was gorgeous! The beach felt so welcoming as there were hammocks, beach chairs with tiki covers, a swimming pool, and a massage table.

There was a bar and restaurant at the beach where you could sit at with your family or you could lounge on the beach and a host would bring over your lunch or drink.

The ocean water was so clear and blue. The beach was sandy white and many kids played on it as they built sandcastles. Other kids played sports while some adults enjoyed the sun and gentle breeze.

Our son laid on the hammock and took a long-awaited nap! Our daughter enjoyed playing in the water with the crashing waves.

The beach did not have many guests, which made it a great time to relax and enjoy. We stayed at the beach for about an hour and a half before we needed to go back to the ship. Bummer.

CocoCay

Royal Caribbean saved the best port for last– CocoCay. CocoCay is part of the Bahamas and is one of Royal Caribbean’s recent major projects.

CocoCay offers a beach getaway exclusively to Royal Caribbean cruise passengers. So if you ever want to enjoy a Perfect Day at Coco Cay, book a cruise with Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas and you’re set!

Start your family’s Perfect Day at Cococay adventure right here!

CocoCay, Bahamas has something fun for all! This by far was our kids’ best beach vacation on the cruise!

CocoCay has beachside activities located on Chill Island. On Chill Island, there are many free beach chairs and complimentary dining options, with ice cream for dessert. Yum! Cabanas were also available with paid reservations. Don’t forget shopping with the kids too!

Other attractions, like Floating Cabanas, the Zip Line, and Up, Up and Away helium balloon, are available for a fee. For the younger adventurers or tweens, there is a splash pad with slides.

If you’re not one for the beach or waterslides, there is an oversized swimming pool for you to relax at. If you get there early, you can find the best spot to lay back and chill for the day.

Our kids favorite spot was Thrill Waterpark. At Thrill Waterpark, you will find the big water slides, tube rides, drop slides, a wave pool and more! This separates the brave from the really brave. Our kids are ready to go back to CocoCay and spend another Perfect Day!

If you have a bucket list for your tweens and teens, a beach vacation in the Caribbean earns a spot! We traveled in November and the weather was perfect for the beach. Not only did we enjoy the beach, but we also had lots of fun at the water parks! We were overjoyed to be a part of this cruise and it will forever be a memory with The Moses Dem!

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Looking for more kid friendly vacation ideas? Check out:

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Everything You Need To Know About Mexico Before You Go

Have you visited the Caribbean before? Did you go on a beach vacation to Mexico or the Bahamas? What was your best teen/tween-friendly beach vacation? We would love to hear about your vacation in the comments.