# What would a 6yr old do in Cancun?



## Ridewithme38 (Jul 25, 2011)

When i think of cancun i think of spring break and, well don't remember much of that...Mostly throwing up in between drinks and waking up in strange places....

But my daughters mom is talking about taking my daughter to Cancun in July 2012....I can't wrap my head around WHY someone would want to bring a 6yr old to Cancun in July, or go to Mexico in July AT ALL....If its just for the beach, i'd rather try to get them a place in Hawaii, the Bahama's or Myrtle Beach

Can you guys help me understand this...i like to see things from both sides, but i'm feeling a little off today...i don't remember anything about Cancun being 'family friendly'

Have you ever brought young kids to Cancun?  Was there anything for them to do? How'd it go?


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## Jimster (Jul 25, 2011)

*cancun*

Well, i am sure there are a bunch of spring breakers who get drunk and sleep in flop house type motels in Cancun and the booze flows freely.  If that is your image of Cancun then maybe you should visit it again.  Because there are thousands upon thousands of people who own timeshares there for their families and I am sure they out pace the drunken college kids most of the time.  Cancun offers terrific beaches, mayan ruins, fishing, boating, tons of resort activities, shopping and diverse cultural experiences.  In short, your image of cancun is wrong.  Pick out a few of the numerous resort reviews for Cancun Timeshares and read them.


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## vacationhopeful (Jul 25, 2011)

Spent a week in Cancun over July 4th one year. Booze was not the problem. 

The heat and humidity was unreal in Cancun. Got back home (Mid-Atlantic) and it was just like the heat wave of last week's - 98-101 plus high humidity.

But I was not sweating or suffering like everyone else back home. It felt cool to me. My body had adjusted to the Cancun weather; it was that much worst in Cancun. Rather go to Ft Lauderdale over July 4th and have done that 3 out of the last 4 July 4ths.


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## CapriciousC (Jul 26, 2011)

Will you be going with them?  I can't really speak to the appeal and/or appropriateness of Cancun in July, but I do have experience traveling internationally with my daughter when my husband wasn't with us (we've met him in Europe a few times at the tail end of his business trips).  

It's been about two years since we've done it, but at the time, the law stated that one parent cannot travel internationally with a minor child without written, notarized consent from the other parent.  A friend who specializes in international law said that this was put in place to attempt to make it impossible for one parent to skip the country with a child, then forcing the State Department to get involved in international custody cases.

Anyway, my point is that if she's planning on taking the little one out of country alone, make sure you're familiar with all of the legal restrictions.  I've been asked every time I traveled alone with our daughter, and a friend who has sole custody of her two kids has had to show proof that her ex has no legal rights to the kids before she could take them to visit family in Japan.  Just having a passport often isn't enough.


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## Ridewithme38 (Jul 26, 2011)

CapriciousC said:


> Will you be going with them?  I can't really speak to the appeal and/or appropriateness of Cancun in July, but I do have experience traveling internationally with my daughter when my husband wasn't with us (we've met him in Europe a few times at the tail end of his business trips).
> 
> It's been about two years since we've done it, but at the time, the law stated that one parent cannot travel internationally with a minor child without written, notarized consent from the other parent.  A friend who specializes in international law said that this was put in place to attempt to make it impossible for one parent to skip the country with a child, then forcing the State Department to get involved in international custody cases.
> 
> Anyway, my point is that if she's planning on taking the little one out of country alone, make sure you're familiar with all of the legal restrictions.  I've been asked every time I traveled alone with our daughter, and a friend who has sole custody of her two kids has had to show proof that her ex has no legal rights to the kids before she could take them to visit family in Japan.  Just having a passport often isn't enough.



Wow that i didn't know...I have to go look over the paperwork...i know she's the custodial parent, but i'm not sure if she has full legal custody and i just have visitation rights...or if we share joint custody

Don't get me wrong, while i thought it was a wastful place to take a 6yr old and i'd HATE southern Mexico in July...I'm not looking over the paperwork to stop anyone from traveling...Just learned an interesting factoid and wanted to figure out how it works


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## Kay H (Jul 26, 2011)

If you're not the custodial parent, you may also need a letter stating child can be treated medically if needed.  You better check out a few more things if travelling out of the country with a minor child..


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## Karen G (Jul 26, 2011)

I wouldn't choose Cancun or Puerto Vallarta in July because of the heat & humidity. But, if they want Mexico in July, Cabo is a better choice. It is a desert climate with a beach. 

If they are just wanting a beach vacation, maybe California would be something to consider. We just spent a week in San Clemente and it was fantastic. Great beach, lots of families enjoying the activities, and not too far from other kid-friendly activities such as Legoland, Disneyland, Universal Studios.


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## djs (Jul 26, 2011)

CapriciousC said:


> Will you be going with them?  I can't really speak to the appeal and/or appropriateness of Cancun in July, but I do have experience traveling internationally with my daughter when my husband wasn't with us (we've met him in Europe a few times at the tail end of his business trips).
> 
> It's been about two years since we've done it, but at the time, the law stated that one parent cannot travel internationally with a minor child without written, notarized consent from the other parent.  A friend who specializes in international law said that this was put in place to attempt to make it impossible for one parent to skip the country with a child, then forcing the State Department to get involved in international custody cases.
> 
> Anyway, my point is that if she's planning on taking the little one out of country alone, make sure you're familiar with all of the legal restrictions.  I've been asked every time I traveled alone with our daughter, and a friend who has sole custody of her two kids has had to show proof that her ex has no legal rights to the kids before she could take them to visit family in Japan.  Just having a passport often isn't enough.




My, how times have changed.  Back in the early 80's when I was 14 and my brother was 15 we traveled to Mexico without either parent (we went to visit my then 22 year old sister who was living in Guadalajara at the time). No one realized we were minors traveling alone until we got to DFW, at which point the nice GA from Mexicana airlines called our dad at work to confirm it was OK we were traveling to Mexico.


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## chriskre (Jul 26, 2011)

I don't see anything wrong with taking a 6 year old to Cancun. 

I've only stayed at a few of the resorts but the Royal resort on the bay has a nice shallow beach and is very family friendly.  They had lots of activities for kids like ceramics, taco day, volleyball in the pool, sailing etc just like alot of US resorts.  

I don't see why not go in July.  You northerners are whimps when it comes to the heat.   Shoot...... this week it's been in the 90's here in Miami and I keep seeing on the news that it's 108 in NYC.  At least we have a seabreeze to cool us down.


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## Twinkstarr (Jul 27, 2011)

chriskre said:


> I don't see anything wrong with taking a 6 year old to Cancun.
> 
> I've only stayed at a few of the resorts but the Royal resort on the bay has a nice shallow beach and is very family friendly.  They had lots of activities for kids like ceramics, taco day, volleyball in the pool, sailing etc just like alot of US resorts.
> 
> I don't see why not go in July.  You northerners are whimps when it comes to the heat.   Shoot...... this week it's been in the 90's here in Miami and I keep seeing on the news that it's 108 in NYC.  At least we have a seabreeze to cool us down.



Cancun is the place to go when we have snow up to our butts, Florida too. I save those trips for October-May. I go other places May-September.



Last time it hit triple digits here in Ohio was in 1995 and I missed that as I was on an Alaskan cruise. 

To the OP, weren't you also thinking of cruising? You'll have paper work to fill out in your situation also.


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## Ridewithme38 (Jul 27, 2011)

Twinkstarr said:


> To the OP, weren't you also thinking of cruising? You'll have paper work to fill out in your situation also.



Yup this definatly limits the amount of out of the country travel i can do with the little one, which isn't that bad, there is ALOT to do in America...looks like for awhile...the Islands are the selfish daddy only trips!

I WAS hoping to take my green eye'd, red headed daughter to Ireland at some point, then italy so she could see both sides of the family history....But i think her mother would want to go on that trip to Ireland too....so it would limit the paperwork needed

The Cancun trip was a plan between her mother, a friend of the family (20yr old girl) and my daughter...i wasn't planning on going...I have to look up the laws, i don't want to stop them from going...i don't think Cancun's going to be a good idea in July....But i'd like to be able to advise them of what they'd have to do to go...and help them find a place...(If i'm not going, i'd like to do everything i can to make sure they are making the right decisions)


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## Passepartout (Jul 27, 2011)

We are finding that taking youngsters out of the country is a bit of a hassle. The kids' parents are divorced and have joint custody. Both parents have to OK the trip (on paper) and appear TOGETHER at the passport office along with original birth certificates to get the kids' passports. This has to be done each 5 years until the kids are 18 (I think) and can get adult passports. Contingency plans for health coverage has to be laid out-insurance numbers and the like.

We are doing it and the plans are coming together for our 3-generation Alaska/Canada cruise next month.There are still a lot of great places inside USA to take kids.

To answer your question, Cancun for a 6-year old. If the young-un is OK with the heat/humidity, she will probably be happy to splash in the warm water and play in the sand. I'd think she wouldn't get much from the culture of Mexico or the history of the ruins.

Jim Ricks


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## Twinkstarr (Jul 27, 2011)

Ridewithme38 said:


> Yup this definatly limits the amount of out of the country travel i can do with the little one, which isn't that bad, there is ALOT to do in America...looks like for awhile...the Islands are the selfish daddy only trips!
> 
> I WAS hoping to take my green eye'd, red headed daughter to Ireland at some point, then italy so she could see both sides of the family history....But i think her mother would want to go on that trip to Ireland too....so it would limit the paperwork needed
> 
> The Cancun trip was a plan between her mother, a friend of the family (20yr old girl) and my daughter...i wasn't planning on going...I have to look up the laws, i don't want to stop them from going...i don't think Cancun's going to be a good idea in July....But i'd like to be able to advise them of what they'd have to do to go...and help them find a place...(If i'm not going, i'd like to do everything i can to make sure they are making the right decisions)



I would hate for either you or her mom get to the airport/port etc and find out the paperwork wasn't proper.

My mom got hassled years ago taking my sister(who is special needs and looks rather young for her age) to Toronto. My sister was like 26 at the time and until they bothered to look at her passport wanted to know if mom had my dad's permission to take her out of the country.


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## stmartinfan (Jul 27, 2011)

*Kids Love Beach Vacations!*

When our kids were about that age, we did summer beach vacations often.  They were great swimmers and loved hanging out at the beach, swimming in the pool, riding the waves on a raft, etc., and didn't need much else to be entertained.  They did enjoy resorts that had some kid activities, because then they'd have a chance to hang out with some other kids, too.    

We did do Myrtle Beach and it was fun, but Cancun's beaches and water are so much nicer.  You just don't find that blue water and soft sand beaches along the US Atlantic or Pacific coasts.  I suppose it's hotter in Mexico, but probably not so much that it's a deal breaker?  Hawaii is lovely, but for a kid that age, it's too long a flight, and then you've got to deal with jet lag from the east coast.  (That's one of the reasons we go to the Caribbean from the mid-west - fewer issues with time change.)

Otherwise, I'd think visiting Chichen itza would be interesting for a young kid, even if it's a hot day, and there are probably other excursions like a trip to Isle Mijares, that would be fun.

One issue given your description of your daughter is taking care with not getting sun burned.  With the intensity of the sun, the white beaches and reflection from the clear water, it's so easy to get a severe sunburn in Cancun, even compared to US beach locations.  Since it sounds like she's fair complected, heavy duty sunscreen and staying out of the sun in the prime midday times will be really important.

My other viewpoint about vacations for kids that age - For our family, with a busy schedule and two working parents, our kids seemed to most enjoy just having time to hang out with us, when we were all relaxed and not having to keep to a crazy schedule. It was kid-focus time, when we would all slow down and enjoy simple things like swimming or walking the beach together.  It didn't much matter where it was - although as parents I liked having a great resort and beautiful views - but the meaningful part of the vacation was having the relaxed time together.  (There were times when I thought my kids would have been just as happy hanging out at the Holiday Inn down the road from our house  Our kids are young adults now, and we have always traveled to a variety of different destinations, but still remember fondly some of those early trips to simply hang out at the beach!


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## jehb2 (Jul 31, 2011)

stmartinfan said:


> Hawaii is lovely, but for a kid that age, it's too long a flight, and then you've got to deal with jet lag from the east coast.



It is a long flight.  But my 4 & 6 1/2 year old have been going to Hawaii every year since they were 6 months old.  They absolutely love it.  We do the same as we would for any trip.  They carry their own backpack with toys, crayons, etc.  I bring along a couple of new cheap little toys, kid size headphones, sandwiches and snacks.  

For us jet lag just means we're out the door earlier in the morning.  It's a gorgeous time of day.

Don't rule out Hawaii for kids.


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## CapriciousC (Jul 31, 2011)

jehb2 said:


> It is a long flight.  But my 4 & 6 1/2 year old have been going to Hawaii every year since they were 6 months old.  They absolutely love it.  We do the same as we would for any trip.  They carry their own backpack with toys, crayons, etc.  I bring along a couple of new cheap little toys, kid size headphones, sandwiches and snacks.
> 
> For us jet lag just means we're out the door earlier in the morning.  It's a gorgeous time of day.
> 
> Don't rule out Hawaii for kids.



I would second that - we've been taking our 7-year-old since she was an infant, and she loves it.  Going from the east coast basically guarantees you'll have two separate flights -we try to make the most of the interim stop by letting her stretch her legs, etc.  All of the advice above is brilliant, as well   I've found that hitting the local dollar store and/or craft store beforehand and spending about $15 makes the trip a lot easier.  

Card games are great, too.  Our daughter will play Uno with us until the cows come home.  Honestly, it's usually her father or I who beg off first - "don't you want to watch a movie?"

Portable DVD players have come way down in price.  We have a small one that we use for long car trips and flights that cost less than $100 - we've had it for about four years, and it's still holding in there.


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## MommaBear (Jul 31, 2011)

Dear Ridewithme38,
Wasn't there a thread where you argued that you are never too young for spring break? Just give your daughter $500 to bribe the cops and she'll be all set! :whoopie: (and for all the other people who didn't follow that thread JUST KIDDING)
(Isn't amazing when you are the parent how your perspective changes!) 
We took our kids all sorts of places from the time they were infants on and they loved everywhere. I am with the other posters who do not like heat and humidity, but Cancun is fun for families- there are dolphin shows, hairbraiding, riding golf carts on Isla Mujeres- a turtle and dolphin place on Isla Mujeres as well... Lots of fun stuff, and it is very safe for families.


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## chellej (Jul 31, 2011)

I think   a 6 yo would like the swim with the dolphins, xel ha, the beach and if you stay at the royals they have all kinds of crafts and activities.  It will be hot and humid but a 6 yo would also be happy just playing in the pool.


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