Once upon a time, pirates plundered, pillaged and caroused their way through the Caribbean in search of fortune, including Mexico’s Aztec treasures. While Mexico now frowns upon the plundering and pillaging, there’s still plenty of pirate-style carousing to be found along Mexico’s eastern shores.

Travellers interested in unleashing their inner Jack Sparrow should look no further than Cancun’s Grand Oasis Palm where pirating is a family affair.

Every Friday, families can explore the Caribbean on board the resort’s Captain Hook pirate ship. The ship sets course for a two-hour day sail, complete with snacks and soft drinks and plenty of family-friendly activities such as pirate games and a pirate show. At night, the ship offers adults-only dinner excursions.

On Wednesdays and Sundays, the Captain Hook sits dockside for kids-only adventures through the resort’s brand-new Kidd-O Zone kid’s club. These fully supervised activities include a swashbuckling game of musical chairs and an adventurous treasure hunt.

And there’s still plenty more pirating to be had for kids at the new 50,000 square foot kids club. Perfect for kids between the ages of three and 12, the Kidd-O Zone features a dedicated beach area, a beach club and a “splash zone” with a mini water park, including a pirate’s ship with slides. When kids are done channeling Johnny Depp, they can also chill out on kid-sized lounge chairs, splash about in the wading pool, take a bounce on the trampoline and even climb an iceberg,

The pirate theme continues at Piratas del Caribe, the Kidd-O Zone food and beverage plaza designed to resemble a mini outdoor marketplace with an ice cream station and cookie and pastry station. There are also child-friendly restaurants here, such as Petit Wimpy, Petit Tacos and Petit Happy Chicken.

Parents sick and tired of hearing their kids chant, “Yo ho, yo ho, it’s a pirate’s life for me,” can send their kids to on-site songwriting workshops. Or have them unleash their creativity at the arts & crafts space or in the play kitchen where tiny chefs can hone their skills with trained hotel chefs. Kids who really, really hate blue skies, sunshine and sand, can head indoors for the state-of-the-art game room or the princess playtime room.

The Kidd-o Zone is open daily from 9 am to 10 pm, so grown-ups can enjoy some “me-time” at the adults-only infinity pool or the spa or to a romantic dinner at a deux at one of the resort’s adults-only restaurants.

After the kid’s club closer, kids can walk the plank and dive into specially decorated “Under the Sea” guestrooms, which feature adjoining rooms—one with two beds for the kids and another with a king bed for the adults. (Jungle-themed rooms are also available). Each room offers popular games from Xbox 360, Xbox Kinect, Wii, and Playstation 4 as well as cable TV programming for kids like the Cartoon Network, Disney Channel and Discovery Kids.

For more information on Grand Oasis Palm and the new Kidd-O Zone visit www.oasisfun4families.com.

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