Belize Shore Excursions?
Jan 26th, 2003, 04:55 AM
#4
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We booked with Reggies cave tubing. Reggie was one of the divers in the group of vans. As we rode in the van we got a nice tour of the island and a lot of information on Belize. The cost was $65 and we paid at the end of the tour. We also stopped at a resturant on the way there and back. Ate a typical Belize meal for $5 drinks were included.<BR>Don't miss this experience, To book [email protected]
Jan 27th, 2003, 07:21 PM
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Shelley,<BR><BR>I went to Belize with a large group and between us we took 5 different tours in Belize. I can recommend the cave tubing, everyone who went said it was spectacular. The water was a little low in places, but a good time was had by all. The snorkelers were disapointed. It is a long ride out to the snorkel site, and it's hot and in a crowded boat. You might not have your own snorkel equipment, and might have to wait for the first party to come back to the boat. If you hang to the back of the group and get on the last boat (usually the least full) you might have better luck. I can also recommend the River Wallace/Altun Ha tour. Again, hang back when they are boarding the tour buses, you want to do the river part in the morning when it's not so hot, and ride the air conditioned busses later in the day.
Feb 9th, 2003, 09:16 PM
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Have been to Belize twice on cruises and both times decided to explore the Mayan ruin sites...would highly recommend the excursions to Xuantunich or to Lamanai...Xuantunich is by bus and Lamanai is by bus and speed boat and more remote...if you are adventurous you will love Lamanai...you can always snorkel at other ports, but these are some of the best Mayan ruins around....do the tour to the ruins in Belize.
Feb 18th, 2003, 12:55 PM
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Just a head's up with Reggie. Have heard recently that some tours just barely made it back in time to catch their ship's tender, especially if he takes people from two different ships, that have two different departure times.
Mar 4th, 2003, 10:18 AM
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The Mayan Ruins at Alta Hun was most interesting and you also got a tour of Belize, it called the Tale of Two Cities Tour. Called for 4 hrs. but ended up more like 6 hrs. You can still make it back to the ship for a late lunch around 3. Try the Belize Beer, Belikin, the only one made there. 2 bucks at the Tourist Village, but its ice cold and taste so good when you get back to the tender term. Have fun, Buck
Jun 6th, 2003, 04:38 AM
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I too went with Reggie, cave tubing in Nov. An independent 12 year old will have no problem. The water levels can vary greatly, depending on when you go. There is about a 1+ mile hike, with an uphill "stair climb" at the begining, rest is mostly level. Wear old sneakers, water shoes do not have enough support if your water level is higher and current swift.
Jun 11th, 2003, 10:42 AM
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One year ago I was in Belize on the Pride and since I had heard so many bad things about the land-based excursions (especially the city tour) at this port, I wanted to go snorkeling while in Belize.
To give you an idea about how bad Belize City must be for shopping, the Carnival Caper only had one single place listed and it was a restaurant.
I started researching the snorkeling on the Internet and found plenty of cheap snorkeling companies that would take you snorkeling on the Barrier reef from $12-$30 / person for 1/2 day, but none were located in Belize City and required you to find your own way to their island. So, I figured it wasn?t worth the hassle. So we arranged the ship?s excursion for the Shark Ray Alley ($60.00 per person for 7 hours).
Someone suggested that I visit actionbelize.com (888) 383-6319. I contacted them but they told me ?For snorkeling off shark ray alley; it's best to go through your cruise ship.?
Someone else suggested that I visit http://www.seasportsbelize.com/, but when I did, I discovered that they charged $115/person for snorkeling at the shark/ray alley, which is twice the price of the ship-sponsored tour.
The Pride dropped anchor (no pier). So that means you will take a tender into Belize City (unless you are on the shark/ray alley excursion). For this excursion you will be picked up at the ship in a fast boat (it goes 35 knots) and it will take you on an hour and 15 minute ride. They will stop at a small bar about an hour after you get off the ship and this is where you go to the bathroom if needed (this is also where they buy some sardines to feed the sharks/rays).
Fifteen minutes after you get your bathroom break, you go to the shark/ray alley. We got into the water and immediately saw 2 large nurse sharks, but they quickly swam away. We were in the water for about 45 minutes swimming with stingrays. I actually hung on to some and let them pull me through the water. Just watch out for the barbs in the tails. I saw one small nurse shark later on, but that was it.
Realize that you will use snorkel gear that is not brand new. Some excursions will give you a brand new snorkel that you get to keep, but not this one. We just used their flippers and our own masks and snorkels (which we brought with us). After the snorkeling, they bring you to San Pedro (a small nearby island). They provide a barbecue lunch (all you can eat). The only thing that you should be careful about with this is to not drink the punch (as it is made with Belizian water). We saw plenty of people drinking daiquiris. The problem with that is they are made with crushed ice (Belizian water).
On San Pedro you have 3 hours to kill. You can probably kill 1 hour eating. Don?t expect any air conditioning, but the bar where the food is located has a nice cross breeze. Then you can walk a few hundred yards into town. There are only 3 streets: Front Street, Middle Street, and Back Street. They are all dirt roads and only a few hundred yards long. Don?t expect too much air-conditioning. We ended up going in every shop that had a/c just to get out of the heat. Don?t expect much to buy here. You can use American currency and the conversion rates are easy to remember because it is 2 Belizian Dollars to 1 US Dollar.
We talked with some people that took the tour that went by boat and bus around Belize City and they saw some monkeys and stuff. They commented that locals used car batteries to power their televisions so that they could watch some popular soap opera. It did not sound too exciting of a tour but they did comment that they thought that the city was quite clean. This surprised me after reading cruise reviews about how dirty the city was.
I liked the video footage that they played in our cabin for the tubing and I have heard nothing but good stuff about the tubing.
To give you an idea about how bad Belize City must be for shopping, the Carnival Caper only had one single place listed and it was a restaurant.
I started researching the snorkeling on the Internet and found plenty of cheap snorkeling companies that would take you snorkeling on the Barrier reef from $12-$30 / person for 1/2 day, but none were located in Belize City and required you to find your own way to their island. So, I figured it wasn?t worth the hassle. So we arranged the ship?s excursion for the Shark Ray Alley ($60.00 per person for 7 hours).
Someone suggested that I visit actionbelize.com (888) 383-6319. I contacted them but they told me ?For snorkeling off shark ray alley; it's best to go through your cruise ship.?
Someone else suggested that I visit http://www.seasportsbelize.com/, but when I did, I discovered that they charged $115/person for snorkeling at the shark/ray alley, which is twice the price of the ship-sponsored tour.
The Pride dropped anchor (no pier). So that means you will take a tender into Belize City (unless you are on the shark/ray alley excursion). For this excursion you will be picked up at the ship in a fast boat (it goes 35 knots) and it will take you on an hour and 15 minute ride. They will stop at a small bar about an hour after you get off the ship and this is where you go to the bathroom if needed (this is also where they buy some sardines to feed the sharks/rays).
Fifteen minutes after you get your bathroom break, you go to the shark/ray alley. We got into the water and immediately saw 2 large nurse sharks, but they quickly swam away. We were in the water for about 45 minutes swimming with stingrays. I actually hung on to some and let them pull me through the water. Just watch out for the barbs in the tails. I saw one small nurse shark later on, but that was it.
Realize that you will use snorkel gear that is not brand new. Some excursions will give you a brand new snorkel that you get to keep, but not this one. We just used their flippers and our own masks and snorkels (which we brought with us). After the snorkeling, they bring you to San Pedro (a small nearby island). They provide a barbecue lunch (all you can eat). The only thing that you should be careful about with this is to not drink the punch (as it is made with Belizian water). We saw plenty of people drinking daiquiris. The problem with that is they are made with crushed ice (Belizian water).
On San Pedro you have 3 hours to kill. You can probably kill 1 hour eating. Don?t expect any air conditioning, but the bar where the food is located has a nice cross breeze. Then you can walk a few hundred yards into town. There are only 3 streets: Front Street, Middle Street, and Back Street. They are all dirt roads and only a few hundred yards long. Don?t expect too much air-conditioning. We ended up going in every shop that had a/c just to get out of the heat. Don?t expect much to buy here. You can use American currency and the conversion rates are easy to remember because it is 2 Belizian Dollars to 1 US Dollar.
We talked with some people that took the tour that went by boat and bus around Belize City and they saw some monkeys and stuff. They commented that locals used car batteries to power their televisions so that they could watch some popular soap opera. It did not sound too exciting of a tour but they did comment that they thought that the city was quite clean. This surprised me after reading cruise reviews about how dirty the city was.
I liked the video footage that they played in our cabin for the tubing and I have heard nothing but good stuff about the tubing.
Jul 20th, 2004, 02:50 PM
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Has anyone done the river kayaking in Belize? My kids think it sounds more exciting than the cave tubing. Would appreciate any feedback, leaving in less than two weeks and still don't know what we're doing in Belize or Cozumel
Jul 24th, 2004, 04:34 AM
#19
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We do a lot of snorkeling, but we chose cave tubing in Belize with Reggie. It was a wonderful experience. The groups are much smaller than the ship tours, and the lunch was nice. You didn't have to eat, as some groups just went straight back to the ship.
Definally don't wear water shoes. I did and I should of wore tennis shoes. I had problems walking over some of the low areas. The guides really helped me. I have some problems with knees as they are replacements. At times I needed help carring the tube, but my husband helped me with that.
Definally don't wear water shoes. I did and I should of wore tennis shoes. I had problems walking over some of the low areas. The guides really helped me. I have some problems with knees as they are replacements. At times I needed help carring the tube, but my husband helped me with that.
