We will be on a NCL cruise at Thanksgiving. Looking to get out of the port and we don't want to do ship excursions. We are interested in ruins, culture, snorkeling and diving. My husband only will be doing the diving. He would want to do it only once on one of those 3 islands. Our kids our 14 and 15. We are comfortable and OK with hiring a car or a taxi to do any of the above. What are you suggestions for each island so that we get the most out of our trip.

Do you know what part of Belize you're going to? We stayed on Ambergris, and the snorkeling/diving there is fantastic. We loved snorkeling at Hol Chan. Not sure if your cruise will go close to that area. Belize has lots of great ruins, but not sure how close you'll be to them.

I would start with a map as none of the destinations you list are islands.

Sorry - Cozumel and Roatan. Should have been more detailed in the actual post on the islands. Of course I know Belize is not an island.

Yes I have heard about the ruins on both Roatan and Belize. My husband is a diver so we are considering shipping him off to dive in Roatan. Sounds like diving is better there than in Belize??? Some suggested the east side of Roatan to tour with the Iguana Farm?

Not sure what to do in Cozumel but lay on the beach???

the exact same reef runs from coz through belize and to roatan. There are cenotes to dive near PDC/Tulum which neither belize or roatan have. there are atolls and the blue hole to dive in belize which neither roatan or coz/mexico have. there are no ruins on roatan. roatan and coz would be different trips account of the travel time.

forgot you are on a cruise, proly want to dive the country were the ship docks.

What is better diving? Belize or Rotatan? My husband has dived in Hawaii, Australia and the Caribbean.

again, the reef is the same.

Both get great reviews for diving. We snorkeled at Hol Chan and saw lots of colorful tropical fish, huge rays, turtles, nurse sharks. Where does the ship dock and how long do you have in port?

Doesn't both cities only have one port? It only says Belize City and Roatan (Bay) We are in port from 8a - 5p.

I'm unsure if the timing will work but you could look into visiting the ruins at Lamanai in Belize. It's about an hour drive from Belize City to the dock where a boat would take you along the New River to the ruin site. The boat ride is another hour and a half but the scenery is beautiful and there's wildlife watching along the way. You'll also likely see howler monkeys and other wildlife at the ruins. You return the same way by boat and car so it's a long day.

Thank you Patty. I have been waiting for good ideas on Belize and now I have it. Aren't there several ruins in Belize? Are these the best one's?

We have many impressive sites in Belize, but the ones accessible and close enough for you, are all overrun by cruise ship passengers. The temples they use are Altun Ha, Lamanai, Cahal Pech and Xunantunich. Our other sites are too far to access in the time allotted to you. I think Lamanai is the nicest you can visit, but the hoards from the ship will be there as well, so you might as well book thru the ship and travel with them. Its a lot easier for you. Norwegian Cruise Lines are trying to bully their way into the more pristine southern Belize and destroy the fragile marine and forest ecosystems we have for overnight tourism. Let NCL know you find type of destruction reprehensible and keep their base of operations in Belize City, where the cruise ship dollar is appreciated.

There are several ruins in Belize but most aren't close to Belize City. I think the closest would be Altun Ha which I haven't been to. I suggested Lamanai because it combines a spectacular boat ride (unless it's pouring rain ) to the site. However if timing doesn't work, I would look into Altun Ha.

I am sorry Katie. There is always the positive and negative to tourism dollars. I appreciate the advice. I am a group travel planner and don't enjoy going with the cruise passengers. I always appreciate advice I can get from locals. I will find an independent guide for us. Perhaps there is something else you recommend to see the real beauty of Belize - other than the ruins?

Patty - great advice....

Gotcha, c; it threw me off when you said islands, so I wasn't thinking Belize City. I see your clarification up above.

On Roatan check out Bananarama. We had young kids and didn't dive but did an excellent snorkel trip with them. They will pick you up just outside the gated ship village and take to the other side of the island. Great folks, place & beach! As for Belize, the cruise will drop you off at Belize City which is a real dump. Check out what type of excursions are available as you will need to get out of the city to see a great country. Getting Ambergris Caye and back would be very tough given the ship schedules.

roatan has 2 cruise ship ports. because you are on a cruise you will likely see stuff a hoard of other cruisers are seeing too. you will have to expend some effort/distance to get to places the cruisers aren't at.

If your husband wants to dive in Roatan, check out Sueno Del Mar. They are at a hotel and dive facility in West End. We were there in March. Ray is the owner, Stu the dive master. Not fancy, but our friends who dove said they were very good. There is a nice little beach and beach bar if you and the kids want to hang out there and just a few minutes walk to the West End shops and restaurants. While Belize and Roatan both have great diving, the dive spots seem to be closer (shorter boat ride) in Roatan. Roatan also has some ziplining that the kids might enjoy, but as others have said - will be busy when the ships are in port.