geeko1

Let's cut out the drama, please. One engine blew up, not multiple. They're canceling <2% of daily flights and incurring delays on <15% of daily flights, and it improves daily. The mandate is to complete the inspections within 20 days, and the OP was asking about a flight in June.

Why are you being dishonest? This engine has a history of problems and saying only one blew up is ignorant. https://www.centralmaine.com/2018/04/18/investigators-consider-engine-wear-in-southwest-jet-tragedy/

I'd give it the full two hours advance. Southwest queues can be very long, as can security queues during the summer/cruise season. Better safe than sorry. Worst case is you have time for a coffee airside.

Not sure Chinese pigtails have anything to do with this.

Forgot to say - this is a domestic flight in case that matters (SEA - RDU on Southwest).

Pay close attention to your flights availability. Southwest has a lot of its Fleet grounded doing inspections account of them blowing engines up. They are currently canceling flights because of it.

Looks like things have only gotten worse

The cartels are certainly more active but that almost never has anything to do with tourists. Thousands of expats live in Playa and they get along just fine.

the best will be out on the atolls but you would need to rent a plane to squeeze it in.

About a million tourists go to Belize every year and there are something like 30,000 expats living in the country so the place is perfectly safe.

By the way Belize is not an island it's actually on the mainland

I'm looking for some feedback from anyone who has taken the Belize Zoo tour. We will be on Carnival, if that helps.

 

The trip will be me, my husband, and our 15 month old. We thought he might enjoy seeing the animals at the wildlife sanctuary. Is the tour stroller friendly? About how long do you stay at the zoo? Do you eat lunch at the zoo or do you wait until you return to dock?

 

Any feedback is greatly appreciated. We have narrowed our day down to either this or going to Starfish Island.

 

TIA!

The Belize zoo is considered excellent

I am very interested in this tour, I think it will be great for my kids and I would love to bring some supplies. That being said, I read your response and it came off as mean.. that person did not say crayola ws not sold there, if you really read the person talked about quality and what was not as available there compare to other countries. Then they post to bring crayola,..... "In this particular case, I disagree with you. I live here and know the quality of items available here, and not available here, as opposed to availability in first world countries. Please bring Crayola crayons."That person lives there and that island have so little compared to us in the US.

 

 

I am originally from Jamaica and I know the kids there would love crayola and anything else they can get. Not because it was not sold there but the cost so expensive

I understand completely that the children in Belize are going to enjoy Crayola crayons. My point it's not good for the local economy to bring stuff in from the United States and destroy the local market. Much better to buy locally and help the local businesses which you can do with Crayola. Angelus press carries them.

If we are coming in on a cruise though, what would you recommend seeing outside of the port area? What is within walking distance or short cab ride in Belize City?

There are a couple of museums and Cathedral in the town itself. The ruins at Altun ha are about an hour out of town. I think there is a tour at the belikin brewery. Travellers Liquors Heritage Center (rum)

Disagree more? I think you read my post too quickly! :confused:

Yeah in looking back I did read it a little too quickly

Too funny! Words I often read from folks who have not spent much time here

Which explains the popularity of all inclusive

Cruising is actually a very good way to visit other countries. The most inexpensive option for sure, and then you can return to the places you want to experience more of.

Cruise ships visit Cozumel, Calica, and Progresso, so if you want to visit the RM you'd need to take that land vacation. But if you want to try the AI option, I would suggest splitting your time between an AI and a boutique hotel (or a condo) to immerse yourselves in the locaL culture and experience more of the natural beauty and history of the area.

I couldn't disagree more if a person wants to see a nation or a culture then you need to spend time in the culture. Being on a cruise and staring at a buffet or the ocean isn't experiencing a culture.

They seem to be much more popular in Cancun, Playa del Carmen, etc., than say, Miami, Hawaii and the Caribbean islands.

People are afraid of Mexico so the all-inclusives give them a place to hide

I can not wait to visit Belize crime is every where including America. I'm from a relatively safe rural area but love travel to larger cities. I know when I was in NYC and Los Angles there were differently areas that were sketchy. I want to see and experience other cultures in the world. I plan on using common sense and watching my surroundings while in Belize.

You should spend some time with the garifuna of Southern Belize. Do some Googling. But you won't do it from a cruise

I would ignore the bad reviews if they were from one hit wonders but there are multiple bad reviews from frequent and trustworthy reviewers. That's why I can't decide to risk it or not.

I don't know what else to tell you. I think it should be clear that a lot of the negative comments on here can be traced back to keeping money within the cruise line

Paranoia? Nah. Foreign country = exercise caution. Using common sense, yes.

 

You can pump Belize all you want. I've been to many places domestic and abroad. Seen many places nice and not so nice.

 

Belize may have pretty water, but you won't find me moving there anytime soon.

 

Nor defending it's safety as if I have a vested interest in it.

 

There's a reason they have commandos with machine guns, it's not just for picture taking with all the nice tourists. ;)

The difference between you and the thousands of expats that do move to Belize is your paranoia

I have the same concern and can't decide what to do. Going to Belize, thought of using cave tubing dot bz and read the TripAdvisor reviews. Even if we got back on time I don't want to deal with the stress of worrying about it. Last tender is not okay with me. I don't want to wait for zip liners or ATV people. I wish they would keep the groups separate. :rolleyes:

Read post four

VisitACity, what a great app! Thank you, Herfnerd! That will help tremendously. And Gardyloo, thank you for your tips and itinerary. I will look more closely at that. I knew I could count on the cc community for help.

You are welcome

Had made up our mind to do ziplining and Cave tubing in belize thrugh cavetubing.biz. Good price and heard good things Looked at reviews on Tripadvisor today and now freaking out a bit. Does not matter what you do appears if you cave tube and do not do the ATM or zip line you will wait on those people to get to the bus to leave. Does not matter to me we planned on zip lining too. My concerns are some people said great, back in plenty of time some said we just caught the last tender but hey they made it right LOL. This is making me 2nd guess my decision. Anyone use them? Any advice? I know alot of people do not book through Carnival and have no trouble. Maybe I am on high alert due to the 15 people that he horizon left in Europe today LOl

There are people that make money posting fake reviews on TripAdvisor so I wouldn't pay too much attention to it

The shops area of the port of Belize is plenty safe. This time, we just took a tender and walked around the shops for a bit before heading back to the boat. Last time I was in Belize I took an excursion across the country. Like any other Caribbean/Central American destination, there are nice areas and not so nice areas.

 

To each their own, but I'd stick to excursions or the port if you are on your own. I want my vacation to be a vacation, not having to worry about getting lost in a sketchy part of a town I'm not familiar with.

Post 15 covered it, no need for your paranoia. Did you see the museums and cathedral?

There is an elevator at Pike Place that will take you down to the Waterfront. Currently the Space Needle is installing a rotating glass floor which will be the only one in the world so you'd have to check and see if it's done when you bite when you get there but that would be worth switching to. The Space Needle is very close to Chihuli

I will have about 6 hours after a Celebrity cruise before heading to the airport. Planning on using the luggage service and then taking public transportation to the airport. Definitely, want to go to the Chihuly museum- What else would you recommend?

Did you miss the 12 posts above yours

I was in Belize 3/22 with Rhapsody of the Seas. We were a party of 4 (2 married couples) and went ashore. While I didn't feel uncomfortable there, I did see security at the port which I totally expected and actually find some comfort with them being there. The locals were friendly and of course, all tour operators try to get you to sign up with them. We did take a private 2 hour van tour and our driver was courteous and helpful but I did not think there was much to see. He pointed out several times, that tourism is very important to his country and appreciated the tourists. As we returned to the ship, we went through a part of the city that I would not have wanted to walk alone but I'm not sure why you would want to be there anyway. Having said that, I felt that the port area was safe. If I returned, I would go to the other end of the country which I hear is quite beautiful but what I saw was not.

So, if I was travelling with children, I would book an excursion with the ship and enjoy the country that way.

You're 45 minutes from Altun Ha Maya ruins

Thank you for review. I forwarded it to two couples we are traveling with next month to Jazz Fest. Both have never been and this is a good introduction with photos z

lots of visuals on youtube, instagram and Imgur

you will get a better look on youtube. the blue hole is actually a collapsed cenote.