blue_water

Lindbergh Bay is very close to your port with the shortest taxi ride and more amenities, but Lindqvist Beach is gorgeous. Enjoy your trip! ☺️

Yes that works for someone who isn’t comfortable hopping a taxi to spend more time there… Arguably the nicest beach and water on the island!

The buses on New Providence Island (where Nassau is) run regularly. Where are you planning on going? There are different bus #’s for different routes. If you just want to go to Saunders Beach, Goodman’s Bay, Cable Beach, Baha Bay, etc you want the #10. The nearest bus stop is on Frederick St just after you cross Bay St. The different bus routes are published, the link is below… Just tell the driver where you are going (if you have a specific destination) before getting in. The fare is $1.25 ($USD or $BSD), exact change is appreciated.

Yes well stated KarlK. We first cruised in ‘01, and over our 9 cruises, the many ensuing land vacations to those places we had to cruised to, along with others, and wintering in Mexico the last 8, the wonderful people of these places are what meant so much to us… Belize, Central America and Mexico - the people are just so genuine and caring, and welcoming to us in so many ways. Just walking the streets of Belize we met these people…

The bars and restaurants take credit cards, debit cards, or cash. Be aware that many businesses today add another 3% - 5% for paying with a credit card… If renting through a vendor use cash…

A chill beach day with amenities on a typically busy day is a popular request… There are several great beach choices with the amenities you’d want, including Coki, Sapphire, Secret Harbor and Lindbergh Bay (and Magens of course). Honeymoon Beach on Water Island is another, but getting there and back could be more than you want. Avoiding a madhouse is the problem… With a toddler we’d choose Lindbergh Bay and the Emerald Resort…not as crazy as Magens, Coki, SH, but a nice spot with nicer restrooms and a restaurant…

You can see the schedule/fares here - https://belizewatertaxi.com/book-now/?wg=1&t=2&as=3&ds=4&dd=01%2F11%2F2024&rd=01%2F11%2F2024&tfa=1&tfc=0 We didn’t rent a golf cart, just took a cart taxi to the Split and back, cost is negligible. you can google other options for CC…

This Salt Life Adventures outfit should (will) give White Bay an even busier vibe than it has already. For folks looking for that lively beach vibe this adds banana boat rides, ATV rides, entertainment, rentals, etc, etc, etc… Long Bay, East End, Tortola is now set-up to accept day visitors…And even Spring Bay, Virgin Gorda is now being used for cruise line excursions as an alternative to the Baths… For those who miss the White Bay of old, or are just seeking a nice beach with a quieter vibe, there are still a few options - On Tortola, Smuggler’s Cove, Long Bay, West End, Brewers Bay, and Josiah’s Bay are some options. Some with more amenities than others. On Virgin Gorda, Savannah Bay is gorgeous and still unspoiled by the growing crowds. These less crowded beaches are becoming fewer and fewer and probably won’t last much longer… http://charteryachts.info/graphics/gertrudes1.jpg

We were so saddened on return to Playa Palancar 20 years later…came over from the Peninsula on a small cruise ship port day and the beach was now lined with many more palapas, all being used…That was once the last real choice…

Goodman’s looks nice, we just went busy it several times on the #10 jitney while staying on Cable Beach. jet ski rentals, food/drink/lounge vendors, restrooms. You can hop the #10 jitney (bus) at the Bay St & Frederick St stop and just say Goodman’s Bay. $1.25 each way, exact change appreciated, buses will stop for your return…

The ferry is not a bad ride over and back. At White Bay you just sit and enjoy the water with food and drinks or get into the water. There is a bit of a quick drop as you enter, otherwise the sea conditions just depend on the weather conditions…

Are you looking at a self-excursion option? That would be a 25 min taxi to the New Horizons ferry in West End - $16/pp 25 min ferry to Great Harbor - $40/pp Round trip 5 min taxi to White Bay - $5 - $6/pp* And reverse… * Note - taxi fares are based on # of passengers. Technically if it’s just the two of you going from Great Harbour to White Bay the fare is $20/pp, and the fare for 3 or more is $5/pp. But there will undoubtedly be others with you so it should be $5 - $6/pp… So the total cost should be $84/pp, or $168 for both of you…+ tip… First ferry departs WE at 8AM. If you miss that the next is at 10AM. There are return ferries at 12PM, 2PM, and 5PM. https://newhorizonferry.com/schedule/

Great info, I was curious after reading about this pier!

I see they take you directly from the ship to RB. Carnival did that for us for Goff’s Caye years ago. Is that direct ship —> Goff’s still an option today from any cruise lines?

$20 isn’t bad. Are the taxi fares tiered like in the Riviera Maya? That is, ~$20 for up to 3 ppl, extra /person above 3? Or do sedan taxis squeeze in 4 ppl for the $20?

No beach within walking distance, you dock in a marina area where all the cats and ferries are. Typical port shops around the pier plus Pusser’s Road Town Pub. Road Town is primarily a financial district beyond the cruise dock area. Closest beaches are Brandywine Bay and Nanny Cay (15 min, not sure about amenities), beaches with amenities are Cane Garden Bay and Brewers Bay (20 min). Taxi fare depends on the number of ppl, using a shared safari taxi fare is $10 - $12/pp each way…

I agree, you can very easily do Xcaret with you 11-hour port time. You’d need to taxi to the Ultramar/Winjet ferry terminal, take the 45-minute ferry to Playa Del Carmen, then hook up with a guide or just take a 20-minute taxi to Xcaret. There are reputable tour outfits on Coz and in PDC and I would research these. We’ve had a home near PDC for years and have always taken excursions on our own so cannot recommend a tour outfit. But we do have a very reliable and honest taxi driver we’ve recommended to many other visitors who leave rave remarks for him. If you decided to take a taxi to Xcaret on your own, he could meet you at the Playa Del Carmen ferry terminal and drive you to Xcaret and give you information about that. He would also give you interesting information about his home, and could also be there at the time you specify for your return. Very dependable and just a great resource, that’s just another choice. But yes, become familiar with the ferry departures, and let me know if you’d like our driver’s contact for pricing and availability, or research the independent tour options. If you are comfortable with doing it on your own you shouldn’t have any problems. I agree Xcaret is better as a multi-day experience. But by researching the park features you can certainly plan a very nice day…YouTube is a great resource for that!

Taxis will pick up in Brewers Bay, your driver will probably suggest a time to watch for him/her. Smuggler’s has always been less reliable. If there may be more day visitors going there now that would help, we haven’t been in awhile so can’t say. Taxi fare would indeed be $32 and $36/pp roundtrip, respectively…

Really no difference on a narrow road since you are (or should be) more aware of the need to be cautious…But absolutely more dangerous on “normal” roads when both vehicles are in the same lane at normal speeds. And of course roundabouts are the most fun for the first time 😯 Glad you didn’t have a mishap!

“Pure or “pura” Mexican vanilla extracts are not necessarily the best choice of course. Many frequent visitors like those posting here and in older threads will never use anything but Los Cinco Soles natural gourmet vanilla after trying it. We lost the store open Playacar, but the store in Coz is amazing, and it’s available at the airport. It’s also available online… It is really amazing how devoted our friends are who cook and bake with it!

We’ve not been since Irma, miss Tortola! We debated for a few years selling in the US and having our base in Mexico to travel from. But the crazy growth caught up to us in our little community north of PDC, and we decided to sell a year ago. So we’re looking forward to returning to Tortola as well as Mexico and other spots… Enjoy your retirement planing!

Great report life’s-a-beach! Your attitude can be summed up in your avatar name - love it! Experience definitely grounds ones expectations and minimizes disappointments… If I remember we share a love of the BVI… Thanks! 👍

It’s the round abouts that you have to think about…

The ruins of Tulum aren’t as spectacular as some other sites, but definitely interesting and an amazing location, and worth your time!

Sorry you had that experience, especially in the van! We drive in GCM and have never had a problem. But with signs down it can be more difficult. The reason renting there makes so much sense, for us at least, is it is the only way to get to our favorite areas like the north side (Rum Point) and the east end without paying $$$$ for a taxi. But if you are staying in town or on SMB you can get by with the buses as they are excellent. I say I have never had a problem, that isn’t totally true…The car we rented has the wheel on the right, and of course you drive on the left. My wife kept telling me to get away from the curb…And when I went to use the turn signal the wipers came on 😄 Driving on the left in other islands like STT is easy, “shoulder to the shoulder”. But with the wheel on the passenger side, well my passengers got their laughs every day…☺️