HandC4Me

We were in Belize in mid-March last year on the NCL Jewel, and will be back the same time this year (March 12 - 19 also!) on the Jade. Last year, the majority of our group (approx 12 people, ranging in age from 16 to 73) did the Lamanai Ruins River Safari tour. The teens were somewhat bored :) by the long river ride, but everyone LOVED seeing the Ruins. Still talking about it to this day.

On that trip, I didn't go to the ruins but instead took my younger son and some others ziplining and cavetubing. It was also a great experience (I will be happy to share details if anyone is interested.)

This year we are going to try something different and plan to visit Goffs Caye. It was hard for me to come up with an excursion we are all happy with (group of 16) but by reading through this Board on Belize I got a ton of good ideas. Goffs Caye sounds beautiful and we're looking forward to it.

Hope this helps!

We are considering Bananarama when visiting in March, but I'm unclear on one thing: while I've read that there are a number of tour operators that will take you there (Rony, Victor Bodden, ShoreExcursioneer, etc) I am wondering why you would book with an operator, instead of directly with the Resort?

On the Bananarama website, under Cruise Ship packages, it states that for $30, you get "round trip transportation, beach chair, welcome drink*, and use of facilities." Isn't that comparable or even cheaper than some of the tour operator prices?

I understand that one variable might be the tour operator which would take you around the island some, or to visit the monkeys, etc. but if you are looking to JUST go to Bananarama and spend the day there, wouldn't it be best to book with them directly? Or am I missing something?

Many thanks in advance for any help!

If so, how was your experience? Which beach did you go to, and how was it? I've heard good things about their Ziplining, but would love to get more input, especially on this package that combos ziplining with a beach visit.

Many thanks in advance!

Domergirl, I am in the same situation - trying to choose between Mr. S and PB for our group (4 families, with teens).

We will be there on Monday, March 14 - also five ships in Port that day. I'm trying to take that into account - apparently MS gets more crowded than PB?

Thanks for the input. This is all great to know. Goff's Caye sounds and looks amazing. I'm just having a hard time knowing how to pick a good excursion operator. I appreciate knowing that you had a good experience with Island Marketing.

Can anyone else recommend a good excursion company that does Goff's Caye?

TIA!

Hi, I'm following this thread as I am somewhat in the same situation of looking for not-too-expensive options for our group (four families with teens). I did see the Bacab Jungle Park excursion through NCL, but quite frankly Goff's Caye sounds much more appealing! I think our teens would only enjoy Tourism Village for a short while.

I'm just a little nervous about booking a Goff's Caye excursion through an independent operator. For one thing, how to choose a reputable one? And then there's the fear of something happening that would keep us from making it back to the ship on time. Any advice, or recommendations, would be greatly appreciated!

Looking forward to your Goffs Caye review also. Many thanks in advance!

Thanks all, so very much! Having helpful information and opinions like these is what makes these forums so great.

We were leaning towards the Jade anyway, so now it looks like that's what we'll go with. Just nice to have some extra confirmation that it's a good choice for us.

Thanks again!

We are trying to plan a mid-March Spring Break trip and are looking at either the Jade (out of Houston) or the Dawn (out of New Orleans). I'm seeking input that may help us decide one way or the other.

We did go on the Jewel last year at Spring Break (from Houston, same itinerary) and loved it. I know the Jade is the Jewel's sister ship, so we're already somewhat familiar with it. Don't know much about the Dawn. The itineraries and pricing of both cruises are fairly close.

Trying to think of things like: does the Dawn have a nice port/parking lot setup, etc, like the Jade does? Or anything really that might help us weigh pros and cons.

Opinions welcome; thanks in advance!

I'm enjoying your review very much! We will be on the Jewel March 14 - 21, and will be going to Little French Key also. My two sons are 13 and 16, so this is a great teen perspective for them to read. Thanks!

Great review so far -- you have me hooked! :) We sail on the Allure this Sunday, so I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of it! Many thanks!!

~Leslie

Thank you SO MUCH! We are sailing on the Allure on March 17th, and I've been hoping to find out this information! One question: we are doing the Eastern Caribbean Itinerary -- does anyone know (other than the obvious Port differences) if it will be the same activities, etc for us Eastern folks?

Again, many thanks!!

~Leslie