Bannister Island or Caye Caulkers???/

[sunlover5]

Going to Belize in March, looking at 2 different options through Coral Breezes. Considering Snorkle trip and end up at Bannister, or snorkle and end up on Caye Caulkers?? There will be 4 of us. One is just opting to stay at the beach while we snorkle. Just wondered if anyone has been to both and which one you liked better and why>???

 

Thank You!!!

[crewsweeper]

I like Cay Caulker better. More to do. Good diving and snorkeling. And if you want to do it yourself you can get a water taxi for $12.50 RT. Just have to be aware of the time difference catching the scheduled taxi back to the pier.

 

http://www.gocayecaulker.com/

[sunlover5]

Thank you!! What is the time difference??

[crewsweeper]

Thank you!! What is the time difference??

Belize is on Central Time. If you're sailing on the Dream, the ship will most likely remain on Eastern Time for all port calls. That's the general practice with Carnival. So if a water taxi in Cay Caulker leaves at 2 PM, its 3 PM ship's time. Most ship excursions operate on ship time. Independent operators may or may not.

 

Hope this helps.

[Will in sunny FL]

We have been to both & prefer Cay Caulker to Bannister. Our home is FL & the "beach" at Bannister can not compare to sunny FL's beaches. But if you are not from a beach area, Bannister will be super.

We prefer Cay Caulker for the local lunch provided by Coral Breeze & the time to walk & look around a totaly new environment as well as being on their real beach.

Good advise about the time difference there. When the US is on daylight time there is a two hour difference as Belize does not do daylight time.

Have a ball there.

Bill in FL

[shari1737]

We just got back from the Glory & we did the Sting Ray Alley & Cay Caulker excursion. It was fabulous! We actually did it as observers instead of snorkelers but had a great time watching every one in the water. We were able to get in & swim around the boat while they were out snorkeling. Cay Caulker is wonderful. I took some of the most amazing pictures while there. They look like they could be postcards. Its such a laid back place that I could seriously spend all day there. Coral Breezes was amazing! I highly recommend using them. As to the time change, our ship changed to Central time before going to Cozumel so we were only 1 hour ahead of their time while we were there. This is one of my favorite excursions we have ever done!

[sunlover5]

Thank you for all the responses!! Caye Caulkers it is! Going to book today.

I will just make sure my watch is set to what the ship says!!!!!!!!

 

Back in 2005 my daughter and I went to Belize on a cruise. We bought the most awesome sandals there, right where the tender let us off. There were row of little shed type shops.

 

Are they still there?? Would I have any time to look for a pair or are there any sandals over in Caye Caulkers????

 

Thank you for any replies!!!

[shari1737]

I never saw any on Cay Caulker but I wasn't really looking either. When we got off the tender in the port, there was several places to shop but once again I wasn't looking for sandals. I hope you have a great time!

[amandaepperson21]

I've never been to Bannister IMO Caye Caulker is one of if not the very least desirable place I've ever been to on a cruise. It's dirty, the coast is covered with pier after pier which makes for dirty water. The only decent place on the island is "The Split" at the end of the island. Even that wasn't anything to get excited about. The water is super deep with the exception of a small shallow area where tables are positioned in the water. The food at the restaurant (which is called "The Split" or something like that) is good and you get plenty for your $$. For $20USD we got 3-4 Belizian beers, 12 wings, and a coke. The area would be nice if it weren't for the huge chunks of broken concrete sitting in the water and the fact that the little restaurant is a dirty looking shack. I've seen plenty of places on cruises and I give Caye Caulker a thumbs down. Apparently the place we were is the only semi-beachy area on the island other than the sandy would-be beach areas that are covered with docks and nasty water.

[Loucat]

Have to share our experience in Caye Caulker. We had a great time. It is not Key West, but the shops and restaurants we saw were clean and food reasonable. We rented a golf cart and drove all over. The roads can be rough so hang on! We ate at a nice place over the water. Food was fresh, prices reasonable and good service. No complaints here. We plan on going there again next month. When we were there, the water was clear and spectacular-nothing brown etc. Might be the time of year or post storm. Not sure but we liked it alot:)

[crewsweeper]

Have to share our experience in Caye Caulker. We had a great time. It is not Key West, but the shops and restaurants we saw were clean and food reasonable. We rented a golf cart and drove all over. The roads can be rough so hang on! We ate at a nice place over the water. Food was fresh, prices reasonable and good service. No complaints here. We plan on going there again next month. When we were there, the water was clear and spectacular-nothing brown etc. Might be the time of year or post storm. Not sure but we liked it alot:)

Loucat...Check to see if Carlos still has his "grill" going! Just before the split. Then let us know. Thanks.

Crew

[jkjmt]

I'm not sure if Carnival is still offering Bannister Island (Private Beach Break). I'm not sure if it's because of the murder on the Island or because people complain about the weather and being stranded on the island when it rains. (It happened to us two years ago, it's sprinkled the whole time and we were freezing and we're from New York so the cold shouldn't bother us that much....)