Can you enjoy Belize with no excursions?

[girlfromthepearl]

Hi Everyone! I'm going on the Carnival Valor for my very first cruise Feb. 28th. After endless hours of research my boyfriend and I have decided to do excursions in Cozumel, Roatan and Grand Cayman but not Belize. What is there to do near the port without booking excursions? I understand the locals are pushy at the port area so I'm prepared for that. Any recommendations are greatly appreciated! :)

[clackey]

Hi Everyone! I'm going on the Carnival Valor for my very first cruise Feb. 28th. After endless hours of research my boyfriend and I have decided to do excursions in Cozumel, Roatan and Grand Cayman but not Belize. What is there to do near the port without booking excursions? I understand the locals are pushy at the port area so I'm prepared for that. Any recommendations are greatly appreciated! :)

We did this ship/itinerary last december and it was our third trip to Belize. Of these ports Belize is "THE" port to take an excursion. There is very little to do in or around the tender area except shop for tourist junk. If I wanted to drop a tour I would pick any of the other three ports.

 

You can spend a day at the new Mohagany Bay on Roatan and never get out of the site of the ship. Coz can be done OYO by taxi and Cayman by public trans. Easy access to beaches, food and fun at these three ports.

[girlfromthepearl]

Thanks so much for info! We have quickly gone from doing 1 excursion to 3 and now it looks like we will book something in Belize as well thanks to your advice. What do you recommend to do there other than cave tubing? In Roatan we are doing the private island tour with Victor Bodden, in Grand Cayman we are doing the Stingray, Reef and Rum Point with Nativeways and in Cozumel we are spending the day at Nachi Cocum beach. Any advice on tour companies as well would be very helpful. I could go back to the message boards and read again for hours but we are leaving on Sunday and it's approaching fast! :eek:

[cheapboxer]

We just returned Sunday and I would agree that while in Belize an excursion is the only way to go. We did the Mayan Ruins tour and it was very interesting. A few others we talked to on the ship did a city tour and had a great time.

 

We also did the VB private tour in Roatan. Make sure you do the zip line/monkey business part. It was probably the best part of the tour.

[Gonz]

Thanks so much for info! We have quickly gone from doing 1 excursion to 3 and now it looks like we will book something in Belize as well thanks to your advice. What do you recommend to do there other than cave tubing? In Roatan we are doing the private island tour with Victor Bodden, in Grand Cayman we are doing the Stingray, Reef and Rum Point with Nativeways and in Cozumel we are spending the day at Nachi Cocum beach. Any advice on tour companies as well would be very helpful. I could go back to the message boards and read again for hours but we are leaving on Sunday and it's approaching fast! :eek:

 

Hi there,

 

We'll be on the same ship with you next week, and my plan for Belize is to go with Eco Tours for their beach break and snorkeling, which on their site is called, "Gallows Reef Snorkeling and Beach Break". My understanding is that there will be folks from that company right at where we get off the tenders, and I decided not to pre-book/prepay just in case the weather is crappy. But it's my wife and I and two young kids (3 & 6), so that's the easiest day for us. If we didn't have the kids I would very much consider the Belikin Beer Brewery tour, it's been mentioned here in the Belize forum before and sounds like fun. The beer is certainly good, I'll probably take my chances bringing a 6-pack back on the ship for that evening.

 

Hope that helps!

[girlfromthepearl]

Hi there,

 

We'll be on the same ship with you next week, and my plan for Belize is to go with Eco Tours for their beach break and snorkeling, which on their site is called, "Gallows Reef Snorkeling and Beach Break". My understanding is that there will be folks from that company right at where we get off the tenders, and I decided not to pre-book/prepay just in case the weather is crappy. But it's my wife and I and two young kids (3 & 6), so that's the easiest day for us. If we didn't have the kids I would very much consider the Belikin Beer Brewery tour, it's been mentioned here in the Belize forum before and sounds like fun. The beer is certainly good, I'll probably take my chances bringing a 6-pack back on the ship for that evening.

 

Hope that helps!

 

Yes! Your response helps, thanks! We are deciding between Bannister Island and Caye Caulker now. The Eco Tours excursion you mentioned is definitely something we will consider. I think we will end up making a decision when we dock and walk off the ship. Spontaneity can be a good thing right? Hope you have a great cruise! My fingers are crossed for great weather!:)

[phl2azo]

We were planning on taking the public water taxi to Caye Caulker but I am starting to get nervous about missing the boat. Thank you for this thread! I will look back into Eco Tours and Coral Breezes as we might go that way.

 

Thanks!

[disney521]

Absolutely take a shore excursion with Carnival, nothing to do in port except shop and eat.

[clackey]

We were planning on taking the public water taxi to Caye Caulker but I am starting to get nervous about missing the boat. Thank you for this thread! I will look back into Eco Tours and Coral Breezes as we might go that way.

 

Thanks!

Hey ph,

 

We did Caye Caulker back in december. If you go be sure to notice which water taxi you are on. There are two different ones and they dock at different docks at different times. We almost missed ours and if we had we would have missed the last tender.:eek:

 

girly,

 

We did Bannister back in the good old days when they had an independant tour thru Fab Tours. It is a gorgeous place but the prices for food and drink is a little pricey.

[familytravelcanada]

A few people are talking about Eco Tours... what is their website?

[girlfromthepearl]

A few people are talking about Eco Tours... what is their website?

 

 

Hi! It`s www.ecotoursbelize.com

 

I may use them for a trip to Bannister Island, the reviews are great for that company from what I have seen. Enjoy your cruise! :)