Cruising in March of 2011 and I have a few questions

[booboo0530]

Ok so we are sailing to Cozumel, Belize City, and Costa Maya at the end of March 11'. I just wanted few opinons on what we should do while there. These are some of my thoughts for each: Cozumel I was thinking about the Chankanaab park, but I want to make sure there are coral reefs accesible just by getting in at the beach, this is very important to me. We would also do a bit of shopping, is there good shopping close to the port? For Costa Maya I was thinking that we would just go to the bar/ large pool right off the pier and do a little shopping, would you reccommend this? And is there good shopping close to the port? Do you have any other suggestions? And for Belize City I was thinking either the Altun Ha and the Olde Beliz River Tour or the Lamanai & New River Safari excursions through Royal Caribbean and maybe considering the cave tubing, not sure. Any opinions and suggestions are greatly appreciated!

[PROCRUISE]

Ok so we are sailing to Cozumel, Belize City, and Costa Maya at the end of March 11'. I just wanted few opinons on what we should do while there. These are some of my thoughts for each: Cozumel I was thinking about the Chankanaab park, but I want to make sure there are coral reefs accesible just by getting in at the beach, this is very important to me. We would also do a bit of shopping, is there good shopping close to the port? For Costa Maya I was thinking that we would just go to the bar/ large pool right off the pier and do a little shopping, would you reccommend this? And is there good shopping close to the port? Do you have any other suggestions? And for Belize City I was thinking either the Altun Ha and the Olde Beliz River Tour or the Lamanai & New River Safari excursions through Royal Caribbean and maybe considering the cave tubing, not sure. Any opinions and suggestions are greatly appreciated!

 

Cozumel: Tulum is spectacular.

Belize: Cave tubing with: Cave-Tubing.Com.

Costa Maya: Enjoy pool, beach and nice shopping area right off the pier.

Enjoy your cruise and Merry Christmas!

[Springwater21]

a few years ago we did Lamani excursion from NCL. It is a full day tour, well worth the price. We do like history, at the time we went, the men were still working on the pyramid(heard it is finished now) It was a bus trip to a river, then speed boats for about 45 minutes up the river, to the mayan site, lunch under the trees(saw howler monkeys) then toured the small museum and the ruins. Great trip. Glad we took it. Long day, yes, fullfilling, you bet!

[johneeo]

Go to the ports of call threads.

 

Tons of good info there.

[Lard Greystoke]

Cozumel: the beach is elevated about 6 feet above shore and is artificial. To access snorkeling you have to go down a few steps.

 

Belize: I did Lamanai, was very memorable. Altun Ha is a shorter trip.

 

Costa Maya: it's easy to take a 5-minute taxi ride ($5 round trip) to Mahajual. Nice beach and some restaurants. You can do the pier compound before or after.

[satxdiver]

Cozumel: Chankanab is nice. Take a taxi there and back. You don't need to buy a tour here. Tulum is great but it is on the mainland and is a long trip that entails a ferry ride over and back. Only do this through a ship sponsored tour as you may be late returning. It will be an all day tour.

 

Belize: Altun Ha is great if you like Maya history which I do. The cave tubing is fantastic but go with a private tour not the ship sponsored one. I have also done the river trip and it was good but not as good as the cave tubing.

 

Costa Maya: This is a port built by and for the cruise ships and is pricey. Take the short taxi ride into Mahajual and enjoy the beach, food, drink and some shopping.

[SeaTeach]

The Lamanai & New River Safari excursion is fantastic. This excursion was done while on a different cruise line, so not sure if offerings are the same. We took a long bus ride to get to the launching area, cruised down the river which afforded us sights and sounds of wildlife, ate a delicious lunch in a rustic area after debarking, trekked through the jungle, and finally reached the gem...the Lamanai ceremonial site. All was very informative and great fun. The guide was also very jungle savvy...He identified the smell of a snake, asked for matches/lighter to follow trail, drew a spider from hiding place, identified various plants, told us to keep mouth shut while looking up at monkeys in a tree, etc.

 

Altun Ha was nice, but did not have the same impact as Cahal Pech. At Cahal Pech, I got a chance to see how digs are executed, and also spoke with the guys. It was just a different experience while on a land tours with relatives from Belize.

 

The zoo was also different, not nearly as sculpt as those visited in the U.S. New meaning was attached to "animals being in their natural habitant.

 

If a tour to Chichen Itza is offered while in Cozumel, jump on it. That was my favorite Mayan ruin site/city. The guide was very good and made the place come alive. It was also possible to climb the steps of the major ruin. A rope served as the handrail, people at the top looked like ants, and they were coming down on their rumps while holding on.