Disappointed and confused - snorkel options

[curlymason]

I'll be on Mariner of the Seas in February, and I'm really not sure what to do in Belize now. I was planning to go with Coral Breeze to Shark Ray Alley and Caye Caulker (we did that last year and LOVED it) but was disappointed to discover that they won't accept Mariner passengers for that tour - tendering & timing issues I guess.

 

I've been researching other options, and really want to go snorkeling. The two options I've seen discussed the most are Goff's Cay (thru Island Marketing) and Bannister Island & manatee watch (thru Coral Breezes), but after digging through the reviews, I don't think either of those will make me happy. We're experienced snorkelers (my friend I'm sailing with has snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef, and I've snorkeled my way through the Caribbean), so I don't want to see just a few tiny fish and some damaged coral. I also don't want to be in the water with 75 other people hitting me in the face with their fins. The 45 minute time on the snorkeling is disappointing too...on the Shark Ray Alley tour we had 90 minutes to snorkel.

 

Does anyone have any other suggestions? I really want this to be a great excursion!!

[mousecrazy]

I believe Island Marketing has eliminated the boat part of the snorkeling tour in favor of snorkeling from the island. I'm not completely sure about this, so it might be worth verifying. There is ok snorkeling from the island, and you can swim out to the reef from the island for the more adventurous folks. The beauty of this excursion is that it is a small island (about an acre) out in the middle of the ocean. A unique experience. The island is capacity controlled and even though it is small, we did not feel crowded or rushed and enjoyed our day thoroughly. We are going back in February.

[lgonquin]

I will also be on Mariner in March. Looking at Goffs thru IM and was wondering about timing. When does the IM boat leave the pier and then return? Are there continuos runs back and forth or is it fixed?

 

Would like to understand how much time before & after the tour we will have to do other things.

[mousecrazy]

I will also be on Mariner in March. Looking at Goffs thru IM and was wondering about timing. When does the IM boat leave the pier and then return? Are there continuos runs back and forth or is it fixed?

 

Would like to understand how much time before & after the tour we will have to do other things.

 

They have one boat and it makes one run to Goff's. It's about a 30 minute boat ride from the TV to the island. Our tour left at around 10am (our ship arrived at 8:30) and returned around 3:00 (our ship's all aboard time was 4:00). I think they cater their times to the ship's schedule, so it may vary.

[lgonquin]

Is the tender situation well organized? Is there a long line of paniced passengers waiting for the "last tender out"?

[curlymason]

I think Goff's will be what we end up doing if I can't find a better option. I just can't believe there aren't more options for snorkeling in a port known for their reefs.

[Whumcruise]

Anyone came across a cave tubing and snorkeling combo in Belize??

[lgonquin]

Anyone came across a cave tubing and snorkeling combo in Belize??

 

That may be tough to find while on a cruise.

 

Tubing seems to be well inland, while all the snorkeling is off shore on various small islands (cayes). There aren't any beaches on the mainland.

 

Tubing and snorkeling appear to be in opposite directions.

[cruizinmimi]

Just returned from a cruise on the Mariner of the Seas. We took the ship's excursion over to Bannister Island. We were the 1st boat at Bannister Island and was able to secure our chairs (7 of us) and shade. The island is not very large but it is very pretty. The problem was by the time we were ready to get in the water 3 other boat taxis had dropped people off and it was very crowded. You could only snorkel in a small roped off area which was not good at all.

 

They did have kayaking, volleyball and mats to float on. Mats are 1st come 1st serve. We were able to get 2 mats and floated most of the time in the water. You will have a bar, restaurant, restrooms and showers while there. It was a just a good relaxing day and then the boat takes you back to the ship. Very convenient on that end. But I will tell you our grandson (13) was very bored most of the day.

[barthop]

Whumcruise...I found that combo: http://www.belizeexcursions.biz/excursions/cavetubingcityhighlightssnorkeling.html

 

hope it helps!

[Colorado Kat]

I'll be on Mariner of the Seas in February, and I'm really not sure what to do in Belize now. I was planning to go with Coral Breeze to Shark Ray Alley and Caye Caulker (we did that last year and LOVED it) but was disappointed to discover that they won't accept Mariner passengers for that tour - tendering & timing issues I guess.

!

 

Sometimes the outside excursion operation will not book private tours with cruise ship passengers, because of the contract they have with the cruise line. See if you can book that tour thru the cruise line.

[crewmom24]

We are going to use seaSportsbelize next week. They will take you to the reef, Hol Chan, Goffs Caye and/or shark ray Alley for snorkeling or diving. Cost is almost double of Coral Breezes but sounds pretty personalized. I'll post how it was when we get back.

Debbie

[mousecrazy]

We are going to use seaSportsbelize next week. They will take you to the reef, Hol Chan, Goffs Caye and/or shark ray Alley for snorkeling or diving. Cost is almost double of Coral Breezes but sounds pretty personalized. I'll post how it was when we get back.

Debbie

 

Hi Debbie.

I hope you had a great time on your cruise. How was this tour?

[moet's sister]

My family and I are also experienced snorkelers, who have also snorkelled the Great Barrier Reef, throughout the South Pacific and the Caribbean. In Belize, we chose the Snorkeling wonders of the Barrier Reef tour through RCCL and hated it. The coral was dull and broken and the fish were limited. We got the distinct feeling that cruise operators took snorkelers to areas on the reef that had already been destroyed to prevent further destruction, and considering the number of people taking these tours you can understand that the locals want to preserve the best coral. However, I am not sure where you will be able to access this as a cruise passenger, good luck!

[MsHoo]

I don't recommend Coral Breeze. We did the Bannister Beach/Manatee Watch. The weather was the prime factor in our displeasure because it was overcast and raining HOWEVER.... Coral Breeze boasts they don't cancel their tours even when the cruise line does. Well, there is a reason the tours get cancelled. The ocean was rough and cloudy. You could barely swim in it and you couldn't see anything. Then they took us to Bannister.. I agree with the previous review of it however in the overcast weather it just looked dingy to us. The loungers were dirty, some were broken.. Then it was off to look for Manatees, there was nooo visability and all we could see, if we really even saw anything was a little spout of water. The tour guides spent an hour trying to find something for us to see. After all that time we were wet and miserable and I didn't care if I ever saw a Manatee. This excursion should have been cancelled but wasn't. The Carnival excursion had been cancelled that day. One a side note... I'm not sure the snorkel masks were even sanitized, at least they didn't mention they were. Considering the guide told us to keep the masks clean "greener is cleaner", meaning spit/snot? I still get grossed out thinking about it, luckily we had our own gear with us. I guess in this case you get what you pay for and I don't recommend the excursion or the company. :cool:

[monicajay]

We are going to use seaSportsbelize next week. They will take you to the reef, Hol Chan, Goffs Caye and/or shark ray Alley for snorkeling or diving. Cost is almost double of Coral Breezes but sounds pretty personalized. I'll post how it was when we get back.

Debbie

 

Debbie,

Or anyone else with experience with this tour operator, how was the trip?

[ckrafty]

I found an excursion on Belize Excursions. Biz, but I can't find any information about it...which probably means not to do it, ANYWAY I wondered if anyone had been on it. It is called Belize Cave Tubing, City highlights and Barrier Reef Snorkeling excursion...help me...this is the exact excursion I was looking for.

Thanks