Belize Museum & Mangrove Motorboat Tour (Princess)

[JulieRose]

I'm looking at our options for excursions in Belize and I think we would like to do the mangrove tour. Princess offers it as a combo with the museum but I found a private operator who offers just the mangrove tour. The museum does not have a particularly strong draw for us by itself but I'm sure it would be interesting. I'm trying to weigh the pros and cons of each. Any advice from anyone who has been on this tour or to the museum would be appreciated.

 

Princess

Pros

- Priority tender

- Transportation included

- Visit museum as well

- Can cancel up to 24hrs ahead with no problem

 

Cons

- Travel in a herd

- Not sure if mangrove boat ride goes from creek to Belize river to ocean and around to get back to Tourism Village, if it just turns around at some point or if we have to get back on the bus after the ride. (This is unclear on Princess' site)

- Shorter duration on boat

- Cookie-cutter excursion

 

Private Operator

Pros

- Know the route of the boat and that it is what we want.

- Limited to 8 people

- Stops to look for Manatee at mouth of Belize River

 

Cons

- Must walk to starting point (not too sure the distance but it doesn't seem too far. They say 10 min walk.)

- No priority tender

- Refund policy is typical of private vendor in that in that refund is only available if ship misses port

 

I'm new to cruising (and therefore booking excursions) and have never been to Belize City so any input is appreciated.