Our day with Coral Breeze (very long)

[kidfanz]

Our family of 6 pre-booked with Coral Breeze to go to shark/ray and Coral Gardens on Wed 4/6. Two parents and 4 kids ages 16, 12, 11, and 10 We were sailing NCL Sea and I worried about getting off the ship (tendering) in time for our tour. Our original tour was listed for 9:00 am, but we got an e-mail changing it to 8:00 Belize time. Ship time was an hour ahead of Belize time. We got up early and had to be in the lounge where they scheduled tender times at 7 am. We managed to get on the second tender out and were on the dock by 8 am. Belize time. We had more than enough time to get to the Wet Lizard (where you meet for Coral Breeze tours) It was Monique's job to check in everyone (for both cave tubing and snorkle tour) and get people where they needed to be. That day there were 3 boats being used for the snorkle tour. One was an enclosed boat, the other 2 were open and with a center shade canopy. We checked in and hoped to be on the first boat out. We had to wait because she used that 1st boat for people on other ships who would have to leave earlier to go back to their ship. They was also waiting for people with reservations who had not arrived at the dock yet. Others who did not have reservations inquired about taking the tour, but were unable to do so because they were full. It was a little frustrating to hurry up and wait, so I mention this in case you don't like waiting or aren't expecting to. We waited for almost 2 hours. It was hot and most of the shops were not open yet. Plus I didn't want to wander too far away because I didn't want to miss being on the next boat out. For some who didn't rush off their ship this wouldn't be an issue. There was a guide that would go on another boat named David (Indio) who did his best to keep us entertained. He has a regae cd that we bought and he is pretty good. He's also just a real nice guy. Another large group who went with us and checked in the same time as we did began to ask for her money back because she was concerned of getting back late and missing their tender. She basicly was tired of waiting I think, but they stayed. Coral Breeze is very aware of what time each ship leaves and do everything they can to accomodate everyone, but I know with that many ships in with different schedules, I know it would be hard to make everybody happy. That being said, we were on the "Doctor" There is no bathroom, so take care of that before you go. We had a captain, (I don't remember his name) and 3 guides Sunshine, Guy and I don't remember his name. There were 29 people (not incl. crew) on our boat with about 10 of them being smaller kids. It was full, but not overcrowded. We were fitted for fins and snorkle gear on the dock before leaving. The boat ride to Caye Caulker lasted about an hour. We did stop for a photo op with a couple of dolphins. At Caye Caulker, the crew picked up bait and we headed to Coral Gardens (5 min away). We were goven cold water at this point. They did require us to use life vests for this stop. But not worn as usual. The current was strong and we used them to lay on. For me this made it easier for adjusting masks and not swimming so hard. If you want to go down to get a closer look at something, you could easily take it off, swim down and come back up to it. They did want us to stay in the group and follow in pairs by single file. There are other snorkle groups there and it helps you to know where your group is and for them to keep track of your group. It helps if you can stay near a guide, because he knows where to find things. Sunshine found and pointed out many things while I swam near him. There were many fish to see,and there was even 1 sting ray staying right near the boat. We were there around 45 minutes and then headed over to shark/ray alley, (5 minutes away). There was another boat in the area when we arrived and when the sharks heard the engines they came right up to us. They crew was feeding them and they stayed until we got in the water. There were about 10 of them ranging in size up to around 6 feet. The sting rays were all around us and you could easily swim down and touch them. The guides would catch them for us to pet. Life vests were not required here, but I used one to float on so I could just relax and watch. The water was about 6 feet deep here and without fins I got too tired swimming against current. This is an amazing experience and not to be missed. We had done sting ray city in Grand Caymen 3 years ago and in comparison, there were more rays in Belize and way less people. There were some who stayed on the boat, they really missed out. After a good 45 minutes there another boat came near and that's when the sharks returned. The boat was close enough for us to get to and they were all underneath the other boat waiting to be fed. That's when I got to touch a nurse shark. Another amazing experience. After that we headed over to Caye Caulker for lunch. I guess it depends on how fully booked they are as to whether you get to order lunch or have a buffet. We were offered the buffet. It was O.K. If you have picky kids, be prepared to order them something else and pay extra and you can buy beer and soda there, but they did not have american change. They had beans and rice, coleslaw and bbq chicken and fish nuggets and watered down lemonaid. I asked for a second drink and they said not until all the crews had some as they did not have enough. That's when we just bought drinks. There was time after lunch to walk around this beautiful little island. It was very hot though, so if you walk around, stay near the water. The kids swam near the dock and found several conch shells. On the boat ride back the crew talked a lot about life on Belize and about how tourism has changed thier lives. They were a delightful crew and love thier jobs. We had less than an hour to shop before the last tender left. Everything is right there. The pharmacy in Belize #18 is cheaper than in Mexico, so if you need RX, wait for Belize. Also go just outside the terminal shopping, there were a few unique items out there. Our family had a terrific day in Belize and would do it again in a heartbeat. Even with the drawbacks of waiting and a so - so lunch, it was an awesome experience.

[lilmsonry]

Thanks so much for posting!!! My kids are picky eaters, thanks for the heads up on that also!!! Can't wait!!:)