Problems with CORAL BREEZE tours in Belize - 9/11 Carnival Cruise

[drdoman]

I just got back from the 9/11-18 cruise. . Ship is really nice. Dinner service was exceptional!!! Will post more later on this and the 9/11 sailing forum.

 

Had a major problem in Belize -- BEWARE... Had prebooked a shark/stingray/coral tour with "CORAL BREEZE' Inc. They had gotten fairly good reviews on other forums so I decided to book with them. We got at the meeting site late morning appx 1/2 hour before the scheduled meeting time and a CORAL BREEZE rep was there to tell us the trip had been cancelled due to "boat problems" She said they sent the purser's office an Email that they had cancelled two days before, but they didn''t really do that, as I checked with the ship upon my return and the ship had received nothing. Since the Miracle was the only ship in port that day I'll bet their "boat problems" was they didn't want to take less than a full boat load on the tour so just told us there was a boat problem. Another tour company openly admitted that they had cancelled their snorkel tour due to low bookings. I'll never book with CORAL BREEZE again and if you don't want their last-minute "lies" to mess up your plans, with no other real alternatives (tour companies offering sharks and coral snorkeling) in Belize, then think very hard about CORAL BREEZE. I am not very fond of tour companies who do this (stated mildly -- can't say what I really want to say)......SO BEWARE!!!!! Wasted the entire day in Belize because there we no other real alternatives and all other similar tours had already departed.

 

More about the ship and other ports later!!!

 

:mad: -- Daryle

[eva2488]

I didn't book with Coral Breeze but read much here on the site. They came off as reputable and reliable. My other 3 friends went cave tubing with the the excursion offered by Carnival. Since I did that last year, I opted for something different. Coral Breeze seems to have had everything I was looking for. I went off the ship and went looking for Coral Breeze by the Wet Lizard. The lady rep from the tour went on about boat problems and how the tour for snorkeling has been cancelled. Personally, I think it was a lark and they just didn't have enough people to turn over a high profit. Although I didn't pay yet, I was still disappointed and didn't want to go off on my own (heard it wasn't safe). Luckily I found Daryle and his daughter and decided there was safety in numbers. There was still more confusion at another tour office which offered the same stops as Coral Breeze. Our trip was yet delayed again looking for more passengers or they wouldn't go out. (I already paid $59) Now, I was getting really upset and the clock is ticking.

 

Finally the tour rep said they would again merge with another tour to get enough people for the excursion. We would just to wait until 9:30 (Belize time) That would be 11:30 ship time and the last tender out was 4 PM. Bear in mind that we docked in Belize since 7AM ship time (5am Belize). I was just lurking wondering if I would do anything or was all lost.

 

We did go out with Marvin Deras - our guide Natalie was fantastic. The speed boat dropped us off and we swam through Coral Gardens - absolutely breathtaking - fish in their natural habitat. I only have snorkeled in general areas where they drop you off - you swim around and get back on the boat in the same spot. This boat met us (about 25 of us with 6 crew members) after we swam one way for a while and we climbed in for part 2 - sting rays and nurse sharks. We rode for a few minutes and climb out again. I am short 5' 1" and it was difficult for me to stand up even on tippy toes. Others who were taller was chest high in water. I had my gear on and can see perfectly.The sharks were so cool and beautiful. We were supposed to stop and lounge around the beach Caye Caulker and eat lunch but didn't due to time constraints but that was okay. Everyone had a great time from what I can see. It started out as iffy but turned out fine in the end. But I still would be a little nervous about booking with any tour in advance (even the one I just came from)

 

http://www.belizeshoretours.com

 

daryle - i left out important digits in my email address for the photos

my name 2488@...com - great meeting you and thanks in advance for the photos

 

eva

[Susky]

Sorry you had a tough time. I know you're upset, but I haven't seen anything in their past to believe they would so blatantly deceptive.

[elsiesunshine]

Hi everyone,

 

A girlfriend and myself are heading out for our first cruise. We are leaving Oct. 30 on the Nor. Sun out of Houston, TX. It is a W. Carr. cruise.

Does any one have any advice or info for us cruise virgins and what is a must to do? Feel free to email me at elsiesunshine@msn.com

Thanks!

i got the info on the cavetubbing. Thanks!

[Kipp-n-Aika]

Sorry you guys had such bad luck... DH and I were standing there when several of you met up with the Coral Breeze rep and she told you the tour was cancelled due to boat malfunctions. I did hear her say that they had had e-mailed the purser's desk on Tuesday so you all would have time to book another tour. I'm not saying this is what happened, but do you think maybe it's possible that the purser's desk just said they never received the e-mail to cover themselves? It's also possible that maybe it was filtered into a junk mail folder or something.

 

The only reason I say that is that Coral Breeze seems to have such high recommendations on this board that I find it hard to believe they'd cancel a tour and make up an excuse for it. DH and I were the only 2 people booking for the Coral Breeze cave tubing excursion that day, and they didn't cancel our tour. We ended up with a private tour (although a honeymooning couple later joined our group and we ended up with 4). I just think it would be odd if they cancelled one tour due to low interest, but took another one with only 2 people booked, you know what I mean?

[tennisfreke]

We had booked a tour on 9/13. We were at the dock at the Wet Lizard at 10:45 (Tour was to start at 11:00 we were told to be there 15 minutes before that.), there was no one there, no boat, nothing. They do not have a stand or a ticket booth at the dock, apparently they just pull up and load. We waited for a while then went to use the restroom. The itinerary they sent us said that the tour would leave at 11:10. At 11:05 we went back out to the dock and were told by another tour operator that the boat had come and gone already! My husband called them and they said that they had us down as a no show. They sure did not wait around very long. They would not say if there were any others booked on the tour for that day. However, they did say they would refund our deposit. We just went and took another snorkle tour from a company at the dock which was fine with us. One other thing to remember is sometimes these tour companies post recommendations they write themselves....I am not saying that this company does this but I always keep that in the back of my mind when booking excursions I read about on the internet.

[gaylenhazel]

Sorry you had a bad experience. We had the most wonderful trip ever with them. And no, I don't work for them. I have my own business in South Carolina. I booked them before our Feb. cruise. They were waiting right at the dock. Not many people were booked but they went anyway. There were only 6 of us. The guide could not have been more informative. I would never hesitate to use this company again. As a matter of fact, I would give my right arm to go again. Hands down, they treated us great!

[bearette]

I was on the explorer the same week. We were there on Monday (with another Carnival ship but I am not sure if it was yours.) We had scuba divers in our party and they cancelled their part of the tour so they had to go find soemthing else. I stayed with the rest of my party for the snorkeling and they had the boat over crowded and it broke down three times. My husband (one of the scuba divers who were cancelled) got another tour and when he mentioned that they had had a tour that was cancelled they knew right away that it was Coral breezes. They said they cancel tours a lot. I have a review from my cruise withmy Belize excerpt on this board if you want to know the details about my experience.

[bearette]

eva2488

I was on the coral Breezes tour that day. There were 40 people on our tour and it was not cancelled since we went. I think I saw your group at the reef because I remember another tour cutting through the middle of our group and the leader was saying "natalies group this way."

[Coral Breeze]

I received an email from the guest who originally made this post. The email basically said the same thing as the post. We did in fact email the ship about the problems. I have forwarded that email to this guest and hope they share the fact that the Miracle staff did not communicate our email to them. The email was sent on Monday and the Miracle arrives on Thursday. If anyone wants to see the same proof, feel free to email me for it.

Anyone who has taken our tours in the past know we go above and beyond to serve. But things happen sometimes that can not be controlled.

Obviously we are not happy that things turned out the way they did. We tried to communicate but did not get the cooperation from the ship.

I just want to make sure the record is straight on the situation.

[LeslieRN72]

Unfortunately boats do have problems. My husband and I own a ski boat. Although it is an expensive 2004 one we had to replace the drive due to really bad luck this summer (thank goodness for warranties).

 

Boats are notorious for breaking and "having trouble". That's just a fact of life and we knew that when we bought ours. No matter how impeccable your maintenance is, you will have the occasional bout of bad luck like Coral Breeze did.

 

Just be glad that it didn't happen when you were out in the middle of the ocean. Unfortunately we were 15 miles from our marina when our drive went out. It wasn't pretty.

 

Even after I read this thread I still booked the same excursion, simply because I understand. We'll be going October 24. If something happens I have a back-up plan in place, as I always do.

[bearette]

My parents had a boat and I grew up going to the river on it. Yes we did have trouble with it a few times, like three times in 5 years, but not three times in one day. A business I think is set to higher standards then a persons personal boat. Yes this kind of stuff does happen, but the way it was handled (not telling anyone what was going on) was the problem. Plus the boat wasn't the only problem I had.

 

Coral Breeze

I e-mailed your company as well and I have still heard nothing from you. I didn't ask for money. All I wanted was an apology and a promise to fix your boat. I didn't even get a reply. I hope it is just forthcoming, but the few things I have seen on this board don't make me optomistic.

[Tluvs2talk]

drdoman,

I would have been very dissapointed too. I understand that stuff happens beyond people's control, however I think Coral Breeze should have sent a representative to the meeting spot to make sure everyone knew the situation. This was Coral Breeze's responsibility not Carnival's.

 

 

Teri

[Kipp-n-Aika]

drdoman,

I would have been very dissapointed too. I understand that stuff happens beyond people's control, however I think Coral Breeze should have sent a representative to the meeting spot to make sure everyone knew the situation. This was Coral Breeze's responsibility not Carnival's.

 

 

Teri

 

Coral Breeze did have a representative waiting there to meet the folks and tell them the tour was cancelled. Although it's very unfortunate and I can understand everyone's disappointment, it seems as though the fault lies with the purser's desk for not passing along the message.

 

I just don't believe that Coral Breeze would have cancelled the tour because they wouldn't be making enough money (as some people have suggested). There were at least 4 people that would have been going on the Shark/Ray snorkle... decent money would have been made off of them. Coral Breeze took DH and I on the Cave Tubing excursion on the very same day, even though we were the only 2 people with reservations. Why would they cancel a tour group with several people in it, but be willing to take our group with just 2? Besides that, Coral Breeze knows that a huge percentage of their customers are Cruise Critic members and that word spreads quickly on here. I can't imagine that they would make up a lie to cancel a tour... they know this would put them at risk of losing business due to negative reviews on here.

 

Personally, I believe them that their boat had mechanical problems, as unfortunate as it may have been.

[Tluvs2talk]

Kipp-n-Aika,

I re-read the original post and you are right. I guess stuff happens. I give Coral Breezw credit for showing up. I would still be dissapointed but at least they didn't wait for someone to show.

 

Teri

[FFKampy]

I just returned from out western Carribean cruise that stopped in Belize.

 

I had a tour fully booked & paid with Coral Breeze and was also cancelled. I dont recall the reason the gal told us. When we approached she just stated that we missed the E-mail that Paul had sent out, and that she could recommend a different tour operator.

 

I will say that I was dissapointed and my wife, well she was very upset. Fortunatly for my wife & I , the other tour operator was still there, and offered us the same tour ( without lunch at Caye Caulker). Unfortunately for Coral Breeze, we were very satisfied with our adventure, and will likely use them again if ( & when) we return.

 

Paul did try to contact me, however I had left the office early and did not have access to his e-mails. The only thing that would have made the experience a little better would have been if, Coral Breeze could have made arrangements to transfer funds to the other operator ( as we had to return to the ship and get money to pay for the excursion).

 

I am not angry with Paul , or Coral Breeze in general, however I will say that I probably will not prebook & pay for another tour next time out.

 

Good luck to all !

[gail811]

When I booked with Coral Breeze in April, I was late for the tour AND two in our group of 5 were not able to make it due to illness. Coral Breeze waited for us, did not charge us for the "no shows" and did a tour just for the three of us! I was impressed. Hopefully there was a miscommunication betweed Coral Breeze and the ship. I looked forward to booking with them again!

[seabum]

 

I had a tour fully booked & paid with Coral Breeze and was also cancelled. .... that she could recommend a different tour operator.

 

 

Paul did try to contact me, however I had left the office early and did not have access to his e-mails. The only thing that would have made the experience a little better would have been if, Coral Breeze could have made arrangements to transfer funds to the other operator ( as we had to return to the ship and get money to pay for the excursion).

 

 

 

Hi,

 

I've used Coral Breeze myself and I thought they were amazing.

 

I dont understand your comments - they tried to contact you personally, they tried to contact the ship, they waited for you at the meeting place to let you know, refunded your money, and recommended a competitor so you couls salvage you day in port.

 

Yet you critisize them for not just transferring your reservation to someone else ?? I can see the postings now if they had transferred the res. without checking with you first.

 

In addition, I cant believe that you would leave the ship with no money nor credit cards.

 

Please remember folks Belize is a developing country - what might be a quick minor repair here in the states might be a lot more difficult down there. Parts are simply not available - no walmart/home depot etc to run off to. And Safety has to be their number one priority - Period.

 

A couple of years ago they had trouble with one of ther compasses, and had to cancel. Well having been caught down there in a squall line I wouldn't want to be navigating without one. Yet people complained as it was sunny when they canceled their trip - let me tell you those storms can come up quick. We were out of sight of land just tendering back to the ship due to the weather.

 

Lastly - Paul always identifies himself when posting - rather than post made up recommendations.

 

Again - cant recommend them enough - they were great.

[FFKampy]

Alrighty Then !

 

Let me say first off that, I didnt feel like I criticized Paul or Coral Breeze. The sugestion I made about the transfer or funds would have only been for my convenience only.

 

Coral Breeze did have a rep on the peir, that was very helpfull in getting us on another tour that was great.

 

"In addition, I cant believe that you would leave the ship with no money nor credit cards. "

Beleive it ! ( a lot !) #1- I was paid fully for the tour. #2 I had no idea it had been cancelled when we came ashore. That being said, why on earth would I need to bring any other money than what was budgeted for souvenirs? #3 I see no need to carry credit cards, when we brought enough cash to fit our needs ( keep in mind the tour was paid in advance.) once again, why risk loss or having them stolen.

 

 

"I dont understand your comments"

 

Well then , let me rephrase( and I will try to use simple english)... Paul e-mailed me on the preceding friday to let me know it was cancelled. Unfortunatly I left the office on Thursday and did not receive the notice. He then notified his rep, and she gave us a printed out copy of the notice. Full refund was offered ( and I think it may have been issued, wont know til next statement),and optional tours were recommended. As far as I know, Paul did not attempt to notify the ship, on my behalf.

 

 

In closing, I have no ill will toward Paul, or Coral Breeze.

 

I will however ask that the seabum keep his imagination and poor understanding to himself, thank you very little.

[seabum]

Hi,

 

I am truly sorry if i misinterpreted your post. - this string was started when someone was trying to "warn" other people about Coral Breeze.

 

Having used them in the past - I felt I wanted to defend their practices and company in general.

 

You too mentioned items that I felt were unrealistic ( but we have the right to disagree without getting angry)

 

 

I will however ask that the seabum keep his imagination and poor understanding to himself, thank you very little.

 

 

I in fact mentioned I didn't understand your comments - why not simply further explain your point of view (as I did) rather than make insults and using sarcasm. This environment it for the sharing of experiences and ideas.

 

And you're right - there are trade offs to carrying "extra cash/credit cards" the negative being the threat of theft, on the other hand I've been to Belize several times and knowing what a hassle it is to get back to the ship, I tend to carry extra with me in case of emergency or if I see something I may be interested in purchasing.

 

I'm glad to see that you have no ill will towards Coral Breeze and/or Paul - why then must you attack me?

 

Personally I think these boards would be a whole lot better if everyone could refrain from sarcasm and personal attacks. Lets just stick to the sharing of experiences and questions.

 

(you'll notice I didn't type this in a larger font, red and bold - didn't feel there was a need to yell)

 

Thanks

[FFKampy]

Here I will use blue this time, ( I just like to keep it different) I can see that red problaby accentuated the point a little too much.

Sarcasm, however is a way of life for me. If you felt insulted, that wasnt really the intent.

Let me go ahead and offer up a round of margaritas, and forget all our woes.

This experience has absolutly not turned me off Coral Breeze in any way. They could have handled my situation a lot worse than they did. As I see it, while in the face of losing money and future customers, they treated us the best they possibly could and made sure we had a great time. That is the message I'd like folks to come away from me with.