Mayan Mystic Cruise - getting discouraged

[m1k2s3]

We are new to Oceania - in fact, we're new to cruising. Our first cruise was a Mediterranean cruise with Oceania in May 2015. We were so impressed with the ship, the service and the overall cruising experience that when we got home, we booked another cruise - the Mayan Mystic in February 2016.

 

Now to the "getting discouraged" part - we've recently heard from a number of people that 3 of these ports (Belize City, Roatan and Santo Thomas) are not good ( some even suggest they're unsafe) Now my feeling is as tourists, anywhere can be unsafe when you're travelling to places your unfamiliar with. I've done my research and had tours in mind for Belize City and Roatan and because I couldn't find something I liked in Santo Thomas, thought we'd just stay on the ship.

 

Then, I got a brochure from Oceania with "Canadian Resident's Specials" and of course our cruise isn't listed. With the canadian dollar taking a nose dive lately I was hoping for some savings from Oceania but no luck. Not even after several calls from our TA. Yes, we can change it to another cruise but when I work out the cost of switching, it's just not worth it.

 

The whole thing has me a little discouraged about this trip. I'm not looking forward to it all. I don't really expect anyone to respond, I just needed to vent a little.

 

I enjoy reading these boards and have been reading them frequently.

[burm]

Now to the "getting discouraged" part - we've recently heard from a number of people that 3 of these ports (Belize City, Roatan and Santo Thomas) are not good ( some even suggest they're unsafe) Now my feeling is as tourists, anywhere can be unsafe when you're travelling to places your unfamiliar with. I've done my research and had tours in mind for Belize City and Roatan and because I couldn't find something I liked in Santo Thomas, thought we'd just stay on the ship.

 

 

A number of people told you those were not good ports? I can't imagine why.

That was one of our all time favourite cruises.

 

That was the one cruise where we decided to save a few dollars and booked an inside cabin. DH felt a little hard done by at the time with the modest cabin, but years later when people asked him which was his favourite cruise, he would respond, "Mayan Mystique". He didn't remember the cabin, only the good times.

 

We especially enjoyed our Santo Tomas excursion with Happy Fish. No, there was no Diamond International there - that is why we loved it. Gorgeous, natural, and a guide who made us laugh all day. It was different from other Caribbean ports, which is what made it especially interesting.

 

We hired private guides for all the ports and had an amazing time. In Costa Maya, we had Native Choice (I think that is what it was called} take us to Dzibanche, where the 6 of us had an entire Mayan city to ourselves. We scrambled to the top of the ruins while the howler monkeys howled. No vendors, no other tourists, just us and the intriguing ruins.

 

What a waste to visit such beautiful, fascinating ports and remain on the ship.

If you do your research, you are sure to find plenty of interest in all these ports.

 

There are two types of cruisers. One type says, "What a terrible port - there is no Diamonds International or Senor Frog's". The second type says, "What an incredible port- there is no Diamonds International or Senor Frog's".

 

As to personal safety, don't get me started. It really amuses me when some from a large American city will say that they are afraid for their safety on a Caribbean Island. Use common sense and leave your Rolex and diamonds on the ship and you will be fine.

 

Go, have fun, and do it all!

[RJB]

A number of people told you those were not good ports? I can't imagine why.

That was one of our all time favourite cruises.

 

That was the one cruise where we decided to save a few dollars and booked an inside cabin. DH felt a little hard done by at the time with the modest cabin, but years later when people asked him which was his favourite cruise, he would respond, "Mayan Mystique". He didn't remember the cabin, only the good times.

 

We especially enjoyed our Santo Tomas excursion with Happy Fish. No, there was no Diamond International there - that is why we loved it. Gorgeous, natural, and a guide who made us laugh all day. It was different from other Caribbean ports, which is what made it especially interesting.

 

We hired private guides for all the ports and had an amazing time. In Costa Maya, we had Native Choice (I think that is what it was called} take us to Dzibanche, where the 6 of us had an entire Mayan city to ourselves. We scrambled to the top of the ruins while the howler monkeys howled. No vendors, no other tourists, just us and the intriguing ruins.

 

What a waste to visit such beautiful, fascinating ports and remain on the ship.

If you do your research, you are sure to find plenty of interest in all these ports.

 

There are two types of cruisers. One type says, "What a terrible port - there is no Diamonds International or Senor Frog's". The second type says, "What an incredible port- there is no Diamonds International or Senor Frog's".

 

As to personal safety, don't get me started. It really amuses me when some from a large American city will say that they are afraid for their safety on a Caribbean Island. Use common sense and leave your Rolex and diamonds on the ship and you will be fine.

 

Go, have fun, and do it all!

Sounds like a good plan to me. Can't always listen to what 'they' are saying. Most times we can not figure who 'they' are anyway. :confused::confused:

[Hunding]

What a wonderful, wise and generous post. Your viewpoint is applicable pretty much everywhere, I would think, and not particular to the ports of call of "Mayan Mystique." Many thanks.

[LHT28]

A few years ago we were in Belize we did not want to go tubing or other things so we just went to the port

"THEY" had said DO NOT go outside the gates there the city is unsafe

 

OMG we went outside the gates ..it was a bit scary because all the taxi guides were there yelling pick me

We were with another couple so we got a driver, settled on a price & tour a city tour ..yes he did take us to his t-shirt shop but the prices were not bad & the other couple bought a few to take home

 

Roatan we walked into town from the port (Not Mahogany bay) looked in the shops that were there & bought some coffee beans

we had done an island tour on a previous trip there but I would highly recommend doing one if you have not been there before

 

Now I have seen news on ship's tours in Jamacia, St Lucia that were mugged on the tour :eek:

 

If you were happy enough with the price when you booked why complain now

yes it would be nice if they offered a deal but did you expect one when you booked ??

 

sorry just venting

Edited October 16, 2015 by LHT28

[burm]

What a wonderful, wise and generous post. Your viewpoint is applicable pretty much everywhere, I would think, and not particular to the ports of call of "Mayan Mystique." Many thanks.

 

Thank YOU. What a lovely compliment.

 

I have to share my new favourite story that illustrates how people have different expectations and ways of looking at things.

 

We are currently researching ports for our South American cruise this winter.

About one port, someone said, "Aside from the spectacular scenery, there is nothing".

[Mura]

We were in Roatan and Santo Tomas in May and didn't have any problems at all. (We were in Belize in 1996 but that's so long ago now that I wouldn't voice any opinion about safety there.)

 

One thing we found very charming in Santo Tomas was that there was a local group entertaining the ship around the time tours were returning. This consisted of a few musicians and three women who danced for us. They were just delightful.

 

Mura

[Paulchili]

Burm - what a sensible reply.

m1k2s3 - if you are outside of cancellation penalty, why not just cancel. With that attitude you are almost guaranteed not to enjoy your cruise.

Edited October 16, 2015 by Paulchili

[cruisingxpert]

I agree. I wasn't expecting a lot with the Mayan cruise but it was one of my best cruises. The port at Santo Thomas doesn't look like anything and if that was all you saw, you probably wouldn't be impressed. We took a San Felipe Fortress Tour and short boat ride on Rio Dulce with Go with Gus. I was amazed at how lush and green it was. The bridge over the Rio Dulce is almost the size of the Skyway Bridge in Burlington -OP will know it.

 

We also did a catamaran sail in Roatan with http://www.svfreeradical.com/ It was a lot of fun and to the OP - the owners are from the Niagara area of Ontario and gave up high paying jobs to sail around the world and ended up in Roatan.

 

Not sure if your trip goes to Costa Maya - if so, we spent a day at Maya Chan Resort - they only take 20 guests, food and drink and free wifi included - very relaxing http://www.costamayabeachresort.com/

 

Catherine

[JPR]

We liked all three of those ports. We did not care for the tourist port in Mexico (we liked Cozumel).

[m1k2s3]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I think I just needed a swift kick! You've reminded me that the reason we chose this cruise. The ports on this cruise were so different and unique. There's a good mix of great beaches, snorkeling, mayan ruins ( my husband loves historical stuff) and most important, some quality time with my husband with a little bit of sun and relaxation thrown in.

 

Thanks to all who provided information on the tours and who you used - I'm going to look at each of them - including Santo Thomas!

[ronandannette]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I think I just needed a swift kick! You've reminded me that the reason we chose this cruise. The ports on this cruise were so different and unique. There's a good mix of great beaches, snorkeling, mayan ruins ( my husband loves historical stuff) and most important, some quality time with my husband with a little bit of sun and relaxation thrown in.

 

Thanks to all who provided information on the tours and who you used - I'm going to look at each of them - including Santo Thomas!

 

Please cheer up :) - the perspective you've received here should help. FWIW, Belize City is actually one of our all-time favourite port stops. We booked an independent excursion with cavetubing.bz and not only were we perfectly safe and secure, the degree of genuine hospitality we received from the people there was humbling. Have a great trip!

[DOJO466]

Please cheer up :) - the perspective you've received here should help. FWIW, Belize City is actually one of our all-time favourite port stops. We booked an independent excursion with cavetubing.bz and not only were we perfectly safe and secure, the degree of genuine hospitality we received from the people there was humbling. Have a great trip!

 

Took my 80 year old Mom and 89 YO friend cave tubing in Belize. We had a blast.

[kazu]

I have been told several ports were a bust on different cruises.

 

those ports turned out to be truly delightful surprises.

 

A bit of research and we had great tours (private) or diy tours.

 

Do not let a few discourage you. These are great ports and if they were deemed unsafe the cruise ships will not go there.

 

 

Enjoy the experience of exploring and do not let those who say we stay on the ship discourage you. It is their loss ;)

[surfcitygirl]

We are doing the Mayan Mystique in January and looked at Happy Fish in Santo Tomas but booked with Shore Fox instead, since it was a bit shorter and no lunch. We have also booked cavetubing.bz in Belize, which seems to be generally very well reviewed.

[Hawaiidan]

Belize is and can be scary in the town.....get out of it

Roatan just fine

 

Please consider that everything south of the Mexican border all the way to Ushuea...is all third world..high poverty and crime...El Chappo was not selling subscriptions ! The carribe Jamaca Puerto Rico, Grenada carry the same precautions. Belize scared me. but so did Buenos Aires..the town but out of town consider most criminals are too lazy to travel Get out of Rio and

Are they good? that depends on what and why you choose to go. If you expect polish and entertainment galore then this is not your cup of tea.

 

Being a interested in karst and geology Belize is wonderful!! If youra diver ditto, Quintana Roo by Cozumel some of the best underwater cave sustems.

 

So...consider that the ship is a a form of transportation that takes people interested in as much the regions features as it relates to themselves as the ship The ship...is not a Disney ride promising the ticket holder a bevy of thrilling and entertaining experiences...That's your job as a savvy traveler...determine where and why a cruise port will be beneficial to your value system. The Cruise and Oceania only offer you an option to get there if you have a want to be there....

I am on the Rivera in Jan on the same region... I plan on only 2 ports to get off ... but that's my choice...that all I wanted. The ship will be a good r&r when a port dosen t interest me...which sadly in south and centeral America ispretty much all off my map after 1 visit...for me

[Hunding]

Thank YOU. What a lovely compliment.

 

I have to share my new favourite story that illustrates how people have different expectations and ways of looking at things.

 

We are currently researching ports for our South American cruise this winter.

About one port, someone said, "Aside from the spectacular scenery, there is nothing".

 

LOL! I was a guest at a small luncheon party 30+ years ago, seated next to another guest who chilled the blood when she opined, "Oh, we loved Jamaica…except for the natives." Someone finally had the grace to cough to break the embarrassed silence. True story.

[canuck.qc]

We are new to Oceania - in fact, we're new to cruising. Our first cruise was a Mediterranean cruise with Oceania in May 2015. We were so impressed with the ship, the service and the overall cruising experience that when we got home, we booked another cruise - the Mayan Mystic in February 2016.

 

Now to the "getting discouraged" part - we've recently heard from a number of people that 3 of these ports (Belize City, Roatan and Santo Thomas) are not good ( some even suggest they're unsafe) Now my feeling is as tourists, anywhere can be unsafe when you're travelling to places your unfamiliar with. I've done my research and had tours in mind for Belize City and Roatan and because I couldn't find something I liked in Santo Thomas, thought we'd just stay on the ship.

 

Then, I got a brochure from Oceania with "Canadian Resident's Specials" and of course our cruise isn't listed. With the canadian dollar taking a nose dive lately I was hoping for some savings from Oceania but no luck. Not even after several calls from our TA. Yes, we can change it to another cruise but when I work out the cost of switching, it's just not worth it.

 

The whole thing has me a little discouraged about this trip. I'm not looking forward to it all. I don't really expect anyone to respond, I just needed to vent a little.

 

I enjoy reading these boards and have been reading them frequently.

I feel your pain regarding our dollar, it does influence the way we feel about our trip also. We've cut our pre & post cruise stays by several days to save $. Keep reading posts, the recommendations you'll find here for guides and excursions are great. With the research you've done you can't go wrong. You may find it reassuring to find others from your RCall to share the tours with you. You'll have a great time, better than Feb back home:eek:

[Caroldoll]

We have done it twice, and I would not do it again. However, why not give it a try. Nothing scarey. Lots of poverty. Just an experience.

[Floridiana]

We booked the Mayan Mystique cruise for the Mayan ruins. Well worth it!

 

We went with Oceania's tours because we wanted to see Tikal without actually having to do a land trip in Guatemala. The excursion involved a charter flight from a military airport, not doable without the ship's tours.

 

Tikal was worth every penny! So were the Lamanai ruins in Belize, also a longish excursion with very good guides. In Costa Maya we should have done the long excursion to several ruins, our short one was ok but the ruins were much smaller and overrun with people.

 

We needed 5 excursions for the package deal and added Roatan which was good because our guide was very good. She gave us insights into island life and the issues connected with being part of Honduras. In Cozumel, the excursion was forgettable, a tequila factory, a dance performance, a village in the center, sounds fine on paper.

 

The passengers who stayed on the ship in Santo Tomas were happy that there was a market set up at the port with beautiful handicrafts. In Belize, I would do an excursion again. Very long tender ride. Mahogany Bay in Roatan has a beach in walking distance. Cozumel is overrun, but the town is right off the pier. Grand Cayman is also a tender ride, a well off island with lots of shops. Tours were offered by locals right on the tender pier.

 

Overall, this cruise is excellent for people like me who like history, local color and insights into today's life of the people in those ports.

[jdm]

We took this cruise last January. We booked it because we had not been to some of the ports. We enjoyed the cruise, but expect to see lots of poverty. We did some research and booked a Rio Dulce Santo Thomas excursion through another cruise critic member who booked through Happy Fish. It was an unusual excursion and so very interesting to see how people live. Children greet your boat in their dug out canoe type boats. On this particular tour we were to visit a school, but it was too muddy to climb to the school. In anticipation of visiting the school, or seeing children, I brought along several packs of neon mechanical pencils to distribute. The children we did see loved them.

 

When I visited Belize years ago on another cruise, I did cave tubing. It is so much fun.

 

I have visited Cozumel many times and avoid the downtown area. We rent a car at the port and drive to the other side of the island. Nice to get away from the crowds!

 

It was an interesting cruise. This coming Winter we are booked again on the Riveria, but doing the Sand and Shores itinerary.

[Floridiana]

The Riviera is the most beautiful ship I have been on!

[MVPinBoynton]

We took the Mayan Mystique cruise in December and had a wonderful time in all of the ports. As we have found in many ports, you need to get out of the city to see the real beauty of the area. We went with private guides in each of the ports you are concerned about and had excellent excursions. I must say that the cave tubing in Belize was one of the best experiences I have had on a Caribbean cruise. There is a lot of walking to get to the river where the tubing begins; but oh so worth it. I have photos and videos of that experience in our review on our website, which is linked to in our signature.

 

With the combination of some fascinating ports and just cruising on the marvelous Riviera, I do believe you will have a very enjoyable time.

[sammiedawg]

We took the Mayan Mystique cruise in December and had a wonderful time in all of the ports. As we have found in many ports, you need to get out of the city to see the real beauty of the area. We went with private guides in each of the ports you are concerned about and had excellent excursions. I must say that the cave tubing in Belize was one of the best experiences I have had on a Caribbean cruise. There is a lot of walking to get to the river where the tubing begins; but oh so worth it. I have photos and videos of that experience in our review on our website, which is linked to in our signature.

 

With the combination of some fascinating ports and just cruising on the marvelous Riviera, I do believe you will have a very enjoyable time.

 

Mike, I've told you many times how much I enjoy your site and I read this trip report with great interest. I almost booked this trip for December 12 but we were unsure about traveling so close to Christmas, family plans were unknown. Maybe next year.

[MVPinBoynton]

Mike, I've told you many times how much I enjoy your site and I read this trip report with great interest. I almost booked this trip for December 12 but we were unsure about traveling so close to Christmas, family plans were unknown. Maybe next year.

 

Thanks so much. It really is a nice cruise and probably one of the cheapest per day cruises on O. I hope you get to go next year.