Things to do for a family on a budget?

[carosunshine2010]

Hi!

 

We are a group of 15 (kids from 2-13, parents and grand parents) crusing on the Liberty of the Seas next March. Most in our group are new to cruises and have already stretched their budgets to be part of this trip so we are looking for unexpensinve activities to do at the different ports we will visit (Roatan, Belize and Cozumel).

 

Since the cruise ship experience will be new to most of our group, the activities on the ship will be enjoyable and new, so for the days at shore, we are looking for beaches we can spend a fews hours at and that won`t cost a fortune in transport and all inclusive fees.

 

I think I have found options for Cozumel and Roatan but for Belize, I am really not sure what we will end up doing.. From what I have read, most people recommend to take a ship or private excursion since there is no easy access beach to get to and not much to do and not completely safe to walk around town..? Ship excursions can be expensive especially for Canadians like us with the exhange rate! If you have any suggestions of things we could do in Roatan that won`t break the bank, would be really appreciated!

 

Thanks!:)

[blueasthesea]

With a group of that size you might want to look into booking with companies that are family friendly, those that can give you a group rate for a desired excursion that you may have in mind. There's cave tubing .com and bz and the one im more fond of way to go tours belize. they can give you good family rate discounts.

[anonmom]

Many posters on CC consider Belize City unsafe, but they seem to mostly be basing their opinions on the less affluent urban setting. If you read other travel sites and blogs, there are more people who consider Belize safe and easy to get around.

 

My plan for our day in Belize (assuming the tender process goes smoothly and we are ashore at a reasonable time) is to take the bus to the Belize Zoo.

 

This means leaving the port area and either walking about a mile to the bus station (Novelo's), or simply taking a cab. Taxis in Belize don't have meters, but from what I have read, a short taxi trip within the city should only be a few dollars. The bus to the zoo is the regular (not express) westbound bus to Belmopan or Benque. It should cost about $2 USD pp (2 Belize dollars = 1 USD) and take 30-45 minutes. Get off at mile 29.

[carosunshine2010]

Thanks for the tips, the zoo sounds fun but a bit far with the tender time to consider? I will look into private Tours and see what they have to offer for groups

Thanks!

[crewsweeper]

Contact Reggies tours. lots of different excursions, reasonable prices for larger groups. You could do the zoo as a part of a tour.

 

Another option would be to take a water taxi to Caye Caulker. RT from Belize City is $9 pp, I believe under 4 yr old can go from free. Sometimes a large group can also get a free ticket or two. There are 2 water taxi terminals close to the tender pier. One is less than a block away, the other is about 4 blocks away just beyond the swing bridge to downtown. Once on Caye Caulker you can enjoy the beach, walk around, find a street vendor or small restaurant for lunch, etc. Just pay close attention to local time and return times. But if you leave early, you can easily spend 3-4 hours there.

[carosunshine2010]

Thanks a lot for the information. I will look further into Caye Caulker, sounds like a good option

 

Thanks!

[smokey11]

Hi I was just wondering what water taxi company is offers $9 per person tickets to caye caulker. I only found one that was $25 per person.

[Heather1972]

Many posters on CC consider Belize City unsafe, but they seem to mostly be basing their opinions on the less affluent urban setting. If you read other travel sites and blogs, there are more people who consider Belize safe and easy to get around.

 

Interesting, I found Belize to be one of the nicer, cleaner countries.

[anonmom]

Interesting, I found Belize to be one of the nicer, cleaner countries.

 

Yup, and based on things I have read elsewhere online and in travel books, I expect to enjoy it. But for some reason, it gets a bad rap here on cruise critic