Ship excursion v. private: should I err on the side of caution?

[GetToLivin]

First let me say, I've read through so many posts on this board and have relished in all the information I've been able to take in, it's been so helpful. This has been a bit of a challenging port to plan and while I have narrowed down the excursion I think we'd enjoy (Sharks, Rays and Island Get-Away) I realize that many of the local companies offer the same excursion for substantially less (RCI wants $119/person for this excursion). The *only* reason I have ever booked directly through the ship was when the port required a bit of a journey to said destination and it wasn't worth the worry.

 

From those who have been here, did you feel like the companies did a good job making sure you were back in time to tender? Or is this just one of those ports where you're better off paying more for peace of mind?

 

As always, I appreciate any contributions :D

[OCruisers]

Belize is a port where we always only book through the ship!

Whatever you decide, look forward to having a great time in Belize! :)

 

LuLu

[2Okies]

We just took this excursion through Carnival on Dec 16. We really enjoyed this excursion a lot. We felt more comfortable booking through the ship than doing a private one, due to all the travel variables. We got our tender time on the ship (Carnival excursions get priority - so that was nice). When we got to port we looked for the sign for our excursion. We waited a short time for other tenders to arrive, then we walked to our boat. It was a nice boat that held probably 50 people. They had a lot of crew also. On the way to the island we drove through the mangroves. The trip didn't seem overly long. We got to the island for a bathroom break, and then they drove us out to where the stingrays, Sharks, and the reef is. There were quite a few boats there already. I saw some of the private excursion boats I had researched before my trip (Cavemans was one - just a small little boat). We had a long time in the water to see all we wanted. Then they took us back to the island for lunch (we had preordered from a menu while we were on the trip out). Our lunch was good, and ready when we arrived. We had some time to walk around the island after lunch, then it was back on the boat to head to port. The return trip was faster. We got back in time to get in the tender line that was already pretty long. But, it goes pretty fast. We didn't really have any time to shop, but I did run in a store at the port while my hubby stood in line, to get a couple of T-shirts for the grandkids. We were back on the ship just in time.

The reef we went to was pretty with lots of activity. We did see sharks, but they never came too close. The stingrays were swimming all around us, especially by the boat.

It was a good excursion, and we would do it again.

I think, because most of the excursions in Belize are so far from the port, and the additional tender time, I advise using a ship excursion. I know there are those that have used private companies, and have been happy too. But until you know the port pretty well, and how it is laid out, I would say go with a ship excursion in Belize.

 

 

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