river cruise/4x4, mayan cavaes

[ehogan]

Does anyone have an opinion on the Princess RiverCruise/4/4 and Mayan caves shore excursion?

[Kool-kruisin]

Do you mean the Land Rover tour? SOme people we were with on our cruise took it and hada fantastic time. We went on a snorkel tour organised by the same operator (www.belize-paradise.com)

 

They said the caves were fascinating, but you need to be ready for a bumpy ride!

 

Peter

[rpm]

We just got off the Grand Princess and did this tour on 11-29-05. I usually do independent tours, but the short time in port influenced me in deciding to do this one. It was a great way to enjoy 4-5 hours.

 

They load the large group, 30 maybe, into a high-clearance, military-type transport. You circle Belize City to get out of town and then head out to the caves. Once off the payment the truck bounces down a dirt road for a few miles, getting deeper into the jungle....then arrives in a well-cleared basecamp, with nice restrooms and a place to lock up your pack while you hike to the caves.

 

The group is broken up into sub-groups of 8-10, each person is given a LED headlamp and a waistpack with a bottle of water. If you need it, the guides have "Off" for the bugs. We didn't have a problem.

 

You start off crossing the river over a swinging bridge, then into the jungle to the caves. The caves were OK, with a few pretty decent formations. Watch your head, you don't get a helmet. No crawling, but close to it a couple of times. Just being in the jungle was fun.

 

After returning to base camp the groups combine for refreshments and then break up into groups of 6-8. Try for six, because each group gets one Land Rover Defender 90. One person in each group does the driving. You go back out the dirt road you came in....but through some mud holes to exercise the Land Rovers. Things got a bit interesting for some folks, but we didn't take out any fences. You follow the dirt road back to pavement and head back towards town.

 

Part way there you go down another even more pot-holed road to a beautiful cleared orchard like area next to the river. More refreshments, iguanas in the trees and a couple of protective geese entertain you for awhile before loading up into the boat. (Yup, nice clean restrooms here also.)

 

The boat trip back was great, with a few stops where we were able to see a crocodile and more iguanas. We got rained on going back and at 30-40 mph it got a bit stingy. Ponchos are provided, but get shredded pretty quick in the boat. The ride itself was about 45 minutes long with delivery directly to the ship.

 

It was great way to get away and do some different things, but with the short time in Belize you won't have any time for the shops...if that's important to you.

[ehogan]

Thanks so much, we've booked this excursion

[Sandi$$]

My husband and I just returned from Belize, and we took this tour through RCCL. It was a total BLAST!!!! The 4 x 4 portion was my absolute favorite. In fact, at one point, our jeep was stuck in more than three feet of water and mud. To say the least, we had to be towed out.

I was not overly fond of the cave exploration, as it is very confining and HOT in the caves! The river cruise was nice, however, as we observed many crocodiles and other wildlife. You'll have fun on this one! :o

[Croozer2005]

I'm sold! I'll be in Belize with RCCL in the New Year and was looking for a jungle tour. I love off-roading too, so this sounds perfect - hope my wife agrees! :)

 

Do you mind if I ask how you booked the tour? How much was it? I was looking on www.belize-paradise.com, but it seems you have to book with your cruise line?

 

Gene

[Sandi$$]

We booked directly with the cruise line--on the RCCL website. It is my understanding that this tour is only available through the cruise company. The cost was $96.00 per person, and well worth it!!!! The tour is limited to about 30 people, and because of the great amount of activity involved, it does not appear to fill up. I think that both you and your wife would enjoy this excursion, as we can't talk about it enough. :rolleyes:

[coconut telegraph]

Sandi$$, what was the overall age range of this excursion? I booked yesterday for our xmas week cruise for myself and my dw. Two others in our party are going to join us. Sounds like a blast! Any recommendations to make it more memorable? Thanks for the review!-coconut

[Sandi$$]

Coconut--The average age on the 4 x 4 excursion was between 30 and 40-years.

 

My only thoughts on making the trip more memorable would be:

 

1. Definitely purchase the home cooked meal offered by the locals upon reaching the Sibun River---$5.00--and it is good!!!

 

2. The excursion lasts all of 5 hours--if you are only in port for a short while, be sure that others will not be upset if they do not have time to shop. Our group persuaded the guide to return us to the pier, rather than the ship, so we had at least one hour in the stores.

 

3. Wear clothing that you are willing to discard if it gets too dirty. I actually threw away my shoes and capris.

 

4. The caves are extremely hot--as there is little, if any, air flow. Be sure to dress light.

 

You will truly enjoy this excursion! Normally, a tour of this sort would be too adventurous for me. I can't tell you enough, however, of what a highlight it was for our vacation! Sandi