Mayan ruins on Western Magic itinerary

[A&Jfamily]

Thanks. Both Xanantunich and Lamanai are a good distance from the port area, each maybe an hour'and a half ride. I did Carnival excursions both times rather than independent tours. They are all day affairs, almost to the border with Guatamala, and have lunch included. I doubt you can get a taxi driver to take you that far and back. Some swear by independent tours to these two sites, but I prefer the ship's tours as insurance I'll get back on board before it sails.

 

Altun Ha is so much popular because it is closer, and it is also a site that 1st timers to the ruins enjoy since they have no prior basis for comparision. Hope this helps.

 

With kids, the distance thing is a real factor. When we first did ruins, we went with our 8 yo to Chachobben (Costa Maya) and left our 2 yo on board. When the youngest was 7, we did Altun Ha (Belize) and it was perfect for his age and attention. This year, we did Uxmal (Progresso); the boys are now 13 and 19, and again it was an excellent choice. It is very well excavated, a huge sight and you can climb several structures. Even at 13, and being athletic, he was not a fan of the height!

 

So, when picking ruins, its very important to consider drive time, and time of year, especially when kids are involved. Tulum, in August - even being perched on the sea is hot as Hades; places like Altun Ha and Uxmal have much more shade available. Uxmal is 1.5 hrs from port; Chicen Itza is 2.25 and makes for a very long day.

 

Pick what works for your family as they all have something wonderful to offer.

[Trinam2]

Great suggestions thanks

[bakersdozen12]

We did the Lamanai ruins in Belize when we were on the Magic last year, and it was AMAZING! There’s one pyramid there that you can still climb and it’s both scary and fun at the same time. The river boat ride wasn’t a tour of the river, but just as speed boat ride that gets you to the ruins. But it really makes you feel like you are on an adventure taking you deep into the jungle. It was a fun day. And as an FYI: if you do this tour, get a pina colada at the bar (where you get on the boat). Pina coladas are my favorite, and this one was the best I have ever had!

 

 

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[CrusinSusan13]

I'm hoping all you experts can help this newbie cruiser! We are doing the Magic Western Caribbean cruise on 3/31 and I'm overwhelmed trying to plan excursions. I'd like to pick excursions for 2 of the 4 stops.....one for snorkling and one for ruins. Would love advice on what's best AND what we can do in the ports without excursions! Trying to save some money with a family of 4! My boys are 13 and 16. THANK YOU!!

[4olivers]

I'm hoping all you experts can help this newbie cruiser! We are doing the Magic Western Caribbean cruise on 3/31 and I'm overwhelmed trying to plan excursions. I'd like to pick excursions for 2 of the 4 stops.....one for snorkling and one for ruins. Would love advice on what's best AND what we can do in the ports without excursions! Trying to save some money with a family of 4! My boys are 13 and 16. THANK YOU!!

 

 

 

You go 3/31? We are 4/28

 

 

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[MissScarlett413]

Thanks again! Just got email back from Carnival . We got approved for the 110% guarantee and will have $50 obc each. That’s awesome and thanks for the heads up.

 

Just got our answer back from Carnival. I guess they've noticed an uptick in the number of bookings and claims. We didn't get the full amount for the difference but it came with a detailed explanation. I'm still fine with it and I look forward to our 4/28 sailing!

 

Thank you for submitting a Shore Excursions Best PriceGuarantee claim.

We are excited to inform you that your claim was acceptedand your account will have an onboard credit of $27.49 per person. You mayprint out this email for your records and proof of this onboard credit whichwill only show once aboard the ship.

Although your claim was accepted it was approved under the$95.00 rate per guest. Our tour launches from an exclusive Ayinhaproperty built solely for efficient access to Lamanai. Ayinha reduces down theoverall travel time by motor coach & boat transfer by 2 hours to reach theLamanai ruins. This provides the time for guests to actually climb the temples,providing the experience of a lifetime. Ayinha day admission is USD $20.00 perperson, and includes a fusion of Belizean cultural along with Belizean LunchBuffet. This $20 entrance fee has been included to make the tourscomparable.

[bubba2012]

Thanks again! Just got email back from Carnival . We got approved for the 110% guarantee and will have $50 obc each. That’s awesome and thanks for the heads up.

 

Which specific excursion did you book through Carnival and use to price match it against? We’re cruising in March and Belize is on our itinerary. Thanks in advance.

[MissScarlett413]

Which specific excursion did you book through Carnival and use to price match it against? We’re cruising in March and Belize is on our itinerary. Thanks in advance.

 

Excursion Name : Lamanai Mayan Ruins & RiverBoat Safari

Competitors Excursion Name : Belize Lamanai Mayan Ruins Excursion and BelizeNew River Boat Tour

CompetitorURL : https://belizecruiseexcursions.com/excursion/lamanai-belize-excursion-mayan-ruins

[ontheweb]

Excursion Name : Lamanai Mayan Ruins & RiverBoat Safari

Competitors Excursion Name : Belize Lamanai Mayan Ruins Excursion and BelizeNew River Boat Tour

CompetitorURL : https://belizecruiseexcursions.com/excursion/lamanai-belize-excursion-mayan-ruins

 

And the advantage you get is not only the OBC makes it cheaper, but the ship will wait for you if it runs late since you will now be on the Carnival excursion. This is one of those take you far away type excursions where things could go wrong. (We did a basically similar Royal Caribbean cruise excursion once where the people taking us back by boat claimed they ran out of gas.)

[InTheSticks]

If you are doing the Lamanai ruins with Carnival in Belize, make sure you try to price match with this company. https://belizecruiseexcursions.com/ You book through Carnival, and then fill out and submit the price match form with Carnival. If they approve, they will give you an onboard credit for 110% of the price difference. Saved us $50 each. Easy peasy.

 

 

 

In Costa Maya, we loved Tropicante. Very cheap and very relaxing. Look them up on trip advisor.

 

 

 

Thank you for mentioning this! We’ll be doing Lamanai Ruins on the Conquest in May. I filled out their price guarantee form and now have $26 per person onboard credit. It’s not as much as you got, but I’ll take it.

 

 

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[cruisebarbie]

I have tried filling out the form and it says "incorrect URL format" and "incorrect duration time"  What do I put there?

[elcuchio24]

On 1/23/2018 at 11:02 PM, Trinam2 said:

Thanks for all your feedback. I think we will stick with the ruins in Belize and take a beach day in Costa Maya. Any recommendations for places there that might be a short cab ride with a Beach and maybe snorkeling?

 

I think thats a great idea, one is ruin visit is super. More than that, maybe gets boring. 

[Saint Greg]

 

 

Did Lamanai in December. This is the temple you can still climb.

 

 

 

[brookeq]

On 2/18/2018 at 5:22 PM, CrusinSusan13 said:

I'm hoping all you experts can help this newbie cruiser! We are doing the Magic Western Caribbean cruise on 3/31 and I'm overwhelmed trying to plan excursions. I'd like to pick excursions for 2 of the 4 stops.....one for snorkling and one for ruins. Would love advice on what's best AND what we can do in the ports without excursions! Trying to save some money with a family of 4! My boys are 13 and 16. THANK YOU!!

I am going on this cruise!  🙂    We are doing the Xunantunich ruins in Belize thru Carnival.

Snorkeling is great in Roatan   Hire a tour company (don't use cabs -- they aren't regulated) and go to West Bay Beach there is good snorkeling from the beach.  

Or Grand Cayman has decent snorkeling.  Lots of people go to sting ray city if you want an excursion.  

 

feel free to message me any questions.  Only 23 more days!

[KristiK]

I have done Chichen Itzan, Altun Ha, and Tulum. All 3 through Carnival tours, and all 3 were worth it for different reasons.

 

Chichen Itza - one of the new seven wonders of the world. It is huge. Long bus ride and boat trip. But it was a bucket list visit as it's a wonder.

 

Altun Ha - you can still climb one of them and my leg muscles were sore the next day LOL. Being able to climb a ruin was worth the trip.

 

Tulum - The other 2 ruins were better, but the beach below (which is part of the site) was fantastic.

 

I was very glad I did Chichen Itza and Altun Ha through Carnival as the Chichen Itza tour only got back with 30 minutes to spare, and Altun Ha was actually a bit late. If you do an independent tour that is far away (or long) you take the chance of missing the ship. For me, paying a little extra is worth the security.