Belize Question for Carnival Cruisers

[msolberg]

Cruising on the Glory 3/11/06 Western and one of the ports is Belize. I have no desire to go cave tubing (scared of spiders and snakes and dark). So am looking for a nice beach within a reasonable distance - don't want to have to take a plane.

 

This message has been posted on the Ports of call board with no answers and I know our seasoned Carnival Cruisers can help me out.

 

Thanks in advance for any ideas and suggestions.

 

Please Hosts don't move this post - like I said, I'm afraid of the dark.

 

Thanks,

Diane

[pryd]

There is an excursion offered through Carnival that is a private beach with excellent snorkeling and also a great place for collecting seashells.

 

I am not sure of the name of the excursion but my friends who went on it raved about how great it was.

[GLCAS]

We are going to the private beach excursion and it is on a caye called Bannister. There are pictures here on the boards if you do a search. From everything I have read it seems like a great beach day.:)

[Partyof7]

Last year one of our stops was at Belize. From the ship we boarded a catamaran and they took us to a small private island where we went snorkeling then laid out on the beach. It was heaven. They had native music and an AWESOME punch (all you could drink). Lets just say we danced all the way back to the ship!!!

[rickcop44]

When we were in Belize two years ago, we went snorkeling on Johnston Island which is close to Ambergris Cay. Had a blast!

[BgRoFan]

I just got off the Legend and did the Snuba excurion that then stopped at Barrister Island (private beach). The beach was beautiful and I recommend it if this is what you are looking for. Just pay close attention to when they call you to go back to the boat. We missed our catamaran and had to take another boat (from another carnival excursion) back. Thank G-d that other boat was there or else I don't know what we would have done!!

[msolberg]

Thanks for all the help. I see on Carnival's site the cost is $42.00 and includes 1 complementary rum punch and a ferry ride to the island.

 

Does anyone know if you can just take the ferry and save the $42.00 or if you have to take the excursion because it's a private island?

 

Rickcop - how did you get to Johnston Island? Is it far from the port?

 

Thanks again,

Diane

 

PS - I knew you Carnival people would help me.

[cruise.freak]

We went to Goff's Caye in Belize and it was beautiful. It was a Carnival excursion but well worth the money.

[winewanderer]

You could also go to Caye Caulker for a beach day. 2 years ago we went snorkeling through http://www.coralbreezelimited.com. They will drop you off and pick you up for about $20.00 if you just want to go there.

 

After doing the snorkeling, which fun but I've had much better, I would do that next time.

[winewanderer]

I just went on the Coral Breeze website, apparently the Caye Caulker transport is now $39.00 pp.

 

That seems like a lot considering it's just transportation.

 

There is a public ferry service, problem is it doesn't run often enough and I found that no sooner would we get to the island then we would have to leave to get back to the ship on time.

[msolberg]

I found a couple pictures of Goff 's Caye through webshots and it looks very small and desolate.

 

Is there anything there? Anywhere to buy an beverage or lunch?

 

Thanks again, you guys are great.

 

Diane

[jsaadat]

Take water taxi to Caye Caulker. Great place, nice dirt streets with golf carts, litle bars and great food.

[I&MsMom]

Just a note of warning: we took the water taxi to Caye Caulker, and yes, it is wonderful. The glitch came in that we didn't realize just how long it would take us to get off the ship (first cruise, with a significant learning curve!) We just missed the earlier water taxi, and had a bit of a wait in the marine terminal for the next. Got to Caye Caulker, and only had enough time for a quick look around and lunch, before heading back again. As I recall, it is about 45 minutes each way - beautiful scenary, fast boat! I don't regret the way we spent the day, but it would have been nice to have some more time on the island.

[momofzeke]

Diane, I am the same as you ~ don't want to do cave tubing, and am torn between Goff's Caye and Bannister Island. From what I understand, Goff's Caye is tiny, but does have a place where you can buy lunch and drinks, but has no beach chairs, etc. Bannister Island has beach chairs, floats, etc. plus a restaurant but the snorkeling may not be very good from the beach. Goff's Caye has better snorkeling from what I've read on the boards.

 

Can anyone tell us how these two (Goff's Caye vs. Bannister Island) compare? I would like to snorkel, but even a few fish is great for me. Doesn't have to be hundreds of fish for me to be content. ;) How does the food compare? Thanks!

[SueW]

We will be on the Legend in February and will be in Belize on a Saturday. I emailed Coral Breezes since we wanted to go to Caye Caulker. I didn't see a schedule for any ship tours for Saturday. Paul emailed me back and stated that they only have tours for the cruise ships on Monday thru Friday. Just thought I'd pass the word.

I was going to take the new Carnival Tour to Bannister Island, but I saw a review and pictures on CC Port Forum and I wasn't impressed at all. I have cancelled my booking for this tour and I guess I'll take the water taxi over to Caye Caulker on my own.

 

Link to review: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=256087

[jsaadat]

We were at Caulker 2 weeks ago. If you want pics drop me an e-mail

 

J

 

Jsaadat@msn.com

[jen95]

My understanding with Bannister is that you can only go there with a ship excursion not on your own.

[clackey]

Hola,

 

My in-laws booked a trip to an island at the tender dock last year. They took them to a small island, let them snorkel for a couple of hours and served cold drinks for $25 pp. When finished they took them back to the ship. They didn't even have to tender back. We did the cavetubing but when we go back to Belize we have got to go snorkeling. The water is absolutely gorgeous.

 

Sorry, but I don't know the name of the company. Brent found them by asking a local what was available.

[Racegirl6]

My husband and I did the catamaran and snorkel through Carnival and had the best time on our entire cruise for our honeymoon. The cayes in Belize are so remote and absolutely beautiful and the rum punch was delicious, even after the Fiesta Party Boat in Cozumel the day before.

[msolberg]

Wow! Decisions, decisions. How are we going to choose?

 

Thanks for all the great info.

 

Diane

[Wennfred]

We went to Goff's Caye in Belize and it was beautiful. It was a Carnival excursion but well worth the money.

 

I second that, Goff's Cayes known as Gilligans Island is a very nice tiny island in the middle of no where, a few palm trees and nice beaches. Its about a 20 minute boat ride to the island.

[bc3536]

I found a couple pictures of Goff 's Caye through webshots and it looks very small and desolate.

 

Is there anything there? Anywhere to buy an beverage or lunch?

 

Thanks again, you guys are great.

 

Diane

 

We did this one in May. The place is small but they were cooking out on a grill and they have one hut that you can buy craved shells. One of the guides found an little octopus in the shallow waters and let everyone look at it and take pictures.

[wolfiev]

my advice is to get to shore early and go to the city...don't be afraid, get there before the rest of the crew gets there. go to where the boats are leaving from which looks like a bus station, and hang out. pay your fifty cents to use the bath room and don't forget to pick up your TP before you go in. get a boat to caulker and then back. have the boat drop you off at the cut and hang out all day. then leave just in time to have him drop you off at the ship......

[jshawnh]

THis is an article I wrote about our trip there on the Elation last year:

 

 

If an hour could last a life-time, I wish that could be the case for the short time I spent on a tiny little Island, a pebble’s throw away from the second largest barrier reef in the world. Caye Caulker, Belize is occupied by an extremely diverse population for such a small outcropping. Darwin’s “founder effect” is nowhere in sight here. Originally settled by Mexican Nationals fleeing civil war, the little caye, (pronounced key by the way), is home to Black Iguanas, Hermit Crabs, Rastafarians, Belizean Creoles, Mexicans, Guatemalans, Canadians and Americans. At least three languages are spoken, including English, which is the official language of Belize, Spanish and Creole, a local Belizean dialect which is similar to other Caribbean dialects of the same name. That’s quite a roll-call for an island just over three miles in length, and a few hundred yards wide.

 

I’ve dreamed in the past of finding a perfect tropical paradise, where everything was laid back and casual, where shoes were a nuisance, as well as were most articles of clothing. Where fish were abundant in the local seas, palm trees gently swayed in the topical breeze, where faces were darkly tanned with permanent smiles etched by the same tropical breeze, where cares could be forgotten, and each breath of life could be enjoyed because it was infused with the fragrant smell of bread fruit blossoms, hibiscus flowers and rum punch. Not a speck of pavement on the whole Island; that’s one of the requirements of my perfect Island paradise. I don’t want a deserted Island; you need friendly people for company on an Island. I need just two or three motor vehicles, to do the hard work, so people won’t have to work too hard you know. I would like everyone to ride bicycles to get around, especially if the walk is over a few hundred yards. I might allow electric golf carts on my perfect island. When visiting my many friends, it would be nice to have some sort of automated transport. I want the breadfruit tree to grow on my island. It was brought to the Caribbean by the renowned Captain Cook of legend, and can be a staple food, much like the potato, but more flavorful than and just as versatile when used as a vegetable. I would like to have little hermit crabs to run around for my amusement, and big, vegetarian iguanas to dispose of the fallen hibiscus blossoms because I certainly don’t want to have to use a rake. I want the yards of brightly painted, stilted houses to be carpeted in lush…not green, but white…coral sand; no need for mowing. I want blue, crystal clear water surrounding the whole place. I could go on and on about my perfect tropical island, but there’s really no need to. - All I have to do is mention Caye Caulker.

 

Caye Caulker has all of these attributes, and more I’m sure. I spent only a short time there after a sting ray/nurse shark tour with Coral Breeze Limited tours of Belize. We stopped off on the little island for lunch and an hour or so to explore the small tropical paradise. I can’t get the place off my mind, as if it’s beckoning me to return. I often find myself daydreaming about walking barefoot down the Islands “Main Street” which is “paved” in sand. I find myself pondering the little shops full of local artists’ masterpieces, and stories of how a personal paradise was found.

 

Caye Caulker can be reached by high-speed water taxi from Belize City for about seven U.S. dollars (each Belize dollar equals fifty cents U.S.). Accommodations are abundant, and range from $20.00 U.S. to Over $100.00 for more luxuriant digs. There is also a runway on the Island for those who would prefer to fly in by small airplane. The Island is not far from the more famous Ambergris Caye, but I can assure you it is not as commercial yet. The locals are friendly and welcome visitors. I hope I get to go back soon for a much longer stay, because the little island is stuck in my mind and seems to have stolen apart of my soul. An hour on Caye Caulker – not nearly enough time.

 

Links and Info:

 

http://www.cayecaulker.org - nice web site with great info and pictures of Caye Caulker

http://www.cayecaulkercondos.com – a place to stay

http://www.coralbreezelimited.com – friendly people who can take you on some great tours of the barrier reef and inland Belize excursions

[photocruiser]

I second that, Goff's Cayes known as Gilligans Island is a very nice tiny island in the middle of no where, a few palm trees and nice beaches. Its about a 20 minute boat ride to the island.

 

 

Here are a few photos of Goff's Cay

 

 

 

 

Hope you enjoy,

 

Photocruiser