The beginning to the end?

[LouisianaCruiser4200]

Could we be sending the beginning to the end of Carnival calling in Belize? It’s no surprise Belize isn’t a very popular destination. No beaches, very poor, high crime, etc. Accompanied with inadequate tenders (some of which are questionable in safety). As ships get bigger, do you think Carnival will call at Belize less if any?The Mardi Gras won’t call at Belize. Royal already rarely calls at Belize. Thoughts?

[BoDidly]

Well it's happen in the past .

 

 

[teknoge3k]

We really enjoy Belize when we go there. I would hope they would still keep some ships going there, even if only the smaller ones. 

[Keys2Heaven]

I've enjoyed Belize the two times I've been there. Cashew wine is pretty good!

[shof515]

i read some rumors NCL is opening up their private port area with a pier (Harvest Caye) to other cruise ships. I wont be surprised to see that happening in the next few years

[Darcy8]

I have always had a great time when we stop at Belize.   Hope they don't all stop going there.

[Jlk88]

I was supposed to stop there on a carnival cruise in 2011. Several weeks before sailing they switched it out for Costa Maya due to not having enough reputable tenders.

[sanmarcosman]

31 minutes ago, Jlk88 said:

Several weeks before sailing they switched it out for Costa Maya due to not having enough reputable tenders.

Were they not legal tender?

[Saint Greg]

Not a Belize fan. I’m glad I did the ruins and climbed the high temple but I don’t want to go back. I hate that tender.

[jimbo5544]

Not my fav place, but the logic escapes me.  If they do not get rid of any ships (has not happened in a while) sure seems like the others could still stop there.... if I do the math correctly that would be 26 ships.  I think you can breathe a sigh of relief on this one....

[Jlk88]

12 minutes ago, sanmarcosman said:

Were they not legal tender?

 

Keep in mind this was 8 years ago, but somehow I still had this in my email!

 

 

[ray98]

Too many ships visiting that area these days because the market is saturated, they need all the ports they can get.

[Cafedumonde]

Belieze is our least liked port of all time.   You would never know that place was once owned by the British.  Nassau is Disneyland compared to Belize.  I would love if they would replace the westerns out of Galveston and New Orleans with a different port.

[ProgRockCruiser]

11 hours ago, teknoge3k said:

We really enjoy Belize when we go there. I would hope they would still keep some ships going there, even if only the smaller ones. 

 

11 hours ago, Keys2Heaven said:

I've enjoyed Belize the two times I've been there. Cashew wine is pretty good!

 

11 hours ago, Darcy8 said:

I have always had a great time when we stop at Belize.   Hope they don't all stop going there.

 

We are heading to Belize in April 2020 on Legend.  I have browsed the Ports of Call area of course, but since it was mentioned here specifically, what did all of you enjoy about Belize?  We were thinking of a tour of one of the ruins.  I gather than just hanging around in the port area is pointless/dangerous.

[schazzy]

6 minutes ago, ProgRockCruiser said:

 

 

 

We are heading to Belize in April 2020 on Legend.  I have browsed the Ports of Call area of course, but since it was mentioned here specifically, what did all of you enjoy about Belize?  We were thinking of a tour of one of the ruins.  I gather than just hanging around in the port area is pointless/dangerous.

 

We were there last year, and the port area was safe but not really much to do there except buy the same stuff you find in any other port. We did the Altun Ha ruins and Belize City Tour and I'll post my review of it below:

 

Belize: We booked the Altun Ha & City Tour excursion for here. We met at the SkyBox sports bar and a guest services person escorted us down to the tender and after the boat filled up, we were on our way. The water was very calm and the ride was pretty smooth and it took about 15 minutes from ship to pier. We easily found our tour group and were loaded on to the bus and left out on time. The city tour was interesting to say the least, Belize City wasn't quite as bad as I was imagining it would be, but still pretty poor. The city streets were in rough shape in several places and made for a bit of a bumpy ride. Our guide was very informative and we saw some of the wealthier areas along the waterfront and the Prime Minister's house, passed thru some of the poorer areas and then out of the city. The road out to Altun Ha was actually in pretty good shape and we saw a good bit of the countryside, we made a couple of stops for our guide to point out some interesting local plant life, including a tree covered in cactus and a cashew tree laden with fruit with the "nut", our guide got out and grabbed one off the ground for us to get a closer look at. We finally arrived at Altun Ha and we were guided around and a local guide told us about the history of the ruins and the Mayans who inhabited the area. We got an opportunity to actually climb the pyramids and explore on our own and shop at a small marketplace where locals are selling souvenirs and handicrafts. We got back on the bus and returned to the city and saw abit more of it and then returned to the cruise terminal. It was a pretty good and interesting experience.

[teknoge3k]

9 minutes ago, ProgRockCruiser said:

 

 

 

We are heading to Belize in April 2020 on Legend.  I have browsed the Ports of Call area of course, but since it was mentioned here specifically, what did all of you enjoy about Belize?  We were thinking of a tour of one of the ruins.  I gather than just hanging around in the port area is pointless/dangerous.

 

We hired King David Castillo (AlTournative Belize Services) as a private driver for the day. First we went to the Community Baboon Sanctuary. We went into the jungle to see the wild howler monkey. It was amazing and we were the only ones there There was a family of the monkeys that came down from the trees and ate fruit from our hands, and our kids hands. It was an amazing experience to see them in the wild. After we left there, we went to the ruins to say we did it. Then from there we went to a local school to donate some school supplies. We spent a while at the school talking with the teachers and kids and just seeing their way of life. After we left there we went to lunch at a local spot and had some good food. After we left there we went touring around Belize and site seeing. Finally we went shopping before being dropped back off at the port area. It was an excellent day for us. David and his staff were amazing.

[ABQrobin]

Belize is a fabulous port of call... if you are not a beach resort type or shopping mall type.  It is a country that is 75% natural environment/jungle much like Costa Rica.  They pride themselves on NOT developing the country up like others.  I would rather go there than places like Grand Cayman, myself, as there is little to do there but lay in sun or shop in expensive stores.  I can do that in Florida.  When I go on a cruise, I want exotic and adventure, I want to experience a culture different from my own, I want to feel like I am visiting a country, not just a fancy resort.  

So keep on trashing Belize all you want, it is one of my favorite ports, along with Roatan and Cozumel.  Been going there years before we started cruising, will continue to go there.  

[Keys2Heaven]

We hired Belize Exotic Adventures during our stop last April and went to the Altun Ha Mayan Temples. It was a bit of a drive, but our tour guide was great! The ruins were amazing and we had a fabulous lunch afterwards and stopped off for some cashew wine to sample/purchase. Did a tour through Belize City as well on the way back to the ship.

Love the people and have never felt unsafe. But, as always, do your homework.

Edited January 31, 2019 by Keys2Heaven

[robertlanajean]

Did Belize a couple years ago. Private tour to Altun Ha was nice. Loved being able to climb the ruins because i think they'll probably all be untouchable some day. Belize City was  about what we expected. Just a poorer city going on with daily life. 

We weren't excited about having to walk out of the cruise port area to meet our tour, but didn't find the area to be any different than most other ports. The port area itself was quite underwhelming with a pretty ambivalent staff. Only port we've been to that wouldn't stamp passports.

 

There is potential for lots of adventure excursions which are great, so I suppose it's all about what you're looking for on a vacation.

 

[pyropoodle]

Not much to do right in the port area unless you like shopping for junk, but out in the country, it is wonderful.  We did the Cave tubing which was just a neat experience as well.   There was a long drive to get there, but we had plenty of time and I never felt unsafe.  

 

if I don't have plans in Belize, I typically won't tender in.   I'm not a fan of shopping and there isn't really anything super unique in the shops there.

[Darcy8]

1 hour ago, ProgRockCruiser said:

 

 

 

We are heading to Belize in April 2020 on Legend.  I have browsed the Ports of Call area of course, but since it was mentioned here specifically, what did all of you enjoy about Belize?  We were thinking of a tour of one of the ruins.  I gather than just hanging around in the port area is pointless/dangerous.

  Yes!   Definitely plan an excursion.   We have toured the ruin of Xunantunich.   The views from on top of the pyramid are great.   I would like to tour the Lamanai ruin sometime.   Twice we have done a zip line/ cave tubing excursion.   So much fun.  We used Taco and Cindy as tour guides for this trip.     The reef at Belize is one of the largest in the world.   Sometime I want to do a snorkeling trip when we are there.

I think we did a ship tour to go the ruins just because of time concerns.  

Have fun planning and enjoy your time in Belize!

[summersigh]

Through Carnival - We did the tour to Altun Ha ruins that included a boat ride on the River Wallace through the rainforest to get there.  Loved the ruins and being able to climb to the top of the largest pyramid.   We had an authentic lunch and an air conditioned bus ride back to the port.  It pretty much took up the whole day and we really enjoyed it.

 

The tenders that were used on that trip were the ship's (the Legend) own life boats which we found very interesting.  The ride back to the ship was just a few minutes - 15 minutes or so

[hillbillycruisers]

When we were there a couple years ago we hung out in the port area for a while.. then went past the gates for a few blocks shopping at the local stands. We never felt threatened or unsafe at any time...but were still cautious. Bought some neat local souvenirs not found at the port...and several bottles of the best rum I've ever tasted, that was local made. We ate lunch at a place at the port that was very good, and when I noticed St. Louis Cardinals stuff hanging over the bar I knew it had to be a fine establishment. I think the owner is from Missouri. After lunch, we took the city tour that we booked at the port. It was very interesting. To us, Belize is not our favorite stop, but as with anything, its what you make of it. We also enjoy Progreso, and hear a lot of people complaining about it too...or even just stay on the boat. I will never just stay on the boat...there is always fun things to do. 🙂

[Saint Greg]

2 hours ago, ProgRockCruiser said:

 

 

 

We are heading to Belize in April 2020 on Legend.  I have browsed the Ports of Call area of course, but since it was mentioned here specifically, what did all of you enjoy about Belize?  We were thinking of a tour of one of the ruins.  I gather than just hanging around in the port area is pointless/dangerous.

 

I've done just the port area. You're safe inside. There's shopping and a few bars. If you exit the port and take a right, it's a short walk to the Belize sign. You can get a good shot of the belize sign with the ship in the background.  I would at least do that. If you exit the port and take a left you have some really pushy sales people.

 

Last time I did the Lamanai ruins. That was a full day deal. I got like $33 off on the price match and another 10% off using the carnival fun points card.  If you do your own thing I'd wait until the tender/water shuttle line dies down. The line to get a number went from the alchemy bar to the casino. Fortunately I booked through carnival and didn't need to wait in line. I got to wait in the main lounge for my excursion to leave. 

 

I detailed the booking of the ruins tour with the price match on page 2 of my review and the actual review of the excursion starts on page 19 if you're interested.

 

 

 

 

 

[naxer]

I hope not.  I have an excursion booked there in a couple weeks.  This will be my second one.  It will be one or the other Mayan ruins--can't remember which one--but what I like is the ride on the river.  It's so rare for me to see nature in the tropics like that.  I've not encountered anything like that in any of my other cruise excursions.