Mrs

[DEBBIECOOK102]

I have a question about the ports of call. I see all these excursions that are costing money. Is it possible just to hang out on the beach without paying at ports of call? We are traveling the western Carribean including the ports of Cozumel, Belize, Mahogany Bay & Costa Maya.Thanks.

[FionaMG]

2 minutes ago, DEBBIECOOK102 said:

I have a question about the ports of call. I see all these excursions that are costing money. Is it possible just to hang out on the beach without paying at ports of call? We are traveling the western Carribean including the ports of Cozumel, Belize, Mahogany Bay & Costa Maya.Thanks.

You absolutely can, although in some cases getting to the beach will require taking a cab.

There is lots of information in the Caribbean ports of call board here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/456-caribbean/

[paul929207]

Shore excursions are optional. You are under no obligation to take any. There may be charges to get a bus or a taxi to take you to the beach

[sanger727]

On port days the ship will

dock/tender and you will walk/tender off. You can research the ports ahead to know what you can do in each port and either walk to grab a taxi when you leave the ship. You can pre-arrange a tour with a local company. You can book a shore excursion through the cruise line. Or you can walk off the ship and there will be a variety of people selling tours and activities on the dock. If you are looking to walk to a beach, of course you are free too, but you may want to research ahead of time which ports have a decent beach walking distance and how to get there. There won’t automatically be one in the port area at every port.

 

if your Belize port is Belize city I would highly recommend having a tour arranged and not walking around there by yourself.

Edited April 14, 2019 by sanger727

[DEBBIECOOK102]

Which ruins are the best to tour on these stops?

[Elaine5715]

10 minutes ago, DEBBIECOOK102 said:

Which ruins are the best to tour on these stops?

That depends.

[VennDiagram]

24 minutes ago, sanger727 said:

 

if your Belize port is Belize city I would highly recommend having a tour arranged and not walking around there by yourself.

 

I totally agree!

 

Mahogany Bay -- is a purpose built tourism area with a beach, and some shops.  The beach has no charge to use it.  Or you can walk up the hill and outside the gates and hire a taxi to go to another beach.

 

Costa Maya  -- also a purpose built tourism area with a bunch of shops and restaurants.  Or you can contact The Native Choice to see about a tour to Chacchoben (sp?) Or  go through the tourism village, find all the white vans, and go to Mahajual (sp?) where for the cost of some food and  drink at a restaurant you can enjoy tables and chairs on a lovely beach.

 

[cb at sea]

Most Caribbean beaches are ALL public.    If there are hotels on the beach, you won't be able to use their chairs/loungers/palapas, etc....but there are rentals of chairs/umbrellas at almost EVERY point of entrance to the beaches.

 

Google "Beaches at __________"  (fill in the port name) and lots of info and options will pop up.  You can do the same with Taxis, buses, shopping, restaurants, etc.

 

Or, check out a guidebook from your library on the Caribbean...some are "port specific".  Lots of info out there!

 

You are almost never required to take a ship's excursion or a private one, for that matter.  Heck, lots of folks never leave the ship in ports!  You can do whatever you want.

 

 

[angie7911922]

Yes, you can certainly just enjoy a day at the beach without a shore excursion. You may have cab fare to get there. Do some research on which beach in the port meets your needs, and then you can just let the cab driver know where you want to go.