Belize with Grand Princess Jan 21 trip

[ehogan]

Heavy rains the night before we got to Belize resulted in the canellation of many of the tours - we were booked on the 4x4, caves, river cruise.

Princess had room on the airboat tour, so that is what we did.

 

A quick drive through Belize City was interesting, but it was sad to see the poverty - it does make you realize how fortunate some of us are. The airboat tour was OK, but don't think you will see a great deal of wildlife - the 7 manatees were nowhere to be found and there were a few types of birds to see. I'd never been on an airboat so that was an experience.

 

As in many of the Caribbean ports, there is a sealed off "tourist area" to keep the locals away from the tourists. We spoke to a few people on the ship who had hired a taxi - not recommended. They said the driver just drove them around and around the city and then wanted $150 for the trip. When they refused to pay, the driver threatened police action. They finally settled for $100.

 

I would advise a ship's tour here, unless you are planning on snorkeling and are familiar enough with the procedures to get you to one of the cays which are supposed to be lovely.

 

Again, due to the weather our stay here was not the best - it may be different in good weather.

[scootepie66]

We were fortunate enough to have a friend who is a taxi driver give us a tour of the city. He took us to the new Old Belize Museum and Cucumber Beach. Stayed about an hour looking around the museum, it is small but nicely done, it gives a nice overview of the history of Belize. The weather was overcast and rainy so no one was using Cucumber Beach. Mostly everyone was in the resturaunt eating. The cost for the Museum/Cucumber Beach is $10/pp for adults cant remember for children. Would not do Belize without knowing a local, we mostly saw poverty and very few safe areas, we were glad we had someone we knew and trusted driving us around. I would recommend doing an excursion if you are visiting Belize.