Caye Caulker taxi NEW questions

[cruisy]

Is trying to tender at 9:00 with three thousand passengers and make the 9:00 am taxi (only one hour time difference) impossible? Would the 10:30 departure be worth it? If we did go to Caye Caulker, is there just one taxi at each departure time? How many passengers can fit on it? Is there a chance that we would be turned away because it is already full? We were thinking of returning at 1:30. There are people in our group who can't be rushed, PERIOD. Is this too risky with them?

 

If you pre-book the transportation only with Coral Breeze, are they flexible with the departure time and return time, or are you hitching a ride with one of their tours?

[verab]

I don't know what ship you are on, but on the Elation they tell everyone to go to Cole Porter Lounge to tender off. They only tell those that buy shore excursions or if you ask (as we did). You can mingle in with the Carnival excursion people if you want, we know some that did this and had no problem. They don't check tickets. Or you can go at 8:15 (suppose to hand out tender tickets at 8:30). We did this and got on the 1 and 2 tender which ended up being the same tender. We got to Belize around 10 so at 10:30 would be okay for you.

We did the Coral Breeze excursion, you will be on with there snorkel people but they go straight to Caulker Caye and drop you off and get the gear. Some of our people stayed and rented a golf cart. They had a great time, they found a little bar at the split that had great Pina Coladas and a lobster tail for $8. You will love Caulker, it is ablsolutely beautiful. We wish we had more time there. Lastly, the coral Breeze boat left at 2:30 and we had plently of time to get back to the ship.

Hope this helps and is not too much information.

[cruzn buckeye]

We sent Coral Breeze an email requesting Caye Caulker water taxi and got no response. We sent Reggie an email for cave tubing....again no response. I have no idea what we will be doing in Belize. I almost wish they would change this port.

[jean-lynd]

CRUZN BUCKEYE - you may want to check your junk mail folders. We had this problem when we booked an excursion in Cozumel. For some reason any emails from the tour company went straight to junk mail instead of coming to my inbox. I hope this helps!

[tammyb3904]

I was on a Carnival cruise two weeks ago and had booked a snorkeling excursion through Coral Breeze. They don't appear to exist! We were told to meet at the flag pole at 9 a.m. local time, look for the person wearing the Coral Breeze logo shirt, and that we would wait until everyone in the excursion arrived. We arrived at 9:10 a.m., and there was no one there. We walked around asking for help and finally went back to the pole. We found a woman there with a clipboard (no logo shirt), & she said the boat had just left but would come back for us. She was more than happy to take our $111. We saw a TINY boat turning around in the harbor--our boat. Coral Breeze was apparently subcontracted to Star Tours. We climbed aboard this tiny boat (which had been described as large, comfortable, with snacks and drinks) with no life jackets. We had a 45-minute FAST, BUMPY ride, where we finally stopped to get our snorkeling gear. I asked to use the restroom; I was told to go to room 15 in the motel (no light, no soap, no toilet paper). We re-boarded the boat and rode another bumpy 15 minutes to a snorkeling spot. At this point they asked if anyone needed a life jacket, which several did. They dragged them from a door at the end of the boat. After snorkeling about 20 minutes, we rode another 15 minutes to another spot, snorkeled for about 25 minutes, and then rode another 10 minutes to a restaurant. We were supposed to have a choice for our meal--not true. We had greasy chicken, rice and beans--a traditional Belizian meal. We were supposed to be back at port for the last tender no later than 4 p.m., and it was now 3:15 p.m. I told the guide that we needed to leave, and he said, "Oh, it's only a 45-50 minute boat ride back to the harbor!" I pointed out that we only had 45 minutes to be back. We left soon thereafter, speeding and bumping all the way. I was never so happy to see a ship in my life!

[Coolcruise02]

This is why I'm reluctant to go to Caye Caulker on my own. I have been to Belize before and we normally go off on our own at cruise ports, but I would hate to be stranded here. I may opt for the cruise excursion just to be safe.

 

Since not all of the ships excursions go to the dock (some go directly to the scheduled dive or beach) I would not risk sneaking on a random tender to get off the boat early.

[julie aka social director]

Thanks for the info. I was trying to find this company in a google search and came up with nothing. It's amazing how some people have luck on outside excursions and others don't. I think I will pay the ships prices and no what I am getting for my $$$. Sailing on the Glory, Saturday, 7/31.

[Coral Breeze]

I would like to take a moment to put things in perspective.

In this thread there seems to be a roller coaster ride regarding Caye Caulker and independent operators. There are mentions of operators not existing and not responding, and those same operators doing a good job and providing good communications. As an operator there is a responsibility to the visitors of Belize to provide a good service. Are there days where things don't go as planned?....it happens. I know every independent operator does everything in their power to ensure a great experience. I read once where someone mentioned having a "bad hair day" once in a while. You have to know that every operator does everything possible to have the best hair day every day.

Now, about ship tours....everyone knows they are over-priced, over crowded and lack the service visitors to Belize deserve. Independent operators have to try harder because the business is not just handed to them from the cruise line. So their incentive is to provide higher quality at a lower cost. Operators can not stay in business if they don't perform.

As a person born and raised in the US and traveled to other countries, I fully understand the apprehension....is this a scam...I'm I going to get ripped off...will the ship leave without me...and so on. It comes down to reputation. There are several good operators in Belize who perform great tours at a lower cost and higher quality. To hear things like "I'm just going to do the ship's tour" is a little disheartening. This sounds like just settling for the same ol' same ol'. Others say this port should just be dropped. The truth is, Belize is a beautiful country. No, you can't just show up and walk around like you can in places like Key West. You do need a plan and any of the operators you read about can make sure you see the beauty of this country. The ship's tour can do the same, but you will pay more and deal with the crowds. I guess my point is, don't just settle, and don't pass up the opportunity to experience Belize. You are there...you might as well take advantage of the opportunity.

[Coolcruise02]

In fairness to the cruise lines, I did take one ship excursion on Carnival and it was wonderful. It was not crowded and about the same price as doing it on our own. Also, when we first started cruising you are nervous about exploring new ports and missing the ship. A ship excursion, if reasonably priced, does give you peace of mind. Being hounded at a pier from local operators can be intimidating in the beginning.

[MrNobody]

Coral Breeze Unlimited is getting a bad rap...we were on the Elation last week...we had booked the shark/ray alley tour with Coral Breeze Unlimited...due to a transportation strike on Belize we didnt debark there and cruised to Playa Del Carmen instead...this was NOT the fault of Coral Breeze...I had paid them $53.00 via paypal and owed them the rest upon meeting them at the pier...since we never debarked in Belize that wasnt possible obviously...upon my return home I checked my email and had a $53.00 refund from Coral Breeze...I personally think this is a legitimate, honest company...thanks Coral Breeze for the way you conduct business...we will use you when we cruise next summer

[Travelitis]

Belize can be a lot of work compared to other ports. I went to Belize on a cruise a couple of years ago and got off the ship only to buy Marie Sharp's hot sauce and a Christmas ornament at the pier. We were on the 1st tender, the one with the ship's security and were back on before 2/3 of the ship got to leave. We'd planned to take the ferry to Caye Caulker. This was before cruise passengers were acknowledging that as a possible excursion. We gave our plan to 4 others who had a great time. Anyway, now we're going back with our 3 kids, so we feel like we have to book something. I'd rather not book with the cruiseline, and everything is so expensive when multiplied by 5. Then there's the age issue. The youngest is only 6 which eliminates several possibilities, including wandering around downtown on our own. Sorry, but I don't think this port is as safe as some others based on the fairly recent increase of violence against tourists. Goodness knows I love an adventure, but this port is becoming more of an irritation than eager anticipation! I think that's why some are saying to skip the port or do a ship's tour. I don't want to skip it this time, but when I did, there was no feeling of loss. It was more like . . . relief. (Then again, my fibro was flaring from the scuba the previous day in Roatan, and dh had a migraine and sprained ankle.) Wouldn't it be great if there was a pier at which ships could dock? That would make this port so much more suited for the lazy person who wants to travel on a ship and avoid too many pressing decisions...someone like MOI!