What to do in Belize?

[Sunnymom02]

I have never been to this port before, and we will be there the end of February 2008 on the Carnival Legend. I have been trying to do some research, and I see a lot about the Cave tubing and Zip line. I am not interested in doing these, so what else is there to do there?

 

I was looking at the Carnivals private island beach break? Is this worth doing? What beach is it. It just says on the coast of Azure? Or is there a different beach that is better? Thinking about just doing a beach day here as we are not interested in the ruins or snorkeling either. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated :p

[Aandark]

We visited Belize last spring, and we did a snorkel excursion. I understand that snorkeling is not your thing, but part of the excursion was a "Beach Break" trip. So in short...Yes a beach break is an option, but I'm not sure how to rate a beach. Sand and sea and sun is wonderful no matter where you are and in my opinion...All of the beaches on a Western Carib. cruise look the same...:D

[nyc1234]

I have never been to this port before, and we will be there the end of February 2008 on the Carnival Legend. I have been trying to do some research, and I see a lot about the Cave tubing and Zip line. I am not interested in doing these, so what else is there to do there?

 

I was looking at the Carnivals private island beach break? Is this worth doing? What beach is it. It just says on the coast of Azure? Or is there a different beach that is better? Thinking about just doing a beach day here as we are not interested in the ruins or snorkeling either. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated :p

 

Would you be interested in horse riding or captaining your own boat? If so, visit Coral Breeze Tour's website for info. They have a few other tours as well:

 

http://www.coralbreezetours.com/

[cjm61]

My younger sister and I were there on Enchantment of the Seas. We had never been there before. I'm glad we went, but this not a place on my list to revisit. If they offer you an excursion to see the ruins, skip it. The bus ride alone from the pier to the ruins is between 1-1/2 to 2 hrs. it turns out to be a 6 hr tour. The country is very underdeveloped and I found no appeal to it at all.

[grumpycajun]

I've got to agree somewhat with cjm61 on this one. We took the river cruise / Mayan ruins tour that NCL offers and it made for a long day. Don't get me wrong. The ruins were fascinating and I'm glad I got to see them. But, the bus ride to the river boats and back was looooonnng... and frankly, the parts of Belize we saw were less than impressive. I don't think I'd take that particular excursion again.

[nyc1234]

Based on what I have read on CC about Belize, there's not much to see/do if you don't book a tour ahead of time. Cavetubing is very popular, but if you don't like that, try looking at coral breeze or shoretrips, they do have a few other options.

[nsj]

Everyone is different. Some may not care for it and some will probably love it. We are going on our first cruise and it stops in Belize. I wish we had 2 or 3 days there. Given one day I think my first choice will be the cayes and the beaches. If I had more time I'd like to see some of the ruins and rain forest also. We spent two weeks in Costa Rica and love this part of the world.

[LHP]

Belize has some beautiful areas, but it is not "Cozumel" yet. They have a lot of work to do to become "tourist friendly".

 

However, Gilbert Young is an independent tour operator who has a kiosk "inside the fence". We got to chat for quite awhile last year and plan to use him on our next trip there.

 

He can arrange a lot of different things like a trip to the zoo or a tour of the city. We love to see how other people live and we are not into ruins...so ours will be a tour of the city and the zoo.

 

Everyone calls him Gilly and his kiosk is set up in front of a restaurant called the Wet Lizard.

 

I always recommend that if "where you want to go" is a far piece from the port, use a ship tour. And if you are going "outside the fence" use either an independent tour or a ship's tour.

 

The good news is that English is the spoken language...so no language barrier!

[isabellmybell]

Did Belize about a year ago. We were supposted to do the cave tubing but the caves were to full of water, so we let the guide talk us into the ruins. Not the high light of our cruise! And whatever you do, do not go outside the gates with the guards on them. I know this is a poor place, but the natives will drive you nuts trying to get your money! Beggers are way out of hand at this port!:eek:

[DonMar]

"Everyone is different. Some may not care for it and some will probably love it. We are going on our first cruise and it stops in Belize. I wish we had 2 or 3 days there."

 

I agree. Each person likes different things. I will say that Belize was the best port we have visited.

 

We took an independent tour to Lamanai - Mayan Ruin on the New River. What an outstanding experience. At some time I would like to go back and spend a number of days in the jungle exploring this Mayan site.

 

This is a long day. Some people like shorter excursions. Not all cruise lines offer this excursion because it is so far away (an hour drive to Orange Walk then a really fast and fun 24 mile boat ride down the New River). If you do an independent tour, there is a risk that you would not get back to the ship on time. We took the chance and were prepared, but we made it with plenty of time to do some shopping outside the gated area of the port.

 

Enjoy Belize.

[hpjmom]

I'm not sure when you are going, but if you haven't gone yet, here's my opinion.

 

I have to disagree with the earlier posters & agree wholeheartedly with DonMar. My DH & I did the Lamanai/New River Cruise in Sept. & LOVED it. It really was an awesome day. I actually enjoyed seeing the country. Yes, it's poor, but to me long bus rides give you a great opportunity to see the country. We saw lots of school children & the guide gave a lot of good information. We loved this excursion!

[phopte]

Everybody is different but our group loved Belize. We went on a jungle horseback ride with Trevor and Cathy at Smugglers Run and it was possibly the best thing we did on the whole cruise!

 

The pricing was reasonable and the value was sky high! Cathy picked us up at the pier and drove us out to the plantation. She stopped and picked up some fresh fruit including bananas and I've got to tell you, there is a huge difference in taste vs what you get here in the states. We got to the plantation after a 20-30 minute ride and got ready for the horseback ride. Trevor made sure everyone had a horse suited to their abilities. I had not been on a horse in 35-40 years and had a bad experience then but I really loved this ride. When we got done with the ride, we went back to the palupa for a late lunch. It was home cooked and oh my gosh it was good. There are over 200 acres of lime trees and we had fresh limeaid, roasted chicken, fried plantains (sp?), beans, rice, bread, fruit and then to top it off, fresh lime pie. It was to die for! :D My wife has a ruptured disc in her back and couldn't ride so she stayed at the palupa, laid in a hammock and read while we were gone. They have some interesting livestock on the ranch that you will get to see. By the way, the palupa was extremely clean and had nice restrooms. It was in the high 80's to low 90's that day but it was very comfortable with a breeze under the palupa.

 

We did the horseback ride but I have heard from others that they can also do river tours and ruins tours. We thought about the ruins but decided to just od the horses. Contact Trevor at trevor@smugglersrunplantation.com for more information. You can also search for Smugglers Run in this thread.

 

One thing to consider. Belize is not a developed country. It is more known for the natural beauty as an eco destination than for the city life and shopping. Set your expectations accordingly and you will have a great time.

[gazingm42]

We love belize. We cant wait to return again!

 

It the 2nd largest reef in the world. With some of the best snorkeling you will

see. If you want pics let me know...

 

If underwater is not your thing then the beach is a great options. There

several beach breaks you can do as well.

[TSECC]

I went to this port last Christimas Eve and will be there again this Nov. 15th. Cave Tubing was the best. We did not go thru the cruise line and paid half of what they were charging. We found a great tour company (Major Tom and the Fun Team at belizecavetubing(dot)net). Major Tom and guide Carlos were great. On the way to the caves, Carlos gave us a history and echo tour. We had only 8 people in our group which was perfect and more personal. We have decided to use them again in November. Cave tubing with this company was the best experience we had out of all of the other ports we stopped at.

[elgato2]

Can anyone tell me about the 'Captain Your own RBI' tour through Coralbreeze in Belize? DH decided we should do this (and he is one to NEVER book excursions in advance) so I was surprised. It sounds like fun.

We were in Belize last year..spent a wonderful (and exciting) day diving and snorkelling but that involved plane rides to another island so we didn't see much of Belize itself except from the air!

Anyway..I'd love to hear from someone who has done this and what you thought of it. Thanks

[gehrandt]

Which ruins did you go to that took so long? We are booked with Belize Exclusive to go to Altun Ha (12 of us) - tour is only suppose to be 3 1/2 hour (about 1 1/2 hr at the ruins)? Tks.

[shunga]

All of the beaches on a Western Carib. cruise look the same...:D

 

Ever been to Progresso?

[NEW 2 CRUISIN]

Which ruins did you go to that took so long? We are booked with Belize Exclusive to go to Altun Ha (12 of us) - tour is only suppose to be 3 1/2 hour (about 1 1/2 hr at the ruins)? Tks.

 

I'm guessing they went on the Lamanai Tour, as it's listed as being 7 hours or so.

 

I have to agree with some of the stuff I have been reading here. Seems like if you do not want to do Cave Tubing or Zip lining, there is little reason to leave the ship, which is disappointing to us, as we love to visit other countries!

 

The horseback riding sounds fun, but not for Mom and Dad.

 

I was leaning toward the Lamanai/River trip, but maybe settling for just a quick bus tour of the area through NCL.

 

:confused:

[DonMar]

I'm guessing they went on the Lamanai Tour, as it's listed as being 7 hours or so.

 

I have to agree with some of the stuff I have been reading here. Seems like if you do not want to do Cave Tubing or Zip lining, there is little reason to leave the ship, which is disappointing to us, as we love to visit other countries!

 

The horseback riding sounds fun, but not for Mom and Dad.

 

I was leaning toward the Lamanai/River trip, but maybe settling for just a quick bus tour of the area through NCL.

 

:confused:

 

Yes, I would say that Lamanai would be about 7 hours. It was some of the best time I have spent in another country.

 

If you are not interested in Zip Lining or Cave Tubing, there were many "beach break" type of excursions offered through the ship when we went. Belize has some wonderful beaches, snorkeling and scuba diving. There are also other ruins that are closer to Belize City that you might find interesting.

[Cruzaholic2000]

We have done the snorkeling at Caye Caulker it was amazing! and recently did the cave tubing but I understand this is not what you want to do, I have read a lot about the Howler Monkey Sanctuary and Altun Ha' they both sound like something we would like to do when we go back to Belize, I love this port the people are friendly which makes a big difference.

[Queen_Of_Natick]

I'm a history buff and was always interested in Egypt. Because of the connection between mayan and egyptian culture the tour to Lamani was a perfect starting place for me.

 

Don't know how many here are even aware that tobacco and cocaine were found in egyption mummies, proving the connection between the two cultures. (there ain't no coca or tobacco plants in egypt y'all)

 

To me, nature is impressive, therefore, the bus ride and the river ride was great (especially after I got enough anti throw up drugs in my system) I guess I'm easily entertained though;)

 

You won't be seeing million dollar homes or anything, but to me its far from boring.

 

If you're into instant gratification, then no, I wouldn't recommend a trip like that at all. One of the shorter excursions may be something you would like better. Some people don't like long rides, so its something to take into consideration. I don't snorkel, and since my shoulder wouldn't allow for swimming or even horseback riding our tour was perfect.

 

IMO, since its your first cruise and if you choose something like this, book through the cruise ship. yes its more expensive, but, if you're late getting back at least you won't get left behind.

 

 

-Q

[LHP]

I'm a history buff and was always interested in Egypt. Because of the connection between mayan and egyptian culture the tour to Lamani was a perfect starting place for me.

 

Don't know how many here are even aware that tobacco and cocaine were found in egyption mummies, proving the connection between the two cultures. (there ain't no coca or tobacco plants in egypt y'all)

 

To me, nature is impressive, therefore, the bus ride and the river ride was great (especially after I got enough anti throw up drugs in my system) I guess I'm easily entertained though;)

 

You won't be seeing million dollar homes or anything, but to me its far from boring.

 

If you're into instant gratification, then no, I wouldn't recommend a trip like that at all. One of the shorter excursions may be something you would like better. Some people don't like long rides, so its something to take into consideration. I don't snorkel, and since my shoulder wouldn't allow for swimming or even horseback riding our tour was perfect.

 

IMO, since its your first cruise and if you choose something like this, book through the cruise ship. yes its more expensive, but, if you're late getting back at least you won't get left behind.

-Q

 

 

Good advice for a first time cruiser!!! (especially at this port)

 

Cozumel and other ports they can "save the bucks" and do on their own...

[skitraveller]

Greetings from 'Down Under'

 

We have recently booked B2B cruises on Carnival Valor, sailing Oct 2008.

We are very new to the Caribbean & as such I'm starting to research each port well in advance. What's THE best tour to do? Is it best to arrange through ship or just 'wing it' on the day??

Cheers

[phopte]

The horseback riding sounds fun, but not for Mom and Dad.

 

I would suggest you contact Trevor and tell him what you are looking for. They have horse drawn wagon rides available at Smugglers Run as well. Additionally, I know they have other options that they can customize for you. After all, you don't know if you don't ask! :D

[mom of 4 boys]

Check out www.oldbelize.com. I have been to Belize 4 times and I really liked this place. I did not get to swim while there but it looked fun!!! The food was good at the restaurant and the musuem was fun also!!