Independent Lamanai ruins tour and getting back ot the boat.

[HRHMadonna]

Well, it will be interesting to see how BCE responds....and IF they respond at all. When I complained in August, my concerns were totally dismissed....In fact, I was told something to the effect that I should "trust" them even more because they did, in fact, do exactly as they had promised & they did get me back to the tender in time.

 

Well, I'd say whether you book the BCE Lamanai excursion depends on how much you are willing to stretch your comfort zone on vacation....The 5 people with me had a blast, but I had too much information to enjoy the day....I knew from our research on the CC board that if we missed the cruise ship, we simply didn't have many options for catching up...The others joked that Roatan was "only a half inch away from Belize" on the map...Ha! They didn't know there was only 1 flight ...and that it went only 2-3 days a week. They didn't know that a bus ride woud take many hours & was not a viable option...And thay had no clue how difficult & dangerous the roads could be even if we could get a car for 6 and then take the ferry. If we'd missed the ship that day, the only practical option was a flight back to MIA and then to FLL to wait for the cruise ship so we could collect our personal belongings.

 

It is a shame because the excursion itself is very interesting & great fun... and I know how badly they need the tourist business. However, there is clearly a pattern here of close calls and I think BCE needs to make some changes or they are in danger of losing more bookings from cruise passengers. And, I repeat...IF BCE would make some minor scheduling changes, it would give people a better time cushion on the end of the day for the return trip. And, they absolutely should not wait one hour for late arriving passengers as they did the day we went to Lamanai.

 

If you are considering booking with BCE, I'd suggest you ask for an earlier departure time BEFORE you pay your deposit. We made the mistake of booking first and then requesting a change in the departure time and they declined....3 times.

[gumbolady]

Now I am really starting to worry about booking with this company. We will be in Belize 12/4 and have booked the cave-tubing excursion with this company but after hearing about the flooding and the cancellation of the cave-tubing I am beggining to wonder if I should just go ahead and cancel and find something else to do. I also am not thrilled about the reports of the excursion getting back to the dock with minutes to spare and I certainly don't want to be the party that misses the boat. I really wanted this vacation to be stress free but so far there just seems to be glitches in everything I have planned.

 

We did the cave tubing with BCE off of Grand Princess in Jan. 06. We had absolutely no problems with timing, or anything else on the trip. We had time for lunch after our tubing, which was not included in our excursion. (Don't know if it is now.) Even if lunch isn't included, get it anyway! The chicken was great, more on the plate than I could eat, all for $5! Our guide was fabulous & I wouldn't trade the experience for anything in the world!

[BalconyBumz]

I always book excursions on my own, except when they are longer ones like this. I then pay the extra for the peace of mind through the cruise line and then I know I the ship won't leave without me and I can have a major excursion in port that won't stress me out. That's the only time I pay for cruise line excursions.

[DonMar]

We booked with BCE on Feb 07 for the Lamanai trip. We had no problems with timing. We even had time to do a little shopping inside and outside the port. I would book with them again. We had a great time and I had no worries about getting back to the ship. Although, we knew what the risks were and we were ready to take them.

[vfb2girls]

It is good to hear the positive reviews as well, it is a shame that this company does not respond to the few complaints about the timing issue, it seems that everyone agrees that the excusrions itself was great and well worth it but the timing issues is what caused the problems. I am still going to cancel my cave-tubing excursion but keep the other two excursions booked through Island Marketing at the different ports. We are still undecided on what to do in Belize.

[HRHMadonna]

Hi vfb2girls.....Just something to think about: Belize City is one cruise ship destination where I think it is really important to have a shore excursion planned in advance...There just isn't that much to do in the port area where the tenders dock. I would suggest looking into some shore excursions that are half-day trips instead of pushing your return time right up to time for the last tender. That way you will be able to see some of this beautiful country and avoid stressing out over missing the boat at the end of the day.

Good Luck!

Madonna

PS You might check out excursions to Altun Ha....I believe it is much closer than Lamanai.

[StarryBugg]

Anyone know why my review of BCE's Lamanai was pulled????? :confused::confused::confused::confused:

[EBallgrl]

Anyone know why my review of BCE's Lamanai was pulled????? :confused::confused::confused::confused:

 

Was yours the one that you started your own thread about your review a few days ago? If so its because you can not post a review without someone asking for it. According to the rules of the board, you can not start a thread with a review in the title. But if you have it saved somewhere you can post it in this thread for all to read forever and ever! :D

[StarryBugg]

Oh.... Thanks! :D

[Slyfox16]

We have always booked our own tours, when we cruise. I have never seen a company with such poor customer relations. There is no way to directly phone BCE. When we emailed them, we always got a pre-programed response, which did not answer our specific questions.

We just returned from Belize. We were on the first tender from our ship. If you book a trip with 10 or more people you are supposed to get 1 free for the group organizer. We had 10 people, meaning we were only supposed to pay for 9, but one person got sick. Yet we had to pay for 10. Nobody knew anything and no one had the authority to wave the fee. Since you have to pay before you board the bus, you have no recourse.

That being said, we had our own small mini-bus and our own boat. It took about an hour to reach the boat. We flew up the river and arrived 28 minutes later. Since the river was very high, there was no embankment for the animals to lie on, though the guide tried to point out what he could. We had lunch, which was quite good, before we started the informative tour. This lasted about 1 1/4 hours. While you could see what it would be like to climb the temple steps, the guide never said how it was much worse then it looked and coming down would be a b__ch. Also when you reach the top, there is another section to climb with another 20 steps. The next day all of our thighs were sore for two days, though we did get some great pictures.

As we were leaving, the ship's tour arrived. Going back, we again had a great and fast boat ride, arriving 35 minutes later. The bus ride took about 1 1/2 hours as there was an accident and construction which delayed things. However, we arrived with enough time to do some shopping at the port. The ship had to hold the last tender for its own tour.

If BCE improved its customer service, I think they would be a good firm to work with again.

[Froufie]

Was yours the one that you started your own thread about your review a few days ago? If so its because you can not post a review without someone asking for it. According to the rules of the board, you can not start a thread with a review in the title. But if you have it saved somewhere you can post it in this thread for all to read forever and ever! :D

 

That is so weird? I see reviews all the time on the Carnival thread - posted just like that - with review in the title - with no one having specifically asked for it (but of course everyone is happy to have it there and to be able to read it!)

[vfb2girls]

Slyfox, I am using this company for our cave-tubing excursion and was kind of upset by some of the negative reviews so I contacted the company by e-mail. I have to say that I had a repy back from them in less then a day and their reassurance of getting us back to the port on time helped me make the decision to stay with this company. In fact I have other excursions booked through Island Marketing for Cozumel and Grand Cayman and every question I have had for them has been answered very quickly. I am so sorry you had such a bad experience with them, the last thing anyone needs is to be stress out on vacation. I hope that you will be able to get in contact with them, and your concerns are heard.

[StarryBugg]

That is so weird? I see reviews all the time on the Carnival thread - posted just like that - with review in the title - with no one having specifically asked for it (but of course everyone is happy to have it there and to be able to read it!)

 

I agree that it's sort of a weird rule to have in the Port of Call threads... isn't that what most people are in these threads looking for? Reviews and things to do in port?????

 

Oh well :D

[HRHMadonna]

I understand that the reason we are not allowed to start new threads with reviews is because some vendors and excursion operators were coming onto CC and posting their own reviews...In effect they were using the CC threads for free advertising. The way it is now, we can respond to specific questions about a vendor and even post reviews when asked, but no one can get on here and post a bunch of unsolicited, fake reviews praising their own businesses.

 

I'm sure a Moderator could explain this better than I...But I believe at one time this was a real problem and it was especially true of some vendors based in Belize...Too many abused the system hence the ban. :eek:

 

The reviews that were deleted recently would probably be allowed to remain in this particular thread because a lot of members are asking a lot of questions about Lamanai and the reviews addressed many of those questions.

 

Reviews of cruise ships are not so restricted...I believe the restrictions apply to private vendors only.

[Scanman717]

I agree that it's sort of a weird rule to have in the Port of Call threads... isn't that what most people are in these threads looking for? Reviews and things to do in port?????

 

Oh well :D

 

 

If you happen to still have a copy, can you repost.. I cannot write as eloquently as you did for that trip... It was a hoot!!

[Froufie]

I understand that the reason we are not allowed to start new threads with reviews is because some vendors and excursion operators were coming onto CC and posting their own reviews...In effect they were using the CC threads for free advertising. The way it is now, we can respond to specific questions about a vendor and even post reviews when asked, but no one can get on here and post a bunch of unsolicited, fake reviews praising their own businesses.

 

I'm sure a Moderator could explain this better than I...But I believe at one time this was a real problem and it was especially true of some vendors based in Belize...Too many abused the system hence the ban. :eek:

 

The reviews that were deleted recently would probably be allowed to remain in this particular thread because a lot of members are asking a lot of questions about Lamanai and the reviews addressed many of those questions.

 

Reviews of cruise ships are not so restricted...I believe the restrictions apply to private vendors only.

 

Well that makes more sense! Thanks madonna

[HRHMadonna]

I was puzzled by the missing posts at first too....Then I realized that the missing posts were never a part of this specific thread....Someone pointed out that a separate thread had been started and I think it was even titled "Review of Lamanai"....I'll betcha that is why the posts disappeared.

 

The following information is posted with a permanent "stickie" at the top of the Belize Forum....I think this explains what happened to the missing posts:

 

**DO NOT POST HERE** until you've read the Rules for Posting in the BELIZE forum

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Recommendations for Tour Operators/Guides may be posted as REPLIES only. Reviews not posted as a reply will be removed

 

One (or two or three) post wonders will be REMOVED from the boards.

 

Any tour operator pretending to be a member and recommending themselves WILL find their company name censored from Cruise Critic.

[StarryBugg]

I wish I had saved it, but alas, it was a late night rambling!! :)

[PACURN]

We have always booked our own tours, when we cruise. I have never seen a company with such poor customer relations. There is no way to directly phone BCE. When we emailed them, we always got a pre-programed response, which did not answer our specific questions.

We just returned from Belize. We were on the first tender from our ship. If you book a trip with 10 or more people you are supposed to get 1 free for the group organizer. We had 10 people, meaning we were only supposed to pay for 9, but one person got sick. Yet we had to pay for 10. Nobody knew anything and no one had the authority to wave the fee. Since you have to pay before you board the bus, you have no recourse.

That being said, we had our own small mini-bus and our own boat. It took about an hour to reach the boat. We flew up the river and arrived 28 minutes later. Since the river was very high, there was no embankment for the animals to lie on, though the guide tried to point out what he could. We had lunch, which was quite good, before we started the informative tour. This lasted about 1 1/4 hours. While you could see what it would be like to climb the temple steps, the guide never said how it was much worse then it looked and coming down would be a b__ch. Also when you reach the top, there is another section to climb with another 20 steps. The next day all of our thighs were sore for two days, though we did get some great pictures.

As we were leaving, the ship's tour arrived. Going back, we again had a great and fast boat ride, arriving 35 minutes later. The bus ride took about 1 1/2 hours as there was an accident and construction which delayed things. However, we arrived with enough time to do some shopping at the port. The ship had to hold the last tender for its own tour.

If BCE improved its customer service, I think they would be a good firm to work with again.

I also am trying to book tours for a group of 11 in all of our ports when we sail on the Carnival Legend. I was unable to find any direct email for anyone, just the booking area. I want a private tour for the 11 of us, in a big van. It would be good to be able to contact someone in person. I may try to contact that Mark guy that was mentioned on a previous post.

I really want to go to Lamanai, and Carnival doesn't offer it as many of you know. So far I haven't figured out why. With all these scary close calls I certainly would book it through the ship.

I did use this company for cave tubing a few years back. Tour guide was Richard and he was great. We got back in plenty of time. It was alot of fun. We did have to wait for others to arrive from another ship. We got off the ship on the first tender. After the others got on off we loaded up and left. There were 2 vans going. A few minuits into the Richard got a call from someone, seems like there were another couple waiting. He turned around and went back for them. Even with all this we didn't have any problems with time.

I'm not so sure about the Lamanai tour though. I appreciate all the posts with info. I've been very busy reading. One minuite I think " I'll do it" and the next I think "not". Oh well I have over a year to decide. We don't sail untill June 2010. Maybe Carnival will get off it's butt and start arrainging tours again.

Thanks everyone

[kruisecat]

Anybody do this tour through BCE recently? I've booked this for my friend and I to do in June but apparently didn't do enough CC research and am now getting nervous about returning to the ship on time. I did notice that most of the reviews were from the fall (rainy season) so I'm wondering if the experience is any different at this time of the year. Any advice will be appreciated. Honestly I'm ok with losing the 20% if it means not being a nervous wreck the entire day :)

[PACURN]

Anybody do this tour through BCE recently? I've booked this for my friend and I to do in June but apparently didn't do enough CC research and am now getting nervous about returning to the ship on time. I did notice that most of the reviews were from the fall (rainy season) so I'm wondering if the experience is any different at this time of the year. Any advice will be appreciated. Honestly I'm ok with losing the 20% if it means not being a nervous wreck the entire day :)

I am also going in June, but 2010 not this year, and I'll be interested in hearing your review. I really want to do this tour but I'm nervous about it all. It sure would ruin the day worring.

If you do cancel the tour you can apply your deposit to other tours. Island Marketing is the parent company. They do tours all over, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, ect...

The down fall with using this company is that there is no direct phone number to contact them. They use independent people in each area. They are like a "clearing house" so to speak. The deposit goes to them (in Grand Cayman - I believe) and then we pay cash to the tour guide.

Anyway let us know what you decide to do. I'll be watching this thread for the next year in order to make a educated decision on what I should do. So far nobody has missed the ship but it's been pretty dang close.

[kruisecat]

I am also going in June, but 2010 not this year, and I'll be interested in hearing your review. I really want to do this tour but I'm nervous about it all. It sure would ruin the day worring.

If you do cancel the tour you can apply your deposit to other tours. Island Marketing is the parent company. They do tours all over, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, ect...

The down fall with using this company is that there is no direct phone number to contact them. They use independent people in each area. They are like a "clearing house" so to speak. The deposit goes to them (in Grand Cayman - I believe) and then we pay cash to the tour guide.

Anyway let us know what you decide to do. I'll be watching this thread for the next year in order to make a educated decision on what I should do. So far nobody has missed the ship but it's been pretty dang close.

 

 

I have to be honest and say that the more I think about it the more likely I am to cancel. We have a sea day after this port and then we'll be in Key West and I'm really concerned about missing the boat. I recieved my confirm yesterday and it had the wrong date on it and that really doesn't make me very comfortable. And really losing $30 is not a whole lot in the grand scheme of things. I'll keep you posted and let you know what we decide.

[Froufie]

My best advice to all those planning to take this excursion is to watch the time yourselves - this is esp easy to do if you are a 'large group' (e.g. the 11 in the van) and can manage yourselves. If you are responsible enuf to do this you can make sure you get back on time....even if you miss seeing the gift shop or ???

 

In my experience it was the fault of the tour guide that we almost missed the ship - yes it was rainy season which may have slowed us down. But honestly if it took 1.5 hours to get there - then logically it would take 1.5 hours to get back - and maybe one should allow an extra 15-20 mins for any 'slowdowns' or emergencies??? Waiting beyond that time frame is just plain crazy - so wherever you are on the site - when it's time to go - you TELL the tour guide you are ready to leave - better to get to the port early and hang out and do some shopping than be panicking and wondering about missing the last tender (and yes we took our passports off the ship with us just in case - something I don't normally do!)

 

Good luck!

[Illsticktocrusing]

I wanted to give my review of this excursion and tour company. First, there were very aware of the time. They made sure that were were the first bus out. The guide explained to us that he will keep and eye on the time and when he said that we need to hurry or move to the next site, we had to move. Two couples did miss the bus but did catch up to us at the boat.

 

The boat was nice and relaxing, the guides pointed out wildlife and the locals and how they live. Is does take awhile to make it to the ruins. First we had lunch that was not that bad (chicken, rice, plantains, salad and a drink). We saw 4 sites and was able to climb the tallest one. I am a little out of shape but was still able to climb the ruin. My legs were not burning that day but sure hurt the next. We were at the ruins ~1hr. There is still a lot that needs to be excavated but still was a nice excursion to do especially if you have gone to the other site in Belize. The boat ride back was a lot quicker and the breeze felt good after being in the heat. We did hit a little traffic on the roads once we hit Belize city. The guide called the office and a representative did go to the dock to ensure that they would not leave without us. We did get back in time, some even had time to shop. I just stayed in line and waited for the very slow tender back to the ship.

[PACURN]

This is good news. I want to do this tour but it's scares the heck out of me due to the distance. I like hearing good stories. Thanks for posting.