Explorer 12/04 Belize, Costa Maya/ What's Fun ?

[hi c]

We are sailing on the Explorer on Dec. 5th. We have never been to Belize or Costa Maya. Are these good ports for snorkeling? I would appreciate any suggestions for fun excursions.Also,does the ship dock at a pier or do you have to take a tender into port? Thanks for your help! Hi-C

[Jersey Cruiser]

We were in Costa Maya in March and enjoyed the 'Dune Buggy & Jungle Beach Tour'. It was alot of fun! Let me know if you have any specific questions!

 

MS Mermoz...........1977

Emerald Seas........1978

Dolphin...........1980

Big Red Boat....1984

Nieu Amsterdam.....1985

Carnivale.........1986

Costa Riviera……………….Feb 1988

Song Of America…………..May 1990

Zenith……………………….May 1993

Voyager……………………..Feb 2002

Navigator……………………Feb 2003

Mariner.........Nov 2003

Radiance........Mar 2004

 

[MultiSync]

We were in Belize in February. The ship does not dock. We were delayed about 90 minutes getting of the ship because of high winds and choppy waters. We then took an hour long boat ride to Shark Ray Alley to do some snorkeling. It would have been a lot more fun had the water not been so choppy. We then went to the island of San Pedro for lunch and drinks. That was a lot of fun. Then another very long and bumpy boat ride back to the ship, although we did get to stop and see some dolphins on the way. We never actually got to Belieze City as the boat for the excursion comes right to the ship.

[camaj]

We went to both Costa Maya and Belize last year. Costa Maya has a pier and Belize you have to tender. In Costa Maya we went to the ruins, it was nice, but hot. Costa Maya has a beach, pool, restaurants, and shops right at the pier, so if you don't do anything, you'll still have fun. In Belize we went to the zoo, which I would not suggest to do. It was really hot and there were many bugs. The zoo was much of anything really. I heard from others on the ship that the snorkeling there was really good and also the cave tubing. I hope you have fun with what ever you decide

 

until our second cruise

 

 

Inspiration 5/03

[OCruisers]

Here's what we did and absolutely had the Best and Most FUN time:

 

MAJAHAUL "The Little Fishing Village" OnOurOwn (Review)

[musical]

The cave tubing is Belize was awesome!!! We booked it with Reggie and he was so great. We are a family of 9 ranging in age of 11-71 and we all did it!! It was reasonable and a great way to see the country. There really isn't much else to see, so if you plan on an excursion I would make sure to do this one. Bring your water camera though..there is lots of landscape to see. Have fun!!!

 

 

 

Sovereign Oct 2004

Mariner Dec 2004

Rhapsody Jan 2003

Rhapsody March 2002

Sovereign 2002

Sovereign 2001

Granduer 2000

Sovereign 1999

Enchantment 1998

[skunkface]

To respond to your questions, first, I heard the snorkeling in Belize is some of the best. I did a land tour and did not care for it. Others in my group who did Shark Ray Alley and snorkeling loved it. As for Costa Maya, we did the dune buggy tour and loved it. There's no snorkeling involved unless you bring your own, but we did drive to a private beach with mats, volleyball, ocean kayaks, and so on. Highly recommended tour!

[hi c]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by musical:

The cave tubing is Belize was awesome!!! We booked it with Reggie and he was so great. We are a family of 9 ranging in age of 11-71 and we all did it!! It was reasonable and a great way to see the country. There really isn't much else to see, so if you plan on an excursion I would make sure to do this one. Bring your water camera though..there is lots of landscape to see. Have fun!!!

 

 

 

Sovereign Oct 2004

Mariner Dec 2004

Rhapsody Jan 2003

Rhapsody March 2002

Sovereign 2002

Sovereign 2001

Granduer 2000

Sovereign 1999

Enchantment 1998<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

[hi c]

wE ARE INTERESTED IN THE CAVE TUBING.wHO IS REGGIE AND HOW DO I GET BOOKING INFORMATION? THANKS...HI-C

[raytownlady]

hic

 

We are also looking at doing the cave tubing excursion while we're in Belize. You can check out Reggie's website at

 

Until we're on the Explorer of the Seas !

 

[aussiegirl]

Snorkeling is available from boats out of Mahajual, but not off the beach. I suggest you look at "Costa Maya" on the Ports of Call board for more info.

[DKrimmel]

Belize is a tendered port. The seas are usually rough and the city is underdeveloped and impoverished. They are not ready for cruise ships and have very little to do (shopping, dining, recreation).The water is rough so many water recreation tours like snorkeling are prohibited for young children. We had a hard time in Grand Cayman with rough seas too. It seems that a few ships will cancel this port at the last minute. I think they should eliminate it all together. The tours are falsely advertised and built up to attract customers. Many people who booked tours were dissappointed in the reality of their tour value. For instance tha Babboon tour was substituted for the City Zoo Tour(At the Tour Guide's discretion). The family saw 2 baboons and rode around the city in a vintage bus for 21/2 hours.The Jungle spa tour boasts "Spider monkeys and howler monkeys roaming on the grounds for you to pet and hold"( one was caged on the grounds). The cave tubing was better before it got so popular.One group complained that they walked 20 min. into the jungle and were herded like cattle to the river and about 70 people went raft to raft in the dark to cave tube. it went from "excellent" to "all right". They city is so poor that the roads are washed out, bumpy and impassable. It makes for long travel times so a tour that says 4 1/2 hours is actually 2 hours because of the remoteness and difficult travel to get there. I would not waste your time or money to go there but you can check out

www.belizecruiseexcursions.com

[ahoughton]

You can snorkel in Costa Maya at the beach area on the right as you come to land. The area is very thick with coral and is very hard to walk in. If you are just going in the water to swim and play, wear water shoes. When you get in the water go to the left and there are a lots of fish in the deep area around the point but if you get close to the land the waves will wash you into the rocky wall. You can walk into the jungle but have some insect repellent. They have some mean insects (you are in a jungle).

 

"Baby lets cruise away from here"