Shore excursions on Roatan, Belize and Cozumel

[caednjshore]

We are sailing on the NCL Pearl Dec 14 and would like some info and experiences regarding shore excursions in Roatan and Belize. Also, has anyone been on the NCL excursion Cozumel to Tulum? Do you get to visit the nearby beach there? We've been trying to decide what to do and really need some help. We are not divers nor extreme sport people, altho hubby does kayak. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!:)

[NEW 2 CRUISIN]

Hello!

 

We loved our visit to all three of those locations last Spring and hope you do too!

 

Check out the PORTS OF CALL BOARDS (at the link below) for each location you are interested in for full-scale chatter and recommendations about shore excursions in each place.

 

Lots of good suggestions from experienced cruisers there!

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=5

 

Also, in case you missed some earlier posts, there is currently some Civil unrest in Roatan and the ships are not stopping there right now. Hopefully by December things will be back to normal...but you never know!

 

:)

[Rockyhill]

We took a cruise to the three stops in dec '07. We went to Tulan, you could walk

to the beach below the ruins, but we only had about an hour of free time there.

Memory was that we took a 45min ferry then 90min bus ride with stop along

the way for "shopping" spent 90min at the ruin and a 60min bus ride back and

a 45min ferry. Doesn't add up to their stated 7hr. If you just want to go to

the beach there, you could probably skip the tour of the ruins or arrange private

transportation to the beach, but remember you port on the island not the mainland

where Tulan is located.

 

As for Roatan, we hired a car with driver(cost 100 incl tip) for the 6hrs and got

a great tour of the island. We arranged it through Theris(teres) in Roatan on

line. Should be able to get her email address on searching "roatan tours". This

was our best port day.

 

Belize, book an excursion as the town is a bit unnerving where you port.

[Toyz711]

while i am sure the area around tulum is beautiful...i wanted to see "ruins" that were more intact, plus the tender ride (to the mainland) can get rough seas.

look into the mayan ruins in belize...still a full day's trips but still easier to get to then tulum. lamanai (and the river safari) was outstanding!!! yes, it's a full day...an hour bus ride and an hour boat ride, each way. the boat was great..we saw some wildlife, plus the jungle made for interesting viewing. while there we got quick flashes of the howler monkeys..they stay in the trees. there are other wildlife around the sites, but you don't see it...you can hear the birds.

http://www.belizeexplorer.com/cgi-local/explorer.cgi?db=explorer&uid=default&Category=Mayan+Sites&view_records=1&nh=6&mh=1

using that same website, you can find information on the other sites avaialbe for touring.

 

cozumel has great beaches. we went to nachi cocom, more information about that on the port-of-call boards for cozumel. it's about a 15 mins taxi ride from the docks.

 

for photos of lamanai, look at my webshot link (in my signature)

[*Wink*]

This same question was asked just yesterday, so the information provided is current. Here's the thread.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=870370

[SailMeAwayEveryday]

You should read this before planning for Roatan

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=860099&page=4

 

Roatan may not be on the itinerary for a while.

[newmexicoNita]

You should read this before planning for Roatan

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=860099&page=4

 

Roatan may not be on the itinerary for a while.

What a shame, I had read this on another board. Roatan is such a wonderful port.

 

Nita

[CanadianTwosome]

Hmmmmm... very interesting. This same issue came up a few weeks ago, but I know they've had visitors since, so who knows how long these things last? (makes me happy to live where I do) I'm looking forward to Roatan, since it's one place I haven't been before, but if we're rerouted or have another sea day it won't bother me. I probably have nothing to worry about sailing in January, though... or at least my sailing will probably not be affected by this particular issue... who's to say there won't be another one in January?

 

As far as bookings go, we've booked with Victor Bodden, and he does not require a deposit. If the ship doesn't dock, we won't have to worry about trying to get anything refunded. I do feel bad for Victor and the other independent tour operators there, though, since they're losing business every day ships don't dock.