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Cozumel, Belize, and Rotan... excursion ideas please?


ajacdv
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My wife and I (37) are first time cruisers and we are searching the excursions listed on Carnival site and wondering "what to do". We want to switch it up at each port, dont want to be just beach bums! Can you all throw out some good SAFE, fun, and alcohol friendly :) suggestions? Also, is it better to book thru Carnival or the actual excursion site?

Sincerely,

CRUISE VIRGINS

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We cruise Carribbean every year, one of my all time favorite excursions is Dolphin encounter at Anthony key in Rotan, we have done this a few times and will do it again next year, just a great encounter with lots of time with the Dolphins, much nicer than any other we have tried. We just like bar hoping in Cozumel many real nice restaurants and bars, short taxi ride from ship

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Paradise Beach is fun if you want a lively beach. (have done it 3x)

 

But if you want a quiet beach, prebook Nachi Cochum (google it). They only allow 100 visitors a day. For $40-50pp you get chairs, palapa, all you can drink & a 4 course lunch. SO fabulous. They have a pool, too. We will be doing this again for this trip.

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Paradise Beach is fun if you want a lively beach. (have done it 3x)

 

But if you want a quiet beach, prebook Nachi Cochum (google it). They only allow 100 visitors a day. For $40-50pp you get chairs, palapa, all you can drink & a 4 course lunch. SO fabulous. They have a pool, too. We will be doing this again for this trip.

 

 

Looks like their website is down currently :(

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You know, if you read a guidebook, you'll find tons of things that don't require ANY excursions at all! Doing things on your own is easy, cheap, and fun! But..you have to research your ports....if you don't, you're at the mercy of guides.....read a guidebook. Libraries have them!

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In Belize, I recommend an excursion to the Mayan ruins of Lamanai. Check which excursion your ship offers. The tender ride is very long in Belize and Lamanai is far but worth it. It's a bus ride and a boat ride on a river.

 

A troupe of howler monkeys 'protects' the ruins, quite eerie to be greeted by the howling from high up in the trees. The Amish who live in a village near the river greeted us with friendly waves.

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Cozumel - a beach club. google Paradise beach, Mr Sanchos, Nachi Cochum. Cheap beach day, grab a taxi and go.

 

Belize- River Tubing for sure - cavetubing.bz, we also took the water taxi to Caye Caulker loved that as well.

 

Roatan - book a private driver(victor boddon) to take you all around the island for the day - do zip line then spend the afternoon at West Bay beach.

Or little french Key resort - google it.

 

Hope this gives you a starting point.

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In Belize, I recommend an excursion to the Mayan ruins of Lamanai. Check which excursion your ship offers. The tender ride is very long in Belize and Lamanai is far but worth it. It's a bus ride and a boat ride on a river.

 

A troupe of howler monkeys 'protects' the ruins, quite eerie to be greeted by the howling from high up in the trees. The Amish who live in a village near the river greeted us with friendly waves.

 

I agree! We booked this excursion through the cruise line and still talk about how much we enjoyed it. Check out the slide show my wife made with pictures she took for her website. It will give you a good idea of what to expect and may help you decide.

 

Belize shore excursion to Lamanai Mayan Ruins

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Welcome to Cruise Critic! :)

 

You would probably enjoying going to the Ports of Call section here on Cruise Critic and checking under each of your port stops.

 

Have fun planning! :D

 

I have checked it out and seen some good suggestions. Now to narrow it down. Looks like we will need to start booking our next cruise to get it all in :)

Thanks for the heads up

 

countdown.pl?image=Beach-2&name=April and Caprice&date=12-13-2015&text="1st time cruising...SOOOOO EXCITED"&ship=Carnival Magic

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We cruise Carribbean every year, one of my all time favorite excursions is Dolphin encounter at Anthony key in Rotan, we have done this a few times and will do it again next year, just a great encounter with lots of time with the Dolphins, much nicer than any other we have tried. We just like bar hoping in Cozumel many real nice restaurants and bars, short taxi ride from ship

 

Not sure about the swimming with the Dolphins Im a little skidish'...but the couple we are traveling with are all for it. So I may just be the photographer that day and make friends with a bartender...LOL

 

Thanks

 

countdown.pl?image=Beach-2&name=April and Caprice&date=12-13-2015&text="1st time cruising...SOOOOO EXCITED"&ship=Carnival Magic

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But I guess we will just have to book some more trips so we can do them all. :p

 

Yes! You will be planning your next cruise before the first one has ended! Cruising is a great way to travel! Here's wishing you an awesome cruise!

Edited by JimAOk1945
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My wife and I (37) are first time cruisers and we are searching the excursions listed on Carnival site and wondering "what to do". We want to switch it up at each port, dont want to be just beach bums! Can you all throw out some good SAFE, fun, and alcohol friendly :) suggestions? Also, is it better to book thru Carnival or the actual excursion site?

Sincerely,

CRUISE VIRGINS

 

Since you have such specific questions, I would recommend that you ask your question in the Ports of Call forum, the Carnival forum and join the roll call for your cruise.

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Not sure about the swimming with the Dolphins Im a little skidish'...but the couple we are traveling with are all for it. So I may just be the photographer that day and make friends with a bartender...LOL

 

Thanks

 

countdown.pl?image=Beach-2&name=April and Caprice&date=12-13-2015&text="1st time cruising...SOOOOO EXCITED"&ship=Carnival Magic

 

I can not swim on this one you walk into waist deep water and dolphins come to you, it is so much fun

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Went on this cruise itinerary with Carnival a few years ago and loved it. Cozumel is my favorite port I've been to. We did a yacht/beach break there one time, and another time we went to Chankanaab Park. There's a lot of fun things to do there, and it made a nice day. The beach break was great too.

 

In Belize, we rode horses through an excursion that Carnival offered. It's at Bacab Eco-Park. I think we did some swimming too. Awesome experience!

 

In Roatan, we went to Gumbalimba Park, also offered through Carnival, and played with monkeys and held birds and explored a jungle area.

 

I've done cruise-sponsored excursions and outside vendors, and there are benefits and downsides to both. I like the safety and security of booking through a ship. If the weather is bad and you miss a port, you get your money back. If your excursion runs late, they'll wait for you and not leave you at the port. You know (for the most part) that it's reputable and safe.

On the other hand, booking with an outside vendor can save you some money if you find a good deal. You can also find a lot more to do that isn't offered through the cruise line. Hidden gems can be found by exploring the Ports of Call boards here.

 

Honestly, like I said, there are upsides and downsides to booking either way, and it's up to you. If you can find a lot of positive reviews on outside vendors, it's probably worth trying!

 

Enjoy!!

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My wife and I (37) are first time cruisers and we are searching the excursions listed on Carnival site and wondering "what to do". We want to switch it up at each port, dont want to be just beach bums! Can you all throw out some good SAFE, fun, and alcohol friendly :) suggestions? Also, is it better to book thru Carnival or the actual excursion site?

Sincerely,

CRUISE VIRGINS

 

If you are on a cruise to Rotan Honduras and only have one day, do not hesitate to devote it to Little French Island. My cruise line did not offer this tour. We found it on Trip Advisor and booked it through Shore Fox. We had no issues being picked up on time, and receiving such friendly and professional service to the island. We were provided a taxi with a driver that spent the 30 minute drive giving a nice tour of the island on the way. You are dropped at a dock where a bright colored pontoon and driver take you 3 minutes across to the island. He blows a conch shell to mark the arrival to Little French Island. (So Cool). We went there to snorkel. It is so much more. There is a tiny private zoo, lobster, shrimp and chicken dinner, several different reefs to snorkel from. New and professional equipment to snorkel, kayaks, boogie boards. This place has a hundred things for kids!! No charge for all the extras. Bar service was very polite and nice. The zoo keeper became the highlight of our entire week. Never in a million years did I expect him to let my children have encounters with a variety of exotic pets on this little island. He was kind, friendly and wanted to teach children about wild animals and the safe ways to handle them. He even took the photos for us!! Thanks Ronnie!! I know this employee was just trying to make a fun time for my two children- but he ended up being the highlight of our family’s entire 7 day cruise.

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We've done these ports many times. We always book our excursion independently. We have always felt safe with our guides/drivers.

 

Cozumel: Punta Sur is just fabulous. Not a party atmosphere. They do have a small restaurant that prepares the food fresh - so yummy. And of course - lots of drinks at good prices. There is a nice reef off shore. It is a very long wide beach with few people. Nice hammocks - relax and listen to the ocean. On the way to the beach, there is a lighthouse that offers nice views if you climb to the top. We always go with Crescencio Lopez. creslopes41955@hotmail.com He is a really nice older man(licensed taxi driver) with a van. It is a little more expensive and takes a little more time to get to - but, Punta Sur is worth it!

 

Belize: The cavetubing is lots of fun. I highly recommend Vitalino Reyes. cavetubing.bz He has great equipment and knowledgeable guides. He exceeds saftey guidelines. He keeps the groups small - much better than the massive ship excursions.

 

If you haven't seen Myan Ruins - Lamanai is awesome. It is one of the very few excursions I recommend booking with the ship.

 

Roatan: Ziplining at South Shore Canopy is awesome. Just a very short distance are some of the most gorgeous beaches we've seen. West Bay is beautiful. We really like the Myan Princess. The monkeys are lots of fun. There are 3 monkey parks, they are all fun! We have toured with Rony many times. He's an awesome guy and well-respected in Roatan. Ronystours.com We always choose the freestyle tour. It is very affordable and we can customize our day as we go along. I love to stop and take random photos - very difficult to do with a group. Rony will make sure you have a great day!

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Thanks everyone! We have decided to go with Paradise Beach in Cozumel. In Belize, we have heard a few too many bad reviews so we are going to hangout in the tourist village for a few hours and them head back to the boat to relax without the crowds, and in Mahogany Bay we booked an excursion through Carnival to hang out at the beach snorkel and jet ski. We are excited and looking forward to just relaxing and enjoying our vacation ;)

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In Belize, we have heard a few too many bad reviews so we are going to hangout in the tourist village for a few hours and them head back to the boat to relax without the crowds, ;)

 

re Belize - yes there is no walk-to beach, the tourist area is small and they don't recommend you walk out on your own. But if you book something with Carnival in Belize it's safe, the guides are friendly and proud of their country..sharing history while you are on the bus rides. There is such beauty to be seen at the ruins or reef. We have taken multiple tours and with the long tender boat rides and the bus rides to get to ruins or cave tubing...we book with the cruiseline to ensure we didn't get left.

 

The Mayan ruins & river Wallace tour - the ruins were amazing and seeing wildlife along the river instead of a long bus ride back was cool.

 

In June this year we did the 1/2 day Snorkeling at the reef I saw a lot of interesting fish, coral and an eagle ray! Then we walked around the tourist area and ate good hot off the grill chicken at the little place on the far end of the walkway. Don't miss the chocolate factory - their chocolate is delicious!

 

We have also done the cave tubing....the water is clear and slow moving... not super exciting, but something different floating through the caves.(lots of people rave about it)

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