Not a fan of Belize

Hi all,

We just got back from our 7 Night Western Caribbean on the Valor.

We are not new to the "Crusing Scene" and pretty much know what to expect when you go into port however I can honestly say that Belize was by far one of the worst ports we have experienced. What a huge (with a capital H) disappointment!!

My advice for this port is to stay on the ship. We still had a fantastic time over all but to me, this is a waste of time stopping at Belize!

Sorry [emoji17]

Did you do an excursion?

We just went to the wet lizard and drank

There are lots of unique things to do in Belize - cave tubing, zip lines, Mayan ruins, etc.

Did you do any pre-planning ?

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=109

Sorry to hear you didn't enjoy Belize. What did you do while you were there? Did you go ashore, do an excursion, or just stay aboard and enjoy the ship?

We enjoyed visiting Belize. We took an awesome shore excursion to Lamanai Mayan Ruins. The excursion included lunch and a speedboat ride to and from the ruins. The ruins are fantastic!

We are looking forward to visiting Belize again next year. A cruise is a great way to see the world!

I love Belize.

In fact, I love it so much, that is where I am spending Christmas this year.

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I've never been there, yet, until April, but were doing the cave tubing excursion that has gotten such a HUGE raving reviews. Just wondering why or if you can elaborate more on why you think this place is a waist of time?

We enjoyed visiting Belize. We took an awesome shore excursion to Lamanai Mayan Ruins. The excursion included lunch and a speedboat ride to and from the ruins. The ruins are fantastic!

 

Did this a few years back. Second the opinion. Probably my most memorable excursion.

Did this a few years back. Second the opinion. Probably my most memorable excursion.

Yes! It always surprises me to read the negative comments about this port.

I've come to the conclusion it may be due to lack of research prior to choosing this itinerary, or lack of interest in the available opportunities in the area. There is so much to see and do there.

I don't care for Belize or Roatan. Best thing in Belize are the availability of prescription meds OTC there.

Question for anyone? I am cruising to Belize in January on the Norwegian Jade(first time with Norwegian, first time to Belize). I really want to experience something of Belize but just not sure. I have heard good and bad about cave tubing and really am afraid that the bad will out weigh the good. Are there any city tours or something that we can do just to see some of Belize City?

My January Jade cruise already lists a city tour as an excursion option for Belize. Also, If you Google you can easily find a self-guided walking tour of Belize, which would obviously save a ton of cash

any beautiful beaches with clear blue water??

While we do make the most of each port, I find it somewhat frustrating when you have to buy an excursion in order to see anything of real interest at certain ports. Belize happens to be one of them.

While we do make the most of each port, I find it somewhat frustrating when you have to buy an excursion in order to see anything of real interest at certain ports. Belize happens to be one of them.

Agreed. Belize was a disappointment for me too. The excursions were too expensive to do things that I can do at home, I didn't want a long drive to see ancient ruins, and there wasn't Easy beach access.

There are several ports that we don't care to visit again but Belize is not on the list. We have cave tubed, snorkeled two gorgeous places and loafed on a quite, peaceful island. I could go back and definately find something neat to do.

The tourest village and Belize City are pretty sad though. If you don't want to take a tour stay on the ship.

any beautiful beaches with clear blue water??

Last time I was there did a excursion to an "island" for a beach day followed by a Manatee search. The beach on the island (and as we were told in all of Belize) are completely man-made because all the oceanfront is just made up of mangroves. So to make a beach you have to plow down the mangroves and cover with sand.

Also saw no Manatee on the excursion.

One of the things we like about cruising is, we can do as much or as little as we desire.

If the port is interesting and offers something we want to do or see, we will book an excursion. On the other hand, if nothing appeals to us, we can stay aboard or just go ashore and walk around for awhile.

Most of the ports we have visited offer something of interest. That's one of the big attractions . . . the opportunity to see things not available "back home."

While we do make the most of each port, I find it somewhat frustrating when you have to buy an excursion in order to see anything of real interest at certain ports. Belize happens to be one of them.

Agreed! We have been there numerous times, and have always taken excursions, never one that I can say was fantastic. Last time we went, we went into town for about an hour and went back to the ship. Belize, to me is my least favorite stop!

We've been to Belize twice and loved it! Our first time in 2006, we did the Bannister Island Beach Break excursion through Carnival. Bannister Island is now Starfish Island. In April 2014, we booked through Carnival again and went on the River Wallace/Altun Ha Mayan site tour and really enjoyed that. The scenery along the river is gorgeous and we definitely felt we were in Belize and not a tourist trap. I'm sure we'll have another opportunity to go to Belize and will definitely do something. The hardest part for us has been deciding WHAT to do, there is so much. It's best to have an excursion of some kind planned. In Belize, since a lot of the tours are a distance away, we have always gone with excursions through the cruise line. It's definitely a good idea to research ideas of things to do.

I would go all the way back to Belize just to experience Goff's Caye again. Most beautiful place I've ever been. We were only there 3 hours but I plan on going back just for that place.

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We are doing the Jade in Jan (I see others on here doing the same)

We would like to zip line, for sure, and even up for the combo with cave tubing.

Best to look for these excursions in Belize or Roatan?

Thanks

Hi all,

 

We just got back from our 7 Night Western Caribbean on the Valor.

 

We are not new to the "Crusing Scene" and pretty much know what to expect when you go into port however I can honestly say that Belize was by far one of the worst ports we have experienced. What a huge (with a capital H) disappointment!!

 

My advice for this port is to stay on the ship. We still had a fantastic time over all but to me, this is a waste of time stopping at Belize!

 

Sorry [emoji17]

With all due respect, you say nothing of use in this post. What didn't you like? What did you expect? What were you looking to do? What did you do in port? Where did you go in port?

We are doing the Jade in Jan (I see others on here doing the same)

 

We would like to zip line, for sure, and even up for the combo with cave tubing.

 

Best to look for these excursions in Belize or Roatan?

 

Thanks

I would cave tube Belize and Zip line Roatan. The Zip at the top of the hill at West Bay looked like it would be a hoot.

Hi all,

 

We just got back from our 7 Night Western Caribbean on the Valor.

 

We are not new to the "Crusing Scene" and pretty much know what to expect when you go into port however I can honestly say that Belize was by far one of the worst ports we have experienced. What a huge (with a capital H) disappointment!!

 

My advice for this port is to stay on the ship. We still had a fantastic time over all but to me, this is a waste of time stopping at Belize!

 

Sorry [emoji17]

No need to be sorry cruisefan, obviously you just didn't research before going on the cruise or you would have found many people confused about this port until they do that research. Belize offers gorgeous cays and beaches, as well as exciting excursions into the jungles. Even a water taxi or flight on your own to Caye Caulker is a fun experience. Would hate to have someone stay on the ship when visiting Belize! And no, you definitely do NOT have to "buy an excursion in order to see anything of real interest". Just do some research, folks on this forum who have visited Belize several times could have easily guided you.

We're building a home in Mexico and Belize was one of the 3 final choices. Luckily we can drive into Belize in 4 hrs from our future home - Can't wait!