2Okies

We have an Olympus Tough water camera also. They are great. That is the only camera I use on a cruise anymore. I never take my big camera, and I wouldn't on shore. The Olympus takes great pictures.

I quit taking my big Canon camera on cruises after it shorted out once when we were arriving in Jamaica. The humidity was so high that I guess it got moisture in the camera somehow & it quit on me. We were still on the ship when that happened. I didn't have another camera with me, except a cheap underwater camera (I hadn't got the Olympus at that time). Anyway, when I got home, I had to send the camera off and get it repaired. So.....now I won't take my nice camera on cruises. Just FYI...

You will really like the Olympus. We would like to get another so each of us could have a camera when we snorkel.

Was the depth of the water for the shark encounter also 5'?

Where they entered the water in the shark tank was about 5' (the could stand up & water was about at their waists. But, I think the water was around 10-15' deep in most places, and one corner of the tank was supposed to be even deeper. I didn't do the snorkel, so I don't know exactly.

And, where the reef snorkeling is off the pier - the water is about 5' when you enter, but it gets deeper as you go out towards the reef. Most places maybe 15', but some may be more. Then, you get to the drop off - and who knows how deep it is (you can't see the bottom). But, that is where the most amazing part of the reef is at.

I did see some people with snorkel vests on that were probably rented. But, the water was pretty calm, and I didn't feel I needed one - and I'm not a very strong swimmer. I could have floated about that beautiful reef for hours- its that pretty!

I don't know the name of it. I couldn't find a name anywhere on the building. However, it is on the North side of the main hwy that runs east and west. I think it is The second building on the west side past the lighthouse in town that says Quintana Roo on it. There is a little yellow building with glass walls that sits on the east side of the palapa which is the outside dining area. You walk down a nice brick ramp to the restaurant that runs parallel to the street. I attached a picture of the restaurant. There wasn't a name that I could find.

What are the best souvenirs to buy in Roatan?

We were just there last week off the Carnival Magic. We only shopped at the Carnival port. There were a LOT of wood items made out of the local woods found on Roatan. I bought a beautiful salad bowl, w/6 small bowls & the wooden spoon & fork for $35. My husband bought a rosewood cane for his stepdad that was beautiful. We also bought a couple of wooden puzzles that have "secret" compartments that we thought our grandson would enjoy. One was shaped like an alligator and one was a monkey. I also bought a few mahogany earrings that were $5 each. We thought the wooden stuff was pretty, and "native" to the island, and something we hadn't seen in every port.

We are coming in on the NCL in February and just wanted to do a day a shopping and hanging out. How far is the shopping district from the boat piers? Do you recommended a taxi?

We just got off the Carnival Magic and we decided to just do a shopping day also. We've been to Cozumel many times, and decided to just relax a little this time. From our port, we caught a cab (yes they are safe) and told him to take us to the far side of the side of the city - which is about 2-4 blocks from the main city square. It cost the 2 of us $8 for the taxi. We walked the main street, around the square, and then back down the main street all the way back to our ship (it was probably about 4 miles for us - might be less from where your ship docks). We stopped at a cute little place on the beach side of the road to have a light lunch before getting back to our ships port.

Going into the real city of Cozumel to shop is a lot more fun than staying at your ship's pier to shop. You'll find better prices, see different things, and they are more willing to dicker with you on price (don't take anything for the first price they offer, and don't be afraid to walk away - they will follow you to the door and keep lowering the price).

At the port, or in the old town, you will find that jewelry (especially silver) is in abundant supply. I bought some really pretty pieces that I liked. Be aware that you CAN get them to come down on the price - especially in town. They will always shoot you something super high. I looked at one silver pendant w/tanzanite & diamonds that started off at $1600. By the time I walked away, I paid about $100. I realize that what I bought might not be "real" tanzanite BUT, I've bought jewelry before in Cozumel, and it has always stayed pretty. Look for the silver coated in rhodium (which doesn't tarnish). You can tell the difference. Some of the silver looks dull or already a little tarnished - it will be the very cheap stuff. You can talk to the people in the jewelry store on the ship, and they will give you a brief lesson about buying jewelry at any port - or they will have meetings on the ship, that will also play on your TV, that tells you what to look for.

There is also watches, T-shirts, typical Mexican trinkets, blankets, hammocks, etc.

Thanks for your review. We have already signed up for Maya Key for our May cruise.

 

Snorkeling is our goal and we have our own equipment. Do they have lockers you can rent? I don't mind putting towels and clothes on beach chair but would prefer a locker for my money, sail pass and nice camera. If so, where were they and how much?

You will LOVE the snorkeling here!! I can't express enough how awesome it is. I just wish our day had been more sunny, and it would have made the colors of the reef more vibrant. You won't be disappointed!

Yes, they did have lockers in the bathroom/changing room. We didn't use them, so I don't know how much they were (if anything?) Just FYI - we found some waterproof pouches at Academy Sports (and they have one of these at Galveston on the Seawall if you don't have one near you). They were like $2 & they have a clip on them. We kept our S&S cards, ID, money and our passport cards in one that my husband kept clipped inside his bathing suit. We only have a water camera, so it was always with us. All that was on our chair was beach bag w/clothes & towels and snorkel equipment if we weren't in the water w/that. No one bothered our stuff. But, if you have a nice camera - yes, I understand wanting a locker. I saw quite a few people utilizing the lockers. The bathrooms were in the building by where you will be briefed on what is available on the island when you first enter. The first room is to sign up for the shark encounter if you want to do that. The bathrooms/lockers are in the middle of the building & the gift shop on the other side of the bathrooms. The facilities at Maya Key are very nice.

We just got back from our cruise on the Carnival Magic. We have been to Cozumel numerous times, and we decided this time, to just have a relaxing day shopping along the main road. My husband hasn't been back to the "old town" of Cozumel in about 30 years, so he kind of wanted to see how things have changed. (A lot by the way! :))

After we debarked, we walked through the Puerta Maya port area & caught a taxi and asked to be taken to the far side of city of San Miquel ($8). He dropped us off where the shops start, and we walked the entire way back to the ship that day (about 4 miles in all). We went in shops that interested us, walked around the town square. We found a cute little place along the shore to stop for a light lunch & watch the sailboats. It was very relaxing.

If you want something else to do on your own, I would recommend Chankanaab. You can catch a taxi at the pier (I think its $8-10) and entry into the park is about $22/person. They have a nice area to sit on the beach, pretty good snorkeling, swimming with dolphins is available, and a free sea lion show. There is a couple of restaurants (food not included in entrance fee).

Cozumel is a pretty safe place. Just be as cautious here as you would be at home. But, we've always found the people of Cozumel to be very nice, and helpful. Don't be afraid to take a taxi somewhere, and at any beach there should be taxi's there to take you back to the ship when you are ready.

We have also been to Grand Cayman, and you have probably already learned that you will have to tender from the ship on ferry boats to the port. Its a short ride (5 minutes or so). There is LOTS of shopping right at the port. You can also take a taxi to the beach. Grand Cayman would be a very easy place to catch a taxi and go anywhere pretty safely also. Its the most "Americanized" port we've been to in the Caribbean. The people here speak English, and its a very clean island. There will be people at the port offering excursions, so you could also pick something when you get there, depending on your mood. We've done the swim with the Stingrays with Moby Dick tours twice (google them). Its VERY reasonable, and they are very dependable and have good equipment & guides. Both times we had time to shop and eat a lunch after returning from their excursion. I would highly recommend them if you want to try that excursion. Its an awesome experience.

Before we cruised last week on the Carnival Magic, I had asked on this forum what there was to do AFTER our snorkeling excursion, and no one ever answered me.

Our snorkeling excursion to Sergeant Key only lasted 3 hrs, so we had until 4 to do something else.

After our snorkeling excursion which brought us directly back to the ship, we cleaned up, and took the ship ferry into the mainland port. There is a little shopping area right at the port. Its basically like all of the other "Carnival" ports with many of the same shops & restaurants. There are a few local type market shops thrown in. There was one doorway we saw where guards were standing by the doors and the "real Belize" was on the other side and men were out there trying you to come visit the "real Belize". I don't think the guards would keep you from going through that door, but are there to keep them from coming into the port area. However, we didn't go into that area. I don't know that I would advise it unless you have a "plan". We did have a friend we met on the ship that did go into the old Belize, because he was looking for a place to dock his sailboat if he was to sail it down from Houston. He said he didn't have any problems with a taxi, etc. But, I would be cautious entering the town without a plan.

We shopped around for a bit, bought a few souvenirs and caught the ferry back to the ship.

We just wanted to let people know that there is a small shopping area, and we did have time to enjoy some time on the mainland after our excursion - just to say we actually stepped foot on Belize land! ;) There were a few bars, for those that like that sort of thing, too.

We just returned from the Carnival Magic & were in Roatan Jan 22. We took Carnival's excursion to Maya Key and it was awesome! If you are into snorkeling THIS is the place to go. I've never seen such beautiful, colorful reefs & amazing fish! The island is gorgeous, and there are other activities - snorkeling with sharks, taking a nature hike that includes ruins and seeing the rescued animals.

Its not a great "beach" for swimming. There is a beach w/chairs for sunning. However, it is THE best we have found anywhere for snorkeling.

Since I could not find any good recent information about this excursion we booked through Carnival, I wanted to tell you about our experience on our January 23 excursion through Carnival Magic.

The excursion ferry picked us up right at the ship so we didn't have to tender ashore & then catch another ferry. This was very convenient. The ferry was a double decker type ferry w/an open top on the top deck. It was probably a 20-25 minute easy ride to the reef which is out in the middle of the ocean, and probably 15-20' deep in most places. They insisted we wear the snorkel vests, which I was personally kind of glad for because the current was pretty strong and I'm not a very strong swimmer. They had 2 guides in a kayak, and 1 with a life preserver out in the water. They do try to keep you all together, and there might have been around 40-50 on our excursion. So, sometimes, you were getting kicked in the face or brushing up against someone else. More crowded than I would like. The reef formations out to the breaks were hit & miss, and I saw few fish. We had snorkeled the day before in Roatan at Maya Key - and this Belize snorkeling was in no way was as beautiful. My husband did snorkel out closer to the breaks and he said it was starting to get more pretty, and there were more fish. However, the current was so strong, so I didn't even attempt to go out that far. After about 45 minutes, I came back to the ferry boat. My husband stayed out until it was almost time to head back.

We thought we had read that this excursion went to an actual island, but we never docked on land. We did pass a a very small island that looked like it had a beach, some chairs, maybe a restaurant or bathroom facilities. We asked one of the guides about it, and he said that on some excursions they do take guests to that island. I guess ours wasn't one of those excursions. ??

We rode on the top deck on the way back, because we finally did have sunshine in Belize, and the warmth felt good. They served rum punch on the way back to the ship. The entire excursion took about 3 hrs. We were back about 11:30am.

After the excursion we went to our room, cleaned up, and took the ship ferry into the mainland to shop at the little port of shops that Carnival has built. We picked up a few Belize souvenirs and we were back aboard ship by around 3. The last tender was 4:15.

Before we cruised, I searched all over these boards for recommendations of great excursions, so I wanted to be sure and let everyone know OUR experience with what we chose.

We were on the Magic Jan 19-26. First, let me say that while we enjoyed our cruise, the weather in January (at least THIS year) was at best--iffy. We had many overcast, cloudy days, which made for cooler temps and sometimes rain or drizzle. Our excursion day included all of the above. :(

Anyway, we chose Carnival's Maya Key + lunch. We have our own snorkel equipment. After the ship docks at Roatan, we walked right off the boat, up the pier, and into Carnival's shopping port. We saw many Carnival employees holding up Carnival excursion signs, and we just had to find ours. We had about 30 minutes before we were to leave, so we walked around some of the shops. Then, we followed the guide who walked us up the hill, and down a path right to the ferry boat (maybe a 2-3 minute walk). Then the ride over to Maya Key was about 10-15 minutes on the ferry. (We could see our ship from the island.) Immediately after getting off the boat, an island employee briefed us on the different things the island has to offer - a ruin/nature walk, shark encounter, sea lions, animal rescue area, and the beach. There is a small gift shop with t-shirts & a few souvenirs. The facilities on the island are very nice, and the island is landscaped beautifully with lovely tropical flowers.

We walked down a path to the other side of the island (very short walk) and found a couple of chairs to put our beach bag & towels. We grabbed our snorkel gear & headed down the long pier towards the reef we had read about here on Cruise Critic. There is a gazebo type structure at the end of the pier where we could sit & put on our fins & masks before entering the water via ladders at the end of the pier. The water here is about 5'. There were guides sitting on the pier that told us how to follow the water bottles they have as markers out to the drop off. Then you can go left or right and follow the reef wall.

I have to say this was probably the most beautiful reef I have seen anywhere! It was absolutely gorgeous. Once you get out to the reef, it is 100% reef in such beautiful, colorful formations. We were disappointed it was so cloudy, as the colors would have been more vivid if there had been sun. There were 1000's of fish in all different colors, sizes & designs. Fascinating to say the least! We heard a couple of people say they saw lobsters & an octopus, but we could never find them. We saw plenty of other beautiful fish though. We could have stayed in there forever, but the hard rain that finally showed up drove us out.

My husband did the snorkel with the nurse sharks. They have about 13 sharks in a big penned off area, and it was $35 to snorkel with them. The guides fed the sharks while his group was in the water. My husband said they were longer than him, and he's 6'. He loved it, and got some great pictures. They didn't care if you took your own camera in the water to take pictures. There were also a few stingray in the pen, turtles, lobster, etc. My DH thoroughly enjoyed this adventure.

We had a few minutes while it quit raining that we did get to walk through the ruins and visit the animals.

The excursion provides a very tasty lunch under a pavilion with chairs & tables. As others have mentioned, you are given a colored paper bracelet at the pier before the excursion. As you go through the food line (buffet style) they will mark your bracelet - so you can only go through once. They had BBQ chicken, fried fish strips (which were very good) and a delicious homemade tartar sauce. There was also salad, banana chips, pickled onions and coconut rice & beans (which was also very good). We were impressed with the meal. A lot of excursion meals leave a lot to be desired, but this one was actually good.

We would HIGHLY recommend this excursion - especially if you want an EXCELLENT snorkel spot. If you are looking for a beach, and a place to swim, I wouldn't recommend this excursion. There is a very small beach with chairs, but the shallow water had a lot of grass in it.

Because of the rain, the ferry boats started coming out early to pick us up. They delivered us back to the port. We went back aboard the ship to wash off the salt water & change clothes, then went back out to shop at the port. We had plenty of time to leisurely shop and picked up a few good items to remember Roatan.

You are welcome! We have enjoyed staying here.

More info: there is a hair dryer in the bathroom. There is a flat screen TV, fridge, table and two chairs, dresser. The beds have been very comfy. The lobby is very pretty, as are the grounds. They have secured parking in back behind fencing with a coded entrance. I think you can leave your car here while you cruise and they will shuttle you to ship. We had already made parking arrangements or we might have done that. There is free wifi here too. Easy walk across the street to the beach.

I believe they do serve breakfast down by the lobby, but it isn't free. We just drove up Seawall to IHOP this morning. Our kids were catching The Triumph today, and we get on the Magic tomorrow!

We are sitting in this hotel this morning. Do NOT be afraid to book this hotel! It is very nice! Our beds have been very comfy, and the room is clean. I think all rooms have a beach view. We have 2 chairs on our deck. There isn't breakfast, but plenty of places around here to get some. They have secured property for your cars, with a gate that has a code to get in. The pool is very nice, but of course it's a little chilly to get in right now. Very nice hotel!

SSB - Thank you for the info! We should be there tomorrow night. Heading that way tonight.

Do you have a good seafood recommendation? We ate at Gaido's seafood about 1 1/2 yrs ago when we were down there, and it was really good. I've heard its changed hands though? Plus, our kids (young married) are with us, and they might not want to pay those prices. Need something mid-range ($10-20/plate) that is still good seafood.

We ate at Salsas Mexican too. It was ok, not great, but ok. However, I thought it was really loud in their dining room.

Our favorite place (we ate there more than once) was the Spot.

Just wondered what a local would recommend?

Thanks!

Another thing you might do to find out about Bannister Island, is look up Cruise Critic member "Mitsugirly". She has a review of Bannister island in her signature line with pictures. She comments on here quite often, and has some really good reviews. Anyway, Bannister Island appears to have a more sandy/grassy area to snorkel than reef, and therefore there isn't a lot of sea life there. Good place to see starfish. Beach - meh. That was my impression when I saw her pictures.

Thanks for the info... I thought Coral Breeze had good reviews from some other boards... and I thought I saw this on trip advisor, I will look further into it. Which one is BTW?

You mentioned going to keys/islands, which one? and with what company? any suggestions on that?

thanks again, this is all new to me...

"BTW" just means "by the way". :) Sometimes all these abbreviations get hard to follow...

We leave for our cruise this weekend. After a lot of research on these boards, we finally decided the "safest" thing to do, since we had not been to Belize before, is to take a ship excursion. We also wanted to snorkel. After all, it would be a shame to go to one of the best barrier reefs, and miss out on that! However, since there is a long tender time from the ship to shore, then all excursions to snorkel require boat time, it was hard to find a private tour that we felt we could trust to get us back to the ship on time. So, we went with the ship excursion that is going to Sergeant Caye (this is through Carnival). They will pick us up AT the ship (saving us some time of tendering to land, then catching a boat). Its a 3 hr excursion, and we will have about 1 hr at the snorkel site. I understand their will be some beach time - but I'm not sure about the facilities.

If its your first time (as it is ours), I seem to get the idea from other members on this site, that in Belize - it might be best to go with a ship excursion, especially for snorkeling, just because of the long tendering.

I hope this helps you decide.

We have a Carnival snorkel excursion scheduled (they pick up & deliver us back to ship). Would it be worth our time to go into Belize after the excursion? If so, what is there at the port to do?

Oh please let us know when you get back how it was! That would be perfect :D

We don't go until early May.

 

Thanks in advance and enjoy!

Will do! Can't wait to get there!

We are booked for Galveston Beach Hotel this weekend before our cruise Sunday. We got it off Priceline - so we are hoping it is a nice hotel as well. Pictures look nice, but they can be deceiving. As you say, reviews are up & down. We just want clean for a couple of nights sleep before we cruise!

We were signed up for cavetubing, but someone here at home told us they had taken it, and the water was really cold. We go next week, and since its January, I was a little concerned about that. I've been snorkeling in one of the Caribbean caves before - and it was cold. Not sure I wanted to be cold for that long....

Anyway, we changed our excursion to the Sergeant Cay Snorkeling through Carnival. It had pretty good reviews on the Carnival website. Has anyone done this excursion recently? We love to snorkel, and since we ARE going to the great barrier reef, we hated to lose that opportunity. I just hope we picked a good place.

We would love to hear from someone that has taken this excursion recently. We will be there next Thursday (Jan 23).

Thanks!

Last year we bought the Pandora like bracelets, and I still enjoy mine. However we also bought the watches in the gift boxes, and discovered the one we gave to my son in law had a date dial - which actually was fake! Beware.

Thank you Crewsweeper. No, we are not Platinum. I did know about the FTTF option, but we decided against it. We will just check the paper the night before and see what to do to try and get off as early as possible. Thank you for your help.

It all usually works out. I've read good reviews on .bz on here. I'm hoping it all works out weather wise, etc, so we can go ashore.

We have cave tubing scheduled in a couple of weeks with .bz and will be on the Magic. How do you get priority tenders to get off the ship quickly?

We have our first Cove Balcony reserved for our cruise next month on the Magic. We have learned they are 45 sq ft, compared to 35 sq ft of the other regular balconies. The price was cheaper than the regular balcony too. They are on 2nd floor, and we have heard to make sure you watch where you get your room (pay attention to what is above you in the deck plans). They are about 30' from the water. The staff can come through and close off the waterproof door if seas get rough, but it just makes your room into an ocean view for that time period. Who would want to be on ANY balcony if seas are rough?

We are excited to experience this type balcony for the first time - and the price couldn't be beat.