Car rental and touring ourselves

[yomaryjo]

We are two couples arriving on the NCL Jewel in December and thinking of renting a car and doing our own tour. We wanted to go to the Zoo and then out to lunch and just tour around in general. Anyone have any opinions on this - or other places to drive to? Does anyone think this would be dangerous? Thanks.

[crewsweeper]

We are two couples arriving on the NCL Jewel in December and thinking of renting a car and doing our own tour. We wanted to go to the Zoo and then out to lunch and just tour around in general. Anyone have any opinions on this - or other places to drive to? Does anyone think this would be dangerous? Thanks.

 

Well this is an interesting idea. The zoo is more of a game perserve setup and you definitely need either a car or a tour to get there. Cab fare could be high. Your problem would be getting a car. There are no rental agencies at the pier. I believe some companies will shuttle you to their locations if they have an agency in the city. The road out of Belize City to the zoo isn't too bad. You may have traffic, but it is driveable. you run the risk of getting in an accident that's not your fault, but people seeing you as "rich" touristas. Or getting lost, or the car not being in good shape.

 

After that, 2 problems exist. One, other than the zoo and a national museum, there's not any real "destination place" to go to on their own. Mayan ruins and cave tubing are out further. Two, the best place for lunch is probably the Smokey Mermaid and it's a 3 minute walk from the Tourist Village. Any eatery you find along the road to the zoo, isn't going to meet your basic health code expectations.

 

So, you're winding up shuttling to the car rental, renting a car to drive to the zoo then back to the agency lot and getting a shuttle back to the port. Paying a full day rate for less than 3 hours maybe. Might seem cheaper than the cost of 4 for a ship excursion to the zoo, but there are hidden charges.

 

Check with some of the independent tour operators and see if they can put a package together for you with a guide who knows the better spots to visit and can recommend a nice lunch stop along the way.