Anyone done the River Boat Tour through Coral Breeze

[gaphotodawg]

We'll be in Belize on the Carnival Legend June 11, and we're looking for something fun and different to do. I was looking at snorkeling tours through Coral Breeze Tours when the "Captain Your on River Boat" link caught my eye. You get to drive your own rigid inflatable boat through the mangroves and Belize river. It sounds like a lot of fun, definitely different from the usual zip lines, cave tubing and snorkeling, but I haven't seen any postings from anyone who has done this.... Like to hear about the experience if you have! Thanks

[Will in sunny FL]

Before going to Belize look up Coral Breeze Tours for a super snorkeling trip off of Caye Caulker as well as a great local lunch on Caye Caulker.

We go with them two times each year & highly recommend them.

Bill in FL

[welldone60]

Yes we did...We had a blast. Our guides were great, could spot wildlife while doing 30 mph along the river. Boats are easy to operate.

 

See our pics here. http://s594.photobucket.com/albums/tt25/welldone60/Belize/

 

email me if you want further info. welldone60 at sbcglobal dot net

[kimba9615]

I was wondering about this tour also. Welldone60, I looked at your pictures and they are great! I think we will will be considering this tour for our trip to Belize in August. I hope some more people answer this post with experieces about this tour.

[LostAgain]

I have been looking for a tour that included River Wallace only, not the ruins. This sounds like it could be it. How long was the tour? How did you get to the river from the pier where you tender in? How much was the tour? Thanks so much for all your help and for sharing your photos.

[mafig]

I'm interested in this tour also.

 

Has anyone taken this tour recently? I'm mostly interested in knowing the condition of the engines. There were some posts back in Dec. stating the some of the boats had engine problems.

 

Like to hear some recent reports.

 

:)

[LostAgain]

Ooooh, engine problems does not sound good. I do not want to run into a situation where we are stuck in the middle of nowhere and worried about missing the ship :)

[Big Tillie]

We'll be in Belize on the Carnival Legend June 11, and we're looking for something fun and different to do. I was looking at snorkeling tours through Coral Breeze Tours when the "Captain Your on River Boat" link caught my eye. You get to drive your own rigid inflatable boat through the mangroves and Belize river. It sounds like a lot of fun, definitely different from the usual zip lines, cave tubing and snorkeling, but I haven't seen any postings from anyone who has done this.... Like to hear about the experience if you have! Thanks

 

Our family of 4 did this excursion in October 2009. This was one of the best excursion we have been on. The mangroves were beautiful and driving on the river was a lot of fun. We saw alligators and lots on monkeys along the river. The guides were amazing at spoting the alligators and monkeys as we were zipping along the river in the boats. We stopped at a little restaurant along the river for a break and got to play with the monkeys the restaurant owner had. No problems with the boats. They were in good condition and were fun and easy to drive. The only scary part was driving under the bridge in Belize. You really had to squat down in the boat so you wouldn't knock your head off!

[gaphotodawg]

Thanks to everyone who posted. We're leaving tomorrow (yeah!) and have booked the Coral Breeze River Boat Tour. Can't wait! For others interested in this tour, I also found info in these posts:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1187212

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=659135

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1101184

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1076518

[gaphotodawg]

Okay, so we just returned from our 7-day on the Carnival Legend yesterday. :( Not quite ready to get back to the real world. On the trip was me, my wife and our 19-year-old son. As promised, here's my follow up post on our experience to the "Captain your own River Boat" tour we booked through Coral Breeze. Sorry, this is long, but I wanted to try and answer all questions we, and others, had.

 

Overall, I'd recommend this tour. It is very fun and a great way to get off the beaten path in Belize. We had no engine problems, but a few issues with the boats, but nothing that threatened to leave us stranded "up river." The only time the engines stopped was due to gas, and the guides had extra tanks and switched them quickly. The other boat on the tour developed some leakage with one inflatable cell toward the end of the tour, but a quick pump up from the hand pump fixed that. Our guides were friendly and informative, and well equipped to handle any emergencies. Tour time runs about 4.5 hours from pier back to pier. My caveat to others is that this is a LONG excursion mostly on the open river without much "hands on" guidance from the guides, so if you are looking for a lot of information and attention, constantly changing scenery and tons of wildlife, you may be disappointed. You can also book the lead boat on the tour so you can be in the same boat as the guide.

 

As for details, we dropped anchor in Belize on time and the tenders were running a little before 8am ship time. Our tour was scheduled for 10am, so we had plenty of time to get off the ship and make the tour. I was inclined to avoid the crowds and delay getting a tender number but my wife insisted we get off the ship early, rather than late. Thank goodness for sensible females! I understand why Carnival gives priority to those booking excursions through them, but the Belize tendering process was the most unorganized I have ever seen. It was like they'd never done it before. At first, it appeared there were no more than 2 tenders running, so it was taking forever between groups being called. We got a number 2 spot, so we were to be the second group of "non-Carnival" people off the boat. It was after 9am, probably 9:15 or so before they called the first group of non-Carnival excursions. Thankfully, they called group 1 & 2, so we were on the first tender off. What REALLY burned us up was when we got on the tender, it was not full! We pulled off the ship with room for at least 50 more people, all of whom were waiting back in the Follies theater. SO, get up early and get off the ship!

 

Finding the meeting point was simple, just get off the tender and walk about 100 feet to the Wet Lizard bar. The guys from Hammerhead Water Sports (the Coral Breeze tour operator), were waiting for us. We learned there would only be 2 boats on the tour, and the other couple arrived on the next tender, then we boarded a boat right at the pier for the short ride down the canal to the dock where the RIB's were. On the way, we went under the oldest bridge in Belize, an experience in itself. Don't forget to duck!

 

Once at the boats, we met all our guides, Tony, James and Kareem. They got us settled in the boats, went through the operations with each "captain" and explained the hand signals they'd use on the river. We had time to practice in the canal and get use to the throttle controls and steering. The boats are small, but comfortable for 3. A driver's station with bench seat, a seat directly in front of the driver console and a bow seat. One of the guides decided to ride with the other couple since the man was driving so the boat did not plane out quickly with only the lady in front. Weight distribution is important! If you are the captain, be prepared to stand up a good part of the day. Although you can sit and drive, your visibility from the seat is limited. You will have to stand up through the mangrove (or run into something!) and anytime you have to maneuver the boat around the other boats.

 

We had a few issues with the engine revving on our boat in the canal, but the guides diagnosed it as plastic or trash getting caught on the prop. I was a little skeptical, but once out of the main canal, it did not happen again. When you consider what's floating in the canal, it makes sense. Once each captain was comfortable, we were off.

 

A short ride up the canal, which is filthy and lined with some of the most depressing huts and outhouses you will ever see, we turned into the creek that led to the mangroves. Riding through the mangroves at full throttle was a thrill! It's beautiful, very cool temperature, and a tight fit. Make sure you "follow the leader!" One thing to be aware of, the trip through the mangrove is the shortest part of the trip. It's shady and cool in there, but most of your trip is on the open river. Make sure you have lots of sunscreen, a hat, water and snacks.

 

Once in the main river, we cruised upriver for about 30 miles. Along the way, we stopped to see HUGE iguanas on the ground and in trees, howler monkeys (got some great photos and video), native birds in some funky nests, we even ate mango right off the trees (not before our guides asked the owners for permission to pick). We didn't see any crocs, the water was high and murky. Keep in mind that since you are in individual boats, much of your communications with the guides is visual until you stop. But it was a beautiful day to be on the river and we really enjoyed the view.

 

Since we were the third boat of three, we brought up the rear all day. Our boat was a little slower than the rest, so we often lagged a bit behind. Our guides never forgot about us, but there were times in the mangrove and on the river that the next boat was out of sight for brief times. Once on the river, the scenery doesn't change that much, so it could get monotonous. My wife and I both spent a lot of time on local lakes growing up, so we both love being on the water. So none of this bothered us, but I'd again warn that if being more on your own makes you nervous, this may not be the excursion for you. If you love having the wind in your hair, racing across the water and enjoying the sun and beauty of the river, you'll enjoy it.

 

At the turn around point, we docked for a bathroom break. While moving on the river, bugs are not a problem, but MAKE SURE YOU TAKE YOUR BUG SPRAY OFF THE BOAT when you stop. My wife has "sweet blood" :p (according to our guide James) and she was immediately attacked by mosquitos. There was a building that appeared to be a store of some kind, but it was closed. We walked across a road to a private home to use the facilities. While the owner was "getting the bathroom ready" we toured the grounds, which was described as a natural garden. They had mango trees, cashews, beautiful flowering trees, a peacock and other animals. Even saw a guy with a pair of squirrels in a cage. Our guides explained about everything and we got to suck the juice from the cashew fruit. The people there were very friendly, we used their bathroom, which actually involved walking through their living room and kitchen to the facilities. Again, I'd say this is not your typical excursion. Then we headed back to the dock. There wasn't any shopping or food available to buy on our trip.

 

Once we turned around, the trip down river was, well, the same as the trip up except for fewer stops. If the guides saw something new, we'd stop to check it out. My son wanted to drive the boat, so I got to sit and look on the way back, which was fun. Whipping through the mangroves with your 19-year-old at the helm is, well, an experience. :D

 

Back at the RIB dock, we transferred back to the larger boat for the ride back to the pier. This is the time to tip the guides, if you so desire. the guides did not push it, as on some excursions, but when asked by the other couple, James explained that they share tips, so you don't have to divvy up you tip between them, just one wad of cash will do. ;)

 

Back under the bridge (don't forget to duck again) and we were back at the pier in front of the Wet Lizard. We found out through a local that the landlord has refused to "sell out" to the port authority (and therefore the cruise lines), which is the only reason the tour operator could transport us directly from the pier. If you look, you'll see that the pier in front of the Wet Lizard is still wood, while the rest of the pier is concrete. So if you have time, drop in and have a drink and support the business. The Belikin beer is cold and tasty, and there's a coupon on the website for rum punch:

http://www.coralbreezetours.com/wet_lizard.html

 

Again, sorry this is so long, but hope it helps someone else out!

[mafig]

Thank you. Your review has helped me a lot.

One question about the boats (getting in and out, etc). I have some arthritis in my hip so I'm not too good with a lot of climbing or being put into "pretzel" positions. Will I be OK?

Also here's another question for you:

If you knew then what you know now would you book this excursion?

:)

[MissRabbit]

i would love this excursion but they have a weight limit on it.

 

The cruise ship excursions include the ruins or the zoo, neither of which we want to see. SOOOO we're still trying to search for a river boat tour that is ONLY on the river and is in a larger boat that has no passenger weight limits/easy entry/exit

[gaphotodawg]

You might have a problem getting in and out of the boats. Mainly, from the pier you have to step down into the larger boat. When we did this, there was some wave action so the boat was rocking. The guides were there on each side of us on the dock and in the boat to help, and no one took a tumble, but it can be rough. Then, on the way to the RIB dock, you have to, while sitting, bend all the way over to clear the bridge. Once at the RIB dock, we went directly from the larger boat to the RIBs. That meant hiking a leg up and over the gunnels of the larger boat and stepping into the smaller boat. Again the guides were there to help and no one took a swim. The other gentleman on the tour was a little stiff in the hip/legs and had a bit of trouble, but he made it from boat to boat, just took a little time and maneuvering.

 

Knowing what we know now, I would still have booked this excursion. I'm not sure I'd do it again, just not enough different from one time to the next, but it was a great day.

[mafig]

Thanks. I'll have to give it some thought.How would you compare it to getting on/off the tender in rough water?

We have a boat and I'm used to climbing in/out from the dock and I have pretty good sea legs, so I don't have a balance issue. I can do it, especially if adrenalin is pumping:p, I just don't want to be in pain afterwards.

Thank you again.:)

[welldone60]

i would love this excursion but they have a weight limit on it.

 

The cruise ship excursions include the ruins or the zoo, neither of which we want to see. SOOOO we're still trying to search for a river boat tour that is ONLY on the river and is in a larger boat that has no passenger weight limits/easy entry/exit

 

If there are only two in a boat, you can be over the 250 limit. We did this a few years back and I am over 250. They just want to keep the wieght to under 500 per boat.

[gaphotodawg]

If you are use to boating, you should be able to get in and out fine. Compared to the tender, this was a bit more difficult because the gunwales sat lower than the pier, where the tender gunwales sit more even with the pier. So you have to time the swells some as you step down into the boat, and you definitely are stepping down. But we had 2 people on the pier and one in the boat to help, and nobody did a face plant. The gentleman on the tour who had a little troubling getting from the larger boat to the RIB tried to hike his leg over the gunwales instead of just sitting on the gunwale edge and then swinging his legs over the side. Just take it slow and you should be okay.

 

Thanks. I'll have to give it some thought.How would you compare it to getting on/off the tender in rough water?

We have a boat and I'm used to climbing in/out from the dock and I have pretty good sea legs, so I don't have a balance issue. I can do it, especially if adrenalin is pumping:p, I just don't want to be in pain afterwards.

Thank you again.:)