Private Shore Excursions

[telamarie14]

My husband and I are going on our first cruise this January. Belize is one of the ports of call. I was wondering what are some good companies to book private shore excursions through? I've read that they are usually much cheaper than the one's booked through the cruise ship.

[welldone60]

The 4 most popular things in Belize are Cave tubbing, snorkeling, Myan Ruins and beach time. There are other things to do, Zoo tour, City tours, etc. We did a boat tour where you drive your own boat up the Wallace river. It's called "Captain your own Boat" and booked thru Coral Breeze. Read thru some of the post on this board and you can get a feel for something you like.

[STARFISH*4]

because you tender in Belize we just booked an excursion thru the ship...it was worth the extra knowing we wouldnt be late for a tender!

[Chilehead]

I highly recomment cave tubing through Major/Minor Tom at cavetubing.net !

[dug]

My extnended family and I booked the Lamanai Ruins, via Island Marketing. This can be reserved at http://www.belizecruiseexcursions.com. This is a long excursion and won't leave time for anything else, but it will give you the best experiential one day introduction to Belize possible. (This is according to my wife who spent a month or so in Belize when she was younger.) The excursion costs $75 per person and includes: A one hour or more guided van or bus ride through Belize City, and into rural northern Belize, a one hour (25 mile) high speed boat ride with wildlife viewing stops up the New River to Lamanai, and a guided tour of the Ruins with a chance to climb one of the higher Mayan temples in existence. THe cost also includes a home made Belizean lunch of jerked chicken, rice & peas, plantains, etc. This is a long excursion and in the past, there have been concerns about making it back to the ship in time, but everybody has always made it back via Island Marketing, and they are actually quite professional, and will get you back in time.

 

Our expeirence, despite getting a late start due to tending problems off the ship was fantastic. We were met by Island Marketing as soon as stepping off the tender, and were imediately processed and loaded on a coach bus. (Usually it's a van, but this trip, there was 20 of us, which was an unusually large group). Jennywas our guide, and she was fantastic, speaking to us for an entire hour, providing a tour through the city and into the country. She was witty, intelligent, and knowledgable, telling us about the culture, education, economy, language, population, and geography of Belize. When we arrived at the New River, we boarded a 400HP outboard motorboat, and our Guide, JC took us at very high speed upriver, twisting and turning up the many mangrove lined channels, and streams. I have no idea how he navigated it, but it was a thrilling ride! Because we started late, there was little wildlife viewing opportunity. We were literally the only people at Lamanai, which was amazing. The tour was rushed due to time, but it was great, and JC really was knowledgable. Climbing the temple was every bit as amazing as we hoped it would be. The stairs were uneven and not comfortably spaced, but there is a rope that makes them navigable. It's a little harder coming down, then going up, but the view is fantastic. My sister-in-law was disappointed by the lack of wildlife viewing opportunities, so while we were climbing, Jenny searched the woods near the ruins, and found some Howler Monkey for us to view and take pictures of. After the boat ride back down the New River, our guides laid out an all you can eat Belizean lunch which was absolutely delicious. Our arrival time at the dock allowed us just enough time to buy some Cokes and Belkin Beer, and get our Passports stamped. This excursion feels much more like a National Geographic adventure than a cruise excursion and is well worth the money and time. It also adds some nice variety to the otherwise beach heavy Valor itinerary. I would highly recommend this excursion through Island Marketing.

 

Hopefully this is of help. Please let me know if you have any questions.

[orimeep]

Thanks so much for the information about the Lamanai trip - we'll be on in the Valor in September and were a bit worried about booking this trip because of the potential time/tender issues, but it sounds like it wasn't a problem, which is reassuring! :)

[SailingGrace]

I'm a single cruiser and love history and culture. What do you recommend for a single person- are there groups to join for an outing?

 

When I find something I am interested in they seem to say minimum # of people per reservation....and I'm just 1 person.

[tnsail]

I'm a single cruiser and love history and culture. What do you recommend for a single person- are there groups to join for an outing?

 

When I find something I am interested in they seem to say minimum # of people per reservation....and I'm just 1 person.

 

Grace,

 

We also did the "Captain your own Boat" thru Coral Breeze Tours and you are correct about the "minimum" popping up on many excursions.... We contacted CBT and explained our problem to them (not enough people for the minimum) and they put us on a list for the day we were scheduled to port there... As luck would have it another couple from an RCCL ship that was in port that day also wanted to do the same excursion....Problem solved...:)

 

The moral of the story is, if you see something that really excites you and there's a minimum, contact the tour operator and most times they will try to work with you....

 

Joey & Pat

[grandaughter]

I'm a single cruiser and love history and culture. What do you recommend for a single person- are there groups to join for an outing?

 

When I find something I am interested in they seem to say minimum # of people per reservation....and I'm just 1 person.

We will be on the Valor starting the Sunday after Thanksgiving. If this is the same cruise as you, you are more than welcome to join out group of 6. Age ranges are 56 - 75.