No ship Lamanai tour--choose different excursion or different itinerary altogether?

[allesonwonderland]

Hiya! My family was booked on VOS out of Galveston and Belize was one of our stops. We had planned to take the ship excursion to the Lamanai ruins. Well, the sailing was chartered and we got booted. Now we're looking at Carnival Western that does pretty much the same itinerary we were supposed to have (Belize, Roatan, Cozumel and the addition of Grand Cayman) or an Eastern itinerary that goes to Half Moon Cay, St. Thomas, San Juan and Grand Turk. I just realized that we wouldn't get to go to Lamanai as originally planned since Carnival doesn't have an excursion that goes there. (I usually have no problems chosing private companies, but this was the one time that I was willing to fork over the extra cash to be sure that we didn't miss the ship.)

 

So, now I'm debating what to do. Do something else in Belize? Go ahead and try the Eastern itinerary and save the Western for another time?

 

Any suggestions? Thanks!!

[STARFISH*4]

what about the Altun Ha ruins in Belize?

[sarpon]

Last September we were on the Valor and went to Lamanai with Belize Cruise Excursions. It was one of the best vacation days I've ever had. I was a little apprehensive about the van ride to the river but driving though the city and the countryside gave us a better appreciation for the real country we were in than simply visiting a tourist attraction near the port. We enjoyed the boat ride to the ruins; it was a fun way to travel and the scenery and wildlife we saw weren't the usual cruise-y, beach-y Caribbean sight-seeing. The tour guide was knowledgeable, professional, and approachable without being clownish. He was really well educated about the site. He gave us time to explore on our own in addition to at several points of interest and he was available to any questions we had. After the boat ride back we had a lunch of local foods in a pavilion near the river bank.

 

There was no problem getting back to the ship on time. Speaking to other people on the ship who had disappointing experiences in Belize made me appreciate what a great job this company did for us.

 

We're sailing on the Dream in November and I'm very tempted to do the same tour again.

 

http://belizecruiseexcursions.com/Lamanai_Belize.htm

[allesonwonderland]

Thanks for the replies. Altun Ha is a possibility. We could do Xunantunich as well. I just remember when I was first researching there were so many glowing reviews of Lamanai, that we chose that one.

 

 

Like I said, we usually go the private excursion route...with the length of the Lamanai tour, I was a bit nervous and thought we should opt for the ship's trip. Sarpon, it's good to hear that you had no problems on your private excursion.

[dug]

I second the idea of doing Lamanai anyway through Belize Cruise Excursions (Island Marketing). We did this in June, and even though we were late tendering to port due to weather, our excursion was still fantastic. Despite past reviews, this company was all over the time issues and in my mind is not a late return risk at all. Take the tour, and enjoy!

[2girlsnlovefl]

Hiya! My family was booked on VOS out of Galveston and Belize was one of our stops. We had planned to take the ship excursion to the Lamanai ruins. Well, the sailing was chartered and we got booted. Now we're looking at Carnival Western that does pretty much the same itinerary we were supposed to have (Belize, Roatan, Cozumel and the addition of Grand Cayman) or an Eastern itinerary that goes to Half Moon Cay, St. Thomas, San Juan and Grand Turk. I just realized that we wouldn't get to go to Lamanai as originally planned since Carnival doesn't have an excursion that goes there. (I usually have no problems chosing private companies, but this was the one time that I was willing to fork over the extra cash to be sure that we didn't miss the ship.)

 

So, now I'm debating what to do. Do something else in Belize? Go ahead and try the Eastern itinerary and save the Western for another time?

 

Any suggestions? Thanks!!

 

we did lamanai our last trip and it was our favorite excursion now my parents our going and they wanted to check it out but the company we went with is not offering one for that day. so i have booked them with belizenadventures and their staff has been super helpful so maybe you should check them out!!

[vhoghul]

Anyone able to recommend anyone other than Island Marketing? They've chosen not to operate this tour on the date I'll be in Belize, but I really would like to do this trip.

[regana]

Belize Cruise Excursions lists recommended age at 6. Anyone know why this is? Long bus ride, boat ride?? I have a 3.5 year old, but she's used to long car rides, has been on many boat rides and even hikes with us. I tried emailing the company, but they haven't gotten back to me.