Exiting and reboarding ship?

[emosewa]

I was wondering after you are docked in your port of call, how long does it take to exit the ship and how long do you need to reboard? eg, 7am till 4pm how long exactly do you have to explore without cutting it too close?:cool:

[mpalmer]

You posted in the Belize forum. Belize is strictly tendering. Which means you have to get on a tender boat to get ashore. Once you get on the boat it's a 20 min. ride to shore. They take the people who have ship excursions first. So it can take some time if you're not on a ship excursion. If you're doing your own excursion, you need to get in line to leave the ship EARLY! and be pushy... We're going to Belize in Nov. and we're doing a ship excursion to snorkel because they take you directly from the ship to snorkel... No tendering, that's our main reason. We normally do independent excursions... Hope that helps a little.

Mona

[emosewa]

Thanks Mona,

It does help a lot. One more question, is it always better to take a ship excursion when you tender to shore? I think I will take a ship excursion in Belize because like you, it appeals to me to leave directly from the ship, but I am trying to save a few bucks, (b2b cruises also Norwegian Sky to Bahamas) and I have a 9+10 yr old with me. I guess I am trying to figure out if a snorkelling trip is only 3.5 hours what to do with the rest of the day and what time you have to reboard the ship, I believe I am in Belize from 8-5, and don't want to be on the ship if I have more time to explore, what else to do, without cutting it too close to departure time. Any snorkelling suggestions, I have heard Geoff's Cay is great.

Thanks, LP

[mpalmer]

No, it's not always better to take a ship excursion when you tender. I've been to Belize one other time and we did a independent excursion. Cave tubing and snorkeling seem to be the two most popular things to do in Belize. The last time we were there we went cave tubing with cave tubing dot com (they don't always let you put links on the board). I do a lot of research before going anywhere. With cave tubing the excursion is better with less people if you go independent, but it does take longer to get off the ship. I'm sure the snorkeling would be better with an independent also, but you have to consider the advantage of being one of the first off the ship and leaving for the snorkeling site directly from the ship. No tendering involved...

 

As far as doing something after your excursion. There's really nothing you can do at the port but shopping. There aren't any beaches unless you take a long boat ride. Tourist Village is the enclosed shopping area at the port. It's small but you really need to be careful if you leave it.

 

As far as snorkeling suggestions. Our ship only had 2 I was interested in. You'd just have to look at the discriptions of the snorkeling tours then research them on the Belize forum.

 

If your ship leaves at 5, they'll want you on by at least 4:30. The tender lines get long as the ships leave. I'd be at least where I could see the line by about 3:30. It depends on how many ship are in port on that day. There are web site that you can look that info up. Look at cruisett dot com.

 

B2B, now that's a dream cruise... Have you joined your Roll Call. You can get a lot of good info on there too.

Mona

[Toyz711]

with NCL they will have signs all over the place, stating when last tender is. usually an hour before, if the ship is scheduled to leave a 4pm, last tender should be at 3. they will post it in the dailies, by the gangway and be making announcement all day.

snorkeling, fishing and beach excursions leave from the ship, excursions like to lamanai or other mayan ruins tender in and are greeted by the tour guides and directed to the bus.

all NCL excusions will be directed to meet in the theater (usually) and then called, directed down to the gangway. after VIPs and ship excursions, then they call ticket numbers for the others.

make sure you go over to the ncl boards, maybe a recent cruiser can tell you how that ship does it. i was on the NCL spirit a couple of years ago, we did the tour to lamanai. we just made it back for last tender. even at that, we were watching as a fast tender brought someone back that had missed our tender. NCL will wait for late tours if booked through NCL, otherwise if you miss the tender you are on your own.

[emosewa]

Thankyou both for answering so many questions, very helpful, I really wondered how far in advance we had to be ready to board the ship, I think I will book a longer excursion, I would hate to waste time sitting on the ship when I could have been enjoying more of Belize.

Lp

[rjhollan]

YIf you're doing your own excursion, you need to get in line to leave the ship EARLY! and be pushy...

 

If you get there ahead of the cruise excursion crowd, will they take you or make you wait for those folks to go first? We're on the Carnival Valor, just trying to get an idea whether we should bother showing up at 7:30, or earlier, or just wait until 8 and let the cruise excursion folks go ahead....

[mpalmer]

They will let the ship cruise excursion folks go first. The thing is, at least on the tender cruises I've been on; they pass out numbers as to who of the non ship excursion folks get off first. You want to be one of the first to get your number if it's important for you to get off the ship as soon as possible... :rolleyes: It's a pain... Later in the morning when things slow down, they stop giving out numbers and just do first come first serve.

Mona

[cruisemainiac]

Don't forget folks, depending on the cruise line you may be able to get priority tender tickets based on whether you're in a suite for example or the cruise lines membership reward programs. With NCL after the 9th cruise you make it to Gold and a bunch of priority stuff including tender tickets.

[dvan68]

We have done the Goff's Caye excursion with Carnival. We had time after the excursion to tender to shore, do some shopping and a drink at the Wet Lizard!

[sublarry]

You posted in the Belize forum. Belize is strictly tendering. Which means you have to get on a tender boat to get ashore. Once you get on the boat it's a 20 min. ride to shore. They take the people who have ship excursions first. So it can take some time if you're not on a ship excursion. If you're doing your own excursion, you need to get in line to leave the ship EARLY! and be pushy... We're going to Belize in Nov. and we're doing a ship excursion to snorkel because they take you directly from the ship to snorkel... No tendering, that's our main reason. We normally do independent excursions... Hope that helps a little.

Mona

 

If you are taking the sergeants key snorle trip you will enjoy it. We are thinking about flying in at some point to stay with the, and take scuba lessons!

[AlanAllyn]

We had a wonderful snorkel trip with coralbreezetours.

[mpalmer]

If you are taking the sergeants key snorle trip you will enjoy it. We are thinking about flying in at some point to stay with the, and take scuba lessons!

 

No, we're on Royal Carribean. We're doing the Reef Rocket to Rendivous (sp) Caye.