Nacho & Cynthia Tour?

[Csnorrco]

We had to skip Belize because of Hurricane Isaac. I have not heard from Nacho about the guaranteed return of our deposit if tour is cancelled due to the ship not making the port...I guess I will be calling him!

[Njbosoxgirl]

We had to skip Belize because of Hurricane Isaac. I have not heard from Nacho about the guaranteed return of our deposit if tour is cancelled due to the ship not making the port...I guess I will be calling him!

 

Consider yourself lucky if u only lose 10% !

 

@ Benita... We must be missing something , unless he just started walking with cane & not upkeeping his van!

[milanojosh]

Wow. I'm really glad I read to the bottom of the thread because I was very close to booking the cave tubing/aerial trek for November...

[Njbosoxgirl]

I think the cave tubing he sends another guy... I honestly don't see how he would be able to cave tube...

 

 

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[Molly BPOE]

Wow. I'm really glad I read to the bottom of the thread because I was very close to booking the cave tubing/aerial trek for November...

Me too! I was seriously considering booking with them until I clicked on page two...YIKES!

[Crazy4Koko]

I was on the same tour as Njbosoxgirl and have the same opinion of the tour as her!!! At one point, they may have been good tour guides, but this was not our experience.

 

Nacho can not see very well and is not able to walk/stand very long. Cynthia was the driver. The 11 person van broke down a lot due to a loose cable connection to the battery. You must also keep in mind that there are many dangerous areas in Belize that we had to drive through and I don't feel that Nacho and Cynthia could have protected us very well.

 

We read that Nacho gives a lot of great history of the ruins/Belize. If your idea of history is the Mayans getting their information/ideas from aliens, you may enjoy the tour more than we did.

 

With all this being said, Nacho and Cynthia were very nice and kind people and did provide drinks which we greatly appreciated. Nacho even called me at home to apologize for the car problems.

 

 

Wow, that 'alien' comment is pretty closed minded, IMHO.. Somebody must think there is life elsewhere, given the amount of money we are spending every year on space exploration to try and prove that there was once life on Mars...but hey..you can either accept it as a possible opinion, or just move on. No need to make cracks about it. I think the very fact that he called you once you got home speaks volumes of his character.

 

We just got back from our Liberty cruise, and our excursion with Nacho, Cynthia, and Carlos ( there were 14 of us) was the most WONDERFUL excursion we have ever taken. Cynthia offered us a sampling of her wonderful cooking, and we had all the rum punch and water, beer, and soda we could have hoped to drink. While Nacho could not make the climb up the ruins, he filled us with as much knowledge as we could before we ascended them...and those who chose not to make the climb were able to get more information while we stood atop them with Carlos, who was driving the second van. He was available to answer any questions we had.

 

Despite torrents of rain, our visit to the Baboon sanctuary was outstanding. You could just FEEL the passion that Shane has for the work he is doing. Tho we didn't get much time to visit with the young Howler monkeys due to the rain, we were able to feed a sub adult who came down to visit. ( once the Howlers mature, they ignore humans..which is exactly what Shane is trying to maintain..they are meant to be wild..not kept!) I would love to go back in a few years and spend more time there.

 

By the time our day was over, we considered Nacho, Cynthia and Carlos one of THE MOST trusted tourguides in Belize. Now maybe THAT is closed minded because they are the only ones we used...but I know a good thing when I see it, and will ALWAYS recommend them to anyone who cares to ask.

[Banditswife]

Wow, that 'alien' comment is pretty closed minded, IMHO.. Somebody must think there is life elsewhere, given the amount of money we are spending every year on space exploration to try and prove that there was once life on Mars...but hey..you can either accept it as a possible opinion, or just move on. No need to make cracks about it. I think the very fact that he called you once you got home speaks volumes of his character.

 

We just got back from our Liberty cruise, and our excursion with Nacho, Cynthia, and Carlos ( there were 14 of us) was the most WONDERFUL excursion we have ever taken. Cynthia offered us a sampling of her wonderful cooking, and we had all the rum punch and water, beer, and soda we could have hoped to drink. While Nacho could not make the climb up the ruins, he filled us with as much knowledge as we could before we ascended them...and those who chose not to make the climb were able to get more information while we stood atop them with Carlos, who was driving the second van. He was available to answer any questions we had.

 

Despite torrents of rain, our visit to the Baboon sanctuary was outstanding. You could just FEEL the passion that Shane has for the work he is doing. Tho we didn't get much time to visit with the young Howler monkeys due to the rain, we were able to feed a sub adult who came down to visit. ( once the Howlers mature, they ignore humans..which is exactly what Shane is trying to maintain..they are meant to be wild..not kept!) I would love to go back in a few years and spend more time there.

 

By the time our day was over, we considered Nacho, Cynthia and Carlos one of THE MOST trusted tourguides in Belize. Now maybe THAT is closed minded because they are the only ones we used...but I know a good thing when I see it, and will ALWAYS recommend them to anyone who cares to ask.

Thank you for this review. We had NCQ booked for next month. I just canceled it today, wish I had waited. We really wanted to join in on a bigger group, but I could never get anyone to join us. We might try NCQ again next time we are in Belize. The baboon sanctuary sounds awesome. Glad you had a great tour. We opted for Al tun Ha thru CCL, which will give us priority tender boarding. Thanks again for your thoughts.

[Crazy4Koko]

Thank you for this review. We had NCQ booked for next month. I just canceled it today, wish I had waited. We really wanted to join in on a bigger group, but I could never get anyone to join us. We might try NCQ again next time we are in Belize. The baboon sanctuary sounds awesome. Glad you had a great tour. We opted for Al tun Ha thru CCL, which will give us priority tender boarding. Thanks again for your thoughts.

 

I am quite sure that Carlos will be of great benefit to Nacho and Cynthia, especially where folks might find it necessary to have extra information once they get to the top of the ruins...as for car problems? Who hasn't had them at the worst possible time? It certainly sucks when it happens to you...but it happens! Crime in Belize? yep..it happens..matter of fact, it happens everywhere.. I'm sure there are places in NY that no one would travel at night.. sure as heck are some places in MA I drive thru with the windows up and doors locked!!

 

The early tender is actually VERY easy to take care of, and by following Nacho's directions, you will get on the first or second tender. We actually were traveling with Platinum guests, so it wasn't required, but we DID have a private excursion planned in Grand Cayman that needed an early tender as well. When I showed Guest Services the letter saying we had an early tour, we were able to go down with the Priority boarders with no issue what soever.

 

One thing nice about supporting local tourism..you are feeding families. Many places (Roatan, Costa Rica, and Belize especially) depend on it for survival. They can't afford to do a half a**ed job. It is boards like this that help to make an informed decision...but you can't rely on just ONE review, for good or for bad.

 

If I'd done THAT, I wouldn't have booked Nativeway in Grand Cayman..did my homework and ended up on a tour with eight people instead of 98 with Moby Dick...for the price difference of LUNCH, which was included with Nativeway.

 

Which would you have preferred?

 

You will love Altun Ha..it is breathtakingly beautiful...in many ways! Be sure to wear sneakers and stay away from the kids with the little crocodiles... or give them a couple of bucks right away and maybe then they will find someone else to bug for photos. Oh, and I don't recommend white shorts..you may end up coming down on your tail on some of the ruins..if they have time to let you climb the 3 of them. In addition to the Baboon sanctuary, we also made a stop at the Belize city Harley Davidson store and a local store for some cashew wine and one barrel rum. There is a LOT of road between the port and Altun Ha!

 

We got back in PLENTY of time BTW.. and made a beautiful purchase of a mahogany hand carved reef from one of the tents outside the port.. vendors there were not overly pushy at all...wish I could say the same for Roatan!

[Banditswife]

Crazy4Koko, thank you. My main thing was the group. I didn't really want it to be just Nacho, Cynthia & us (2). If I could have gotten joiners it would have been fine. We were in Belize last Dec,2011- did the cavetubing. I am prepared for Tourism village & it's vendors. My 2nd choice was the River Wallace/Al tun ha thru CCL, so we went ahead & booked that after canceling w/NCQ. It was a bit less $$ than NCQ too. I just wish I had waited 1 more day (to see your report) I would then have stuck with NCQ. We cruise every year, so maybe NCQ is in our future. Again thank you so much for your input & suggestions. I am glad you had a great cruise.

[jmwg49]

I am quite sure that Carlos will be of great benefit to Nacho and Cynthia, especially where folks might find it necessary to have extra information once they get to the top of the ruins...as for car problems? Who hasn't had them at the worst possible time? It certainly sucks when it happens to you...but it happens! Crime in Belize? yep..it happens..matter of fact, it happens everywhere.. I'm sure there are places in NY that no one would travel at night.. sure as heck are some places in MA I drive thru with the windows up and doors locked!!

 

The early tender is actually VERY easy to take care of, and by following Nacho's directions, you will get on the first or second tender. We actually were traveling with Platinum guests, so it wasn't required, but we DID have a private excursion planned in Grand Cayman that needed an early tender as well. When I showed Guest Services the letter saying we had an early tour, we were able to go down with the Priority boarders with no issue what soever.

 

One thing nice about supporting local tourism..you are feeding families. Many places (Roatan, Costa Rica, and Belize especially) depend on it for survival. They can't afford to do a half a**ed job. It is boards like this that help to make an informed decision...but you can't rely on just ONE review, for good or for bad.

 

If I'd done THAT, I wouldn't have booked Nativeway in Grand Cayman..did my homework and ended up on a tour with eight people instead of 98 with Moby Dick...for the price difference of LUNCH, which was included with Nativeway.

 

Which would you have preferred?

 

You will love Altun Ha..it is breathtakingly beautiful...in many ways! Be sure to wear sneakers and stay away from the kids with the little crocodiles... or give them a couple of bucks right away and maybe then they will find someone else to bug for photos. Oh, and I don't recommend white shorts..you may end up coming down on your tail on some of the ruins..if they have time to let you climb the 3 of them. In addition to the Baboon sanctuary, we also made a stop at the Belize city Harley Davidson store and a local store for some cashew wine and one barrel rum. There is a LOT of road between the port and Altun Ha!

 

We got back in PLENTY of time BTW.. and made a beautiful purchase of a mahogany hand carved reef from one of the tents outside the port.. vendors there were not overly pushy at all...wish I could say the same for Roatan!

 

Can you tell me how much this tour was? I looked at his website and he doesn't give prices. I looked at David's pictures and am very intrigued!!:)

[Crazy4Koko]

Can you tell me how much this tour was? I looked at his website and he doesn't give prices. I looked at David's pictures and am very intrigued!!:)

 

Nacho charges $50 per person.. I am pretty sure that from other threads, that that is his standard rate, but it may be based upon a minimum number. I found it to be well worth it. They took us everywhere we wanted to go...I just wish the rain had stayed away!

 

 

If you send him an email with your contact information he will call you. I spoke to him several times before our trip!

 

 

We'll be sailing again with David and Wade on the Breeze this time next year.. consider joining the group!! :)

[jmwg49]

Nacho charges $50 per person.. I am pretty sure that from other threads, that that is his standard rate, but it may be based upon a minimum number. I found it to be well worth it. They took us everywhere we wanted to go...I just wish the rain had stayed away!

 

 

If you send him an email with your contact information he will call you. I spoke to him several times before our trip!

 

 

We'll be sailing again with David and Wade on the Breeze this time next year.. consider joining the group!! :)

 

Haha!! I tried to convince David and Wade to join us on the Liberty...but no go!!! Maybe another time! :)

[Crazy4Koko]

Haha!! I tried to convince David and Wade to join us on the Liberty...but no go!!! Maybe another time! :)

 

 

They keep pretty busy on the sea!!! We had 'all' wanted to do the Breeze this year, but she didn't get to Miami soon enough to work for all of us, hence the Liberty. We had SUCH a great time!! At least we only have to wait a year to be together again..this time!

 

I sent you some info via David on FB.. I didn't think it right to post the info here...

[jmwg49]

They keep pretty busy on the sea!!! We had 'all' wanted to do the Breeze this year, but she didn't get to Miami soon enough to work for all of us, hence the Liberty. We had SUCH a great time!! At least we only have to wait a year to be together again..this time!

 

I sent you some info via David on FB.. I didn't think it right to post the info here...

 

Thanks! :)

[bamboo29]

I looked at their website and see different tours listed but no prices. Am I missing something?

[christie629]

I sent them an email last night and he called me back today. For the Altuna Ha and Baboon Sanctuary tour it was $80 pp -- not $50. His prices have really gone up!!! Costs about the same as a Carnival sponsored excursion....

[Njbosoxgirl]

I sent them an email last night and he called me back today. For the Altuna Ha and Baboon Sanctuary tour it was $80 pp -- not $50. His prices have really gone up!!! Costs about the same as a Carnival sponsored excursion....

 

I also think how many ppl depends on the price... We were a party of 9 and it was 65 pp.... I would suggest u take carnival as the excursion for the two things you want to see if te prices are equal... I want impressed with his tour for either...but again that's just my opinion .

 

 

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[Crazy4Koko]

I sent them an email last night and he called me back today. For the Altuna Ha and Baboon Sanctuary tour it was $80 pp -- not $50. His prices have really gone up!!! Costs about the same as a Carnival sponsored excursion....

 

For the same price, I'd go with Nacho and Cynthia... Its worth it, believe me.

 

Carnival won't provide you with soft drinks, beer, rum punch. They will take you on a tour of the city, which Carnival can't do in their buses, and anywhere else you want to go!!

[sunset sails]

Our party of 9 took the Altun Ha tour with Nacho and Cynthia in December and had a wonderful time! We followed his directions regarding getting off the ship early and arrived at the ruins prior to other larger groups. Their van was comfortable and we appreciated the history of the Belize that Nacho provided on the way to the ruins. As we toured the ruins, Nacho would give some information about each area and then allow us to explore before we moved on to the next part of the site. Someone else on this thread mentioned that Nacho doesn't climb the ruins with you, but I did not see any other guides climbing the ruins either. Frankly, after climbing myself, I wouldn't do it on a daily basis either. After we left Altun Ha, we stopped at a local restaurant and had an excellent lunch before we headed back to Belize City. Nacho heard one of our group mention that she would like to buy some local rum to take home so Cynthia stopped at a local grocery store and went in with our group to facilitate the purchases. It was a really fun day and we truly felt that both Nacho and Cynthia were interested in making sure we had a safe, comfortable and enjoyable day! We would recommend them highly and definitely would use them again!

[Loki'smom]

Our party of 9 took the Altun Ha tour with Nacho and Cynthia in December and had a wonderful time! We followed his directions regarding getting off the ship early and arrived at the ruins prior to other larger groups. Their van was comfortable and we appreciated the history of the Belize that Nacho provided on the way to the ruins. As we toured the ruins, Nacho would give some information about each area and then allow us to explore before we moved on to the next part of the site. Someone else on this thread mentioned that Nacho doesn't climb the ruins with you, but I did not see any other guides climbing the ruins either. Frankly, after climbing myself, I wouldn't do it on a daily basis either. After we left Altun Ha, we stopped at a local restaurant and had an excellent lunch before we headed back to Belize City. Nacho heard one of our group mention that she would like to buy some local rum to take home so Cynthia stopped at a local grocery store and went in with our group to facilitate the purchases. It was a really fun day and we truly felt that both Nacho and Cynthia were interested in making sure we had a safe, comfortable and enjoyable day! We would recommend them highly and definitely would use them again!

 

I am glad to hear you had a positive time with Nacho. All the reviews on trip advisor are positive. I was about ready to book a zipline and cave tubing tour then started ready all the negative reviews and got concerned. You have eased my mind and am ready to pull the plug and get it booked.

[crewsweeper]

I liked our time with Nacho and Cynthia. DW, not so much. Cynthia is a gem and a very careful driver. Nacho trys, sometimes a bit too hard, to entertain as well as inform ( and his information and history on Belize is very interesting). He can grate on some people. I enjoyed some of his humor and "brain-teasers", though.

 

As others have said, though, the more the merrier, and cheaper. We got a group off our roll call and had the cheaper fare for cave-tubing.