Excursion ideas in Belize

[dvdkndy]

We are going to be in Belize in March on the Dream. We are curious about excursion ideas while there. We would like to know about Carnival and non-Carnival excursions you have taken and what you enjoyed. We are open to anything. I know some people are not a fan of going outside the terminal and we appreciate those opinions. However, we are going to go outside the walls so this is mainly a thread to see what you have tried and liked in Belize and not a thread to educate us on the safety aspect. Thanks in advance for all the help and ideas.

[crusinpsychRN]

Have you gone to the port page? I did a city tour--not worth it. I also did Carnival's Land Rover/cave expediditon. First time roads were bad, 2nd time HORRIBLE roads and no lunch except if you paid $5 to a local who brought chicken, beans and rice which is what we got included first time. You ride up the river to a park and take the rovers over paved and unpaved road to a cave site. Go across a suspension bridge, crawl through a cave then go back to tender in a bus with free rum punch.

 

Best thing is cave tubing. Check VIV or cavetubing.com

[tiggerlover]

We've done cave tubing with cave tubing dot com several times and LOVED it. Less than half of what you pay for the cruise ship excursion. Yhony and the boys are wonderful. Gotta try the cashew wine too. :D

[silvercrikhix]

DH and I thoroughly enjoyed our Carnival excursion in Belize.

Altun Ha and River Wallace!

 

It went like this:

A nice bus gave us a ride out to Altun Ha Mayan ruins. The bus was nice and clean, there were 2 gals on board who narrated as we went along. We were each given a bottle of water and sample of cashew wine. Belizian money was passed around to check out. Interesting information about life there.

 

At Altun Ha we did some mild/moderate walking and exploring with a guide who was also a fount of history, nature, etc.... I thought we'd find this boring, it was fascinating! You can climb up one of them and take tons of photos everywhere. There were a few shops/tables to explore, we did not. It was neat to see Nutmeg and Cashew trees.

 

The bus then brought us to a restaurant for lunch and rest period. The food was fabulous. There were many tables set up with native crafts being sold and we did make some purchases here. This is on the river and after lunch we went down some steps to the boat and we were off to explore the river.

 

The boat staff was fun and entertaining, as well as informative about the river, flora and fauna. We saw gators, manatees, monkeys, bats, birds, lots of iguanas, bamboo trees, etc.... There are homes along the river here and there, some shacks, some fabulous. Saw kids with swings swimming in the river and a bit downstream were gators, Yikes! We also talked with the Belize Coast Guard for a few minutes while at a fuel stop. (They look ALL business, too!).

 

At the end, the boat takes you back to port over some beautiful bright blue caribbean waters. We had time left to shop in port. We thought this excursion was very well rounded, we originally booked it to be our educational (not fun and frivolous) port of the 4 we had scheduled and were extremely happy we did it :D

[Mizzouaholic]

We loved the cave tubing which is offered through Carnival and Goffs Cay was amazing! It's a little island with snorkeling and is absolutely beautiful!

[Mizzouaholic]

We loved the cave tubing which is offered through Carnival and Goffs Cay was amazing! It's a little island with snorkeling and is absolutely beautiful

[jmorgania]

We are sailing the Magic in March over spring break to Belize. We booked cave tubing independent of Carnival using cavetubing.bz. Much better prices. Can't review how great it is yet but from what I've seen it should be a lot of fun.

[molme]

We also did the River Wallace and AltanHu ruins and would do it again in a minute. One of the best tours we have done.:)

[fkfad]

We have done an excursion for snorkeling on the barrier reef. We have snorkeled around the world (we are both expert swimmers and experienced snorkelers) and have seen some amazing things...this was not one of them! The reef (at least where they took us) was far off shore...the swells were high and it was difficult to swim against the current. It could have just been a windy day, however, I only spent 20 minutes in the water and decided that I had had enough! I would not recommend this excursion!

[Tree Hugger]

This past Thanksgiving we did the Lamanai Ruins excursion through Island Marketing. It was a full day and a lot of fun.

 

Next we go, we will probably do this Cave Tubing that I hear so much about.

[rjrice1]

Just book through Island Marketing ltd, for a altune ha mayan with Belize City tour.. .lunch included for $42.50 p/p. But you can google belizedexcursions and will find many different things to do with best prices.

Cathy

[angleslamv1]

Add me to the list of people recommending VIV. Outstanding Cave Tube Tour.

 

Cheers.

[RedbirdFL]

We did the zoo and city tour and enjoyed it a lot. The zoo is relatively small, but well cared for and has some interesting animals and birds that we don't normally get to see.

 

After the tour, we went to the Wet Lizard bar, had a few drinks and people-watched until we boarded the tender back to the ship.

 

It was a nice day.

[gfy012]

Cave - Tubing . com. Excellent!

[evandbob]

Cave tubing, Xanantunich (bigger ruins than Altun Ha), snorkel with nurse sharks and rays in "Shark Ray Alley". My very first Belize excursion was to Ambergris Cay off San Pedro, I loved it so much I went home and booked a week's stay on that little island called in song "Isla Bonita". CCL hasn't offered that excursion any more, although other cruise lines still do.

[spiritweevil]

We did the cave tubing with the .com guys last year and it was one of our all time favorite excursions. Can't say enough great things about this group. Loved the cashew wine! Brought home 4 bottles and hope to get some more next month!

[Jen1000]

I did an excursion with Carnival to Xunantunich. We were on one of the first tenders off. The tender in Belize is sort of far but a very pleasant ride.

 

We got into a very nice air conditioned coach. There were 2 tour guides that took turns telling us about the country and what we were seeing. We arrived and were each given a bag of water. We then took a hand cranked boat across a river and then vans to the site. There were proper bathrooms there. There was a local guide that joined us at the site who was very knowledgeable about the site and the Maya. It was great having someone with that extra knowledge. We had plenty of time to explore the area. The guides wanted us to basically stay together in 2 groups exploring a general area at a time. We saw monkeys in the trees and even a toucan. After we were done at the site we had time to do some shopping in the 2 or 3 shops at the actual site. After we crossed the river we were given a few more minutes to shop at the stalls (about 10). We then took a quick drive to the lunch location. It was outside in a covered patio. We were served chicken and traditional beans and rice. We were given a soda or bottle of water. There was alcohol for purchase (single drinks or bottles). Again there is a proper bathroom at the restaurant. There were a few tables set up selling items. At some point on the drive back one of the guides told us we would be late getting back to the port but not to worry, they were in contact with Carnival and the ship would wait. The drive to and from Xunantunich was very interesting, you pretty much cross the entire country.

 

We got back to the port knowing we were not the last bus (there were 2 other buses from our ship at the restaurant when we left). We used the bathroom again and we really could have taken a few minutes to look at the shops inside the secure zone because other Carnival tours were arriving but we did not want to risk it. We waited on the tender until the tender was full. I know at least 1 other tender was after us.

 

If you go to Xunantunich I would only do so with Carnival. I have been told several tours in Belize, including that one, are late back to port virtually every time. Booking with their tour, Carnival says they will wait and they did.

 

It was a fantastic day. I felt 100% safe all of the time.

 

We are going to be in Belize in March on the Dream. We are curious about excursion ideas while there. We would like to know about Carnival and non-Carnival excursions you have taken and what you enjoyed. We are open to anything. I know some people are not a fan of going outside the terminal and we appreciate those opinions. However, we are going to go outside the walls so this is mainly a thread to see what you have tried and liked in Belize and not a thread to educate us on the safety aspect. Thanks in advance for all the help and ideas.

[SoccerNanaOf5]

We've been to Belize twice. Because we enjoyed it so much, we did same excursion both times - "Captain Your Own Boats". Going back in August and trying to find something different, maybe a beach island excursion.

[Cruzinbabe06]

This is just my opinion, but, if you're going to see Mayan Ruins, I would definately go thru the cruiseline.

 

When we went on the Altun ruins tour, we went thru the cruiseship. It's an all day tour and you are going very far from the port.

 

If my memory serves me correctly, we were on a bus for about an hour. Then we were on a speedboat thru the river for about 30 min to an hour. The ruins are wonderful to see and you are walking thru jungle. I mean monkeys swinging from trees and everything. We loved it.:) Lunch was good, then you head back vice versa.

 

On our way back, while on the speedboat, something got tangled up in our motor. The motor cut off and we were at drift for a while. Actually drifting over to the sides, which made everyone onboard uncomfortable being we were in the jungle and where told alligators are in those waters.:eek:

 

One of the workers jumped into the water, there were 2 on our boat, and after awhile untangled whatever was caught in the motor.

 

Fortunately, it started back up and with a sigh of relief, we were on our

way.:D

 

I hardly ever book with the cruiselines, but, we factored in the distance and it being an all day tour, and the extra money we spent was priceless for our peace of mind.

 

And, again this is just my suggestion.:)

 

Whatever you choose, do book something and don't stay on the ship.

 

Belize is beautiful.:D

[OCruisers]

If an excursion offered by the ship doesn't suit you, you might like to check out

 

http://www.thewetlizard.com

 

LuLu

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