Foregoing shore excursions

[Linda8818]

Would it be terrible to just stay on the boat in Belize? I am traveling with DH and 3 kids 13 12 9 and we are doing excursions in the 3 ports following Belize.

 

It will be November (rainy season, bad for cave tubing?) and I don't like what I am hearing so far --bug spray, hot, bring water, hot, bugs, hot, blazing sun, humid, etc.

 

I am not the 'adventure traveler' type. All things Belize sound so very uncertain.

 

Thanks!

[rjscott]

We visited Belize off the Celebrity Summit early in May, and it was hot, but not terribly so. We did an excursion with Belize Excursions and had a great time. Website: http://belizecruiseexcursions.com/Lamanai_Belize.htm

 

We did the Lamanai/New River excursion and saw a lot of sights on our way to the boat, had a nice ride on the river to the ruins, which were very interesting. The howler monkeys at the ruins made it seem like we were in Jurassic Park. :) Lunch (a typical local lunch of chicken, rice & beans) as well as beverages, was included in the tour. I did take some "Off" towelettes, which we used b/f going into the ruins, but never heard a mosquito buzzing or other passengers complaining about bug bites.

 

On our previous visit to Belize, we took a snorkel excursion which was great. We motored to a snorkeling site which included some stingrays, then went on to Ambergris Cay for a very nice buffet lunch and time for some shopping in the main town. A very enjoyable day.

 

Becki

[RedSoxWon]

I think you would be crazy to miss seeing Belize. It is maybe the most unspoiled of the ports I have seen. If you are afraid bugs will be a problem, do one of the excursions on the water, like snorkeling or sailing. You won't regret it--unless it rains that is.

[Zeno]

Another person who really enjoyed the Lamanai/New River excursion - nice combination of an exciting ride (the speed boats really zip along), some interesting wild life and truly great ruins. The bugs were not too bad when I was there (I got a couple of bites) but husband who did NOT wear insect repellant got NONE.

[pugsbest]

Would it be terrible to just stay on the boat in Belize? I am traveling with DH and 3 kids 13 12 9 and we are doing excursions in the 3 ports following Belize.

 

It will be November (rainy season, bad for cave tubing?) and I don't like what I am hearing so far --bug spray, hot, bring water, hot, bugs, hot, blazing sun, humid, etc.

 

I am not the 'adventure traveler' type. All things Belize sound so very uncertain.

 

Thanks!

 

I was on the Elation last August and had a wonderful time in Belize. We did and excursion out to Caye Caulker with snorkeling in 2 locations and (I paid $5 extra for lobster) lunch in a quaint beachfront restaurant. I didn't see any bugs the whole time, not even one mosquito bite! The water was a little rough when we were there, but there was a hurricane passing through the caribbean so probably made it rougher than usual. It wasn't hot, just pleasantly warm and no more humid than anywhere else we visited.

 

One thing I did find out when I returned home. I went to give blood at the Red Cross and they won't take it for a year after you return from Belize.

[alb38]

Linda8818,

 

I think if you are going to explore Belize the best way is with an excursion. Once you get out of the port area and the city Belize is beautiful. We did the cave tubing with our kids ages 12 and 14. Once we got out to hike in the forest it was just lovely and the cave tubing was something they may never get to exerience again. This was our favorite excursion on the cruise. My brother and mom snorkeled and they loved this as well!!

Enjoy!

[Linda8818]

Thank you for your very helpful replies. The 'unspoiled' aspect is a good one--once that is gone, it is irretrievable.

 

I'll have to reconsider all my choices :)

[cruisinqt]

We have a friend who lives in Belize and does tours there. Many people know him as Reggie from www.regtour.com. I saw him at our church recently, he comes up for a visit occasionally since he has family that lives in our town. We are visiting in December and I asked him about the heat and bugs that I've heard about. He said that it isn't near as hot around Nov.- April. He also said the bugs aren't nearly as bad at that time of year.;) The bugs and heat are bad mostly during the summer months from June-September. The only thing he cautioned was that at that time of year the water might be slightly cooler than normal. Not real cold, just a little cool and my 6 and 8 year old girls might not like the cooler water temperature in December.

 

We decided to stay away from any water sports and do something on land. He told me that if anyone wanted a specific tour other than what's listed on his website, just e-mail him (the e-mail address is on his website) and he'll put something together for you. That's what he's dong for us and the price is right. I like going with him because I know he's a good christian man that never misses church, even when he's on vacation he goes to church like when he visited our town. And he told me that he's never ever gotten anyone back to the ship late which makes me feel better.:)

[creek42]

the last time we went to belize, we went ashore but stayed in the port area, no tours scheduled! the pharmacy is really worth checking out, we visited the small museum, and bought some local artwork, and went to the bar...the wet lizard for lunch which has open air seating upstairs with a view of the harbor, went back to the ship early and had it almost to ourselves...it was nice. this time though we are going to venture out a little, wanted to try the cave tubing, but nov is the bad time of year for that, so not sure yet what will do!

[evildiva]

I loved Belize, its very beautiful and the people are very kind. We have small children but we left them in Adventure Ocean this port and went to the ruins. I did not see any bugs, we were there in Feb. and it was about 85 and very nice. I would go again definately!