Excursion Feb 2015, Belize, Water Caye Snorkeling

[Baybear]

Oceana has an excursion to Water Caye for snorkeling in Belize on their Caribbean cruise on Riviera. DW and I love to snorkel, but I'm getting mixed messages about this. I've been looking around on various websites including this one and can't find any definitive information. Here's the problems...

 

1) There seems to be several "Water Cayes" in Belize: a. South Water Caye, b. Water Caye, and c. Little Water Caye... they all seem to exist and apparently "Water Caye" is a 511 acre island that's been up for sale for a year or two and seems to have been built up specifically for cruise ship passengers. But all reviews of snorkeling seem to be from "South Water Caye."

 

2) People say everything from "the snorkeling was terrible...I didn't see any fish" to "snorkeling was great!" but some of the time I can't figure out which Caye they were talking about. Probably South Water Caye.. .but what about "Water Caye?"

 

So... I am interested in knowing if anyone on Oceana has actually been on this excursion "Barrier Reef Snorkel and Island Getaway" (A review would have to be last year since this Season's cruises to Caribbean have not started yet) and whether they know what the snorkeling was/is like. If there are little to no fish/sea-life, we'd probably cancel this tour currently booked for February 2015.

 

TIA

[sunnies]

We did the Papeete to New York cruise this year. We had one of our best days in Belize starting with cave tubing followed by a trip to Mayan ruins. We did an independent tour for just three of us. If I recall the cost was about $120 including lunch or for just cave tubing it was $45.

[Baybear]

We did the Papeete to New York cruise this year. We had one of our best days in Belize starting with cave tubing followed by a trip to Mayan ruins. We did an independent tour for just three of us. If I recall the cost was about $120 including lunch or for just cave tubing it was $45.

 

Thanks... We'll keep that in mind in case the snorkeling turns out to be a non-starter.

 

I'm still interested in anyone who has actually gone on that snorkel excursion. I'll try again around January, when the ship has been on a few Caribbean cruises having this excursion and people have more recently gone on it.

[pacheco18]

Why not try posting on one of the old roll calls?

It is possible that folks are still subscribed

[Baybear]

Why not try posting on one of the old roll calls?

It is possible that folks are still subscribed

 

Thanks! that's a good idea!!! I'll try that (But I suspect almost all do not return except for shortly after the cruise is over. And about 4-5 months have gone by since their last Caribbean cruise).

[alexandra cruiser]

and believe it was the South Caye,anyway it was just OK. Saw a few fish and some corral. It was more for beginners,so he was not impressed.Guess it depends on your experience and what you expect.

I did the boat excursion with Oceania, did NOT want to wander around Belize city(port area)on own.Not safe,IMO.

My least favorite port on cruise, sorry,but true,,FOR ME.;)

[Bowie MeMe]

I too am interested in this snorkeling area and have not found anything much on the trips themselves. I can't get back on the boat from a ladder so I have an even finer definition of "good snorkel". I love a small boat with a water deck that you can swim up to.

 

One of the reasons for wanting to go to Belize is that it is a UNESCO heritage area for the barrier reef! Snorkeling should be fabulous but maybe not where the cruises go. Local tours, from the comments on Caribbean board tend to "island time" and poor communications so ship excursions probably best. Might try the scuba snorkeling board here on cruise critic (special interests). I will try to comment when I get back mid November. I admit that I am usually vastly unsatisfied with Caribbean snorkeling after Australia, Fiji, Tahiti, and others. But I keep on trying:D

[Baybear]

and believe it was the South Caye,anyway it was just OK. Saw a few fish and some corral. It was more for beginners,so he was not impressed.Guess it depends on your experience and what you expect.

I did the boat excursion with Oceania, did NOT want to wander around Belize city(port area)on own.Not safe,IMO.

My least favorite port on cruise, sorry,but true,,FOR ME.;)

 

Thanks! Good to have someone that actually went on this excursion comment on it.

 

We signed up for this excursion partly because the port at Belize didn't look like too much, and neither did just "wandering around the Island/Town."

 

Oh well, we'll be stopping in Cozumel Mexico, Roatan Honduras and Georgetown Grand Cayman and we know where to snorkel in those places (without paying $$$ for ship excursions), so even if Belize isn't the "cat's pajamas," we should do well in the other places.

Edited September 18, 2014 by Baybear
typo

[NC&KY]

We have been to Caye Caulker twice in the last 4 years snorkeling. There are lots of dive shops on Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye that go to the best areas on the Belize reef (the 2nd biggest in the world behind the Great Barrier reef), but you probably can't get to them from Belize City. :(Of the excursions I see posted for Oceania's stops in Belize City, the best BY FAR in my opinion is the trip to Lamanai. Magnificent ruins, a great river trip out to the ruins, and howler monkeys everywhere. :pIn our 2 trips to Caye Caulker we've done most of the excursions you could do in a day, and that one was the absolute best.

[Floridiana]

If you are willing to forgo snorkeling in Belize, we took a ship's excursion to the Mayan Lamanai ruins. (They are too far for private excursions). Bus ride first, lunch, river boat, arrival at the remote jungle site to the loud protest of howler monkeys. It was quite an experience. Wouldn't have missed it. Be happy when the bus does not break down. It's Belize after all. The custom's officials showed up an hour late. The ride into the harbor is very long.

[NC&KY]

If you are willing to forgo snorkeling in Belize, we took a ship's excursion to the Mayan Lamanai ruins. (They are too far for private excursions).

Actually they are not:eek:; lots of Belize travel companies do private excursions there. That's how we went. But we are in complete agreement that it is an awesome excursion.

Edited September 18, 2014 by NC&KY

[SeagoingMom]

You did not solicit snorkeling reports from those of us who have done it from other cays or through other ships, so I hope I do not seem impertinent. We snorkeled from an area known as Sergeant's Cay, to the barrier reef, on a Princess excursion (provided by Hugh Parkey) last March. Our guide explained that the cay itself had been washed away by a hurricane some years before. After an hour or more of snorkeling, we had a beach break at Spanish Lookout Cay, which does actually exist :) and has a little dive resort on it. From Spanish Lookout Cay we could see Water Cay. But as you say, it may perhaps not be the "Water Cay" referred to in your excursion info.

 

The snorkeling was good where we were, but I would not say it was excellent -- we had better experiences off Key West and Nassau. The coral in Belize was interesting, with many large and varied colonies, but the coral was nowhere near as colorful as in the above-mentioned places. There were some fish, but not tons. Of course, fish come and go based on currents, weather, tides, etc. and no one can guarantee what you will see on any given excursion.

 

I think part of the reason we did not enjoy the snorkeling as well as in the other areas I mentioned was because in Belize we were snorkeling in deeper water -- 20 to 30 feet or deeper? (I'm not a good judge of that.) I dove down often to get a closer look, mostly at the coral heads. And of course, the fish congregate around the coral. The guide brought up lobsters, sea cucumbers, conches, and anemones for us to look at and hold.

 

My advice (not that you asked for it :o) is snorkel in Belize, both to say you did it and to judge for yourself how you like it. I, personally would not want to have been in Belize and not snorkeled! (Unless I were a diver, and then I would have dived, but I'm not, so I didn't. :rolleyes:) The snorkeling was not bad, at all. Perhaps, for me, just not exactly what it had been hyped up to be. (And to be fair, Belize is really best known for its great diving, I believe, not its great snorkeling, so one does not necessarily imply the other, though perhaps I thought it should.)

 

This being said, there were two things that made the whole snorkel excursion more than worth it to me. The first occurred as our group was slowly making our way back to the boat as the excursion was winding down. A fellow snorkeler got my attention by pointing at something in the water. It took me a little time to figure out what he was pointing at, but then I saw them -- two reef squid browsing around the coral. I had never seen squid before! I spent at least ten minutes watching these two creatures. I concluded that one was a female and the other was her mate -- the one I assumed was a male turned toward me and kept his eye on me the whole time I was keeping my eye on him! He maintained what seemed to me a defensive posture, turning to follow my every movement, keeping his position between me and the other squid. I tried to stay with them as they moved slowly about, but not to get so near as to antagonize them -- I know squid can be aggressive. But I had a once-in-a-lifetime (well, first-in-a-life time, perhaps?) experience with an elusive but beautiful creature I had never before seen but always hoped to. By the time they swam off and I turned away, I realized I was the last one in the water, and the staff, my husband and all the other snorkelers, already in the boat, had been calling my name and trying to get my attention because everyone else was ready to leave!

 

The second memorable snorkel experience in Belize was when we were at our little beach break at the lagoon on Spanish Lookout Cay. I decided to snorkel near the mangroves along the edge of the lagoon. There I saw huge, colorful starfish -- 15 inches across and bright yellow, red and orange. And they were not merely lying about, but feeding and moving along. It was a thrill for me to enjoy observing these creatures as well. It was only later I was told by a guide that salt water alligators (caymen?) tend to hang out in the mangroves along the edges of these pools. :eek:

 

So, even though the snorkeling did not rank as high on my list as that in some places, and not as high as I had hoped it would, I would never have missed it!

[CintiPam]

We have been to Caye Caulker twice in the last 4 years snorkeling. There are lots of dive shops on Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye that go to the best areas on the Belize reef (the 2nd biggest in the world behind the Great Barrier reef), but you probably can't get to them from Belize City. :(Of the excursions I see posted for Oceania's stops in Belize City, the best BY FAR in my opinion is the trip to Lamanai. Magnificent ruins, a great river trip out to the ruins, and howler monkeys everywhere. :pIn our 2 trips to Caye Caulker we've done most of the excursions you could do in a day, and that one was the absolute best.

 

That's our plan; we have eight booked for a private excursion to Lamanai for our January Riviera cruise.

[oceanbabe]

BayBear: Since u say u know where to go on the other western ports, can u post as several of us going in Dec who r new to the area. thanks alot,

[Bowie MeMe]

I'm going in November. Would you be so kind as to look at the excursions and perhaps advise which would be best. At this point, we have booked the Beach power snorkel in Costa Maya Mexico, Pirate Beach and snorkel in Roatan, Honduras Quirigua Archaeological National park in Santo Tomas, Guatemala and Beach Snorkel Experience in Cozumel, Mexico. Doing a look around or not in Belize City, George Town and Key West. Could change things around if got good suggestions. Thanks Barbara on Insignia.

[Floridiana]

If it does not completely deplete your wallet, go to Tikal in Guatemala. Amazing jungle ruins. They fly you in on small chartered planes.

[NC&KY]

If it does not completely deplete your wallet, go to Tikal in Guatemala. Amazing jungle ruins. They fly you in on small chartered planes.

Yes, but. There's no way you can do justice to Tikal on an excursion from a cruise ship, especially considering the expense. It would be like doing Machu Pichu in 2 hours. Tikal deserves much more time. (We spent 2 nights in Tikal before going on to Caye Caulker this January.) I honestly think Lamanai is a better choice from the ship.

[Baybear]

I'm going in November. Would you be so kind as to look at the excursions and perhaps advise which would be best. At this point, we have booked the Beach power snorkel in Costa Maya Mexico, Pirate Beach and snorkel in Roatan, Honduras Quirigua Archaeological National park in Santo Tomas, Guatemala and Beach Snorkel Experience in Cozumel, Mexico. Doing a look around or not in Belize City, George Town and Key West. Could change things around if got good suggestions. Thanks Barbara on Insignia.

 

Thanks for your confidence in asking me for advice. I can only comment on what we (DW and I) have done, since I have not taken any of the tours you mention above. We like to go "on our own" whenever we find good snorkeling since 1) it's MUCH cheaper than ship tours, and 2) frequently much better since you're not with "the crowds" and can snorkel just as long (or short) as you want instead of the normally limited "45 mins" or so clock-time they allot you. Plus the tour typically take a lot of time to get you there with stops you don't care about at their brother's uncle's curio shop. And when we're on our own, sometimes we go to a spot, decide it's not great, and "move on" to another one nearby.

 

Anyway, what we've done in the past (and will do in February):

 

1. Cozumel: We've found great snorkeling just off "Money Bar" or "Dzul Ha" (pronounced "Shell Ha") (same place, different names) and you can rent lockers for $5 (as I recall) and snorkel gear if you need it. They have a large patio with tables/umbrellas and chairs with a beautiful ocean view and a great bar with cheap, good drinks and food. They have a ladder and stone steps into the water (about 4-5 feet deep on entry) and right off the "beach" (rocky) are lots of colorful fish and a lot of underwater cement "ringed blocks" to attract them. If you swim out a few hundred feet there is also lots of coral (and fish). Swim further than that and you'll hit sand and deep water, but no reef. You swim from "pocket of fish to pocket of fish" along the shore and linger over some beautiful "schools" of them. And this is just a $8 taxi ride from the ship (1-way)... only 2 miles away from the wharf. Money Bar has various "packages," but if you know how to snorkel, and don't have your own gear I think their snorkel rental is very reasonable (a lot less than their "$40 "teach you to snorkel" package." Look up "Money Bar Cozumel" on the web.

 

2. In Grand Cayman, we just walk about 5 minutes to the right (South) of the shore (as you face the shore from the ship) and stop at another "restaurant/diving" place called Paradise Seaside Grill, Grand Cayman. They have a restaurant (expensive and average food) but have a large deck area with lockers and rentals and entry into the water. There are LARGE tarpons typically swimming right at your entry which is a little spooky, but they keep out of your way and are harmless. When you swim out about 50 feet and then turn to go South you come upon fish clumps, and coral. Pretty good snorkeling, and it costs only a few dollars compared to ship tours. I think a locker (big one!) is $5. And it's only 5-min walking from the ship!

 

3. In Roatan, we just walk down to their cruise-port beach (with everyone else) and go into the water to the very LEFT of the beach (as you face the water) along the pier. There's grass there for a while which is a little annoying, but then you get out of the grass and we turn left (to the South) and swim under the pier (where you're not supposed to go, but it's perfectly safe and no one seems to care) and that's where some rocks and fish are located. There are NONE just directly out into the beach itself (hence the negative reviews about snorkeling here... they don't know where to go). We also saw 3 cuttlefish (I thought they were squid.. .maybe they're related) last time we were there... very cute all whooshing along together. This is entirely free if you have your own gear. I'd be very curious what the "excursion snorkeling" is like in Roatan, but we found it to be "not as good as Cozumel, but not boring either" just off the beach where the ship docks.

 

4. I heard the snorkeling in Costa Maya is not great so we have never gone snorkeling there... We just hang around their huge man-made swimming pool at the port and drink Margaritas (and of course DW goes shopping).

 

5. We're taking the "Barrier Reef Snorkel and Island Getaway" tour from the ship ($$$$) in Belize, but I have no idea what we're really "in for" there. I just didn't know what else to do there and we love snorkeling. This is the only ship tour we plan to take... since we know the other areas pretty well from past experience.

 

6. There's no good snorkeling in Key West unless you travel to a nearby Key, I think... although don't quote me on this one. PLUS the water's really cold this time of year and you need a wet suit. So we're just walking around to museums, conch ride, shop, etc. while there.

 

7. Still ruminating on Santo Tomas... Your choice sounds like a good one!

 

Good luck, and please somehow put a review of your Beach Power Snorkel tour in Costa Maya and your Beach Snorkel Experience in Cozumel if you take those. I think you can do some sort of "poke" on these boards to alert me of your presence. Since we're not going until February we can make changes if you find "good stuff."

[Baybear]

You did not solicit snorkeling reports from those of us who have done it from other cays or through other ships, so I hope I do not seem impertinent. We snorkeled from an area known as Sergeant's Cay, to the barrier reef, on a Princess excursion (provided by Hugh Parkey) last March. Our guide explained that the cay itself had been washed away by a hurricane some years before. After an hour or more of snorkeling, we had a beach break at Spanish Lookout Cay, which does actually exist :) and has a little dive resort on it. From Spanish Lookout Cay we could see Water Cay. But as you say, it may perhaps not be the "Water Cay" referred to in your excursion info.

 

Thank you! Your post filled in a lot of "blanks" I really can use! I appreciate detailed and personal experience posts like yours the best!

 

I can't dive because of not being able to "equalize" pressure well. So a deep-water snorkel would not be as good as a shallow one, but I'll stick with the Belize snorkel tour anyway, as you said... you never know what you'll find!

 

We come across "new and interesting" sights every once in a while when snorkeling like big sea turtles, or the small "squids" I mentioned in the previous post so it is worth the effort.

 

Thanks again for helping us "snorkel-folks" out.

 

P.S. Most of your post was deleted for this reply since everyone can see it anyway right above this one!

Edited September 19, 2014 by Baybear
added P.S.

[Baybear]

If it does not completely deplete your wallet, go to Tikal in Guatemala. Amazing jungle ruins. They fly you in on small chartered planes.

 

You're right about the wallet. $2000 seems like a little much for a 9 hr tour for two. But it's all relative. I'm sure Oprah would take it. And it does sound fun AND educational!

[Baybear]

If you are willing to forgo snorkeling in Belize, we took a ship's excursion to the Mayan Lamanai ruins. (They are too far for private excursions). Bus ride first, lunch, river boat, arrival at the remote jungle site to the loud protest of howler monkeys. It was quite an experience. Wouldn't have missed it. Be happy when the bus does not break down. It's Belize after all. The custom's officials showed up an hour late. The ride into the harbor is very long.

 

So many of you have expressed your liking the Lamanai ruins that I am re-thinking the snorkel excursion in Belize. Thanks for all your input!

[SeagoingMom]

Thank you! Your post filled in a lot of "blanks" I really can use! I appreciate detailed and personal experience posts like yours the best!

 

I can't dive because of not being able to "equalize" pressure well. So a deep-water snorkel would not be as good as a shallow one, but I'll stick with the Belize snorkel tour anyway, as you said... you never know what you'll find!

 

We come across "new and interesting" sights every once in a while when snorkeling like big sea turtles, or the small "squids" I mentioned in the previous post so it is worth the effort.

 

Thanks again for helping us "snorkel-folks" out.

 

P.S. Most of your post was deleted for this reply since everyone can see it anyway right above this one!

Hope you have a great experience! (No need to apologize about editing my post -- no problem for me when folks do that, although I know some posters can get huffy about it. :rolleyes: )

[Bowie MeMe]

:)

Thanks for your confidence in asking me for advice. I can only comment on what we (DW and I) have done, since I have not taken any of the tours you mention above. We like to go "on our own" whenever we find good snorkeling since 1) it's MUCH cheaper than ship tours, and 2) frequently much better since you're not with "the crowds" and can snorkel just as long (or short) as you want instead of the normally limited "45 mins" or so clock-time they allot you. Plus the tour typically take a lot of time to get you there with stops you don't care about at their brother's uncle's curio shop. And when we're on our own, sometimes we go to a spot, decide it's not great, and "move on" to another one nearby.

 

Anyway, what we've done in the past (and will do in February):

 

1. Cozumel: We've found great snorkeling just off "Money Bar" or "Dzul Ha" (pronounced "Shell Ha") (same place, different names) and you can rent lockers for $5 (as I recall) and snorkel gear if you need it. They have a large patio with tables/umbrellas and chairs with a beautiful ocean view and a great bar with cheap, good drinks and food. They have a ladder and stone steps into the water (about 4-5 feet deep on entry) and right off the "beach" (rocky) are lots of colorful fish and a lot of underwater cement "ringed blocks" to attract them. If you swim out a few hundred feet there is also lots of coral (and fish). Swim further than that and you'll hit sand and deep water, but no reef. You swim from "pocket of fish to pocket of fish" along the shore and linger over some beautiful "schools" of them. And this is just a $8 taxi ride from the ship (1-way)... only 2 miles away from the wharf. Money Bar has various "packages," but if you know how to snorkel, and don't have your own gear I think their snorkel rental is very reasonable (a lot less than their "$40 "teach you to snorkel" package." Look up "Money Bar Cozumel" on the web.

 

2. In Grand Cayman, we just walk about 5 minutes to the right (South) of the shore (as you face the shore from the ship) and stop at another "restaurant/diving" place called Paradise Seaside Grill, Grand Cayman. They have a restaurant (expensive and average food) but have a large deck area with lockers and rentals and entry into the water. There are LARGE tarpons typically swimming right at your entry which is a little spooky, but they keep out of your way and are harmless. When you swim out about 50 feet and then turn to go South you come upon fish clumps, and coral. Pretty good snorkeling, and it costs only a few dollars compared to ship tours. I think a locker (big one!) is $5. And it's only 5-min walking from the ship!

 

3. In Roatan, we just walk down to their cruise-port beach (with everyone else) and go into the water to the very LEFT of the beach (as you face the water) along the pier. There's grass there for a while which is a little annoying, but then you get out of the grass and we turn left (to the South) and swim under the pier (where you're not supposed to go, but it's perfectly safe and no one seems to care) and that's where some rocks and fish are located. There are NONE just directly out into the beach itself (hence the negative reviews about snorkeling here... they don't know where to go). We also saw 3 cuttlefish (I thought they were squid.. .maybe they're related) last time we were there... very cute all whooshing along together. This is entirely free if you have your own gear. I'd be very curious what the "excursion snorkeling" is like in Roatan, but we found it to be "not as good as Cozumel, but not boring either" just off the beach where the ship docks.

 

4. I heard the snorkeling in Costa Maya is not great so we have never gone snorkeling there... We just hang around their huge man-made swimming pool at the port and drink Margaritas (and of course DW goes shopping).

 

5. We're taking the "Barrier Reef Snorkel and Island Getaway" tour from the ship ($$$$) in Belize, but I have no idea what we're really "in for" there. I just didn't know what else to do there and we love snorkeling. This is the only ship tour we plan to take... since we know the other areas pretty well from past experience.

 

6. There's no good snorkeling in Key West unless you travel to a nearby Key, I think... although don't quote me on this one. PLUS the water's really cold this time of year and you need a wet suit. So we're just walking around to museums, conch ride, shop, etc. while there.

 

7. Still ruminating on Santo Tomas... Your choice sounds like a good one!

 

Good luck, and please somehow put a review of your Beach Power Snorkel tour in Costa Maya and your Beach Snorkel Experience in Cozumel if you take those. I think you can do some sort of "poke" on these boards to alert me of your presence. Since we're not going until February we can make changes if you find "good stuff."

 

Thank You Bay Bear! I appreciate your time and effort in trying out snorkeling sights for us. :) I will try to post after we get back. I use the boards so much for information and try to share with others. Power Snorkel is a rather new idea -- not seen it anywhere else but have not been looking either. I had heard of the Money Bar but it had slipped my mind a bit. Need 4 tours for 25% off package and we usually take shore excursions and do our own thing pre and post cruise. Just our way. We have done lots of things in Caribbean as lived in Florida and relatives in Florida for at least 50 years in Miami area. Key West we spent a week there about 5 years ago -- not much we want to do again so just walking around and buying key lime juice. Again thanks for the information.

[joiedevivre]

This was a most memorable tour in Belize. You can snorkel in many places but you will not be able to float down an underground river for miles in the jungle.

[sunnies]

The cave tubing was magical! It's an easy 30 or 40 minute walk from the car park to the beginning of the caves and then we floated gently through the caves finishing not far from our transport. One of our best excursions.