NCL Western Caribbean Itinerary Suggestions

[GreatEscape2015]

Greetings,

 

First time poster here. My relative and I will be going on the NCL Getaway in mid May. The Itinerary is to western caribbean and central american porsts (roatan, belize, costa maya and cozumel). For this cruise, I have already pre-booked a few excursions in roatan and cozumel which I consider "must-see's", namely the dolphin swim and the glass boat tour of the coral reef.

 

I have a few questions for those who've sailed to these ports:

 

1. If you'd like to stay on the ship for an extra day ( and some $$), which port between costa maya or belize city do you recommend sitting out? Which port is less appealing?

 

2. My relative is a senior with mobility issues. Can you recommend a nice excursion in either Belize or Costa Maya which is fun, yet not physically demanding? It would be also helpful if it was a less expensive excursion.

 

3. For Question 2 above, did you book a local excursion for a discount price. IF so, which tour operator would you recommend.

 

 

Thanks in advance for all of your feedback :)

[RIvacationgirl]

In Costa Maya it is nice just to get off the ship and there are many shops in a plaza area to walk around. There are restaurants too. You can just look around and not spend anything. We usually buy a small trinket and return to the ship.

[Cruise-mom]

We are skipping Belize in June on Getaway as the tendering process doesn't appeal to us and my kids are happy to have another ship/sea day. In Costa Maya we are doing the water park but I have read that the port area has a lot going on here and you can do cheap beach days. We are also doing the dolphin swim in Cozumel.

 

It will be interesting to read some reports about Getaway on this itinerary, I think it started just this week.

[Kfamilycruise]

Like Cruise-mom, we are not getting off in Belize because of the tenders. In Costa Maya, we are doing Blue Kay, which is just an open trolley ride up from the port and cab ride back. At Cozumel, we are doing the stingrays.

 

You might ask this on port of calls boards as those folks might be helpful. I think it really depends on how severe the mobility issues are as well.

[eselby]

Your travel companion has mobility issues. The Belize stop is a tender, not a walkway. That should be all the info you need. Stay on the boat in Belize :)

[GreatEscape2015]

Kfamilycruise - I already posted the inquiry on the belize forum and have gotten a few suggestions there as well.

 

ESelby - RE: tendering. I wasn't familiar with the process as I haven't actually cruised before. Just Googled the term now given that it involves climbing aboard small boats and having to manually scale the Pier, I agree that this will be uncomfortable for my mom to say the least! Not the kind of activity level that's suitable for a 70 yr old woman with osteo-arthritis.

 

Costa Maya / Blue Kay it is then.

 

Thanks again for your suggestions everyone.

[kapcruiser]

How about Roatan?

[Mom2B&Z]

If I had to pick between a tour in Belize vs Costa Maya, I would pick Belize every time! Costa Maya is a beach. Take a taxi, go to the Malecon and pick a restaurant to hang out at for awhile. The beach is lovely, shallow and very non-swimmer friendly. The boardwalk area would be easily negotiated with a 4 wheeled walker.

Yes there are tenders in Belize but it's not as bad as you might think, unless the seas are rough. If it's calm, it's not hard to walk off the ship onto the tenders in Belize. The crew are used to having people with mobility issues on the tenders. I'm an OT, and I've never seen a tender transfer from the ship that concerned me. I've seen some in Cozumel that terrified me, but that's another story! You should know that tenders can be different in each port, but the Belize operation is consistent because all ships have to tender into the port. It's much different getting onto the tenders at GSC or lifeboats when they are used for tendering.

Belize is a beautiful country and there are many different things to do, the Belize forum will give you lots of ideas. The simple answer is a city tour or ruins, but someone with mobility issues could cave tube. There's some walking through rough ground and some small rivers, but doable with a cane and help from the guide. I wouldn't take a walker. I measured the route and it was 1.75kms or just over 1 mile with a slight uphill incline. I know many 70 year olds who would gladly take on this challenge, others wouldn't touch it with a 10ft pole. Osteoarthritis can vary significantly in how it affects people, so only she will know what is appropriate.

 

 

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