Belize Excursions

[JaiJae]

I would really like to do an excursion when we get to Belize but all of the reviews I have read say that it’s a long ride to all the excursions...like an hour or more. Are there any close to port or no more than maybe 15-20 minutes from the port? 

[eaglecruiser2016]

My family and I went to Belize 2 years ago, and we did the Bacab Eco Horseback riding excrusion.  We took a bus ride to the stable/pool area and I don't remember it being as long of a ride as the website says it is (the information on the Carnival site says it is a 40 min ride).  The tour guide on the bus was well informed, gave us a great idea of the area, and had us laughing the whole way there.  We had a wonderful time on this excursion and I would recommend it. The pool area and lunch was better than I had expected it would be too. We decided to do this excursion because there weren't other things to really do close to the peir.   

I hope this helps.

[teknoge3k]

Are you only in port for a very short time, is why you want to stay so close to the port? Just curious.

 

In Belize, we use King David Castillo (AlTournative Belize Services) and he's great. He can customize whatever you want to do. When we went back in May, we went to the Community Baboon Sanctuary and went into the jungle and fed the wild howler monkey. They would come down from the trees and eat fruit from our hands. My kids LOVED it. It was an AMAZING experience to see the animals out in their natural rather than some zoo or in cages.

 

From there we went to Altun Ha ruins which was a neat thing to see.

 

From there we stopped by a local school to donate school supplies to them. We got to talk to the kids/teachers and just watch their way of things. It was really fun.

 

After that we went to lunch, then did a tour of Belize and did some shopping before heading back to port. We were only in Belize from 8a-5p and we got back to the terminal by 3pm with PLENTY of time to spare. 

[bury me at sea]

There really isn't much to do close to the port, other than shop and eat/drink.

 

Every excursion I know of will take you a fair distance out of the city.  There aren't even any usable beaches close.

 

When we don't want to spend the whole day on an excursion we've found a delightful coffee/chocolate shop close to the pier that's good for souvenir shopping.  Also, if you like beer, Belize bottles a local one, Belikin, that is really good.  My Belize mantra is, "Sit on the pier drinking Belikin beer."

[FijiFlip]

We are visiting Belize on our November 25th cruise on the Magic. We are scheduled to do the Snorkling Wonders of the Barrier Reef. That one has you picked up by boat directly from the ship instead of tendering in to the port. I think the boat ride is 30 minutes. So we don’t have to do the ship tender and then get on a bus.

 

We we did the Belize City Tour and Altun Ha Mayan Ruins on a cruise to Belize a few years backAfter tendering over we got on the bus tour and then went out to the ruins. It was a long time in the bus but the ruins are amazing. I saw they have one that does a river boat tour instead of a bus tour. That one might be interesting but I would imagine you are still going to have to spend some time on a bus. Most of those attractions are on the opposite side of the island from the cruise port.

 

There just doesn’t seem to be as many excursions to choose from in Belize this time. ☹️

 

Have a a great time in Belize and on the rest of your cruise!!

Edited October 31, 2018 by FijiFlip

[JaiJae]

2 minutes ago, teknoge3k said:

Are you only in port for a very short time, is why you want to stay so close to the port? Just curious.

 

In Belize, we use King David Castillo (AlTournative Belize Services) and he's great. He can customize whatever you want to do. When we went back in May, we went to the Community Baboon Sanctuary and went into the jungle and fed the wild howler monkey. They would come down from the trees and eat fruit from our hands. My kids LOVED it. It was an AMAZING experience to see the animals out in their natural rather than some zoo or in cages.

 

From there we went to Altun Ha ruins which was a neat thing to see.

 

From there we stopped by a local school to donate school supplies to them. We got to talk to the kids/teachers and just watch their way of things. It was really fun.

 

After that we went to lunch, then did a tour of Belize and did some shopping before heading back to port. We were only in Belize from 8a-5p and we got back to the terminal by 3pm with PLENTY of time to spare. 

We’re in port from 8-5 so we really wanted to do something fun. Thanks for the suggestion...I will look them up

[JaiJae]

16 minutes ago, eaglecruiser2016 said:

My family and I went to Belize 2 years ago, and we did the Bacab Eco Horseback riding excrusion.  We took a bus ride to the stable/pool area and I don't remember it being as long of a ride as the website says it is (the information on the Carnival site says it is a 40 min ride).  The tour guide on the bus was well informed, gave us a great idea of the area, and had us laughing the whole way there.  We had a wonderful time on this excursion and I would recommend it. The pool area and lunch was better than I had expected it would be too. We decided to do this excursion because there weren't other things to really do close to the peir.   

I hope this helps.

This helps a lot... Thank you 

[JaiJae]

7 minutes ago, FijiFlip said:

We are visiting Belize on our November 25th cruise on the Magic. We are scheduled to do the Snorkling Wonders of the Barrier Reef. That one has you picked up by boat directly from the ship instead of tendering in to the port. I think the boat ride is 30 minutes. So we don’t have to do the ship tender and then get on a bus.

 

We we did the Belize City Tour and Altun Ha Mayan Ruins on a cruise to Belize a few years backAfter tendering over we got on the bus tour and then went out to the ruins. It was a long time in the bus but the ruins are amazing. I saw the have one that does a river boat tour instead of a bus tour. That one might be interesting but I would imagine you are still going to have to spend some time on a bus. Most of those attractions are on the opposite side of the island from the cruise port.

 

There just doesn’t seem to be as many excursions to choose from in Belize this time. ☹️

 

Have a a great time in Belize and on the rest of your cruise!!

Thanks for sharing...did you book your excursion through carnival? 

[robc1972]

I have done the river/ruins tour and loved it.

Lots of wildlife on the river and the ruins are impressive to go and look at.

[schazzy]

31 minutes ago, FijiFlip said:

We we did the Belize City Tour and Altun Ha Mayan Ruins on a cruise to Belize a few years backAfter tendering over we got on the bus tour and then went out to the ruins. It was a long time in the bus but the ruins are amazing.

 

 

 

We too did this one, and yes you are on the bus a while, but you really get to see a good bit of the city and countryside and our guide was very informative. The ruins were impressive and you can climb the steps up to the top of them and the guides there are very informative as well. We enjoyed it.  

[FijiFlip]

1 hour ago, JaiJae said:

Thanks for sharing...did you book your excursion through carnival? 

Yes, both are Carnival excursions. 

[Jenny in TX]

We just got off the Vista about 10 days ago.  We did a private excursion with Coral Breeze tours.  There were 12 of us and everyone loved it and had a great time.  I would definitely book with them again.  Here is the review I wrote on the Belize port of call page a few days ago.

 

We stopped in Belize last Wednesday (10/17/18) on the Carnival Vista.  We had 12 people in our group and booked the Shark/Ray Alley tour with Coral Breeze.  Because we had a bigger group our price was discounted to $67.50/person.  We got to the dock and found Coral Breeze and were told that our group would have its own boat!  We boarded and made the 45 minute ride out to Caye Caulker.  When we were riding to Caye Caulker we saw a huge spotted eagle ray jump out of the water.  It was pretty amazing!  We also saw a dolphin.  Once we got to the island they docked right in front of Island Magic Resort/Restaurant.  We placed our lunch orders and then we left to go snorkeling and they told us when we came back they would have our food ready.  We first went to the coral gardens to snorkel.  Two guides got in the water with us and we snorkeled for about 45 minutes.  One of the guides went down and got an eel to come up so we could see it, he also brought up a conch shell and a huge hermit crab for us to see.  We saw several barracudas (one was about 4-1/2' long).  He was constantly pointing out fish and urchins and making sure we all saw them.  I have never seen so much coral in one place....it was beautiful.  After that we loaded up and went to the area where the stingrays and nurse sharks were.  I am 5'2" and even I could stand where the stingrays and sharks were.  There was a large group of both sharks and stingrays.  We stayed there for about 20 minutes and afterwards they handed out fresh pineapple, rum punch & water.  Then we headed back to the island and had about 1-1/2 hours to eat lunch and hang out until we had to leave to head back to Belize City.

 

My mother in law does not like to snorkel and she stayed on the boat and sat in the shade while we were in the water.  There was a 3rd guide who stayed on the boat the whole time and she said that he was so nice and spent the entire time telling her about life in Belize and different marine life in the water.  She said she really enjoyed talking to him.

 

The cruise ship had cancelled all of their excursions to Caye Caulker that day because it was supposed to rain.  It was an absolutely beautiful day with not a cloud in the sky and there only 2 other boats out when we were snorkeling and we were the only people at the restaurant we went to.  It was a perfect day and we are already planning a trip back to Caye Caulker.

 

I can not recommend Coral Breeze enough.  I emailed Coral Breeze several times before our trip to ask questions and Mark always replied within 30 minutes.  We will not hesitate to book with them again!  We tipped them very well at the end of the excursion.

[originalgeek]

I'll just throw in a vote for Butts Up! Cave tubing here.  Still one of my favorite excursions I've been on in any port.  Yes, it's a long drive but they entertain you along the way. It's not through Carnival but it's about half the price of a similar cave tubing tour that is through Carnival and you get to be on the river longer.  Plus they carry your tubes for you. 

 

It's a physically demanding hike through the rain forest to get to the entry spot but my wife and I made it and we are old and fat.  The guides pointed out interesting flora and fauna along the way. The float back down the river was well worth the hike. 

 

2 years ago they provided a lunch on the way back and it was a giant tamale but I don't know if it's the same menu now.  It tasted great but be aware it's more "authentic" than you might be used to - the chicken had bones.  I ate around them and enjoyed it tremendously.  Alcohol was extra but very reasonable for rum punch in a coconut and the previously mentioned up-thread Belikin beer.  I loved that beer and would buy it here if I could find it.  

 

It's definitely worth considering if you are inclined.

[Wave61]

We have booked the scenic wildlife river tour.  From what I understand is that it is a short walk and you leave from the pier.

[coevan]

you do know the ship is at anchor and you have to tender to Belize.  I'm pretty sure most tours leave from the tender dock. 

[JaiJae]

1 hour ago, Wave61 said:

We have booked the scenic wildlife river tour.  From what I understand is that it is a short walk and you leave from the pier.

That’s good to know. I will check them out.  Thank you 

[JaiJae]

9 minutes ago, coevan said:

you do know the ship is at anchor and you have to tender to Belize.  I'm pretty sure most tours leave from the tender dock. 

No! I didn’t know that...that’s why I’m here asking my fellow cruisers but thanks for the response. 

[evandbob]

8 hours ago, eaglecruiser2016 said:

My family and I went to Belize 2 years ago, and we did the Bacab Eco Horseback riding excrusion.  We took a bus ride to the stable/pool area and I don't remember it being as long of a ride as the website says it is (the information on the Carnival site says it is a 40 min ride).  The tour guide on the bus was well informed, gave us a great idea of the area, and had us laughing the whole way there.  We had a wonderful time on this excursion and I would recommend it. The pool area and lunch was better than I had expected it would be too. We decided to do this excursion because there weren't other things to really do close to the peir.   

I hope this helps.

I'm happy someone else enjoyed this tour.  I also did this Baocab Tour a few months ago and hated it.  Long ride, through some roads still being re-paved.  If you aren't doing an add on activity, there's just a pool and lunch and a long ride back to the port to look forward too.  Oh wait, I almost forgot about the fire ants that munched on my ankles while I stood on the pool's pavers.  Their stings lasted over a week.

 

If an excursion is worthwhile, like the Lamanai or Xanantunich ruins, I don't mind the long ride, but this place IMO didn't justify it.

 

If the OP snorkels, there are many water excursions to look into for Belize, since it sits right on this hemisphere's longest coral reef and you may as well see it before it dies out.  Use oil free or bio-degradable sunscreen please.

[Wave61]

33 minutes ago, coevan said:

you do know the ship is at anchor and you have to tender to Belize.  I'm pretty sure most tours leave from the tender dock. 

I'd forgotten that it's a tender port but from reading the reviews of this excursion, there is supposedly no bus ride involved.

[coevan]

doubt it, there is nothing in Belize City, anything scenic, wildlife and rivers will be a ride away

[Wave61]

31 minutes ago, coevan said:

doubt it, there is nothing in Belize City, anything scenic, wildlife and rivers will be a ride away

It's a 2 hour excursion and the description reads "cast off from the dock and your experienced captain heads out of the harbor and along the Belize City coastline"  Is there anyway to find out for sure?

[mexicobob]

We did the cave tubing through Carnival when we were there couple of years ago.  Very pleasantly surprised that it was a fantastic tour.  Great guide, food etc.  Involved  a ride of a little over an hour each way that allowed you to see some of the countryside, and take a nap on the way back.  Highly recommend it.  

[robc1972]

1 hour ago, JaiJae said:

No! I didn’t know that...that’s why I’m here asking my fellow cruisers but thanks for the response. 

 

If it is a similar tour to that I did on the river you get off the tender and the boat you get on is right there. The one I did went a couple hours up the river then onto a bus to some cool ruins and back to the pier.

 

If you do a ship excursion you meet on the ship and get on a tender.

Tender ride in Belize is about a half hour so if you dont like bouncing around you might not like it.

 

Been to Belize 3 times, last time it was too rough to tender so we had a sea day instead. Didnt bother me because I wasnt planning on getting off anyway, done everything I wanted to do there and the city itself is kind of a dump.

[mlshum]

There really isn't much close to the port however, if you book an excursion through Carnival, you have a guarantee that they won't leave without you.  The last time we visited Belize, we did a cave tubing excursion, which was incredible!  The cave we visited was actually the cover of a National Geographic some years ago and it looked familiar when we were there.  The bus ride was about 45 minutes, maybe a little more, but it was also interesting as we got to see a lot of the countryside.  Don't hesitate to book an excursion and see this beautiful place.  You won't regret it!

[LostPuppy]

Did a SCUBA excursion once in Belize and went straight from the ship to a dive boat that took us to some reef/island for the preliminaries (equipment, sign waivers, etc), out for the dive, then back to the ship.  Never set foot in Belize proper....

 

Another time took a water taxi from outside the gates to Caye Caulker.  Probably waited 10 minutes for the water taxi, then a 45 minute ride to the caye.  Once there we snorkeled, then had some fresh seafood at some hole-in-the-wall bar and grill on the north end of the "main" island whose name escapes me.  That was a very fun day...