How are Western Car. Ports??

[clstan36]

We are sailing on Carnival Miracle May 28th, 7 day cruise. I have heard some bad things about Belize, people standing around with guns and also that the hurricanes have ruined Belize and Cozumel. Has anyone sailed to these ports since the hurricanes and what can you tell me about them? We will have our two children, 4 and 13 and were looking forward to going to the beaches and snorkling. The thought of someone standing around us with guns is frightening! I have heard that Grand Cayman is great and we will also be going to Costa Maya. Any ideas on some excursions that are kid friendly??? Thanks in advance.

[simkoreb]

Have you checked out the ports of call boards? That's the best place to find info. I did the miracle last year, and loved it!!! You'll have lots of fun.

[clstan36]

What is the port of call boards? This is my first time on here and I am trying to navigate around

[Quincella]

What is the port of call boards? This is my first time on here and I am trying to navigate around

 

When you click on the "Boards" link, scroll down the page and you'll see a "Ports of Call" section. There, you can click on Belize, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, etc. and get tons of information and ideas for each place.

 

Incidentally, we took our two kids (2 and 8 at the time) to the Western Caribbean in '04 and loved it so much we're going back this Thanksgiving. The girls had a blast and we think it's beautiful.

[clstan36]

Any suggestions as to the best excursions? I've noticed by looking at the restrictions that there is not a lot to do with a small child except the beach. Mos thave the restriction of age.

[brickiemom]

Dear clstan36,

 

I can give you our experience in Belize. We did the carnival snorkel excursion. It was 75.00 a head, a little steep I know. My point is we went from the Glory to the snorkel boat nary a gun in sight. The crew was friendly,knowledgeable. Once on the tiny but beautiful island we could swim, snorkel, Kayak, sunbathe, etc. Plenty of bottled soft drinks & water on the way there. Plenty of rum punch & Belize brewed beer on the way back. There were several young children on this trip.

 

Now that I have learned more about booking trips independently I would try to find something on my own. However we really loved that excursion.

 

Brickiemom

[Quincella]

Any suggestions as to the best excursions? I've noticed by looking at the restrictions that there is not a lot to do with a small child except the beach. Mos thave the restriction of age.

 

Our trip didn't go to Belize, although I'm interested to hear what you decide since we'll be there on the Miracle in November.

 

In Grand Cayman we were supposed to snorkel with the stingrays but it was cancelled because of choppy water. In Cozumel we hung out at Paradise Beach and plan to be there again this year (we LOVED it there!).

[ValCat84]

In cozemel, when driving down the road you can see damage, but the major beach clubs were in tact, beautiful and running. We had a great time on the beach :)

[I&MsMom]

Hi! Our first cruise ever was on the Glory to the western Carib. in 1/05, with DS who turned 6 on the cruise and DD who was 25 months. We really, really loved it. So much so that we're going again on the Miracle next month. I'll give you some thoughts based on our previous cruise, and update you on the particulars as we found them when we get back from the Miracle! This trip, DS will be just 7, and DD turned 3 in Dec.

 

(In the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you that the Glory cruise, as our first, was a bit of a learning curve. However, DH and I were celebrating a major anniversary, and we were looking for something special to do in the late spring/early summer, and we decided on the Destiny in May. It was awesome! Fast forward to DH going on yet another (!) business trip in late August, and about 10 days before sailing, I decided to take the kids by myself on a 5-day out of NY - where we live - to Canada...That's how comfortable I felt, and how sure I was the kids would have a good time.)

 

Last trip, we were in Belize and Cozumel. In Belize, we went to Caye Caulker on our own. It is a beautiful, "real", island. But we didn't realize how long it would take to tender in, and we missed the earlier water taxi by a close margin, which meant our time on the island was limited. Hanging out in the waiting room was fun: lots of locals and back-packers. We had definitely chosen a path not frequented by many of our fellow cruisers. It was a truly wonderful 45 minute ride in a fast boat each way. The island was awesome - no shoes necessary - and we had time enough for a quick look around and lunch in a great place with an amazing view. But, I'll be honest, I really sweated the timing (which included working out the time difference between ship's time and the water taxi schedule.) In the end, we made it back with time for a quick drink in the tourism village before catching a tender back to the ship.

 

In Cozumel, we had a beach day: our one and only destination was Paradise Beach. Had a great day, the kids loved the water. No surf to speak of, clear water, no rocks. Very child friendly. At the same time, it was not a "great" day. Absolutely NO offense to Paradise Beach - it's a great place. Maybe because we live near the water, and trips to the beach are somewhat routine, it just doesn't stand out.

 

Our other two destinations on that trip were a short stop in Key West and Progresso. In Progresso, we went to a Mayan site about 15 minutes away from the dock. DS loved it. When contemplating this coming trip, I asked him what he would most like to do if we took another cruise, and he said "see more ruins".

 

So, our plans for the Miracle in Feb. are a reflection of our previous experiences. In Grand Cayman, we're doing the Reef, Rays and Rum Point excursion through Native Way. I have some anxiety about tendering in and meeting the guide by 9 am, and even more about them getting us back in time to tender back to the ship. But, based on info. on the GC boards, I'm taking a leap of faith. I think the smaller group will be a real benefit for the kids - I don't want them to have to get into the water if they aren't comfortable, but I like the idea of the crew making sure everyone, even those who decide to stay in the boat, has a chance to interact with the rays if they want to. There is no way you can be assured this will happen on the huge ship-sponsored excursions. Depending on sea conditions, DS may not snorkel at all. So, the Rum Point component seemed like a really good thing. It is supposed to be beautiful, and a little beach time will be great for DD (who isn't quite potty-trained and won't be in the pools on board). The ship-sponsored excursions which include the sting-rays do not include beach time. So, I figured this was the best of both worlds.

 

In Cozumel, DH is opting to spend the day with a friend who lives nearby. I'm considering the Atlantis Submarine for the kids (DH is 6'4" and a little claustrophobic...but, ssshhh....) I'm just having a hard time working out the timing for making a reservation. There is the difference between ship time and island time. And, I'm not sure about tendering in. There are quite a few ships in port the day we will be there. Clearly, I need to do more research. I think I'm more relaxed about this port because I feel like the fall-back plan of just taking the kids to Paradise Beach is not so bad!

 

In Belize, in complete contradicition to our previous trip, we're taking the ship-sponsored excursion "Altun Ha and River Wallace". I just didn't want to take on a rather lengthy shore excursion to the interior with a private operator for some reason (spooked by the time constraints of the last visit, no doubt!) Oddly enough, I got no arguement on this from DH, who is the original do-our-own-thing guy. This will be our first ever ship-sponsored excursion. Time will tell...

 

In Costa Maya, we've booked with David and Ivan for their 3.5-4 hour tour to the Chachobben ruins. We meet them at the Cat's Meow in Majahual at 9. We should be back by 12:30 or 1, which should give us time to take a quick dip and enjoy some lunch before heading back to the pier (where I understand there is also a pool.)

 

To address your hurricane and gun presence concerns...I believe Belize was not affected in any substantial way by this year's hurricanes. Cozumel is a different story. Evidence of the destruction is still apparently very evident, but they are rallying at an amazing rate. Some places remain closed, while others are up and running. There is a great link to a site on the Cozumel boards which updates all the beach club's and other attraction's progress.

 

As to the gun factor: the only guns I saw were carried by uniformed officials. While it is startling to come upon someone casually shouldering a serious weapon if you aren't used to it, it is common in European airports, and unfortunately in major American ones in recent years....

 

Sorry to go on...and on...HTH!

[serene56]

I never saw people standing about with GUns in Belize. We saw people in uniforms at check out stations in Costa Maya with guns.. but that is their country.. they are not like home. In Belieze you will need to do an excursion with the cruiselines or with a private vendor- I would not venture off by myself here.

If it was not safe--the cruiselines would not go there. (they stopped going to st croix because of safety problems for passengers)

[cruzeluver]

I was in Belize about a year and a half ago, and I don't remember seeing people walking around with guns. I loved it there. Found the people to be friendly, if a bit pushy. Ya know, "hey pretty lady, come buy my pottery". But I really had a great time there.

[pazandak63]

I went to same pots and found Belize to be wonderful. I took the Altun Ha trip with Carnival. It was wonderful. Did not see any masked gunmen...just alot of friendly wonderful people. Actually liked it better that Grand Cayman for the variety available and the true exotic western feel.

Karyn