Private beach break

[GLCAS]

We went on the new Private Beach break in Belize. It was a very short tender directly to the Island. We enjoyed it. Volleyball and lots of chairs. Music and no one asking you to buy stuff. The only warning is DO NOT eat there. Bring a snack with you. My daughter and her friend ate there and both were sick. Besides that a great time was had by all...........very relaxing. You had about an hour when you got back to shop in the tourism village before getting back to the ship.

[Iamthesea]

Which cruise line?

[pazandak63]

Do you know which beach? Island? Caye you went to? Was there snorkeling?

Thanks for the food warning...I will save my appetite for when I get back on the boat...

Karyn

[GLCAS]

We were with Carnival Legend. And yes there is a guy that offers an hour of snorkling for $20. My husband went and really enjoyed it.

[GLCAS]

Oh forgot to tell which Island........Bannister Island.:)

[Sailor-man]

If anyone's interested .. just received a note from the folks who manage Bannister Cayes advising that the problems with food related illnesses have been addressed.

 

"We are aware of the comment made about the food on cruise critic which we take very seriously and has been fully addressed which included the replacing of cooks and changing our suppliers. Since that time we closely monitor our guests feedback about the food and to date it has been all positive."

 

If anyone has recent experiences .. pls post. :)

[GLCAS]

We were there the week of January 22, 2006 and both girls got sick after eating hot dogs and fries. :(

[momofzeke]

We were there the week of January 22, 2006 and both girls got sick after eating hot dogs and fries. :(

 

YIKES! This is making me nervous. I have this excursion booked for our March Carnival Miracle cruise.

 

If anyone's interested .. just received a note from the folks who manage Bannister Cayes advising that the problems with food related illnesses have been addressed.

 

"We are aware of the comment made about the food on cruise critic which we take very seriously and has been fully addressed which included the replacing of cooks and changing our suppliers. Since that time we closely monitor our guests feedback about the food and to date it has been all positive."

 

If anyone has recent experiences .. pls post. :)

 

This makes me feel a little better, though. I hope someone will post who has been to Bannister Island since they made the changes!

[GLCAS]

I wouldn't be nervous.........go enjoy but just don't eat the food. Bring a granola bar or some snack from the boat instead. Besides the food we loved our day there:)

[SomewhereBeyondTheSea]

I wouldn't be nervous.........go enjoy but just don't eat the food. Bring a granola bar or some snack from the boat instead. Besides the food we loved our day there:)

 

How much did Crnival charge for this excursion and how many hours do they allow you to stay at the beach?

[crazy4themouse]

Now that they've extended our port time in Belize (Grand Princess, 3/11) they are offering this excursion to Bannister Island. It sounds great for my son (10) and I, but I have a few questions for anyone who has been there.

 

It says there is a "dedicated kid's playground" -- can anyone tell me what it's like?

 

Is there any snorkeling there at all if you have your own equipment?

 

Is the beach sandy or rocky?

 

And lastly, did you have any trouble finding chairs and a nice place to park yourselves?

 

Thanks for any help!

 

-gina-

[budaman]

Gina......try this link. We were looking at this also, or going to Cucumber Beach after a dive.

 

http://www.bannisterisland.com/book_bannister.shtml

 

Mike

 

http://www.homepage.mac.com/csealove/

[crazy4themouse]

Thank you so much, Mike! That has all the info I was looking for! :) Thanks again!!

 

-gina-

[GLCAS]

Now that they've extended our port time in Belize (Grand Princess, 3/11) they are offering this excursion to Bannister Island. It sounds great for my son (10) and I, but I have a few questions for anyone who has been there.

 

It says there is a "dedicated kid's playground" -- can anyone tell me what it's like?

 

Is there any snorkeling there at all if you have your own equipment?

 

Is the beach sandy or rocky?

 

And lastly, did you have any trouble finding chairs and a nice place to park yourselves?

 

Thanks for any help!

 

-gina-

 

Yes there is a playground just for kid.........adults would have trouble fitting. The beach is not silky sand but more sand and broken shells. We did snorkling with a guy that offered it on the island for $20 and hour. I would say that there isn't great snorkling right off the beach. The coral reefs were a few miles out. There were plenty of chairs. At one point I did see some laying on their towels as other boats came but then some were leaving.

[GLCAS]

How much did Crnival charge for this excursion and how many hours do they allow you to stay at the beach?

 

It was $42 from Carnival and we arrived at about 10:00 and left at 1:30. That gave us a half hour shopping at the Tourism Village and back to the boat. The shopping on the island is very limited. And stay away from the food.:(

[crazy4themouse]

Yeah, I've heard about the food... I'll pass! I always pack a small softside cooler anyway, and bring our own snacks ashore. Thanks for the info on the not-quite-smooth sand; now I know to pack our water shoes.

 

The place looks amazing from the pictures... I think I'm going to go ahead and book the excursion. :) Thanks for all the info!

 

-gina-

[SomewhereBeyondTheSea]

It was $42 from Carnival and we arrived at about 10:00 and left at 1:30. That gave us a half hour shopping at the Tourism Village and back to the boat. The shopping on the island is very limited. And stay away from the food.:(

 

Do you know if you have the option to stay on the beach longer? I was hoping to catch the earliest tender to Bannister and the last one back to the ship. I really wish we were able to book this excursion through a tour operator. :(

[GLCAS]

We were on the first tender off the boat for Bannister Island. There were others that came after us. Maybe you could go back on the second tender back and the first tender out. Enjoy it was a great day there.:)

[DebnTom222]

Do they gouge you for beer and drinks ???? Has the food gotten any better at all??

[momofzeke]

Has ANYONE eaten here since they said they took care of the food problems?

[captNcrunch]

NCL has cancled its Private Beach Break excursion due to vandalism! :mad:

This was to Sargents Caye. Any one hear anything else about this?

[kelz66]

Does anyone know what kind of special occasion packages they offer?

 

The wife and I will be here on our 10th anniversary, and was wondering if there was something special they offer.

 

Their site does advetise special occasions. Yes I have emailed them..LOL, but figured it may take some time to get a responce from them.:D

[SBBScruz]

Is there something special about booking this excursion through Carnival? $42 seems expensive when you could get a taxi to to the pier and for $17.50 round trip get rides over there. Am I not understanding this right? Just looking to save $$ if possible, but don't need a headache from not booking right with Carnival either...haha:)

 

Thanks for the input!

[mnsawyer]

I think $42 per person is a lot especially since it's only for a few hours. I believe that Coral Breeze offers the same tour but with lunch...but according to this thread, you shouldn't eat there!

[momofzeke]

Is there something special about booking this excursion through Carnival? $42 seems expensive when you could get a taxi to to the pier and for $17.50 round trip get rides over there. Am I not understanding this right? Just looking to save $$ if possible, but don't need a headache from not booking right with Carnival either...haha:)

 

Thanks for the input!

 

The thing about booking through Carnival is that they pick you up right from the ship and take you directly to the island. You don't have to tender over to shore and then find a taxi. If that doesn't bother you, it IS less expensive to do it on your own.