Belize, is it safe?

[rdrseller]

WOW, that story about Jamaca has me worried. My husband already said he was not to exited about me and the girls going on an excursion for that long. He is not able physically able to go and after that post, he is wanting me to cancel our exursion that we have already paid for.

 

Just wondering if anyone has heard that Belize is not safe?

 

Thanks,!!!!

[starketcher]

What story about Jamaica? What excursion? Belize is not Jamaica.

 

That said. A planned tour is fine in Belize. It is a bezautiful country and one of my favorite stops.

[rdrseller]

Me, my DD and her friend are really looking forward to cave tubing. I am going to keep our plans, not to mention that we have already paid. I will just try to calm my husband down and assure him that it will be safe.

 

Thanks,

[firefly333]

We took a tour of the city of Belize and it was so depressing and poor. I wished I had stayed on the ship. I have taken tours of other places and not hated them like I did for some reason this particular one. Maybe it was a personality thing with the tour guide. We had a driver AND a tour guide for just us 2, seemed too much to me. I didnt feel in danger, we hired them but I had not realized both were coming in the vehicle. We were told its the law you must have a driver and a tour guide (for 2 of us??!!).

 

Those who went cave tubing and went outside the city were very happy and Im sure others were too, just stay out of the city. We saw a church for instance and were told about when there was slavery and where they had to sit in the church and how the walls were made....I just dont like that stuff. Upsets me.

[KenM]

Stay out of the city . Crime is very high and if on our own, you are a target..

 

Take an organized tour everywhere..and you will be AOK....

 

Just remember - you are in a a different country/culture, poverty is extensive...

 

IT is all about situational awareness, be it Belize or New York.....

[vacruizer]

I wouldn't wander around Belize City alone, but you should be fine with an organized excursion. I would take a tour that went outside of the city so you can see the countryside. The people of Belize are friendly, gracious, and appreciative of the tourism dollars - an attitude I didn't get at all in Cozumel where things are considered safer.

 

We may soon be planning a land vacation in Belize we loved it so much - don't miss the chance to see a beautiful country. You will see poverty while there, but it wasn't as bad as we expected. I have seen conditions just as bad here in rural parts of the Appalachians, but just because people are poor doesn't necessarily mean they don't have pride in themselves or their nation. I was nervous about Belize before we went (even though our cruise stopping there was the only reason DH wanted to go) and it ended up being our favorite stop.

[honeydog714]

Belize is quite far from Jamaica :)

 

We actually loved it there, stopped at the pharmacy to refill all our meds and a quarter of US costs (no RX needed) and then went over to Caye Caulker a gorgeous island with no cars - just golf carts, lay on the beach did some shopping had a great lunch, it was a grand time!

[phaedramom]

As a THIRD WORLD COUNTRY BELIZE IS FANTASTIC

 

Travel outside the city and it is quite nice. Get a chance to visit the islands and you should find it very enjoyable.

 

SNORKELING off of Ambergris cay is Very Good

[crusingirl01]

Like everyone has already said...I would not go into Belize without a booked excusion. We did the cave tubing tour and loved it. This year we are going to Goff's Caye in the morning and looking around Belize in the afternoon, but we will not go to far from the port.

[chelledun]

We loved our time in Belize and found the people to be among the friendliest we have encountered.

[rdrseller]

Well, I think I will keep my excursion as booked. The girls are really looking forward to it.

 

thanks for the info.

[fireofficer5]

Iwas just there. Sorry I did not make it past the bar at the pier.

[caribbean dreams]

Belize is quite far from Jamaica :)

 

We actually loved it there, went over to Caye Caulker a gorgeous island with no cars - just golf carts, lay on the beach did some shopping had a great lunch, it was a grand time!

 

Caye Caulker is quite different than The main Island of Belize.

Belize city can be as bad as Jamaica when it comes to venders and shadey characters.

 

Excursions are safe and the cave tubing is great!

[PINEVIEW01]

The travel site I read up on before the first trip to Belize warned of getting of the path and being met by M16's. I stayed on the ship the first two times and the third I took a tour that picked us up at the pier to go snorkeling. Great tour, private!

[Wennfred]

Please do not compare Belize to Jamaica, they are two different worlds. I have been to Belize twice and would love to spend a week there. The place and their people are totally friendly, never felt or had bad vibes from Belize.

 

 

Fred

[patandal]

does poor equate with dangerous?? no don't think so ...some of you should proof read before you send...you sound awful . Just be grateful for what you have and appreciate any culture for what they have..jeez

[crystalblue0610]

does poor equate with dangerous?? no don't think so ...some of you should proof read before you send...you sound awful . Just be grateful for what you have and appreciate any culture for what they have..jeez

 

I really does sound bad but it's almost like it does. It's not like the people in these places who are robbing tourists and stuff have money, a good job, and a nice car:rolleyes:

 

We're of course an easy target. If you don't look like you're from Belize than they would expect you to be a tourist....a tourist who definitely has money on them and a pretty good amount

 

Their desperate because they live in a poor country and imo for some they think it's easier to take rather than earn. The same goes for people in the US. MANY would rather take than earn.

 

These places are so beautiful. I don't get why they just don't start a tour company up or taking tourist money in tips but working on a ship

[clackey]

Please do not compare Belize to Jamaica, they are two different worlds.

 

Fred

I concur. The people that we met in Belize were friendly and helpful. Is it safe? Probably as safe as any large U.S. city. The only difference is, I can't carry a gun in Belize. You watch your surroundings and pay attention to detail.

 

We haven't done Jamaica and have heard horror stories about the place. I have a close friend that said that this is the only place where he didn't feel safe in the daytime, and he is not the type to back down from a fight.

 

Will we go to Jamaica? Probably next year. Life is simply too short to worry about things that we have no control over.

[back2tampa]

We were in Belize last November. It was the first time we had booked an excursion off the boat. We used Cavetubbing.com and they were wonderful. They had a way of making you feel safe. Even thou they were kinda crazy guys, and we did drink a few bottles of cashew wine on the way there. they never left us alone. We made chains of people about 7 people long in our tubes, and we all went down the river together. We saw some people from the Carnival excursion and they were all scatered out going into some real dark caves. We had two guides per chain, one in the front and one in the back. We weren't going to get lost, mainly beacuse with cavetubbing.com you don not pay until after the trip. However when we got back to town we had a little time before we had to be back at the boat. Belize its self was not a place I would be interested in going to again. The people were very pushy. I was offered drugs right infront of the terminal area at the dock where there were police with M16. Now once you go back to the dock where the tender boat is, there is a nice area to get a drink and somthing to eat, and a little shopping. The year befor we went to Goff's Caye and that was a wonderful trip, you leave right from the boat and straight to Goff's Caye. Have a great time.

[Tanker4]

I've spent time in Belize off and on over the past few years doing consulting work and have travelled pretty much all over the country. Never had a problem and the people are some of the friendliest I've ever met. That said, Belize City is not representative of the country or it's people as a whole. They can be somewhat pushy and the crime rate is higher there than anywhere else in the country. If you book tours outside of Belize City you will be fine. If you visit the city, just be aware of your surroundings and don't wander off away from the public areas. Use common sense just like you would if you were visiting any large city here in the US for the first time.:)

 

Happy Cruising.............

 

Tanker 4

[Warmer Climes]

To me this issue is like thinking about places I have lived in the U.S.: D.C.; Los Angeles; Dallas; Tampa. Would you be safe walking around at all times of day in all neighborhoods? Emphatically not. Would I take a vacation in any of the above and feel safe in areas tourists frequent and at times tourists are around? Absolutely. I love New York City and feel safe visiting there, but there are obviously areas I would stay out of and times of night I am better off in my hotel room. It's a question of common sense.

 

We liked Belize very much, found the people very friendly and proud of their beautiful country, and we would definitely go there again. We would not wander around Belize City on our own, not knowing where we were going.

 

Barb

[Tanker4]

To me this issue is like thinking about places I have lived in the U.S.: D.C.; Los Angeles; Dallas; Tampa. Would you be safe walking around at all times of day in all neighborhoods? Emphatically not. Would I take a vacation in any of the above and feel safe in areas tourists frequent and at times tourists are around? Absolutely. I love New York City and feel safe visiting there, but there are obviously areas I would stay out of and times of night I am better off in my hotel room. It's a question of common sense.

 

We liked Belize very much, found the people very friendly and proud of their beautiful country, and we would definitely go there again. We would not wander around Belize City on our own, not knowing where we were going.

 

Barb

Well said. I couldn't agree more.

 

Tanker 4

[tishie58]

FYI for all of those "NYC" comments. We are ranked 39 in the most dangerous cities list....lots of midwest and southern cities outrank us.:)