Need ideas for Belize with 1.5 year old

[jhdoublin]

Anyone have any suggestions on what to do in Belize with a 1 1/2 year old? There will be 7 others with me also-adults. Been to Belize before just not with a young one.

Thanks

[cb at sea]

Do what everyone else wants to do....the child is too young to really know, understand or remember WHAT happened. And, you'll have plenty of people to watch the child while the others are having fun....

[jhdoublin]

We are the only ones in the group that have cruised - so I have to do the planning. I would love to take them cave tubing- but pretty sure that's out!

 

Done the ruins also- thinking maybe the zoo?

[crusinmama06]

Yeah you can forget about cave tubing. ;) And ATV riding. ;)

 

The ruins are ok, sort of. It makes for a really long day. Most of the ruin tours are pretty long. But people on this board have done it with young children and lived to tell the tale. :D

 

The zoo seems to be the first choice for cruisers with children...BUT, just make sure it would be an ok choice for the other 7 in your group. The zoo is just an ok experience. It's not the best that Belize has to offer.

[jhdoublin]

Yeah you can forget about cave tubing. ;) And ATV riding. ;)

 

The ruins are ok, sort of. It makes for a really long day. Most of the ruin tours are pretty long. But people on this board have done it with young children and lived to tell the tale. :D

 

The zoo seems to be the first choice for cruisers with children...BUT, just make sure it would be an ok choice for the other 7 in your group. The zoo is just an ok experience. It's not the best that Belize has to offer.

 

Hi crusinmama!

We have done the ruins and they are good to see...once. The people we are going with don't even care if they get off the boat- they have never cruised. I think I can take care of every other port except this one- I just can't think of anything that would be ok- and they will do whatever we want to do anyway. I know there is a lot to Belize but they waited 2 years too late to decide to finally go with us.

So this particular port will be about something I can take the little one to, because of the way the port/layout of the city is. No beach you can just catch a ride to easily.

So what did you do in Belize with your little ones?

Thanks~

[crusinmama06]

Shhhhhh...I left them on the ship for the first time EVER. ;)

 

After going through all of the excursions with them, they asked to stay onboard. So my hubby and I did the ATV tour with cave-tubing.com

 

But that's not an option for you, yet. Maybe in a few more years. :)

[rolloman]

If I remember correctly isn't that one long long tender ride just to get to Belize? I really do not remember seeing anything worthwhile for a child that age in Belize. If I were you I would leave the kids with whomever wanted to stay onboard. Sorry to be a buzzkill but thats my opinion from my visit there last year.

[crusinmama06]

If I remember correctly isn't that one long long tender ride just to get to Belize? I really do not remember seeing anything worthwhile for a child that age in Belize. If I were you I would leave the kids with whomever wanted to stay onboard. Sorry to be a buzzkill but thats my opinion from my visit there last year.

 

It is 20 minutes. Or at least it was when we went in Feb. My kids kind of like those tender rides though. :) When they were younger, they always fell asleep on them.

 

jhdoublin - actually, the one option that we were seriously considering going on with the kids was the jungle boat and zoo tour. I didn't want to take the bus/city tour combined with the zoo because I knew that there wouldn't be much to see on the bus. But the jungle boat/zoo tour....someone here had pictures of it and they had a baby with them...looked like something that would be really interesting. So it was just interesting enough for the adults and just tame enough for young kids.

[gracie65]

Belize with a one year old that would be a tough one. Last time we were there we used this company: http://www.ncqadventuretours.com/tours.html

On the port of call boards they are known as Nacho & Cynthia. They were wonderful. Picked us up right at the dock. We did the cave tubing & ziplining but they have several things they offer. When we make it back we plan to do the ruins with them then. Nacho was extremely knowledgeable & kept us entertained.

[gt95stang]

Check the Belize board for information as well, but a couple thoughts that haven't been mentioned yet.

 

My 6 year old daughter loved shopping in the "market" (I put that in quotes, because its really just a hodge-podge of tents set up on the street) in the area right outside the gates of the tourism village. If the adults you're traveling with like that kind of thing, it would be inexpensive, easy and flexible. Whenever you get tired of hauling the baby around, you could head back to the boat.

 

Another thing I considered but ended up not doing is the baboon (really howler monkeys) sanctuary. I thought it sounded interesting, and a 1 1/2 year old might get a kick out of the monkeys. I think its relatively close to the zoo as well, so you might be able to do both if you wanted.

 

http://www.howlermonkeys.org/

[jhdoublin]

Check the Belize board for information as well, but a couple thoughts that haven't been mentioned yet.

 

My 6 year old daughter loved shopping in the "market" (I put that in quotes, because its really just a hodge-podge of tents set up on the street) in the area right outside the gates of the tourism village. If the adults you're traveling with like that kind of thing, it would be inexpensive, easy and flexible. Whenever you get tired of hauling the baby around, you could head back to the boat.

 

Another thing I considered but ended up not doing is the baboon (really howler monkeys) sanctuary. I thought it sounded interesting, and a 1 1/2 year old might get a kick out of the monkeys. I think its relatively close to the zoo as well, so you might be able to do both if you wanted.

 

 

 

http://www.howlermonkeys.org/

 

We actually did the baboon sacntuary last time we were there- without the baby of course. Had a tour guide named Lyndon Tilly (I think)- anyway it was actually fun-that was until my husband stepped on a nest of killer bees(that's what the tour guide called them) and they chased hima and our tour guide quite a ways through the sanctuary! They didn't die of course- but they left small little thorn like pieces in your skin- unlike our typical bees leave stingers.

 

So we renamed his company to "Run For Your Life Tours". It was interesting to say the least.

I am allergic to bees- that was the only good part of it- it wasn't me and my daughter-we were a few steps behind them at that moment thank goodness!

 

Enjoyed it otherwise though.

 

May do the shopping if nothing else comes up though.

[jhdoublin]

It is 20 minutes. Or at least it was when we went in Feb. My kids kind of like those tender rides though. :) When they were younger, they always fell asleep on them.

 

jhdoublin - actually, the one option that we were seriously considering going on with the kids was the jungle boat and zoo tour. I didn't want to take the bus/city tour combined with the zoo because I knew that there wouldn't be much to see on the bus. But the jungle boat/zoo tour....someone here had pictures of it and they had a baby with them...looked like something that would be really interesting. So it was just interesting enough for the adults and just tame enough for young kids.

 

 

 

I was thinking maybe the zoo- someone said a stroller might not work well over the bumpy roads though?

[5waldos]

Send your friends on the cave tubing- surely as adults they won't need you to hold their hands. I am surprised that you can't get to a beach- my kids would spend hours digging in the sand and splashing in the water. But unfortunately most of the beach trips I have seen advertised are mostly drinking days- not the best idea with a young one in tow. But at that young age just strolling around and the opportunity to run a bit will be enough. You find something on shore to do- the jungle boat and zoo sound great as long as you can ditch out and return to the ship if you need to.

[happybooker1]

After we docked, we walked down to the water taxi place (about 5 blocks away IIRC). Bought RT tickets to Caye Caulker. Boat ride was about 45 min. Toured the island all day. There's a nice beach place and places to eat down "Main Street". Shops, vendors, and a beach at the end of the island (about a mile) where you can snorkel or play in the sand/water. The little shack at the end makes a FANTASTIC drink called "Lizard Juice" -- don't drink too many of these (don't ask how I know--LOL!)

 

Just a relaxing, laid back day with the natives and a few other tourists. Everyone was super-nice -- I snorkeled off the beach while son (7) played in the shallows. Caught the water taxi back mid-afternoon & went back to the ship. Sunburned and happy (& also feeling the effects of the Lizard Juice!)

 

They also have an internet cafe there for those of you that would like to check email. Very reasonable!

[cjf]

Last year my husband and I traded off on shore excursions in Panama and Belize so the other could stay with the kids. I snorkled in Belize and wished I had brought the family with me. The little island they took us to was beautiful. My husband could have stayed with the youngest on the beach while I was in the water. There was a snack bar and the most amazing shells scattered on the beach. I think this would offer something for everyone and the 1 year old would be free. You might even ask if the person staying on shore could pay less (although the price would be worth the beach alone).

[gt95stang]

I hadn't seen "Old Belize" discussed on the boards anywhere before I went on my cruise, but I happened to look through a Belize tour book at Barnes & Noble today and it mentioned it. After looking at the website, I'm not sure how good it would be for a 1 1/2 year old, but thought I'd mention it for you to consider anyway.

 

http://www.oldbelize.com

[mom2girls]

Someone asked a similar question on another board. I suggested the Butterfly Tour which is at Bacab Eco Park. (I think that's the way it's spelled.) I have pictures of the park in my Legend review. The link's in my signature.

[FabFam4]

I know I have said this before but will say again - the Bacab Butterfly park excursion was just bad. The tour guide was very inappropriate given the many children on the bus - my girls don't need to hear her opinion that the men in Belize are lazy drunks (no joke). The other staff in the park were also rude. It wasn't a good experience. I had such a bad experience I can't help but warn parents whenever I hear it mentioned. It is possible that the tour guide we had was just a fluke but the people who worked in the resort weren't much better.

 

I did the Altan Ha and River Wallace tour on my last trip. It was a long day and might not be good for your child. My youngest was 4 at the time and enjoyed the boat ride and walk to the top of the ruins.