Which Carnival Snorkeling tour in Belize

[ORD60707]

Hi, on the June 7th sailing of the Valor and need to know which is the BEST snorkeling tour that Carnival offers in Belize...taking my 18yr old son for his graduation gift and everyone says not to miss the snorkeling there....Really want to get this booked asap - any suggestions? Already set for Roatan - but too many choices in Belize. Thanks for your help and suggestions.

Mike

[CRUISERTN]

We snorkeled at Goff's Caye in Belize....they pick you up at the ship so you won't have to take the tender to the pier....it is about 12 miles from the ship and a tiny island about the size of a football field (maybe) with a few palm trees and a port-a-potty and nothing else....a truly deserted island.....the boat will take you a bit away from the island and you can snorkel from the boat and drift back to the beach on the island, or you can opt not to drift snorkel back and just start from the beach and snorkel from the beach only....fairly shallow water and pretty good visibility and just a little current when we were there about 8 months ago. They did have a vendor selling a few things like one or two styles of t-shirts, drinks and a little bit of food....it is a fun day....we are going back again soon and plan to go back to Goff's Caye....booked the excursion through the ship. Enjoy!! By the way, the snorkeling at Tabyana in Roatan is fabulous and not to be missed!!

[ORD60707]

Hey, thanks very much for the info...we booked the following tour in Roatan:

 

Catamaran Sail & Snorkel

Description: Sail through the crystal clear Caribbean waters off Roatan's coast aboard a 70-foot, yacht style catamaran. Full Details

Duration: 4.5 Hours

Pricing From: Adult: $75

 

It doesn't say exactly where it goes, do you know if this is a good excursion?

 

22 days to go and I am sooo ready...!

[CRUISERTN]

I don't know where the catamaran goes for the snorkeling, but I would bet it is near Tabyana....I think the snorkeling will be good in Roatan no matter where you go......we just enjoy Tabyana and the easy access for snorkeling right from the beach........you will have an enjoyable day!! Not much to see and do around the dock area, but once you get away from there you will see what a beautiful, unspoiled island it truly is!! Enjoy!!:p

[Ron_L]

We took the Goff Caye excursion through Carnival in April off of Valor and were extremely disappointed. It seemed like the ship's excursion staff had no clue how many people were booked for the excursion and were scrambling at the last minute to get a second boat. They jammed at least 50 people onto each boat. The ride both ways was very uncomfortable since we were literally sitting on top of each other. At the island about half of the people opted for snorkeling from the boat and the other half from the beach. My wife felt more comfortable going in from the beach so we chose that route. We ended up at the exact same place and between the two groups there was over 100 people thrashing about in a large herd. There were very few fish mainly because of the large group. One other guy and I strayed away from the group and found the fish including a couple of cuttlefish but the tour guides started yelling at us to get back with the group.

 

The island itself was beautiful. We didn't have anyone selling souvenirs but there was a group selling kabobs, grilled chicken and beverages.

 

This was the only excursion that we booked through Carnival and we did that one because they picked us up from the ship. If we go back to Belize on another cruise we'll just take the tender in to the dock (about 10 - 12 minutes) and book with Coral Breeze instead. Some folks from our roll call booked with them and had a great experience.

 

BTW, for Roatan, it's hard to beat Fins and Flippers Island. It is less than 10 minutes from the dock, costs $20/person to get in (including the ferry to and from the island) and they have fantastic snorkeling, a nice beach, a nice pool, clean grounds to walk around, good food and cheap beer!.

 

check out my slide show and videos (links below) for some pictures from Goff Caye and F&F.

[coolcruisier]

I`m am going on the same cruise as you and we have Goffs Caye booked on Belize

[ORD60707]

I was going to book the same one too until I read the following from Ron....

 

We took the Goff Caye excursion through Carnival in April off of Valor and were extremely disappointed. It seemed like the ship's excursion staff had no clue how many people were booked for the excursion and were scrambling at the last minute to get a second boat. They jammed at least 50 people onto each boat. The ride both ways was very uncomfortable since we were literally sitting on top of each other. At the island about half of the people opted for snorkeling from the boat and the other half from the beach

 

Whatcha think? Looking at someone else's suggestion about booking directly with Coral Breeze Tours.......The tours they offer actually look very good. I also don't really like big crowds on these tours.....the snorkeling tour offered by Coral Breeze looks good.

 

At this point, I just can't wait for the cruise - 3 weeks from tomorrow. Hope we can meet up on the Valor.

 

Mike

[Ron_L]

I was going to book the same one too until I read the following from Ron....

 

We took the Goff Caye excursion through Carnival in April off of Valor and were extremely disappointed. It seemed like the ship's excursion staff had no clue how many people were booked for the excursion and were scrambling at the last minute to get a second boat. They jammed at least 50 people onto each boat. The ride both ways was very uncomfortable since we were literally sitting on top of each other. At the island about half of the people opted for snorkeling from the boat and the other half from the beach

 

 

Mike... It may have just been our cruise. others have enjoyed the Goff Caye excursion. We enjoyed the time on the island but the way that the snorkeling was handled with that many people was a disappointment. They had enough guides to break up into smaller groups and space them apart. They had experienced snorkelers mixed in with first timers and it took a long time for the first timers to get into the water and get their instruction. They really should have had one guide take the experienced group out first and then the inexperienced group could follow.

 

Also, not to throw more fuel on the fire, after the group snorkel they told us that we could go back out on our own, but they restricted us to the opposite side of the island and that area had no coral or fish. That didn't make sense.

 

Please read the other reviews and maybe ask those who enjoyed the trip about their experience. Maybe we were just spoiled by having small groups on our Grand Cayman and Roatan excursions and weren't prepared for the larger group.

 

BTW, my pictures from Goff's Caye are here.

[newbiecruiser2009]

I was going to book the same one too until I read the following from Ron....

 

We took the Goff Caye excursion through Carnival in April off of Valor and were extremely disappointed. It seemed like the ship's excursion staff had no clue how many people were booked for the excursion and were scrambling at the last minute to get a second boat. They jammed at least 50 people onto each boat. The ride both ways was very uncomfortable since we were literally sitting on top of each other. At the island about half of the people opted for snorkeling from the boat and the other half from the beach

 

Whatcha think? Looking at someone else's suggestion about booking directly with Coral Breeze Tours.......The tours they offer actually look very good. I also don't really like big crowds on these tours.....the snorkeling tour offered by Coral Breeze looks good.

 

At this point, I just can't wait for the cruise - 3 weeks from tomorrow. Hope we can meet up on the Valor.

 

Mike

 

Mike I live in ORD60707 as well....hmmm. What did you decide with Coral Breeze in Belize?

[ORD60707]

Hi newbiecruiser...COOL.....whereabouts are you?

My email = mike60707@sbcglobal.net

No decisions yet, but want to get something booked soon...will probably just book with Carnival, easier, no thinking involved, and I need this restful vacation.

I''l let everyone know what I booked when I book it....maybe tonight....LOL

Hope to hear from you,

Mike

[ORD60707]

Okay, my son picked :

 

Barrier Reef Snorkel At Turneffe With Beach Break Belize 06/11/09 8:30 AM 12:00 PM

 

He thought is sounded the best - and I have to agree with him....I'll let everyone know how it was when I get back......

 

Mike

[FunInTheCaribbean]

Okay, my son picked :

 

Barrier Reef Snorkel At Turneffe With Beach Break Belize 06/11/09 8:30 AM 12:00 PM

 

He thought is sounded the best - and I have to agree with him....I'll let everyone know how it was when I get back......

 

Mike

 

We're on the same cruise as you and this is the excursion I was going to go with too - but hopped on cruise critic to find some more info. Anyone out there done this tour thru Carnival? (Barrier Reef Snorkel At Turneffe With Beach Break in Belize)? Any help would be great. I need to get something booked ASAP - I'm behind schedule and we sail next Sunday 6/7! I'm more of a beach break kind of gal while DS, DD and DH would probably enjoy the snorkeling more than me so I want both options for all of us to enjoy.

[crzjnke]

I would love to know how the Turneffe snorkel was! Did you enjoy it? Thanks!

[joy1rn]

Please let us know how the Turneffe snorkel was.

[beachbound27]

Can anyone give feedback on this snorkeling trip? Thanks in advance!

[lsycko1]

I'm also trying to decide which snorkel trip to book. Any info would be great!

[dvan68]

We did this excursion on our last cruise, and it was one of the highlights. We usually shy away from ship excursions, but the selling point for me was that they picked you up from the ship - which allowed us to do the excursion, go back to the ship to drop off our gear and change, and still have some time on shore to shop.

 

I will agree with others that it was a large group, but we just let others go first, and we hung at the back of the group. I think that it may not be the best for a beginner swimmer, in that it was deep water - although they followed along in a small boat, and did pull some people in who got tuckered out. After the tour portion, DH went back on the opposite side and was able to see even more fish.

 

Here are our pictures:

http://s897.photobucket.com/albums/ac179/dzdan68/Carnival%20Valor/

 

Hope that helps!

[Visa711]

Thanks for the information & pics. I do have more questions.

 

How long were you actually snorkeling and on the island? How long was the ride on the boat to get there? Thanks!

[dvan68]

Thanks for the information & pics. I do have more questions.

 

How long were you actually snorkeling and on the island? How long was the ride on the boat to get there? Thanks!

 

The ride was about 20-30 minutes going at a high speed. The crew spent the time getting everyone the proper sized fins.

 

The actual tour was about an hour, then there was about another hour available to hang on the beach or snorkel on your own. I don't think the whole excursion was longer than 4 hours. We still had time to take the tender to shore and go through the shops.

[stduck]

going on Legend 11-1-09 and still trying to get information of the Turneffe snorkeling excursion booked through Carnival. Any information out there? I keep seeing questions regarding it, but no responses.

 

We've decided to do the Carnival excursion on Belize, deciding between the Goffs Caye or Turneffe. This is the only snorkeling we will be doing (DH not into snorkeling), so I'm just trying to book the best one.

 

Thanks for any help. Trying to get all dates booked.

[Goobaroo]

Okay, my son picked :

 

Barrier Reef Snorkel At Turneffe With Beach Break Belize 06/11/09 8:30 AM 12:00 PM

 

He thought is sounded the best - and I have to agree with him....I'll let everyone know how it was when I get back......

 

Mike

Hello ORD60707!

We will be on the Legend in Sept 2010, wondering how your excursion was in Belize to Turneffe? Did it depart directly from the ship? Or did you tender to shore and meet the tour at the pier? Was the snorkeling "easy enough" for someone who is comfortable with snorkeling but not a strong swimmer? Any other feedback you can provide would be great!

[devinc]

Hello ORD60707!

We will be on the Legend in Sept 2010, wondering how your excursion was in Belize to Turneffe? Did it depart directly from the ship? Or did you tender to shore and meet the tour at the pier? Was the snorkeling "easy enough" for someone who is comfortable with snorkeling but not a strong swimmer? Any other feedback you can provide would be great!

 

 

Im going next week and will report back.

[SandySeas]

We are traveling with a 4 and 1 year old. We are looking for a snorkeling excursion in Belize where adults can snorkel and mom can play with children on beach. Goffs or Turneffe?

[NoKlew]

I have been posting this everywhere I can, this was the best snorkel trip I have ever been on. I waited almost 18 years to get to Belize and was not going to chance a Crowded Snorel trip on a beat up reef through the excursion desk:

 

We just got back on the Carnival Valor on March 7th. Belize was by far my favorite stop. If your crew is into Snorkeling, this is the place to be. There were seven us on the trip including a 12 and a 13 year old. Having cruised and snorkeled other islands I opted out of the actual Cruise Excursions, the crowded boats and beat up reefs and booked a private trip through http://www.coralbreezetours.com/ after doing alot of research on the web, they stay ontop of the ship and tender schedules and make sure to get you back in plenty of time to get back, No one wants to get stranded on an Island(even though I could think of worse places to be stranded). If your ship cannot port there for any reason they will refund your deposit. They use a tour company their called Hammerhead sports, if you were to book it ask to have Henny, Justin and Mark as your crew. They were absolutely terrific they take great care of everyone on board, they snorkel with you and go out of their way to make sure you see, and know what everything is above and below the surface, the kids loved the stingray snorkel part of the trip too, even though Stingray City in Cayman is better for the rays. I really can't express how impressed we were with them. Whatever you choose to do, I can almost guarantee you will be more than happy you made it to Belize, I can't wait to get back!

[devinc]

Hello ORD60707!

We will be on the Legend in Sept 2010, wondering how your excursion was in Belize to Turneffe? Did it depart directly from the ship? Or did you tender to shore and meet the tour at the pier? Was the snorkeling "easy enough" for someone who is comfortable with snorkeling but not a strong swimmer? Any other feedback you can provide would be great!

 

Did this last week. The boat pics you up right at your ship. The vessel was kind of crowded as it was Spring Break and they stopped at two CCL ships. The snorkeling is above average. Bannister island is awesome too. This is a good trip and i would do it again.