Honduras/Belize/Cozumel suggestions for carnival valor

[JakRat]

Hello!

We are going on the carnival valor cruise and we were just wondering what kinds of excursions we should do? We are also looking for beaches to go to not through the ship possibly.

 

THANKS!!!:D

[ehfl]

I would recommend Finns and Flippers in Roatan. It's just minutes from the ship, and only $20 if you book online (this is not a Carnival excursion). Fantastic snorkeling there, and wildlife...cute monkeys, a jaguar, parrots, seals, etc. Very friendly, and good food and drinks. And did I mention the snorkeling is amazing...really fantastic.

 

In Cozumel, you'll enjoy Xcaret (you can do this through the ship or on your own). You will float down an underground river which takes you to the beach (your belongings are locked in bags, and will be taken to the other end of the river for you). Once at the beach you can eat, drink and snorkel. Snorkeling is not great, but you can swim over to the dolphin show, and watch it from underwater....the dolphins will likely swim right up to you and look at you through the cage. You can also swim with sharks and rays here, and they have lots of other wildlife and activities.

[firefly333]

victor bodden in Honduras, he took us for the entire day anywhere we wanted to go, it was such a great excursion. I went because I especially wanted to hold the monkeys, the highlight to me, but I enjoyed seeing how everything had developed since the year before when I had been there before. ... my favorite port.

[BlueC5Kitten]

I'm biased, but my recommendation is DIVE, DIVE, DIVE!!! I'm on a similar itinerary on the Glory coming up in January, and I picked this cruise for the dive-ability of the ports!

 

These are all great dive sites, and if you have never been diving, give discover scuba a try! As another poster indicated, snorkeling is just as awesome if you have a claustrophobia thing going on, but I highly recommend scuba diving!

 

[boowaaccaa]

Try going to the ports section of the boards...in this section you can look at each port individually and get lots and lots of tips/ideas.

[rednose83]

We are doing Fins and Flippers in Isla Roatan.

[megnsamsgracie]

We just got back Sunday! I LOVED Fins N Flippers in Roatan, the perfect day for us! In Coz we always go to Paradise Beach.. Tom is such a great host!

[Lady_Jag]

We're scheduled to visit these ports on the Dream in May/June. What you do depends on what your group likes. We're a party of 5 that includes one preschooler and one 60-year-old with slight mobility issues, so we really had to investigate each port.

 

In Cozumel, we'll probably take a cab to Chankanaab, where hubby, DD and I might do a dolphin encounter. I'm waiting until we get a little closer to the date to book through the park.

 

In Belize, we MIGHT venture out to the pier for a little while to browse the stores, but for the most part, we plan on making this a day to enjoy the ship without the crowds and make use of some of the spa services that come with our spa cabin.

 

In Roatan, (thanks to the advice from CC members) I've booked us an independent tour with Rony Bennett. Children under 5 are free, and if there are 4 or more people in your party, he charges just $25 per person to take you wherever you want to go and/or give you a guided tour.

[CruiseLover824]

I love Tabyana beach in Roatan! I did the Carnival excursion for about $35. This was one of my favorite excursions! The beach is sooo beautiful. I am not sure if it is a private beach or not, so I am not sure if you can do this one on your own.

 

Our waiter also suggested that if we hadn't purchased tickets for Tabyana, that Luna Beach was wonderful too. We passed that on our way to Tabyana.

[fofita01]

Hi, I'm going on the Valor in 37 days. Here's what we have planned:

 

Roatan - I'm going zip lining and to West Bay (Tabyana Beach) using Shoretrips.com for $57 (includes RT transportation)

 

Belize - Going cave tubing and ATV using cave-tubing.COM $75 for both (includes RT transportation)

 

Cozumel - Going to Paradise Beach. It's free to use the lounge chairs and umbrellas and then if you want you can get a $10 wristband to use the water toys. Food/Drinks are for purchase (and sort of what is expected to use the free facilities). Next door to PB is Carlos & Charlie's Beach Club. Taxi is $13 for 1-4 pax each way from the Puerta Maya Pier (Carnival's pier)

 

Good luck and have fun choosing your excursions. As mentioned already, go to the Port of Call section and read up on the different options.

[ehfl]

I'm biased, but my recommendation is DIVE, DIVE, DIVE!!! I'm on a similar itinerary on the Glory coming up in January, and I picked this cruise for the dive-ability of the ports!

 

These are all great dive sites, and if you have never been diving, give discover scuba a try! As another poster indicated, snorkeling is just as awesome if you have a claustrophobia thing going on, but I highly recommend scuba diving!

 

 

 

I agree...if you're not diving (or at least snorkeling) at some of these places....then it's like visiting the grand canyon, and not looking at it. It's like being at the Louvre and not looking at the art.

[cruisingbajan]

Hello!

We are going on the carnival valor cruise and we were just wondering what kinds of excursions we should do? We are also looking for beaches to go to not through the ship possibly.

 

THANKS!!!:D

 

jakrat...what sailing are you on? If its April 11 come and join us on our roll call.

[zqvol]

I have to disagree with others. If you want good snorkeling on Roatan, avoid Fins and Flippers. It is 500 yards (at most) from the port, and the marine life is limited because of that. The BEST snorkeling on Roatan is on the west end and at Tabayana.

 

Why would you go to a tropical island and stay within sight of the port is beyond me.

[megnsamsgracie]

Cozumel - Going to Paradise Beach. It's free to use the lounge chairs and umbrellas and then if you want you can get a $10 wristband to use the water toys. Food/Drinks are for purchase (and sort of what is expected to use the free facilities). Next door to PB is Carlos & Charlie's Beach Club. Taxi is $13 for 1-4 pax each way from the Puerta Maya Pier (Carnival's pier).

 

 

Not so much.. you can use the lounge chairs but they will now tell you if you choose not to buy the wristbad and use the chairs, that you need to eat/drink $10 worth of food. I saw it before on their website but was actually told it by waiters this time

[Heirloom]

On Cozumel, we went on a Carnival excursion......drive a jeep in a group on local roads, then to the beach which is part of a national park.

 

The beach they take you to is fantastic, you get to snorkle with a leader if so desired, and a delicious lunch is included.....lots of fun !

[yankeegolfcruiser]

Hi I'll be going on the Valor on Oct.4th. I will be golfing, golfing, golfing. I guess I look at the Grand Canyon from a different perspective. Has anyone played golf at CAYE CHAPEL. Its like playing golf in heaven. So different strokes for different folks.

Golfers get to see the beauty without carrying a tank, flippers, etc.

[pitz0005]

Fins and Flippers is great. The snorkling is extremely good. Are there better places to snorkel from shore?? Maybe, but Fins and Flippers has a very nice beach, great food, very reasonable, and it only takes 10 minutes to get to, so you do not waste your entire day on a bus with smelly people. As a whole, Fins and Flippers is far better than Tabyana. If it is a windy day Fins and Flippers is the only option. The only thing to watch out for is to stay in trails until you get to the deep water.

[Froufie]

There are lots of 'beach clubs' in cozumel which don't charge but expect you to eat/drink - however I would first check out how many ships will be in port with you!

 

Last time in Cozumel we visited Nachi cocum (thru island marketing - I think it's called beach break???) - this is a private beach club - you reserve in advance and while they limit to 100 people I understand there are never that many. On the day we were there there was about another 15 people or so? Food/drinks included and you can swim, snorkel, enjoy the pool or go out on their boat for more snorkelling ($$)....

 

Have booked this again because on the day we visit Cozumel - there will be SEVEN SHIPS IN PORT!!! i can't even imagine that - so yes I am looking for something more private and less crowded - the other beach clubs I think will be full to overflowing.

 

In Roatan - I would recommend victor bodden - he will do whatever you like - check out his website (boddentours.com). While fins and flippers sound great to me to - I kinda want to tour the island, get some good pics and enjoy the west end beaches - snorkelling supposed to be quite good (I would save F&F for a 2nd visit)

 

Belize - tons of stuff to do - lots of ruins to visit - last time we did Lamanai (belizecruiseexcursions.com) - but this time thinking of doing Altun Ha/River Wallace thru Carnival.

 

if you are into snorkelling or diving Belize has the 2nd largest barrier reef in the world and there are many independent excursions that will take you out!

[grrl2grrl]

I just did the same ports on the Legend in March - check out the link above the expired counter below for our excursion photos.

I recommend above anything else SNUBA!!! I'm not coordinated enough to snorkel as the water gets in the tube and I swallow it. I am also not scuba certified, so I liked the idea of a certified guide and a cord that means I won't get lost. This was one of my most memorable moments in my life. Really, there are not too many things that top this.

The other recommendation I can provide is Major Tom's cave tubing. We had a blast - the photos will show you!

[mrs_fitz]

In Roatan my family and I booked a tour through Carnival - Pirates, Birds, and Monkeys of the Caribbean. It was informational and the monkeys were cute! They roam free in a certain area of the park so you can get up close and personal with them (if they let you). But you've got to be careful and they tell you to watch your stuff because the little monkeys have no problem grabbing it from you and walking up the tree with it! After I'm pretty sure we went to the beach there. It was nice and relaxing.

 

We've been to Cozumel many times so we were looking to do something different the last time. We, again, booked a tour through Carnival - it was one of the dolphin swims. I forget if transportation was provided or not, but we went to Dolphinaris by taxi. There were a lot of people from the ship but when you go to swim with the dolphins we got split up into groups of 8 I'd like to say. It was really the experience of a lifetime, even my dad enjoyed himself. The Dolphinaris facilities are beautiful! It's a really nice place, IMO. I would do it again in a heartbeat.