Staying on ship

Hey all have not booked anything for belize , and from what I understand there's not a lot to see or do without an excursion , and with the busy tender ride to shore added in to it would I really miss anything just staying on the ship for that port , and enjoying the less crowded ship for the day .......discuss

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no unless you enjoy the tender ride

port area is horrible

15 minutes and youre ready to go back

no unless you enjoy the tender ride

 

port area is horrible

 

15 minutes and youre ready to go back

Thanks for the quick and to the point reply , I've tendered before , don't really like or dislike , but if that's the highlight then maybe when no one is looking I will try the flowrider and enjoy the ship

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If you like to snorkel, it would be a shame to miss the opportunity to take an excursion to do so at the Barrier Reef (2nd largest in the world). :)

LuLu

Not really a water person , more interested in shopping ,having some cocktails and local cuisine , have tour booked in Roatan , and looking into cozomel , but I think this port just does not have enough to offer for my taste

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IMHO, it always a shame to stay aboard the ship in any port you have not been to before.

You will miss a tender ride on a really large capacity tender, an interesting look at the many stores there in the Tourist Village, & for those that like to really mingle with the locals, a walk outside of the TV to look at the flea market just outside those gates.

We have been to Belize probably two dozen times plus & would never stay aboard & we are both now over 70 & enjoy the outside flea market.

You could even take a walk to downtown Belize City to see those shops along the way.

Enjoy Belize.

Bill in FL

IMHO, it always a shame to stay aboard the ship in any port you have not been to before.

You will miss a tender ride on a really large capacity tender, an interesting look at the many stores there in the Tourist Village, & for those that like to really mingle with the locals, a walk outside of the TV to look at the flea market just outside those gates.

We have been to Belize probably two dozen times plus & would never stay aboard & we are both now over 70 & enjoy the outside flea market.

You could even take a walk to downtown Belize City to see those shops along the way.

Enjoy Belize.

 

Bill in FL

That's exactly what I plan to do. We went to Belize on our first cruise and went on a tour to one of the ruins. My wife wants to just stay on the ship this time but I plan to go for just a couple hours to say I did and then spend most of the day on the ship.

If we are on a cruise with lots of port days (4 on a 7 day cruise is a lot for us), we choose to make one a "sea day". We have stayed on the ship in Belize before and it perfect. Since the ship is anchored pretty far from land it really is like a sea day with very few people on deck.

If we are on a cruise with lots of port days (4 on a 7 day cruise is a lot for us), we choose to make one a "sea day". We have stayed on the ship in Belize before and it perfect. Since the ship is anchored pretty far from land it really is like a sea day with very few people on deck.

When DW and her sisters do their "all-girls" cruises, they usually pick a port to stay on the ship and enjoy the uncrowdedness. Usually they make it they big spa day. While the ports vary depending on itinerary, Belize and Cozumel usually get the call, because they're both "been-there-got the tee" ports. Roatan is fast joining the list.

I stayed on board once with an Alaska cruise at the victoria stop , been there lots , was the first time I had tried it and it was great , I was the only one that showed up for trivia , hamster backpack win ! , mentioned staying on to my daughter and well looks like now I'm getting off for a few hours as well .....kids

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IMHO, it always a shame to stay aboard the ship in any port you have not been to before.

You will miss a tender ride on a really large capacity tender, an interesting look at the many stores there in the Tourist Village, & for those that like to really mingle with the locals, a walk outside of the TV to look at the flea market just outside those gates.

We have been to Belize probably two dozen times plus & would never stay aboard & we are both now over 70 & enjoy the outside flea market.

You could even take a walk to downtown Belize City to see those shops along the way.

Enjoy Belize.

 

Bill in FL

How long is the walk from port to downtown?

I stayed on board once with an Alaska cruise at the victoria stop , been there lots , was the first time I had tried it and it was great , I was the only one that showed up for trivia , hamster backpack win ! , mentioned staying on to my daughter and well looks like now I'm getting off for a few hours as well .....kids

 

 

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So funny! The first time we decided to stay on board I worried the whole time that I would miss something! Of course the fun we had quickly changed my mind.

How long is the walk from port to downtown?

I'd say that once you exit the TV it will be under 15 minutes until you will cross the swing bridge & be in the REAL downtown. And, after leaving the TV there are some small shops all along the way to the swing bridge.

Enjoy Belize.

Bill in FL

I'd say that once you exit the TV it will be under 15 minutes until you will cross the swing bridge & be in the REAL downtown. And, after leaving the TV there are some small shops all along the way to the swing bridge.

Enjoy Belize.

Bill in FL

And while there's not much to see in REAL downtown (outside of Brodies which is like a big general store and further down the church and the old Governors Mansion now a cultural museum) Just across the swing bridge on Alberts Street is Birds Isle with a great little patio and nice view of the TV and the harbor. In addition to the Belikin brews, they also have Carib, the Carib Brewery's version of Mackeson' Stout and Red Stripe and Red stripe's Dragon Stout plus the Caribbean version of Guinness. but are known for their Red Bull enhanced cocktails.

Thanks for the quick and to the point reply , I've tendered before , don't really like or dislike , but if that's the highlight then maybe when no one is looking I will try the flowrider and enjoy the ship

 

 

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We will be on the same cruise and we are staying on the ship. Maybe we will see you at the Flowrider :D

Any interest in the Mayan ruins?

If you have any interest in seeing Mayan ruins, I would get off the ship. The Lamanai excursion we did was wonderful. I love the beach, but I'm not into snorkeling. The tender ride is miserable. While looking at future cruises, if they include Belize, most likely I will not get off again. I've been to Lamanai, and other ruins in Mexico, so I wouldn't feel like I'm missing anything.

We were in Belize this past February and will be there again in January. Last time we took a shore excursion that included an air boat ride that was a lot of fun. Before we left on our excursion, we spent a little time in the tourist village.

This time we will just go to the tourist village, enjoy Belican beer and buy some Marie Sharp's hot sauce. We'll do the chocolate making tour in the little shop to see how they make their chocolate from beans and no doubt, buy some of that too. Maybe do a carriage ride. Just a relaxing few hours then back on the ship.

I didn't think the tender ride was bad at all. I kind of enjoyed it.

There are a lot of things you can do in Belize. I'm frustrated because I can't decide.

You can rent a car and go see Altun Ha, the zoo, or both. You can take a water taxi to Caye Caulker, or if money permits just fly to San Pedro for the day.

Belize is a neat place.

The last time I was in Belize (Oct 2013), we took the tender in and went to one of the bars and just hung out upstairs. (Thirsty Lizard I think was the name?) If I recall correctly it is owned by an expat, she was very friendly and genuinely wanted to make sure her guests had a good time.

We've also done the land rover excursion on Carnival back in April 2009. We had a blast and enjoyed the variety with the river ride, jeep navigating through the countryside, jungle bus tour, cave tour, and lunch. We felt it was well worth the money.

This time around we will be going on a new excursion: Hells Gate River Rafting and Tubing. It looks like it is independently offered by DarkNight if you don't go through the ship. We don't want to do the caves and have to link up, and felt this would be a great family excursion with my first time cruiser parents. (We enjoyed a similar experience in Dominica in 2011.)

IMHO, it always a shame to stay aboard the ship in any port you have not been to before.

You will miss a tender ride on a really large capacity tender, an interesting look at the many stores there in the Tourist Village, & for those that like to really mingle with the locals, a walk outside of the TV to look at the flea market just outside those gates.

We have been to Belize probably two dozen times plus & would never stay aboard & we are both now over 70 & enjoy the outside flea market.

You could even take a walk to downtown Belize City to see those shops along the way.

Enjoy Belize.

 

Bill in FL

And while there's not much to see in REAL downtown (outside of Brodies which is like a big general store and further down the church and the old Governors Mansion now a cultural museum) Just across the swing bridge on Alberts Street is Birds Isle with a great little patio and nice view of the TV and the harbor. In addition to the Belikin brews, they also have Carib, the Carib Brewery's version of Mackeson' Stout and Red Stripe and Red stripe's Dragon Stout plus the Caribbean version of Guinness. but are known for their Red Bull enhanced cocktails.

For those who have been outside the Tourist Village - did you ever feel unsafe? In the past, I had read more reviews than not about those who did not enjoy the experience outside the gates. It has been a few years since then though, has it changed?

I went outside the gates there a year ago and it was horrific. My sister and I were surrounded by men and they were getting in our face, touching us and it was so scary I literally started crying. Thankfully an angel lady came and broke up the mob and told us to follow her quickly and not stop or talk. She got us safe and helped get us a horse cart trip with another couple so we would feel saferand she assured us she woukd meet us on return and get us back in the gates. The trip ended up being nice and sure enough she was there waiting for us at the end. I will never, ever leave the gates again unless I am with a formal tour group!

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IMHO, it always a shame to stay aboard the ship in any port you have not been to before.

You will miss a tender ride on a really large capacity tender, an interesting look at the many stores there in the Tourist Village, & for those that like to really mingle with the locals, a walk outside of the TV to look at the flea market just outside those gates.

We have been to Belize probably two dozen times plus & would never stay aboard & we are both now over 70 & enjoy the outside flea market.

You could even take a walk to downtown Belize City to see those shops along the way.

Enjoy Belize.

 

Bill in FL

Thanks Bill for this information! We have been to Belize once, no interest in water or being on a crowded bus to the ruins. We went to the port but did not realize what was outside.

We actually had a leisurely breakfast, enjoyed the ship, got on the tender w/o a wait. We walked around the stores bought some really hot sauce (yum) and caught the tender back. Gone about 2 hours. Just right. Now something else to see w/o too much effort! :)

How long is the walk from port to downtown?

I go to Belize regularly. Belize City is not where you want to wander or shop.

I go to Belize regularly. Belize City is not where you want to wander or shop.

So is there anything you can do outside the port area if you don't book a tour? The last time we were there: walked around the port area, walked outside, looked around, took a picture and then went back in to shop, grab something to eat, then back to the ship. What about a taxi to the zoo?

Hi all,

I joined a group that booked a private tour to Alta Hu and the total cost was $27 pp! They gave us snacks and cold drinks going. Walked us around the two different ruins. Allowed us to stop for a quick personal shopping, convenience store for beers. Then they provided more snacks and local beers. Never felt unsafe passing through the gates and off to the "right" of the terminal. Locals spoke to us, but were very respectful.

Marne the Cruisin' Fool