Favorite thing to do in Belize, Mexico

We are cruising on the Magic, leaving 5/25/13 and stopping in Belize. For the ones who have been to Belize, what was your favorite thing to do. TIA:)

Recommend checking the Belize port of call section. Cavetubing is popular, we've loved the ruins there and next time will go snorkel with the sharks.

Also, Belize is it's own country. It's not in Mexico. :)

I snorkeled the barrier reef it was amazing

~Natasha

Love, love, loved the cave tubing!

Dick and Jane

Chicago, Illinois

Go diving!

We are cruising on the Magic, leaving 5/25/13 and stopping in Belize. For the ones who have been to Belize, what was your favorite thing to do. TIA:)

Belize has the distinction of having one of the longest tender transport from ship to shore...25-35 mins.

I chose a snorkel excursion to a isolated mini-island, I mean REALLY SMALL. They pick you up at the ship, and you can snorkel and sunbathe, while eveyone else is waiting for their tender... Rendezvous Caye...It was great snorkeling at the edge of the Great Barrier Reef!

Mike

I enjoyed the cave tubing. The walk through the jungle is pretty long, but very interesting.

Go diving!

What Laurie S. said.....

:D

Belize has the distinction of having one of the longest tender transport from ship to shore...25-35 mins.

I chose a snorkel excursion to a isolated mini-island, I mean REALLY SMALL. They pick you up at the ship, and you can snorkel and sunbathe, while eveyone else is waiting for their tender... Rendezvous Caye...It was great snorkeling at the edge of the Great Barrier Reef!

 

Mike

Looks amazing! Did you book through Carnival?

I snorkeled the barrier reef it was amazing

~Natasha

:) So agree! It's the 2nd largest barrier reef in the world and not to be missed!

LuLu

~~~

If your looking for something not water related, we did the Altun Ha Mayan Site/River Wallace through Carnival. We REALLY enjoyed the River Wallace! We had awesome guides and saw all kinds of animals in their natural habitat. They were really great at seeing them and pointing them out. And we learned alot about Belize itself. Very interesting!

Just an alternate opinion on the cave tubing...

Because of all the rave reviews, that is what we opted to do when we were in Belize. For us, it was the most disappointing excursion we've ever done lol.

The cave was not interesting. The headlamps were useless. And having tubed many times before, the tubing was disappointing. The hike to get there was modestly interesting. But overall it gets a thumbs-down from us.

Next time, we will probably snorkel the barrier reef!

Note: Belize is not in Mexico. Belize (formally know as British Honduras) is another country in Central America.

LuLu

In 2012 we did the Lamanai Mayan ruins. It was an extremely long day but very worth it. Next year we are looking at something water related.

Do they have food & drinks on Rendezvous Caye ?

Cavetubing.bz is awesome! We booked directly with them last year and have already done so for our cruise in June this year. It's $50 a person. They pick you up from the port and give you a tour of the city. Take you to the caves, and you get your tube, life jacket, and headlight. You hike through the jungle then the guides help you into the water. They tie your group together and tell you all about the history while your going through the caves. After you are done with that they take you to a family owned restaurant and give you a fabulous meal! Gosh I can't wait to eat it again this year. It's chicken, and rice and beans. They also provide drinks like sodas and water. You can also have unlimited punch. It was so strong we could only drink one though. After your done they take you back to the port. You can check out their website. Also, the best thing is you pay with cash once you get there. You make a reservation online.

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Belize is Belize, Belize. It is the only total English speaking country in south America, yes it was once named British Honduras. Lots of ex pats live there.

I loveee history so we realllly enjoyed our trip to Altun Ha ruins. Long trek to get there but it was so much more majestic than I could've imagined. Lighted a huge interest in Mayan culture for me that I have been devouring everything I can find about them. Right now reading Popol Vul.

Did you know

-The Mayans were the first peoples to write and wrote down their history.

-They sacrificed the winners of their ball games, not the losers as it was an honor.

-There are 4 remaining written books (the rest were burnt)

-They preferred flat foreheads and crossed eyes so they boarded the children's heads when they were born and hung wax beads to dangle in front to cross their eyes.

-They believe caves and sink holes are the openings to the underworld gods.

-Some of their communities were huge 100,000 people in 2 square miles

-They wrote phonetically not just heiroglyphics (picture words).

There is more but I will let you find out...love me some Mayan Ruins...if you go make sure to bring bug spray and sunblock. Biting flies and the sun is brutal. We booked two times through experiencebelizetours.

You can do the beach/snorkel lots of places, actual ancient Mayan Ruins Hard to Find.

Just FYI a good movie about native peoples and "crusaders" is a true story called "The Mission" with Robert Dinero, Liam Neeson and a few others.

How do I book this excursion? Can I book it thru Carnival or do I need to book it online? TIA

I totally agree with crazyboutdisney! We did the Altun Ha/River Wallace through Carnival last time and it was AMAZING! The climb to the top of the pyramid at Altun Ha was a little tricky because I have huge feet and apparently those mayans had some tiny ones! :) It was a blast though.

The river was beautiful and you couldn't beat the wildlife watching. We saw iguanas, manatees, these really cool birds that I can't remember the name of but that build these amazing pendulum nests hanging from the trees, bats, crocodile. So interesting. We also learned a lot about the people of Belize and saw lots of kids out playing in the river and swinging on vines over the river and jumping.

We did the Lamanai Mayan Ruins excursion and really enjoyed it! I agree it was a very long day but so worth it. Check out my wife's pictures of our excursion below.

Happy Cruising!

How do I book this excursion? Can I book it thru Carnival or do I need to book it online? TIA

Not sure which excursion your talking about, but if it's cavetubing. Just go to cavetubing.bz and send them an email and they will reply with directions. It's soo worth the money

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We were there in December, 2013. Had planned on diving but ear congestion would not allow it. Just my luck, one of the premire dive sites in the world and I couldn't submerge :( Heavy rains had flooded the caves and closed the river tours. Instead we walked out of the pier, past all the loud shouting drivers and after a few blocks found a man who agreed to take two of us to the Altun Ha Ruins for less than 1/2 the price for one person on the cruise ship excursion. On the way he gave us a city tour, a history lesson, and stopped at a road side stand for island fresh fruit. He told us how to pay for our tickets to avoid the throngs of ship excursion folks and gave tips for how to best see some of the ruins. He waited for us then stopped at the airport to pick up an earlier group he had dropped off at the airport. That group had chartered a flight to Ambergris Caye. They reported it was an excellent flight and beach day. Next time if I can't dive I will look into that. Our cost for the two of us was 70.00, taxi, tour, tickets, fruit, and tip. I loved it. Wish I could remember the driver's name. He had a well worn and used van but that made the trip seem more authentic.

It's gonna be hard to decide whether to go snorkling or visit the ruins. I love both.:) Don't think I want to do the caves.

Belize has the distinction of having one of the longest tender transport from ship to shore...25-35 mins.

I chose a snorkel excursion to a isolated mini-island, I mean REALLY SMALL. They pick you up at the ship, and you can snorkel and sunbathe, while eveyone else is waiting for their tender... Rendezvous Caye...It was great snorkeling at the edge of the Great Barrier Reef!

 

Mike

What ship were you on that you were able to book and have them directly pick you up from the ship?

Looking at your pictures, is the dark area right there along the beach the snorkeling area? Is that coral right there or sea grass and you have to go out further?

I finally found the card of the driver we used for a private tour while in Belize to the Altun Ha ruins. The man's name is Barrington York.