Altun Ha and River Wallace Shore Excursion via Carnival

I tried to post a review to Carnival's website but despite following all the posting guidelines, they would not allow my review to be posted. I'm hoping I can remember everything I wrote so I can give a thorough review here.

My husband and I booked this excursion because we were told that we should not venture out by ourselves in Belize. Options were limited and this one seemed the best out of the choices we had. We arrived in Belize via tender and met our tour group upon arrival. We then boarded a bus and started our long drive through town and then through the countryside to Altun Ha. The bus ride to Altun Ha was not comfortable. The road was extremely bumpy and dusty. I had a cold so I was not feeling the greatest anyway, but the old bus seemed to be sucking in the dust from the road which was irritating my nose and throat so I coughed the whole way. I had brought a bottle of water with me but the drive was very long (over an hour) and there were no washrooms on board so drinking the whole bottle was not a good idea. I was ready to burst when we finally arrived. I don't mind bumpy rides, I live in a city that has more potholes than road, but this was unreal. I remember thinking at one point that I wished we had just stayed on the boat. Thankfully, once we arrived at Altun Ha, things began to turn around.

We toured the ruins and it was phenomenal to see. Our tour guide, Jewel, was very knowledgeable and told us about the area including how it was found. There were a few flies around so we were glad we brought bug repellent. It was also VERY hot so we were glad we had hats. Jewel always tried to find a shaded area for us under a tree so that was nice of her and it was definitely necessary. We were allowed to climb to the top of one of the temples and the view from the top was awesome! Following our tour, we boarded the bus again. We had another lengthy drive to our lunch destination but it wasn't as bad as the first drive (30-45 minutes).

We stopped for lunch at the Black Orchid Resort. You could purchase an authentic Belizean lunch of chicken, rice and beans or if you wanted, you could have burgers and fries. For both of us to get a plate (which was fairly large) of the Belizean lunch and two pops, it cost us $18 USD. After lunch, we started our river cruise. This was the highlight of the day. Thankfully our boat had an overhang/roof type area that protected most of us (not all) from the sun. Some of the boats didn't have this and so it would be wise to take a hat and lots of sunblock with you. Along the river we saw monkeys, wild birds, iguanas, crocodiles and bats. When we reached the ocean we saw manatees and dolphins! That was awesome and completely made my day! Our boat took us back to the dock via the ocean and it was a bumpy ride, but an enjoyable one for us as we love being out on the open water. However, some people seemed a little scared with the height the boat was getting on some of the waves. The captain and tour guide advised anyone with back or neck issues to move to the back of the boat where you wouldn't feel the smack of the boat on the water as badly.

Apparently this tour can be done in the reversed order, so river cruise first and then Altun Ha tour with long bus ride back to dock. I'm so glad our tour progressed in the order it did because if we had to get the bus at the end of the excursion, it would have definitely put a damper on the day for me. My husband wasn't as bothered by the bus rides (probably because he wasn't sick) but he did agree that they were a little too long and bumpy.

We did enjoy this excursion, minus the bus rides, but now that we have seen that part of Belize, if we went again as part of a cruise, I'm not sure we'd book an excursion, or even get off the boat. The tender ride into shore was longer than we thought it would be and the wait to get a tender back to the cruise ship was REALLY long. So while we had to see the place at least once, we'd probably just hang out on the ship the next time we visit.

If you have this excursion booked, make sure to bring fly repellent, a hat, sunblock and a bottle of water, though drink that slowly if on the bus. We highly recommend the Belizean lunch rather than your run-of-the-mill burger and fries. And keep an eye out for dolphins, it was amazing to see them swimming along our boat!

Thanks for the great review. One question do you feel 2, 20 yr old young ladies would be safe to book this excursion thru the ship? My husband and myself are diving that day in Belize, my daughter and her friend want to book this excursion your thoughts on this?

Thanks again

Thanks for the great review. One question do you feel 2, 20 yr old young ladies would be safe to book this excursion thru the ship? My husband and myself are diving that day in Belize, my daughter and her friend want to book this excursion your thoughts on this?

 

Thanks again

Hi there! I hate to comment on safety as I'm not well-versed in the safety concerns and issues of Belize. It was our first visit there and our only experience is the excursion.

What I can tell you is that when we were deciding what to do in Belize, we were warned by many people to not venture out on our own. Some advised that if we were just going to stay at the restaurant or bar in port (the area you arrive at via tender from your cruise ship), we should be okay but if we wanted to see more than that, our best bet was to book an excursion, and to be on the safe side, book through the cruise ship. The port of Belize had very little other than a few shops and a couple of bars/restaurants. I would not have wanted to spend the day there. It was NOTHING like the other ports we visited during our cruise (Cozumel, Roatan and Grand Cayman). It felt seedy and shady and a little run down.

As for our excursion, the minute we got off the tender boat, we found our tour guide who was holding a sign. We had to wait for the rest of our group to arrive (only so many tenders running) so we just sat on benches and took pictures by the koi pond; it was early, only a few of the shops were open. Once the full group was assembled, we made a quick stop at the bathrooms and then we were off to our bus. We were approached upon exiting the port building by locals who were offering tours and taxis. They were anxious to get a tour so they were a little loud, maybe even pushy, but we just ignored them or said "no thanks" and kept walking to our bus. We didn't feel harassed or anything like that and once they saw you were with another tour, they moved onto someone else. Once we boarded the bus and left that area, we were with our group for the whole day and I never once felt insecure or unsafe. Our group was good; there was a group of older siblings and their elderly mother, a younger couple with a preteen son, a grandmother and granddaughter pair, and other couples our own age (30s) and older couples. There weren't many locals around Altun Ha. The ones that were there were young boys selling chips and water and souvenirs. The Black Orchid Resort where we ate lunch was very quiet, mostly tour groups other than the people who worked there, and it was just our group on the river boat. The boat brought us back to the port via the water (just down from where the tender boats docked) so we didn't have to go through the entrance/exit of the port building that we did to get to our bus, i.e. so no encounter with locals other than those working at the shops, bars/restaurants in port. We got in line as soon as we arrived to get back on the cruise ship as it was late and the line was huge.

I should specific that we had heard it was Belize City that was the area of concern. We did not spend any amount of time in that area on this excursion, other than driving through it to get to our destination.

I would tend to say the girls would be fine. Tell them to stick near the tour guide for the day and at least he/she can look out for them. As long as they stay with the group and don't wander off, they should be fine!

I have been to Belize twice and will be there again next month. We are taking our two young grandsons to Altun Ha and to the Belize City market. We will not be with a cruise ship. Seedy is another word for "poor" sometimes. It is hard to keep up appearances when it is always hot, too. If you have ever lived in a very hot climate, as I have, you know that you must be painting constantly for everything to look nice. And if you are poor, that's hard to do. I have read that people are afraid to leave the gates even to cross the narrow road to get to the arts and crafts market where wonderful things are for sale at very reasonable prices. I bought a beautifully carved toucan and an equally beautifully carved cane with a bird's head. I never felt threatened. I was welcomed and smiles were all around. You can buy the same hot sauce for cheaper at the market than over at the port. I have no worry at all about traveling around Belize sans expensive cruise ship guides. You shouldn't either. Take precautions and enjoy the country.

We did the same excursion this past April on our Liberty cruise on our visit to Belize. Our last time there was in 2006 and we did the "Beach Break" to one of the islands off the coast that was also very nice but we had no time to get into Belize for shopping. It was nice to see more of it this time and loved seeing the ruins and we also LOVED the River Wallace part of the tour. We did the River first then the ruins and took the bus back. Luckily our tour guides kept us entertained and after a while it got really quiet on the bus, I think we were all just tired from the day.

I do know it has been recommended quite often to book a tour through Carnival in Belize because many of the tour sites aren't close and the days are long. If you book through Carnival, the ship will wait if one of their excursions is running late but if you go on your own, the ship won't wait. That's why we've always done a Carnival excursion.

BTW, I noticed you were on Carnival Glory on the 3/30/14 sailing - we passed you on Liberty on 4/5/14 on your last night as you headed back into Miami between 10:30 and 11:30PM. We had just left Miami that afternoon. We were on Glory in May 2010 and loved her. I have a picture of Glory that night from Liberty, but it didn't come out too well.

We did the same excursion this past April on our Liberty cruise on our visit to Belize. Our last time there was in 2006 and we did the "Beach Break" to one of the islands off the coast that was also very nice but we had no time to get into Belize for shopping. It was nice to see more of it this time and loved seeing the ruins and we also LOVED the River Wallace part of the tour. We did the River first then the ruins and took the bus back. Luckily our tour guides kept us entertained and after a while it got really quiet on the bus, I think we were all just tired from the day.

 

I do know it has been recommended quite often to book a tour through Carnival in Belize because many of the tour sites aren't close and the days are long. If you book through Carnival, the ship will wait if one of their excursions is running late but if you go on your own, the ship won't wait. That's why we've always done a Carnival excursion.

 

BTW, I noticed you were on Carnival Glory on the 3/30/14 sailing - we passed you on Liberty on 4/5/14 on your last night as you headed back into Miami between 10:30 and 11:30PM. We had just left Miami that afternoon. We were on Glory in May 2010 and loved her. I have a picture of Glory that night from Liberty, but it didn't come out too well.

That is a really good point that I missed above. If you are late getting back to the boat and are on an excursions booked through the cruise ship, they will wait for you. So in countries where we had to travel far to get to the sights (e.g. Belize) we felt better with a cruise-organized excursion. We were in Turkey on another cruise last year and due to MAJOR unexpected traffic, our excursion was 2 hours late getting back to the boat (as was most every other excursion) but the boat waited for us, thankfully. It was a weight off of our minds to have that reassurance.

We were on the Glory at that time! We visited Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Belize, and Mahogany Bay (Roatan). We only did an excursion in Belize, headed out on our own in the rest of the ports based on the distance to the sights and the safety of the area we were visiting. We had such a great time!!! :-) Hope you did too on the Liberty!

I have been to Belize twice and will be there again next month. We are taking our two young grandsons to Altun Ha and to the Belize City market. We will not be with a cruise ship. Seedy is another word for "poor" sometimes. It is hard to keep up appearances when it is always hot, too. If you have ever lived in a very hot climate, as I have, you know that you must be painting constantly for everything to look nice. And if you are poor, that's hard to do. I have read that people are afraid to leave the gates even to cross the narrow road to get to the arts and crafts market where wonderful things are for sale at very reasonable prices. I bought a beautifully carved toucan and an equally beautifully carved cane with a bird's head. I never felt threatened. I was welcomed and smiles were all around. You can buy the same hot sauce for cheaper at the market than over at the port. I have no worry at all about traveling around Belize sans expensive cruise ship guides. You shouldn't either. Take precautions and enjoy the country.

I do agree with some of what you are saying in terms of taking precautions; however, friends of ours did take precautions and did end up in a bad situation in Belize City. That seems to be where the majority of concern originates. We researched Belize (and every other port we would visit while on this cruise) before we went, including reviewing travel advisories posted by the Canadian Government and the like. We also spoke to a lot of people who visited there and pretty much everyone we spoke to advised us against exploring Belize City on our own. The general consensus was that if we were to venture on our own, we should go outside/away from the city. Crime can happen anywhere, but of all the places we've visited (and we've been to quite a few places), Belize City left us feeling a little uncomfortable.

We did not do any excursions in any other ports (we ventured on our own in Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Roatan) and the cruise excursion we booked for Belize wasn't badly priced so it worked out for us. I also like booking excursions through the cruise line if we are going to be travelling more than an hour away from the ship because they will wait for you if you are late returning. We had this happen while visiting Turkey last year. Our excursion (and others) was over 2 hours later returning to the boat but they did wait because we were booked through Carnival. Unfortunately for those who ventured on their own, they had to find their own way to the next port when they did not return in time for sailing.

While I would recommend a cruise excursion in Belize, I can see how others would like to venture on their own and I think either option is fine and has to suit an individual's comfort level. As for the person who asked about the two 20 year olds, if it were me, I'd rather they be on an excursion booked through the cruise ship... but that's just me. :-)

That is a really good point that I missed above. If you are late getting back to the boat and are on an excursions booked through the cruise ship, they will wait for you. So in countries where we had to travel far to get to the sights (e.g. Belize) we felt better with a cruise-organized excursion. We were in Turkey on another cruise last year and due to MAJOR unexpected traffic, our excursion was 2 hours late getting back to the boat (as was most every other excursion) but the boat waited for us, thankfully. It was a weight off of our minds to have that reassurance.

 

We were on the Glory at that time! We visited Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Belize, and Mahogany Bay (Roatan). We only did an excursion in Belize, headed out on our own in the rest of the ports based on the distance to the sights and the safety of the area we were visiting. We had such a great time!!! :-) Hope you did too on the Liberty!

We did have a great time on Liberty but we ended up missing Grand Cayman due to high winds and rough seas, which would have made tendering too dangerous. The water was pretty rough in Cozumel (and we were even on the calmer, western side), and Roatan at West Bay Beach. We also headed out on our own in Cozumel (booked a private beach club for the day) and Roatan (private tour through a reputable tour company that gets a lot of great ratings). Speaking of travel advisories, did your sailing get a warning about crimes targeting tourists in Roatan? We had an announcement the night before and letters were delivered to each cabin that same night. We were given the typical safety tips and were told to avoid certain areas with a map on the back of the letter of where those areas to avoid were. That was the first time we've ever had a warning like that while on a cruise.

Since you were on Glory the night we passed, I thought you might like the picture I got. It's not the best but it's hard to get a moving ship, at a distance, in focus from another ship moving in the opposite direction. :) But this is definitely Glory. So glad you had a great time on her.

We did have a great time on Liberty but we ended up missing Grand Cayman due to high winds and rough seas, which would have made tendering too dangerous. The water was pretty rough in Cozumel (and we were even on the calmer, western side), and Roatan at West Bay Beach. We also headed out on our own in Cozumel (booked a private beach club for the day) and Roatan (private tour through a reputable tour company that gets a lot of great ratings). Speaking of travel advisories, did your sailing get a warning about crimes targeting tourists in Roatan? We had an announcement the night before and letters were delivered to each cabin that same night. We were given the typical safety tips and were told to avoid certain areas with a map on the back of the letter of where those areas to avoid were. That was the first time we've ever had a warning like that while on a cruise.

 

Since you were on Glory the night we passed, I thought you might like the picture I got. It's not the best but it's hard to get a moving ship, at a distance, in focus from another ship moving in the opposite direction. :) But this is definitely Glory. So glad you had a great time on her.

 

Thank you so much for sharing that photo! :)

We docked in Mahogany Bay in Roatan and as far as I'm aware, there were no advisories issued the night before. Too bad you guys did not get to Grand Cayman, that was a beautiful stop. We were lucky, the weather cooperated with us during our whole trip. We were worried we'd miss one of the stops where we had to tender but we didn't.

Thank you so much for sharing that photo! :)

 

We docked in Mahogany Bay in Roatan and as far as I'm aware, there were no advisories issued the night before. Too bad you guys did not get to Grand Cayman, that was a beautiful stop. We were lucky, the weather cooperated with us during our whole trip. We were worried we'd miss one of the stops where we had to tender but we didn't.

You are quite welcome. The quality isn't the best, but it is your sailing on Glory so I thought you may like to have it. Believe it or not the first (and only other time) we saw Liberty was in 2010 from Glory and passing in the night just like this. We were returning to Miami from an Eastern Caribbean cruise and Liberty was heading out on their first night, same itinerary.

Mahogany Bay was safe but apparently there had been a very unfortunate incident regarding safety a couple of days before our visit. I don't want to discuss here since I'm not sure if that's against the CC rules but it's mentioned under the "Roatan" boards.

The weather wasn't the best for us, so I guess we just booked a week too late. LOL!!! One of our nicest days was our Belize day, no rain but a little overcast which made it perfect, especially for the River Wallace part of the tour. That was just so pretty. We were fortunate enough to get to Grand Cayman in 2006 and we did Stingray City that time and were just planning a day at Seven Mile Beach this time since we didn't have time to go there the last time. It would have been nice to see it again, but that's our excuse for a future cruise. :)

I tried to post a review to Carnival's website but despite following all the posting guidelines, they would not allow my review to be posted. I'm hoping I can remember everything I wrote so I can give a thorough review here.

 

My husband and I booked this excursion because we were told that we should not venture out by ourselves in Belize. Options were limited and this one seemed the best out of the choices we had. We arrived in Belize via tender and met our tour group upon arrival. We then boarded a bus and started our long drive through town and then through the countryside to Altun Ha. The bus ride to Altun Ha was not comfortable. The road was extremely bumpy and dusty. I had a cold so I was not feeling the greatest anyway, but the old bus seemed to be sucking in the dust from the road which was irritating my nose and throat so I coughed the whole way. I had brought a bottle of water with me but the drive was very long (over an hour) and there were no washrooms on board so drinking the whole bottle was not a good idea. I was ready to burst when we finally arrived. I don't mind bumpy rides, I live in a city that has more potholes than road, but this was unreal. I remember thinking at one point that I wished we had just stayed on the boat. Thankfully, once we arrived at Altun Ha, things began to turn around.

 

We toured the ruins and it was phenomenal to see. Our tour guide, Jewel, was very knowledgeable and told us about the area including how it was found. There were a few flies around so we were glad we brought bug repellent. It was also VERY hot so we were glad we had hats. Jewel always tried to find a shaded area for us under a tree so that was nice of her and it was definitely necessary. We were allowed to climb to the top of one of the temples and the view from the top was awesome! Following our tour, we boarded the bus again. We had another lengthy drive to our lunch destination but it wasn't as bad as the first drive (30-45 minutes).

 

We stopped for lunch at the Black Orchid Resort. You could purchase an authentic Belizean lunch of chicken, rice and beans or if you wanted, you could have burgers and fries. For both of us to get a plate (which was fairly large) of the Belizean lunch and two pops, it cost us $18 USD. After lunch, we started our river cruise. This was the highlight of the day. Thankfully our boat had an overhang/roof type area that protected most of us (not all) from the sun. Some of the boats didn't have this and so it would be wise to take a hat and lots of sunblock with you. Along the river we saw monkeys, wild birds, iguanas, crocodiles and bats. When we reached the ocean we saw manatees and dolphins! That was awesome and completely made my day! Our boat took us back to the dock via the ocean and it was a bumpy ride, but an enjoyable one for us as we love being out on the open water. However, some people seemed a little scared with the height the boat was getting on some of the waves. The captain and tour guide advised anyone with back or neck issues to move to the back of the boat where you wouldn't feel the smack of the boat on the water as badly.

 

Apparently this tour can be done in the reversed order, so river cruise first and then Altun Ha tour with long bus ride back to dock. I'm so glad our tour progressed in the order it did because if we had to get the bus at the end of the excursion, it would have definitely put a damper on the day for me. My husband wasn't as bothered by the bus rides (probably because he wasn't sick) but he did agree that they were a little too long and bumpy.

 

We did enjoy this excursion, minus the bus rides, but now that we have seen that part of Belize, if we went again as part of a cruise, I'm not sure we'd book an excursion, or even get off the boat. The tender ride into shore was longer than we thought it would be and the wait to get a tender back to the cruise ship was REALLY long. So while we had to see the place at least once, we'd probably just hang out on the ship the next time we visit.

 

If you have this excursion booked, make sure to bring fly repellent, a hat, sunblock and a bottle of water, though drink that slowly if on the bus. We highly recommend the Belizean lunch rather than your run-of-the-mill burger and fries. And keep an eye out for dolphins, it was amazing to see them swimming along our boat!

What type of shoes do you recommend for this excursion? Can you wear flip flops or need to wear some type of shoes?

What type of shoes do you recommend for this excursion? Can you wear flip flops or need to wear some type of shoes?

I wore comfy sport sandals and my husband wore sneakers. We didn't do a whole lot of walking around but we did climb the temple at Altun Ha. If you typically wear flip flops and have no issues then you might be fine. I have really bad knees due to an accident so I prefer to have something more supportive on my feet and save the flip flops for the beach/pool. :-)

I wore comfy sport sandals and my husband wore sneakers. We didn't do a whole lot of walking around but we did climb the temple at Altun Ha. If you typically wear flip flops and have no issues then you might be fine. I have really bad knees due to an accident so I prefer to have something more supportive on my feet and save the flip flops for the beach/pool. :-)

Thank You this information was helpful.

Thanks for the very thorough review.

I am strongly considering this excursion through Celebrity, I am sure it will be the same vendor, being a sister ship.

Here's my question, if you remember: once you returned from the tour (I agree, the boat ride on the back end would be better, to cool off!), did you have any time to spare before getting the tender back to the ship?

I want to see the ruins for sure, but I would like at least a little bit of time to poke around the pier area also.

We are scheduled 10A to 6P, and I assume tour people will get priority tendering.

Everyone says the Lamani tour is very long, all day. This one is billed as a bit shorter, but I know times can be "loose" and I know there are no guarantees.

Thanks in advance