is it worth getting off ship at this port?

anyone doing or have done an excursion in Belize ? if so which one? is it worth even getting off the ship there? I've heard so many horror stories so debating staying on the ship or seeing the ruins, I'm good either way

 

 

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Yes, I believe so, but only if you have pre-booked an excursion. We plan to visit the Lamanai ruins on our port day in January.

We enjoyed seeing Lamanai. We booked our excursion through the cruise line.

 

You might enjoy seeing a slide show my wife made with some of the pictures she took on our cruise line sponsored shore excursion. She posted the slide show on her website. You can view it at the link I'll insert below.

 

Lamanai Mayan Ruins at Belize

 

Happy cruising!

Yes and yes...

 

We have gone to the great barrier reef.....gone cave tubing....gone on a city tour and Altun Ha...in dec. we are doing Lamani....some with the ship and some independent tours!!!

 

Do what you like and have Fun!!! We have never felt unsafe....

The general consensus from what I've gathered while researching my own cruise is that Belize is great if you have a plan, but it's not really a great port for just winging it like you can with Cozumel or the Bahamas.

yes...cave tubing! its amazing! Been to Belize 6 times...have gone cave tubing every single time :D

We are doing the Belize Shark Ray Alley and Hol Chan Marine Park Snorkel Excursion by Air excursion. Person on our roll call described it as a "bucket list" worthy excursion. Lots of You tube videos of the experience. If you are scared for safety or being late to the ship I would say book through your cruise line. DW and I always try a new port the first time we cruise somewhere.

I go to Belize a couple of times a year to scuba dive and hang out. Most of the people OUTSIDE of Belize City are wonderful, but BC is not a place to wander. Take some type of tour (preferably not a ship's excursion) and you will see some of the Belize that I've come to love.

I have been twice. If you are interested in ruins see if your ship offers a tour to Xunantunich. It was a great day.

 

anyone doing or have done an excursion in Belize ? if so which one? is it worth even getting off the ship there? I've heard so many horror stories so debating staying on the ship or seeing the ruins, I'm good either way

 

 

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Get off the ship and go to The Wet Lizard. It's a bar/restaurant right along the waterfront

Get off the ship and go to The Wet Lizard. It's a bar/restaurant right along the waterfront

 

We've enjoyed The Wet Lizard as well! :D

Note: It's within the secured tender area and is a quite safe place to go.

LuLu

We've enjoyed The Wet Lizard as well! :D

 

Note: It's within the secured tender area and is a quite safe place to go.

 

LuLu

 

 

Yea it is a great place to go. The coconut shrimp is super yummy. The Wet Lizard is owned by a couple from Georgia who moved down there after they stopped there on a cruise

We think the Mayan ruins in Belize are worth getting off the ship.

We are doing Xuanantunich, so excited!

The general consensus from what I've gathered while researching my own cruise is that Belize is great if you have a plan, but it's not really a great port for just winging it like you can with Cozumel or the Bahamas.

Exactly! The first time we visited we did a cave tubing tour. Great tour and a lot of fun. Second time (this past August), we did a river tour and Altun Ha. Also a great tour. Both tours were planned well in advance of our cruise, and both gave us a good view of the country outside Belize City.

 

Staying in the area inside the port is just fine, but not a real experience of Belize aside from some good restaurants. Things can get dicey if you walk outside the port area to the city streets. There are some shopping deals outside - when we did the cave tubing tour, our guide talked about some of the local crafts available there.

In our 7 or more trips there we started first cruise walking out of the terminal to see the town. That was not the best idea.

We followed with snorkeling trips through the cruise line; a train ride through the city; three trips to Caye Caulker-be careful what agent you use; a trip to Bannister island and some trips just to the port area.

Agree the Wet Lizard is great!

We are going back in 2015 and wonder what we will do. Some of the other posts offer good ideas. Personally, I would never stay on the ship.

There are too many options.

In our experience I would not book a tour at the port. The agents try to gather as many as they can for their tours and it takes time to do that. Meanwhile you are losing time. You stand and wait while they try to find others to join in.

Book in advance with the cruiseline or those tours CC members report are good.

We are cruising Nov 2, I have very limited mobility & was wondering if there was anything to do just on pier then return to ship...

First of all, the ride to the tourist village at the port is about 25 minutes on a large, fast boat. Then there is a level sidewalk providing access to lots of shops and The Wet Lizard, a bar/restaurant owned by people from Georgia. A few opportunities to buy local stuff.

Wet Lizard is pretty amazing. It's actually the only tourist bar I went to last week on the Western Caribbean cruise I took.

 

If you do want to explore Belize City, exit the cruise terminal and turn right. Do not turn left. Left is downtown Belize City and best left to the locals (as I learned quickly). Right follows Fort Street along the coast and there's some cool views and the nicer restaurants. If you follow it long enough, there's a casino.

 

It's more of a city than most places the cruise ships stop though so there's not much more than a city of 60,000 people would have to offer in the United States as far as entertainment.

The first time we were in Belize, we did the air boat ride down a river and into some jungle like area. That was a fun experience. While waiting for our tour to begin, DH and DD enjoyed a Belikan beer and we walked around the TV a little.

 

We are going back this January and decided to just enjoy time in the TV for a while. Lunch and some beer and look around through the shops. There is a chocolate shop there that will demonstrate the chocolate making process for a small fee and I think some free samples that we thought we would take in too. And be sure to buy some Marie Sharp's hot sauce if you are a fan of hot sauces.

We have done the cave tubing twice now and had a great time! (I have reviews listed in my signature line with tons of pictures if you are interested in this type of thing). This time around, we are swimming with the sharks and rays and can't wait.

 

I think as long as you have a "plan" or excursion and research it (as you are), then you'll be fine. :)