Snorkeling - Belize or Roatan

We are going on a cruise with Carnival in July and want to know should I snorkel in Belize or Roatan? I am traveling with my family which includes 3 teenagers and we have never snorkeled. Also with Belize being a tender port I was afraid to take an excursion through a third party. Which location is prettier?

Since you have never snorkeled before, I would snorkel at your first spot in case your children love it and want to do it again.

Janice

Same Reef in both ports

In Roatan you can snorkel a reef from the shore. In Belize you have to take an excursion by boat to reach the reef.

In Belize, the Wonders of the Barrier Reef, the tour leaves direct from and back to the ship. They take you out to a nice little island with picnic tables, shade and refreshments for sale. They divide the snorkelers into two groups, experienced and beginners. The guides have been very attentive and show snorkelers a lot of things. When snorkeling is done, you can relax on the island or swim/snorkel near the island. When done, they take you back to the ship. It is a nice tour. In Roatan, I understand you can snorkel the far end of the beach there at the port. We are going to try that in October, The only other snorkeling I've done in Roatan was on the Maya Beach something tour. I don't remember the exact name but Carnival has two tours there, one with snorkel equipment and one just for the beach. They both have lunch. If you have your own snorkel equipment, save the extra money and just do the beach tour. The snorkeling is pretty much on your own. There is a pier that you can walk out and get into the snorkel area. It is pretty good there. They have kind of a snorkel path you can follow.

In Roatan you can snorkel a reef from the shore. In Belize you have to take an excursion by boat to reach the reef.

Actually you can fly out to San Pedro and snorkel the reef also

We love to snorkel so we did both

We used Happy And Grumpy tours in Belize and snorkeled in Ambergris Caye (look up on trip advisor)

In Roatan, we used Roatan Ocean Adventures (look on Fb or trip advisor)

We snorkeled and visited the Daniel Johnson Monkey and Sloth preserve

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Either will be fine BUT Belize is better! :D

I’ve read really good reviews about the wonders of the barrier reef excursion that hammer76 mentioned.

I’m not sure if you only want a snorkel option but in Roatan I can highly recommend going to Little French Key. It’s a small, private island booked directly through their website and they offer several packages which can include a snorkeling trip which was amazing! The island itself is gorgeous and has a ton of things to do. Hands down, it’s been my most favorite port day ever!

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We always take a cab to West Bay and purchase reserved beach chairs for $10 each. There are a few places that do this. The cab drivers will know where- Learn how to say it in Spanish! Something like "Queremos ir a la playa de West Bay". My husband speaks Spanish so I am off the hook for most of the talking, but you need to know a little Spanish for the cabbies. The ship is "El Barco" easy.

Once you arrive, leave your things on your reserved chair, walk all the way down to the last resort. You will see flags that mark the "cut" in the reef that you are to swim through to get the wall. It is spectacular! You can either rent snorkel gear on the beach or bring your own. Make sure you have fins! You will need them to swim out to the drop off. Here's a map to help! Have fun!

We love to snorkel so we did both

 

We used Happy And Grumpy tours in Belize and snorkeled in Ambergris Caye (look up on trip advisor)

 

In Roatan, we used Roatan Ocean Adventures (look on Fb or trip advisor)

We snorkeled and visited the Daniel Johnson Monkey and Sloth preserve

 

 

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What did you think of Happy and Grumpy? We're using them in a few weeks!

I’ve read really good reviews about the wonders of the barrier reef excursion that hammer76 mentioned.

I’m not sure if you only want a snorkel option but in Roatan I can highly recommend going to Little French Key. It’s a small, private island booked directly through their website and they offer several packages which can include a snorkeling trip which was amazing! The island itself is gorgeous and has a ton of things to do. Hands down, it’s been my most favorite port day ever!

 

Thanks tvlworm! Sorry to hijack this thread, but we are cruising in 25 days, and have been on the line about LFK! The teens want to do the Jaguar interaction, yet we have no interest in that or a few of the VIP items, so are not sure what to do at this point. LFK looks amazing though! Soooo glad to hear it has great snorkeling!