Shore Excursions When You Get Off the Ship?

[LizD]

I haven't found any shore excursions that I'm in love with off of these boards or on Carnival's site. I think what we do in Belize might be a "game time" decision.

 

If we decided to not book through Carnival, is it possible to get independent excursions when you get off the boat? Will there be people selling cave-tubing excursions if we decide to do that? Do we have to book ahead?

 

Also... do any of you know of just a good nature hike we could go to? My husband loves bird watching and it doesn't seem like any of the things I've found have catered to his needs. Not really interested in the Belize Zoo...

 

Thanks for any input!

[cruisetraveler2]

Belize is a port that I like to have a plan before we get there. We have done a Carnival tour and also one that we booked with an independent tour guide that I found by reading these boards. I just feel more comfortable booking with someone that other people have highly recommended. Belize is beautiful but you need to get away from the port area to really enjoy it. Good luck!

[Perfect Stranger]

I haven't found any shore excursions that I'm in love with off of these boards or on Carnival's site. I think what we do in Belize might be a "game time" decision.

 

If we decided to not book through Carnival, is it possible to get independent excursions when you get off the boat? Will there be people selling cave-tubing excursions if we decide to do that? Do we have to book ahead?

 

 

You can....but you do so at your own risk. Belize is a place many people caution to either stay inside the gates or pre-book an excursion. Some "tour guides" yelling through the gates may be reputable...or they may be thugs.

[MacSmooth]

I haven't found any shore excursions that I'm in love with off of these boards or on Carnival's site. I think what we do in Belize might be a "game time" decision.

 

If we decided to not book through Carnival, is it possible to get independent excursions when you get off the boat? Will there be people selling cave-tubing excursions if we decide to do that? Do we have to book ahead?

 

Also... do any of you know of just a good nature hike we could go to? My husband loves bird watching and it doesn't seem like any of the things I've found have catered to his needs. Not really interested in the Belize Zoo...

 

Thanks for any input!

I would definitely recommend having a plan BEFORE you get to Belize. When my wife & I went there last August, it was the only port (out of Grand Cayman, Roatan Island and Cozumel), where our cruise director cautioned all the guests about going off on their own or with independent excursions.

 

And I agree with PerfectStranger, there's not really a great way to tell whose reputable if you make a decision when you get there. There are literally people yelling (and in some cases reaching) through the gates of the tourist area trying to lure you out. Now, I'm not saying most of these people aren't legit, but the key is, you don't know...

 

If your husband likes nature, I would recommend the Airboat Adventure & Belize City Tour. The city tour was pretty good, but the Airboat Adventure was amazing. They take you to this beautiful lagoon and marsh area and you see all types of exotic birds and plants. You even come across some crocodiles as well. It's not a "hike", but it's fun...

[World Gallery]

Quote: "Some "tour guides" yelling through the gates may be reputable...or they may be thugs."

 

What if you book on the spot with a tour group inside the gate? We are going with a plan to catch the water taxi over to Caye Caulker for the day but if the water is very choppy and rough, we will have to change plans that day. We were hoping to have some options but would not go outside of the gate to find a tour. We had a past private tour with Nacho and Cythnia two years ago (recommended on CC) and they did explain that everyone "inside the gate" paid a lot to be there and they are approved and safe.

My question: Has anyone booked inside the gate when they got off of the tender? If I recall from pass cruises, I do remember people selling tours and they were screaming and were aggressive.

[World Gallery]

My question: Has anyone booked inside the gate when they got off of the tender? If I recall from pass cruises, I do remember people selling tours and they were screaming and were aggressive.

 

Oops! I made a mistake. I meant to sayI do remember people selling tours and they were not screaming and were not aggressive.

[LizD]

Thanks for the suggestions on the airboat tour! That sounds like something the DH would love!

[sigmahawk]

There are a plethera of tour companies marketing their product as you get off the trendor in Belize...my reccomendation is to find an Eco Tour rep and start from there...and there are others.

[MacSmooth]

Thanks for the suggestions on the airboat tour! That sounds like something the DH would love!

Yeah, I had a blast. Ever since I saw Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach when I was a kid, I wanted to ride on an airboat. He should like it. Here a couple pics from that excursion:

 

 

 

 

[Naomi John]

If your husband likes nature, I would recommend the Airboat Adventure & Belize City Tour. The city tour was pretty good, but the Airboat Adventure was amazing. They take you to this beautiful lagoon and marsh area and you see all types of exotic birds and plants. You even come across some crocodiles as well. It's not a "hike", but it's fun...

 

Were there life vests for the children? I could not tell from your photo.

[MacSmooth]

Were there life vests for the children? I could not tell from your photo.

Yes, there were definitely life vests available for anyone that wanted them (adults or children). As you can tell from the pics though, no one really wore them since they were OPTIONAL. But they were located under everyone's bench. They even had rain ponchos available on the airboat in case it rained while you were out (we got caught in a light 3 minute shower). We loved it.

[Naomi John]

Yes, there were definitely life vests available for anyone that wanted them (adults or children). As you can tell from the pics though, no one really wore them since they were OPTIONAL. But they were located under everyone's bench. They even had rain ponchos available on the airboat in case it rained while you were out (we got caught in a light 3 minute shower). We loved it.

 

Thanks for the information. It's nice to know about the rain ponchos as well. One more question, how bumpy was the ride? real bumpy to where your rearend was sore afterwards?

[MacSmooth]

Thanks for the information. It's nice to know about the rain ponchos as well. One more question, how bumpy was the ride? real bumpy to where your rearend was sore afterwards?

I didn't think it was bumpy at all. The airboat is pretty large (ours seated 12-15 people), sturdy and has a flat bottom (there aren't any moving parts below the water). Also, the tour was around a lagoon, marshes and swamps (all enclosed bodies of water), so the water wasn't rough at all. Plus your not going full speed for the whole tour. A good portion of the tour was spent going at low speeds, so we could appreciate all of the exotic plants, birds, crocodiles that we saw. Lastly, the benches and seats on the airboats are padded. I wasn't sore at all and neither was my wife (I can't say the same for the ATV ride we did the next daythough...) However, when we went to book the tour, the website did say the following: "This excursion is not suitable for pregnant women or guests with back or neck injuries."

 

It was loud though. That's why everybody was required to wear those sound blocking headphones. Also for a part of the tour, it didn't smell all that great because the large number of mangroves we passed by (they put out a sulfur smell). But those two things were minor and didn't prevent anyone from having a great time.

 

One thing I forgot to mention, since you brought up kids. The tour we went on did have an age restriction. Kids were allowed, but they had to be 6 or older. Not really too sure how hard they enforce that rule though.

[cruisegal40]

this sounds like fun. how much was it per person? sorry if i am missing something, but did you book through the cruise ship or when you got onshore?

[Naomi John]

Mac you are a true cruise critic member!!! Thank you for all of the information. I was not worried about the age, mine will be 8. I was worried about DMIL who had hip surgery about 6 years ago.

[kirchubel]

We absolutely loved the private tour we did of lamanai, a mayan ruin in Belize. We were bussed to the New River (about one hour), took an hour boat ride up to the ruins, listened to our guide tell us about the history of the site plus lunch. We even got to climb the ruins and we loved that! I thought it was very reasonably priced. Check it out at http://belizecruiseexcursions.com/lamanai_belize.htm

and good luck!

[Cajungranny]

I didn't think it was bumpy at all. The airboat is pretty large (ours seated 12-15 people), sturdy and has a flat bottom (there aren't any moving parts below the water). Also, the tour was around a lagoon, marshes and swamps (all enclosed bodies of water), so the water wasn't rough at all. Plus your not going full speed for the whole tour. A good portion of the tour was spent going at low speeds, so we could appreciate all of the exotic plants, birds, crocodiles that we saw. Lastly, the benches and seats on the airboats are padded. I wasn't sore at all and neither was my wife (I can't say the same for the ATV ride we did the next daythough...) However, when we went to book the tour, the website did say the following: "This excursion is not suitable for pregnant women or guests with back or neck injuries."

 

It was loud though. That's why everybody was required to wear those sound blocking headphones. Also for a part of the tour, it didn't smell all that great because the large number of mangroves we passed by (they put out a sulfur smell). But those two things were minor and didn't prevent anyone from having a great time.

 

One thing I forgot to mention, since you brought up kids. The tour we went on did have an age restriction. Kids were allowed, but they had to be 6 or older. Not really too sure how hard they enforce that rule though.

 

I'm the DMIL that Naomi John is kind enough to be worried about♥ Thanks, DDIL!

MacSmooth: After reading your description above - I feel like this is something I should not have a physical problem with. Also happy to know of the option for life jackets (especially for 8 yr. old greatGD) and anyone else who chooses and padded seats and the level/flat bottom of the airboat. Also appreciate the notes about the enclosed waterways without rough sea conditions. Was curious about the headphones but thought it was to be able to hear the tour guide until you cleared that up.

Do you remember about how much time you were actually on the airboat total?

The pictures really give a better idea than what Carnival has with the excursion on their site. Thanks for posting them.....Cajungranny

[MacSmooth]

this sounds like fun. how much was it per person? sorry if i am missing something, but did you book through the cruise ship or when you got onshore?

Hey cruisegal, my wife and I booked the excursion through Carnival. It ran about $85 for adults and $73 for children. Here's the link to Carnival's page talking about the excursion: Carnvial's Airboat Adventure & Belize City Tour

 

The name of the tour operator that Carnival worked with is Bak-A-Bush Adventure Tours. If my wife and I would've booked directly with them, the price for adults would be $79 and children would be $44. So not really a huge difference unless you have kids. Plus this was our first cruise and our first visit to the Caribbean, so we did all our excursions through the cruise. But here's the link to the exact same excursion if you book directly through Bak-A-Bush: Bak-A-Bush Adventure Tours - Airboat

[MacSmooth]

Mac you are a true cruise critic member!!! Thank you for all of the information. I was not worried about the age, mine will be 8. I was worried about DMIL who had hip surgery about 6 years ago.

Glad I could be helpful! I wasn't sure I'd have all that much input compared to most of the other members on here who have taken many more cruises than my wife and I have. Last year was our first (for our honeymoon) and we just booked the second one for our one year anniversary in August :o)

[MacSmooth]

I'm the DMIL that Naomi John is kind enough to be worried about♥ Thanks, DDIL!

MacSmooth: After reading your description above - I feel like this is something I should not have a physical problem with. Also happy to know of the option for life jackets (especially for 8 yr. old greatGD) and anyone else who chooses and padded seats and the level/flat bottom of the airboat. Also appreciate the notes about the enclosed waterways without rough sea conditions. Was curious about the headphones but thought it was to be able to hear the tour guide until you cleared that up.

Do you remember about how much time you were actually on the airboat total?

The pictures really give a better idea than what Carnival has with the excursion on their site. Thanks for posting them.....Cajungranny

Hey cajungranny, I absolutely love your profile name!

 

To answer your question, we were actually on the airboat for about an hour. The entire excursion which includes the Belize City Tour and then the Airboat Adventure is 2.5 hours total. So if I remember it correctly, the Belize City Tour was an hour, the trip to the Airboat Outpost and the Airboat Orientation was 15 minutes, the Airboat ride was an hour and then it took 15 minutes to get back to the cruise.

 

But yeah, the headphones are just to help block out all the noise from the fan that propels you. But the tour guide has everybody take them off quite a few times, so he can point out exotic plants, birds, crocodiles and also give interesting information about the habitat.

 

The guide also passes out large bird identification cards similar to the one below, so you can identify what you see:

 

 

One thing I also forgot to mention was that after you get back off the Airboat, you have the opportunity to see and hold baby crocodiles, here's a pic (my wife is terrified of critters, so she passed up on this part)

 

[Cajungranny]

Hey cajungranny, I absolutely love your profile name!

 

To answer your question, we were actually on the airboat for about an hour. The entire excursion which includes the Belize City Tour and then the Airboat Adventure is 2.5 hours total. So if I remember it correctly, the Belize City Tour was an hour, the trip to the Airboat Outpost and the Airboat Orientation was 15 minutes, the Airboat ride was an hour and then it took 15 minutes to get back to the cruise.

 

But yeah, the headphones are just to help block out all the noise from the fan that propels you. But the tour guide has everybody take them off quite a few times, so he can point out exotic plants, birds, crocodiles and also give interesting information about the habitat.

 

The guide also passes out large bird identification cards similar to the one below, so you can identify what you see:

 

 

One thing I also forgot to mention was that after you get back off the Airboat, you have the opportunity to see and hold baby crocodiles, here's a pic (my wife is terrified of critters, so she passed up on this part)

 

Hey MacSmooth-love the pic's of the birds-so colorful! Thanks for the quick reply on the time factor elements involved in this excursion. Gives a good feel for what to expect. Hoping we can book the airboat excursion before the week is out. All the info and pictures you posted have been a big help. Thanks

[carol TC]

We will be going next year and BIL uses a walker or cane. Will this excursion be okay. I am worried about getting on tender then into the bus he has done an airboat in Fla.