Best Excursion in Belize?

[Malinger]

We were on the Carnival Legend Jan. 2011 and did the River Wallace/Altun Ha ruins trip. We loved it and both felt it was the best of all excursions we've ever been on. The boat ride up River Wallace was incredible. About 1/2 way up the 20 miles it gets quite remote and we felt like we were in the Amazon. There was even a guy poling an actual dugout canoe along the edge fishing. Loved the iguanas, crocs, and howler monkeys we saw. The lunch, at a resort where you transfer from the boat to the bus, was a really neat experience, and cost about $6 person. We walked around the resort (Black Orchid Resort in Burrell Boom) and it was beautiful. We'd love to go stay there. The bus ride to Altun Ha (about 1/2 hour) and then back to the city after Altun Ha (about 1 hr) was amazing. It was really something to see the houses, markets, roadside stands, and schools. Especially loved the armed checkpoint we had to go through. Glad we were on the ship sponsored shore excursion at that point. The ruins were really awesome and we spent about 1 1/2 hrs. there, which was enough. I could have explored a little longer, but it was fine. What an experience!! Can't recommend it enough.

 

 

Completely agree...it was a great trip. I could not have said it better. We did not have an armed check point though. :(

[noodlebrain]

I think cave tubing with Dave at Dave's Eco Tours would be the best excursion possible. He'll pick you up at the dock, be your chaperone for the day, teach you and your kids a lot about Belize and drop your off safely when your day is over. It's like having a relative living in Belize.

[rockbock]

I think cave tubing with Dave at Dave's Eco Tours would be the best excursion possible.

 

Kind of scary cancellation policy, if you ask me. Cruises miss ports all the time, and apparently you're SOL with this company if your ship doesn't make it there (or you choose to cancel for any other reason). There's no way I'd ever use this company unless I had vacation insurance and didn't mind the risk of potentially haven't to file claims on it.

 

Dave’s Eco Tours Cancelation Policy

Full payment is due in order to confirm your tour. A 50% refund will be granted if cancelation is received in 2 days or ( 48 hrs) or more, prior to departure. There will be no refund if cancellation is received less than 2 days or (48 hrs) prior to departure. Dave’s Eco Tour’s reserved the right to cancel any tour prior to departure under circumstances that may make operation of tour or (trip) in advisable. All tour’s payment which were received will be promptly refund. This cancellation policy applies to any reason for cancellation. Personal issues, air line delay.

[kruisingkouple]

We did not have to hook our feet under someone's armpits with Nacho and Cynthia. They have really nice tubes with a bottom and also a headrest. We did see lots of other people doing this, though. Google Nacho and Cynthia Belize and go to their website, you can contact them but please provide your phone number as Nacho will personally call you and you can customize your day. You can go to the zoo, the baboon sanctuary, the ruins, not just cave tubing. He'll be able to help you decide how many things you can experience. We did zip lining, cave tubing and also ate a wonderful lunch, even with Carnival shortening our day by an hour. Nacho and Cynthia were very mindful of the time and made sure that we were back to the ship in time after a great day.

[noodlebrain]

The commenter that mentioned Cancellation Policies brings up a very good point. There are many reasons why your vacation may be interupted including hurricanes, illness, missed flights, etc.

 

Although unlikely, these events occur. This is why there is vacation insurance and I would encourage all cruisers to purchase it.

 

In researching the cancellation policies of several tour companies and Norwegian Cruise Lines, I found that most tour companies have similar cancellation policies to Dave's Eco Tours. The strictest cancellation policy was Norwegian. Their policy simply said no refunds, period.

 

I guess it's easy to roll over and decide not to go on a day tour. The operators and cruise lines book their time to serve you, foregoing other customers. This is the price we pay.

[Terran]

We did not have to hook our feet under someone's armpits with Nacho and Cynthia. They have really nice tubes with a bottom and also a headrest. We did see lots of other people doing this, though. Google Nacho and Cynthia Belize and go to their website, you can contact them but please provide your phone number as Nacho will personally call you and you can customize your day. You can go to the zoo, the baboon sanctuary, the ruins, not just cave tubing. He'll be able to help you decide how many things you can experience. We did zip lining, cave tubing and also ate a wonderful lunch, even with Carnival shortening our day by an hour. Nacho and Cynthia were very mindful of the time and made sure that we were back to the ship in time after a great day.

 

Thanks for that info! Even though they are more expensive than some of the other tour groups, I feel like they are a little more personal and could be trusted to get you back to the ship on time.

[Njbosoxgirl]

We are using Nacho & Cynthia for Altun Ha/ baboon sanctuary with lunch... He was very nice on the phone and explains everything. I've only heard good things.. We also hooked up with another family on CC who are traveling on the same cruise and Nacho have us a better rate considering we are now 9 instead of 3... So more people =less money!

[speakuplove]

I love Belize (it's on the short list for our eventual honeymoon destination), but it is a bit more complicated as a port stop than many others, especially for a woman alone with kids. Even just being a tender port leads another step to the process which is an argument for a ship's tour. Also, while I feel perfectly safe in Belize, most of the worthwhile places to visit are far enough from the port that I wouldn't want to be on my own trying to get back with kids if something went wrong. That said, I'd either stick with a ship's tour, or a private vendor with a good reputation that meets you inside the port area. I absolutely wouldn't go as far as Lamanai or Xunantunich without a ship's tour (given your circumstances- I'm planning to do the private tour to Lamanai, but my boyfriend and I, in our late 20s without kids, would have an easier time trying to catch up with the ship in Cozumel than you would with little ones). I think the general question of what to do really depends on your kids and their interests. Cave tubing and ziplining are a blast. Altun Ha would be fun if they're into Indiana Jones movies, and it can be combined with a river boat ride or a trip to the Belize Zoo (which is really well done). I haven't been to Bacab Eco Park but it looks like a viable option too.

 

Hi there! Would you mind terribly if I inquired as to who you used (or are going to use!) for your tour of Lamanai?! And, if you've already gone, how it was?!

 

Also, to the OP, if you haven't decided on anything for Cozumel yet, I would recommend Paradise Beach. I have been twice and found it be wonderful!

[1cricket]

an 'easy' day at Cozumel could include some time spent at Chankanaab..they have some pretty decent snorkeling there..you can rent equipment, or bring your own. Admission is $20, and food/drinks available for purchase.

 

 

There are several beaches that you can take a cab to on Cozumel, there is a cab stand near the port and all prices are clearly marked. You won't have a problem.

 

For Belize, we've booked a tour with Nacho and Cynthia..they have come VERY highly rated by CC members! We are going to Altun Ha, the Baboon Sanctuary, a beach in Old Belize for lunch, and a bit of touring around the town. They are providing beer, rum punch, soda, water, and cynthia has promise us some kind of fruit snack.. I'm not holding her to it, but it will be GREAT if she does it!

 

 

Hey there,

Can you tell me how to get in touch with Nacho and CYnthia?

[Njbosoxgirl]

http://www.ncqadventuretours.com

We are also using him... He's very nice

[kruisingkouple]

You will have a really great time with Nacho and Cynthia! Have fun!

[DrivesLikeMario]

I guess everyone has a different experience but we found Cave Tubing dot com horrible. Our guide made homophobic jokes/commments on our bus ride over, which I didn't appreciate. Then we had to wear nasty old life jackets that smelled. You have to hike what seems like miles through the humid rainforest. When you finally get there they link you up feet to armpits with strangers. They pull you through a shallow rocky stream in a big double doughnut chain. You can't see much because of the lying back position with the life jacket restricting head movement, and weak headlamps. Don't forget to lift your backside or you will be black and blue from hitting rocks. One word...never again!

 

Thank you for your post. So often, people ignore the bad and only report glowing reviews and that gives the reader such a one-sided viewpoint.

[drog]

We were on the Carnival Legend Jan. 2011 and did the River Wallace/Altun Ha ruins trip. We loved it and both felt it was the best of all excursions we've ever been on. The boat ride up River Wallace was incredible. About 1/2 way up the 20 miles it gets quite remote and we felt like we were in the Amazon. There was even a guy poling an actual dugout canoe along the edge fishing. Loved the iguanas, crocs, and howler monkeys we saw. The lunch, at a resort where you transfer from the boat to the bus, was a really neat experience, and cost about $6 person. We walked around the resort (Black Orchid Resort in Burrell Boom) and it was beautiful. We'd love to go stay there. The bus ride to Altun Ha (about 1/2 hour) and then back to the city after Altun Ha (about 1 hr) was amazing. It was really something to see the houses, markets, roadside stands, and schools. Especially loved the armed checkpoint we had to go through. Glad we were on the ship sponsored shore excursion at that point. The ruins were really awesome and we spent about 1 1/2 hrs. there, which was enough. I could have explored a little longer, but it was fine. What an experience!! Can't recommend it enough.

 

We are considering this excursion for our January 2013 Cruise on the Legend and your review may have sealed it! We are big time beach people but looking for something different in at least one of the ports. It sounds like a great opportunity to see some ruins which we have never done and see some of Belize as well.

[noodlebrain]

Cruising is wonderful but be careful. When you get exposed to the country like we did, you may not want to cruise next time. There is so much to see and do you just may want to spend a week on the ground or in Ambergris Caye on the beach.

 

We used David with Dave's Eco Tours and he acted as our chauffer and personal guide. See something interesting on the way to the ruins? No problem, it's your vehicle. Pull over and enjoy it. Unfortunately, David can only excort one client per cruise ship. We hope you get him.

[connieh1968]

We found belize, this past January, to be one of our favorite stops of all our cruises. As usual we tried to do something I like, the wife likes and educate the kiddo ( age 7).

 

We had a private guide hired and had him take us to a local store to buy some local foods and some local liquor ( way cheaper than the Duty Free shops in the Tourism Village). Then for me, we toured the state of the art Belikin brewery in Ladyville. We than had the driver take us to his neighborhood in Ladyville and chatted with locals. Then we headed back into Belize City. Here we checked out great architecture, wandered some streets with our guide and then asked him to find us a place that serves gibnut. We found a nice little shack out of the way, a little open air diner which served the royal rat...fantastic. We also visited a local school.

 

Then we headed back to the Tourism Village, wandered around but it seemed well... touristy. Since my daughter and I studied Belize before the trip, we all wandered into town some more, chatted away with very fun locals. It looks a bit rough, but all were kind. I wanted to show my daughter how the city was since we live in a very rural location.

 

We want to head back to Belize, next time seeing ruins, jungles or beaches, but we did enjoy the city much.

 

 

Can you tell me who you hired?? I want to do this with my 7 year old, plus I am taking some school suplies for the kids.

[svmodi]

We did the Mayan Ruins/River Wallace tour and LOVED it! The ruins were great, and the boat ride down the river was a lot of fun. We saw lots of crocs, howler monkeys, iguanas and manatee. Picked up right at the dock, dropped you off right at the dock. Depending on the ages of your kids, they may not be old enough for the cave tubing. And I had a VERY BAD experience with a local operator (years ago) so just be very careful that your operator is reputable. Mine was, but they were overbooked and "outsourced" our guide. It was a horrific experience (funny, now) so just be careful :)

 

 

We will be cruising on the Carnival Legend in Dec and are planning to do this same excursion in Belize. Did you do this excursion with Carnival or with a local tour?

[232271]

One ship excursion often overlooked but totally teriffic . . . .

.

 

http://www.bacabecopark.com/

 

.

 

what ships offer this?

[UATLB]

we did the cave tubing and it was awesome

[Travel Mom]

"One word...never again!"

 

 

Sorry, couln't resist... That is two words.

[cranbeck]

Where did u go snorkeling? Did u book off the ship or use someone else?

[1cricket]

Ok I've read about two cave tubing yours. Charlie Chans and cavetubing.bz tours. Which one is best?

[Disney180]

Ok I've read about two cave tubing yours. Charlie Chans and cavetubing.bz tours. Which one is best?

 

 

Hi Here is my two cents..lol We used VIV tours in August when we went and they were great. When you are walking up to where you get in the river the guide told us about the history of some plants and people. ALSO during this whole time you are NOT carrying a tube as they have already placed them at the top of the climb. The whole time walking and seeing other groups having to carry theirs was WOW so Thankful I am not crarrying one, as is it a steady climb up and no extra weight to carry as I have enough already..LOL :D

 

http://vivtours.com/

 

Cheers

Barb

[sjjourney]

Has anyone taken a water taxi to Caye Caulker island? there is a place there called the Lazy Lizard that looked kinda laid back. Trip Advisor had good reviews on it. Just wondering thanks.

[stargate fan]

Cave tubing through VIV Tours was the best! Half the price of Carnival's tour and you get to tube further & longer. Also, they are the only ones that have the nice locking inter-tubes where you don't have to lock your feet underneath someones armpits.

 

Like!

We used VIV back in April. Wonderful tour, great inner tubes, but the most important thing to me was the feet under the armpit thing. So gross. VIV connect tubes with ropes and carabiners.

[jilro]

Was wondering who your private guide was? This is something we would like to do. Did you get the guide when you got off the ship or was it pre arranged? Thanks Judy