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Lamanai Excursion Questions

Lard Greystoke

By Lard Greystoke,
in Belize

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Lard Greystoke

Lard Greystoke

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Heading here in April........ and would like to hear more on the timing issue before we book....... Please keep "those cards and letters" coming in......

 

I am definitely booking this trip independently on 27th Feb. I will post timing results IF I get back...if not I plan to become the "wild man of Belize" and you can visit me on future excursions.

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DonMar

DonMar

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Mylove: Thanks for the info. It sounds like a tough call.

 

Chamima: I found the trip offered at www.belizecruiseexcursions.com and www.ecotoursbelize.com. Haven't contacted either one for their input as yet.

 

Lard,

 

We just returned from a cruise which took us to Belize. I was set on exploring Lamanai. First let me say that we DID go to Lamanai and it was the very best thing I did on the entire 8 day cruise. It was also one of if not the most beautiful place I have ever been to.

 

Secondly, be warned, it is not a quick trip. There is a very high risk of not making it back to the ship. Because this was our last port of call we took the risk - bringing all of our travel documents just in case. We DID make it back thanks to our two tour guides - Richard for his Indy driving and Jr. for his expert boat handling skills on the New River.

 

A few things to know about if you want to go to Lamanai:

 

1. Belize is a tender port. You must get out on the first or second tender. I found that cruise ships like to get their excursion passengers off first so make sure to speak to the Purser's Desk and confirm the tendering procedure. On the morning of arrival, make sure to be in the gathering location early and be politely firm about getting off the ship.

 

2. You will need a print out of your confirmation with tour time - make it as early as possible! The cruise ship will ask for this as proof of an early tour.

 

3. Have your travel documents with you just in case you miss the tender. The ship leaves ON TIME.

 

4. The drive from the pier to Orange Walk is at least 1 1/4 hours. The you take a boat ride 24 miles down the New River. We traveled at about 22 knots the entire time so it took us about another hour or so. Then you have to do it all over again to get back!

 

5. Traffic in Belize City can be tough mid day.

 

6. If you go bring bug replant and wear good hiking boots/sneakers and pants. There is a lot of mud in areas and if you climb any of the temples you need to have really good footwear and pants.

 

That being said, I wish we had more time to explore this beautiful place. Because we left so early we were the only ones at Lamanai and it was WONDERFUL. This is a site that does not get a lot of cruise traffic - just what I like. I can not wait to go back to Belize and spend a number of days at Lamanai.

 

I contacted the Belize excursion company and they booked the trip for me. Even though they had all of our cruise info - they were not as cognizant of our time constraint as I thought they would have. Because we were nervous out the excursion, we e-mailed the company from the ship and moved the start time up one hour. (E-mailing from the ship is expensive so get your ducks in a row before you go.)

 

Richard our land based guide drove us to Orange Walk with the speed of a Puma. What a great job.

 

Jr. took us down the New River with a few stops along the way to see wildlife - including crocodiles. He was fantastic. Jr. also took us around Lamanai and was very knowledgeable. He encouraged us to climb the largest temple - so we did. Know that I am home I can say that I was glad that I did it. What a thrill!

 

This is not a fancy cruise tour. This is a real experience to be enjoyed.

 

Tip: Leave your backpacks on the ground but take a camera.

 

Hope this helps.

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DonMar

DonMar

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DonMar!

 

Thanks so much for your review!

 

Questions for you... What ship were you on? What was your ships scheduled time in port? What time did you leave your ship that morning and what time did you get on the tender back to the ship?

 

Thanks so much!

Alwaysonvacation

 

Always on Vacation,

 

We were on the Carnival Legend and the first tender was at 7:15am ship time/6:15 Belize time. We got the second tender out - thanks to some gentle pushing. It is a good 20 - 30 minute boat ride to the pier - depending upon weather conditions. Another note about the tender - some boats come to the ship to take excursions to islands directly. Do not just jump on any tender if you are brave enough to skip the tendering procedure.

 

The last tender was at 3:15 ship time/2:15 Belize time. The ship was leaving at 4:00/3:00 and they did!

 

Thanks to Richard we got back to Belize City by 2:30 ship time and had a few moments shop at the handicraft tents outside the port.

 

I will say that Cruise Critic friends which we met on the cruise (they cruise a number of times of year) were very skeptical that we would make it back. We had a great time on the aft deck that evening surprising them!

 

Lamanai was the best thing we did. I can not wait to go back.

 

Hope this helps. If you are willing to take the risk - do not forget to bring you travel documents!

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Alwaysonvacation

Alwaysonvacation

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Thanks again for your input. We have booked this excursion and we are to be there from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm ship time. We will have priority tendering and should be on the first tender. We are to meet them at the dock at 8:20 am Belize time. It looks like we will have the same amount of time that you did while in Belize. I know that I will be a nervous wreck the whole day, but we really want to go on this trip. I have contacted belizeexcursions and they have tried to reassure me that missing the ship is not an option. They e-mailed me back saying they had back up busses and boats. I doubt that, but at least they know the right things to say. :)

 

Looking forward to more reviews!

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2+3Cruisers

2+3Cruisers

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We are doing this excursion through NCL the first week of March. For those who have returned, a few questions. Once you actually get to Lamanai, how difficult is the hike/walk to get to the ruins or around the ruins? Did you want pants just for the hiking part? I've read in other places how hot it can be... Has anyone done this through NCL? I assume they transport us on buses. I appreciate all the info!

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Lard Greystoke

Lard Greystoke

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Always on Vacation,

 

 

 

Lamanai was the best thing we did. I can not wait to go back.

 

Hope this helps. If you are willing to take the risk - do not forget to bring you travel documents!

 

Thanks for the great advice. I will go forewarned. The worst that can happen is some expense and inconvenience. What's life without risk?

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JoeTx

JoeTx

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Thanks for the great advice. I will go forewarned. The worst that can happen is some expense and inconvenience. What's life without risk?

 

Vacations are all about relaxing and no worries. Last thing I want is to worry about getting off the boat on time, getting to the ruins on time, worrying about getting back to the boat on time. I have booked excursions on my own plenty of times in the past, but for a trip this long, its not worth it when the cruise ship offers the excursion and guaranties you'll make it back.

 

90% of the time I recommend private excursions, but this one just didn't sound like one of those times...

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Alwaysonvacation

Alwaysonvacation

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I totally agree about booking through the ship, but RCCL doesn't offer this excursion. We would gladly pay more to do this through the ship. We have a group of 15 and we even tried to get them to set one up for us, but it must not have been enough to be worth their while. We will be on the first tender and be very aware of our timing. That is why I so appreciate positive reviews.

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DonMar

DonMar

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We are doing this excursion through NCL the first week of March. For those who have returned, a few questions. Once you actually get to Lamanai, how difficult is the hike/walk to get to the ruins or around the ruins? Did you want pants just for the hiking part? I've read in other places how hot it can be... Has anyone done this through NCL? I assume they transport us on buses. I appreciate all the info!

 

Great to hear so many people willing to go to Lamanai!

 

2+3cruisers - Walking around Lamanai is not that hard. There is mud in locations along the path making it slippery. The paths are fairly well laid out, but can be rocky is some areas. The real thrill and difficult part is climbing the sun temple! I have tried to attach some images so you can see.

 

This is not a handicap friendly excursion.

 

JoeTx - I would agree with you about relaxing on vacations. I thought I would be a nervous mess, but I let myself go and be in the experience and put my trust in the tour guide. It was really the best thing I could have done on this trip - worries or no worries.

 

Enjoy the photos.

 

By the way there is video form others on YouTube of Lamanai.

IMG_4231a.jpg.110b56fbb0ff0b80eac6bc1dc4a243ec.jpg

IMG_4232a.jpg.be2c179fd88d70eb6b030e89458c7cf5.jpg

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sharecruises

sharecruises

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Carnival seems to not offer this anymore...at least not for Glory..

 

I have heard good reviews about these ruins but many said how tight the time was or they had to wait for the ship

 

Since we all know that the ship's excursions get off first, why do people tell others to "get on the first tender" when they have a private tour booked?? IF I book a private tour I would not expect to be on the first tender...if you try to do that and others try it will really end up in a mess

 

I think it is important to remember that the tender is much longer in Belize than in other places...they are pretty far out from shore.

 

I don't know why Carnival stopped this tour...maybe they had to keep the ship there late too many times>? That costs the cruiseline in extra fees to the port..?? Maybe it was just too "nerve racking" to assure that the tour would get back in time?

 

Altho some here say it is negative, I have read over lots of recent reviews of ships in Belize...and I still feel this is NOT a port to cut time short or to be too "independent"

 

The "short tours" like the caves and the altun ha ruins or the zoo are probably fine thru a tour company...but if you want a more complicated tour it would be best thru your ship...or maybe just skip it?? Also, the snorkel or beach party tours are best thru the ship....otherwise you spend an extra hour or more riding on ferries and tenders.

Look at a map...remember this is a huge reef, a tender port.

 

Apparently some cruiselines still offer Lamanai ...maybe they are in port longer than Carnival??

 

Also...we don't know all the details, but maybe Carnival had trouble with the tour company they used for Lamanai...ie, vehicle breakdowns, being late...being irresponsible...

 

Better safe than sorry...better on the ship on time than trying to catch up with it in the next port IMHO

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DonMar

DonMar

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Since we all know that the ship's excursions get off first, why do people tell others to "get on the first tender" when they have a private tour booked?? IF I book a private tour I would not expect to be on the first tender...if you try to do that and others try it will really end up in a mess.

 

I think cruise lines want you to believe that their excursions are the only ones to get the first tenders. We spoke with the Purser (Carnival Legend) as did other Cruise Critic members on our cruise with independent excursions, and he confirmed that we could get out on the early tenders with the ships excursions as long as we had documentation of an independent tour that started early and could not wait until general tendering.

 

We got to the meeting place for cruise ship excursions tendering at 7:00am and we were out shortly there after - you have to tell the staff that you need to get out on an early tender. At least this is the way it was on the Carnival Legend.

 

We all got off the ship with no problem and early. They seemed to have an armada of tenders. Again - this is what WE experienced. Can not say that the same would be true for all.

 

I can understand the fears and advice about not making the tour meeting time, the last tender and the ship. We decided to take the risk (and their is a very real risk!!!) and we made it. Can not say everyone will do the same, but we were very luck.

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BobbieSu

BobbieSu

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I'm so sorry to hear that the cruiselines are not sponsoring this tour anymore. We were able to book it through RCCL and as so many have said it was the best day and excursion of the cruise. It took the entire day (on the first tender [15min ride with the new tenders] and back with 15 minutes to last tender.

 

We had an acquaintance on our ship who went with an independent tour. They arrived to the boat ramp on the river after we did and left before us. In other words they had less time at the ruins. They didn't know what they missed and said it was a great day. It's possible they didn't get the lunch/tour of the museum and had one or two less stops at the ruins. Nevertheless they were still able to experience the site and enjoyed it.

 

I'm not sure I would have booked this without the assurance of the ship waiting for us. However, if you are an experienced traveler it might not be too bad,,(just expensive). If you book it independently just go prepared. Take a back pack with all your info/ money and a change of clothing, know how you would get to your next stop if that becomes necessary (the airport is a quick taxi ride and I can't believe they don't have a puddle jumper to Cancun or Cozumel), and then go and enjoy this special place.

 

Su

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PACURN

PACURN

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I used belizecruiseexcursions for my Cave tubing tour. We had no problem getting back on time. Ricard was our guide (not sure if it's the same Richard as Donmar had) and he was great. I think we caught the second to the last tender back. I hate ship tours. It seems the Laminai tour is really cutting it close. Could be a little scary. We'll hopefully more CC'rs will do it and keep us advised.

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javamama

javamama

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We just returned from our cruise and, as promised in an earlier posting, wanted to let you know about the Lamanai tour. The abbreviated version: It was great and we had no problem making it back to the ship on time!

 

Because the Carnival Valor didn't offer this tour, we booked through Belize Cruise Excursions. Richard, the local manager, met us at the pier and drove us to a dock on the New River, where Eric, our guide, took us by motorboat to the ruins. For my husband, two kids (boys, ages 14 & 10), and me, it was worth the price of admission just for the one-hour boat ride! At the ruins, we ate a delicious homemade lunch provided by our guide and then he gave us a tour of the ruins. He was very knowledgeable and personable. It was an incredible experience! Once we arrived back at the dock, Richard was there waiting to take us back to ship.

 

Both Richard and Eric were very mindful of our time issues and although we never felt rushed, we also had great confidence that we would be delivered back in time which helped us enjoy our little adventure.

 

I highly recommend this tour to anyone thinking about doing it!

 

Happy cruising!

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