Lamanai Excursion Questions

[Alwaysonvacation]

JAVAMAMA!

 

Thanks so much for the review. We are signed up to do this with the same company in a couple of weeks. It was great to hear that you made it back to the ship on time!!

 

Question... How many people were in your group?

 

Alwaysonvacation

[javamama]

Alwaysonvacation:

 

Because ours was the only ship "docked" (we tendered) in Belize that day, and no one else signed up for this excursion, we had a private tour!

 

Javamama

[Alwaysonvacation]

Javamama,

 

We have a group of 14 going. Having been on this trip, do you think that we will all be together or will they split us up? I read somewhere that their boat and bus hold 10.

 

Thanks again for your input.

 

Alwaysonvacation

[javamama]

Based on what I saw, you'd probably be split up into two vans because I didn't see any buses in the parking area for Belize Cruise Excursions. As for the boat, we saw several that held at least 15 people; however, I don't know if the company that Belize Cruise Excursions uses operates any of them.

 

It might be worth an e-mail to the company to find out how they plan to transport your group both on land and by river.

 

Good luck!

 

Javamama

[Tigergenesis]

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!

 

So how long was your total tour? Did you have much time left before the ship disembarked (just curious how close you were in getting back on time)? Thanks for the review!

[Lard Greystoke]

Just got off the Glory today. As promised, I did the Lamanai tour with the following results:

 

The company e-mailed me with detailed instructions.

 

Inquired at the purser's desk the night before regarding tender policy. They told me to take proof of my early excursion to a social host the next morning. I did so bright and early, the social host gave me a strange look as if she had no idea what I was talking about, and after dispatching 2 groups of early Carnival tours she called "private tours" and we were let down to the tenders.

 

I arrived at the terminal almost an hour early. As promised in the e-mail, some people were waiting with t-shirts and signs identifying themselves. They were expecting me and sent me back to the office. We completed arrangements and I sat down in a pleasant courtyard to await the other members of the tour. It was a perfect mild day, sunny and about 80. Of course it was before 9 in the morning....

 

The other members of the party also arrived early, which was helpful because of the time constraint. Our driver and guide, Flava-Flav, started us off on a brief tour of the city with highlights of history, economics, and anything else you could name. He kept it up for virtually the entire ride to the river. The A/C in the van worked perfectly.

 

We pulled in at the landing and transferred to a fast boat piloted by Emir, who also acted as guide to the ruins. We saw a few crocodiles, lizards, and numerous birds including egrets and herons. The boat moved at a pretty good clip and was canopied, both of which kept us cool.

 

After a bit more than 2 hours the river broadened into a lagoon and the top of the highest pyramid loomed along the west side above the vegetation. We trekked through palms and strangler figs to a recently excavated residence facing the great Jaguar temple across a low courtyard. Then a trek through the forest to a ball-court flanked by unexcavated temples on two sides and the well-named High Temple on the north. The climb was arduous, requiring a rope on the steeper steps, but the view from the top was spectacular; you are the highest thing for twenty miles in any direction looking over the tops of lofty trees and the lagoon and a long way down to the guides waiting sensibly in the ball-court.

 

At this moment a troop of howler monkeys started their grunting calls which carried through the treetops up to the pyramid.

 

We made another jaunt to the Mask temple which, though small, holds a well-preserved relief of a king's face.

 

Because of time constraints we could not linger much longer and had our lunch (chicken & rice) in the boat on the way back. No ill effects from the food.

 

We arrived at the pier with an hour to spare.

 

If you take the tour, be aware of the time the ship spends in port, communicate clearly with your tour company and the ship's purser, get there as early as you can, and then enjoy. The fluorishing of the Maya culture, its monuments, and its precipitous demise, are all fascinating. Standing atop a 100-foot temple built at the time of Christ, looking over the tropical landscape, listening to the monkeys grunting, is as good a way as any to kill time on a cruise.

[Zeno]

Glad to hear that you enjoyed Lamanai. Our only regret when we took the tour was the lack of time at Lamanai (through the cruiseline in our case - so at least we did not need to worry about getting back on time).

[bohemiaczech]

Hi I am leaving this Saturday 3/10 on Carnival GLORY..

I booked trip to Lamanai ruins with Philip from sea belize ( dot) com

If you are interested about Lamanai ruins, also about nature and monkeys, contact Phil at:

www. seabelize dot com

[bohemiaczech]

I have no idea, why is not showing website.

Ok , I will try this way...

seabelize (dot) com

[mwsrccl]

I would greatly appreciate a review of Phil's tours from the people that had him booked. Thanks a lot!

[tiyana4]

We will be the Norwegian Sun next month and have just booked this excursion thru NCL. I generally don't book thru the cruiseline but given the length of this trip and after hearing some of the close calls, we felt it was safer to book with NCL.

 

In checking the prices, NCL is $90 pp but they consider my 12 year-old a child so she gets a discounted price of $69. This is a $47 savings over Viator, $31 over seabelize and $9 more than belizecruiseexcursions or islandmarketing. For peace of mind, it is definitely worth the extra $9 plus we are assured of getting off the ship at a reasonable time.

 

Would love to see some pics if anyone has any.

[Toyz711]

hope you get "jewell" as you guide, we loved her...she is a blast. tells about growing up in belize city and what a trouble maker she was at school. made the long bus ride fun...

the boat ride was a hoot...zoom-zoom-zoom. comfortable boat..

loved the tour. we were glad we did it through NCL, we were 1st off the ship and second to last tender getting back.

photos on in my webshot link in signature.

[kenito799]

Just back from the Veendam where we went with Javier and Carlos to Lamanai--a fantastic trip!

 

We booked through belizecruiseexcursions.com although I probably would have used HAL if Lamanai had been offered, because I was worried about the whole tender thing. I am so glad HAL did not offer it, because we had a perfect experience.

 

People with HAL excursions were given tender times and various places to meet; those on independent trips met in the theater and since we were all anxious about not getting on early tenders we all showed up very early--and wound up being on the first tender, before any of the HAL excursion passengers! So that worked well.

 

Javier was on the dock with a sign and brought the 6 of us to their office, then we all got into a comfortable A/c van and drove away. He is very friendly and funny and told us lots about Belize on the 1 hour drive to the New River in Orange Walk.

 

There we met Carlos, who said that he was a little disappointed when he got the call that we were coming because the fish were really biting. He lives in a village in the area. He also happens to be a world-class naturalist and we really lucked into an experience that we did not anticipate.

 

Carlos knows the scientific names of every plant and animal on the river and believe me, there are some amazing birds. Yes, i am a birdwatcher, but i did not expect a world-class birding experience on a shore excursion on a cruise. Carlos keeps track of the changing locations of the daytime roosts of the nocturnal Boat-billed Heron--a very elusive and amazing, unusual bird with a huge wide bill. He had seen a Black-collared Hawk and brought us to it, right next to the river, very close...I once spent an entire morning unsuccessfully searching for this bird with an expert guide in the swamps of Veracruz, Mexico. We caught a fleeting glimpse of a Pale-billed Woodpecker, the largest American woodpecker, closely related to the probably extinct Ivory-billed. The most spectacular were two huge Jabiru storks on a nest--they are the heaviest flying bird in the Americas, and are found only in a small swatch from Southern Mexico to Belize. All in all we saw 49 species of birds, absolutely magnificent for a short mid-day trip...I can only imagine what a few sunrise-sunset days with Carlos would be like.

 

OK, if you are not bird-crazy anyone would enjoy the 4 crocodiles we saw, the two types of iguanas and the noisy troops of howler monkeys at the ruins. We also passed the Mennonite community of Shipyard where we learned that these Amish-like German immigants who arrived from Mexico in 1958 now produce 75% of the food eaten in Belize!

 

The lunch we were served was home-cooked and delicious (especially Belizean hot sauce, which was onions marinated in lime juice with habanero peppers!).

 

Lamanai's ruins were excellent, escpecially the steep climb to the top of the highest temple for views of the river and surrounding countryside. Huge trees and palms with 20-foot long fronds cover everything. The amll museum was very informative. These Mayans were actually producing liquid mercury!

 

The boat ride was often fast, keeping things breezy, and there were no bugs (maybe one mosquito at the ruins).

 

There was never a danger of returning late to the ship, and we had time to shop in Belize City or at the port shops before tendering back.

 

I can't recommend this operator highly enough, and would use them for cave tubing or other activities because the groups are always small, which may not be the case with a large cruise-line tour.

 

Bring binoculars!!!!

[driftwood]

Anyone who has a high-speed Internet connection and is able to receive files about 3 Megs in size via email is welcome to write me at dreynolds@aol.com, and I will be happy to send him photographs of anything from birds and bats on the way to Lamanai, to a detail of the mask at the Mask Temple, all taken January 18th, 2008, by my wife and myself.

 

Please mention CC so I pick up on it right away! :rolleyes:

[DonMar]

Just back from the Veendam where we went with Javier and Carlos to Lamanai--a fantastic trip!

 

We booked through belizecruiseexcursions.com although I probably would have used HAL if Lamanai had been offered, because I was worried about the whole tender thing. I am so glad HAL did not offer it, because we had a perfect experience.

 

People with HAL excursions were given tender times and various places to meet; those on independent trips met in the theater and since we were all anxious about not getting on early tenders we all showed up very early--and wound up being on the first tender, before any of the HAL excursion passengers! So that worked well.

 

Javier was on the dock with a sign and brought the 6 of us to their office, then we all got into a comfortable A/c van and drove away. He is very friendly and funny and told us lots about Belize on the 1 hour drive to the New River in Orange Walk.

 

There we met Carlos, who said that he was a little disappointed when he got the call that we were coming because the fish were really biting. He lives in a village in the area. He also happens to be a world-class naturalist and we really lucked into an experience that we did not anticipate.

 

Carlos knows the scientific names of every plant and animal on the river and believe me, there are some amazing birds. Yes, i am a birdwatcher, but i did not expect a world-class birding experience on a shore excursion on a cruise. Carlos keeps track of the changing locations of the daytime roosts of the nocturnal Boat-billed Heron--a very elusive and amazing, unusual bird with a huge wide bill. He had seen a Black-collared Hawk and brought us to it, right next to the river, very close...I once spent an entire morning unsuccessfully searching for this bird with an expert guide in the swamps of Veracruz, Mexico. We caught a fleeting glimpse of a Pale-billed Woodpecker, the largest American woodpecker, closely related to the probably extinct Ivory-billed. The most spectacular were two huge Jabiru storks on a nest--they are the heaviest flying bird in the Americas, and are found only in a small swatch from Southern Mexico to Belize. All in all we saw 49 species of birds, absolutely magnificent for a short mid-day trip...I can only imagine what a few sunrise-sunset days with Carlos would be like.

 

OK, if you are not bird-crazy anyone would enjoy the 4 crocodiles we saw, the two types of iguanas and the noisy troops of howler monkeys at the ruins. We also passed the Mennonite community of Shipyard where we learned that these Amish-like German immigants who arrived from Mexico in 1958 now produce 75% of the food eaten in Belize!

 

The lunch we were served was home-cooked and delicious (especially Belizean hot sauce, which was onions marinated in lime juice with habanero peppers!).

 

Lamanai's ruins were excellent, escpecially the steep climb to the top of the highest temple for views of the river and surrounding countryside. Huge trees and palms with 20-foot long fronds cover everything. The amll museum was very informative. These Mayans were actually producing liquid mercury!

 

The boat ride was often fast, keeping things breezy, and there were no bugs (maybe one mosquito at the ruins).

 

There was never a danger of returning late to the ship, and we had time to shop in Belize City or at the port shops before tendering back.

 

I can't recommend this operator highly enough, and would use them for cave tubing or other activities because the groups are always small, which may not be the case with a large cruise-line tour.

 

Bring binoculars!!!!

 

 

We had the same experience with Belize Cruise Excursions last Feb. We found the indi tour to be very personal (there were only two of us) and rewarding as we were the ONLY ones at Lamanai!

 

You are right about the climb to the top of the temple. I will not forget that experience - ever.

[jhaymes]

I have booked the cruiseship excursion to Lamanai via boat ride on the New River. If you have experienced this excursion, what clothing and footwear do you recommend? Is there walking over rough terrain? Is a jacket needed for boat ride?

Thank you!

[Tigergenesis]

I have booked the cruiseship excursion to Lamanai via boat ride on the New River. If you have experienced this excursion, what clothing and footwear do you recommend? Is there walking over rough terrain? Is a jacket needed for boat ride?

Thank you!

 

My mom and I did this excursion this past October. Wear comfortable walking shoes/clothes, bring bug repellent and carry some water. If you want to climb the ruin (there's a spectacular view up top) dress for the climb (it's very easy). We didn't need a jacket for the boat ride. Most people wore shorts or loose, lightweight pants.

 

It's a great excursion and you'll love it!

[driftwood]

YES to insect repellent! YES to sun block and probably a cap or hat of some kind. Wear shorts and a polo shirt and tennis shoes or lightweight hiking boots or whatever you feel comfortable walking in--NOT flipflops . . . .

[Tigergenesis]

YES to insect repellent! YES to sun block and probably a cap or hat of some kind. Wear shorts and a polo shirt and tennis shoes or lightweight hiking boots or whatever you feel comfortable walking in--NOT flipflops . . . .

 

Thanks - I forgot to mention sunblock.

[Toyz711]

i did this tour in december, even then the temps were in the low 80s. in the direct sun, it felt hotter. the boat had a cover, only direct sun was on your arms. lamanai has a lot of tree cover, but in the open spots you will want a hat. yes, the walking can be rough...over loose stones, maybe in mud, stepping over roots...it's all worth it, but you do need good walking shoes. maybe with non-slip soles.

we got water on the excrusion. they handed us bottles of water at the rest stop before getting on the boats. plus i (always) have bottle water in my bag.

[Froufie]

I am very interested in this tour as well - so far don't see it listed under the Carnival excursions so guess I might have to take the 'risk' and book it independently - but it sure sounds like the tour guides do try to ensure that everyone makes it back in time!

 

Froufie

[sparklingsoul]

I took the Royal Caribbean Lamanai excursion last week, and it was a disaster. It was raining off and on that day.

 

We made it to the ruins without getting wet (it took almost three hours to get there), but they rushed us through the ruins, and I was really annoyed. I complained to one of the guides, and he offered to take me back to one of the ruins after we completed the guided tour, but it started pouring, so we never went back.

 

They only gave people 10 minutes to climb the ruins, which I felt was a safetly hazard, considering how steep the climb is and the fact that the steps were wet and slippery.

 

FYI...I used tons of bug spray, but I still got bitten up by mosquitos.

 

Toward the end of the ruins tour, it started pouring. We got soaking wet walking back to the boat (and it was a very slippery walk). Then we spent an hour on the speed boat in the pouring rain, which blasted us in the face and soaked us to the bone. The boat was not fully covered, nor did they offer us good rain ponchos (when I was in Costa Rica, the speed boats provided rain ponchos). So, I spent the entire hour on the speed boat covering my head and face with a cheap rain poncho that the tour guide sold me for $5 (the poncho ripped immediately, so all I could do was cover my face from the rain that was blasting it).

 

We finally got lunch at 2:30pm--I was absolutely starving, and I was soaked to the bone (as if I had jumped into a pool with my clothes on).

 

Then we got in a cold air-conditioned bus and went back to the port. Then I had to sit in my wet clothes another 30 minutes until I tendered back to the ship.

 

DO NOT book this excursion ahead of time! Only book it if there is a guarantee of no rain. They are not prepared for rain on this excursion.

Edited December 25, 2013 by sparklingsoul

[driftwood]

New River/Lamanai is a relatively strenuous excursion which covers a LOT of ground--and water--and requires a fairly substantial amount of preplanning by the tour operators. IMHO it is a good idea to book ahead of time. IMHO if you are not prepared to endure showers in the tropics--and Belize can have some fairly torrential ones--then you would be happier not taking excursions at all, because no one is going to be able to give you guarantees, and no one is going to be able to afford to make the preparations they have to make AND THEN GIVE YOU A RAIN CHECK.

 

But if you want to see things that probably no one else in your town has seen, at a major and fantastic Maya site, and have a very educational experience both in biology and archaeology (and possibly--like sparklingsoul--in applied meteorology), you might choose to dress in something that dries quickly, use Deep Woods Off! as I have often recommended, and stop worrying. You should have the time of your life.

 

Or follow sparklingsoul's advice, go to Roatan and spend the wonderful day on the tourist beach doing nothing, seeing nothing and learning nothing. IMHO.;-)

 

For those of you who wish to discuss anything at greater length, my new email address is realdriftwood@verizon.net, and you are always welcome to see my photographs posted on Panoramio. LAMANAI photographs may be seen at http://www.panoramio.com/user/707065/tags/LAMANAI%20MAYA%20SITE

[sparklingsoul]

New River/Lamanai is a relatively strenuous excursion which covers a LOT of ground--and water--and requires a fairly substantial amount of preplanning by the tour operators. IMHO it is a good idea to book ahead of time. IMHO if you are not prepared to endure showers in the tropics--and Belize can have some fairly torrential ones--then you would be happier not taking excursions at all, because no one is going to be able to give you guarantees, and no one is going to be able to afford to make the preparations they have to make AND THEN GIVE YOU A RAIN CHECK.

 

But if you want to see things that probably no one else in your town has seen, at a major and fantastic Maya site, and have a very educational experience both in biology and archaeology (and possibly--like sparklingsoul--in applied meteorology), you might choose to dress in something that dries quickly, use Deep Woods Off! as I have often recommended, and stop worrying. You should have the time of your life.

 

Or follow sparklingsoul's advice, go to Roatan and spend the wonderful day on the tourist beach doing nothing, seeing nothing and learning nothing. IMHO.;-)

 

For those of you who wish to discuss anything at greater length, my new email address is realdriftwood@verizon.net, and you are always welcome to see my photographs posted on Panoramio. LAMANAI photographs may be seen at http://www.panoramio.com/user/707065/tags/LAMANAI%20MAYA%20SITE

 

This is a very judgemental post. How do you know that I learned nothing at Little French Key? I actually learned how to kayak there. Of course this is not an intellectual pursuit, so I'm sure you will dismiss it.

 

I also talked to people who work on the island about what life is like in Roatan and what the culture is like, but I'm sure that you wouldn't consider that "learning" either.

 

If I wanted to REALLY learn something about the Mayans, I would have taken a three-day tour to Tikkal and immersed myself in Mayan culture.

A one-hour speed-dating tour of Lamanai is great if you want a superficial look at the ruins. Our guide gave us very little useful information about Lamanai, as he was constantly rushing us from one point to another.

 

And yes, I used Deep Woods Off, and I still got bitten up.

 

If Royal Caribbean had been totally honest in their marketing of this excursion (i.e. telling people to bring sturdy ponchos and bug spray), rather than letting you think we were going to get a comfy, dry boat ride, that would have allowed people to make adequate preparations and decide whether or not this was an appropriate trip for them.

 

In addition, a number of people wore quick-dry clothing and ponchos, and they were still soaking wet and miserable.

 

And giving us nothing to eat until 2:30pm? Outrageous! This was simply a poorly planned tour. Save your time and money and go to Tikkal instead.

Edited December 25, 2013 by sparklingsoul

[driftwood]

I regret--as I am sure everyone in Belize is--that you did not have a good experience on your trip to Lamanai. There is no question that one is really stretching the limits even under ideal circumstances in visiting Lamanai from any cruiseship, as the distances to be traveled are great, the physical exertion necessary for moving through the ruins is substantial, and the food served--although plentiful and wholesome--may not be to everyone's taste. Mosquitoes may or may not be present onsite; probably a burning sun will be present for the duration of the tour EXCEPT in the air-conditioned tourbus, which is why I have ALWAYS recommended a thorough slathering of sunblock, and renewals as often as possible; it is possible to slip on concrete at the Born to Shine docks and break a limb if you do not watch what you are doing. There will ALWAYS be very oppressive time constraints, mainly because your cruiseship wants to reenter the Bay of Honduras whether going north or south and race to the next destination.

 

But the opportunity to visit Lamanai for those who have a desire to do so is an opportunity that should not be missed, and if you did not see enough on your visit to convince you of the truth of that statement I do apologize to you and certainly wish you had stayed in your stateroom, which I hope proved sufficiently comfortable throughout your voyage. The cruiseline is what you should be complaining about, NOT the attempted visit to LAMANAI, which has been waiting for you thousands of years for you to arrive at your own comfort level. Give us a break.:p;)