Lamanai Excursion Questions

[sparklingsoul]

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;)

 

I am doing cruisers a service by telling them what I experienced on my excursion. If you had a great time there, why don't you write a post about it instead of criticizing me and making assumptions about me?

 

I am a young, healthy, active person who does strentuous activities like skiing. I was perfectly qualified to go on this tour, unlike many people on my excursion who did NOT know that you should be in good health to go on this tour because Royal Caribbean did NOT provide this information, which they should have.

 

I booked the tour on the ship based on the description provided by RC. I did not have time to research tours before the trip, because I booked the cruise at the last mintue, like many people on my excursion.

 

That is why I am providing this information to people considering going on the tour--so they will know that they get only ONE hour at the ruins, and that they may be soaking wet for an entire day. They may have to sit with a plastic bag over their face and eyes for the entire speed-boat ride, like we all did, to protect us from the sandblasting rain.

 

It is then up to them to decide if they want to go. I am sure that many people will thank me for giving them this necessary information.

 

Like I said, why don't you put up a post about what a wonderful time you had on your Lamanai excursion, instead of feeling the need to criticize me for giving people necessary information?

[driftwood]

If there had been a single positive observation in your original post I probably would not have returned at all. But you had a bad experience, you were angry; we can see the contrast between when you are happy and when you are sad from your review of Roatan, which is a creature of the Twenty-first Century entirely, created essentially to market a "port" for a new cruise destination to people who like yourself, seem to go anywhere anytime, do anything, want happy days and resent unhappy ones.

 

Belize is not a marketer's dream. It is a Central American country that has suffered a great deal from the time it was British Honduras to the present day, even in the corruption of its own goverments. The people of Belize who cater to the cruise industry--and it is a significant number of Belizeans, contributing a substantial amount to the economy, which sorely needs it--are extremely hard-working and anxious to please. The nation has extremely rich assets in the form of Maya antiquities, but Maya antiquities cannot be eaten: they must be shared in order to enable the survival of the living population. Unfortunately most tourists--and especially cruise tourists--arrive with absolutely no preconceptions of anything--mosquitoes, Maya, history, geography, art--and seeking only amusement. On our last visit, the pilot of our plane did not realize he was flying to a Central American country, and continually referred the the "beautiful Caribbean island of Belize" during the flight. So I confess not much is expected of you intellectually, either coming or going.

 

What I know is that the Lamanai voyage is a trip at the outer limits of any cruiseline's capability to serve, just as it is at the country's outer limits to provide. It is more of a teaser than an experience, and the only thing one is likely to learn on the excursion is how much more there is to learn than one had ever previously imagined. I had absolutely no appreciation of the Maya civilization myself until a cruiseline took the risk of offering a shore excursion to Cobá in Mexico. When I arrived I was immediately able to understand how ignorant I was, and I have been attempting to amend that ignorance ever since--in myself and in others. Sometimes one just has to admit he is a fool in order to begin to learn anything.

 

I don't start peddling advice until I feel I have become informed enough to give useful advice. I would never, for example, recommend a trip anywhere unless I was very familiar with my subject and had visited myself. I have been to Tikal on one occasion in 2008, and I think you are biting off a lot more than you have considered in recommending anyone cross the border into Guatemala. If you would like to see the photographs I took, they are available at http://www.panoramio.com/user/707065/tags/TIKAL%20MAYA%20SITE

but I would not recommend anyone visit Guatemala without a huge reservoir of knowledge of what might happen while one is visiting. I'm not sure anyone could feel adequately informed, and the United States Department of State would I think back me up on that.

 

There is certainly no harm in sharing personal experiences; that is mostly what the Cruise Critic Boards are for, I think; but there is no reason to profess any expertise beyond your own experience if you have not done your homework. I am really too old now to be debating with so vigorous a youth as you seem to be: you are bound to be right: I suggest you vent yourself against your real enemies, which I have tried to identify for you; and that perhaps you read some of my posts over the years, and decide for yourself whether perhaps I might be and might have been more concerned for others than you have been, at least in your present mood.

 

Merry Christmas!:D

Edited December 25, 2013 by driftwood

[sparklingsoul]

If there had been a single positive observation in your original post I probably would not have returned at all. But you had a bad experience, you were angry; we can see the contrast between when you are happy and when you are sad from your review of Roatan, which is a creature of the Twenty-first Century entirely, created essentially to market a "port" for a new cruise destination to people who like yourself, seem to go anywhere anytime, do anything, want happy days and resent unhappy ones.

 

Belize is not a marketer's dream. It is a Central American country that has suffered a great deal from the time it was British Honduras to the present day, even in the corruption of its own goverments. The people of Belize who cater to the cruise industry--and it is a significant number of Belizeans, contributing a substantial amount to the economy, which sorely needs it--are extremely hard-working and anxious to please. The nation has extremely rich assets in the form of Maya antiquities, but Maya antiquities cannot be eaten: they must be shared in order to enable the survival of the living population. Unfortunately most tourists--and especially cruise tourists--arrive with absolutely no preconceptions of anything--mosquitoes, Maya, history, geography, art--and seeking only amusement. On our last visit, the pilot of our plane did not realize he was flying to a Central American country, and continually referred the the "beautiful Caribbean island of Belize" during the flight. So I confess not much is expected of you intellectually, either coming or going.

 

What I know is that the Lamanai voyage is a trip at the outer limits of any cruiseline's capability to serve, just as it is at the country's outer limits to provide. It is more of a teaser than an experience, and the only thing one is likely to learn on the excursion is how much more there is to learn than one had ever previously imagined. I had absolutely no appreciation of the Maya civilization myself until a cruiseline took the risk of offering a shore excursion to Cobá in Mexico. When I arrived I was immediately able to understand how ignorant I was, and I have been attempting to amend that ignorance ever since--in myself and in others. Sometimes one just has to admit he is a fool in order to begin to learn anything.

 

I don't start peddling advice until I feel I have become informed enough to give useful advice. I would never, for example, recommend a trip anywhere unless I was very familiar with my subject and had visited myself. I have been to Tikal on one occasion in 2008, and I think you are biting off a lot more than you have considered in recommending anyone cross the border into Guatemala. If you would like to see the photographs I took, they are available at http://www.panoramio.com/user/707065/tags/TIKAL%20MAYA%20SITE

but I would not recommend anyone visit Guatemala without a huge reservoir of knowledge of what might happen while one is visiting. I'm not sure anyone could feel adequately informed, and the United States Department of State would I think back me up on that.

 

There is certainly no harm in sharing personal experiences; that is mostly what the Cruise Critic Boards are for, I think; but there is no reason to profess any expertise beyond your own experience if you have not done your homework. I am really too old now to be debating with so vigorous a youth as you seem to be: you are bound to be right: I suggest you vent yourself against your real enemies, which I have tried to identify for you; and that perhaps you read some of my posts over the years, and decide for yourself whether perhaps I might be and might have been more concerned for others than you have been, at least in your present mood.

 

Merry Christmas!:D

 

I feel sad for you that you need to attack other people and try to invalidate their experiences. You know nothing about me, yet you have decided that I am too young, to stupid, too uneducated, and too inexperienced in the ways of the world. It seems very important to you to feel superior to other people.

 

If I've helped one person decide that the Lamanai excursion is not appropriate for them, I have done my duty to fellow cruisers. People who do not mind the unpleasant conditions and have the physcial abilities to enjoy it will ignore my post and go on the excursion anyway, as it should be.

 

P.S. Most non-Christians do not celebrate Christmas (I'm surprised that such an educated person such as you doesn't know that), so don't bother pinning the Grinch message on me, as it is not my holiday.

Edited December 25, 2013 by sparklingsoul

[biker@sea]

I am doing cruisers a service by telling them what I experienced on my excursion. If you had a great time there, why don't you write a post about it instead of criticizing me and making assumptions about me?

 

I am a young, healthy, active person who does strentuous activities like skiing. I was perfectly qualified to go on this tour, unlike many people on my excursion who did NOT know that you should be in good health to go on this tour because Royal Caribbean did NOT provide this information, which they should have.

 

I booked the tour on the ship based on the description provided by RC. I did not have time to research tours before the trip, because I booked the cruise at the last mintue, like many people on my excursion.

 

That is why I am providing this information to people considering going on the tour--so they will know that they get only ONE hour at the ruins, and that they may be soaking wet for an entire day. They may have to sit with a plastic bag over their face and eyes for the entire speed-boat ride, like we all did, to protect us from the sandblasting rain.

 

It is then up to them to decide if they want to go. I am sure that many people will thank me for giving them this necessary information.

 

Like I said, why don't you put up a post about what a wonderful time you had on your Lamanai excursion, instead of feeling the need to criticize me for giving people necessary information?

 

I fail to see how your rant on the NCL board about R/C 's poor description and your lack of research helps anyone .

 

Did even read the NCL description ??

Edited December 25, 2013 by biker@sea

[driftwood]

For those of you who are not celebrators of Christmas, let me wish you a very good day and hope that things only get better for you. As it happens today is the day that Christians celebrate Christmas Day, and so that is why I wish you a merry Christmas. However it is definitely off-topic, as most of this current discussion has been, so I would like to apologize to those who have come to the Cruise Critic Boards in order to prepare for their travels. I do not think anything I have said has contradicted or even taken issue with anything sparklingsoul has said about her personal experience, and indeed I agree that such an experience is regrettable for anyone and deplorable in her case. She herself has said she was misled and had insufficient data on which to base a decision, and I agree with her with all my heart. Any offer of any person or group marketing anything should be examined carefully on its merits, if any: caveat emptor, "let the buyer beware," is as true today as when it was coined, evidently in Ancient Rome.

 

Sing no sad songs for me. I have spent most of my life attempting to enable others to avoid pitfalls; if I have been unable to assist you, I am truly sorry for that. I hope upon mature consideration you discover that you have been rash in your assessments in all directions, and that you will have happier experiences as you grow older which will give you a better yardstick with which to measure the world and your fellow human beings. Goodbye and good luck. If you haven't finished with me, I ask that you write me directly, and allow the Lamanai Excursions Questions Board to get back to its job. Thank you!

[Rou-Dyliq]

We did this excursion 12/11. Loved it! As far as the comments about it being strenuous, no it wasn't. I am considerably overweight, in my mid 40's with two bad knees and a bad hip. I am fairly active however. Now, bear in mind I did not climb the structures as I do know my limits and I could have gone up but probably not gotten back down without serious pain. But the rest of it, for me, was a piece of cake. Yes, you have to watch where you're going, yes it was slippery and muddy and the grounds were very uneven, and I thought that climbing those ruins right after a substantial shower was just not safe. But you know what? I'm responsible for my own safety. Wear the right shoes, bring the right rain gear, pack a protein bar and bring your sense of wonder and adventure. It's the adventure of a lifetime.

[Rychedelic]

We sailed NCL 12/22/13 and went to the Lamanai Ruins and climbed all three to the top, we did enjoy the ruins and were lucky to see and climb them but...

 

I would STRONGLY caution against this tour!!! (Lamanai Ruins and River Safari) Although we booked this tour through the cruise line, the river safari does NOT mention you will be on a high speed boat. Yes, it was fun at first until our return ride when the boat flipped (at high speed) and threw us into the water, trapping us under the boat, almost drowning all of us!!! This happened on Christmas day, so it truly was a miracle we all survived. If you do take this excursion, PLEASE DO NOT take children or seniors!

 

These boats travel way too fast, they do not provide safety briefings and life jackets were not present on the boat!!!! You are blindly putting your life in these operators hands.

 

CONSIDER YOURSELVES WARNED!!

[CaribbeanBound]

That's the first accident I've seen in 5 years of watching this port. I'm sorry to hear of your scary experience. It's not the norm. We definitely didn't remotely "speed" down the river.

[Jen1000]

Sorry you had a bad experience, at least your boat did not flip like the other poster.

 

I just returned from an 11 night cruise (Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Belize, Cozumel, Grand Cayman) and it rained in 4 of our 6 ports. At times it was very hard rain. I did understand it could rain so I took a good rain poncho and water proof shoes. I too made mistakes and ended up with my water proof shoes on having to cross a stream to my knees, so that they were drenched and not really usable for the rest of the trip. It was my own fault I did not read the description better (I checked the web site later). I was at an Indian Village and I put my stuff down, including rain poncho, in one area. We were taken to another area to listen to a presentation and eat. Well, it started to pour rain like you would not believe. There I am with my rain poncho in another part of the village. So even when you plan, you still mess it up! Many people were drenched to the bone, they asked for heat on the bus. I was not surprised that in a warm climate country, there was none.

 

I went to an excursion to a rain forest, several people had no rain poncho or jacket so they paid too much for one. No one can do anything about the rain, it happens in wet countries and it is too bad you were not prepared. It has happened to me on other trips so I get what you are saying, sometimes we just goof up and are not prepared.

 

I think you have valid points about feeling rushed. I noticed on several ship excursions over the years that they are trying to stick to a strict time schedule (Celebrity and Carnival tours). We were given 7 minutes to do something on our tour and I even made a joke to the guide because it was so strange!

 

My Mom used bug spray and still got 2 bites during our trip. I guess it could have been worse.

 

As for lunch at 2:30 it seems on most of my tours that we always eat quite late. I don't know why that is, but it seems to be just the way it is. I take snacks to tide me over.

 

I think the response you got was harsh. Sometimes people goof up and are not properly prepared, it happens. I have been to several Mayan ruins and it is a shame you could not enjoy your visit.

 

 

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 January 3, 2014 by Jen1000

[Laszlo]

Make no mistake this excursion takes the entire day. We were on the first tender over and boarded the bus about 8:45am. 45 minute drive? I don't think so........it was 75 minutes each way. We did pass some interesting sites. I was told it was 58 miles from the port to the river boats. Then its another 22 miles up the river. Belize had received a lot of rain for 3 weeks prior to our cruise. The river was flooded and muddy, we saw a few birds but that was about it. The ruins were fantastic, our guides were very good. The guided tour lasted about 75 minutes total, the one ruin you can climb is steep but it has a rope you can help pull yourself up. The difficult part is climbing down, the "Steps" are very tall and deep. Its doesn't help others are trying to walk up as your climbing down. We saw 3-4 howler monkeys, these guys are small but very, very loud. We arrived back at the pier in Belize just in time to catch the last ferry back to the Dawn. If you plan to do any shopping in town you might not have the time. Overall the tour was very good.

I will add a word of caution, I forget what the level of this tour was but we had a handful of people who had "No idea" they had to walk thru the muddy jungle for 75 minutes. Its hot, humid a little buggy, paths are rocky. Be prepared, we had a few elderly people who tripped and fell. Understandably the guides don't want to carry anyone back. One woman on our tour did need to be carried back to the river boat. She had fallen and banged her head pretty good.

 

Take the tour knowing you might get wet, it will be hot and buggy and you should have a great time. If you don't stay on the ship

[blue_water]

THanks for the report Laszlo, very helpful and informative! We considered that escursion but decided on a less adventurous day on Caye Caulker. But we will look at that one on a future visit.

[NewCruiserMPC]

Thanks for the review! Did you do the tour through your cruise line or outside tour company? I would be interested to find out who you used if so. Look forward to this excursion! Need all info I can get!

[Laszlo]

Thanks, we did the tour thru NCL since we new nothing about Belize. Everything went really smoothly.

[Bailey & Sophie]

Make no mistake this excursion takes the entire day. We were on the first tender over and boarded the bus about 8:45am. 45 minute drive? I don't think so........it was 75 minutes each way. We did pass some interesting sites. I was told it was 58 miles from the port to the river boats. Then its another 22 miles up the river. Belize had received a lot of rain for 3 weeks prior to our cruise. The river was flooded and muddy, we saw a few birds but that was about it. The ruins were fantastic, our guides were very good. The guided tour lasted about 75 minutes total, the one ruin you can climb is steep but it has a rope you can help pull yourself up. The difficult part is climbing down, the "Steps" are very tall and deep. Its doesn't help others are trying to walk up as your climbing down. We saw 3-4 howler monkeys, these guys are small but very, very loud. We arrived back at the pier in Belize just in time to catch the last ferry back to the Dawn. If you plan to do any shopping in town you might not have the time. Overall the tour was very good.

I will add a word of caution, I forget what the level of this tour was but we had a handful of people who had "No idea" they had to walk thru the muddy jungle for 75 minutes. Its hot, humid a little buggy, paths are rocky. Be prepared, we had a few elderly people who tripped and fell. Understandably the guides don't want to carry anyone back. One woman on our tour did need to be carried back to the river boat. She had fallen and banged her head pretty good.

 

Take the tour knowing you might get wet, it will be hot and buggy and you should have a great time. If you don't stay on the ship

Thanks for this review. I wanted to do this excursion but it must have been full so I had to choose something else.

[crackupforlaughs]

It was probably ljsted somewhere about this tour, but do they provide life vests for the river part? Looks like we are going with Island Marketing (it's the one booked through Princess).

[noche_caliente]

Rychedelic,

Did you do the NCL tour, or did you go through one of the independent operators?

I am so sorry to hear this happened to you. I am considering it with a DH who doesn't swim and two littles who don't swim well, so your warning has definitely made me think again!

 

 

We sailed NCL 12/22/13 and went to the Lamanai Ruins and climbed all three to the top, we did enjoy the ruins and were lucky to see and climb them but...

 

I would STRONGLY caution against this tour!!! (Lamanai Ruins and River Safari) Although we booked this tour through the cruise line, the river safari does NOT mention you will be on a high speed boat. Yes, it was fun at first until our return ride when the boat flipped (at high speed) and threw us into the water, trapping us under the boat, almost drowning all of us!!! This happened on Christmas day, so it truly was a miracle we all survived. If you do take this excursion, PLEASE DO NOT take children or seniors!

 

These boats travel way too fast, they do not provide safety briefings and life jackets were not present on the boat!!!! You are blindly putting your life in these operators hands.

 

CONSIDER YOURSELVES WARNED!!