Belize and Costa Maya excursions

[smoothsailor]

I am a 1st time cuiser and I need some advise about some of the excursions offered by HAL at the ports of Santo Tomas de Castilla, Belize City and Costa Maya.

We want to do some snorkaling (purhaps the "snuba diving & beach break" in Costa Maya would be good) and we also find the "cave tubing & rainforest walk" offered in Belize very interesting. Has anyone done either of these? From what I have read in the tour books Belize is famous for its snorkaling - is Costa Maya good too or should we try to arrange snorkaling in San Tomas on our own?

:) Thanks!

[MercedMike]

From what I have read in the tour books Belize is famous for its snorkaling - is Costa Maya good too or should we try to arrange snorkaling in San Tomas on our own?

 

UMMM -- well, Costa Maya is the Costa MAYA, get it? You really should take the opportunity to see the Mayan ruins while you are there.

 

The ship will offer tours. However, David and Ivan are famous for their tour to Chacchoben, and I think they also have a combo tour which will give you some snorkeling afterwards.

 

The cave tubing and river tubing is famous in Belize. You might consider that too. The port of call boards for both these ports have lots of information on them.

 

Check out

Western Caribbean Cruise

for our review and pics of those ports.

[madelinerose]

In Costa Maya, we made our way through the cruiseline constructed faux Mexican port attraction, walked behind it, grabbed a taxi to Mahahual (the fishing village) and spent the day at Pez Quadro. We arrived around 10am and had the entire beach to ourselves for about 3 hours until the next ship docked. We rented 2 loungers ($5 or $10 each), had partial shade from a tree and just chilled for the day. It was wonderful. ;)

 

The Cat's Meow is is another hit here on CC.

 

http://www.pezquadro.com/eng/index.htm

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=463812

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=169

 

Karen

[bankerbabe]

We did the Mayan ruins excursion on our cruise about 4 years ago - and loved it. It really was fascinating and worth the time. Even my DH, who is not usually into that sort of thing, really enjoyed it.

[smoothsailor]

Thanks people! There is so much to do and soooo little time! I guess that we will muddle along and enjoy ourselves whatever we do!

[seaisme]

I am a 1st time cuiser and I need some advise about some of the excursions offered by HAL at the ports of Santo Tomas de Castilla, Belize City and Costa Maya.

We want to do some snorkaling (purhaps the "snuba diving & beach break" in Costa Maya would be good) and we also find the "cave tubing & rainforest walk" offered in Belize very interesting. Has anyone done either of these? From what I have read in the tour books Belize is famous for its snorkaling - is Costa Maya good too or should we try to arrange snorkaling in San Tomas on our own?

:) Thanks!

personally, I wouldn't miss the snorkeling in Belize. The reef is awesome...some of the best snorkeling I've ever experienced. And I agree with other posters, see the Mayan ruins...it's very interesting and a nice change from the beach scene.

 

and if you are a first time cruiser, and enjoy snorkeling, I would suggest going to your nearest dive shop and purchasing a mask/snorkel. It's well worth the money and you will feel much more comfortable using your own gear. (don't worry about fins...many don't use them and if you want to, you can rent them. they take up too much space in the suitcase). The snorkeling right off the beach at Half Moon Cay is good...take along a handful of breakfast cereal and you will be surrounded with fish.

 

have a great cruise!

[mamaofami]

Several years ago we met some people in port from another ship. They had been to Belize and said the island was dirty and they didn't like it at all. is this true? Curious.

[debsjc]

I snorkelled on teh reef in Belize a couple of months ago, and I was really disappointed. It was nothing like the variety I had seen in Bermuda, the Bahamas or the Cayman Islands, and it was very crowded. :confused:

[seaisme]

sorry you didn't have a good experience on the reef. we were the only excursion (12 of us)...power snorkeled, and had a blast. reef was absolutely beautiful and filled with quite a variety of fish. and we had our own very private island...it was a wonderful day.

 

to Mamaofami...yes, the island is VERY poor. living conditions are terrible. I organized a school supply donation from our CC group and we delivered supplies to the schools. This is one of the stops where you either want to take a snorkeling excursion or a jungle tour. there's not that much to see or do. the port area is small and the vendors are rather aggressive.

 

Still, I am glad we visited Belize. the landscape is beautiful, the people, while poor, are very happy and generous, and all in all, it was a good day in port.

[smoothsailor]

Thanks for the help...I have already bought my mask and snorkel and my husband has managed to convince my son that he should be generous and lend him his! ( probably had to bribe him).

 

The problem with snorkeling in Belize is that we would have to give up the plan to go tubing with Cavetubing.com!

[willowoodf]

For anybody interested in the Mayan ruins excursions, see our "Veendam Belize 2006" webshots album for pictures of the Xunantunich ship excursion:

 

http://community.webshots.com/user/willowoodfarm

[niborHS]

Last year we went cave tubing in Belize with cavetubing.com and it was one of the best excursions that I have been on in 14 cruises. A number of years ago we went to the Mayan ruins in Belize too, which were great. In Costa Maya, a few years ago we planned to take the excursion from the dock to the ruins that are closer to the ship, often referred to as the "K" ruins on the boards. We did not get off the ship soon enough, we had friends who were not ready, so by the time we got off we would have had to wait too long to get someone to take us, so we did not go and stayed around the Faux port area. Last year my son was a senior in high school, and asked to do a fun excursion, so we did the dune buggy tour through the ship. We all enjoyed it, but I don't really think that it is worth the expense. Not sure what your other ports are there, but we stopped last year at a port that was put in as an exchange for Grand Cayman, which was fine with us. You get in to the town that is at the other end of where Cancun is. We took at taxi to the ruins there. My memory is not all that great on these kind of things. We enjoyed it, and I am sure that you will figure out what it is. It's very hot there though. We overdid it and went to X-lha also, which is an amusement park type water park with different activities and restaurants. It was too much to try to do in one day, and I think it was rather expensive for the amount of time we spent there as well. It's very crowded too.

[smoothsailor]

Thanks for the pictures Willowoodfarm...they were great!

 

Robinsilver: It was good to hear that you enjoyed your caving with cavetubing.com so much. The positive reviews make me that it is worth it to give up snorkeling in Belise.

[thebutcher]

hi, we were in belize at the end of november and had an extraordinary time zip lining and cave tubing, thanks to the services of nacho and cynthia at

 

nacho_cynthia@yahoo.com...... I cannot express how sweet and wonderful and informative these folks were. they also do other adventures in belize just write to them and ask about what interest you.

 

they will meet you at the pier and whisk you away to a fantastic time. we truly love them. tell them marc and debbie the windshield wiper people reccomended them, you won't regret it. chaio, marc

[smoothsailor]

Thanks thebutcher...a couple of questions. Did you feel that you were rushed at all doing both cave tubing and zip lining? Do they offer just cave tubing if DH isn't interested in the trees? And how much do they charge?

 

Thanks again!

[jtl513]

UMMM -- well, Costa Maya is the Costa MAYA, get it? You really should take the opportunity to see the Mayan ruins while you are there.

Sure, but there's ruins to be seen at Belize and Guatemala too, and we didn't feel that we needed a third example. I just wish we had had the money to take the plane to Tikal instead of the ones we went to - Altun Ha and Quirigua. :(

[LFM]

I agree with an above post. Try www.tube-caving.com - it's cheaper and much better than what the cruiseline offers.

[thebutcher]

no problem. we absolutely did not feel rushed but that was due to the private tour we had with nacho and cynthia. the ships excursion which is the same money $125.00 pp for both events had 30 or 40 people on it and therefore time was of the essence and you had to be moved right along in a hurried fashion.

 

but with nacho and cynthia there was no rush plus they kept us ahead of the bus tours. the only thing I would change is to tell them to skip the tour of the towns sites until for the trip back home, this way you stay way ahead of the buses. nacho and cynthia only usually need a minimum of two people for two events but you can certainly write them and request what your needs are. In fact if you have more people in your party the price goes down.

 

I'll say this, debbie and I have done many excursions and she initially did not want to zip line, but because I did and the requirement was to do both, and because we couldn't find anyone to join us,she did it and loved the experience. It is incredibly memorable. hope this helps you. marc

[smoothsailor]

Thanks Marc. It is good to know that you had lots of time for both activities!

Diane

[airlink diva]

I suggest that if you want to go cave tubing in Belize, do it with cavetubing.com. I booked my cave tubing trip due to all the great reviews on the Belize port of call section.

They break everyone into small groups with a guide and if you are a weak swimmer or nervous, let them know!! We had a family on my tour and the mom admitted it was years since she swam. She had her own guide by her the whole time!! We also stopped for lunch at a local place and still made it back to port in plenty of time. The price was half of what the cruiseline was charging.

In Costa Maya, you can't go wrong with David and Ivan. They grew up near the Chaccohoben ruins and are great!!

I also suggest eating at the Cat's Meow and grabbing a chair at Pez Quardo. I was shocked that they recall my last visit a few months ago when I return!!

Nothing is wrong with taking a ship tour, but I suggest to anyone to check out the port of call boards and check out the tour guides that constantly receive great reviews. They will tell you with pride that so many cruisers came across them via websites like this.

[teachman]

My wife and I, age 70, in tolerably good shape, are interested in what Mayan tours are worthwhile at the following stops: Belize, Guatemala, Costa Maya. It appears that those available at these three stops are somewhat repetitive- pictures seem rather similar. Should we select one as the best? Visit a ruin at all three stops? (Can't handle the $1K hit for the plane ride one). Non-HAL tours better?

Alternatives at each port will be helpful. This is our first "Mayan" experience, but have done Panama Canal and Costa Rica on HAL. The Gus tour on the Rio Dulce seems like an intro to the jungle, but not a lot else. Any advice would be most welcome.

[texancruzer]

Have not been here on HAL.....but Royal Caribbean. That said we try to stay away from ships tours anyway.....

 

Costa Maya we did Chacchoben with David and Ivan and they were superb. Not sure if they are still around though since the hurricane wiped out this whole port..... they have since rebuilt.

 

Belize - we did cave tubing with cavetub---.com and had a wonderful experience.

 

Can't help with Guatemala......

[smoothsailor]

Hi Teachman:

 

It was strange to get your post since the post that you were attached to is almost 3 years old! For you ...it is fortuitous since I can tell you how my tours went.

 

The cave tubing was fabulous! The company of cave-tubing.com was very well organized and very careful. The cave tubing itself was lots of fun but certainly not scary. We went in early Feb. Not sure what the water level situation is in November. Best of all the staff was extremely funny. I have never enjoyed a bus ride so much!

 

In Guatemala we took a boat tour up the coast and down the Rio Dulce with a stop in Livingston with Happyfishtours.com. It was excellent! It took up a good 4 hours, had us back in plenty of time feeling that we really had a very safe an very special introduction to Guatemala. I believe that it cost $50. It was called the Rio Dulce canyon tour.

 

In Costa Maya we caught the bus to a beach site where we hid in the shade and snorkeled off a boat. The snorkeling is so so. I wish that we had visited a ruins instead.

 

Have fun...I am jealous!

 

Diane

[CowPrincess]

In Guatemala we took a boat tour up the coast and down the Rio Dulce with a stop in Livingston with Happyfishtours.com. It was excellent! It took up a good 4 hours, had us back in plenty of time feeling that we really had a very safe an very special introduction to Guatemala

 

Thanks for that info -- we've been looking at Go with Gus, AND happyfishtours for Guatemala. Was wondering about happyfish, whether they were reliable, safe, etc.

[Storylady]

My wife and I, age 70, in tolerably good shape, are interested in what Mayan tours are worthwhile at the following stops: Belize, Guatemala, Costa Maya. It appears that those available at these three stops are somewhat repetitive- pictures seem rather similar. Should we select one as the best? Visit a ruin at all three stops? (Can't handle the $1K hit for the plane ride one). Non-HAL tours better?

Alternatives at each port will be helpful. This is our first "Mayan" experience, but have done Panama Canal and Costa Rica on HAL. The Gus tour on the Rio Dulce seems like an intro to the jungle, but not a lot else. Any advice would be most welcome.

 

We did 3 Mayan tours, but then we really enjoy seeing the Mayan sites since visiting Palenque in 1972.

 

All our excursions were with HAL. We did Quirigua in Santa Tomas. Tikal and Copan weren't available when we visited due to the length of time in the port. Our guide was Carolina Aldana. Her tour was absolutely fabulous. She told us about her country and just so to make sure that we were listening she handed out small prizes to those who knew the answer to her questions. She was very enthusiastic about her country and the Mayan site we visited.

 

In Belize we went to Altun Ha. Nice guide, but horrible roads. Bus's shocks were shot.

 

Costa Maya we visited Chacchoben. Since this is your first Mayan experience, I would recommend Chacchoben. Quirigua is famous for its stele. More carved steles of any Mayan sites. We liked Chacchoben better than Altun Ha. Both had large temples.

 

I will include a few photos so that you can see the differences.