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Posted By: Wezzie Cruise excursions - 04/12/03 08:50 PM
Hi. We're coming to Belize in May on a Carnival Cruise ship. We'll have from 8am-6pm in port and we want to do as much snorkeling as possible. Signing up for excursions on the ship can be expensive. Does anyone have any suggestions about how to spend a full day in Belize with a focus on snorkeling & lunch?

Do the cruise ships dock in San Pedro?
Posted By: Chloe Re: Cruise excursions - 04/12/03 09:42 PM
Cruise ships do not dock at San Pedro.

Your best thing to do, is sign up with your cruise ship for the snorkeling/lunch trip. IMHO for 3 reasons,first snorkeling Guides are licensed, secondly the fees are fairly regulated, thirdly you will be on your cruise ship when they pull up anchor.
Posted By: klcman Re: Cruise excursions - 04/12/03 10:02 PM
The wise one knows from where she speaks.....
Posted By: Wezzie Re: Cruise excursions - 04/13/03 12:50 AM
Thanks so much, Chloe and klcman! Carnival has two trips that sound good. A four hour trip that includes Goff's Caye (which I hear is great!) and a 7 hour trip that includes Shark/ray Alley, lunch and shopping. Both sound fabulous! I can't wait!!!
Posted By: Chloe Re: Cruise excursions - 04/13/03 01:14 AM
Either trip is not to be missed, go and enjoy.
Posted By: barefoot Re: Cruise excursions - 04/13/03 04:52 AM
Wezzie,

You would do much better setting this up yourself instead of going on the cruise ship excursions. They are quite expensive and are very crowded.
The only upside is that you get off the ship earlier than the other guests because of the prepaid excursion. We have taken many tourists from the cruise ships that either book ahead or just come to the island on their own. You would have plenty of time to come to San Pedro, shop, lunch on your own, not with over 70 other cruise ship passengers, and get to snorkel at 2 spots versus one.The cruise ship trip to San Pedro only includes Shark Ray Alley not Hol Chan Marine Reserve which shouldn't be missed. San Pedro is a 15 minute flight from Belize City and runs around $50.00US round trip. If you would like you could email me for more information.

Dawn O'Connor
www.barefootwatersports.net
[email protected]
Posted By: Johnboy Re: Cruise excursions - 04/13/03 12:40 PM
Barefoot-----Which airline flies from Belize to AC for $50 ???????Which airport????? Just wondering.....
Posted By: Ernie B Re: Cruise excursions - 04/13/03 02:03 PM
John Boy, Both Tropic and Maya fly from Muni. to AC for that $50.00 RT. See ya in June ?
Ernie
Posted By: Richard Chambers Re: Cruise excursions - 04/13/03 03:39 PM
Johnboy,
It's more like $50us each way,~$100rt.
Richard eek Thats from BC.
I'm sure you already know these answers, but we better clear it up for those that don't.
Posted By: klcman Re: Cruise excursions - 04/13/03 04:08 PM
but $52 r/t from muni - prior post correct ( course ya gottaqadd in the taxi fare)
Posted By: Chloe Re: Cruise excursions - 04/13/03 04:37 PM
My mind is alittle rusty sometimes, but recalling, airfares are priced differently for tourists versus locals and resorts/hotels???
Posted By: Lan Sluder/Belize First Re: Cruise excursions - 04/13/03 04:40 PM
I recently did a lengthy article, actually a book chapter, on what to do if you are coming into Belize City on a one-day cruise stop. I don't own the copyright to most of it, so I can't post it (and it's too long anyway), but if you will e-mail me I will be glad to send you a free copy for your personal use in .pdf format. You can find my e-mail address on the Web site below.

--Lan Sluder
www.belizefirst.com
Posted By: klcman Re: Cruise excursions - 04/13/03 04:48 PM
chloe - i pulled those prices right off the website ( but you may be right anyway :p )
Posted By: Ernie B Re: Cruise excursions - 04/13/03 05:12 PM
Richard, Sorry but it's $50.00 RT from Muni to San Pedro. I used to make that hop about once a week.
Ernie
Posted By: seashell Re: Cruise excursions - 04/13/03 07:51 PM
$52 rtn. $26 one way. That's out of the Muni not the International.
Posted By: patiaryl Re: Cruise excursions - 04/13/03 07:55 PM
SEashell - do you know the munoz brothers?
Posted By: seashell Re: Cruise excursions - 04/13/03 11:21 PM
patiaryl, Why do you ask?
Posted By: Richard Chambers Re: Cruise excursions - 04/14/03 02:29 AM
Yeah, but nobody lands at Muni when they fly into Belize! So you have to add in the taxi fare to Muni from BC. That puts it somewhat above $50US RT. Lets tell it like it is.
Richard
Posted By: klcman Re: Cruise excursions - 04/14/03 02:32 AM
look at the original post, Richard, unless cruise ships just sprouted wings..........Muni is their best bet for flying to AC
Posted By: Ernie B Re: Cruise excursions - 04/14/03 03:01 AM
good grief, Richard, John ask how can you get from BC to SP. The question has been ask and answered !
Posted By: Wezzie Re: Cruise excursions - 04/14/03 05:43 PM
So...you're saying we should fly from the cruise dock to AC? The cruise excursion said it's a 1 1/2 hour boat trip to Hol Chan and a 45 minute trip to Goff's Caye. Does that sound right? Boy, I really need to look at a map! Where do the the cruise ships dock - at 'muni'? Is muni the municipal airport or the municipal pier (or neither)?
Posted By: Lan Sluder/Belize First Re: Cruise excursions - 04/14/03 07:01 PM
Here's a round-up of your main options for getting to San Pedro:

Island Hopping from Belize City: Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker

If you would rather spend your time in Belize on an island instead of the mainland, and you are not going on a cruise ship excursion, you have two main choices: Ambergris Caye or Caye Caulker. For golfers, there's a possible third island option: Caye Chapel.

Ambergris Caye, also known just as San Pedro, after its only town, is a laidback Caribbean-style resort island and the most popular tourist destination in Belize. While no longer just a sleepy fishing village, San Pedro still has mostly streets of sand and the tallest building is only three stories. Caye Caulker is Ambergris Caye's "little sister" island--smaller, somewhat less developed and a cheaper date.

Once on Ambergris or Caulker, you can laze on a beach, shop, ride around on a golf cart (there are no rental cars on the islands, but golf carts rent for around $35 for eight hours), have lunch in a seaside bistro or take a boat out to the barrier reef for some of the best snorkeling in the Caribbean.

It's usually possible to get to either island (but not both) during the typical ship's stop, either by scheduled water taxi or by puddle jumper airplane.

Boat and Ferry Travel
To go by water taxi--fast open boats with twin outboard engines--turn left from the Tourist Village and walk about 5 minutes to the Marine Terminal, next to the Swing Bridge. Boats to both islands are operated by the Caye Caulker Water Taxi Association (tel. 501/226-0992), and most boats stop at both Caulker and San Pedro. From Belize City, boats to Caye Caulker leave at 8, 9, and 10:30 am, noon, 1:30, 3, 4:30, and 5:30 pm, returning at 6:30, 7:30, 8:30 and 10 am, noon, 1:30, 3, and 4 pm. The trip to or from Caulker takes 45 minutes and costs US$9 one-way or $14 round-trip. From Belize City, boats to San Pedro (Ambergris Caye) leave at 8, 9, and 10:30 am, noon, 1:30, 3, and 4:30 pm, returning at 7, 8, 9:30, and 11:30 am, 1, 2:30, and 3:30 pm. On weekends and holidays, there is usually one additional trip to and from each island, leaving an hour later than the times shown above. The trip to or from San Pedro takes 75 minutes and costs US$14 one-way or $25 round-trip. In San Pedro, these water taxis dock at Shark's Pier in the middle of town. There are a few other scheduled boats that make this trip as well.

Air Travel
Especially if you are going to Ambergris Caye, you may prefer to fly, or you can water taxi over and fly back. Two local airlines, Maya Island Air, (tel. 501/226-2435 or 800/225-6732 in the U.S., www.mayaislandair.com) and Tropic Air, (tel. 501/226-2012 or 800/422-3435 in the U.S., www.tropicair.com, 3e-mail [email protected]) fly from the Municipal Airport in Belize City to the two islands roughly every hour, with a total of about 22 flights daily each way between them. The flight to Caulker takes less than 15 minutes and that to San Pedro about 20 to 25 minutes. The cost is US$52 round-trip to either island. A taxi between the Tourist Village and the Municipal Airport is around $3, depending on the number of passengers. On Ambergris, the airstrip is at the south end of town within easy walking distance of restaurants and shops. Be sure you fly out of Municipal, not out of the International Airport north of the city. Flights from International are about twice as costly, plus you'll have a US$20 cab fare each way.

--Lan Sluder
Posted By: Wezzie Re: Cruise excursions - 04/15/03 12:33 AM
Lan, thank you very much for the information. I received your article too. I really appreciate your help.
Wezzie
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