Greetings from Tennessee! We will be traveling via Carnival Cruise into Cozumel, Mexico. From Cozumel we need to travel by bus to Ambergris. I can't seem to find any links or information on bus trip schedules/fares (safe w/ air conditioning) to the border, and then into Belize to the boat that will take us into Ambergris. Can anyone help point me in the right direction? Also, what is a quick estimate of the cost to bus from Cozumel into Belize? Thanks in advance!

The first thing you will need to do is take a ferry from Cozumel to Playa Del Carmen ($16.00 US) the buy station is a few blocks from the ferry port, there should be a bus for Chetumel leaving each day this town is on the border of Belize from there i don't know the best way to get to Ambergris Caye. Maby someone else can help you from there. Look at this web site www.travelyucatan.com

I'm glad you pointed that out. I was just wondering if Mexico had started using amphibian buses.

Bus from Playa cost around US$20 a couple of months ago. It leaves from the bus station on 20th Avenue, which runs parallel to the coast and is four blocks from 5th Avenue, the main pedestrian shopping street. NOT from the bus station near the ferry terminal, though you CAN buy your ticket there. If you can walk with your luggage, it takes maybe 20 minutes.

I prefer to have transport from Chetumal pre-organised, and I use Henry Menzies (http://belizetransfers.com/home/about). If they know what bus you're leaving Playa on they'll meet you even if your bus is delayed. From memory he charges around US$20 or 30.

A complication is that the local taxi operators at Chetumal won't allow Belizean operators to pick people up from the bus station. Illegal - they use mob tactics. Get a local taxi to the New Market, and ask to be dropped where the buses stop. After your taxi has left your Menzies driver will appear from the shadows (!) and take you across the border.

For the trip from Corozal to San Pedro I always fly - check both Tropic and Maya websites for times and fares. My usual is the 3:30 flight, which I catch easily by leaving Playa at 9:30/9:40 that morning. I believe there is a later flight which would allow you to catch a later bus, but I've never tried it. Plane takes around 20 mins.

There is also a boat ferry service, but although it's cheaper it takes far longer and the schedule is quite restricted. Never used it.

You probably won't need to, but my journeys from Playa normally start in Europe and I stay overnight there. My preference is Hotel Casa de las Flores, about midway between the two bus stations on 20th.

I would firstly ensure that you will be in possession of your passports?

Some cruise lines will collect your passport a boarding, and return them via the pursers desk prior to returning to the US!

Why the cruise down..is it the baggage allowance, 'cause if so consider Norwegian from New Orleans, which visits Belize, but only later in the year?

You can't get here from there?

Just did the google earth ruler thingie, it's 183.38 miles give or take a micron either way from Cozumel to AC. Where in Belize are you ultimately traveling to? Maybe this boat you mention has someone affiliated with it that can advise you. Sounds quite complex in any event.

Traveling on Carnival Cruise from New Orleans to Cozumel in November. Hope to spend a week in Ambergris visiting church friends. Have to take cruise, which isn't bad, but makes the trip longer, due to several who refuse to fly. Just need to figure out the cheapest (and safest) way to get from Cozumel to Ambergris. Visited Belize last month but only for about 8 hours. Sounds like the tricky part is navigating all the border issues.

What is the cost to fly from Corozal to San Pedro?

I have a lot of information on that trip, and put it all on a site: http://belizebus.wordpress.com/

Let me know if you need anything else.

You will have to notify your cruise line a week in advance and let them know that you are getting off of the boat in Cozumel and not getting back on. They will make sure someone from customs is there to process your papers and charge you duties (if needed) on any luggage. It is possible to "jump ship", but you just have to let the cruise line know about it.

Basically it's a time vs. money situation and what is more important for you. If you're only going to be in Ambergris for a week then you probably don't want to spend 2 days getting here from Cozumel. The all out cheapest route is a bus straight from Playa del Carmen to Belize City. ADO will bring you straight to the city, but it's going to be a long day, Cozumel to Playa is 15 minutes, Playa to Chetumal is 5/6 hours, Chetumal to Corozal is 30 mins to an hour, and then Corozal to Belize City is a few more hours.

Just from experience, I normally bus from Playa to Chetumal, use a transfer service to pick me up in Chetumal and bring me to Corozal and then just fly from Corozal to San Pedro. That's probably your best balance of cost vs. time.

There are two transfer services I use, the Morales' with gettransfers.com, or Gibson's Transfer. The Morales' will probably need you to taxi from the bus station to McDonalds to pick you up there like Peter Jones says above. Gibson transfers can pick you up directly at the bus station which is much easier. Both services have given me great service in the past. On two seperate occasions due to circumstances beyond my control I was about 2 hours late to Chetumal on the bus and both times, once with Gibson and the other with GetTransfers, they were both there waiting.

Two other things, if you are traveling on a busy weekend, be sure to book bus tickets from Mexico in advance. There is a website that will allow you to do this. One time it was a big holiday weekend in Mexico and there were no tickets available...I had to taxi from Playa to Chetumal.

Also, I assume you are flying back to the States. No cruise line, as far as I know, will let you cruise from Mex to the states on a later cruise.

Lots of great ideas and information on this thread, but how are the non-flyers getting home?

Thanks for all the help! Final question(s). Based on what you know, and without having to research all this, would it be possible to get to Ambergris Caye that same day if our Carnival ship were to arrive in Cozumel at 8:00 a.m. Likewise, if the cruise ship left at 6:00 p.m., (which would mean we would need to be back at boat by 5:00) about 6 days later, could we make it to Cozumel from Ambergris Caye if we left that same morning.

Moose, would have to catch another cruise back from Cozumel. Can be done per Carnival, but you have to purchase a full cruise ticket. However, in October/November, 4 day cruises are cheap. It looks like we can take a cruise out of Mobile or New Orleans, drop off in Cozumel and bus in to Corozal (and then take a boat to AC) and doing the same thing going back, much cheaper than actually flying into Belize City. Plus, spending the extra time on the cruise ship would be fun. The only down part would be the extended bus trip going to and fro AC.

Time line in a perfect world..

Coz to PDC 1.25 hrs
get to car/bus 1 hr
travel to Chetumal 4.5 hrs
transfer to Corozal 1.5 hrs
flight to san Pedro 1 hr

The above is assuming minimal connection times etc and it is still a 10 hr day of logistically tough travel

Spending one night in Chetumal would make all the difference, then you are poised to make your transfer at your convenience/as needed to catch the San Pedro Flight from Corozal or the Ferry out of Bze City

Sounds like quite the trip. I assume that you have considered the cruise lines that stop in Belize City.

Yes to both, quite possible. But no guarantees.