I'm going on a Carnival cruise to Mexico, Belize, and Honduras and want to know which excursions to take?

Question

Is it worth paying for excursions thru the cruise ship or should I pay for them when I get off the ship? Won't they be booked up? Any more tips for getting the most out of a cruise would be very helpful. Thanks

Answer 1

hi PJ

   i live  in Belize an i take people on tour In Belize this is my web sites http://www.belizetraveladventure.braveho... or http://www.belizetraveladventure.page.tl

Answer 2

I personally do not like taking excursions through cruiselines. For me, I enjoy exploring new places on my own guided tours (arranged before getting on the ship) without other passengers. I find that using independent tour operators is less expensive, more personal, and is quite enjoyable.  However, I always look at what the cruise is offering in the way of excursions to make sure I will not miss out on anything.  

I hired a private operator in Belize without even making arrangements ahead of time. I simply stepped off the ship with my group of 6 and started to barter.  For $15 a person, we got a tour of Belize City, the outskirts, the Pyramids and learned about  their history and culture. It was just the 6 of us in an air-conditioned van. It was great!

Honduras is probably one of the only places I would consider taking the cruise arranged excursion. Honduras was wonderful, but fragile. People are living in less than desirable conditions and trying to survive with little money. If you are not used to traveling to countries like this, it may be better for you to stick with the cruise excursions.  

We went to Cozumel and did not even bother to hire a tour guide. We just walked across the bridge to the shops, bars, and restaurants.  We took a taxi to the beach.

I this helps you in making your decision.  Enjoy your cruise!

Answer 3

If this is your first cruise and you're at all worried about the different aspects of excursions, then you probably should do ship excursions.  The biggest advantage is knowing someone else is doing the planning, and that the ship will wait for you if the tour runs late.  You will pay for this convenience, both in $ and in being "herded" to some degree.

If you do some research and advance planning, and if you can be very conscientious about the time constraints [making sure you leave plenty of time for possible "delays"], and if you can feel confident about being independent, then you can do excursions on your own in most ports.

You don't say which port in Mexico you're visiting [I assume Cozumel] - if so, that's a very easy port to do on your own.  You might want to go to Chankanaab Park [check their website]; Paradise Beach is another popular spot.  

Belize is a "tender" port, so that adds to the complications, especially the timing.  Many of the excursions in Belize are not close to the port.  I know several people who have done the cave-tubing, for example, on their own and had no problems.  If you like to snorkel, there are several trips that will leave directly from the ship, thus saving you a lot of time, but these are only thru Carnival.  [We did the one to Goff's Caye and loved it! We don't usually do ship excursions.]  

I've never been to Honduras, but from what I've read Roatan is pretty easy to do on your own, too.

For lots of info and feedback from past passengers re which trips are good/bad and on logistics, go to CruiseCritic.com, click on "Boards", then "Ports of Call", then the different ports.  You might also want to check out the "Carnival" board, the "Ask a Cruise Quesion" board, "First Time Cruisers", and "East Coast Departures".  If you want to find out who's going with you, you can go to the "Roll Call" board [you'll have to join to see this board, but it's free.]  If you don't see the info you need, you can always post a question and you'll get lots of answers [you'll have to be a member to post questions].

Have a great cruise.

Answer 4

We just returned from that same cruise. It was the best in Honduras. ill tell you this in Belize and Honduras book something. Cause you wont like it if you just get off and shop in the port. I do not think It is worth it to purchase thru the ship. Its double the cost and if you book online prior to your trip you can hold  space for your self with out giving any credit card at all for payment till you get there. In honduras we Went thru my good friend Victor Bodden tour in honduras. He is very good and for a full van will charge you 25 per person and take you anywhere you want to go just tell him. He took us to the zip line which was the best I have ever done in my life. Then he just road around and told us all about is island. Then to his house where he has monkeys and a lovely family. Check out his web site. In Belize. Some did the cave tubing thru only cave-tubing.com i would recommend. But some of us stayed at the port and people bugged you to buy buy buy would not leave alone. Cave tubing was good but all day and you dont want to book an all day thing if not thru the ship just in case you dont make it back. But he got us back. Other wise look online and you can reserve a place on one of the many boats that can take you to the beach. There is no beach in belize you have to be taxied to them after  being taxied to belize you jump on a short ride to beach.

Answer 5

Me and my wife took a cruise that hit all your ports and we didn't book our excursions through the cruise line.  We have booked excursions both ways, through the cruise line and not, and I find it better to not book through the cruise line.  This way if your tired or if you get sick, your not out of the money if you can't make your excursion.  These islands make their living on cruise ships, so don't even worry about if you don't book an excursion early they will be all gone, cause they won't.  Plus, its a little cheaper I thought booking excursions off the ship.

Answer 6

My favorites were sailing/snorkeling in Honduras, zip line in Belize, and visiting the ruins in Mexico (but skip the tour that combines ruins with the Xel-Ha water park -- we were so rushed it was a waste).

Buying the excursion through the cruise line is more expensive than buying through an independent, but it's also safer.  Call me paranoid, but especially in less developed parts of the world, I'd rather have the cruise line overseeing whoever is responsible for the safety gear.

Yes, sometimes the good excursions sell out.  I'd say buy one or two if you're sure you want to go on them.  My husband and I wish we had -- we missed out on SNUBA and zip line on our last Mexico cruise b/c they sold out.

For tips on getting hte most out of your cruise, check out the Know Before You Go guide:

http://www.cruisesavvy.com/savvyguide/kn...

It has a bunch of stuff including the pros and cons of booking shore excursions direct, what to pack, how to stay healthy, etc.

Oh, and if you want to share your experiences you can get a Cruise Journal to show off your cruise pictures and stories (or read about other people's trips) here:

http://www.cruisesavvy.com/journals

Hope you have a great trip!

Answer 7

i was on the NCL Sun in mid Feb for that itinerary. as Jodi mentioned, if you book an excursion through the cruise line and it runs late the ship will wait for you....as it did for us. we went on the Altun Ha Ruins and Old Belize River tour. it was great. but one of the two outboard engines broke down and we were 45 mintues late getting back to the ship which waited for us.

Answer 8

I try to do excursions through the cruise line mainly because if they are running late, the ship will wait for you. If you go off on your own, and the excursions are running late, the ship will not wait for you. It is then your responsibility to either get to the next port or get home. I've only seen it happen once, but a few extra dollars is worth peace of mind for me. I don't know what part of Mexico you are going to, so it is difficult to suggest. If you like to snorkel, Belize has some of the most beautiful reefs I have ever seen. The colors are amazing. Try to relax and have a good time. If you don't get to do everything you want to do, that just gives you an excuse to go back. Have fun.