going on a cruise for the first time to both belize and mexico. have a full day in both places…just not sure what to do. it’s belize city and cozumel, mexico. thanks!!!
i’m going to belize city and cozumel, mexico. not sure if the excursion prices make it worth it…or if we should just venture out on own. has anyone been there via cruise? thanks!
Cozumel……..DEFINITE shore excursion!!!!!!!!!!!
I’d want to do Belize as well
Report Spam/Abuse
I took a cruise to mexico as well, and the shore excursions are definetly fun. I went on a zipline excursion and it was really proffesional and fun. Just pick something exciting, not boring. Going off on you own is kinda fun, but all you’ll see is people trying to sell you trinkets. You’re not exactly seeing the real mexico either, but whatever. It’s a cruise.
Report Spam/Abuse
Personally being your first time I would take the canned excursions. If you are not alone and have a good sense for travel try going it on your own the second stop of your cruise. There are most definitely areas around cruise stops you do not want to visit. My first cruise gave me an eye full in some of its stops.
Report Spam/Abuse
I have done both many times. If you want to do something like snorkel, then I would book a tour. They will take you to the best place to do it. Mexico, I went on a tequila tasting tour where I had 15 different tastes of tequila. This was all before 11 am. What a blast that was. I would check out all the tours they offer and maybe pick two out of three, which is the hard part. Don’t bother taking one that is like a bus tour. They are boring. The main thing is if you do go on your own, You MUST be back on the ship on time. They don’t wait for anyone. If you miss the ship, you will have to find a way to meet up with it at the next port. Every cruise I have been on, there is always someone who doesn’t make it or gets real close to not making it back. They call your name out 10 minutes or less before the ship departs. If you are not there on the ship, then oh well.
Report Spam/Abuse
Hi! How exciting!!! Been to both places on a cruise.. Belize.. Well, I definately would not recommend going out on your own… Belize City is run down and seems to be unsafe.. You’ll see when you get there. At the port, there’s these big gates that the locals stand outside of and wait for the cruise ship passengers so they can try and get you for tours etc.. We were harrassed by a man who wanted to show us town and drive us around giving us liquor and ganga (sp?). Definately do a ship excursion there, seriously.. Cozumel is a fun place to walk around on your own.. Especially the main drag along the water. Good shopping and fun bars. We love Cozumel. Be careful walking though!!! they drive pretty crazy!! Enjoy yourself!!!
Report Spam/Abuse
I would definitely recommend finding a local co. to book through. I went on a carribean cruise and did that and i was completely satisfied. it was alot cheaper and definitely not as crowded, plus got to see “extra” things that i wouldn’t have using the same tour through the cruise ship. But if you go this way, definitely do your research before hand. good luck and have fun!
Report Spam/Abuse
cozumel we went out on our own. rented scooters and cruised the island. Its all up to you. check out the excursions and if you dont like any go on your own. I always split it up between going out on my own and going with the group.
Report Spam/Abuse
You can find LOTS of specific info on tours in the different ports by going to CruiseCritic.com – click on “Boards”, then “Ports of Call”.
Cozumel is very easy to do on your own, although in any port you have to be very careful about the time. The ship will leave without you if you’re not back on time, unless you are on a ship-sponsored excursion. For a first-timer, I’d recommend going to Chankanaab Park [they have a website] You can get a cab right outside the terminal and there are always plenty of cabs waiting to take you back.
Belize is not a port I’d recommend going it alone in. Take a ship’s tour. It’s a very long tender into port and back to the ship – too easy to miss the boat! If you like to snorkel, take a ship’s tour that picks you up right at the boat [e.g. Goff's Caye].
Report Spam/Abuse