Choosing your cruise excursions is an important decision. Not only do excursions add to your trip costs, but there are also usually many different options to pick from and you only have a short amount of time in each location.
Cruise lines don't always do a great job of explaining what these activities entail either. So, I've taken to sharing my excursion experiences and offering helpful details and a rating in order to make your decision an easier one.
For this post, I'll be reviewing the Best of Belize, a city tour of Belize City. I've given a pretty mixed review, so it's important that you read this short post thoroughly to understand the positives and negatives of the excursion. So let's get to it!
What You'll Find In This Post:
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About the Activity
This excursion is basically a tour of Belize City via bus. While you do get off the bus at three different stops, most of your time will be spent on it. The tour includes a guide (ours was actually very informational!) who shares the history and culture of Belize throughout the whole experience.
The bus will first take you by a small lighthouse on the coast, but it doesn't stop long enough for you to get out and see it/take photos. (I was kind of bummed about this.) So the real first stop is at St. John's Cathedral, which is the oldest building still standing in Belize and is also at least 200 years old. You can walk around it and learn from some plaques outside, plus your guide will take you inside to learn about the mahogany wood that it's built from.
At this same location, you'll discover interesting facts about the plants Belizeans use for medicinal purposes and about the house across the street, which was owned by the late Queen Elizabeth II. This stop at the church was definitely my favorite of the three by the way.
The second location at which you can get off the bus is a "BELIZE" sign on the coast. This does offer a great photo op, but it also seemed like a ploy to get tourists to buy fresh coconuts or a souvenir. And we did indeed buy a coconut from the seller there LOL. He cuts it open right in front of you with a machete, and then after you drink the water in it, he scoops out the coconut flesh for you to eat. I think we paid $4 for this.
The final stop is at a natural history museum. This is a tiny exhibit with a gift shop, and you ride a roller coaster train through it while you listen to the narrator. I could have learned more from this museum if the train hadn't moved so quickly because I wasn't able to read all the signs inside.
Next to the museum are a few restaurants and Kukumba Beach Park, a small resort-like area. We ordered lunch at Belizean Cuisine, which was okay, and then we took a walk to the end of the resort before leaving because there wasn't time to swim. The excursion description says that entrance to the park costs $15, but they must not have cared that we were just walking around. Additionally, you can stay at the park for the rest of the day if you'd like; you just have to get your own ride back to the cruise port.
Excursion Logistics
We did this excursion during a Carnival cruise, but it might be possible to do it with other cruise lines too. The information below is solely from the Carnival experience, so if you're going with another cruise line, you'll want to double-check it.
Time: 4 hours
Remember, a lot of driving is involved, but I'd say you maybe get 45 minutes at each stop to listen, look around, buy or eat.
You can extend your excursion by staying at Kukumba Beach Park. You simply have to find your own transportation back to the cruise port if you do this.
Transportation:
We had a nice bus with comfortable seats and air conditioning (perhaps too much air conditioning because I was freezing). So you shouldn't get overheated while traveling there or anything.
Cost: $75
This price includes the bus drive, a bottle of water, the museum entrance fee, the bus driver's salary and the guide's salary.
If you buy lunch or souvenirs, it will cost extra.
What To Bring:
Bring cash or a credit card if want to buy lunch, buy a coconut, donate to the church, etc.
My Review
My main problem with this excursion is that it's overpriced. Basically, you're paying for the bus driver and guide, and that's it. The stops aren't long, and they're not all very interesting. (For example, the museum was too quick to learn much or read anything, and there wasn't time to enjoy the beach area at the end.) Two of the stops also seem like they're mostly part of the tour so you'll buy something. It also didn't help that some of the group was late, and Carnival refused to leave without them even though it was making us an hour late for the excursion.
That said, I did learn a lot about Belize and Belize City, which I wouldn't have been able to do safely if I toured the area myself. Additionally, I enjoyed the church stop, trying a fresh coconut and the Belize sign. I can see how this would be a good excursion for those who are interested in the history and culture of Belize and especially anyone who is older but still wants to go on an excursion since there's barely any walking required.
So with all of this in mind, I'm giving the excursion a 3/5 stars.