I'm going on a cruise, and trying to save a little money. It stops at Cozumel, Mexico, and Belize City.?

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Achaholic

I have not been to Belize but I can tell you that there is plenty to do in Cozumel without taking an excursion. It really depends what you want to do. There are 2 ports in Cozumel. One is right in downtown and the other is about a 5 minute drive outside of the downtown area.

For snorkeling, I would suggest Chaankanaab Park. Its about a $10 cab ride and $12 admission/person. It has some of the best snorkeling you can find at any of the ports in the Caribbean. There is also a pool and small beach there. There are plenty of shops and restaurants downtown. There are a couple beaches you can go to or if you like just rent a scooter or dune buggy and cruise around the island.

One of the things I always do when cruising is asking your waiter and assistant waiter what places they recommend the night before you reach port. Often times they have been to these ports dozens of times and they know a lot of the better spots to go. I remember on one of the Royal Caribbean cruises I was on our waiter told us about this beach on Antigua. It wasn't mentioned in any guide book but we went there. It was extremely beautiful and uncrowded; one of the nicest beaches I have ever been to.

While I have not been to the Belize I have heard that it is not a very developed port. I would probably suggest a excursion here as I hear they have some very nice ruins to visit. For a few more ideas, check out the cruisecritic message boards as excursions and activities for each port are discussed in great detail.

Kevin L

Having worked on a cruise ship, I've been to both several times. Cozumel is nice, if you've never been. Belize is a different story. A word of wisdom, if you go to Belize and you are not on an organized tour. Do not leave the little shopping area where the tender drops you off.

We made that mistake as crew, and we were a bunch of guys, and we got harassed constantly by the locals. I can only imagine what it would be like for women. It is not the nicest area, and once you leave the touristy part of it...it definitely shows.

â™¥absentâ™¥ â™¥farmerâ™¥ "â™¥Abbyâ™¥&

Book an excursion in Belize- it is a very depressed country and you need the company of those who know where to go and not to go.
Parts of the country are beautiful and parts art so scary and dangerous.
The other places you can get off the ship and find things you want to do for less money.
I wouldn't trust Belize. (Shiver) There is a cave excursion in Belize that is supposed to be awesome- don't choose the tubing one with the Mayan ruins(piles of rock) You use real tire inner tubes and life jackets(orange life vests) roughing it to say the least. We walked through mud about a mile carrying our own inner tubes and got to swim for our lives in the river. We still talk about it if that is what you are looking for.
(Take a dollar rain poncho to Belize just in case, or the locals will sell you one for $5.00 if it is raining)

phantom_of_valkyrie

I have been to both multiple times and they are my favorite stops.

Belize is a gorgeous place. However it is extremely poor. I would not recommend walking around Belize by yourself. You get off the ship at a mall but it would be incredibly boring to spend all day there. Though I have an idea to save you some money.

Cave-tubing.com.

If you have looked at the cruise critic boards it is mentioned over and over again. A very reputable company. The owner is incredibly nice. It is the exact same caves that Carnival goes through except he goes through 2 caves and is half the price. He has air conditioned buses that drive you through the country side--which is gorgeous. Then you do a small hike (flat land) through the rainforest. Then you get in your inflatable tube and glide through the caves. At the end he stops at a restaurant for a snack. Plus he takes the money at the end so if you have any complaints at all (though you won't) you can take it up with him then.

Cozumel- Cozumel is one of my favorite stops. There is ton to do so if you don't want to take a shore excursion there, you will be fine. Walk around and a MUST DO is eat lunch at Pancho's Backyard. You have never eaten better food. There is lots of shopping. My favorite thing to do in Cozumel is go to Chankanaab Park. It's the best snorkeling I've done in the Caribbean. It's about a $10 cab ride and about $20 entrance to the park. You can walk right off the beach into the water. The fish are so close. I've snorkeled on several islands on many cruises and this is the best place to snorkel.

But if you can only afford to do one, Cozumel has plenty of shopping and is very safe. They have a Senor Frogs right off the dock. However Belize is safe but not nearly as touristy. They are a developing 3rd world country.

Look up Cave-tubing.com though. At half price it will save you a lot and truly is remarkable. The other shore excursion I have done in Belize is Xunantunich. It was the most impressive of all the Mayan Ruins and a once in a lifetime opportunity if you cruise offers this excursion.

Moxie

I rarely do excursions. Instead, I bought a Caribbean guide book and picked out the things I wanted to do. Then, I either booked transfers or packages independently, or I used a taxicab upon arrival. More money to the locals and less to the giant cruise corporation.

In St. Thomas there was a beach excursion that was $60. We got the exact same thing, minus the sack lunch, for $8 each way in a local taxi.

And remember to bring lots of stuff to do on "At Sea" days. The problem with that cruise is that you only have 3 stops in 8 days on the ship (2 are departure/arrival days), so there's a lot of down time. And if the ship is going fast, it's very windy, making it hard to lay out & relax. The ship usually provides lots of stuff to do, but I dont' care for 'shows', I didn't go on a cruise to watch The Dark Knight, and I can only sit through so many Hairy Chest contests.

Have a great trip!

Kristina L

I have not been to Cozumel, but I have been to Belize.

Belize is a small area at the port where there is an outside tiki bar and a shopping area. Not a whole lot to do. We originally signed up for the Lost World Canopy Tour - because I love zip lining and rappelling, but do to the weather, this got canceled. I ended up doing the Xunanlunich Mayan Ruins and they were incredible. Worth every penny. There are multiple structures that are fully excavated and a large pyramid you can climb to the top. The pictures will be incredible.

From what I understand, Cozumel has a much better "port" and more to do without taking an excursion. However, I don't have any experience there to verify that.

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