We woke this morning, still cruising, but anchored shortly after in the waters off of Belize. Large cruise ships cannot port in Belize because of the reef off the coast. We went down to breakfast and tried to eat a little more than usual so that it would stick with us. Before we left home, we talked to our oldest daughter and her husband who were recently on this same cruise, and they said that there isn't a lot to do in the port of Belize. It is one of those ports that is off by itself, without easy access to Belize City or anything else. So we signed up for a snorkeling excursion for today.
Our excursion doesn’t start until 10:00, so we were able to take it easy this morning before we had to catch our tender. Most of the guests are heading into the Port of Belize for the day, and we keep hearing the cruise director on the PA system asking people to be patient as they try to get everyone off the ship via tenders. This is one of the cons of a large ship, especially on days when tenders have to be used.
At about 9:30 we headed up to the theater where we are gathering for our 10:00 excursion. All cruise ships seem to be a little too well air conditioned for our liking, so our daughter and I both bundled up in our coats to wait in the theater for our excursion departure. Our excursion group was called around 10:00, and we headed for the gang way with the rest of our group. We got on to a large catamaran and headed directly out to Rendezvous Caye, a very small Belizian Island, straight east of Belize. The ride out was very nice, we spent part of the ride on the lower deck and part on the upper deck.
It was cloudy as we left the ship, but as we approached the island, it was sunny and gorgeous! About 80 degrees. We had about a 45 minute boat ride from the ship to our little piece of paradise!
Our excursion today was called Snorkeling the Wonders of the Barrier Reef. The island had beautiful white sand beaches and palm trees and was very clean. We all disembarked, and those who needed snorkeling equipment grabbed it on their way onto the island. They also handed each person a grass mat to use on the beach. We got our spot all set up, and then met in the middle of the island for snorkeling. Since we were such a large group, they broke us into two groups. Group one would snorkel first, and then when they were done, group two would go while group one enjoyed time on the beach.
We were in group one. They further divided us into beginner, intermediate and advanced. Almost everyone in the first group went to the beginner group. We were trying to decide if we should do intermediate or advanced, and as we were contemplating, they decided to join the intermediate and advanced into a single group. That made our decision very easy! We headed out with our guides, in a group of about 20 people.
There were two guides in the water with us, and two in kayaks to help anyone who might have trouble. There was only one entry point for getting into the water off of the island. This is because Rendezvous Caue lays on top of the reef, so this is their way of protecting the reef from damage. As we got into the water from a sandy, grassy area, we immediately started seeing small fish, even though we couldn’t see the reef yet, and as we made our way out, the reef was right there. So much beautiful underwater life to see. The guides were very helpful, diving down and bring things to the surface for us to see and hold. We held see cucumbers, starfish, a sea anemone which felt very much like holding a hedgehog and a large lobster. All of these creatures were alive and would crawl around on our hands. Our group snorkeled about half way around the island, exploring the reef as we went.
When we got about half way around, some of our group wanted to go back because they were afraid of the jelly fish, so one of the kayaks lead them back to the island. The rest of us, now less then 10 snorkelers, stayed out longer and continued to enjoy the reef. There were some jellyfish but they were beautiful, and could easily be swished away. They did not seem to be stinging at all. We snorkeled for another 10 minutes or so, and then it was time for us to head back to the island as well. We made our way back slowly, continuing to enjoy the reef.
The link below is a video of the highlights of our snorkeling adventure on Rendezvous Caye, coming back to the Carnival Freedom and quick trip into the Port of Belize. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VkzYhkmHno
When we got back to the island, we realized that the second group of snorkelers had already gone out. We had snorkeled almost the entire hour, instead of having our beach break. The time went by so fast in this incredible underwater world. We definitely got our money’s worth!
As we were playing around on the island and taking pictures, one of our guides called us over. He had an octopus in his hands, which he let us hold. It was very slimy feeling, but would grab on to us with it’s tentacles. It was a very interesting creature. It would have been about two feet across if it was spread out.
A few more pictures as we enjoyed our short time on the island.
When the time came, we reluctantly headed to the boat for our relaxing ride back. As we sailed along, the three of us discussed our two days of snorkeling and compared them.
Yesterday in Mahogany Bay was great, of course, because it was free, and it was pretty good snorkeling. It was nice because we were alone and didn’t have to keep up with a group. We also didn’t have other people kicking around near us.
Today on Rendezvous Caye was nice because we had the guides who would point things out and explain things to us, and they would dive down and get things for us to hold. The reef was really incredible. They were both great experiences that we wouldn't trade for anything!
The reef that we snorkeled both days is part of the Meso-american reef system that runs from Honduras all the way to Cozumel. It is a World Heritage Site and is the largest Barrier Reef in the Western Hemisphere. Belize is one of the last countries in the world to have extensive areas of almost pristine reef. The Belize Barrier Reef is the home of one of the most diverse Ecosystems in the world, with 106 species of coral, 500 species of fish and hundreds of invertebrate species.
When we got back to the ship, we dropped off our snorkeling gear and changed into dry clothes and headed down to floor zero to catch a tender to main land Belize. Unfortunately for us, most of the people who had been on excursions all day were now coming back to the ship, so we waited an hour for them to get unloaded before we could get on a tender. By the time we finally caught our tender, we weren’t going to have any time on the mainland, so we just rode out to the port and then rode back again.
And as a bon-voyage treat, another beautiful Caribbean sunset to end our day!
Tonight's show was called Get-away Island, and was a Beach Boys themed song and dance ensemble. At the end of the show, they grabbed people from the audience to join them up on stage, and one of them was our daughter. She is a bit reserved, and not one to make a spectacle of herself, so she tried to decline, but they insisted and pulled her up on the stage.
And to tuck us in tonight, we had a Belizian Elephant, as rare as they are...
Our excursion doesn’t start until 10:00, so we were able to take it easy this morning before we had to catch our tender. Most of the guests are heading into the Port of Belize for the day, and we keep hearing the cruise director on the PA system asking people to be patient as they try to get everyone off the ship via tenders. This is one of the cons of a large ship, especially on days when tenders have to be used.
At about 9:30 we headed up to the theater where we are gathering for our 10:00 excursion. All cruise ships seem to be a little too well air conditioned for our liking, so our daughter and I both bundled up in our coats to wait in the theater for our excursion departure. Our excursion group was called around 10:00, and we headed for the gang way with the rest of our group. We got on to a large catamaran and headed directly out to Rendezvous Caye, a very small Belizian Island, straight east of Belize. The ride out was very nice, we spent part of the ride on the lower deck and part on the upper deck.
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| We chose seats near the back so we could see out since the catamaran was enclosed today |
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| It's a pretty large snorkeling group |
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| After the announcements we headed up stairs where the views were great! |
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| Rendezvous Caye, off in the distance |
Our excursion today was called Snorkeling the Wonders of the Barrier Reef. The island had beautiful white sand beaches and palm trees and was very clean. We all disembarked, and those who needed snorkeling equipment grabbed it on their way onto the island. They also handed each person a grass mat to use on the beach. We got our spot all set up, and then met in the middle of the island for snorkeling. Since we were such a large group, they broke us into two groups. Group one would snorkel first, and then when they were done, group two would go while group one enjoyed time on the beach.
We were in group one. They further divided us into beginner, intermediate and advanced. Almost everyone in the first group went to the beginner group. We were trying to decide if we should do intermediate or advanced, and as we were contemplating, they decided to join the intermediate and advanced into a single group. That made our decision very easy! We headed out with our guides, in a group of about 20 people.
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| Snorkeling Group |
When we got about half way around, some of our group wanted to go back because they were afraid of the jelly fish, so one of the kayaks lead them back to the island. The rest of us, now less then 10 snorkelers, stayed out longer and continued to enjoy the reef. There were some jellyfish but they were beautiful, and could easily be swished away. They did not seem to be stinging at all. We snorkeled for another 10 minutes or so, and then it was time for us to head back to the island as well. We made our way back slowly, continuing to enjoy the reef.
The link below is a video of the highlights of our snorkeling adventure on Rendezvous Caye, coming back to the Carnival Freedom and quick trip into the Port of Belize. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VkzYhkmHno
When we got back to the island, we realized that the second group of snorkelers had already gone out. We had snorkeled almost the entire hour, instead of having our beach break. The time went by so fast in this incredible underwater world. We definitely got our money’s worth!
As we were playing around on the island and taking pictures, one of our guides called us over. He had an octopus in his hands, which he let us hold. It was very slimy feeling, but would grab on to us with it’s tentacles. It was a very interesting creature. It would have been about two feet across if it was spread out.
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| I saw a similar sized octopus when we were first swimming out on our snorkeling adventure. |
Yesterday in Mahogany Bay was great, of course, because it was free, and it was pretty good snorkeling. It was nice because we were alone and didn’t have to keep up with a group. We also didn’t have other people kicking around near us.
Today on Rendezvous Caye was nice because we had the guides who would point things out and explain things to us, and they would dive down and get things for us to hold. The reef was really incredible. They were both great experiences that we wouldn't trade for anything!
The reef that we snorkeled both days is part of the Meso-american reef system that runs from Honduras all the way to Cozumel. It is a World Heritage Site and is the largest Barrier Reef in the Western Hemisphere. Belize is one of the last countries in the world to have extensive areas of almost pristine reef. The Belize Barrier Reef is the home of one of the most diverse Ecosystems in the world, with 106 species of coral, 500 species of fish and hundreds of invertebrate species.
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| Farewell to beautiful Rendezvous Caye |
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| Complimentary Fruit Punch during our return trip |
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| Carnival Freedom waiting for our return |
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| Whew, we finally caught our tender |
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| Approaching the Port of Belize |
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| View across to the other side of the bay |
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| He must be the official greeter! |
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| Looking back at our ship |
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| Head-on view of the Carnival Freedom, it looks like a creature from another planet |
Tonight's show was called Get-away Island, and was a Beach Boys themed song and dance ensemble. At the end of the show, they grabbed people from the audience to join them up on stage, and one of them was our daughter. She is a bit reserved, and not one to make a spectacle of herself, so she tried to decline, but they insisted and pulled her up on the stage.
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| Definitely out of her comfort zone, but playing the part from the back of the stage |
Andra, great blog! We are experienced cruisers, but we taken a few years. We're taking our family of six and another family of four on the same cruise. Your "Day in Belize" blog and YouTube vedio are great! Thank you for sharing and helping us decide what we want to do in Belize. I especially appreciated the view of the island as you departed. The small island in the middle of the ocean makes it seem so cool! Thanks again.
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