As everyone who knows my wife knows, Julie loves snorkeling and beaches, so it's no surprise that she selected the Tropical Reef Snorkel & Sun Beach Resort excursion in Belize.
My first two experiences reef snorkeling in the Caribbean proved to be disappointing, and I really would have preferred to visit the jungles and Mayan ruins of this country formerly known as British Honduras, but Julie was the one most in need of vacation therapy, and I generally have a good time wherever we go.
Despite my doubts, we boarded the speed boat with 28 other passengers and skimmed across the water for 20 minutes to the beach resort, where some of the group would spend the entire time.
We staked out a couple of lounge chairs in the shade of a palapa, and then pulled the lounge chairs in front of us to the side to give us an unobstructed lagoon view.
All too soon, it was time to get back on the boat and motor to the reef 15 minutes away.
He would find a leopard stingray, live conch or trumpet fish and excitedly call us over to see it.
The photos I took don't do any of it justice, and the underwater camera ran out of film rather quickly, but the coral, fish and other sea life were beautiful and diverse.
the way back to the ship, the owner of the excursion company happened to be onboard, and he said the cruise lines had delivered an ultimatum to Belize City to build a port on one of the outlying islands with a bridge to the mainland or cruise lines would stop visiting Belize City.
With a tender that is about 4 1/2 miles and a less than wonderful city at the end of the long ride, I can understand why cruise ships want an easier way to get passengers to excursions into the more interesting parts of the mainland.
If the ultimatum is true, I can't help but wonder if the cruise lines will build their own entry port similar to Costa Maya or Playa Del Carmen a few miles away from Belize City.
I doubt they will abandon the country of Belize, because Belize has many natural wonders to explore and an English-speaking populace that loves tourists. Plus, many Americans want to visit this exotic locale.
My first two experiences reef snorkeling in the Caribbean proved to be disappointing, and I really would have preferred to visit the jungles and Mayan ruins of this country formerly known as British Honduras, but Julie was the one most in need of vacation therapy, and I generally have a good time wherever we go.
Despite my doubts, we boarded the speed boat with 28 other passengers and skimmed across the water for 20 minutes to the beach resort, where some of the group would spend the entire time.We staked out a couple of lounge chairs in the shade of a palapa, and then pulled the lounge chairs in front of us to the side to give us an unobstructed lagoon view.
All too soon, it was time to get back on the boat and motor to the reef 15 minutes away.
The sea was relatively smoothe and the visibility very good, both firsts on a reef dive for me.
We broke into three groups, and we were fortunate to be paired with Ivar, an enthusiastic native of Belize who loves his country's natural beauty.
We broke into three groups, and we were fortunate to be paired with Ivar, an enthusiastic native of Belize who loves his country's natural beauty.
He would find a leopard stingray, live conch or trumpet fish and excitedly call us over to see it.
The photos I took don't do any of it justice, and the underwater camera ran out of film rather quickly, but the coral, fish and other sea life were beautiful and diverse.
After an hour of snorkeling, the boat sped the happy group back to the beach resort, which is a private island several miles off the shore of mainland Belize.
It's similar to the private islands reserved for cruise lines for the exclusive use of their guests, but there were only about 50 people there. Sun Beach has a few hundred yards of beach. The sand is hard packed, but the big palapa bar/restaurant and plentiful lounge chairs made it a pleasant place to while away the afternoon.
It's similar to the private islands reserved for cruise lines for the exclusive use of their guests, but there were only about 50 people there. Sun Beach has a few hundred yards of beach. The sand is hard packed, but the big palapa bar/restaurant and plentiful lounge chairs made it a pleasant place to while away the afternoon.
the way back to the ship, the owner of the excursion company happened to be onboard, and he said the cruise lines had delivered an ultimatum to Belize City to build a port on one of the outlying islands with a bridge to the mainland or cruise lines would stop visiting Belize City.
With a tender that is about 4 1/2 miles and a less than wonderful city at the end of the long ride, I can understand why cruise ships want an easier way to get passengers to excursions into the more interesting parts of the mainland.
If the ultimatum is true, I can't help but wonder if the cruise lines will build their own entry port similar to Costa Maya or Playa Del Carmen a few miles away from Belize City.
I doubt they will abandon the country of Belize, because Belize has many natural wonders to explore and an English-speaking populace that loves tourists. Plus, many Americans want to visit this exotic locale.
