I'm unsure if the timing will work but you could look into visiting the ruins at Lamanai in Belize.

How we use your email Fodor's may use your e-mail address to send you relevant information on site updates, account changes, and offers. For more information about your privacy and protection, please review our full Privacy Policy grand hyatt hotel washington dc .
We will be on a NCL cruise at Thanksgiving. Looking to get out of the port and we don't want to do ship excursions. We are interested in ruins, culture, grand hyatt hotel washington dc snorkeling and diving. My husband only will be doing the diving. He would want to do it only once on one of those 3 islands. Our kids our 14 and 15. We are comfortable and OK with hiring a car or a taxi to do any of the above. What are you suggestions for each island so that we get the most out of our trip.
Do you know what part of Belize grand hyatt hotel washington dc you're going to? We stayed on Ambergris, and the snorkeling/diving there is fantastic. We loved snorkeling at Hol Chan. Not sure if your cruise will go close to that area. Belize has lots of great ruins, but not sure how close you'll be to them.
Yes I have heard about the ruins on both Roatan and Belize. My husband is a diver so we are considering shipping him off to dive in Roatan. Sounds like diving is better there than in Belize??? Some suggested the east side of Roatan to tour with the Iguana Farm?
the exact same reef runs from coz through belize and to roatan. There are cenotes to dive near PDC/Tulum which neither belize grand hyatt hotel washington dc or roatan grand hyatt hotel washington dc have. there are atolls and the blue hole to dive in belize which neither roatan or coz/mexico have. there are no ruins on roatan. roatan and coz would be different trips account of the travel time.
I'm unsure if the timing will work but you could look into visiting the ruins at Lamanai in Belize. It's about an hour drive from Belize City to the dock where a boat would take you along the New River to the ruin site. The boat ride is another hour and a half but the scenery is beautiful and there's wildlife watching grand hyatt hotel washington dc along the way. You'll also likely see howler monkeys and other wildlife at the ruins. You return the same way by boat and car so it's a long day.
We have many impressive sites in Belize, but the ones accessible and close enough for you, are all overrun by cruise ship passengers. The temples they use are Altun Ha, Lamanai, Cahal Pech and Xunantunich. Our other sites are too far to access in the time allotted to you. I think Lamanai is the nicest you can visit, but the hoards from the ship will be there as well, so you might as well book thru the ship and travel grand hyatt hotel washington dc with them. Its a lot easier for you. Norwegian Cruise Lines are trying to bully their way into the more pristine southern Belize and destroy the fragile marine and forest ecosystems we have for overnight tourism. Let NCL know you find type of destruction reprehensible grand hyatt hotel washington dc and keep their base of operations in Belize City, where the cruise ship dollar is appreciated.
There are several ruins in Belize but most aren't close to Belize City. I think the closest would be Altun Ha which I haven't been to. I suggested Lamanai because it combines a spectacular grand hyatt hotel washington dc boat ride (unless it's pouring rain ) to the site. However if timing doesn't work, I would look into Altun Ha.
I am sorry Katie. There is always the positive and negative to tourism dollars. I appreciate the advice. I am a group travel planner and don't enjoy going with the cruise passengers. I always appreciate advice I can get from locals. I will find an independent guide for us. Perhaps there is something else you recommend to see the real beauty of Belize - other than the ruins?
On Roatan check out Bananarama. We had young kids and didn't dive but did an excellent snorkel trip with them. They will pick you up just outside the gated ship village and take to the other side of the island. Great folks, place beach! As for Belize, the cruise will drop you off at Belize City which is a real dump. Check out what type of excursions are available as you will need to get out of the city to see a great country. Getting Ambergris Caye and back would be very tough given the ship schedules.
roatan grand hyatt hotel washington dc has 2 cruise ship ports. because you are on a cruise you will likely see stuff a hoard of other cruisers are seeing too. you will have to expend some effort/distance to get to places the cruisers aren't at.
If your husband wants to dive in Roatan, check out Sueno Del Mar. They are at a hotel and dive facility in West End. We were there in March. Ray is the owner, Stu the dive master. Not fancy, but our friends who dove said they were very good. There is a nice little beach and beach bar if you and the kids want to hang out there and just a few minutes walk to the West End shops and restaurants. While Belize and Roatan both have great diving, the dive spots seem to be closer (shorter boat ride) in Roatan. Roatan also has some ziplining that the kids might enjoy, but as others have said - will be busy when the ships are in port.
We went cave tubing in Belize with VIV tours in April and had a blast. Click on my screen name and you can read about what we did on our excursions. I wish we would have done zip lining in Honduras instead of just walking around. It seemed like it was a smaller more controlled oourse that would be good for first time users.
We loved Nachi Cochum in Cozumel and would return again in we have the chance. We booked a tour with the ship for Grand Cayman which was a mistake. We should have just gotten a taxi to a beach. We found a lot of great info on cruisecritic.com . I hope you have a great time!
This is a great suggestion, Katzgar.......you should grand hyatt hotel washington dc take your own advice. ALL of the places listed ARE islands. Ambergris- Belize, Roatan-Honduras, and Cozumel-Mexico......every single one is an island.
While it is true that the Palancar reef system runs the entire way, there is a huge difference in the diving in each place. The big attraction in Belize is going to The Blue Hole -- a sunken grand hyatt hotel washington dc volcano. While its nice to have that "...been there, done that" tee shirt, there really isn't a lot to see at the hole. It's a "thing" that divers do because of the depth of the dive.
Both Roatan and Cozumel have wonderful reef structures grand hyatt hotel washington dc that are close to shore for quicker access. Cozumel is know for its drift dives. Most dive boats go out at about 8-9 AM, so hubby needs to connect with a dive OP in advance to make sure he gets a spot. I suggest he frequent scubaboard.com for information on diving.
"The big attraction in Belize is going to The Blue Hole -- a sunken volcano." I disagree, the atolls tend to be the Big attraction and the reef is also close to shore in Belize. look at things on gmaps and you tube.
Thank you everyone...I am double checking where Roatan Tour is taking grand hyatt hotel washington dc my husband to dive. Don't want him disappointed. Here is what we have decided to do...to make sure we still feed the island some tourism dollars.