Your dad shouldn't have any problems, the trails are wide and pretty flat, although, I think there a

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Hi there! It's been awhile hotels in london ontario since I've posted about a trip of mine! Fun to be in the planning stage again! We're going on sort of a last minute cruise over the holiday's in December and one of our ports is Belize. My husband and I have been before and loved Belize - this trip is with the kids and my parents. Husband and my son are going to do some type of Cave exploring excursion that includes some zip lines, hanging type bridges and rapellling. That's way too extreme hotels in london ontario for my parents. So - we're off to the ruins!
Our ship is in port for 9 hours and it's a tender port. The ship doesn't offer Lamanai as an excursion, but I've found a cruise excursion company that does the tour and offers a guarantee you'll be back for the ship or they pay your expenses to get you to the boat - including an additional $500/person hotels in london ontario if you miss the ship. It's a 6 hour tour (bus, boat and jungle to the ruins - guided tour, including lunch - then back the same way to the pier). I've wanted to see Lamanai and heard such good things about the ruins there. Reviews of this tour group are all positive - trip of a lifetime type reviews. The 6 hours should be enough time - but we have to account for the time to tender both on and off the ship too.
But the safe side of me says, being a tender port, and such a long excursion, maybe we should take a ship excursion. The ship offers Altun Ha and Wallace River combo. Still a bus, river and ruins. About the same length of time. But being a ship tour, if you're running late it's said the ship will wait for you.
So- for anyone who has been to BOTH Altun Ha and Lamanai - how do they compare? Should we do the safer bet and do the ship tour or go with Lamanai? Is the terrain at Lamanai suitable for my parents - mainly my dad who gets around pretty well, but has had knee and back surgery. He walks well - unassisted, but can't afford a fall either. He went to Costa Rica last summer and did trails etc with no problems.
I just don't want to go on a 6 hour trip and be let down - having been to Tikal, Chichen Itza, Coba, Tulum...will Altun Ha be a disappointment? Also, my 10 year old daughter hotels in london ontario will be on this excursion - would one be more "exciting" for her? She's not to into the whole Mayan culture.
Go for Lamanai. The boat trip is amazing (you get to see all kinds of wildlife) and the ruins are fascinating, with giant masks carved onto the pyramids, etc. The high pyramid is probably too stiff to climb for someone with back issues (you need to hold onto a rope to climb that last section it's so steep). But, the area is a real treat, and I wouldn't hotels in london ontario pass it up.
Caracol, btw, is not at all accessible via cruise ship. Not sure why Qwovadis posted that link. It's a good 2.5 hours from San Ignacio, let alone the Atlantic Ocean. All tours must accompany hotels in london ontario the daily military convoy, which departs from Mountain Pine Ridge around 9:00 am.
Your dad shouldn't have any problems, the trails are wide and pretty flat, although, I think there are some steps. I don't climb the pyramids, a combination of fear of heights, plus, a sense that it's sacred ground, not meant to be climbed by tourists....
We loved the Lamanai trip but I checked hotels in london ontario my notes and we spent more than 8 hours going from the Baboon Sanctuary there and back; I think I'd be pretty stressed out about the fast driving/boating/quick peak at the ruins way you'd have to do it to go from the dock and back in time.
I can't address Altun Ha - haven't been. You could consider the Community Baboon hotels in london ontario Sanctuary and the zoo. If you hired a driver you'd have plenty of time for both and a lunch somewhere. The traditional Belizean food at the Nature Resort at the CBS was excellent, though spendy. Good luck with your decision!
Deb - yes, the ship doesn't dock right at the port. You get on a smaller boat to get to the port. I've never been on a tender port, this is only my second cruise, so it will be a new experience for me! As for the cruise - I thought I'd hate it myself, after years and years of convincing myself it wasn't for me, last year my husband and I went on Celebrity and I LOVED it! While I can see it's not for everyone, and it certainly hotels in london ontario wouldn't be how I'd want to spend every vacation, hotels in london ontario it was a super relaxing vacation and Celebrity was a great first cruise experience! Food was great and I planned mainly "non-ship" excursions. We had a great time and it was a great way to visit several islands to see where we may want to go back. This time my parents really need a get away and wanted to spend some time away with my kids and my husband and I. So a cruise really seemed to be a great - easy to plan winter hotels in london ontario get away. We're going on Carnival, which will be a VERY different experience from Celebrity. But it will be much more fun for the kids.
Both Belize and Grand Cayman are tender ports - I guess the ships are too big to get right up to the land!! From what I understand the tender boats fit around 100 people or so, so they aren't all that small! Basically - I think it's the life boats!
hotels in london ontario LOL...at least you will know that the life boats are functional. I guess I'll have to try it some day. Both of my kids have been on cruises, one Carnival and one Royal Caribbean. I hope you enjoy your trip and based on the info in this thread I think you should save Lamanai for another time.
If that company will guarantee it, they probably have experience of doing this trip whenever that ship is in port. I know this is a weird generalization, but I tend to believe Belizeans! (based on years of experience)
Another idea - since you definitely have time to get to Altun Ha, maybe see if this other tour operator will do a combo Altun Ha/Maruba spa trip. If you can get into Maruba on that day - check first.