LDS Shore Excursions - Santo Tomas de Castilla, Guatemala

“QUIRIGUA RUINS & GUATEMALAN ADVENTURE”

This tour offers the best overall experience in spectacular Quatemala. We start our scenic journey to the amazing archaeological site of the Quirigua ruins. This site contains the largest stelae ever discovered in the Mayan world. The Prophet Joseph Smith stated, “…Quirigua..the ruins of the city in question,…[is] one of those referred to in the Book of Mormon.” Jeffrey, our Guatemalan LDS guide, will point out incredible signs of interest to our group and how this site relates to the Book of Mormon. This peaceful and picturesque site offers amazing Kodak moments. We will explore these unforgettable ruins for a couple hours.

We will then drive to the Rio Dulce (Sweet River) and board riverboats for a scenic ride by Bird Island, a dense area lined with lush vegetation, awe-inspiring scenery, and inhabited by many species of tropical birds. We will sail by the Castillo de San Felipe, a Spanish fortress built back in the late 16th century to protect the area from Caribbean pirates. This is an enjoyable river trip so don’t forget your cameras!

We will then enjoy an authentic Guatemalan all-you-can-eat buffet lunch at a beautiful restaurant on the river which is included in the price of the tour. The gourmet cuisine includes soup, a chicken, beef, or fish choice, vegetables, salads, rice, dessert, and a local juice drink. The restaurant has a beautiful swimming pool that will tempt many of us for a quick refreshing dip, time permitting.

When we return to the port, tired but smiling, we will have some souvenir shopping time available prior to boarding our ship. The countryside of Guatemala is absolutely beautiful ---this tour gives you the opportunity to really experience it and remember it!

Duration: 9 hours
Tour includes: bus, boat ride, English-speaking guides, Guatemalan lunch, & entrance fee to Quirigua.
Gratuities for the bus drivers, boat drivers, and guides are NOT included.

LDS Shore Excursions - Roatan, Honduras

In between all the hustle and bustle of Mayan ruins it is sometimes nice to have a slower paced relaxing day and Roatan, Honduras fits the bill. Roatan is an island and understandably its strong points are the beach and the ocean. When you visit Roatan take my advice and leave the port area, either on our tour or with someone else because the port doesn't reflect the real beauty of the island or the people. One of the first distinguishing things you will notice is mountains. Most all the other Western Caribbean ports we visit are flat so mountains are a nice surprise and offer an outstanding view of the ocean and beaches. There are many improvements going on at the port now, including a new facility just down the road for the older dock that will open soon. Just outside the port gates you will find some shopping areas.

The shops seem to be growing each visit. I can remember several years ago when there was a collection of handicraft shops gathered under one roof and that was about it. Today that same collection of shops is across the street from the port but now the entire main road into the port area is lined with every imaginable product.

This is one of the few ports where we offer 2 private tours and both start off right from the pier. Our first option is a nice city tour with a local guide aboard to show us and explain to us the sights of Roatan. You will see the city, visit one of the mountain tops for a photo opportunity, see some of the resort areas and eventually end up at the Iguana Farm. Now forget what you know about zoos because here the Iguana's run loose and there are hundreds of them, big ones, little ones, green ones, red ones and the list goes on and on. If it is a warm day they will be sunning themselves on the concrete walk where you can feed them leaves, touch them and take close up pictures. From the Iguana area you can walk down to the beach and observe some sea life in a contained area and view the coastline. There are a couple of monkeys in a cage but hold on to anything loose, they have a way of reaching outside the cage and grabbing anything they can!

After this visit we move on to a private beach resort and are allowed to use their facilities. There are places to change and even an outdoor shower to wash off the saltwater. There are beach chairs available for those that want to lie back and watch the world go by, or you can rent snorkel gear and visit the coral reef and there are several small shops to visit to pick up that special souvenir. If you are hungry there is a restaurant on the beach that serves good food but at a very slow pace (at your own expense). We usually have close to 2 hours at the beach resort and then we begin the journey back to the ship.

Along the way we stop for pictures at the LDS church perched on one of the hills and the ship is below in the harbor. This is a beautiful church and the members are very proud to have such a facility in which to meet. If we are lucky the church will be open and we can look inside for a few minutes and maybe even sing a hymn together. This chapel has special meaning for Cruise Lady and many of our past guests as the piano inside the chapel was purchased and shipped to the church from donations made over several months by our clients. What a special privilege that was for all of us as we visited the island of Roatan. From the church it is only 5 minutes to the shopping area where you can be dropped off to visit the stores for 30 - 45 minutes, or you can continue on to the pier and board the ship.

Option #2

If the slow paced tour above doesn't suit your lifestyle you can get some action by choosing the "Indiana Jones" zip line tour. Instead of the city tour / Iguana farm you go straight to the hills for this jungle canopy adventure. When you arrive they will fit you with a harness and safety gear and a few instructions to help you prepare for the ride. It takes a while for everyone to get fitted so stop by and visit the monkey Pancho off to the side of the fitting room. He isn't in a cage but rather runs loose slowed down only by a long chain around his foot. One word of caution for the ladies, he doesn't particularly like you. Sorry, but he loves to cling to the men and will sit on their shoulders or arms but when a woman approaches he will hiss and run away. Still you will get some great pictures while you wait for everyone to get ready.

Once we are in the harnesses we go via mini-van to the top of the mountain and prepare to slide down cable wires and endure rope ladders, suspension bridges and tightrope wires. There will be at least 2 guides to help and you will always have a safety cable attached to the wires. It does take some energy and you need to be physically fit to accomplish the course but it is great fun sliding through the jungle.

Once the course is completed this group goes to the beach resort and joins up with the city tour group for some swimming and relaxing. Please be aware that the speed of completing the zip line course determines how much time this group gets at the beach. It can be anywhere from an hour to just 30 minutes. You will also visit the church and then be dropped off for shopping or return to the ship just as the first group will do.

LDS Shore Excursion - Costa Maya, Mexico

Next in my series of shore excursion reviews is Costa Maya, Mexico. This port is a little different than the other ports we visit in that it really isn't a city but rather a small community built and serviced by the cruise lines. There is really no surrounding infrastructure for tourism, so the Costa Maya village is where you will spend your time unless you leave the premises on an organized tour. First a few words about the village. In August of 2007 the village took a direct hit from hurricane Dean totally devastating the area. After a great deal of effort the docks have been repaired and the port is accepting cruise ships. You will find a couple of restaurants serving food and drinks, a swimming pool for cruise passenger use, a dozen shops featuring local goods and an area where local residents present handicraft items. The village fronts the ocean but it isn't suited for swimming and because of the rocky shoreline it is barely suitable for sunbathing. It wouldn't take more than a couple of hours to see everything and visit every shop.

If you choose to participate in our tour you won't have much time in the village, just a short visit as we walk through to our bus, and maybe a half hour at the end of the tour before boarding the ship. The Cruise Lady tour in Costa Maya visits the serene and peaceful Mayan ruin of Kohunlich. As we disembark the ship be prepared for a rather long walk along the pier. There may be a trolley operating along the pier for those who need some assistance, but with our early start it is usually not operating, although it would be available on the return trip. Once off the ship and gathered up we walk through the shops and meet our guide. In Mexico our guide is always Helaman, a member of the church and licensed guide in Mexico. It is always enjoyable to listen to his lectures on the 2 1/4 hour long bus ride to the archaeological site. Helaman makes the time short by enlightening us on the gospel and sharing the history of the saints in Mexico. Once we arrive at Kohunlich we enter the ruins through some high trees and see the open grassy expanse of the site. The tropical foliage surrounding the area adds to the peaceful feelings.

Helaman points out the features of the structures that compare to those found in Solomon's Temple. There are no high temples to climb here, but there is one smaller unique temple with stone masks or faces carved on both sides of the steps. Be sure and walk up and take a look.

Some of our "headliners" point out there is a spirit of the place and I personally can say I feel that special spirit as we visit Kohunlich. After the tour a lunch is provided, sometimes at a local restaurant and sometimes a box lunch on the bus. The amount of port time for each visit determines the dining choice. Bring your swimsuit, if we eat at the restaurant you can take a quick dip in the water.

What goes up must come down, or in this case the 2 1/4 hour bus ride out results in a 2 1/4 hour bus ride back! It is a long day on the bus but well worth the visit and effort to see these incredible ruins.

LDS Shore Excursion Grand Cayman

What's not to like about Grand Cayman? A beautiful island known world over for its famous 7 mile beach. I like to call it an upscale Caribbean Island because the standard of living is higher than many other islands. The number one attraction in Grand Cayman over the past 20 years is Stingray City and we wouldn't want anyone to miss out on this unique excursion so we combine a stop with the Stingrays with a stop at the Coral Gardens for a pleasant half day tour.

Grand Cayman is another of those islands which cannot support large cruise ships at the dock so a tender is once again in order to visit this island. It is just a short boat ride from the ship to the nice new docks and there we meet our guide / bus driver for a 20 minute ride to the snorkeling boat on the other side of the island. The boat is equipped with all the snorkel equipment you will need and some cold beverages for after the swim. Another 20 to 30 minutes travel time and we will be at Stingray City getting instructions from the captain on how to enter the water and handle and feed the stingrays. Into the water you go! What a unique experience to jump into the water in the middle of the ocean and land on a sandbar only 3 feet deep! If nothing else the crystal clear water will amaze you but I think the stingrays steal the show. The guide will be in the water with you and will handle the stingrays, holding them near the top of the water for your pleasure. You can touch them, hold them, and for the most stouthearted you can kiss them for good luck. Or so they say. If you don't swim come along anyway. The clarity of the water makes viewing from the boat easy to do and the guides will bring the stingrays over to you so you can have the up close and personal experience of seeing a stingray.

After 45 minutes at this location we then move a short distance to the coral reef where once again you enter the water with your snorkel gear. This is a different world, an undersea world with coral of all kinds, fish, eel, and sea shells all viewed in just a small area. You don't need to be an Olympic swimmer to enjoy this, just float on the top of the ocean and watch the action below.

This tour ends with the short ride back to the dock followed by the bus transfer back to the pier. From here you can return to the ship for lunch and a change of clothes, or stay in town and shop the souvenir stands up and down the beach front road or grab a bite to eat at one of the many restaurants overlooking the Caribbean Sea.

LDS Shore excursion in Belize City, Belize

Hello again from the VP corner at Cruise Lady, Inc. In my continuing essay of Caribbean shore excursions today I will highlight the shore excursion in Belize. This has to be the most exotic and adventurous of all our excursions and my personal favorite. A large part of the success of this tour has to be credited to our awesome tour guides, Errol and Nate. In Belize we need to tender from the ship to the pier (like taking a ferry from the ship). The water is so shallow due to the coral reef which forms a barrier that prevents large ships from entering the port. Once this ordeal is past we meet our guides at the port of Belize City and begin what will be a bus ride of just over an hour. Along the way some of the highlights of the city will be pointed out and once we start out in the country the guides will share with you the history of Belize, its people and culture. At the end of the bus ride we find ourselves at the boat dock along side the New River. This river is slow moving and surrounded with tropical foliage, exotic birds and an occasional sighting of crocodiles. The boats we use will hold 30 passengers and have big outboard motors that propel us in fast fashion along the gleaming water.

The boat ride takes about an hour and then we arrive at the archaeological site of Lamanai. There are 3 distinct sites to visit in Lamanai, the Temple of the Jaguar, the High Temple and the Temple of the Mask. Make no mistake, these ruins are in the middle of the jungle and we walk on uneven paths through thick jungle growth. Howler Monkeys in the trees make a loud growling sound as you pass by causing some question as to if whether that is really a monkey or if it is a Jaguar lurking in the shadows? The Temple of the Jaguar is viewed first from a large grassy courtyard. The outline of a Jaguar face can be seen on both sides of the temple.

The High Temple comes next giving us the opportunity to climb, and climb we will, all the way to the top to see the inspiring view over the jungle canopy and off into distant lands.

The final stop at the sight is the Temple of the Mask, a 14' high engraving depicting a face of an ancient inhabitant of Lamanai.

After our visit at this final stop we hike back out of the jungle to board our boats and return via the same river to the boat dock. There won't be much stopping on the return trip so hang on to your hats! Once we reach the dock we are treated to a great buffet lunch consisting of chicken, rice and beans and other local fare. Note the interesting taste of the rice and beans. They are cooked in coconut milk giving them a local and unusual taste. After lunch we travel by bus for another hour to reach Belize City. Our guides take this opportunity to tell us more about Belize and answer questions. We usually reach Belize City just in time to line up for the last tenders back to our waiting ship. Occasionally we have 30 extra minutes for shopping but you have to move fast, you don't want to miss last call to return on the tender.