Day 04 - Wednesday 03/06/24 - Belize

 Today was our second port stop and it found us anchored off Belize City in the country of Belize.  While we had an 8am arrival, our planned snorkeling trip did not start until 10am, so we didn't set an alarm.  We were able to enjoy a leisurely breakfast before gathering our gear for the day's snorkeling trip.  When we got to the meeting point at the Princess Theater at 9:25am, they told us there was no room and we were asked to return at 9:55am.  So we sat in the Piazza and checked our emails, etc.  I observed during the 1/2 hour sitting there that there was only one tender ticket called and I spoke with a fellow who had an Octopus tender ticket and he was advised that it was at least an hour wait.  The whole Piazza area was packed with people and my observation was that Belize is a poor destination if tender tickets are so hard to get.  Most of one's time is spent waiting for a tender plus the ride to shore is 45 minutes.  

We joined our shore excursion group in the theater at 9:50am and to Princess' credit, they had all of the participants in each excursion sit together.  When they called the excursion ticket number, whole sections would get up and leave.  Ours was the last one to leave and we filled a specific shore based tender.  It took us 45 minutes to cross the reef ringed bay and we arrived a Rendevouz Quay which is a small private island on the barrier reef.  The barrier reef is the second largest in the world (after the Australian Great Barrier Reef) and is supposed to be the home of spectacular coral and many species of fish.  Would it live up to the hype?

We deposited our possessions at a cabana and met up with our group of around 120.  After a safety briefing, we were divided into smaller groups of 20 and proceeded to the water.  The water was quite warm, but as we snorkeled out I found the bottom not very interesting and the water clarity was just not present.  There were some smaller fish and a few corals with some mild color.  But it was by no means spectacular which was a disappointment. We were in the water about 45 minutes before coming back to the island where there was a BBQ lunch.  We waited a a bit to get our lunch and when we went to get it, there was no pork for our orders.  We were instructed to come back in 10 minutes which Angela did.  And there was still no pork for another 15-20 minutes.  

When we finally got our meals at 1:55, the jerk seasoned pork was spectacular.  We sat under the cabana and visited with other guests which included guests from the Carnival Breeze.  We were told that the departure time was 2:30, but that someone would come by and alert us that they were boarding.  That never happened and we watched the boat get filled.  Finally around 2:20pm, the head guide motioned from the dock that it was time to depart and he came over to our cabana and we explained that someone was supposed to coming by to announce our departure.  Incidentally, it was much more pleasant to sit under a cabana than in a closed in fiberglass boat!

We departed at 2:30 and were back by 3:15pm.  Once again, we boarded the ship through a door opening in the side of the ship. It was fast and efficient.   Would I recommend this excursion?  Definitely not. If one wanted a beach day, it would be a good beach day.  But the quality of the coral and the quality and color of the fish were simply not there.  Additionally, the meal was an extra $15 or $20 per person (cash only).

For the rest of the afternoon before dinner, we relaxed in the room and on the balcony. We noticed that there were other signs on doors to rooms adjoining ours, so so I decided to go down to the Front Desk and inquire about the door decoration policy.  When I reached the Front Desk, the clerks said yes that door decorations were permitted and they arranged for a supervisor to meet me at the room to review the matter.

When the supervisor reached our room, she explained that there was a change in corporate policy, and no door decorations would be permitted unless approved by the company.  .  She also indicated that the Front Desk personnel were informed about the change in policy.  I was left again with the impression that the Front Desk personnel didn't want to deal with a potentially messy issue and passed me off to the supervisor.  

Micco, our Cruise Director came on the PA system and announced that the cast show would not be performed due to a technical issue that couldn't be fixed in time.  In its place were a couple of the cast singers, Shai & Olga, who would perform a show featuring some of their favorite songs.  After dinner, we attended the performance and it was actually quite good.

After the Shai and Olga show, we watched the Liar's Club game show which was really fun.  Country karaoke followed and I retired to the room to do the blog while Angela stayed for karaoke.

Tomorrow is another snorkeling trip.  Here's hoping it will be better that these first two trips. It also has a late start and will involve use of a catamaran.