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Cruising with Family & Friends: Costa Maya, Belize, and Cozumel 2024

Once again we started the new year off with a family vacation. We opted for another cruise as it provides so many options at a reasonable price for a large family. This year we had about 30 people, with five other families joining us. The first family that was interested in joining us really wanted to visit Belize so that narrowed our options down and ultimately we went with Carnival Dream. I usually recommend Carnival Cruise Line for families who are looking for a budget friendly, laid back experience, and have a wide age range of children. Carnival is known as the fun ship and you can always count on a good time with plenty of activities for all ages on CCL. This six day cruise out of Galveston had three ports of call, Costa Maya, Belize and Cozumel. I created a facebook page for this group where I was able to house specifics and answer common questions. That way people could join others on specific excursions and tours if they so chose. I also initially set up everyone on early 6pm dining in the main dining room(MDR). That is always my preference because you have plenty of time to get good seating at the various shows after. For my family personally, we had 4 staterooms between us, I was able to connect the bookings so we all dined together. One of my favorite parts about a cruise or any family vacation is enjoying dinner as a whole. With our busy life, whether it be work, sports or other events we rarely get to sit down as a family for dinner. On most cruise lines you will have at least one Captain's dinner/ Elegant night, maybe two depending on the length of your cruise. Most nights the dress code will be cruise casual, while the Captain's dinner will be more formal or elegant attire.

First port of call- Costa Maya. We didn't arrive to this port until 1pm. Because it was a shorter/later port I decided not to book any excursions here. We opted to do our souvenir shopping instead. Other things to do at the Costa Maya cruise port would be to visit the aviary or hang out at the pool. The weather was absolutely beautiful and it was nice to get off of the ship for a bit. The water had been extra choppy the first two sea days. We didn't stay long due to having early dining but I don't feel like there was as much to do at this port as there are other ports unless you book an off port excursion. Costa Maya is definitely a tourist trap but we enjoyed it nonetheless.

Next port, Belize! The port I was most excited about. I booked a shark/snorkel/beach break at Caye Caulker through Shore Excursions Group. I love using Shore Excursions Group for our port days. Their excursions offer high quality, lowest price guaranteed, smaller group experiences. They've delivered over 4+ million bookings and have a return to ship guarantee! They have actually never had a client miss the ship!! Simply select your cruise line, ship and sail date to view all of the amazing tours and excursions available. Belize is a tender port, we arrived on time, however Belize was down to two tenders. Due to the lack of tenders and the fact that there were at least 6, maybe 7 ships at port we were delayed getting to the port by about two hours. We walked a block and a half over to the another dock to our excursion upon arrival. Luckily our excursion was able to still accommodate us even though we were significantly late, my guess is that it was because there were 16 in our group so we were going to be grouped together anyway. There was one single boat left at the dock to take us to Caye Caulker. Unfortunately other travelers that were doing different tours missed their tour all together due to the late arrival. Shore Excursion Group does have insurance for things like this and they processed my refund request very quickly.

Caye Caulker is about 45 mins by boat from where we started. Our tour guide, Felipe, did a wonderful job of sharing interesting facts about Belize. We saw several smaller private islands, some of which have land sale! Our excursion was to include a beach break where we could enjoy an authentic Belizean lunch, snorkeling and a stop to feed nurse sharks and stingrays. Due to the delay we opted to skip the sit down lunch and were able to walk to a local market for snacks and drinks. From there we loaded back up on the boat and headed off the island a little bit where the water was about chest deep. Sharks immediately swam up to the boat to be fed, it was so cool to see them swimming around us but also kind of crazy to see how FAST they are in the water. Nurse sharks are pretty docile, our tour guide actually grabbed one for us to pet. I was a little surprised that their texture is actually quite rough. There were tons of stingrays scavenging the bottom across our feet too. After spending about an hour there we loaded back up to head over to a reef system for snorkeling where we spent another hour. We did have a little bit of time leftover before we had to be back so we stopped at another location to feed tarpon and pelicans. When we got back to port the lack of tenders still proved to be an issue and caused for a long wait, luckily we were able to buy drinks and snacks in line while waiting. Because the line to get on the tender was so long we were quite a ways down and I did notice the port office (near terminal 4) and was able to get our passports stamped. It is important to be sure it is an official stamp, novelty stamps can void your passport. I absolutely loved Belize but my next visit there will definitely be a land vacation!

Last port of call was Cozumel. Always known for a great time, this docked port has a large shopping area and several bars/ restaurants just steps off of the boat. Majority of our group booked an all-inclusive resort/ beach day at Paradise Beach. Reservations are required and it sells out quickly so book your pass right away here . A couple people in our group didn't book in time and it sold out. About a half hour drive from port we were able to get a cab big enough for the 9 of us in our group. There is an abundance of cabs, I recommend skipping the private cars and taking an actual cab. The trip for 9 to PB was $55 each way, cash only, where as a private van would have been $270 total. When you get off of the ship you will head left through the shopping district to get to the cab line. Upon arrival to Paradise Beach we got checked in, got our wristbands and was escorted to loungers on the beach. You get your pick of poolside or beach front. We had two waiters servicing our group the whole day and they were amazing. Checked on us often and kept our drinks and food coming! There are other activities such as inflatables, parasailing and jet skis that come at an additional cost. We may have had a little bit too much to drink but we made it back to port and got ready for our 6pm dining on time, which was our second elegant!

Last day at sea was another rocky day on the water. I made sure we all kept up on our seasickness relief ! We enjoyed a bit of the day in loungers near the pool. About mid day it did start to rain so it was the perfect time to head back to our stateroom and relax a little before dinner.

I think it's important to remember we are guests in these countries, we need to be respectful of the humans, animals and environment we are visiting. Understand that these countries thrive on tourism as one of the main sources of income, but also realize they are accommodating THOUSANDS of tourists at one time. These are often impoverished countries, their resources are limited in most cases and we should be open minded to the conditions of all aspects of our trip, such as food, transportation and accommodations. I saw people being absolutely terrible to some of the employees on the ship and at ports. Taking out their frustrations on the wrong people. The guy taking your ticket on the tender has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that there were only two tenders or the gal at port cannot control the lack of bus drivers or the fact that you were late. One tour bus broke down mid tour and had to be replaced by another that was already full. These buses are driven till they die. That's just how it is and this is the exact reason you should purchase insurance on your trips and tours. When I booked our snorkel I did not expect a brand new speed boat to be taking us. I had a nice long conversation with a local in Belize and he mentioned that there were 70k tourists at port that day. I couldn't imagine dealing with that many people in a rush of 8am-5pm at port, many of which act very privileged and disrespectful. One of the kids who assisted with our excursion quit school to work full time to support his family at only 17yrs old. How about the cruise line employee who is on their 5th back to back cruise and is expected to smile and put on a show for each new group of guests that walk on, but you're pissed that the buffet ran out of bacon or the drink line is too long. Kindness and tips go a long way. I treated everyone with respect, took the time to chat with them and tipped. I was well taken care of this entire cruise, both on the ship and at ports. They are there to make a living the same way you do at your job, so please remember we are all human, be good to each other. Your vacation is what you make it. All in all, this was another amazing trip spent with family and friends in breathtaking places. I didn't get to spend as much time with everyone as I would have liked because I was so busy with my own family, but enjoyed the time I did have and I am so thankful for everyone who joined us this year. While I very much enjoyed our trip I wont cruise on Carnival Dream again. It was refurbished in 2017 but still is outdated in a lot of aspects of the ship. I think this ship is better suited for a 3 or 4 day itinerary. There are so many other options to check out before I would repeat this cruise. I also don't think we will do another port in Mexico anytime soon as we have been there enough. I prefer the resorts I have visited as opposed to the port options. Belize, however, I cannot wait to visit again. Very much looking forward to visiting new countries though. Each trip is a learning experience and each trip is better than the last!

Cruise ship must haves!

10 pack luggage tags

Outlet with USB

Magnetic cabin hooks

Lanyard for sail & sign card

5 slot family passport organizer

Over the door organizer

Poo Pourri

Silicone straws

Waterproof phone cases

Waterproof fanny packs

Elastic leak proof sleeves for toiletries