prefered site to book belize

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Ralph... thank you. This is imensely helpful to understand how things are done there in Belize. Especilly transfer times.ie: after plane lands and going onto next plane. i would have never guessed it only takes 1-2 hour.
 
Both Mayan and Tropic will put you on an earlier flight is they have space and you are there.

There will be a lot of people in the airport wanting to handle your luggage for you (for a fee or course - not a lot of money) I suggest that you just go with the flow and have a few bucks available. It used to bother me but I finally grew up and figured out they are just trying to "legally" make a few bucks. Good jobs can be few and far between.
 
Just wondering what is the proffered web site to book Belize trips? My travel agent wont touch it, unsure why?

Are people using sites like travelocity or is there a specific Belize booking site that people use than makes things easier to book flights into Belize, transfer flights to Atolls, Hotels/resorts and dive excursions? Or it is best to just book through the individual web sites?

Thanks!

Are you wanting to go to Belize? Ambergris? Turneffe? Where are you wanting to stay? If Ambergris, I recommend booking it all through Reef Adventures. Had a great time with them.
 
Both Mayan and Tropic will put you on an earlier flight is they have space and you are there.

I found that out five or six years ago when I had about an hour and a half between landing at Goldson and my flight out to Placencia. I went outside and across the parking lot to rent a cell phone. I had just picked up the phone when I could hear my name being paged to report to Gate X immediately for my flight on Maya/Tropic (don't remember which). I looked at my watch and saw that I still had an hour plus. Nevertheless, I walked back over and got in line at the security checkpoint. They kept paging me over and over again. It was kind of embarrassing. Finally made it through the checkpoint and headed for the flight desk. Told the guy that I was the one being paged. He was like, "Run! You can still make it!" and he took off running for the plane.

I'm on vacation. I'm not running for anyone.

Walked over to the plane, and they were like, "Man, you just made it. Next time, please be on time" I didn't bother to tell them that they were the ones responsible for moving me up with zero notice. Squeezed onto a packed plane. All the other passengers glared at me like I was an *sshole for delaying their flight. Touched down 30 minutes later in Placencia. No luggage, including my scuba gear. Grrr. Had to wait around for an hour for the next incoming flight, which was my original flight, for my luggage to arrive.

Next time I'm not getting on an earlier flight unless a) there's room and b) they can show me my luggage is on the same flight. I'm not paying them money to make their lives more convenient.

There will be a lot of people in the airport wanting to handle your luggage for you (for a fee or course - not a lot of money) I suggest that you just go with the flow and have a few bucks available. It used to bother me but I finally grew up and figured out they are just trying to "legally" make a few bucks. Good jobs can be few and far between.

Our first time in Belize, we were headed for Turneffe Island Lodge (now Resort). They sent a shuttle van to pick us up. We hook up with the driver, and a guy asks if he can carry our luggage. I had no idea how far we were from the van, so I said sure. We then followed the driver across the entryway into the parking lot to the very first space. About 30 feet. I gave the guy $20. I felt kind of sheepish about it, but as DD said good jobs are hard to come by in Belize so I make it a point to be generous when I'm there.

Nowadays, I rarely leave the airport since I finally got an unlocked cell phone unless I'm renting a car. When I arrive in Placencia there's often a couple of kids hanging out to tote the luggage to the waiting van. I'm happy to tip them, if Mr. Ralph doesn't beat me to it.
 
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Hope I'm not hijacking, but I'm very curious how you compare the diving part of the experience at the two resorts you mention. I've been to Turneffe Island Resort and liked it.

The actual diving was comparable. It was the trip out to the dive sites that made the difference. At Turneffe, all dives were within five to fifteen minutes of the resort (except the Blue Hole, of course) and all surface intervals were at the resort. At Hamanasi, the boat rides were quite long each way with the surface intervals being at an atoll near the dive sites. The nice thing about Hamanasi is that if you are traveling with non-divers they will have adventures in which to participate and you will all have some of the most excellent food in Belize.
 
If you are mixing mainland activities with an island trip, sometimes the Belize City airport can be a good option. We did that a few years ago when we split a week between Caves Branch Lodge in the Cayo district and Ambergris Caye. Caves Branch dropped us off at the city airport for the quick Tropic Air flight to Ambergris (I think the flight lasts about 17 minutes). We arrived at the airport about 10-15 minutes before the flight. Not knowing what to expect, we asked the driver if we would miss the flight ("no problem!"), seeing when we got there that the "airport" is a one room building and the waiting room is a bunch of outdoor lounge chairs about 40 feet from where the planes load/unload. No security, no hassle, no getting to the airport early.

Since you asked earlier, this is not walkable from the Int'l airport. As mentioned earlier, if flying directly onward after an international flight, Tropic/Mayan have plenty of fllights that you can connect with right at the Int'l airport
 
We have been flying Southwest out of Houston direct, 2 1/2 hrs. Last couple of times it was ~$300 RT, looks like now ~$360 for November. Grab a taxi at the airport, ~$20 for 2, go to ferry docks in town, buy a ticket for ~$12 one way, go to either AC or Caye Caulker (we prefer). Easy smeezy & cheap! We would much rather spend our money on diving, nicer place to stay, and cold Belikins! Those tree topper flights will cost nearly as much as it does to fly to Houston.
 
You can book Maya and Tropic air on their respective web sites and then pay for the flight when you check in. Tell them you're paying in cash and they'll give you a discount off the web site price. If you are already in Belize City you can fly out of the municipal airport for less than BZE, I believe it has to do with the airport fees that the airline just passes on to you. A couple of years ago we flew from Dangriga to Ambergris and by flying through municipal we saved about $60.00 for the two tickets. In another thread I mentioned that we stay at a place that gives free transfers to/from BZE and gives a nice option for a quiet place to stay outside of Belize City. If you'd like the name just shoot me a pm.
 
Next time I'm not getting on an earlier flight unless a) there's room and b) they can show me my luggage is on the same flight. I'm not paying them money to make their lives more convenient.

I can see their point, though. Small planes often struggle with weight and capacity limits. When you have space on a flight you better use it. Their convenience may very well be your convenience. Maybe they were trying to get you on the earlier flight because the next flight was all full and some luggage might have to be left behind for a later flight? Getting there on an earlier flight and having to wait for luggage on your scheduled flight didn't cost you any time. But getting there on your scheduled flight and having to wait for your luggage on a later flight would. Personally, when it comes to puddle jumpers I'm getting my booty and/or my bags on the plane as soon as I can.

Another advantage of Southwest is no change fees.
 

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