Belize's Many Cruise Ports: A Traveler's Guide

Belize has two cruise ports: Fort Street Tourism Village and Harvest Caye. The former is the country's original cruise port and is located in Belize City. It is a tender port, with a transfer time of around 15 to 20 minutes. The latter is a newly opened docking port in the southern Stann Creek District that currently only caters to Norwegian Cruise Line passengers.

Cruise lines travelling to Belize

Belize is a popular cruise destination, often included as a port of call on Western Caribbean itineraries. The country offers a range of attractions, from its dense rainforest to its world-renowned diving spots. Here are some of the cruise lines that travel to Belize:

Royal Caribbean International

Royal Caribbean International offers cruises to Belize City, allowing passengers to explore the country's natural and historical attractions. The cruise line provides various excursions, such as cave tubing, snorkelling, and visits to Mayan ruins. Belize City serves as a jumping-off point for tours and excursions to the surrounding areas.

Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival Cruise Line also includes Belize as one of its destinations. Their cruises to Belize highlight the country's tropical paradise, offering onshore and offshore adventures. Passengers can enjoy mountain biking through lush rainforests, snorkelling with marine life, and exploring ancient ruins like Cahal Pech, Altun Ha, and Xuananunich.

Princess Cruises

Princess Cruises offers excursions in Belize City, such as airboat rides on the Old Belize River, zip-lining through the rainforest canopy, and snorkelling at four cayes just off the coast of Belize City. They also provide opportunities to explore Mayan ruins, including Altun Ha and Xunantunich.

Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Cruise Line features Belize City as one of its ports, allowing passengers to discover the country's clear waters and rich history. Excursions include cave tubing, zip-lining, and exploring Mayan ruins like Altun Ha and Cahal Pech.

Viking Ocean Cruises

Viking Ocean Cruises offers a Panama Canal Passage cruise that includes a stop in Belize. While specific excursion details are not mentioned, passengers can expect to explore Belize's natural wonders, such as its caves, waterfalls, and rainforests, as well as its historical sites.

Statistics on cruise ship arrivals

Belize City is the country's largest urban centre and a popular cruise destination in Central America. The city's cruise port terminal is located at Belize's Tourism Village, where cruise ships anchor in the bay as the water near the coast is shallow. Passengers are then tendered to the cruise port terminal via high-speed boats, which takes approximately 20 minutes.

Belize has been attracting an increasing number of US visitors as it has become better known as a reasonably priced destination offering some of the best diving in the Caribbean. It has the highest concentration of Mayan sites of all Central American countries, and its dense forests cover more than half of the mainland. These factors, along with its natural wonders, make Belize a popular cruise destination.

The cruise port of Belize City offers various attractions, including Mayan archaeological sites, eco-tourism, water sports, and wildlife adventures. The city itself has a few landmarks, such as the Museum of Belize, St John Cathedral, and the Fort George Lighthouse. However, it is not considered particularly safe for tourists to explore on their own, especially after dark.

The cruise port terminal, also known as Fort Street Tourism Village, has basic services and modern amenities, including shops, restaurants, and bars. The village has around 30 shops, including gift shops, jewellery stores, and shops selling local crafts and souvenirs. There are also pharmacies and ATMs within the terminal and in the nearby city.

Belize's official language is English, and its official currency is the Belize dollar, although US dollars are widely accepted in tourist areas.

Fort Street Tourism Village

Getting There

Cruise ships cannot dock at the port of Belize City due to shallow waters. As a result, passengers are tendered to the Fort Street Tourism Village via high-speed boats, which takes approximately 20 minutes. The village is also accessible by water taxi, which can be hired at the Marine Terminal.

Attractions and Amenities

For those interested in exploring beyond the village, Belize City offers a range of attractions, including the Museum of Belize, St. John's Cathedral, and the Belize Zoo. The city is also known for its local cuisine, with a variety of restaurants and bars serving regional specialties.

Practical Information

The Fort Street Tourism Village is open only when cruise ships are in port. Visitors who are not on a cruise excursion must show their passport to enter. The village accepts both Belize dollars and US dollars, but change may be given in local currency, which is worthless outside of Belize. Credit and debit cards are widely accepted, and ATMs are available within the village and in Belize City.

Harvest Caye cruise port

Harvest Caye is a private port in Belize, built by Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings in partnership with the Belizean government. It is located about 105 miles south of Belize City and is a popular destination for travellers cruising to Belize. The port offers a range of attractions, including bars, a zipline, a ropes course, beachfront villas, a large beach, a nature centre, and a lagoon for water sports.

Harvest Caye is known for its focus on supporting the local economy, with native performances, art displays, and shops selling local products. The island is home to a variety of wildlife and offers access to the Belize Barrier Reef, the second-largest in the world. The weather on the island is warm and sunny all year round, with temperatures ranging from the 80s to 90s Fahrenheit.

There are several dining options on Harvest Caye, including the LandShark Bar & Grill, which features a swim-up bar in a 15,000-square-foot pool. However, it is important to note that dining and drinks packages from the cruise do not apply on the island, and all food and drinks must be paid for separately.

The island offers a range of shore excursions, including Mayan ruins, snorkelling, and diving on the coral reef. Visitors can also take a ferry to Placencia, a tourist beach town on the mainland. Harvest Caye is also more wheelchair-accessible than other private islands, with special wheelchairs and lifts available for those with mobility issues.

Harvest Caye has two types of cabanas available for rent: pool cabanas and beachfront villas. The pool cabanas are located near the main pool and come with lounge chairs, tables, and towels. The beachfront villas are standalone huts with air conditioning, indoor and outdoor showers, Bluetooth audio, and a private bathroom. They also include a deck area with lounge chairs and a hammock.

Overall, Harvest Caye offers a range of activities, attractions, and excursions for visitors, making it a popular destination for those cruising to Belize.

Excursions and activities

Belize is a small country in Central America, bordering Guatemala, Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea. It is a popular cruise destination, with over 200 ships visiting yearly. The country boasts a unique combination of ecosystems, including the second-largest barrier reef in the world, rainforest jungles, and important Mayan archaeological sites.

Mayan Sites

Belize has the highest concentration of Mayan sites in Central America. Some of the most popular sites include Altun Ha, Lamanai, and Xunantunich. Altun Ha is a former major trading and ceremonial centre, featuring several impressive temples and tombs, including the Temple of the Masonry Altars. Xunantunich is located near the Guatemalan border and can be reached by crossing the Mopan River on a hand-cranked ferry. It features six major plazas ringed by over 25 temples and palaces.

Wildlife and Nature

The Belize Zoo, located on 29 acres of tropical savanna, exhibits over 170 animals, representing over 45 species native to Belize. The Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary, a little further out from the centre of Belize City, is a bird lover's paradise, with over 16,000 acres of lagoons, creeks, forests, and pine savannas. The Community Baboon Sanctuary, located in Bermudian Landing, is home to a substantial number of black howler monkeys, as well as parrots, hummingbirds, turtles, and more.

Water Activities

Belize offers excellent opportunities for diving and snorkelling, with its barrier reef being the second largest in the world. Popular spots include the Great Blue Hole, a huge marine sinkhole where stingrays, sharks, and other marine life can be found, as well as Shark Ray Alley, where it is possible to get up close and personal with nurse sharks and stingrays.

Cultural Experiences

The Museum of Belize, located in Belize City, is housed in a former prison (Her Majesty's Prison from 1857 to 2002). The museum showcases the city's past, including the pirate years, the colonial era, and natural and man-made disasters. Visitors can even walk into a jail cell to learn about the prison experience. St. George's Fort features historical sites such as St. John's Cathedral, the oldest Anglican church in Central America, built in the 18th century.

Adventure Activities

For adrenaline seekers, there are river tubing experiences through underground caves, as well as ziplining over the forest canopy. ATV tours through the jungle and horseback riding tours are also available for those seeking a thrilling adventure.

Food and Drink

Belize offers a variety of culinary delights, including local specialties like chicken stew served with rice and beans, Bile Up (a mixture of eggs, fish, cassava, plantains, yams, and sweet potatoes), and Hudut (fish soup cooked in coconut milk). Fresh fruit, such as passion fruit, jackfruit, and dragon fruit, is abundant due to the country's fertile tropical forests. For drinks, Belikin beer, rum punch, and frozen daiquiris are popular choices.

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