BELIZE IT OR NOT

Our cruise itinerary listed the port as Harvest Caye, Belize but don’t let that fool you.  This is not Belize by any stretch of the imagination.  Nearly four years in the making, this $50 million dollar 75-acre purpose-built port is impressive, but not representative of the Belize culture. 

Entrance gates to Harvest Caye

Photo stop just inside the entrance gate.

Norwegian Cruise Lines opened Harvest Caye for business on November 17, 2017.  You won’t find high-end jewelry stores or pushy shore excursion vendors hawking tours.  Instead, you will probably feel more like you’re visiting an amusement park.

Arial view    Photo: Public Domain

Behind the creation of the Harvest Caye phenomenon were two local restaurateurs, a former Disney Imagineer, an 18-year veteran destination strategist, an engineer who specialized in roads and bridges, and a developer who worked on two purpose-built islands for other cruise lines. 

Cruisers visiting Harvest Caye on Norwegian ships can only charge activities and shore excursions to their onboard accounts. All food and drink must be paid for in cash or credit card.  Belizean and US dollars are both accepted but you will not find an ATM on the island.

One of the most notable attributes of the island is the wheelchair accessibility as compared to other private islands.  Harvest Caye is not a tender port.  Although the 1,200 square foot canopied boardwalk seems endless, shuttles operate every five minutes.  A small fleet of special wheelchairs with large rubber tires are also available for those who are looking to spend time on the beach, as are lifts for getting into and out of the pool. 

1,200 square foot canopied boardwalk to the island

Looking back at the ship from the entrance to the island

Shuttle run about every 5 minutes

Shuttle vehicles

Greeting you as you step onto the island are two tiny cannons that flank the island's entrance gate in memory of the Battle of St. George's Caye. 

Located just inside the main entrance gate on the right, is the Information Center.  Here you will want to grab a map of the island.  It's easy to get turned around on this 75-acre island.

Map I picked up at the Information Center

The beach is 7 acres, filled with beautiful white sand and well stocked with 3,000 complimentary lounge chairs and umbrellas.  Beach lounges with the "clamshell" umbrellas come with a fee and can be charged to your shipboard account. There is also a lagoon with kayaks, paddleboards and small motorized boats for rent. 

Beach area

Beach area

Chairs, chairs everywhere

The pool is massive and I was told at the Information Center that it is the largest in Central America at 15,000 square feet.  Complete with a bridge crossover, shallow area for the kids and a swim up pool bar, one could easily spend the entire day here.  Just remember, your onboard drink package will NOT be good anywhere on the island. 

If privacy is what you are looking for there are eleven beachfront villas, including one ADA, located all the way at the end of the island.  Each unit can accommodate ten and has air-conditioning, living area, private bathroom, outdoor shower and loungers.  They are priced at  $599 for the day and this does not include food and beverage.  That will be a separate tab.  

Beachfront villas

If the beach villas are a little out of your price range then try one of the fifteen poolside cabanas.  With a maximum capacity of 6, this will only set you back $199 for the day but again, drinks and food are extra. 

Poolside cabana

As part of a commitment to conservation and eco-friendly tourism, Norwegian has included a nature center on Harvest Caye. It’s free to walk through and you can check out boa constrictors, toucans and scarlet macaws. They also have an enclosed butterfly garden that's home to several dozen iguanas.

Nature center

One of the most noticeable landmarks on the island is 130-foot tall Flighthouse.  The Flighthouse's activities include a 3,000-foot zip line course, tandem-style zip-lining, suspension bridges and free-fall jumps. There is also a ropes course over a section of a saltwater lagoon. Four separate ziplines are offered at a cost of $89.  The first is split into segments, and the second covers a 1,300-foot-long expanse between the Flighthouse and the beach.

Flighthouse

Since you probably haven't had enough to eat and drink onboard the ship, you will find five bars and several restaurants on the island.  One of the first buildings to catch my eye was the LandShark Bar & Grill. The two-story bar and eatery overlooks the pool on one side and the beach and ocean on the other.  They offer both indoor (air-conditioned) and open-air seating and a menu with some delicious burgers.  Beer served includes LandShark and Belikin, a local Belizean brew.

LandShark Bar & Grill

LandShark Bar & Grill

Seating inside LandShark Bar & Grill

Seating inside LandShark Bar & Grill

 

 

Tickets for an independently operated ferry that goes back and forth from the island to the mainland of Belize can also be charged to your ship account, or paid for in cash. Unfortunately it wasn’t running the day of my visit or I would have gone over to the mainland.

Ferry over to Belize mainland

Be sure to bring sunscreen, sunglasses, a hat and water as you won't find free water anywhere on the island.  I couldn’t even find a water fountain.

Just before heading back to the ship I decided to stop in at LandShark for a beer.  Although the views are spectacular, the prices aren’t.  A draft beer will run you $5.49 plus a mandatory 12.5% service charge.  That makes the beer $6.22.   They also offer wine and food but I decided to head back without trying anything.   Way too commercial and expensive for this traveler.