Belize

Ships moor or anchor offshore, and tenders carry passengers to land. When several vessels call together, aim for one of the earliest tenders because the landing can become busy.

Watch your possessions carefully, as pickpocketing is common here.

Every passenger lands at the cruise-terminal docks within Belize’s Tourism Village. Gift shops, restaurants and excursion operators fill the harbourside complex. It is suitable for an hour or so, but does not constitute a destination by itself.

Norwegian Cruise Line and Belize’s Government are reportedly progressing a major multimillion-dollar project to create a dedicated facility for Norwegian vessels. Harvest Caye lies approximately 105 miles south of Belize City.

Belize offers an exceptional range of natural attractions, including:

• This hemisphere’s longest barrier reef, containing the Great Blue Hole, hundreds of islands, and numerous snorkelling and diving sites.
• Hundreds of ancient Maya sites, both excavated and still covered by jungle.
• Dense tropical rainforest rich in bird species, unusual flora and other tropical wildlife.
• Cave tubing is best suited to very fit visitors and preferably undertaken during wetter months, when water levels rise. Several operators provide the activity.
• Government House in Belize City became a House of Culture in 1999 and is among the country’s most significant historical and political landmarks. For more than 150 years, it housed the colonial administration and served as the private residence of successive British Superintendents, Lieutenant Governors and Governors, followed by independent Belize’s first Governor-General.

Downtown Belize City is small and straightforward to cover on foot. However, the city has a poor reputation for visitor safety, so remain within its busiest central streets and clearly established tourist districts.

Licensed Belizean taxis carry distinctive green number plates and wait at designated ranks in central areas of mainland towns. In Belize City especially, drivers may call to people they believe are overseas visitors. Vehicles have no meters, so agree the price beforehand. A fixed US$2.50 fare should apply within towns, while negotiable hourly hire is around $35.

Leave the ship as early as possible to catch a Water Taxi for Caye Caulker. Excursions also run to San Pedro and Caye Caulker. Check timetables before sailing, remembering Belize time is one hour behind ship time. Use the same operator in both directions or combine services according to the safest return schedule, and allow at least an hour to reach your ship.

After reaching Caye Caulker, head for the Split and settle at the Lazy Lizard for inexpensive cold drinks. Walk around the island, see its sights and stop for lunch during a relaxed day. A return Water Taxi journey costs between 15 and 20 per person.

Cave tubing should rank highly among possible Belize activities. No other country or island in the Western Caribbean, and perhaps nowhere else in the world, offers quite the same experience.

Ambergris Caye, the largest of the cayes, attracts over half of Belize’s visitors, most bound for San Pedro. Farther south, Caye Caulker is the most popular island among independent travellers. Less-developed cayes are becoming increasingly accessible, and organised trips reach Lighthouse Reef and Glover’s Reef atolls.

The Belize Zoo occupies 29 acres of tropical savanna and houses more than 170 animals representing over 45 species, all native to Belize. Its residents were orphaned, rescued, born at the zoo, rehabilitated or donated by other zoological organisations.

Tourism Village forms the main shopping area, with numerous shops, stores and restaurants. Downtown and the Marine Terminal are about five minutes away on foot, and taxis consistently queue beside the Village.

Because cruise passengers provide important trade, many local businesses adapt their opening hours to match vessel calls and time ashore.

Seafood is usually excellent: consider red snapper, grouper, barracuda steak, conch fritters or fresh, generally farmed shrimp. Food in San Pedro, Caye Caulker and Placencia can be outstanding. The only possible issue is becoming tired of lobster, served in forms ranging from pasta with lobster sauce and scrambled eggs with lobster to lobster chow mein or curry.

Belize uses the Belizean dollar, at an approximate exchange rate of $2 Belize to $1 U.S.

US dollars are accepted almost everywhere; make sure any change is returned in U.S. currency.

Belize designates English as its official language.

Click & Sip Internet Cafe operates inside Belize Tourism Village.

Precise Belizean opening times are difficult to state, but most shops generally trade from 8am-noon and 1-8pm. The lunch break from noon until 1pm is observed almost universally, making it extremely difficult to arrange anything then. Some businesses and shops work half a day on Saturday, while many may shut early on Friday.