NCL Cruise with 4 Ports - Which Ones Are Worth Doing Excursions In?

[RedRover96]

I think the only answer is to book the cheapest excursion to the mainland and convince the tour operator that you will see them when they return (good luck with that!). There is NO way to get to the mainland except via a NCL tour group, period!!!! Your son CANNOT get to Harvest Caye nor can anyone besides a NCL/Belize authorized individual be allowed to dock at Harvest Caye. Therefore your step-son will need to meet you say where the tour docks on the mainland hoping you can beg off the tour or arrange to meet him say at the Mayan Ruin you will be visiting and just not follow the tour group around. Me, if I had some place free to stay in Belize forget the cruise, book a flight!!! I have spent a week in Belize, beautiful country, beautiful people and if you stay away from the local thugs and their associates a very safe place!

[tomberly]

Is the pool area and beach with lounge chairs free to use in Harvest Caye? Is it walkable from the ship? Thanks for your input!

 

Yes they are free and you take a tender from the ship to their private island.

[khaide612]

Yes they are free and you take a tender from the ship to their private island.

 

There is no tender at Harvest Caye - the ships dock so you can walk off and on the ship the whole time you are there. The walk is not even 10 minutes though it looks longer & is covered (shaded). Also, there are carts to transport those who can't do the walk.

[maja651]

My opinion, and what we plan to book for our Western Carib cruise next March:

 

Harvest Caye - private cabana. We have a group of 4 so we can split the costs. I like the idea of knowing we have a home base on a beach day and knowing it won't be crowded in that area.

 

Cozumel - Mr. Sanchos - we went to this beach club in 2015 and had the time of our lives. It is one of our favorite port days to date. I highly recommend!

 

Costa Maya -Maya Chan beach club - we went to this beach club in 2015 as well. It was also a fabulous day and cannot wait to go again. They limit the amount of people who they sell passes to so it is not crowded, and you get great service!

 

Roatan - We did not like Roatan the one time we were there, it just seemed sketchy to us. We plan to stay on the ship that day. That said, many people rave about Little French Key on Roatan. We almost went there in 2015, but right before our cruise, there was a huge ordeal with the government and the owner's of LFK regarding the animals on property. Accusations of animal abuse, government corruption, etc. We did not want to deal with that mess so we took a tour with Victor Boddin. We were not impressed.

[blc1975]

Harvest Caye is the only one with a close beach, but at Costa Maya, a short cheap shuttle ride will take you to Mahahual, which is all beach front. Most places have a charge for you to use their beach or a minimum amount to spend at their restaurant. There are very few these days that let you just order what you want to use their chairs/shade. Most have WiFi.

 

In Coz, there are tons of excursions to choose from. When in Roatan, we either do a pre-booked private tour of the island, with our usual stops from Victor Bodden or paddle boarding with Anita Tennyson (her daughter will pick you up) - also pre-booked.

 

Just had a horrible experience at the Mayan Jungle last week (Victor Bodden). His employee, Oscar, took 200.00 out of my bag. Do I know for sure? YES. Was it partially my fault for not having it on my person? YES. But I didn't expect Oscar to pick my bag up and move it after he took us into the monkey exhibit. Lesson learned. Victor was informed. Of course there was nothing he would do....couple of hundred bucks was a lot over there. So, just a word of caution. If you want to go and do some of the Victor Bodden stuff, make sure your money is on your person, in your front pockets 100% of the time. Again, I accept partial blame for letting my guard down, I knew better, but still disappointed.

[Shayhooper]

Thanks for breaking down - it sounds like a great itinerary! What port was your favorite?

 

Gosh - that is almost asking which child is your favorite. They were all wonderful but for totally different reasons. If I had to choose, it would be between Little French Key in Roatan and the poolside cabana in Harvest Caye.

Little French Key for the peaceful tranquility of the island plus the animals (especially the monkey we got to hold) was a big hit with our daughter. I hope to find myself back again some day.

Harvest Caye was effortless fun for both kid and adults. Great service with a really fun pool experience.