Harvest Caye Please tell us your thoughts

[steveweese]

For those of you that have been to Harvest Caye how bout a mini review?

 

I really would like some opinions on it. Thanks

[MizDemeanor]

Its nice. We've been twice and both times on Getaway. Last year end of March, this year early April.

 

Last year we enjoyed the Luxury Villa with family and that was as amazing as it can get, this year a Pool Cabana for the two of us and the service was impeccable.

 

 

Food and Drinks are Pay For.

 

 

We noticed at the pool area (outside of paid for cabanas) that there were poolside bar runners for pool guests although Bar Service is pretty close and there were mobile bar cartsto augment the convienience. We did not notice what was going on at the beach area so we are no help in that regard. Sorry.

 

 

Overall, both times here, every area was extremely clean. The food (pay for) was very good. The Landscape lush and beautiful.

 

 

And I have finally seen hummingbirds...which I have wanted to do forever.

 

Hope this helps you develop your ideas and addional questions.

[steveweese]

How many luxury villas are there?

[cocod08]

How much was the pool cabana and how many does it accommodate?

 

 

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[MizDemeanor]

How many luxury villas are there?

 

10 Luxury Villas.

[MizDemeanor]

How much was the pool cabana and how many does it accommodate?

 

 

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It depends on what NCL is asking. They are said to accomodate 4. We had to go to Guest relations to pick up our pass and declare how many in our group.

 

There are only two loungers and under the cabana canopy the L-Sectional can easily accomodate 4 more along with the single chair.

 

But they have their limits. It an easy 6 group and not all Cabanas were taken, so they must ebb and flow with a first come first serve basis at the Pool Cabana and decide capacity for each along the way.

 

There are two attendents along with a Pool Cabana Bulter/Butleress. Well serviced.

Edited April 28, 2018 by MizDemeanor

[steveweese]

Humming birds ! We see them daily in summer at our place.

 

Glad you saw some. Thanks for your thoughts.

[BlueLineGal]

Personally I felt it was a waste of time. A place to pay for food, pay for drinks and swim in the ocean if you weren't hitting the shops or the Real Estate Company trying to sell you a vacation home. It is lush and clean.

[wdsted]

It’s kind of what Disney would come up with if asked to create a clean, kind of pricey, almost authentic beach experience. Very convenient to just walk off the ship. I’d much prefer to go to a Caribbean port and have some other options than to bake in the sun by a so-so beach and hike to get an expensive cocktail. Others agreed on our GA sailing last month because the ship was busy for a port day.

 

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[firstmickey]

Harvest Caye is nice if you go early and leave by noon when it’s so crowded that you can’t move. I walked off the ship at 8:30 and found chairs near the pool and beach entrance. It was nice for about two hours then it was packed! Eventually the pool was standing room only -both around the ledge sitting and in the water. By 11 there weren’t any free chairs and people were asking to put their stuff either behind or under our chairs and tables. The beach is just ok and the chairs are so packed close together that it was not enjoyable to me. We packed up and headed back to the ship for lunch and had free rein of the pool and slides. If you live the beach experience, I’d say pass. If you want a nice pool morning , go early then enjoy the ship! Some pics from our trip last August:

 

 

 

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[tef43]

Personally I felt it was a waste of time.

^5

 

Unless you are taking an excursion, just stay on the ship.

[MCC retired]

We have been to all of the Private Islands of all the cruise lines .

Harvest Cay is tops for facilities and ease of getting to there from the ship.

Although not a true Private Island experience , facilities were top notch .

Our cruise did not spend enough time there , left by 1PM

[fstuff1]

Personally I felt it was a waste of time. A place to pay for food, pay for drinks and swim in the ocean if you weren't hitting the shops or the Real Estate Company trying to sell you a vacation home. It is lush and clean.

yup same here.

you had to pay for everything.

walked around the island in a loop (about 1hr) then went back to the ship.

[seanandstefIRL]

We loved Harvest Caye. Hands down the prettiest "private" island we have visited. The beach is beautiful and the pool is lovely. We went parasailing and zip lining and had a blast. We also did a tour of the whole island. You can see our tour here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aigWEArcfRw. Have a great cruise!

[cruisegal415]

I am so confused about Harvest Caye. If you just want to lie on the beach, can you do that? Is there a charge? Are any of the lounges shaded? I can’t see spending $699 for the private villa thing for just two of us. Going to a different beach with an all inclusive day pass seems to involve a long ferry ride. Can we just get off the ship and lie on the beach for a few hours?

 

 

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[FLcruisergrl]

There is no charge to lie on the beach on a regular lounger.

[MizDemeanor]

I am so confused about Harvest Caye. If you just want to lie on the beach, can you do that? Is there a charge? Are any of the lounges shaded? I can’t see spending $699 for the private villa thing for just two of us. Going to a different beach with an all inclusive day pass seems to involve a long ferry ride. Can we just get off the ship and lie on the beach for a few hours?

 

 

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Yes you sure can.

[CRUISEDAD11]

Was just there in January 2018...

Nice concept, needs tweeking and fine tuning.

Being from Long Island myself, I grew up on the beach, and SOFT sand. The sand here is COARSE, you'll want to wear something on your feet when walking through it.

The sea water was NOT clear, as you'd typically expect in this region of the world. Water temp was comfortable.

Jellyfish moved in around "noonish." Most people left the sea, and headed to pool area.

Drink runners walked the beach, but not enough of them for the throngs of people wanting drinks. You need CASH or CREDIT CARD to make ANY purchase...your SIGN & SAIL CARD does absolutely NOTHING on this port.

 

 

I was back on ship by 1pm, if I were to ever go there again, I'd STAY ON THE SHIP.

 

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[ttnc4me]

Personally I felt it was a waste of time. A place to pay for food, pay for drinks and swim in the ocean if you weren't hitting the shops or the Real Estate Company trying to sell you a vacation home. It is lush and clean.

This.

 

What a waste for a cruise passenger. There are plenty of other 'go to the beach and have to pay for extras' opportunities on the itinerary. Every other major cruise line's private island is just that - private. The fact that a passenger has to pay for food and drinks here is ludicrous when most others have buffets galore, free drinks and drink packages are honored.

 

Shame on NCL for implementing this type of stop.

[steveweese]

Thanks let’s hear more.

[MCC retired]

Water was clear and no jellyfish when last there April 2017.

Also , nobody mentioned the terrific little waterpark for kids .

 

 

 

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[MaryBethV]

We loved Harvest Caye. Hands down the prettiest "private" island we have visited. The beach is beautiful and the pool is lovely. We went parasailing and zip lining and had a blast. We also did a tour of the whole island. You can see our tour here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aigWEArcfRw. Have a great cruise!

 

Love your vlogs on youtube!

[MichMom06]

WE just got back today from our week on the Getaway and we absolutely LOVED Harvest Caye. We were the only ship in port and never had a problem finding a few chairs near the pool. We spent most of our day there, in the pool, as that's what the kids wanted to do, but we also visited the little spray pad and the Landshark Bar and Grill for lunch. Pool was clean and sparkling and just the right temperature to balance the heat outside. We had the perfect day there. Saw miles of chairs on the beach and possibly the cleanest bathrooms I've ever been in. Not even kidding. I mean, sure, it's a man made island, but it's still in Belize. The water is real, the sand is real, the sun is real. The beach is free, as is the pool. Many people spend money for an all inclusive beach with food and/or drinks, so I really don't see the big deal if you get a free beach day and then pay for your food. With 4 ports of call on our itinerary, it was nice to "only" pay for lunch instead of another excursion. To each their own, though. We loved it. Would not hesitate to go back.

[drvmywifecrzy]

Do they have umbrellas? Can you rent a wave runner for 30 mins or an hour?

[springflowercat]

We were very unimpressed with Harvest Caye. The beach is not nice at all. We did go on an excursion off island to go rafting. The rafting was very fun, but it takes a long time to get there with the ferry to the mainlaind and then a long bus ride. Although Norwegian had this down as a 5 hour trip, our meeting time was at 9:20 and we didn't return until 3:45! The ship was actually waiting for us, which was ok because we were on a trip excursion. The long bus ride did give us a chance to see a lot of real Belizean villages which I enjoyed very much. There are much prettier beaches in Honduras or Cozumel if you want a beach day in my opinion.