Harvest Caye Private tender to Mainland Belize

Can you take a Tender to the mainland if you are not on a NCL ship excursion. If so then does anyone know any details: Cost, Scheduled times for tender, length of time it takes to get to Mainland port?

Just wondering if you can book a private tour or just go to off the island on your own.

Thanks

AshleySJ

I was just at Harvest Caye last week and asked about getting to the mainland. At this time there is no way to get there without a NCL excursion. One person I asked said they were working on it but they had no idea if it will come about. Harvest Caye is totally controled by NCL and I really don't see a private ferry happening .

Thanks for the info Eileen G.

YES! You can now come to Placencia Village..there are three boats in the morning!

YES! You can now come to Placencia Village..there are three boats in the morning!

I think this is where those boats take you...

Another...

YES! You can now come to Placencia Village..there are three boats in the morning!

Please tell me more. I'm heading to HC in Fen 2018 and would rather get off the private island if at all possible.

the first one has nothing to do with Placencia..its a real estate sales pitch. the second on has some good ariel views of Placencia

Read this on CC a couple weeks ago..

RedRover96

Thread Starter

Cool Cruiser

#1

Lake Norman, NC

319 Posts

Joined Mar 2011

Posted Today, 03:06 PM

Just read this from a Bulletin Board I follow from Ambergris Caye in Belize:, https://ambergriscaye.com

"On May 30th, 2017, the Cruise Control Ltd. will officially start ferrying cruise passengers from Harvest Caye to Placencia Village Municipal Pier and will be conducting a test run in the interim. Passengers will now have the opportunity to enjoy the beaches, food, craft and much more that the village of Placencia has to offer. In addition, Tour Operators will have the opportunity to take guests on marine tours. Tickets can be purchased on the cruise ship or at the visitors’ booth on Harvest Caye at a cost of $20USD round trip."

A local news video I found at Ambergris Caye Forum website talking about the new opportunities to visit Placenica from Harvest Caye.

I had been keeping up with this NCL trap since they bought the island from the UK firm. I was there in February. I wanted to go to Placencia or Independence. Heck you can stand on Harvest Caye and look at either.

I walked to boat dock. Was told "only for the workers". Further conversations went along the line of having to build a pier in Placencia . Huh ? Seemed like BS to me. At the minimum already ONE there for the Independence ferry.

Well $20 US seems high. Maybe it is $20 BZ which is $10 US.

Once on Placencia one can take the local ferry to Independence also.

Good news !

Belize channel 5 June 1 video:

I was on the very first ferry from HC to Placencia, in fact I'm in this video at 34 seconds in. (Tan hat and blue shirt) I purchased the ticket on board at Shore Excursions for $20 round trip. They had 3 different time slots available. 9:00, 10:00, and 11:00 I believe, and you had a little over 3 hours on the island. They gave you a wristband noting your departure time. I was so happy to be able to escape the HC for the "real Belize"

Belize channel 5 June 1 video:

I had read a while back there was really litle or nothing in Placencia. At that time they didn't even have any public restrooms. Has all that changed?

Placencia is indeed very small, with just a few restaurants and beach bars... The main "road" there is basically just a sidewalk, although there is an actual paved road that runs from North to South further inland. It's similar in vibe to Caye Caulker, but CC has a bit more "character" The locals there are very nice, and they are happy to have the opportunity to have more visitors.

I had read a while back there was really litle or nothing in Placencia. At that time they didn't even have any public restrooms. Has all that changed?

How long did the ferry ride take?

About 15 minutes... It leaves from the same dock at Harvest Caye that all of the other NCL excursions leaves from.

How long did the ferry ride take?

About 15 minutes... It leaves from the same dock at Harvest Caye that all of the other NCL excursions leaves from.

Thank you!:)

I was on the very first ferry from HC to Placencia, in fact I'm in this video at 34 seconds in. (Tan hat and blue shirt) I purchased the ticket on board at Shore Excursions for $20 round trip. They had 3 different time slots available. 9:00, 10:00, and 11:00 I believe, and you had a little over 3 hours on the island. They gave you a wristband noting your departure time. I was so happy to be able to escape the HC for the "real Belize"

Thanks for this information. If you are only given 3 hours in Placencia, then I guess you can't arrange any independent tours? :(

My Oct sailing is 9 hours at Harvest Caye. Surely they won't force you back after 3 hours ? I have been to Caye Caulker and San Pedro. Actually would much prefer the Belize City stop.

There is a local water taxi from Placencia back to Independence (mainland). Placencia is the tip of a long narrow peninsula.

Thanks for update.

Do you have to stay 3 hours? What if you would like to return in 1 or 2 hours?

At this point, you have to return at your designated time due to boat capacity... If all of the sudden 100 people decided they were ready to return, and the boat only holds 50 people there would be problems... As time goes on, they may add more trips, thus giving more flexibility to the return times.

Do you have to stay 3 hours? What if you would like to return in 1 or 2 hours?

Has anyone learned anything more since the last post? I found some amazing snorkeling trips from Placencia, but they each take 6 hours or so. Would love to be able to take advantage of some of the best reefs in the world. But if I'm limited to 3 hours, it wouldn't work!

Hoping someone else has some new insight that is more recent

Has anyone learned anything more since the last post? I found some amazing snorkeling trips from Placencia, but they each take 6 hours or so. Would love to be able to take advantage of some of the best reefs in the world. But if I'm limited to 3 hours, it wouldn't work!

 

Hoping someone else has some new insight that is more recent

Did you take your trip yet? Can you stay longer? I plan to scuba outer reefs which is a 6-hour trip. I travel Mar. 2018.

We are traveling on Dec. 7 and will be on the NCL Jade in Harvest Caye. I'm wondering if anyone can tell me how often the water taxis return from Placencia. One of the tour companies I contacted about snorkeling in Laughing Bird Caye National Park said the information from the ship is misleading and there is enough time to do the longer private tours. The part I can't figure out is if the ship are the ones running the water taxi service how they decide what your return time is?

Any info from someone who has been there or has done one of the private tours would be very much appreciated! I'm getting rather annoyed with the lack of information and restrictions for guests in Harvest Caye.

Please take my information with a grain of salt. I will not be traveling until March 2018.

Yet, I have been researching for about a month now as the primary reason I wish to travel is to dive in Palencia. Here is another thread with more insight: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2516708&page=2

After speaking with several local companies, NCL will be contracting (pending bureaucracy) with these local businesses for Scuba/Snorkel trips. From what I gather, most are 1 month away from starting services. Some may have already started. It is hard to know since I have not traveled yet.

Can anyone verify who has been on the ships that they offer Scuba trips with local guides yet?