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Harvest Caye

skyfire53

By skyfire53,
in Belize

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cariboof

cariboof

Posted
Posted

**********UPDATE**********NEW INFORMATION RECEIVED**********

 

Dear Friends,

 

I have just spoken to NCL AGAIN regarding how to get to Placencia from Harvest Caye...this is what they said.

 

"We just received this email minutes ago. There will be a transportation hub on the Caye where ferries will take guests to Malacate/Placencia. As of right now, we do not have a schedule or pricing information available and probably won't get it. That information should be available onboard while you're there."

 

This is great news! I called earlier in the day and was told I would have to take an NCL excursion in order to leave the Caye...I was outraged. However, as stated above, they had recently received information on a transportation hub on HC where ferry's/water taxis will be available. I suppose we'll have to wait until onboard to get all of the specifics.

 

The best snorkeling is no where near HC. Look at some of the dive shops in Placencia as they do some wonderful work and have great diving trips. The reef is roughly 45-60 minutes away by boat. Several Cayes have some amazing snorkeling out there. Find a place you like and contact one of the dive shops and see what they can do for you.

 

I will be leaving the 11th of November and will update everyone with explicit details and photos.

 

Happy Cruising Everyone! :D

 

countdown.pl?image=Beach-8&name=CARIBOOF&date=11-11-2016&text=At it again...&ship=Norwegian Dawn

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iambeast

iambeast

Posted
Posted
**********UPDATE**********NEW INFORMATION RECEIVED**********

 

Dear Friends,

 

I have just spoken to NCL AGAIN regarding how to get to Placencia from Harvest Caye...this is what they said.

 

"We just received this email minutes ago. There will be a transportation hub on the Caye where ferries will take guests to Malacate/Placencia. As of right now, we do not have a schedule or pricing information available and probably won't get it. That information should be available onboard while you're there."

 

This is great news! I called earlier in the day and was told I would have to take an NCL excursion in order to leave the Caye...I was outraged. However, as stated above, they had recently received information on a transportation hub on HC where ferry's/water taxis will be available. I suppose we'll have to wait until onboard to get all of the specifics.

 

The best snorkeling is no where near HC. Look at some of the dive shops in Placencia as they do some wonderful work and have great diving trips. The reef is roughly 45-60 minutes away by boat. Several Cayes have some amazing snorkeling out there. Find a place you like and contact one of the dive shops and see what they can do for you.

 

I will be leaving the 11th of November and will update everyone with explicit details and photos.

 

Happy Cruising Everyone! :D

 

countdown.pl?image=Beach-8&name=CARIBOOF&date=11-11-2016&text=At it again...&ship=Norwegian Dawn

 

 

Sounds great! Please do update us on how their tendering service to the mainland will work along with the cost. I can't imagine being stuck on the island just because you're not taking an NCL excursion! That's ridiculous

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  • 2 weeks later...
crewsweeper "Live from...." Rare

crewsweeper

Posted
Posted

Wouldn't cave tubing be a fair distance from Placencia? I've seen excursions out of there that go for around $150 per person, private. I think you'd have to head up the coast to Dangriga then cut over to Belmopan and then west to the caves. There's not a road directly from Placencia to San Ignacio that would go nearer the caves.

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funlovincruiseer

funlovincruiseer

Posted
Posted

crewsweeper....thank you as this is our first time to Harvest Caye. Not sure what to expect so for Belize I think, after speaking with our travel agent, we may just wait and see what will be going on. Just wasn't sure about booking with on shore tours as the one I was talking to stated that NCL will only be offering onboard excursions so I think we shall wait - - unless someone here has other suggestions?!? :-)

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scanditaly

scanditaly

Posted
Posted
crewsweeper....thank you as this is our first time to Harvest Caye. Not sure what to expect so for Belize I think, after speaking with our travel agent, we may just wait and see what will be going on. Just wasn't sure about booking with on shore tours as the one I was talking to stated that NCL will only be offering onboard excursions so I think we shall wait - - unless someone here has other suggestions?!? :-)

 

Hello to you Funlovincruiseer;

http://www.roambelize.com/land-tours.html

 

I found this tour group, and except for the timing element, think that these are the kinds of activities that you are searching for. We shall visit in December, and I intend to report back on the various tours available.

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cariboof

cariboof

Posted
Posted (edited)

So we have just returned from the Dawn and it's maiden voyage to Harvest Caye and we have some info!

 

Unfortunately, the NCL representative inlast spoke to didn't quite have her information right.

 

***IF YOU DO NOT BOOK AN EXCURSION THROUGH NCL YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO LEAVE HARVEST CAYE!***

 

That being said, it's designed by a former Disney imagineer and has a water park feel to it. There is plenty of space for everyone to freely move around as it's prepared to hold up to around 4,000 guests. There is a bird cage with beautiful toucans, a butterfly area and a snake area. The plants on the island are absolutely beautiful.

 

While we were there they were still putting the finishing touches on the island and the back end by the cabanas and rope course is still being created. They were literally finishing the zip line while we were there and while it was free they had to close it down for the day because the elevator wasn't working and the zip lines were malfunctioning. For example two different people taking the zip line didn't make it all the way across without running into the water below. It was clear that the zip lines needed to be tightened. On the other end of the light tower there's a zip line heading to the rope course. That was the section that they were completing while we were there.

 

We rented in electric boat to go through the lagoon. While we were in the boat we saw crewmembers testing the zip line. Two different members made it about halfway and had to pull themselves all the way to the other side. Now while we had a great easy fantastic time with our electric boat we heard several others complaining that their boats ran out of juice. Seeing how these boats are electric they don't have much power to them. Once one group of guests use a boat there is not much left for other guests to use it for the hour without having it recharged. So if you're thinking of renting a boat make sure you double check the power level. The boat rental was $45 per hour. That is more than enough time to see the lagoon three or four times. You can also rent kayaks and standup paddleboard's for slightly cheaper rates.

 

If you're interested in eating I would recommend eating on the ship as the food isn't that great and is rather small. They have a great swim up bar in the pool area and some fantastic view and places scattered across the island. We also heard from several guests that the staff was terrible at making change. Guests with items costing $10 that were paid with $20 we're given six dollars back and change. So being mindful of how much change you get and that you're getting what you ordered.

 

The dock from the ship to the island is rather long. However for those with mobility issues they have golf carts that will take you the length of the dock as well as transport you throughout the island if you choose to do so. They also have about a dozen wheelchairs designed specifically to traverse over sand. They look like moon tires and are an absolute lifesaver. We opted to take the wheelchair instead of waiting for the golf carts.

 

Snorkeling in the area is pretty much a no go. While it's possible to snorkel pretty much anywhere the visibility isn't good, the waves are very strong and you won't see much marine life, if any. In the lagoon they have baby manatees but have sections closed off because of said manatees.

 

All in all a pretty OK experience especially considering we were the first people they've ever had to deal with. I can almost guarantee things will only get better. However, unfortunately, if you're looking for a taste of Belize and to see some culture you will not get that on the island.

 

I really hope at some point in the future they have ships to transport guests who would like to go to Placencia or other places on the mainland and do their own excursions or be able to see the real Belize. As of right now there is only a catamaran that will take guests to Malacate so they can do the shore excursions. of which there are few options. Having been to Belize before myself it was disappointing to not be able to go out and see it again. Hopefully this is a problem they will rectify.

Edited by cariboof
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Nebr.cruiser

Nebr.cruiser

Posted
Posted

This sounds like what i was afraid of; no way to do anything really Belizian, just a private island with lots of extra charges.

 

We've been to mainland Belize before on a cruise and enjoyed the cave tubing. We were hoping to either go to one of the ruins or snorkel the famous ree this time. I guess it will just be a beach day instead. The NCL excursions listed I'm not interested in and are very expensive.

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mar-mar

mar-mar

Posted
Posted

I am now extremely disappointed to be going down to Belize, to find out NCL is basically holding us hostage on their new resort at Harvest Caye. The resort is not "Belize", and everything is up-charged! We have no ability to leave their private island unless we book an excursion with NCL - that's absurd!

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SnowyShasta

SnowyShasta

Posted
Posted

We also visited last week on the Norwegian Dawn first visit. I agree that there did not appear to be any way off the island without an excursion.

 

We treated the day as a basic "beach/pool day" with no excursions and enjoyed it for what it was. But it is barely Belize - no real visibility into the culture.

 

The pool was very nice and big enough that it never seemed crowded. The beach was long and our kids had fun in the sand. The area seemed pretty protected, which was good for calm waters but bad for my kids that enjoy body surfing.

 

We rented SUPs for an hour and had some fun paddling around the lagoon, although strong winds made it hard. We also enjoyed seeing the toucans and butterfly garden.

 

We didn't buy any food; just stayed on the island until about 2:30 and then went back to the ship for a late lunch. You could easily go back to the ship any time and then return to the island, but it's probably a 10-15 minute walk each way since the pier is quite long.

 

Overall we enjoyed the day - it wasn't the best one of the trip but it was at least the cheapest since we didn't pay for any excursions (via the ship or on our own).

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funlovincruiseer

funlovincruiseer

Posted
Posted

Thank you for the comments back in regards to NCL and Belize. I certainly am extremely disappointed that you can't go mainland unless through NCL. Nor was I happy with the discontent from the news crew that were uninvited to report the first ship coming in. I feel they should all be working together to make Belize a "want to go" place with NCL I may not be the most knowledgeable in regards to cruising; however, it certainly is not making this stop top of my list to which it really was when first booked just my own opinion :cool:

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Queen of DaNile

Queen of DaNile

Posted
Posted

Not surprising to read that NCL currently has tight control of the activities pertaining to their newly developed property. Perhaps other options will become available in time. We won't be there for several months, and on a ship with a lot fewer passengers than Dawn, so we're anticipating a nice relaxing beach day.:)

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