Beach day, which port?

[vent1020]

We are sailing on the Breakaway in two weeks.(A little less actually WOO HOO)  It's the Western Caribbean with stops at Cozumel, Belize City, Harvest Caye and Costa Maya.  Is there one stop where the beaches are nicer than the others?  I know we are kind of behind the 8 ball with planning excursions, but wanted to find out which stop we probably don't want to plan an excursion at and go to the beach because they are nicer at that port.  Thanks as always with any suggestions.

[ziggyuk]

Harvest Caye surly, it is NCL's private island which is all about the beach time.

[vent1020]

20 minutes ago, ziggyuk said:

Harvest Caye surly, it is NCL's private island which is all about the beach time.

 

Thank you!

[MNcruisingcouple]

Harvest Caye you just walk off the ship and you are at the beach.  

Costa Maya you can take an approximately 10 min shuttle/taxi to the small beach town with restaurants and vendors. Or you can stay in the port area with a pool, restaurants and shopping. 

Belize City you would need an excursion to do any type of beach/water activity.

Cozumel there are lots of options including beach resorts that just expect you to purchase food, ones with a cover charge and ones that are all inclusive; but all are a little away from the port.  

If you want more details, just ask.  We’ve been to these ports many times.  Have a great trip. 

[PTC DAWG]

Harvest Caye or Cozumel gets my vote..or better yet, BOTH. 

[vent1020]

Thanks again everyone.

[dcipjr]

When we were in Cozumel, we took the ferry to Playa del Carmen. The ferry port is right next to some beautiful beaches!

[Paul Bogle]

The only stop without a descent beach is Belize City. You can get to a nice beach from Belize City by taking a ferry to Caye Caulker but its a major time constraint and for us it isn't worth the effort.

 

Cozumel is loaded with nice beaches and beach clubs. It's probably your best choice. You don't need to waste 45 minutes each way bouncing across the channel to get to Playa Del Carmen but that is an option.

 

The West End in Roatan has nice beaches and good snorkeling.

 

Harvest Caye has a nice white beach but the water is shallow and cloudy. What is exceptional on Harvest Caye is the swimming pool which is huge and very pretty.

[hladygirl]

If it is just adults nacho cocum in Cozumel is a great beach/ pool day. All inclusive. $55pp I believe it still is. $17 taxi fair there for up to 4 people. You have to reserve online. Nice quiet day. We love it there.

[OCruisers]

10 hours ago, ziggyuk said:

Harvest Caye surly, it is NCL's private island which is all about the beach time.

 

Have you actually been to Harvest Cay?

Hope you'll be able to tell me some the things I've read from others are not so.

Seems many feel the beach area is not pretty - coarse ugly sand -  and the water is murky so not fun to swim and certainly not snorkel.

Your thoughts and those of others who have been there would be greatly appreciated.  

 

[ziggyuk]

5 hours ago, OCruisers said:

 

Have you actually been to Harvest Cay?

Hope you'll be able to tell me some the things I've read from others are not so.

Seems many feel the beach area is not pretty - coarse ugly sand -  and the water is murky so not fun to swim and certainly not snorkel.

Your thoughts and those of others who have been there would be greatly appreciated.  

 

 

Beach. water sports and a zip line but what else is there to do, Harvest Cay can't be more than a beach day.

I have not been but my friend has and agrees it's not especially nice and says he could not snorkel.

 

Maybe I'm looking at it the wrong way, I'm not much of a beach person and take the view that if you have a natural beach day and you only want one then all the others are not beach days.

Edited February 27, 2019 by ziggyuk

[MNcruisingcouple]

13 hours ago, OCruisers said:

 

Have you actually been to Harvest Cay?

Hope you'll be able to tell me some the things I've read from others are not so.

Seems many feel the beach area is not pretty - coarse ugly sand -  and the water is murky so not fun to swim and certainly not snorkel.

Your thoughts and those of others who have been there would be greatly appreciated.  

 

 

We were in Harvest Caye in January.  If you want to lay on the beach and enjoy seeing the water and feeling the sun, then it is great.  The sand is course and it isn’t a snorkeling beach.  

If snorkeling is a priority, Cozumel is easiest and Belize is excellent but just more involved getting to the location.

[Njkrewzer]

I was just in harvest caye. For me, it was more of a pool/watersports/ziplining day as the beach wasn't my favorite. I would suggest going to Playa Mia when youre in Cozumel. Short walk off the boat to the bus, short bus ride to the beach. If you do this, get the deluxe playa mia package, as it includes a large buffet as well. Beach is amazing, there is a ton of shopping, and so many watersports to choose from.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 2/26/2019 at 3:25 PM, Paul Bogle said:

Harvest Caye has a nice white beach but the water is shallow and cloudy. What is exceptional on Harvest Caye is the swimming pool which is huge and very pretty.

Harvest Caye's sand is far from white.... It's light brown and very coarse. Water was murky.

People who don't go to the FL beaches much seem to enjoy anything with water and sand, but we are a bit more spoiled. Many people enjoyed the zipline. A lot enjoyed a gorgeous pool. Kids loved the sprayground. But as far as the beaches go - this one is underwhelming.

 

The best beaches we had out of these four was at Costa Maya (Blue Kay beach bar) and Infinity beach at Roatan, Honduras. We don't like Cozumel (never had any good luck with nice beaches), but they are sort of like a very rocky Harvest Caye.

 

We love Panhandle Florida beaches - soft white sand and clear water.

Edited February 28, 2019 by Itchy&Scratchy

[Paul Bogle]

3 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

Harvest Caye's sand is far from white....

The best beaches we had out of these four was at Costa Maya (Blue Kay beach bar) and Infinity beach at Roatan, Honduras. Harvest Caye beach was not good at all. We don't like Cozumel but they are sort of like a very rocky Harvest Caye.

 

We love Panhandle Florida beaches - soft white sand and clear water.

If you live in the panhandle you are spoiled by the best sand in the nation. It's a shame the Breakaway doesn't stop for a beach day in Destin. 

 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

1 hour ago, Paul Bogle said:

If you live in the panhandle you are spoiled by the best sand in the nation. It's a shame the Breakaway doesn't stop for a beach day in Destin. 

 

We live 6 hours away from Panhandle and usually spend a week in Panama City Beach each year. It's lovely!

[zqvol]

I've been on that itinerary many times.

 

The beaches in order from best to worst:

 

Costa Maya - Best sand, water is crystal clear

Cozumel - Most beaches have imported sand, but there are plenty of good beaches - snorkeling can be iffy if that matters.

Harvest Caye - The problem here is that it is man made, the beach sand is full of shells, and the water is not very good.

Belize City - No beach  close to the port.

[zqvol]

On 2/26/2019 at 10:13 PM, OCruisers said:

 

Have you actually been to Harvest Cay?

Hope you'll be able to tell me some the things I've read from others are not so.

Seems many feel the beach area is not pretty - coarse ugly sand -  and the water is murky so not fun to swim and certainly not snorkel.

Your thoughts and those of others who have been there would be greatly appreciated.  

 

 

Been there three times and the descriptions that you mention are accurate.

[Visigoth]

On 2/26/2019 at 12:07 PM, dcipjr said:

When we were in Cozumel, we took the ferry to Playa del Carmen. The ferry port is right next to some beautiful beaches!

Of interest to some, that ferry is nicknamed the "Vomit Comet".  It is without a doubt the worst 40 minutes that you will ever spend on any boat.  

[dcipjr]

48 minutes ago, Visigoth said:

Of interest to some, that ferry is nicknamed the "Vomit Comet".  It is without a doubt the worst 40 minutes that you will ever spend on any boat.  

 

It didn't bother us, it was kind of fun actually. I do remember it as being rather...bouncy.

[Pwrmaster7]

Cozumel - rent a car and go to the wild side! unreal beaches and coves. Any time I go there that is the one thing I am guaranteed to do.

[zqvol]

On 3/1/2019 at 12:47 PM, Visigoth said:

Of interest to some, that ferry is nicknamed the "Vomit Comet".  It is without a doubt the worst 40 minutes that you will ever spend on any boat.  

 

It is smooth as silk  compared to the fishing boat we were on in Alaska. Just take your meds, but really for a beach day Playa Del Carmen is too far to go.