Although it just opened in November 2016, Harvest Caye private island is the new hot spot!
The country of Belize has left a lot to be desired by cruisers. While it is possible to visit Belize by cruise ship if you tender to shore by a smaller boat, it can be an unpleasant experience for travelers. It’s just not worth the hassle for some as there isn’t a lot to do in the country. Harvest Caye may be the answer that those in the travel industry have been hoping for.
A New Kind Of Beach Resort
Norwegian Cruise Line is the developer and owner of the new island resort, Harvest Caye. It is located around a mile from the mainland and features a 78-acres. It’s filled with 7 acres of sandy beaches and a huge pool with a swim up bar. For those that want a little bit of privacy, there are beach villas that are available for rent for the day for $499. It’s not all about swimming and lounging around though as there’s also parasailing, kayaking and zip lining. Kids can also enjoy the splash park that has a variety of water related items to squirt others and get wet. On the island there’s a shopping village that consists of not only retailers, but bars and eateries as well, including the LandShark restaurant which is part of Jimmy Buffet’s chain.
Other Experiences Are Available
While the pier is large enough so that large cruise ships can easily dock there so cruisers don’t have to tender to shore, they will have to take a small boat to other parts of Belize to experience all that the island has to offer. Norwegian didn’t intend for cruisers to only visit Harvest Caye while in Belize. They are also selling half day outings to the Mayan ruins that consists of a 15 minute ride on a boat and then about another 30 or so minutes in a van or on a bus. Other excursions include rain forest tubing and rafting. Overall, Harvest Caye is a good central hub and a great option for travelers to come back to after a long day of exploring. In the future Norwegian hopes to add a water taxi service to the town of Placencia.
It took millions of dollars and close to three years for the development of Harvest Caye to be completed. This included the massive dredging that had to be done in order for large cruise ships to be able to reach the pier. The area could bring in upwards of 4,000 passengers to the area per sailing. To put that into perspective, that’s about three times as many people that actually live in Placencia. Currently the Norwegian Dawn is the only ship sailing to Harvest Caye, but the Norwegian Cruise Line Getaway and the Escape will be sailing there soon and the Jade & NCL Pearl will occasionally be sailing there as well in addition to some Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceania Cruises.
