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One Day Spent Exploring the Belize Cruise Port

One Relaxing Day Spent Exploring the Belize Cruise Port

Author Mary Chong
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Cruise ship port terminals are often just pit stops for you to catch your excursion bus or taxi to tour you around the city, but sometimes in a case like Belize City Belize, the Cruise Port is the destination!

Since the city of Belize has a very shallow port area, cruise ships aren’t physically able to dock next to the pier. As a result, ships must lay anchor a few miles out in the middle of the ocean where the water is deeper and rely upon local Belize Port Authority ferries to transport (a.k.a. tender) passengers off of the ship and onto the mainland.

I find the entire tender process to be a pain since the ferries carry so few people compared to the number of passengers that wish to go ashore. The actual ride is only about 20 minutes but, the waiting, lines ups, and time spent seems to take forever!

Note: There aren’t any beaches near the Belize City cruise port.

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Three options to visit Belize City when on a Western Caribbean Cruise

1. Book a tour from the cruise lines shore excursions desk where you will receive priority disembarkation ahead of the regular passengers without tour tickets. Excursion are easy but can be expensive. Options include tours of the Mayan ruins, cave tubing and water sports adventures and most include time for Belize cruise port shopping.

OR

2. Get everyone in your party together, gather all of your belongings, queue in a line to pick up numbered tender tickets, and then wait in the designated waiting area for your ticket to be called. (Free but time-consuming and stressful)

OR

3. Skip the crowds, sleep in and spend the morning having a leisurely breakfast. After 10 am or so, Cruise staff will announce that tender tickets are no longer required to go to the Belize Cruise Port. At this point, gather all of your belongings and head straight down to the gangway and walk directly onto the ferry. (My personal choice)

What to do in Belize Cruise Port

Once you are happily standing firmly on the ground, explore the shops, restaurants, and bars at the Belize cruise port Fort Street Tourism Village.

Here is a photo of the Belize Cruise Port Map sign and pictures of Belize cruise port.

One Day Spent Exploring the Belize Cruise Port | Fort Street Tourism Village
One Day Spent Exploring the Belize Cruise Port - Fort Street Tourism Village
One Day Spent Exploring the Belize Cruise Port - Fort Street Tourism Village

Have a few photo moments — perfect for social media, your annual newsletter and scrapbook!

There is a Belize sign inside the village.

One Day Spent Exploring the Belize Cruise Port by Calculated Traveller

There is also a Belize sign outside of the tourism village next to the Baron Bliss Lighthouse. You can spot it as you are riding the tender ashore. To get to the lighthouse, walk outside the village gates and turn right along the road to get to the memorial.

One Day Spent Exploring the Belize Cruise Port

There is one more Belize sign in the city, but I’ve yet to discover it!

While you are out by the lighthouse, you might as well walk through town to get some local flavour. Just be aware that Belize is one of the poorer cities in the Caribbean. The city isn’t as commercially developed as cities such as Nassau or Grand Cayman. We’ve never had any safety issues but, we stick to the Fort Street main drag and don’t venture too far away from the terminal.

One Day Spent Exploring the Belize Cruise Port

TIP: Watch your step as you walk through town. The roads and sidewalk are not maintained, and a lot of spots need repair. Be careful also when crossing the street, as cars do not yield to pedestrians.

If you did manage to leave the cruise ship early, you could also check out some other nearby islands such as Caye Caulker by taking one of the local island water taxis. The ferry terminal is on Fort Street in the opposite direction of the lighthouse and here you can hop on the Belize Express.

Read about Caye Caulker Belize:
5 Great Caribbean Snorkeling Beaches
Where to Eat on the Beautiful Island of Caye Caulker Belize

One Day Spent Exploring the Belize Cruise Port - Water Taxi

Here is a photo of the Belize Express timetable — read it carefully, confirm the schedule when you buy your ticket, and remember that the cruise ship will not wait for you should the water taxi be late. So, keep an eye on your watch.

One Day Spent Exploring the Belize Cruise Port - Belize Express Schedule
CruiseDirect

Have you visited the Port of Belize before? What would you do if you only have one day in paradise?

Calculated Traveller Magazine Shares What to do in One Day Exploring the Belize Cruise Port.

For other cruise port ideas, read:
A Cruise Guide to Mahogany Bay Roatan Honduras
San Francisco Beach Club on Playa Paradise Beach, Cozumel, Mexico
3 very different adventures in Mahahual, Costa Maya, Mexico
Chilling with the Chickens at West Bay Cemetery Beach Grand Cayman