Harvest Caye, a 78 acre island a mile offshore from Southern Belize was just completed by Norwegian Cruise Line.
It has a dock big enough to accommodate the 4000-passenger Norwegian getaway. Not having to tender to a private port makes everything safer, faster and more convenient for guests.
While it feels like an island experience, Harvest Caye is only a 15 minute boat ride from the mainland Belize, where available tours include the Mayan archaeological ruins, a tropical spice farm, a savannah eco tour by boat and a rainforest river tubing and rafting excursion. On the island, a nature center displays boa constrictors, scarlet macaws and toucans. One popular feature is the butterfly house filled with bobbing iridescent blue morphos. A restaurant adds another dimension to Harvest Caye. The tropically themed, two-story Landshark Bar and Grill was designed by Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville Holdings and is operated by local food purveyor Provisions Belize. The restaurant overlooks a 15,000 square foot pool that comes with lifeguard supervision.
Harvest Caye’s most visible feature is a 136 foot tall lighthouse called the Flighthouse, an anchor for two ziplines, including the 1,300 foot Superman, in which riders fly prone swooping low over the beach.
When a ship arrives, guests will be greeted by a band playing and singing songs from the Afro Caribbean Garifuna subculture in Belize. Harvest Caye is outfitted with an abundance of fans, misers and shade umbrellas on the beach among their 2500 lounge chairs. a low canopy protects the pier walk from the ship to the entrance. The shopping village is lushly landscaped with tropical plants and local vendors.
