A cruise ship slows off the coast of Belize City, the water shifts from deep blue to green, and passengers crowd the rail to look for the small boats that will carry them ashore. Behind that scene sit the questions every cruiser asks: which ships come here, where they leave from, where they stop and what papers they need. Belize has two cruise ports, one a tender port in the largest city and one a private island that belongs to a single cruise line.
Which cruise lines call at Belize?
Norwegian Cruise Line is the one line the sources tie to a specific Belize port, because Harvest Caye in the south of the country is a private island that the company owns. Ships first dropped anchor in Belize’s waters in 1991, so the country has a long history of welcoming visitors who arrive by sea.
Harvest Caye Cruise Port, in the southern part of the Stann Creek District, caters only to Norwegian Cruise Line passengers. If you sail with another line, that is not the port on your itinerary. Passengers of other lines who call at Belize arrive instead through the tender port in Belize City, described in the sections that follow.
Norwegian Cruise Line and Harvest Caye
Harvest Caye sits in southern Belize and is owned by the cruise line. It has wildlife exhibitions, among them a blue morpho butterfly house, which gives the island a natural-history side beyond the beach. Passengers on a Norwegian ship who step onto the island are on the company’s own property, a different experience from a day in a town.
The island has also been the subject of controversy. In May 2017, personnel from Harvest Caye, accompanied by Edgar Correa of the Belize Forestry Department, removed a juvenile Scarlet Macaw from Belize Bird Rescue to add to the island’s wildlife exhibits. Some travelers weigh episodes like this when they decide how to spend a port day.
Other lines and the Belize City port
Belize City is the country’s principal port and its financial and industrial hub, and it is the largest city in Belize. Its cruise port is the Fort Street Tourism Village, which serves ships that anchor offshore. The village has several courtyards, snack bars, restaurants, live local entertainment and local stores with duty-free shopping, so there is something to do within the port itself before you head out on an excursion.
Your cruise line’s own materials tell you which of the two ports your ship uses. What changes from port to port is how you get ashore and what is waiting there, which the next sections explain.
Which ports do Belize cruises leave from?
Belize’s two cruise ports are ports of call rather than home ports, so the ships you board there are already under way.
Fort Street Tourism Village, Belize City
The Fort Street Tourism Village is at the mouth of Haulover Creek, on about two acres on the northern bank in Belize City. Belize City itself lies in Belize District on the Caribbean coast, at the mouth of that creek, a distributary of the Belize River. It was the capital of British Honduras until the government moved to Belmopan in 1970, and its role as the main port goes back a long way.
The village has a mailing address at 38 Fort Street, Belize City, and its telephone numbers are (501) 223-7786 and (501) 223-7789. Victor Cawich Mulligan is the Port Facility Security Officer. These details matter mainly to anyone arranging a private tour or a transfer with the village.
Harvest Caye Cruise Port, southern Stann Creek District
Harvest Caye Cruise Port is on the southern end of Harvest Caye, an island in southern Belize. The port facility is ISPS compliant, meaning it follows the international security code for ships and port facilities. Its position is given at 16°28’20” north and 88°24’20.2” west, for anyone who likes to find it on a chart.
Only Norwegian Cruise Line passengers use this port. Because it is a private island, there is no town to wander into, and what you do depends on what the island itself offers.
Where do the ships stop?
Ships stop at two places: the Fort Street Tourism Village in Belize City, where passengers go ashore by tender, and Harvest Caye in the south, where ships dock at a pier. The difference shapes the start of your day.
| Port | Where | How you reach shore |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Street Tourism Village | Belize City, mouth of Haulover Creek | Tender, approximately 15 minutes ship to shore |
| Harvest Caye Cruise Port | Southern end of Harvest Caye, southern Belize | Ship docks at the port |
A tender day in Belize City
At Fort Street, small boats shuttle between the ship and the village, and the ride takes approximately 15 minutes. You arrive in a compact village of courtyards where snack bars, restaurants and shops with duty-free shopping wait, with live local entertainment as part of the setting.
Maya Island Air offers aerial shore excursions that soar over the historic Bay of Belize City and above the rustic colonial homes of the Baymen, and they include a view of the Great Blue Hole.
The Great Blue Hole is a protected natural monument in Belize District and a prime ecotourism destination, and the Belize Barrier Reef, the second largest in the world, is a World Heritage Site. Details of the Great Blue Hole tour are on a separate page of the airline’s site.
A docking day at Harvest Caye
Harvest Caye Port is the first port in Belize where cruise vessels can dock rather than anchor and send passengers ashore on tenders. Walking off the ship straight onto the island makes for a simpler start to the day. On the island, the wildlife exhibitions include a blue morpho butterfly house, a good first stop for anyone interested in the country’s nature before or after time on the beach.
What do you need to board?
What you need depends on the kind of cruise, and for U.S. citizens on a closed-loop cruise, one that begins and ends at the same U.S. port, a birth certificate and a government-issued photo ID are enough to enter the United States. That is the rule for coming home, and it is separate from what Belize and your cruise line ask of you.
U.S. citizens on closed-loop cruises may still be required to present a passport to enter the countries the ship visits, and the guidance is to check with the cruise line for the appropriate documents. In practice, the cruise line is the authority on what you carry for the whole voyage.
Other ways back into the United States
If your trip is not a closed-loop cruise, or if you fly home, different documents apply. By air, U.S. citizens must present a valid U.S. passport, a Trusted Traveler Program card (NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST), a U.S. Military identification card when traveling on official orders, or a U.S. Merchant Mariner document when traveling in conjunction with official maritime business. Children must present their own passport when traveling by air.
By land or sea, the list is longer. U.S. citizens can present a valid passport, a Passport Card, an Enhanced Driver’s License, a Trusted Traveler Program card, a U.S. Military identification card on official orders, a U.S. Merchant Mariner document for official maritime business, a Form I-872 American Indian Card or an Enhanced Tribal Card.
Children and permanent residents
U.S. and Canadian citizen children under age 16, or under 19 if traveling with a school, religious or youth group, need only present a birth certificate or other proof of citizenship when entering by land or sea. Lawful permanent residents of the United States are still required to present a valid Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551) or other valid evidence of permanent residence status when entering by land or sea, and a passport is not required for them. The same card is required for entry by air.
Good to know before you go
The U.S. State Department rates Belize Level 2, “Exercise increased caution”, because of crime, and says the south side of Belize City has historically had the highest concentration of violent crime.
Cruise calls in Belize fall within or beside the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30, so an itinerary in those months can change with the weather. In Belize City, the Fort Street Tourism Village keeps the port day in a contained setting of courtyards and shops, a practical base before heading out on an excursion.
Sources
- Belize Tourism Board, Cruise licensing (https://www.belizetourismboard.org/licensing/cruise/), checked October 11, 2026
- Belize Port Authority, Fort Street Tourism Village port (https://portauthority.bz/belize-port-facilities/fort-street-tourism-village-port/), checked October 11, 2026
- Belize Port Authority, Harvest Caye port (https://portauthority.bz/belize-port-facilities/harvest-caye-port/), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Harvest Caye (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvest_Caye), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Belize City (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belize_City), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Tourism in Belize (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_Belize), checked October 11, 2026
- Maya Island Air, Shore excursions (https://www.mayaislandair.com/belize-shore-excursions/), checked October 11, 2026
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/western-hemisphere-travel-initiative), checked October 11, 2026
- U.S. Department of State, Belize Travel Advisory, Level 2, March 11, 2026 (https://travel.state.gov/), checked October 11, 2026
- NOAA National Hurricane Center, Climatology (https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/), checked October 11, 2026
All our pages
When to go
Things to do
- Belize Shore Excursions: Altun Ha, Lamanai, Nohoch Che'en and Flights Over the Great Blue Hole
- Harvest Caye Belize: Norwegian's Private Island, the Dock and What to Do Ashore
- Things to Do at Harvest Caye: Beach, Zip-Lining, Butterflies and Water Sports
- Do You Need a Passport for a Belize Cruise? Closed-Loop Rules, Fort Street Tender Port and Missing the Ship
- Things to Do in Belize City on a Cruise Day: Swing Bridge, Museum of Belize and Day Excursions
Where to stay
Getting there
- Altun Ha from the Belize City Cruise Port: the Jade Head, the Temple Pyramids and the Road North
- Belize City Cruise Port: Fort Street Tourism Village, Tender Landings and What to Do Ashore
- Cave Tubing from the Belize City Cruise Port: Nohoch Che'en, Chaa Creek and What to Pack
- Belize Cruise from Fort Lauderdale: Port Everglades, Harvest Caye, Belize City and Boarding Documents
- Belize Cruise from Galveston: Ports of Call, Terminals and Boarding Documents
- Belize Cruise from Miami: Ships, Terminals, Belize Ports and Boarding Documents
- Belize Cruise from New Orleans: Ports of Call, the Terminal and What to Carry
- Belize Cruise from Port Canaveral: Terminals, Belize Ports and Boarding Documents
- Belize Cruise from Tampa: Ports of Call, the Terminal and What to Carry