Fort Street Tourism Village: Belize City’s Cruise Port, What Is Inside and How Passengers Reach It

When a cruise ship drops anchor off Belize City, the first thing passengers see is a low skyline of church towers and zinc roofs, and a small boat bobbing toward the shore. That boat is headed for the Fort Street Tourism Village, the place where most of a day in Belize City begins. It is a compact, walled-in landing with shops, food and music, set at the mouth of Haulover Creek.

What is the Fort Street Tourism Village?

The Fort Street Tourism Village is the cruise port of Belize City, a small complex on the northern bank of Haulover Creek where it meets the Caribbean Sea, built to receive passengers from ships anchored offshore. It sits on about two acres of land, which makes it a landing and gathering place rather than a sprawling terminal. The mailing address is 38 Fort Street, Belize City, and the name comes from the street that leads to it.

Belize City itself is the largest city in the country and its principal port, as well as its financial and industrial hub. It stands on a small peninsula that pushes out into the Caribbean, and it was the capital of British Honduras before the government moved inland to Belmopan. The village is the city’s front door for visitors who arrive by sea, and it works only when ships are in town.

A tender port, not a dock

Fort Street is a tender port. Ships anchor in the water and passengers ride small boats to the village, a trip of approximately 15 minutes from ship to shore. For many travelers that little crossing is part of the arrival: you leave the big ship behind, watch the low city grow larger, and step off right into the courtyards of the village.

The first cruise ship dropped anchor in Belize’s waters in 1991, and the country’s cruise story has grown from that moment. Belize has a second cruise port, Harvest Caye in the southern Stann Creek District, but it caters only to Norwegian Cruise Line passengers. Fort Street is the one in the city, and it is the landing for the other lines.

When the village is open

The Tourism Village is only open when a cruise ship is in town. That means no wandering in on a quiet day for a coffee, and it also means that when a ship is anchored the place is fully awake, with shops staffed and entertainment under way. Travelers can view the cruise schedule through the BTB Cruise App, which is a free download on Google Play and the iOS App Store.

Who runs it and who to call

The village has its own security officer, Victor Cawich Mulligan, who serves as Port Facility Security Officer. Its telephone numbers are (501) 223-7786 and (501) 223-7789. Complaints can go to the Belize Port Authority, reachable by email at [email protected] or by phone at (501) 222-5665, and the emergency number is 966.

Cruise travelers in Belize are active ones. The disembarkation rate for passengers is 80 percent, and the tour purchasing rate among those who step ashore is 60 percent, against a Caribbean average of 35 percent. In plain terms, most people on board do go ashore, and a good share of them head out on excursions rather than staying near the pier.

What is inside the village?

Inside the village you find several courtyards, snack bars, local stores with duty-free shopping, restaurants and live local entertainment. It is built to be a first stop, a place to get your bearings, buy a souvenir and have something to eat or drink before or after an outing.

Courtyards and live music

The courtyards give the village its character. They are open spaces between the buildings where passengers gather, wait for tour groups and settle in with a drink. Live local entertainment plays here, so the first sounds of Belize that many visitors hear are local rhythms rather than a ship’s loudspeaker.

Because the complex is small, it is easy to take in at a glance. You can stroll from one courtyard to the next, look in at the stores and decide where to sit, without a long walk in between. It suits travelers who like to ease into a port rather than rush out of it.

Shopping and duty-free stores

The local stores include duty-free shopping, so the village is a natural place to browse for gifts and keepsakes. Shops here are local ones, which gives you a chance to look for Belizean souvenirs close to the landing rather than hunting through town.

If you are heading out on an excursion, the stores are a pleasant way to fill the minutes before your group gathers. If you are staying in the city, they make a good first stop before you go any farther on foot.

Snack bars and restaurants

The snack bars and restaurants let you eat without leaving the complex. A cold drink at a courtyard table is a simple way to begin or end the day, and a sit-down meal is there for those who want one. Belize City is a place to try local cooking, and the village puts it within a few steps of the landing.

Nearby, the city offers its own sights. The Swing Bridge, the only functioning, manually operated swing bridge in the world, crosses Haulover Creek in Belize City, and it is a landmark that many visitors look for during a stop in town.

How do passengers reach it?

Passengers reach the village by tender: the ship anchors offshore and small boats carry people to the landing, a ride of approximately 15 minutes from ship to shore. There is no gangway to the pier, so the day begins on the water.

From the ship to the shore

Once you step off the tender, you are inside the village, at the mouth of Haulover Creek on the city’s northern bank. From there the courtyards, shops and restaurants are right at hand, which makes it easy to meet a tour group or simply take a look around.

Since the village is only open when a ship is in town, its rhythm follows the cruise calendar. The BTB Cruise App, free on Google Play and the iOS App Store, lets you see the schedule of ships.

Beyond the village

The village is also a starting point for those who want to see more of the country. Belize City is served by Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport in Ladyville, northwest of the city, and by Belize City Municipal Airport within the city. Buses leave the city for the Northern Zone, to Orange Walk and Corozal, about every half hour from 5:30AM to 7:30PM, and for the Western Zone, to Belmopan, San Ignacio and Benque Viejo Del Carmen, between 5AM and 9PM.

With so many passengers buying tours once ashore, the village often serves as the gathering point where excursions begin. Those who prefer a slower day can stay in the courtyards, shop, eat and listen to the music before the boat ride back.

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.

The cruise season overlaps the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30, so ships and ports follow the weather in those months. For problems at the port, the Belize Port Authority takes complaints, and the emergency number is 966. Belize City sits on a small peninsula on the Caribbean coast, and the village puts shops, food and music in one spot at the landing, which keeps a short stop simple.