Belize Cruise from Fort Lauderdale: Port Everglades, Harvest Caye, Belize City and Boarding Documents

Somewhere between the airport shuttle and the long line of ships at the pier, the question comes up: can a cruise from Fort Lauderdale actually put you ashore in Belize? It can. Ships sail from Port Everglades to Belize, and the calls are made at two very different places, a private island with a pier in the south and the old Fort Street waterfront in Belize City.

Which Belize cruises leave from Fort Lauderdale?

Cruises that call at Belize leave from Port Everglades, a seaport in Fort Lauderdale within Broward County, and the port is one of the great cruise hubs of the world. In fiscal year 2025 it handled approximately 4,773,873 cruise passengers, which made it the fourth busiest cruise port globally by passenger volume. It serves major companies including Carnival Corporation & plc, Disney Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean Group.

Ships sail from here year-round. The peak season for cruise travel runs from November to April, and most itineraries in that stretch head to the Caribbean. That timing matters for Belize, because the Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, so the early months of the cruise calendar overlap with it.

The ships and the terminals

Each terminal belongs mostly to one company. Terminal 2 is primarily allocated to Carnival Corporation, Terminal 18 to Royal Caribbean Group, and Terminal 21 to Baleària and Carnival Corporation. Your cruise documents tell you which terminal to head for, so you only need to match the ship to its pier.

A few ships have drawn attention at Port Everglades lately. Legend of the Seas is the first Icon-Class ship to sail from the port. Crystal Symphony returns after a multi-million dollar refit. Orient Express Corinthian, a three-masted yacht from Orient Express Sailing Yachts, also sails from here. Whether a given sailing includes Belize depends on the itinerary, so the line’s own schedule is the place to confirm the call.

A port that sets records

On December 1, 2019, Port Everglades set a world record for the most cruise passengers in a single day, with 55,964 people boarding and disembarking. For a traveler the lesson is simple: this is a place built to move crowds, with ground transport, security and signage all designed around the ships. Questions about cruising from the port can go to [email protected] or to 954-468-3720.

How do you get to the cruise terminal in Fort Lauderdale?

Most travelers arrive by air, because Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) sits right next to Port Everglades. That adjacency means you can land, collect your bags and be at the terminal without crossing the region, and it is why so many cruise vacations start with a flight into this airport.

From the airport by taxi, shuttle or rideshare

Taxis, shuttles and rideshares are all available at Port Everglades. Cruise lines also offer their own transfers, which you can add when you book. Pick whichever matches your luggage and your group, and you will be dropped at the terminal named on your documents.

If you are arriving the day before, the Omni Fort Lauderdale Hotel is the only on-port accommodations at Port Everglades. Staying there puts the ships within sight of your window and takes the morning commute out of the plan entirely.

By car

Port Everglades has three entrances, conveniently located off interstates, highways and Florida’s Turnpike. That gives drivers several ways in, and your terminal assignment tells you which gate suits you best.

Friends or family collecting returning passengers have an easy option. Motorists picking up cruise passengers can wait in the free cell phone lot until their party is ready for pickup, which spares everyone circling the terminal roads while luggage is still coming off the ship.

At the security checkpoint

However you arrive, the checkpoint is the same. Cruise passengers must have their cruise documents and a government-issued photo ID, either a driver’s license or a passport, ready at Port Everglades’ security checkpoint. Keep both in hand rather than at the bottom of a bag.

Where do the ships stop in Belize?

Ships call at two ports in Belize: Harvest Caye in the south and the Fort Street Tourism Village in Belize City. They could hardly be more different, one a private island built around a dock and the other a tender port on a city waterfront.

Harvest Caye

Harvest Caye is a private island owned by Norwegian Cruise Line, located in southern Belize. The Harvest Caye Port sits on the southern end of the island and is the first port in Belize to accommodate cruise vessels to dock rather than requiring tenders. So here you step straight from ship to pier.

The island has wildlife exhibitions, including a blue morpho butterfly house. The caye has also been part of a public debate: in May 2017, personnel from Harvest Caye, accompanied by a Belize Forestry Department officer, removed a juvenile Scarlet Macaw from Belize Bird Rescue for the island’s exhibits, a story that drew criticism and is worth knowing if wildlife attractions matter to you.

Fort Street Tourism Village, Belize City

The Fort Street Tourism Village is at the mouth of Halouver Creek, on about two acres on the northern bank in Belize City. It is a tender port, with roughly 15 minutes from ship to shore, so you ride a small boat in rather than walking off.

Once ashore you find several courtyards, snack bars and local stores with duty-free shopping, plus restaurants and live local entertainment. Cruise calls in Belize go back a long way: the first cruise ship dropped anchor in Belize’s waters in 1991.

What do you need to board?

To board at Port Everglades you need your cruise documents and a government-issued photo ID, a driver’s license or a passport, shown at the security checkpoint. That is the requirement at the port itself, and it is the first thing checked on the way in.

The documents that matter for coming home are set by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and they depend on how you travel. The cruise returns you to a U.S. port by sea, which counts as a sea entry, but if you fly home for any reason, the air rules apply. Cases below cover both.

U.S. citizens returning by sea

U.S. citizens entering by land or sea can present a valid U.S. Passport, Passport Card, Enhanced Driver’s License, a Trusted Traveler Program card (NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST), 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 have a lighter requirement: U.S. and Canadian citizen children under 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.

If you return by air

U.S. citizens entering by air must present a valid U.S. Passport, a Trusted Traveler Program card, 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 by air, and the Indian or tribal card cannot be used for air travel. Lawful permanent residents of the United States must present a valid Permanent Resident Card to enter, and a passport is not required.

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.

Anyone entering or leaving Belize must declare currency exceeding US$10,000, which rarely matters on a cruise day but is the rule. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, so sailings in the autumn months fall inside it. In Belize City the Fort Street waterfront is where you land, and the south side of the city is where the State Department notes the highest concentration of violent crime historically.

Sources

Port Everglades, cruise (https://www.porteverglades.net/cruise/), checked October 11, 2026
Wikipedia, Port Everglades (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Everglades), checked October 11, 2026
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
Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport (Belize), FAQ (https://www.pgiabelize.com/about-us/faq/), checked October 11, 2026
Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport (Belize), Quick facts (https://www.pgiabelize.com/passenger-info/quick-facts/), 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