Harvest Caye is a small but beautiful island off of Belize that is owned by Norwegian Cruise Line. It is a popular stop on NCL’s Western Caribbean itineraries.
To have the best day in Harvest Caye, don’t make these mistakes.
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1. Forgetting water shoes
This is a mistake I made and is one I won’t make again. The sand was surprisingly coarse at Harvest Caye. When it got between my foot and sandal, which it always did, it was extra uncomfortable.
Water shoes would also help protect your feet from the hot sand when getting in and out of the ocean and from stepping on anything sharp.
Waster shoes take up little space in your luggage and are fairly inexpensive.
2. Not bringing your own floatie
I brought my water hammock and was so glad I did. And, judging by the number of people who asked me if I rented it there or brought it myself, I can tell others thought it was a mistake not having brought their own.
These water hammocks are perfect to bring on a cruise because they take up so little space in your suitcase and take very little effort to blow up. You can lay on it or sit in it.
3. Not bringing water
I suggest brining your own refillable water bottle on a NCL cruise as bottled water isn’t included in their drink packages.
Be sure to bring that water bottle full of ice and water off with you in Belize. It will save you a few dollars.
4. Not getting off the ship early
This is especially important for shade lovers. If you are wanting/needing shade for the day, plan on getting off the ship early. Chairs under the palm trees fill up fast and even the purchased shade covers can sell out quickly.
5. Not checking out the pool and the beach
Not checking out the pool and the beach before deciding on where to spend most of our day was a mistake we made.
We made a beeline for the beach and didn’t stop on our way to check out the pool. When we did stop on the way back to the ship we realized how beautiful the pool was.
We wished we had spent more time there than at the beach. But we heard others who had spent most of their time at the pool say they wish they would have checked out the beach earlier.
By the way, there is no cost to use the pool.
6. Not bringing enough cash for drinks
While you won’t need much cash on Harvest Caye because any activities or shade umbrella rentals are charged to your shipboard account, drinks and purchases made in the gift shops are not.
I’m not sure why I expected drinks to be cheaper, but I did. When we visited in Nov 2024 a mojito was $15 and a small can of Heineken beer with a bottle of coke as almost $14. I know that is standard vacation pricing so not sure why I was surprised. Just keep that in mind when calculating how much cash you want to bring ashore.
7. Not bringing closed-toe shoes if ziplining
If you plan on ziplining in Harvest Caye, bring closed-toe shoes. It will save you the $5 Crocs rental.
There was the Superman zipline, where you zip line in a laying position head first and a regular zipline. The price in Nov. 2024 was $75 for the Superman and $65 for the regular zipline. The $5 Croc rental if needed is on top of that.
These charges are billed directly to your onboard account. The prices can change, it is meant to just give you an idea of what to expect.
As you can see none of these mistakes will wreck your day, just being prepared will make your day more enjoyable and in some cases a little less expensive.
Have a wonderful time in Harvest Caye!
If you are cruising with NCL you might be interested in these 9 Delicious drinks to try on your next NCL cruise vacation.