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CRUISING TO THE CARIBBEAN:
HARVEST CAYE page 1 |
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OVERVIEW
Harvest Caye is a private resort island destination for cruise ships of the Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings family of cruise lines - - Norwegian Cruise Island, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Sea Cruises.
Located in the Western Caribbean about a mile off the coast of southern Belize, Harvest Caye is on a 75 acre island. It has been developed to have a long sandy beach, an extensive pool, sports faculties including zip lines, and shops as well as bars and dining. The resort is clean and pleasantly landscaped. Placed among the numerous trees and flowering plants are sculptures and carvings. Norwegian purchased the island in 2013 and began construction in 2014. The resort opened in late 2016 following some $50 million in development. The project was not free from controversy. As a practical matter, this part of Belize had heretofore been a getaway for the rich and famous and some argued that it should not be opened up to mass market tourism. However, the benefit to the local economy and Norwegian's plans to be environmentally-friendly persuaded authorities to let the project proceed. The look and atmosphere of Harvest Caye is similar to other cruise line private destinations such as Carnival's resort-destination Mahogany Bay in Roatan. However, Norwegian has made an effort to ensure that its resort is not isolated from the rest of Belize. The employees operating the resort are locals, the offerings in the shopping village include Belizean products and there is a “Wildlife Experience” nature center with local plants and animals. Passengers can also take excursions to the Mayan ruins and the rain forest on the mainland. Cruisers familiar with Norwegian's private island in the Bahamas, Great Stirrup Cay, should not assume that Harvest Caye is just the same. First, the ships dock at Harvest Caye whereas guests go ashore by tender at GSC. Also, there is no complimentary dining at Harvest Caye. In addition, guests cannot use their ship key card to make food and drink purchases on Harvest Caye. In short, Harvest Caye operates more like an independent resort although the fees for some activities such as the ziplines and the shore excursions can be charged to the guest's onboard account. |
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Cruise destination - Harvest Caye - Norwegian Cruise Line - Overview