Several major cruise lines and many lesser-known lines dock in the cruise entry port at Belize City. Carnival Cruise Line is the only company offering cruises year-round. From mid-October to the end of April, Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean International cruise to Belize, with additional limited trips offered by Holland America, Aida Cruises, Oceania Cruises, V Ships Leisure, Voyages of Discovery, Cunard Line Ltd. and Regent Seven Seas. The cruise lines offer bookings online for nearly any activity, tour or excursion.
All cruise ships arrive in Belize City and are tendered ashore in small watercraft. After a 20-minute trip, visitors land in Tourism Village, where live entertainment, port agents, tour operators and licensed tour guides are waiting. Vendors cannot enter the village without a license. This ordinance is designed to prevent the gauntlet of overly aggressive marketing tactics common to Bahama ports. Tourism Village features a variety of stores, shops selling locally made goods and restaurants, as well as all forms of transportation, tour departure points and equipment rentals. Even if a visitor hasn't booked a tour through the cruise line, there are plenty of activities and attractions in Tourism Village or five minutes away in Belize City.
After disembarking in Belize City, one of the most interesting and memorable day trips is a trip to the Altun Ha, one of the cities left behind by the ancient Mayans. Impressive tombs and temples built between 100 and 500 AD still stand in a city that was once a busy trade hub for jade and obsidian. The most commanding structure is the Temple of the Masonry Altars, thought to be the home of the community's religious and ceremonial events. Altun Ha is about an hour's drive from Belize City and many tours and buses are available for transportation but one option is to book a 1-1/2 hour trip by boat up the Wallace River, enjoying the sights and the amazing variety of rain-forest wildlife followed by a short coach ride to Altun Ha for an afternoon of exploring.
Belize is a paradise for water sport enthusiasts, sun worshipers and underwater adventurers. Choices range from a day on the pristine beaches of Caulker Cay, a deep-sea fishing expedition, renting water craft or catching a high-speed catamaran to the circular reef of Turniffe Flats for a day of snorkeling or diving. One of the most unusual water excursions is a guided inner tube float down the Sibun River, passing through limestone caves formed millions of years ago.
The Belize government is committed to managing tourism in an economic, environmental and socially sustainable manner to meet the economic needs of the people while sustaining the natural habitats of the country's indigenous wildlife. The Belize Sustainable Tourism Program works to preserve the sustainability of cruise and other forms of tourism in several different ways. One goal is to enhance the experience of the tourist and offer a diverse range of destinations to meet a wide range of interests and to diversify tourism products serving those destinations. Setting and enforcing policies for planning and management of destination sites is another goal.
To achieve these goals, Belize tourism board has worked to enhance Belize's reputation as an eco-tourism destination by approving minimally invasive activities like kayaking tours, zip lines and horseback riding tours. Tour operators and guides are required to register and expected to act in a responsible and ethical manner.
