Need Help for a book. A cruise from 1997

Hoping someone here can help me out. I've been trying to find resources on older cruise ship itineraries for a fictional book I'm writing for a friend. Purely for fun. But, I was hoping I could find an actual cruise that departed Tampa and made its way to Belize in 1997. I'm not having any luck searching on my own. I could tweak the departure location from Tampa to Miami or Fort Lauderdale. If one does exist, I'd like to know the port of calls, duration, cruise line, dates, etc. If the search comes up short, I'd love some help coming up with something plausible for that time period. Thanks in advance!

Welcome to Cruise Critic. The first thing you need to do is find out if any cruises went to Belize in 1997. Seems to me it is a relatively recent addition to the ports - maybe ten years. You might also ask on the Ports of Call boards for the Caribbean. Experts there might be able to tell you. If you are really serious about research, you might contact the tourism bureau in Belize. EM

You might try the Wayback Machine at archive.org. I tried it a little and I was able to find some information about Carnival cruises in 1997-1998, though none went to Belize.

You could always find a real cruise with a real ship, but alter one of the destinations so it stops in Belize instead of, say, Cozumel.

Whatever you find, the ship in the story will have to be a good fit for the characters. That is, if your characters were traveling today, what line and what ship would they likely choose? Say your characters are a wealthy couple in their 60s traveling without children -- they would probably not go on Carnival, while that line might be perfect for a middle-American family of five.

I write for fun and other reasons -- it's enjoyable and rewarding. So, let me know if you have questions or want to discuss the story.

Does it have to be 1997? Can it be a few years later? We sailed out of Tampa in 2004, and we sailed to Grand Cyman, Costa Maya, Cozumel and Belize.

Athlen, thank you so much for the reply. I used the WayBack site and came up with the same results as you. If only the route went just a little further south, I'd be golden! Definitely leaning towards Carnival as my characters are mid to late 20's with a child, will be flexible with details going forward. Bonus, the only cruise I've been on is with Carnival. I'll definitely keep you in mind if I need some input on the story.. the cruise is only a small part. Though, there is a man overboard situation, which was really interesting to research. The project has been incredibly fun and informative. I've done a ton of exploring with Google Maps around the Mahahual area (where the bulk of the story takes place) and now I'm itching to travel there someday. Thanks again for being so helpful!

LadyBeBop, I'm coming up empty handed for my original criteria, so I am definitely open to changing the year. It sounds like your POCs will fit perfectly in my story. I really needed to get around the Costa Maya area. I'd love to hear more details on that particular cruise.. name of ship, possibly Captain?, dates.. did you have any memory particularly stand out at the Costa Maya port? Thank you so much for responding :)

Does it have to be 1997? Can it be a few years later? We sailed out of Tampa in 2004, and we sailed to Grand Cyman, Costa Maya, Cozumel and Belize.

The Carnival Legend sailed r.t. from Tampa (I have the 2007-2009 brochure): Day at sea, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Belize, Costa Maya, day at sea. Wish I could go back further in time, CappiCap.

My parents and their friends did a similar cruise on RCI's Legend OTS in 2005. They enjoyed the day in Costa Maya, renting golf carts and going to Cats Meow on the beach (a 12 min. drive). Cats Meow was great- safe food, purified water, $2 beers, spotless bathroom, massages next door for $20 (30-45 mins.). The folks had lunch there and met Barbara the owner, along with her 18 yr. old black cat, So-So.

Of course, CAT 5 Hurricane Dean made a direct hit in August 2007 and certainly changed things. Portions of the concrete docks were torn away by the waves and the port was closed to cruise ships for a year or so.

Enjoy your research and writing your book- let us know when it gets published! My DH is a aspiring screenwriter. :cool:

Correction to my post- my parents were on RCI's Legend OTS in 2007, not 2005.

FL/Cozumel/Roatan,Honduras/Belize/Key West/FL

(Premier Line's: SEA BREEZE; the line is now defunct)

Above is a cruise that DH & I took in March 1999. I think we left from FFL.

if you are writing fiction

what difference does it make?

99% of the readers will not know if you make things up ......

I went thru LENGHTS on a similar discussion with another author and they finally decided TRUTH got WAY WAY too much in the way of their chosen story line .....

You won't be alone .... Clancy for one was VERY creative in his descriptions of things at sea like Coast Guard operations .... very few noticed or cared. Hiaasen too .... VERY liberal with Florida reality ... most readers like him MORE for it.

1997, Carnival Destiny, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Costa maya/Cozumel from Miami any good to you?

Hiaasen too .... VERY liberal with Florida reality ... most readers like him MORE for it.

Hiaasen knows Florida and his novels come across as authentic despite the exaggerated characters. Imho, authors should use a setting they have actually seen.

When you get around to writing about life on the ship, things were very different then from now. Cabins had separate keys from your cruise card, which might have been paper. No specialty restaurants, many ships had no buffet, all meals taken in the MDR and only fixed dining at dinner. I realize you said that the cruise was only a small part of the story, but maybe you should start another thread asking about differences between ships then and now, asking only for replies from those who sailed 1997 and before. EM