Ziplining, Harvest Caye & Placencia

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

I know there's a port of call section for port questions, but I thought I'd post here, as many people on here may have gone to Harvest Caye and can answer my questions.  We'll be visiting Harvest Caye on Oceania and I was wondering if anyone can give me information about the ziplining there. Do you have to take a ship's excursion, or is it possible to just walk over to the "Flighthouse" and book a trip?  And if so, what are the prices like - same as what the ship charges, or different?  Oceania is offering a 1 hour excursion, and I figure that's probably just one zip on the shorter ride in the seated position  But what if you want to do the Superman ride?  

 

Also, if anyone knows how things work in Harvest Caye regarding the "ferry" to Placencia, could you let me know?  Do you buy a ticket on your cruise ship, or somewhere in Harvest Caye?  And while I doubt I will, if you plan an independent excursion on shore, how do you get ashore to meet the vendor?  Is there tender service?

 

Also, if you went to the ruins near the Caye, or did anything else other than enjoying the things on Harvest Caye island itself, did you feel it was worthwhile?  

[kamikazii]

Hi! We went a few years ago, Placencia was our absolute favorite, highly recommend. We bought tickets on shore once we got off the ship. They group you together and take you over in shifts. It’s a pretty quick ride over. You would do that regardless if you’ve booked independent plans or just want to walk around town, unless your excursion specifically gives you other instructions. We explored the area, ate at a local restaurant, and relaxed on the most beautiful beach. 
 

We talked to a few people who did not ferry over to Placencia and stayed on the shore and went back to the ship a little early. We used up ALL our time on Placencia, ferried back over, dipped in the pool for all of 10 minutes and then got back on the ship. It was our favorite stop of the whole itinerary. But we also love “off the beaten path” areas. 

[ggTexasGal]

13 hours ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

Do you have to take a ship's excursion, or is it possible to just walk over to the "Flighthouse" and book a trip?  And if so, what are the prices like - same as what the ship charges, or different?  Oceania is offering a 1 hour excursion, and I figure that's probably just one zip on the shorter ride in the seated position  But what if you want to do the Superman ride?

If you do not book online with NCL pre-cruise, you could visit the ShorEx desk onboard the ship, or utilize your stateroom TV, or use a kiosk screen onboard. If you utilize none of these, there is a Shore Excursion building once you reach the island.  After you have your Shore Excursion ticket(s), you head to the indicated gathering spot (should be listed on your tickets).

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

55 minutes ago, kamikazii said:

Hi! We went a few years ago, Placencia was our absolute favorite, highly recommend. We bought tickets on shore once we got off the ship. They group you together and take you over in shifts. It’s a pretty quick ride over. You would do that regardless if you’ve booked independent plans or just want to walk around town, unless your excursion specifically gives you other instructions. We explored the area, ate at a local restaurant, and relaxed on the most beautiful beach. 
 

We talked to a few people who did not ferry over to Placencia and stayed on the shore and went back to the ship a little early. We used up ALL our time on Placencia, ferried back over, dipped in the pool for all of 10 minutes and then got back on the ship. It was our favorite stop of the whole itinerary. But we also love “off the beaten path” areas. 

Thanks.  We love off the beaten path places too.  I'm leaning towards definitely going over to Placencia, probably on my own on the boat (or is it a ship tender?)  You don't remember where you were dropped, do you?  I'm trying to get a sense of how walkable the island is and how easy it is to get a taxi to somewhere if where you're let off isn't close to where you want to explore. And I think the village is in the middle of the island. 

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

49 minutes ago, ggTexasGal said:

If you do not book online with NCL pre-cruise, you could visit the ShorEx desk onboard the ship, or utilize your stateroom TV, or use a kiosk screen onboard. If you utilize none of these, there is a Shore Excursion building once you reach the island.  After you have your Shore Excursion ticket(s), you head to the indicated gathering spot (should be listed on your tickets).

Thank you.  I've been trying to look for good information on just what's available on Harvest Caye, but haven't found anything other than a little flyer document quickly describing excursions offered from the island. So it's good to know I can get off and find the shore excursion building ashore. I'd love to find out how much they charge for the excursions if purchased ashore, especially if they offer various zipline excursions or the boat to Placencia, but so far I haven't found that information online. 

[ggTexasGal]

24 minutes ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

Thank you.  I've been trying to look for good information on just what's available on Harvest Caye, but haven't found anything other than a little flyer document quickly describing excursions offered from the island. So it's good to know I can get off and find the shore excursion building ashore. I'd love to find out how much they charge for the excursions if purchased ashore, especially if they offer various zipline excursions or the boat to Palencia, but so far I haven't found that information online. 

I found this from a recent cruise.  I hope it helps some...

 

BTW, did you try looking on NCL? ncl.com/excursions

Edited May 12 by ggTexasGal
added info

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

Thanks, I saw this and looked at the zipline stuff, but didn't look for the excursion building.  But I see it now!  And I guess the boat to Placencia leaves from the Marina behind the excursion building.  And I'm laughing because of course the shops are near the entrance!

 

I'll take a look at the NCL excursions.  We're on Oceania so excursions may be a bit different.  But any (accurate) info is helpful.......

[kamikazii]

1 hour ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

Thanks.  We love off the beaten path places too.  I'm leaning towards definitely going over to Placencia, probably on my own on the boat (or is it a ship tender?)  You don't remember where you were dropped, do you?  I'm trying to get a sense of how walkable the island is and how easy it is to get a taxi to somewhere if where you're let off isn't close to where you want to explore. And I think the village is in the middle of the island. 

It (seems like) is kind of a random spot. It’s definitely a little shuttle port, but it’s like randomly tucked away between a couple buildings. Placencia is very small and very walkable. We just kind of took the day as an adventure. People mostly used ATVs to travel, and they’re typically available to rent. We walked to the main road and then turned right and found a local place to eat, had Tuttifrutti Gelateria, and then found an entrance to the beach. 
 

I should mentioned we did buy our tickets at the ferry but it’s a gamble and I don’t know if they still sell them there. But you can buy them on the ship once you embark for an ease of mind. 
 

Harvest Caye was cool, but a total tourist trap. Didn’t feel like an authentic visit to Belize until we got to Placencia. 

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

This will be my first "private island" stop, and while there are certainly many things to do in Harvest Caye, those things don't appeal to me all that much. We were in Belize once before on an Oceania cruise and we stopped at Belize City.  I took a ship's tour to the Lamanai ruins and really enjoyed both the boat ride to the ruins and the ruins themselves.  But Harvest Caye is in a different part of Belize and has a different emphasis (sun and fun!)  But I'm sure I'll find something interesting. 

[ggTexasGal]

3 hours ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

This will be my first "private island" stop, and while there are certainly many things to do in Harvest Caye, those things don't appeal to me all that much. We were in Belize once before on an Oceania cruise and we stopped at Belize City.  I took a ship's tour to the Lamanai ruins and really enjoyed both the boat ride to the ruins and the ruins themselves.  But Harvest Caye is in a different part of Belize and has a different emphasis (sun and fun!)  But I'm sure I'll find something interesting. 

Harvest Caye is a little different in the way it is operated, since the Belizean government requires that the island must have Belizean citizens working on the island (so they come over from the mainland for the day when ships will be arriving). The flora and fauna on Harvest Caye are outstanding!  The pool is beautiful and the kiddos splash pad is quite nice. The beach itself can be hit or miss depending on the weather.

We generally walk to the island from the ship, as early as possible, in order to enjoy the assorted displays, flowers, animals and pool before it gets too hot.

On one visit, we rented a Villa for the day, and enjoyed the beach at that end of the island, with friends we had made onboard. That was a truly wonderful day and we stayed until they chased us all back to the ship! 🤪