I'm on a Princess cruise that includes stops at Roatan, Belize City and Cozumel.

It was pouring rain in Roatan but I had some fantastic swimming at the beach just a few minutes' walk from the dock.

Access to the port in Belize City was by tender. I went alone, just to have a quick look. Managed to get lost in just about a half an hour, but locals were very friendly. I snap[ed a few photos, so just for fun I will post them here:


[img alt="Approaching the tender docks; array of the typical shops aimed a cruisers....not as spiffy as those in other ports, but the same junky stuff for sale..skppped all that and wandered into town, which begins just after the parking lot. Access to this area does not seem to be off limits to locals; security half hearted at best.."]https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fodors.com-vbulletin/2000x1504/img_4687_d891545d9baff5510abfcf5511636cd5ee83ec64. jpeg
Approaching the tender docks; array of the typical shops aimed at cruisers....not as spiffy as those in other ports, but the same junky stuff for sale..skipped all that and wandered into town, which begins just after the parking lot. Access to this area does not seem to be off limits to locals; security half hearted at best.. A few very dressed up ladies were ambling about...

Typical scene near the docks; not many cars, many people walking or on bikes. I stopped into a local supermarket but could not find anyone selling fresh fruit....

Shopfront..What's YOUR poison!??? Don't know where to begin with that one, but had not changed any money...Some pretty Caribbean architecture but many buildings needed a bit of upkeep..charming in its way..

Few (actually I saw none except at the cruise dock) actual restaurants but quite a few little food stands...interesting mashup of cultures around here, reflected in the food on offer...

I wish I had stopped in here for a few poisons...

Electrical grid might need some improvement

Local ladies' fashions for sale..


I just skimmed through a few threads on this site, and elsewhere, about Belize City, The area that I walked was south of the Bridge, and now I see that tourists are discouraged from visiting this area. I don't know if this is nonsense, or if it has some validity. I also read about tourists being mercilessly harangued to give money or to buy trinkets. So I'll just say that I experienced none of that. There were a few groups of guys hanging about, but when I said good morning, they were all very friendly in a normal way...nothing remotely scary to this solo female tourist. I got the impression that this was a very poor country but upon reading, I see that although there is a big divide between rich and poor, and a high poverty rate, it's not even close on the list of the poorest countries in the Americas....

Is anyone here familiar with Belize City? Was I actually meandering in a "bad" area of town?? It certainly did not feel this way, even when I got turned around and was wandering alone with no one else in site, in a residential neighborhood....just curious about this... I was glad I got off the ship but wished I had done more reading and maybe checked out the museum and found a market selling fresh fruits and other foods....










At sea today, I'll try to get up bright and early for the 7am docking at Cozumel..last stop soon this week-long cruise, out of Port Everglades. Very good value for a week with all included...


Can someone help me tag this for Belize??

Great pics, Eks. I too was curious about 'poison" for sale. Copilot says: Why the Word “Poison” Appears on Belizean Pharmacies
Belize inherited many of its regulatory systems from British colonial law. Under these older systems:

- “Poisons” referred to any substance that required professional handling, including:
- Prescription medications
- Strong chemicals
- Controlled drugs
- Certain medical compounds that could be dangerous if misused

- Pharmacies were required to display a sign indicating they were authorized sellers of these regulated substances.
It reminded me of 'tacos envenenados' (poisoned tacos) being promoted in zacatecas, lol.
For just a moment, I thought 'why is all the signage in English?' until I remembered Belize is English speaking. And had forgotten it was once known as 'British Honduras'.
On another note, I'm a Jerry Jeff Walker fan. His album 'cowboy boots & bathing suits' is a fun listen, especially 'gringo in belize'. I think I read he had property there.

Hi ekscrunchy—

Nice to hear someone checking out Belize City. I definitely was approached by hawkers while in Belize’s largest city, trying to get me to spend my money on things ranging from crafts to ganja to tours. This said, I found Belize’s largest city quite picturesque in places (wish I’d seen the Swing Bridge in operation!) and I quite liked the unique vibe: Anglo-Caribbean and Central American with other influences, hard to describe. Had some great meals there; some stewed chicken with beans & rice was fantastic. Some great excursions from Belize City too like the Mayan site Altun Ha and the howler monkey sanctuary made it a standout trip I remember incredibly fondly to this day!

Happy new year! Daniel

INTERESTING POST, THANK YOU. This destination is on my "potential travel list for near future!

You, too, Daniel!! You are a good traveler..I remember! This trip got me interested in exploring more of Central America. I've only ever spent time in Mexico and in Guatemala...had never been to Honduras or Belize before this week...and this was such a quick peek!!

Glad you got a quick peek of both Belize and Honduras. By the way, the area of Belize City you saw did not look like a neighborhood I saw but my hotel and wanderings were more north of the bridge, an area that to my recollection was less ramshackle although mildly reminiscent of the area depicted by your photos. (Although the ramshackle in your photos had charm, as did the north side!) I only went a bit south of the bridge to go to a bank as rightfully or not, I was spooked by the warnings about the south side. All restaurants I went to were in the north side although I did see some on the south side near the bridge. I hope you had fun seeing a bit of Roatan in Honduras despite the rain, a country where I’ve only been to Copán, never the coast.

Do you think that there are two bridges in Belize City? Cause the warnings are all about the area south off the bridge, where I went. But that bridge was a normal bridge, not a swinging bridge....it was walking distance from the cruise port, if that helps..... I looked at maps but I see only one main bridge, over Haulover Creek, and that IS the one I walked across....

The swimming was so glorious on Roatan but, granted, I was only there an hour or so.....but since I just love to swim in warm seas, and I don't get to that very often, it made me wonder if I ought to take a look at the islands of Honduras...Roatan and others....

What do you think?? For me relaxing and swimming would be the main thing, but I'd want to have a town with local flavor, not a fancy resort....
I know nothing about Placencia or Caye Caulker.....I'm going to do some reading.....
And then there are the Caribbean islands of Nicaragua....so many places I've never been!!!

Hi ekscrunchy—

I looked up the Central Drugstore in your photo and it’s right near the Swing Bridge. I questioned too whether I had crossed the Swing Bridge as it really feels like you’re walking over a very ordinary small bridge but it is indeed the one you used to cross over Haulover Creek. The bridge, built in the 1920s, swivels in a flat arc to allow the boats to pass (swinging out if you will rather than up). It needed several men to operate it, used to be swivelled twice a day up until the mid-2000s but now it’s only used in emergencies and I understand sadly soon to be replaced.

Best wishes Daniel

Thanks, Daniel....that makes things clear. I am amazed that some guidebooks/online sources say that this is a no-go area! it seemed very tame and low key, as you already know!!