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Blah, cruise ships......there goes the neighborhood

ecotourism destinations really need to limit cruiseships, and I really never understood why these destinations allowed them at all.

haha, Bill! Silk, you should have separate facilities for the cruisers (think outhouse) with no TP!!!

silkpainter: if you really feel that way, why don't you put up a sign, NO CRUISE PEOPLE ALLOWED?
Even if the government allows it's greed to show, the business communtiy doesn't have to.

Short had the right advice. If those involved in the tourists industry in Belize don't want cruise people, problem solved. No matter what the government's position is on this, it is a business matter, and the business community has control over it's destiny.

PS: my suggestion for your next add: No Shoes, No Shirts, No Problem, Cruise People, Problem.

Oh, and don't forget "Have a Nice Day" :p

YA! and to differentiate cruisers from other tourists, they should be branded with a big red "C" on their foreheads!

Let's be fair here. There are a lot of nice people that take cruises. I have taken cruises, see that proves the point. Seriously, it is not the person taking the cruise that is the problem. There are a lot of destinations that have made that "investment" and provided for the cruise business. Belize has not. Just having a dock and a tourist village will not make Belize what it needs to be in order to handle cruise business.

If you throw a party at your house and invite a bunch of guests and do not have the facilities to handle them, it is not the guests fault.

Banyan Bay is a good example. It started out "hosting" the cruise people. It did not take long for the overnight guest's complaints to make the management realize it could not have it both ways. It realized the guest staying there was more important than the cruise business. Belize and all it's businesses need to make a choice.

too bad Tropica doesn't follow suit, it looks like a nice place, but who would want to book a room there knowing hordes of daytrippers will be invading the beach?

You are right Warren, and as you and others have pointed out, Belize is going about this backwards, if they have to do it at all - the infrastructure is not there.

The point I was trying to make about branding the cruisers - how do merchants tell the difference between the two? I know, I know....cruisers are the ones with the sandals and black socks who don't spend any money, and just want to use the bathrooms!!!

Place a plain ole sign...NO BATHROOMS AVAILABLE

Someone should start a 'port-a-potty' business, but I bet it's hard to move all that crap. Go with the signs

We too loved the cruises. It pointed out to us where we did NOT want to live in the future. So there is good in it, in that respect.

Plus, the weight gain was way tooooo much.

dbdoberman: you are right, it is backwards. After coming to Belize 35 years ago, I still do not understand "Belize Sense" it is so different from common sense.

PS: silkpainter, if you think a sign might be too impolite, even if you end it with "have a nice day", maybe pay toilets are the answer.

I have heard that in other places, (not sure where. Can anyone help on this? Caymans? ) the cruise lines literally purchased their own little island for their guests. The crusie stop allowed all the people off on their private island to swim, snorkel, lunch etc. and then off they went. They never even bothered the other islands or mainland if there was one. The government still received the port fees for the country and the masses stayed isolated. If this was possible in Belize (and I have no clue if it is)I think the tourists would get an even better taste of Belize than going to crime ridden Belize City for the day. They get a small taste of paradise and then want to return as the week long guest spending REAL money.
Debbie

To answer your question, Debbie http://www.1-800-cruises.com/travel...rivate_islands_main&source_num=12514

Carnival Corp. confirms cruise port

Well it's official...the world's
biggest cruise line is setting up
shop in Belize... for a long, long
time. This afternoon, officials
from Carnival Corporation in
Miami officially confirmed to
News 5 that the company has
reached an agreement with
Belize Ports Limited to construct a new cruise
terminal facility at the port...a deal which would see
many more Carnival cruise ships calling on Belize for
a projected period of at least twenty-five years.
According to Carnival's spokesperson, Jennifer De
La Cruz, motivation for the investment came from
what she calls, a positive experience in Belize and
the chance to do away with the hassle of tendering
passengers from ship to shore.

Jennifer De La Cruz, Spokesperson, Carnival (Via
Phone)
"We always prefer to dock. Docking enables us to stay
longer in port. It has a positive impact on the number
of
guests that will get off the ship, that will spend money
in
port, and it also makes it much easier for the crew to
get off
ships and also spend money in port. Obviously, it's
operationally advantageous for us, so we would really
like to
have a facility in Belize, because we are very committed
to
bringing our ships there long term."

Janelle Chanona
"And you guys will be contributing how much of the
cost of the project?"

Jennifer De La Cruz
"The cost of the project will be shared by the project
partners, which are Carnival Corp. and Belize Ports
Limited."

Janelle Chanona
"Those are the only two partners involved?

Jennifer De La Cruz
"Those are the two partners that I am aware of that are
involved in this specific project. I believe that Belize
Ports
Limited, while I can't speak on their behalf, may be
looking
at other investors to participate in port development
generally."

"It would be best if you confirmed that with them, but
in
terms of this specific port development project that
we're
talking about, this cruise ship facility that would be
able to
accommodate two vessels and would include an adjacent
welcome centre, and a transportation hub, that project
specifically involves Carnival Corp and Belize Ports
Limited."

Janelle Chanona
"Jennifer, are you aware that Royal Caribbean Limited
has recently signed an agreement with the Tourism
Village here to buy out the facility and make a
long-term investment as well. This is a fierce rival of
your company's right?"

Jennifer De La Cruz
"I'm not familiar with it, but that's not to say that
other folks
here at Carnival at a higher level, who are negotiating
with
the folks in Belize, are, they may very well be aware of
it. In
fact they probably are."

But whether the Government is aware of all that is
going on is still unclear. Attempts to reach Minister
of Tourism Mark Espat failed again as we were
informed that he was unavailable for comment
today. However, News 5 was made to understand
that much of the information about this major deal
has not been shared with tourism officials, including
the minister himself.