Ships anchor about 2 miles out, and tenders reach Fort Street in 15 to 20 minutes. Cave tubing at Nohoch Che'en, an hour inland by bus, costs $49 to $50 a person.
Put in your ship's arrival and all-aboard times from your cruise planner. Each tour is checked against the time you have, minus the buffer you choose for getting off the ship and back to the pier.
Example times are filled in. Your cruise line's daily planner has the real ones, and a tender port needs more buffer.
| Operator | What you get | From | Length | Group | Min age | Back-to-ship | Cancellation | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Belize City: Landmarks, Libations & Lunch TourIncludes Round-trip air-conditioned van, Guided landmark stops including the Swing Bridge and Baron Bliss Lighthouse, Local rum and beer tasting, Lunch |
$35 per person |
Not stated | Check dates | |||||
The Zipline (cruise ship guest option) |
$45 per person |
Not stated | Check dates | |||||
Belize City Tour (Cruise Ship Tours) |
$45 per person |
Not stated | Check dates | |||||
Cave Tubing With LunchIncludes Round-trip air-conditioned coach, City tour, National park fees, Life vest, tube, headlamp and helmet, Guide, Refreshments, Lunch (Belizean tamale) |
$49 per adult |
4+ (at least 40 inches tall) | We will get you back to your ship on time! | Check dates | ||||
Goff's Caye island beach and Snorkeling full day tourIncludes Transportation, Tour guide, Entrance fee, Water, Snorkeling gear, Rum punch, Taxes |
$49 per adult |
5 hours in the itinerary, 6 in the schedule; about 30 minutes by boat each way |
Not stated | Check dates | ||||
Cave Tubing (Nohoch Che'en Caves Branch)Includes Transport to and from the cruise terminal (fee added), Entrance fees, Gear, Lunch, Private guide |
$50 per person |
Tubing about 2.5-3 hours; about 4 hours terminal to terminal |
Private guide |
Not stated | Check dates | |||
Cave Tubing (Cruise Ship Tours) |
$50 per person |
Not stated | Check dates | |||||
River Tubing & Zip Line (Cruise Ship Tours) |
$65 per person |
Not stated | Check dates | |||||
Zona Magica ZiplineIncludes 5 zip lines, Guided zipline, 10 to 15 minute hike to the first platform |
$72 per person |
About 1 hour 15 minutes |
Minimum height 40 inches | Not stated | Check dates | |||
Altun Ha Mayan Ruin TourIncludes Entrance fees, Licensed guide, Private air-conditioned transport, Water |
$75 per adult |
About 4 hours, daily at 8:00 am |
Private, minimum 2 |
Not stated | 15+ days ahead: full refund less a 3% service fee; 7 days ahead: 70% refund; later: no refund. | Check dates | ||
Cave Tubing + Zipline With LunchIncludes Air-conditioned coach to Nohoch Che'en Caves Branch, City tour, National park fees, Life vest, tube, head lamp and helmet, Guide, Refreshments and a tamale lunch |
$80 per person |
Not stated | Check dates | |||||
Community Baboon Sanctuary (Howler Monkey)Includes Entrance fees, Licensed guide, Private transport, Water |
$85 per person |
About 4 hours, daily at 8:00 am |
Private, minimum 2 |
Not stated | 15+ days ahead: full refund less a 3% service fee; 7 days ahead: 70% refund; later: no refund. | Check dates | ||
Zipline & River TubingIncludes 5 zip lines, River tubing on the Manatee River, Nature trails and river pools |
$85 per person |
About 1 hour 20 minutes |
Minimum height 40 inches | Not stated | Check dates | |||
Cave Tubing + Zipline (cruise ship guest option)Includes Transport to and from the cruise terminal (fee added), Entrance fees, Gear, Lunch, Private guide |
$95 per person |
Not stated for the combination (cave tubing alone about 2.5 to 3 hours) |
Private guide |
Not stated | Check dates | |||
ATV Jungle Tour + Cave Tubing With LunchIncludes Cave tubing inclusions, ATV on 5-mile rainforest trail, Transport to ATV park, Lunch |
$100 per adult |
4+; children 10 and under ride the ATV with an adult ($75) | We will get you back to your ship on time! | Check dates | ||||
Cavetubing & Altun Ha (Cruise Ship Tours) |
$100 per person |
Not stated | Check dates |
From each operator's own website, checked October 22, 2026. How we compare.
What the cruise lines list for their own excursions in Belize City, from their websites, next to a local operator's trip of the same kind.
| Line | Excursion | From | Length | Same kind of trip locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Carnival |
$89.99 per adult |
5.5 hours |
Butts Up! Cave Tubing (Cave-Tubing.com), $49$40.99 less | |
Norwegian |
$119 per adult |
about 4.5 hours |
Read on each cruise line's website on October 22, 2026. Lines change these prices often, so check the page before you book. Trips are matched by what each listing names; inclusions and transport differ, so open both. Every port compared.
Belize City has no cruise dock. Ships anchor about 2 miles offshore because the coastal water is too shallow for large vessels, and Butts Up and Go Cave Tubing put the tender ride at 15 to 20 minutes. Cruise Hive says tenders tie up at four landing points that converge on a single pier, which leads into the Fort Street Tourism Village. Royal Caribbean Group owned 49% of the village in 2022, Amandala reported.
Independent guides meet guests outside the Terminal 1 exit on Fort Street, and Go Cave Tubing's guide holds a sign with the group leader's name. The village has ATMs that dispense both Belize and US dollars, and the Baron Bliss Lighthouse Market is about a quarter mile away, according to Cruise Hive. Use only registered, marked taxis and agree the fare first, since the city sets no flat rates; Cruise Hive puts most rides in town at $10 to $30.
Operator pages read in October 2026 still describe anchoring and tendering. Two pier projects have been in the works. Port Coral, designed to berth four large ships at Stake Bank, broke ground in February 2019, and News 5 found it unfinished in June 2023, with piles in place but no dock. That month Royal Caribbean signed a memorandum with Portico Enterprises for a cruise port near Northern Lagoon, amid legal disputes over the projects.
Add the tender to every plan, 15 to 20 minutes each way. The free BTB Cruise App shows tender departure times and can set reminder alarms for getting back to the port, Cruise Hive says. Go Cave Tubing asks for your docking date, arrival time and ship departure time when you book, and puts its tubing trip at about 4 hours from pickup to drop-off at the terminal.
Belize is on UTC-6, Central Standard Time, so check the ship's clock against local time. Butts Up sends cruise groups off every 15 minutes and guarantees departure within 15 minutes of leaving Terminal 1, so nobody should sit long on a parked bus. The ride to the tubing site takes about an hour. Its promise reads "We will get you back to your ship on time," with no further terms, and the other two operators publish none.
Cruise season runs from early November to late April, the dry months, with the biggest crowds from late December through February, according to Cruise Hive. Outside the season rain is heavier, and late summer brings the risk of hurricanes and tropical storms.
Cave tubing at the Nohoch Che'en Caves Branch Archaeological Reserve, managed by the National Institute of Culture and History (NICH), is the trip all three operators here sell. After a bus ride of about an hour, Butts Up's tour starts with a rainforest hike of about 20 minutes, then floats down the Caves Branch River and through the caves. Go Cave Tubing puts the tubing at 2.5 to 3 hours. Prices start at $49 with Butts Up and $50 with the other two.
Butts Up's zipline is in the same park as the tubing, with a 150-foot beginner run and six more of 200 to 600 feet. Its ATV trail, about 5 miles and mostly flat, starts 3 miles before the reserve. The tubing and zipline "Cruise Ship Special" is $80, and ATV, tubing and zipline together cost $120. Vital Nature sells cave tubing combined with Altun Ha, or with the zoo, for $100 each.
Goff's Caye is the beach and reef choice: a 1-acre sand island about 12 nautical miles east of Belize City that draws cruise ships and local visitors, according to the tourism board. Butts Up also runs Belize City landmark tours at $25 without lunch, or $35 with lunch and a tasting of local rums and beers. Vital Nature's city tour is $45.
Butts Up asks for no deposit and takes cash only, in US dollars, paid on site. It runs its own coaches and minivans and includes national park fees, gear, a city tour and a Belizean tamale lunch at its jungle palapa. Private transport costs $25 more per person with a 5-person minimum, or from $20 for groups of 10 or more. It promises an on-time return but lists no terms or missed-port policy.
Go Cave Tubing assigns a private guide and charges $50 for tubing plus a per-person transport fee that falls as the group grows. It suggests joining other cruise guests to cut that fee, and it claims ship-booked versions cost double. Its page states no back-to-ship promise or cancellation terms. Vital Nature lists cruise prices with a phone number and email for bookings, and publishes no meeting point, timing or terms.
from $35 per person
Belize City: Landmarks, Libations & Lunch Tour and 3 more options
Back to ship: We will get you back to your ship on time!
Describes itself as a licensed tour operator with its own buses, ATV trail and 7-run zipline
from $45 per person
The Zipline (cruise ship guest option) and 2 more options
No back-to-ship policy stated
Runs tubing, cave kayaking and jungle zipline at Nohoch Che'en Caves Branch Archaeological Reserve
from $45 per person
Belize City Tour (Cruise Ship Tours) and 3 more options
No back-to-ship policy stated
Belizean-owned company of guide Vitalino Reyes
from $49 per adult
Goff's Caye island beach and Snorkeling full day tour
No back-to-ship policy stated
Belize City company whose belizing.com profile lists a tour operator license and Gold Standard certification
from $72 per person
Zona Magica Zipline and 1 more option
No back-to-ship policy stated
Park on the Coastal Highway near the Manatee River Bridge at Mile 15, which it puts about 45 minutes from Belize City
from $75 per adult
Altun Ha Mayan Ruin Tour and 1 more option
No back-to-ship policy stated
Family-owned Belize tour company, listed as Belize Gold Standard certified on belizing.com
Prices and policies come from each operator's own pages, read on October 22, 2026. Seasons, rules and local details come from the pages below.