Norwegian Prima: Birthday Cruise January 12-19, 2024/Pt. 3

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Norwegian Prima: Birthday Cruise January 12-19, 2024/Pt. 3

Ports of Call 

One of the reasons we chose this sailing was the great itinerary. Normally Western Caribbean itineraries from Galveston only include three ports of call on a seven-day sailing. Luckily, NCL owns a private island in Belize named Harvest Caye which added a fourth port to the itinerary and was a perfect choice for this trip. Not only would we sail on a new ship, but we'd also get four ports of call during our cruise.

Our first port was Costa Maya, Mexico which I mentioned in Pt. 2 of this blog series. The second port was Harvest Caye, Belize. This lovely island has a beautiful beach area with plenty of loungers, shade, and even beach volleyball. The pool is large with plenty of deck space for loungers & umbrellas. The beach and pool have chair side service which is fairly quick and friendly. Of note, beverages and food on the island are a la carte so bring a card or cash. There is also a food hall next to the pool, a splash pad for kids a zipline (extra cost), a couple of bar/restaurants, and about a dozen shops and vendor carts. The carts have native products & take only cash while the stores take both cards and cash.

We chose not to do an excursion at Harvest Caye but there are a number of options available. On a previous NCL cruise, I've done a wildlife river eco tour which was very engaging & educational. You can also do an excursion & then enjoy the beach or pool area for the rest of the day. The walk back to the ship is relatively short unlike some other ports. It's a lovely private island and easily amongst the favorites of the cruise line island options. 

Our third port of call was Roatan, Honduras, which is one of my favorites when doing a Western Caribbean itinerary. A beautiful island with welcoming people and lots of excursion options. We docked at Coxen Hole port which is the main port of the island. The other port, Mahagony Bay is Carnival's private port and not used by any other cruise line. 

Coxen Hole has a variety of stores, a couple of spots for drinks & a bite to eat, and it is being expanded to include a pool with a swim-up bar. It is a secure port w/ gated access and a fair-sized parking lot not too far from the main pier for excursion departures.

On Roatan, we opted to do an excursion from Shore Excursions Group, CP's shore excursion primary preferred vendor, and chose Sloths, Monkeys, Iguanas,& Macaws. It was an exciting & educational tour on which we got to feed and pet iguanas, hold a juvenile sloth, have a macaw perch on our arm, and have a squirrel monkey try to pick our pockets. Our driver & tour guide also shared lots of interesting facts about Roatan which always lends to a better understanding of the destination. 

Our final stop was Cozumel, Mexico. This lovely island has welcomed cruisers for decades and is the most popular & most frequented cruise port in the Caribbean. We docked at Punta Langosta which is closer to downtown Cozumel. It is the older of the cruise piers in Cozumel but actually has a shorter walk for ship to pier entrance than the newer International Cruise port. Between both ports, there were seven ships docked on Cozumel for the day.

Once again, we did not do a cruise line excursion. We wanted a day of relaxation with beach, pool, and all-inclusive beverages and food so we booked Paradise Beach which offers great service, clean facilities, and good drink options. Although it rained for the first part of our visit, it soon cleared enough to enjoy a swim off the dock and a ride on a jet ski by one of our group. Paradise Beach is about a 20-minute taxi ride from Punta Langosta and cost $35 four people. 

Price for Paradise Beach is $72 per adult which includes loungers, food, kayaks, paddleboards, and most beverages. You can add an additional pass for the inflatable water toys/elements as well for $15-$20 per person. Overall, it's a great option for Cozumel especially if you've visited the island before and have done other excursion options. It is the port I recommend most to clients for snorkeling, diving, and fishing as well as the fun beach club options such as Paradise Beach. 

The ports of call on this itinerary were just right to escape the winter chills and weather. The Prima was a wonderful ship to experience and made sailing to the destinations comfortable, fun, and relaxing. I can't wait to enjoy her sister ship, the Viva, in January of 2025 sailing from San Juan, Puerto Rico doing an ABC Island itinerary!

Interested in the Prima or other cruise lines? Email me@ annette.duplechin@cruiseplanners.com. 

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