Notes regarding Belize for the arriving Chief Steward or Chief Stewardess
AIRPORT TRANSFER INFORMATION
The transfer to the airport normally takes approximately 20 minutes from or to the Radisson Fort George Dock. As a rule of thumb, your can calculate that it takes approximately 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes after landing for the guests to arrive aboard.
If your guests are departing commercial, the international airlines request for a two hour advance check in and the guests need to pay in US$ the departure taxes of US$36.25 per person, flying out either commerical or private. —
If your guests are private, well then you can calculate 20 minutes to the airport from the Radisson dock or 30 minutes from the Cucumber Beach Marina and once at the airport their passports will need to get them stamped by immigration which normally takes about 10 to 15 minutes tops, then escorted through security and aboard aircraft plus another 15 minutes for plane to taxi and wheels up. Therefore if wheels up is to be 12:00 just subtract about 45 minutes and make pickup 11:15.
BEERS and BOOZ
Extremely expensive to purchase at the stores! An item to avoid purchasing.
Because of high import duties you best try to bring down all the beers, wines, liquor you will need. For example the DUTY PAID price for a case of Heineken will run you about US$45.00. The only imported beers available in Belize are Heineken and Red Stripe. It is difficult to get to purchase the US made beers such as Miller, Coors, or Corona.
We have very good prices on DUTY FREE liquor but only upon sailing – DUTY FREE and in case lots. Duty Free prices for example are:
JW Black Label Whiskey US$185.00 12/75 cl
Absolute Vodka US$58.00 12/75 cl
Mount Gay Rum US$60.00 12/75 cl
Miller Draft Beer US$15.00 24/
Heineken Beer (Dutch) US$15.00 24/
In beers the only brand available is Heineken. There are no Coronas, Coors, available duty paid.
CIGARETTES
The ONLY imported brands available most times (not always available) are Benson & Hedges (English) and Winston both running around US$6.00 per pack.
We have NO Marlboro’s, NO Marlboro lights, slims, and any other brand you can think of, therefore make sure you have enough cigarettes. Please pass this information onto the crew.
DIET DRINKS
There are NO diet drinks available in Belize. Please make sure to bring all the diet drinks you will need. Sometimes diet drinks would be available, but very limited.
FLOWERS
Fresh flowers are available and all the boats load up on flowers.
We are strong on tropicals and orchids. You will find that both the tropicals and orchids are hardy and long lasting. Unlike what many Chief Steward or Stewardess may think that orchids don’t last long all the orchids sold here are local, they last for a very long time and many have a sweet fragrance especially at night.
The florist has access to just about any flower you may want, however it will require about 3 days notice.
Because we are a very small country and with only approximately 125,000 inhabitants in the city, the florist doesn’t usually have a stock of flowers on hand and as such in order to be sure you get your order I STRONGLY suggest placing your order in advance. What I usually do is take yourself in about 3 days before into the florist where the florist takes notes as to the colour scheme you may have, the heights, lengths and shapes of the various arrangements, type of greenery wanted etc. Unless your order is simple then I can just take notes and take it into the florist.
I must say that the boats are usually satisfied with the flowers. Recently the boats have started to complain about the flowers and floral arrangements.
Price wise the boats say the flowers are not cheap but quite within range for the Caribbean, but with a much better quality.
NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES
Please do not expect to find these here. There are absolutely NO imported newspapers available (No Miami Herald, no New York Times and again not another name you can think of). You will have a little better luck with magazines. Can be found are normally about a week or two old such as Times, News Week, People Magazine and several others, but still not that wide range as you may be accustomed to.
SOFT DRINKS
Belize protects its local market as much as possible. Therefore you will not find available in Belize to buy any regular coke or any other regular soft drinks in cans only locally made (not bad, very good really) in plastic bottles ½ liter and liter size. Again there are NO DIET DRINKS available in Belize. Diet coke is sometimes available, but hard to come by. The other diet drinks are much harder to find.
STILL WATER
Locally made still water is readily available and the quality is quite good. The local water which comes in 500ml and litre size containers are the ones most of the boats buy. The water also comes in gallon and 5 gallon size containers. However all the local water comes in PLASTIC BOTTLES only – no glass bottles.
The only way to get glass bottles would be to purchase Perrier, which of course is no longer still water. We can SOMETIMES get some Perrier water – but it is very expensive.