The Outlaw Country Cruise: Outlaws Sail Into Belize and Honduras

by Kevin Wierzbicki

As exciting as all of the musical performances on the Outlaw Country Cruise were this year, cruisers also looked forward to when the Norwegian Cruise Line ship Pearl made port in the exotic locales of Harvest Caye, Belize and Roatan, Honduras. Both ports offered lots of options for activities and for those who preferred a more relaxed time ashore, various beach experiences. Both Belize and Honduras have very lush landscapes and some cruisers opted to get out into nature and see the countryside and some wildlife. In Belize a popular choice for cruisers was an excursion to Monkey River Village.

A crocodile lurks in the Monkey River in Belize

The excursion to Monkey River Village in Belize started out with a half an hour thrill ride on a 36-passenger speedboat, a ride that really was exhilarating as it bounced over the ocean, occasionally hitting swells that really rocked the boat! The ride was to get to the mouth of the Monkey River where the boat would slow down to a crawl so that passengers could watch for animals among the rainforest mangroves. The very knowledgeable guide on the boat pointed out many of the native avian species, like great blue herons, brown pelicans, mangrove swallows and double-crested cormorants. Iguanas were present in many of the trees lining the river; amusingly the guide said that locals, who eat the biggest of the iguanas, refer to them as "finger lickin' bamboo chicken." There was a quick flash of a manatee, a rarity in the river, and a few howler monkeys were spotted in the distance. And most exciting, we spotted a crocodile! A quick stop was made at Monkey River Village at the river's mouth so passengers could use the facilities and buy a snack or a cold local beer. Then it was another adrenaline ride back to the marina near where the Pearl was docked. Back on the ship the music went on as usual and Elizabeth Cook and her band performed for the sail away show as the Pearl made her way towards Roatan in Honduras where she would dock the next day.

A guide watches for wildlife on the Monkey River

Again in Roatan many cruisers picked a shore excursion that took them out in the countryside, and one of the most popular was one with the intriguing title of Coconut Adventure. True to its name, the Coconut Adventure went to Roatan's largest coconut farm where tour participants learned all about coconuts including how coconut oil is made and all of the health benefits that the oil offers. Part of the tour was "hands on" for a few participants who got to help with the demonstration of how coconut milk is traditionally hand-squeezed out of the coconut meat. The demonstration ended with a sample of tasty coconut candy, an appetizer of sorts for the soon-to-be served lunch of baked chicken, rice with beans and fried plantains, all of which were prepared using coconut oil. After leaving the coconut farm the tour made a brief stop at a souvenir stand and then, (yummy!) at a chocolate factory. The tours in Belize and Honduras were typical of the various kinds of fun shore excursions that are always available to fans on Sixthman cruises.

A lunch made with coconut products in Roatan

Learning all about coconuts in Roatan

A highlight of the music back on the ship after the stop in Honduras was the sail away show by Shinyribs where singer Kevin Russell at one point made his way into the audience, even taking a minute to dance with one of his fans. Russell and his band got a big reaction too from the crowd when they performed Freddy Fender's "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights." There was still more fun and music to come as the Pearl headed back to Miami on the final day of the Outlaw Country Cruise; we'll tell you about that in our next article. The 2026 Outlaw Country Cruise took place March 20-25.

Elizabeth Cook