It's a service that started a few years ago, but quickly

folded. Now the idea is back...hopefully to stay. What
I'm talking about is a ferry service between Tampa,
Florida and the Yucatan Peninsula. The Yucatan
Express is a luxury cruise ferry that, according to its
advertisements, allows passengers to enjoy the fun of
a Caribbean cruise with the convenience of having your
own vehicle once you reach land--in this case, Cancun
and Progresso. The advantages for Belize and
Belizeans are obvious. In the first place, it provides a

new way for tourists to travel to Belize and
particularly to enjoy our mainland attractions. It
neatly coincides with the completion of new border
facilities at Santa Elena, as well as the upgrading of
the Southern Highway. Secondly, it offers Belizean
families a cheaper and more interesting alternative to
reach the States for a vacation than air travel. But
perhaps most important to many people looking for a
vehicle, the ferry provides a handy way to import a car
without the hassle of a marathon drive through
Mexico. The trip from Cancun is easily done in less
than a day with plenty of good sightseeing on the
way. For more information, viewers can visit the
website at Yucatan express dot com. Please note that
the ship operates twice weekly through April
twenty-third, when it returns to Canada for the
summer season.

From what I've heard, the first few trips have not had a high occupancy, especially on the Progreso route. Let's hope that improves so that the operation can continue. The first ferry service lasted only a few weeks.

--Lan Sluder

I just got an email about this ship. They're owned by Scotia Cruises, which runs a cruise/ferry between Portland, Maine and Nova Scotia during the summer. I've heard good things about them, so hopefully they'll survive. Maybe this is just a way to keep the ship active during the winter when they dont do the Nova Scotia cruises.

correct cjd - but it still boils down to $$$$

hopefully it will last!

I looked it over and thought of how nice it could be to give it a try !

I hope it lasts too !
If you like cruises and or water travel, I think this would be fun.

Is this ferry going to be affordable? Does anyone know what the fares are?

see http://www.YucatanExpress.com

Wow! This seems like the way top go! Tahnks Marty for the link!