Belize tourism operators got a welcome surprise today when the Carnival Dream cruise ship with more than three thousand passengers pulled into Belize after being diverted from planned ports of call by Hurricane Earl.

The Carnival Dream, which departed from Port Canaveral on Friday had its itinerary altered by Carnival Cruise Lines due to Hurricane Earl which is currently tearing through the Caribbean headed for the U.S. East Coast.

Instead of sailing its planned Eastern Caribbean cruise with stops in Nassau, St. Thomas and St. Maarten, the ship siwtched to the Western Caribbean route to visit Cozumel, Belize, Roatan and Costa Maya. The Carnival Dream arrived in Belize today bringing much needed business, according to local radio station reports monitored in Belize.

Belize offers many beach and inland activities for cruise ship passengers, including ancient Mayan Ruins and Cave Tubing.