Here's the full report on all that was said at this morning's event at the Princess Hotel in Belize City.

Tom Greenwood, President - FECTAB
"Carnival, the message is clear - bring your ships, let us help negotiate, work with the tenders. Let's get this job done for your guests at sea, otherwise GET THE HELL OUT OF BELIZE!!"

That was the message sent out from this morning's press conference where FECTAB and the Tender Association found common cause and raged against Carnival's tactics with fiery rhetorict:

Jose Marin, President, Tender Operators
"You see what is happening; the white men are over there dictating to us right now. We have to stand up."

Tom Greenwood, President
"We have been slam-dunked into the ground, stomped into the ground by a giant from abroad providing 70% of the passengers to Belize. We are now suffering as a result of saying 'welcome to the jewel.' You bring somebody into your house and they take a pot of hot soup and throw it in your face? That's what has happened."

Jose Marin, President, Tender Operators
"We as a group will not sit down at the light house knowing the work that we have put into this industry and the investment and to watch a foreigner run a boat up and down. We will not stand for that. It doesn't matter who it is. But the buck stops here."

Participant
"We went through Richard, we went through floods, and this is what Carnival is doing to us, this is what we take - the things that Carnival is doing to us - they threatened us. If we cannot find a way to work it out we will survive, there is no starvation in Belize."

Participant
"What we got to do is twist Carnival like a dish rag, push them around like deck broom."

Tom Greenwood, President
"Carnival cruise lines has decided to blackmail Belize - We are not bringing the ships, in one case 75% - hurting everybody on the ground because hear what, 'We want our way and you are a tiny little mouse and we are an elephant.' This mouse is about to roar. We have to stand up and say 'I might be a mouse and you might be an elephant but when you miss that first step I will run up your foot, watch out for what I will bite."

But more than just strong talk - these operators say Belize has a strategic advantage:

Tom Greenwood, President
"Belize is the center of western Caribbean itinerary. We are a one stop shopping center. Almost a dozen cultures, a peaceful country, basically English speaking and of course there are other languages. Rivers packed with wildlife. Second longest barrier reef on the planet, fishing and everything else that go with it. Mayan sites - once the center of the incredible Maya civilization, within a hour's reach - Altun Ha, an hour and a half - Xunantunich. Cave tubing, you can't get that anywhere else in the western hemisphere, there are places you can jump in a tube - jump in and go that way and come back out. That thing we have there is unique. In one area how many people went through there? 102 thousand people, providing a living and everything else that is Belize - pristine rainforest etc. The smiling faces of our people. If these cruise ships don't come to Belize, there are practically destroying their western itinerary, we must realize that and put ourselves in a position of strength."

Jose Marin, President, Tender Operators
"So if that means that Carnival have to turn their bow and get out of our waters, that is what we will do. We have to realize as Belizeans, we have to be proud of what we have, we got the product; we have the product! When you go to Mexico, the first thing they make you know is that Mexico is for Mexicans. In Belize we allow everybody to come from outside and walk over us. This has to stop."

The Tender Operators say Carnival is comparing them to Cayman - which only has to tender a mile, while they tender 9 miles:

Jose Marin, President, Tender Operators
"They are getting US$4 a head in Cayman to do one mile and they want to give us US$5 a head to do 9 mile round trip which is ridiculous. I mention that to him and his response is like take it or leave it basically. The emails that we receive and the way they talk to us is like we are nothing, they look down on us, it's like take it or leave it. We have to stand up as a country. We can't continue like this. Our stand is we stand as a country to lose yes but they have a lot of other lines that probably would want to come in and full in the gap."

Participant
"Royal Caribbean just listen to us and get some more ships on the waves. Carnival doesn't want to listen, we don't need to see those wings, the air plane has wings, we have an airport."

And collectively, these industry stakeholders say they are ready to sacrifice:

Yohnnie Rosado, Treasurer, FECTAB
"It is very important to know that if we have to live with rice alone let's do that but let's not have Carnival punishing us and threaten our country with a couple ships. It is true that we are used to driving nice vehicles and eat rice and beans with a couple of meats inside, but we can change overnight. We can tell Carnival we are so small but we have pride. Our pride is so huge, I don't see Carnival hurting the entire country, Carnival can hurt each one of us individually, they have hurt the tour operations because it's no longer Belizeans, now they are getting to the tenders. I will dream of this day that if we don't stand up and if we don't win this fight with the government and the Belize Tourism Board. I will see the day that the taxi operators will be kicked out from inside of the FSTV and then we lose the fight too, so I really believe for us Belizeans we should stand up together and fight the fight right now and the fight is together with the tenders, together with the hair braiders and together with us the local inland tour operators, tour guides and taxi guys."

The Alliance is a natural progression for FECTAB which has been fighting carnival and its local contractor Backabush/Chukka tours

Yohnnie Rosado, Treasurer, FECTAB
"Remember that the ship comes to Belize but not for Belize. The ship comes for Chukka/Bakabush, there are the main tour operator for Carnival."

And while FECTAB is with them, not everyone is - many industry stakeholders earn a living from Carnival:

Tom Greenwood, President
"These people who are saying 'they are spoiling things for us' they are protecting $40 and $50, when we fought in this industry for years to get them $100 and $150. Boss I am telling those people who work for Chukka Cove now: 'Unu get taken'"

Yohnnie Rosado, Treasurer, FECTAB
"If they the tenders would raise their price then they would be at fault. But if the ship is lowering the price then they are at fault. It is very clear to see. But the people that are doing business with Carnival, they are blaming them (tender operators) but they want to tell us and tell the media that 13 little old boats are causing a lot of problem and the ship is going somewhere else and that all of us will punish and starve. Well I am saying, I am with the tenders, I don't care if they have 13,14,15 or 10, I am with the Belizean tenders because I have feel the pain and the pinch and staggering of Carnival."

And so with that, this crew says they are ready to give Carnival a royal send off - if they don't play fair:

Jose Marin, President, Tender Operators
"Because Carnival is trying to buy time. They figure maybe if they drag this out a few weeks that we will ran out of steam. No steam is there to run out of because we are already not eating. So we will pick up steam. That is what we will do. We already figure which boat we will wave them off goodbye on, waving them through the channel. Get out of our country, straight up, no more coming to try stuff things down our throats and think that we are idiots. We have enough in our pool to carry anybody who wants to go with us for support to wave them off goodbye. We have enough boat for that."

Tom Greenwood, President - FECTAB
"Belizean people we need to wake up, we are putting back on our clothes and now we will show them that it is good clothes we have on so once again Carnival bring your ships in, negotiate while people are moving and things are happening. IF Carnival continues jacking our situation and blackmailing us - GET THE HELL OUT OF BELIZE!"

Again, late evening reports suggest that the negotiation is going in the other direction, as one local company is reportedly coming down to Carnival's fixed price.

We should note that not only is Carnival asking for a lower price, it is asking for a different price formula to be applied. The present formula and the one that has been in effect for more than 10 years is that the tender operators are paid five Belize dollars per capacity of the vessel. That means 5 dollars for every seat on the tender boat regardless of whether ten or 100 passengers are on board.

Now Carnival wants to pay the tenders five us dollars per manifested passenger on the cruise ship. In that case, if there are two thousand persons on the cruise ship, the tenders get paid five us dollars each. The operators at today's press conference say under that formula they get paid radically less - amounting to something in the range of one or two dollars per capacity of the vessel.