What's happening with Honduras??

[moniquet]

Our cruise Jan 3rd with Ryandam has a call at Mahogony bay, Honduras. There are not trips to be booked and no information about the place. Does it mean they will not now call there? Anyone been to this place recently?

[mountainmare]

This is the thread on the ports of call board for Honduras http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1026755

We are on the Jan 31 sailing of the Ryndam. I asked Upachaya (who we are booking for a snorkel tour) and they said they were not sure where they would be able to pick us up.
It will be interesting to see what happens next month when (if) they are able to bring ships in.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1088824 This is another discussion about independant tours. These are on the Roatan board, why HAL doesn't just say Mahogany Bay is Roatan I have no clue.

[Copper10-8]

Mahogany Bay and Roatan, Honduras are one and the same. In early 2008, Carnival Corporation began construction on a two-berth cruise terminal in Dixon Cove known as "Mahogany Bay - Roatan". The terminal is located on 20 acres of Dixon Cove waterfront and can accommodate super post-Panamax vessels and up

As a side note, a little more than a year ago, we were on Veendam in the western Carib and one of our port calls was to be Roatan, Honduras. The morning of our arrival, with those on shorex' assembled in the show lounge, the captain (in this case Albert Schoonderbeek) came on the P/A system to announce that the port call was cancelled due to ongoing civil unrest ashore (they've been at it for two days).

[moniquet]

Thanks for the info' and the links. Looks as if it will be very nice. I did not realise it was Roatan (doh!) We went two years ago and did an Island tour. Maybe HAL are waiting to see how it all turns out.

[pseudochicken]

I was eventually going to post this question but was too lazy. I cannot book excursions on HAL's website, however.

I will be going on the Ryndam on January 3rd, as well.

[mountainmare]

There is nothing on your itinerary that shows that Mahogany Bay is Roatan. It looks similar to Half Moon Cay with cabanas, bars, little shops etc. All inside the port area.
Not so great for the local economy and small businesses but really nice for cruise lines.
I haven't really sailed the Caribbean for a few years...have been going across the pond instead but from the sounds of things it looks like this is a trend in undeveloped countries.
Cruise passengers want a safe pretty tropical experience, cruise ships want to keep their passengers in their own area where they get the revenue from drinks--water toys cananas etc, and the governments of poor countries want cruise ships to come and pay port fees. The only disadvantage is for people looking for a more authentic experience...and as we have found in our travels...if that is what you want perhaps cruising is not the best way to travel.

[leoandhugh]

This is just an educated guess on my part, but "Roatan" has received a lot of adverse publicity, both on these boards and elsewhere. HAL may have decided that Mahogany Bay sounds more inviting, but it is only a matter of time before the cruising public will realize they are one and the same place;)

[pseudochicken]

This is just an educated guess on my part, but "Roatan" has received a lot of adverse publicity, both on these boards and elsewhere. HAL may have decided that Mahogany Bay sounds more inviting, but it is only a matter of time before the cruising public will realize they are one and the same place;)

What kind of adverse publicity are you talking about leoandhugh?

Is Mohagony Bay then closed off from the rest of the island? I hope not... I like exploring!:cool:

[casavaha]

The last time I was in Roatan, I rented a car to drive around the island. There is just
not much too see.

Close to the ship is a very nice beach with shops and restaurants. I have not
been there since the new terminal was built.

Honduras just had their presidential elections. Over 61% turnout and a very good
candidate was elected.

Don't expect to much in Roatan unless you are a skin diver.

Greg

[IRL_Joanie]

What kind of adverse publicity are you talking about leoandhugh?

Is Mohagony Bay then closed off from the rest of the island? I hope not... I like exploring!:cool:


Just a week or 2 ago someone posted that a HAL ship,while attempting to dock in Honduras there was some sort of (?illegal?) strike going on by the dock workers and that it got heated enough that the Captain decided to give up and they ended up going to a different island.

Joanie

[Taxguy77]

From the small (understatement) port we went to several years ago, we rented a cab and went accross the island, a few minutes drive. At a very small resort we had a beautiful day; coral everywhere and knee deep water so clear you could barely see it.:)
Real shame if labor problems destroy the cruise ndustry, or if many cruise ships destroy the charm and quiet of the island.

[mountainmare]

IRL Joanie--I think that was in Costa Rica.
Anyway--with the new cruise facility and beach you can stay in the compound and enjoy your day.
I am always amazed when people say there is nothing to do--
In Europe--many ports in Italy are wonderful--Civitavecchia--Livorno (with its canals) Savona ...but you hear over and over again--there is nothing to see, nothing to do.
You can decide--are you a tourist (or a typical cruise passenger) where everything is handed to you and you see the world through the air conditioned tinted glass windows of a bus...if so fine, you can find what you want.

Are you a traveler, wanting to know something about the local way of life--even if it is not as squeeky clean as you wish...yep you can do that also.

If you are bored with life and can find nothing to do--I really feel sorry for you.

[IRL_Joanie]

IRL Joanie--I think that was in Costa Rica.
Anyway--with the new cruise facility and beach you can stay in the compound and enjoy your day.
I am always amazed when people say there is nothing to do--
In Europe--many ports in Italy are wonderful--Civitavecchia--Livorno (with its canals) Savona ...but you hear over and over again--there is nothing to see, nothing to do.
You can decide--are you a tourist (or a typical cruise passenger) where everything is handed to you and you see the world through the air conditioned tinted glass windows of a bus...if so fine, you can find what you want.

Are you a traveler, wanting to know something about the local way of life--even if it is not as squeeky clean as you wish...yep you can do that also.

If you are bored with life and can find nothing to do--I really feel sorry for you.

I wish I could say sorry you are right. But it is a back lash of the Coup from June of this year. Tesions are still high and things still not running to smoothly:(

Just a partial quote"


Honduras coup tensions take toll on economy

Fri Nov 20, 2009 2:40pm ESTTRAVEL WARNING

Tourists are staying away, particularly U.S. visitors put off by a State Department travel warning that urges "extreme caution."
"There's no denying it's affected us, mainly because of the drop in American visitors," said Sandra Guerra of the Copan tourism chamber. "In July we had a tremendous decline of 70 percent (but) now things are starting to pick up a bit."

More can be read here: http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE5AJ47320091120

I tried to find the thread about the HAL ship and the port /dock workers, with no success.
Joanie

[casavaha]

Roatan is an island. It is a part of Honduras. But there is no comparison with the culture and beauty of Mainland Honduras.

Cruiseship captains get nervous with any type of demonstration near the ship. The
best thing about Roatan was there were no McDonalds or Burger Kings.

Greg

[mountainmare]

On Oct 23 the Zuiderdam was turned away from Limon Costa Rica because of a dock strike.http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1082779&highlight=strike
Anyway there are tensions all over the world and here at home--if the captain deems a port unsafe the port will be skipped, if any passenger feels it is too risky to leave the ship then they can enjoy the ship for the day.
I still believe the confusion is because the new super dock facility is too shallow and they have to redredge. It was supposed to open in November. It is like Half Moon Cay with cabanas and such---so those things can't be posted as "excursions" until it is known if you really are docking at Mahogany Bay. They are also still working out arrangements with tour companies but at this point they don't know what to offer. For the cruise line (well Carnival Corp) it makes sense to be able to offer as much as possible in their own compound, so I think they are in wait and see mode.

[gentlemancruiser]

Roatan is an island. It is a part of Honduras. But there is no comparison with the culture and beauty of Mainland Honduras.

Cruiseship captains get nervous with any type of demonstration near the ship. The
best thing about Roatan was there were no McDonalds or Burger Kings.

Greg

Well Said! For years ships have been docking at Margarita Island, which is part of Venezuela. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez hates the US, and has been very public about it for many years, however ships continue docking there without incident or problem.

[mountainmare]

The Crown Princess is in Mahogany Bay today--you can see the beach on the bridge cam.
Since this is a dock built by and owned by Carnival Corp for use by all ships owned by Carnival Corp I do think that Carnival Corp (which owns HAL) probably had enough confidence in the stability of the tourism industry on Roatan to invest in this project.
It does look like a nice beach, and you can see people in the water--which is better than I can say for home right now.

[CowPrincess]

Thanks Mountainmare for the bridge cam info! I think we'll still try for a snorkeling experience outside of the "compound".

[gentlemancruiser]

http://www.kroooz-cams.com/Princessindex.html

[mountainmare]

COWPRINCESS--we're doing the same thing--I really wish we had been able to book the same date as you. Are you doing Victor or Upachaya--or just going to West Bay?
We leave on the 27th for Fla--are you back by then to give a report?
gentlemancruiser thanks for the link. Is there a way to get to the previous pictures to see the sail in?

[CowPrincess]

COWPRINCESS--we're doing the same thing--I really wish we had been able to book the same date as you. Are you doing Victor or Upachaya--or just going to West Bay?
We leave on the 27th for Fla--are you back by then to give a report?
gentlemancruiser thanks for the link. Is there a way to get to the previous pictures to see the sail in?

We still haven't decided what we're doing EXACTLY -- I think we've found a private guide, but I haven't nailed it down with DH. I was REALLY hoping HAL would post some shorex -- there's one on Carnival that I'd really like to do. A beach snorkel and clear kayak, and I can't find an operator who offers it privately. We have a WHACK of onboard credit, and need to book one or two HAL shorex to use some of it. Or else we'll be REALLY increasing our auto-tips on the last night :)

No I won't be back when you leave, and Internet is too expensive onboard to post to CC -- I only use it to check with the petsitters that the pets are okay :)

I'm more than a bit PO'd at HAL for their lack of shorex in Roatan (at one point I couldn't even find anyone in HAL who knew Mahogany Bay WAS Roatan -- they were telling me we didn't go to Roatan!!!!) and the same lack of shorex for Puerto Cortes. And we are in Puerto Cortes for a loooong time.

Showed DH the pic from the webcam, and he was underwhelmed. So I guess tonight we will decide exactly what we're doing in Roatan, and make the arrangements :)

[pseudochicken]

Some of you eluded to this recently, but here's an article on Mahagony Bay.

http://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/3459-12209-62-million-mahogany-bay-cruise-center-in-roatan-officially-opens.html

Looks interesting. Do I explore the island or enjoy the facility? :confused: