Confused

Hi,

This is our first time to Roatan. I am a tad confused. I have read several articles and post and even watched a few videos and still don't have a clear picture of what to expect. I know this is a Carnival created port but it is not isolated like Labadee or say Half Moon Caye.

Regarding things to do if we would like a beach day with a chair, umbrella and possibly floating mat and water rentals where do we do and what are the cost? I've read about the chair lift but can we walk? I don't know if we should expect a Grand Turk with chairs for free and a chair for other things or a taxi ride and a charge for things like Magen's Bay etc.?

And maybe we should book an excursion. We are going back to back cruises. East first and then west so I had thought we would have a beach day in Roatan and just explore.

Any information and advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

T

Hi,

 

This is our first time to Roatan. I am a tad confused. I have read several articles and post and even watched a few videos and still don't have a clear picture of what to expect. I know this is a Carnival created port but it is not isolated like Labadee or say Half Moon Caye.

 

Regarding things to do if we would like a beach day with a chair, umbrella and possibly floating mat and water rentals where do we do and what are the cost? I've read about the chair lift but can we walk? I don't know if we should expect a Grand Turk with chairs for free and a chair for other things or a taxi ride and a charge for things like Magen's Bay etc.?

 

And maybe we should book an excursion. We are going back to back cruises. East first and then west so I had thought we would have a beach day in Roatan and just explore.

 

Any information and advice would be appreciated.

 

Thanks!

T

I just replied to your post. Mahogany Bay is Carnival's port. It is for Carnival Cruise Lines and their company lines only. Very secure. They did a great job with it and they have water rentals, beach chairs, umbrellas, clam shells, etc. I have walked through there and I like it but I am more about West Bay Beach, West End Village, and the west side of the island.

Hi fellow Gamecock fan who lives in NC! Go Cocks! :D

If you just want an easy beach staying within the secured Mahogany Bay port area will work out great for you.

See post below!

LuLu

I just replied to your post. Mahogany Bay is Carnival's port. It is for Carnival Cruise Lines and their company lines only. Very secure. They did a great job with it and they have water rentals, beach chairs, umbrellas, clam shells, etc. I have walked through there and I like it but I am more about West Bay Beach, West End Village, and the west side of the island.

If you enjoying snorkeling do not miss West Bay, shopping then West End.

I spent a week here this past February and had a wonderful tour of the island with Cleve Bodden , a native islander with a great tour at a fair price.

He works out of Seagrape Plantation but has his own FB page and many many excellent reviews. I can post contact information if you'd like.

Don't miss to see the island!

I just replied to your post. Mahogany Bay is Carnival's port. It is for Carnival Cruise Lines and their company lines only. Very secure. They did a great job with it and they have water rentals, beach chairs, umbrellas, clam shells, etc. I have walked through there and I like it but I am more about West Bay Beach, West End Village, and the west side of the island.

Does this include Princess cruise ships as well?

Yes

We have been to Roatan 10+ times. Mahogany Bay is nice if your budget is zero. You can walk to the beach. It can be rather clouded and by afternoon the water is cloudy.

If you have a budget to do something nice. I highly Ronystours.com. He is a great guy - very reliable and friendly. The beaches in West Bay are absolutely gorgeous - crystal clear water. The West End has fabulous snorkeling - some of the best we've done. The animal sanctuary is great - play with monkeys and hold a sloth. Some of the best ziplines are in Roatan as well and very inexpensive compared to most. Rony offers a "freestyle tour". You pay a certain price for a driver for the day and then add on any attractions you choose. You spend the entire day at your own pace. Stop for photos anywhere you'd like. I highly recommend a splurge here if it's in your budget. I'm sure you would have a great day with Rony. We have such wonderful memories from Roatan - worth every penny.

Unless you want to snorkel, the beach at Mahogany Bay is fine! :)

We have been to Roatan 10+ times. Mahogany Bay is nice if your budget is zero. You can walk to the beach. It can be rather clouded and by afternoon the water is cloudy.

 

If you have a budget to do something nice. I highly Ronystours.com. He is a great guy - very reliable and friendly. The beaches in West Bay are absolutely gorgeous - crystal clear water. The West End has fabulous snorkeling - some of the best we've done. The animal sanctuary is great - play with monkeys and hold a sloth. Some of the best ziplines are in Roatan as well and very inexpensive compared to most. Rony offers a "freestyle tour". You pay a certain price for a driver for the day and then add on any attractions you choose. You spend the entire day at your own pace. Stop for photos anywhere you'd like. I highly recommend a splurge here if it's in your budget. I'm sure you would have a great day with Rony. We have such wonderful memories from Roatan - worth every penny.

I agree 100% here. Plus, you can snorkel right from the beach at West Bay Beach since the reef is right off of the beach there and seem beautiful marine life. West end is the best. Can't wait to go back in Sept.

I agree 100% here. Plus, you can snorkel right from the beach at West Bay Beach since the reef is right off of the beach there and seem beautiful marine life. West end is the best. Can't wait to go back in Sept.

The place gets crowded but the reef is awesome. This is the only place where I got to see cuttlefish up close and personal. We rented a taxi for the day and spent all day at the beach but it would have been cheaper to take the ship tour.

The place gets crowded but the reef is awesome. This is the only place where I got to see cuttlefish up close and personal. We rented a taxi for the day and spent all day at the beach but it would have been cheaper to take the ship tour.

Yeah, if you are just doing beach, there are other options. We like to go to West End Village as well and also the rum place. So private driver works best for us. $90 for the whole day for 4 of us. Never seen a big crowd at West Bay Beach but always been there when there were two ships or less in port. We go down to Infinity Bay area and maybe only seen 10 people max in that area of the beach. I know it is gets more crowded later in the day so that is why we hit up the beach first (early) and then West End Village.

Just returned. 12 of us did Lil French Key. Awesome place! We all loved. Water beautiful. Many things to do. Waiter Waylon was awesome. They have different packages and prices. Check the website. We pet a lion, held monkey and lemur. They have a puma and 2 young lions. They have many areas. Lots of water equipment paddle boards etc. Our pkg was $80pp. Included transport, lunch, 2 drinks and use of equipment

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Does this include Princess cruise ships as well?

Yes, it was built by Carnival Corporation and includes all of their brands - Princess, Carnival, HAL, etc. :)

Yeah, if you are just doing beach, there are other options. We like to go to West End Village as well and also the rum place. So private driver works best for us. $90 for the whole day for 4 of us. Never seen a big crowd at West Bay Beach but always been there when there were two ships or less in port. We go down to Infinity Bay area and maybe only seen 10 people max in that area of the beach. I know it is gets more crowded later in the day so that is why we hit up the beach first (early) and then West End Village.

We went to West End Village on our first visit. We grabbed a cab at the pier and the driver dropped us off in WEV and was supposed to pick us up at 2:00. It started raining about 1:00 and he came back early to see if we wanted to do something else. That was a great taxi service. They would take you anywhere, drop you off, pick you up at a specific time and you didn't pay them until you went back to the ship. I haven't seen that service since. If anyone finds a service like that again, please post it. I would love to do it again.

Just returned from a week in Roatan. On our cruise we went to Little French Key (which was awesome) but after spending a week at Turquoise Bay diving with Subway Watersports I would recommend both! Subway has dive and snorkel excursions for cruise ship guests and the resort is extremely private, beautiful and very peaceful....also has day rates. It's about 30 min from the port but totally worth it.

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We went to West End Village on our first visit. We grabbed a cab at the pier and the driver dropped us off in WEV and was supposed to pick us up at 2:00. It started raining about 1:00 and he came back early to see if we wanted to do something else. That was a great taxi service. They would take you anywhere, drop you off, pick you up at a specific time and you didn't pay them until you went back to the ship. I haven't seen that service since. If anyone finds a service like that again, please post it. I would love to do it again.

Victor Bodden and Rony have great service. Our first trip there, we got some random taxi driver for the day and he was awesome as well.