Roatan/Belize questions Please help

Hello,

Sailing on the Carnival Valor in July, and we are trying to figure out if it is a good idea or not to take an independant tour in these two countries. We are planning to take Victor Bodden Tours in Roatan, he has a bus that will take us to West Bay Beach for $20 pp, however we will need to leave the Mahogany Bay area, and walk up a hill to meet him. This is fine, if we will be safe after leaving the port. Does anyone have experience doing this? Using VB tours?

In Belize, we would like to find a tour company to take us to Bannister Island. Carnival no longer offers this excursion. Does anyone have any suggestions. If we can not find anyone we will just have to stay on the boat, and I really hate the idea of missing an amazing beach ( we are beach people)!!

We have always in the past booked with independant companies because we feel carnival excursions are too much money. We really need to keep costs down this cruise. However, I will be honest I am bit apprehensive about doing this on these two stops. I have read so many reviews where people state they feel unsafe.

I would love to hear your experiences.

Thank you very much:)

Hi, We are going to use Coral Breeze tours. in Belize for snorkeling and Banister Island. It sounds pretty good. Eco tours sound ok too. www.coralbreezetours.com www.ecotoursbelize.com

Rick

We trust Viktor and his guys without question. Also love Roatan and there are very few places I would feel unsafe.

No reason to feel unsafe leaving the port to go on tour in Roatan. There will be lots of other passengers leaving at same time and all the other excursion companies will be waiting. :rolleyes:

Hello,

Sailing on the Carnival Valor in July, and we are trying to figure out if it is a good idea or not to take an independant tour in these two countries. We are planning to take Victor Bodden Tours in Roatan, he has a bus that will take us to West Bay Beach for $20 pp, however we will need to leave the Mahogany Bay area, and walk up a hill to meet him. This is fine, if we will be safe after leaving the port. Does anyone have experience doing this? Using VB tours?

 

In Belize, we would like to find a tour company to take us to Bannister Island. Carnival no longer offers this excursion. Does anyone have any suggestions. If we can not find anyone we will just have to stay on the boat, and I really hate the idea of missing an amazing beach ( we are beach people)!!

 

We have always in the past booked with independant companies because we feel carnival excursions are too much money. We really need to keep costs down this cruise. However, I will be honest I am bit apprehensive about doing this on these two stops. I have read so many reviews where people state they feel unsafe.

 

I would love to hear your experiences.

 

Thank you very much:)

I would'nt hesitate to book independent in Roaton. Everytime we have been there, we have. Very safe place....yes it's poor but that doesn't equate to dangerous.

For Belize try belizecruiseexcursions.com or shoretrips.com and I believe you will find beach excursions

We were on the Valor last month and used Victor Bodden in Roatan, we did the $25 per person for the four of us for the day. We told our driver Hector what we wanted to do and he took us to several places, all were just perfect. He stayed with us at each stop, kept an eye on our things when we were in the water, even brought a vest down for my son when he noticed he was maybe getting a little tired of swimng on his own! This was our favorite stop on our cruise and I would stronly recomend VB tours, they were beyond great. The walk up the hill took a few minutes, but completely safe.

Belize we choose to tender ashore and look around, our mistake. There is really nothing more than shopping and a few establishments for food and drinks in port. I would take an excursion through Carnival for this one, we did not go outside of the gates, were not comfortable with that.

We just came back from there. We walked up the hill with no problems. they scared us to death with all the bad things they told us. We took Ronny's tours. It was a great tour. We had Meleke. He took us wherever we wanted to go . Didn't have to wait for a big group. We had 4 people. Saw some beautiful beaches. He will take you wherever you want to go. Even let us go for drinks. Saw a lot of pretty places. He has a great tour. Even speaks english.

We did this itinerary a couple of weeks ago on the Glory. In Roatan we took the Carnival excursion to Tabyana Beach, which was very nice, and we got to see some of the island on the way. Just outside the cruise dock area there were protesters or something (men with signs who were mostly sitting in the shade by the side of the road), and police armed with automatic weapons. They stopped our vans and spoke to the drivers, but let us pass without a problem. In Belize we did the Sergeants Cay snorkel excursion, and I can't say enough for this professional, safety conscious, and enjoyable tour. The guides were so enthusiastic and upbeat about their country that I look forward to another visit to Belize. There isn't anything to the manatee research station though.

We loved Victor Bodens tour, took it a few years ago.

The street outside the port looks kinds scary, and there were people turning around and going back to the ship because they didn't trust the area. They missed a beautiful island!!!

The worse thing for us was there were A LOT of kids trying to sell you handmade beads and stuff, so next time I will stock up on dollars!!!

These kids absolutely lite up when you bought one of their braclets for a buck, the bracelets were cute and can be given away to kids or friends.

And I looked at sorta like the "feed the kids" fund, it helped out the island people who are poor and 10 bucks is NOT going to break us.

So give if you want to, the kids do not attack. The other people mostly had booths on one side of the street with all kinds of handcrafts, and there were some stunningly beautiful wood crafts that I would have loved to purchase, but too big to tote home.

The only time I felt a little weird was when we made a coffee stop at a store, there was a military/police guy with a freaking machine gun outside the store to protect us.

That raised the hackles a bit, but really Viktor showed us his beautiful island, we visited his home with the animals, and also a tour inside his home!!!

The people here do not have contractors, the people get together with family members and hand build their homes. Beautiful craftsmanship, we totally enjoyed this tour, and the stop at the cameo factory was amazing too, what those people do with seashells and dremels? amazing, but expensive.

Belize was great but we did a cavetubing trip, there were some shops by the port where you could get CHEAP Patron, and also some really nice carved wood.

I always look at the ports of call and see what people are saying there, I try not to take the ships tours as I find the prices overinflated and not the best tours.

My CC friends have never steered us wrong!!!

Cheers, Carole

We loved Victor Bodens tour, took it a few years ago.

The street outside the port looks kinds scary, and there were people turning around and going back to the ship because they didn't trust the area. They missed a beautiful island!!!

The worse thing for us was there were A LOT of kids trying to sell you handmade beads and stuff, so next time I will stock up on dollars!!!

These kids absolutely lite up when you bought one of their braclets for a buck, the bracelets were cute and can be given away to kids or friends.

And I looked at sorta like the "feed the kids" fund, it helped out the island people who are poor and 10 bucks is NOT going to break us.

So give if you want to, the kids do not attack. The other people mostly had booths on one side of the street with all kinds of handcrafts, and there were some stunningly beautiful wood crafts that I would have loved to purchase, but too big to tote home.

The only time I felt a little weird was when we made a coffee stop at a store, there was a military/police guy with a freaking machine gun outside the store to protect us.

That raised the hackles a bit, but really Viktor showed us his beautiful island, we visited his home with the animals, and also a tour inside his home!!!

The people here do not have contractors, the people get together with family members and hand build their homes. Beautiful craftsmanship, we totally enjoyed this tour, and the stop at the cameo factory was amazing too, what those people do with seashells and dremels? amazing, but expensive.

Belize was great but we did a cavetubing trip, there were some shops by the port where you could get CHEAP Patron, and also some really nice carved wood.

I always look at the ports of call and see what people are saying there, I try not to take the ships tours as I find the prices overinflated and not the best tours.

My CC friends have never steered us wrong!!!

Cheers, Carole

Carole,

They are not docking at Coxen Hole in Roatan but at Mahogony Bay. There is nothing outside the port gates.

Dave

I would not worry about Roatan - very safe and no problem 'walking' up the hill. We booked a 'customized tour with Rony and were very happy with it!

In Belize however I would not leave the gated area unless I was on an organized tour! In nov 08 we visited Lamanai thru belizecruiseexcursions.com and almost got left behind as it is a long tour (as well as a long tender ride back to the ship). This time to play it safe we booked the Altun Ha/River Wallce thru Carnival and had a great time. (see further details of tours in my review link below).

Hello,

In Belize, we would like to find a tour company to take us to Bannister Island. Carnival no longer offers this excursion. Does anyone have any suggestions. If we can not find anyone we will just have to stay on the boat, and I really hate the idea of missing an amazing beach ( we are beach people)!!

 

We always book independently too - we will just catch a cab in Roatan to West Bay beach area. I'm hesitant to set something up ahead of time cuz if the weather is iffy we'll just go to plan B.

We booked through Carnival for Belize (first time ever) as I wanted to avoid the tender issue. I'm fairly certain that the Turneffe Atoll snorkel w/ beach break takes you to Bannister for the beach break part. Last time in Belize we cave tubed with an independent.

We (group of 6)booked with Victor Bodden last April. It was an awesome experience. Don't worry, Victor and his people will take very good care of you.

When we walked "up the hill" last month when the gate first opened it seemed intimidating to my husband, but I was prepared because Victor had told us there would be many tour operators trying to get business but if you just told them you were already booked they would leave you alone. We did just that, several people approached us at first and as soon as we said we were booked with Victor Bodden they just directed us to his people. We loved Roatan and our driver was great with us and the kids.

As far as Belize, we were not as impresssed with Major Tom only because we were about 15 minutes late for the ship but luckily the Carnival tour was also running late from the caves. (Still a super fun adventure for us and the kids) I heard lots of good stuff on Eco-Tours, you can find them on the Belize forum. Enjoy your cruise. We really enjoyed both stops.

We have used Victor twice in Roatan, loved the experience both times and used Coral Breezes in Belize once, another time we just hired an independant driver to take us to the zoo. All great experiences :)

We will be going on our first cruise this June and will be visiting Belize and Roatan. We decided to use VB for Roatan but because of so much I had read about Belize decided to go through Carnival for the Altun ruins tour. Was going to do the River Wallace one but it was so much more expensive and we figured being on a cruise that a river boat would be anti-climactic. :D

Just curious, for those that booked with VB ahead of time, how far ahead did you book?

We used Victor Bodden in Roatan in 07...was great. Last year we were doing a group thing at a restaurant, so they sent a shuttle. We love Roatan...get out and see it!

In Belize we used Coral Breeze tours for a combination snorkel/beach break/manatee watch...that went to Bannister Island....we loved it there and it was surprisingly empty! I would not do the manatee watch tour again...like watching paint dry:rolleyes: I believe they had the same tour, but with 2 snorkeling spots and Bannister...that would be much better.

And I agree with some other posters about not leaving the gated area in Belize unless you're with a tour....it is pretty scary:eek: I did not have that same fear in Roatan...as Carole said, they are poor, but they are nice people. I also like to bring extra money to buy their trinkets with...better them than the cruislines!;)

We will be going on our first cruise this June and will be visiting Belize and Roatan. We decided to use VB for Roatan but because of so much I had read about Belize decided to go through Carnival for the Altun ruins tour. Was going to do the River Wallace one but it was so much more expensive and we figured being on a cruise that a river boat would be anti-climactic. :D

 

 

Just curious, for those that booked with VB ahead of time, how far ahead did you book?

I think we booked maybe a month ahead with Victor. But he seems to have almost an unlimited amount of drivers at his disposal...I never hear anyone saying he turned them down:)

We will be going on our first cruise this June and will be visiting Belize and Roatan. We decided to use VB for Roatan but because of so much I had read about Belize decided to go through Carnival for the Altun ruins tour. Was going to do the River Wallace one but it was so much more expensive and we figured being on a cruise that a river boat would be anti-climactic. :D

 

 

Just curious, for those that booked with VB ahead of time, how far ahead did you book?

Look up Belizeexcursions.com. We used them in January. 42.50 per person and it included a nice lunch after visiting the ruins. Talked to some people who took Carnival and said they spent too much time touring city and not enough time at the ruins...If you decide on this one, request " Jenny " for your guide..sweet girl who is of Mayan descent...:rolleyes:

Our group used Major Tom and it was a MAJOR mistake. He had one of the females in our group in tears by the time they got back to the Port about an HOUR late. I was on a bus ahead of them and stood there and begged the Carnival People not to leave them behind. They got on the last tender after it was loaded an hour late an ready to leave port. In Belize I would highly recommend that you book through the Ship. I never use the Ship but in Belize I will from now on.

Look up Belizeexcursions.com. We used them in January. 42.50 per person and it included a nice lunch after visiting the ruins. Talked to some people who took Carnival and said they spent too much time touring city and not enough time at the ruins...If you decide on this one, request " Jenny " for your guide..sweet girl who is of Mayan descent...:rolleyes:

I might check into that. Thanks!

One other concern is that if we do the runs in Belize, they are farther away so (in my mind at least) that is another reason to use Carnival for Belize.

In Belize we took a MAJOR chance and hooked up with a cab driver for the day. He promised us the Cave Tour would be much better than the zoo, so after some frightened looks between me and my husband, off we went. We stopped along the way for some cashew wine that Richard (driver) insisted we would love. We got a great deal on the tubing and were a group of 4 (my family) not 55 off the bus. We then had an amazing lunch for about $4 per person. On the way back to the port (about an hour ride) Richard made stops for fresh coconut and papaya, and found me a great deal on some Belize music cds from a friend of his. I was nervous and frightened for a good part of the day, since NO one knew where we were or who we were with. But, thank God, it turned out great and my daughters still say it was their favorite shore excursion day ever, and they have been on about 35 island excursions! Would I take that risk again? Probably not, especially having teen daughters along. But we did stay in contact with Richard for several years and emailed getting to know each others lives a bit better. Be sure if you do go off on your own, where ever you are, that SOMEONE knows where you are going and what your plans are. Even the best self tour can turn bad at any point!

We did this itinerary a couple of weeks ago on the Glory. In Roatan we took the Carnival excursion to Tabyana Beach, which was very nice, and we got to see some of the island on the way. Just outside the cruise dock area there were protesters or something men with signs who were mostly sitting in the shade by the side of the road), and police armed with automatic weapons. They stopped our vans and spoke to the drivers, but let us pass without a problem. In Belize we did the Sergeants Cay snorkel excursion, and I can't say enough for this professional, safety conscious, and enjoyable tour. The guides were so enthusiastic and upbeat about their country that I look forward to another visit to Belize. There isn't anything to the manatee research station though.

I am wondering if these were the private booked tour guides? I have been told by Victor Bodden, whom we have booked with for September, that they wait on the side of the road and hold up signs.

Hi, We are going to use Coral Breeze tours. in Belize for snorkeling and Banister Island. It sounds pretty good. Eco tours sound ok too. www.coralbreezetours.com www.ecotoursbelize.com

 

Rick

Thanks Rick - I can't find anything on ecotours website about a beach trip to Bannister. Coral breezes has the manatee, beach thing but it's a bit more then we want to spend, we are really just interested in bannister island for a few hours. Wish Carnival would bring that excursion back!

We did this itinerary a couple of weeks ago on the Glory. In Roatan we took the Carnival excursion to Tabyana Beach, which was very nice, and we got to see some of the island on the way. Just outside the cruise dock area there were protesters or something (men with signs who were mostly sitting in the shade by the side of the road), and police armed with automatic weapons. They stopped our vans and spoke to the drivers, but let us pass without a problem. In Belize we did the Sergeants Cay snorkel excursion, and I can't say enough for this professional, safety conscious, and enjoyable tour. The guides were so enthusiastic and upbeat about their country that I look forward to another visit to Belize. There isn't anything to the manatee research station though.

Thank you everyone for the votes of confidence about Roatan.

However, this (quote above) is kind of what freaks me out about Roatan, I am really leaning toward going with Victor Bodden but if my kids see protesters or police with guns outside the gate, they are going to freak and we will end up back on the ship. Would do the tabyana beach break through Carnival but it will cost us $150 just for transportation back and forth to the beach, and that isn't in my budget!