Need help picking a beach only

Hi All:

My friend and I just want to be at a beach all day that is beautiful, be able to get an umbrella chair and some drinks and maybe some food. Bodden tours look great but I only want to lay on the beach all day. We are both female and I have read some stories about cab drivers ripping you off as you approach the beach, asking for extra money.

I am on CCL, Legend on Jan 29th. We can book an excursion with Carnival but how long do they stay at the beach itself. We want to be there as many hours as possible

Are there drivers out there that are safe that will just take us to a great beach and bring us back to the ship? If so, how can we get to them?

We used Victor Bodden to get us to the Mayan Princess($10pp). It's my understanding that they only give out limited day passes now.(Victor charged us $20 pp since we just wanted to go to the beach)

I'm sure you could use a taxi driver, but we wanted the assurance that we wouldn't have any problems.

It's a short stroll from the Mayan Princess down to the beach area that Carnival uses. (The best snorkeling is off that area)It's worth the extra expense not to be packed in with the crowd though. We had a large umbrella with 4 beach chairs, and a very attentive staff. Our kids also wanted a fresh-water pool. Prices were reasonable. Our food/beverage bill for the day was $160 for 9 people and that included lunch, 4 beers, and about 10 non-alcoholic pina coladas. Snorkel rental was $5.

Hi All:

My friend and I just want to be at a beach all day that is beautiful, be able to get an umbrella chair and some drinks and maybe some food. Bodden tours look great but I only want to lay on the beach all day. We are both female and I have read some stories about cab drivers ripping you off as you approach the beach, asking for extra money.

 

I am on CCL, Legend on Jan 29th. We can book an excursion with Carnival but how long do they stay at the beach itself. We want to be there as many hours as possible

 

Are there drivers out there that are safe that will just take us to a great beach and bring us back to the ship? If so, how can we get to them?

We sailed the Legend in November and did the Coral Caye Beach Break through Carnival. This is a beautiful place and if you are just looking for a beach day I highly recommend it.

Hi All:

My friend and I just want to be at a beach all day that is beautiful, be able to get an umbrella chair and some drinks and maybe some food. Bodden tours look great but I only want to lay on the beach all day. We are both female and I have read some stories about cab drivers ripping you off as you approach the beach, asking for extra money.

 

I am on CCL, Legend on Jan 29th. We can book an excursion with Carnival but how long do they stay at the beach itself. We want to be there as many hours as possible

 

Are there drivers out there that are safe that will just take us to a great beach and bring us back to the ship? If so, how can we get to them?

We sailed the Legend in November and did the Coral Caye Beach Break through Carnival. There are roaming waiters to bring drinks, and food is available though we didn't eat there so I can't comment on it's quality. This is a beautiful place and if you are just looking for a day on the beach I highly recommend it.

Take a look and the Fins & Flippers chat. Great place

Hi All:

My friend and I just want to be at a beach all day that is beautiful, be able to get an umbrella chair and some drinks and maybe some food. Bodden tours look great but I only want to lay on the beach all day. We are both female and I have read some stories about cab drivers ripping you off as you approach the beach, asking for extra money.

 

I am on CCL, Legend on Jan 29th. We can book an excursion with Carnival but how long do they stay at the beach itself. We want to be there as many hours as possible

 

Are there drivers out there that are safe that will just take us to a great beach and bring us back to the ship? If so, how can we get to them?

you'll be able to get a driver as soon as you get out of the gates.. the west bay beach is beautiful.. fosters gives you a chaise, umbrella and pina colada for $5.00.. if you want a gorgeous resort on the same beach go to mayan princess for 10.00.. you get the use of all facilities, gorgeous pool, beach, etc.. there is also a fun place along the same beach called bananarama... the driver will take you wherever you wish to go and will probably wait right there for you until you are ready to head back to the ship

you'll be able to get a driver as soon as you get out of the gates.. the west bay beach is beautiful.. fosters gives you a chaise, umbrella and pina colada for $5.00.. if you want a gorgeous resort on the same beach go to mayan princess for 10.00.. you get the use of all facilities, gorgeous pool, beach, etc.. there is also a fun place along the same beach called bananarama... the driver will take you wherever you wish to go and will probably wait right there for you until you are ready to head back to the ship

What is Banarama?

thanks

Sandy

What is Banarama?

thanks

Sandy

another resort along the same beach. It's closer to Tabayana(sp?) and a little more crowded. Looked like fun, but we wanted to be a little further down away from the crowd

lolo19,

I think we are on the same cruise, but Legend leaves on Jan 27th.:)

Come join our roll call at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=577604

Host Star,

Is there any good snorkeling near Fosters? We have some who just want a nice beach & some who want to snorkel. Can you say where is the best spot for both?:confused:

Thanks,

SallyB

Does the Mayan Princess book in advance?

Does the Mayan Princess book in advance?

Not as far as I know.

We used Victor Bodden's for transportation. When I emailed him our plans for the day, he wanted to know if the Mayan Princess was where we wanted to be,so he could arrange our visit for the day. I think I read somewhere they only take so many cruisers...I don't see that as a problem though.

We used Victor Bodden's for transportation. When I emailed him our plans for the day, he wanted to know if the Mayan Princess was where we wanted to be,so he could arrange our visit for the day. I think I read somewhere they only take so many cruisers...I don't see that as a problem though.

Interesting. We're booked with Victor for our March '08 cruise. I told him ahead of time we wanted to go to the Mayan Princess. He didn't say anything about needing to make arrangements. He just told me it was $10/person. I emailed MP directly as well to ask them some questions and they never stated I had to pre-book.

Maybe he was talking about arrangements for a driver. There were 9 of us though, so that could have been the reason too. We were the only cruisers that I could tell were there for the day.

The best beach is West Bay. Fosters west bay is a restaurant and bar with lots of beach front and some of the best snorkeling in the world. Banarama is also another resort area that lets you enter for free and can enjoy the beach and food and drinks.

USF Crew,

Usually great beaches with sandy bottom do not have great snorkeling. How is it that Foster's has both? We will be in Belize at the end of January with a group that wants both. Will Foster's make everyone happy?

Thanks,

SallyB

USF Crew,

Usually great beaches with sandy bottom do not have great snorkeling. How is it that Foster's has both? We will be in Belize at the end of January with a group that wants both. Will Foster's make everyone happy?

Thanks,

SallyB

Hi Sally...You'll find that Roatan does not have "run of the mill" snorkeling! On West Bay beach, you get nice white sandy beaches that run into the calm, flat sea...then about 20 to 30 yards from the shore you're above part of the world's 2nd largest reef. You, honestly, can walk into the water from a nice sandy beach out over a nice sandy bottom, swim a few yards and you're above some of the most beautiful coral formations, brain coral, sea fans, tropical fish, etc. that you'll ever see!

Coral, Sand and Fish!

Check some of my Roatan photos using the Webshots link below to see LOTS of photos of the reef -- taken just down from the Mayan Princess Resort (towards Bananarama).

Check some of my Roatan photos using the Webshots link below to see LOTS of photos of the reef -- taken just down from the Mayan Princess Resort (towards Bananarama).

When looking at the water, was this to the left or right of the MP?

When looking at the water, was this to the left or right of the MP?

The best snorkeling was to the left of MP, down by Tabayana. Walk past the little pier and then out into the water.

I posted a question about Fosters before we left. The reason we chose MP is that I was told Fosters has a stream that runs by it, and that when it rains has quite a bit of run-off. We were there during the rainy season so take that into consideration too.

Here's a great link that shows the aerial view of West Bay.

http://www.westbayvillage.com/map.htm?map=3

When looking at the water, was this to the left or right of the MP?

Looking at the water, with the Mayan Princess at my back, we snorkled to the LEFT. As you walk down the beach that direction from the Mayan, you pass Bananarama and come to a pier in front of Infinity Bay (still being built, but beautiful!) We went out into the water right there. Ahead of us was the cruise ship Tabyana beach and there were hundreds of people in the water, so we avioded going that far since the sand was probably pretty stirrred up in the water. One of the first coral that we saw was a HUGE brain coral about 5-feet across. TRULY amazing stuff!

A little blurry, but brings back GREAT memories!

Remember, the beaches and water are all Free in Roatan. The resorts and Tabayana are private from the treeline inwards. Many places rent lounge chairs, or swimming pool use (like the Mayan). But, IMO, the real beauty is in the water...not up past the treeline!

Thanks for the info on where to go for the best snorkeling. I can't wait!

Did you use a disposable undwerwater camera or a digital in a case?

Thanks for the info on where to go for the best snorkeling. I can't wait!

 

Did you use a disposable undwerwater camera or a digital in a case?

Yep, Great Photos! Would like to know, too!

Thanks for the info on where to go for the best snorkeling. I can't wait!

 

Did you use a disposable undwerwater camera or a digital in a case?

Thanks! I love taking pictures...too many pictures, as those that have looked at my Webshots account know!

I was going to buy a plastic case for my "good" digital camera...but found this Olympus waterproof/shock resistant camera at Costco for just a little more... http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1225

I figured it was worth the little extra to spend on one with the Costco warranty then worry about getting water damage to my "real" camera (especially since I'm one of those that doesn't follow instructions too well!)

The Olympus has been great... throw it in the backpack without worrying about banging it around, snorkeling, pictures by (and IN) the pool, etc. So far, so good... it's been nice to have when it looks like rain when I'm going somewhere that I'd need a camera. No worries now!

I was going to buy a plastic case for my "good" digital camera...but found this Olympus waterproof/shock resistant camera at Costco for just a little more... http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1225

 

The Olympus has been great... throw it in the backpack without worrying about banging it around, snorkeling, pictures by (and IN) the pool, etc. So far, so good... it's been nice to have when it looks like rain when I'm going somewhere that I'd need a camera. No worries now!

Ya, I heard about this one this past Spring just before our RCI cruise. We checked out pricing on them in St. Maarten. Wasn't really any better than what I could find online here. I've got a Canon S3IS and the wife and eldest daughter each have a Canon SD1000.

Is that Olympus sand-proof as well? We've got a Costco coming into Milwaukee soon, finally. ;) I'll have to see if they still carry them.

Are there other beaches that anyone would reccomend?