Victor Bodden Tour Guides

[nasvhillecruise]

I have booked Victor for our cruise in March. We're planning on doing the ziplines, touring the area, and going to his house to see the animals. Though most posts on this board RAVE about Victor and his guides, I have read one post saying they did not like the tour guide they had.

If you used Victor, did you love the guide? If so, who did you have? & finally, does anyone know if you can ask for a particular person?

[cruzmonkey]

Originally Posted by nasvhillecruise

I have booked Victor for our cruise in March. We're planning on doing the ziplines, touring the area, and going to his house to see the animals. Though most posts on this board RAVE about Victor and his guides, I have read one post saying they did not like the tour guide they had.

If you used Victor, did you love the guide? If so, who did you have? & finally, does anyone know if you can ask for a particular person?

Don't know about asking for a particular guide, but, I would request it when you book through his web site. We had Leonell and loved his attention to detail. This was the best excursion we had ever taken in that we could tailor it to our likes and wants and not have to follow the crowd.

[nasvhillecruise]

Thanks so much for the info. I've already booked with Victor, but I think I'm going to e-mail him & see if I can request someone.

[BiminiGirl]

we enjoyed Ali...he was not pushy at all, very informative and friendly

[BellaWood]

Our guide last week was Tex. He was witty, informative and very accommodating.

[9illi9an]

Our guide's name was Ben. He was a nice enough guy, but he didn't seem to know very much about the island (where he was born and raised), and he didn't take us to the zip-line we requested (South Shore.)

[april f]

I'm going to second Leonell. Very nice and informative. We basically wanted a beach day, but on the way to the Mayan Princess, the guys decided they'd like to go fishing. He had it set up and a boat waiting as soon as we got there.

[nasvhillecruise]

Thanks everyone. Sounds like Leonell should be the guy (if they take requests).

[B.L.T.]

Originally Posted by nasvhillecruise

I have booked Victor for our cruise in March. We're planning on doing the zip lines, touring the area, and going to his house to see the animals. Though most posts on this board RAVE about Victor and his guides, I have read one post saying they did not like the tour guide they had.

If you used Victor, did you love the guide? If so, who did you have? & finally, does anyone know if you can ask for a particular person?

Hi nasvhillecruise, I booked with Victor Bodden in Oct. I was very specific in what I wanted to do and that I wanted an air-conditioned van. The Van was booked for 4 people and another couple joined us at the last min. Unfortunately my husband and I got stuck in the back of the bus where the air- conditioning had a very hard time reaching and it was very,very hot and uncomfortable.My husband and I wanted to visit a school and an orphanage while our friends visited the Iguana farm. Both of us had no interest in the Iguana's.Our friends had no interest in either the school or the orphanage. Our guide drove us all to the farm and we had no choice but to wait in the heat while our friends spent some time touring the farm and then there wasn't enough time for us to visit both the school and orphanage so we ended up just dropping some things off at the orphanage .I was not happy with this tour. I unfortunately can't remember the guide's name but he ignored the requests on the sheet Victor gave him and he was not paying any attention to what I was trying to tell him. Victors home isn't worth visiting and I can't stress that enough .There is nothing there but a monkey and an ant-eater that is tied up and we were told not to touch as he bites .We were told to pay $2. each to a women sitting on the porch . She was very unfriendly and never spoke to any of us. I did a lot of research before I left home and I had read a lot of good reviews about Victors tours and his home . The island itself is beautiful but I have to say I was very disappointed in the tour and would not recommend it to anyone. B.L.T.

[truegrits]

We just returned from our cruise aboard the Carnival Glory. We used Victor Bodden tours and Wilson was our tour guide. We had a blast. First we went by the shipwrecks and then went to the zipline. I was scared to death at the beginning, but by the third line, was relaxing due to the guides. Wilson was waiting for us at the bottom. Next he took us to the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses as we had requested to visit it. We then went to the cameo factory, and then he took us to the beach at Bananarama's. While it was a little crowded and someone was trying to sell us something every 60 seconds we enjoyed ourselves. (When in another country you have to remember their culture) We only had about an hour at the beach as our ship was leaving at 6pm. We arrived safely back to the pier and had a very enjoyable day. I would recommend Victor Bodden to anyone and everyone.

[nixnutz]

Originally Posted by B.L.T.

The Van was booked for 4 people and another couple joined us at the last min. My husband and I wanted to visit a school and an orphanage while our friends visited the Iguana farm. Both of us had no interest in the Iguana's.Our friends had no interest in either the school or the orphanage.

The Iguana farm and the orphanage are on opposite sides of the island. Not sure what else you crammed into your $25 tour, but it already seems to me that you were probably asking alot. If all you wanted to do was go to the orphanage/school, your friends wanted to see the iguanas, and the monkeys at Victor's house were part of your request, then that's a whopping 2 hour tour. What did you ask them to do for the other 3 hours??

Originally Posted by B.L.T.

Our guide drove us all to the farm and we had no choice but to wait in the heat while our friends spent some time touring the farm and then there wasn't enough time for us to visit both the school and orphanage so we ended up just dropping some things off at the orphanage.

Didn't your friends have to wait in the heat while you were at the orphanage? You say they weren't interested in the orphanage, so it seems to me that you should have found someone with the same itinerary/interests as you, with whom to book your tour.

Originally Posted by B.L.T.

Victors home isn't worth visiting and I can't stress that enough .There is nothing there but a monkey and an ant-eater that is tied up and we were told not to touch as he bites .

That's just mean. Victor's house is humble....very humble and probably lacks all the necessities you've got back home. You know, air-conditioning, hot tub, in-ground pool, washer and dryer...necessities. He's poor and so is Honduras. Don't be so mean-spirited....

When we were there (Nov. '07), there were 4 monkeys...

My dog bites and I tell guests all the time to be careful around him....

Originally Posted by B.L.T.

We were told to pay $2. each to a women sitting on the porch . She was very unfriendly and never spoke to any of us.

The one woman only speaks 10 words of english. It was either Victor's wife or his mother, but either way, she doesn't deserve to be called "unfriendly" when she doesn't speak your language (or when she doesn't speak it well). "When in Rome..."?? Both of them were perfectly friendly with me, when I spoke to them in Spanish... By the way, the $2 part was right on the booking form....

Originally Posted by B.L.T.

I did a lot of research before I left home and I had read a lot of good reviews about Victors tours and his home . The island itself is beautiful but I have to say I was very disappointed in the tour and would not recommend it to anyone. B.L.T.

That's unfortunate, because I would HIGHLY reccomend Victor's tour. See my next post for why and a reccomendation for our guide, Roland....

[nixnutz]

Originally Posted by nasvhillecruise

I have booked Victor for our cruise in March. We're planning on doing the ziplines, touring the area, and going to his house to see the animals. Though most posts on this board RAVE about Victor and his guides, I have read one post saying they did not like the tour guide they had.

If you used Victor, did you love the guide? If so, who did you have? & finally, does anyone know if you can ask for a particular person?

We were there on Nov. 28th with Carnival Valor. Our tour guide was Roland and he was outstanding. Roland had lived in the US for awhile, so he spoke excellent english. He was very accomodating and extremely patient.

I say patient because we spent three hours at the beach and Roland stayed with us the entire time. He was always within sight and keeping a protective eye on us. At one point, a beach vendor came up to us and was "hard-selling" his wares. Roland came over and gave him a talking to and off he went.

We never felt unsafe or concerned on tour with Roland.

We were worried that we were trying to squeeze too much into one excursion, but we ended up having plenty of time.

For $25 pp we did:

Iguana Farm (+$5pp)
Victor's house with monkeys (+$2pp)
Sightseeing/photo ops along the way
Beach time (We actually rented a boat ($10pp) and went snorkelling for awhile here too.)
Orphanage
Shopping

Like I said, we thought we were asking too much, but we had plenty of time to do all this. As we were driving around the island, Roland would point things out and if we seemed interested, he would offer to stop. There was some shopping, which was no where near the ship, and Roland offered to stop while we got out and looked around.

I don't know if you can request a particular guide, but it can't hurt to ask. Victor's email is on his site, so send him an email and ask. I'm sure he'll accomodate you.

Here are some photos for you:

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...z/DSC_0060.jpg
My kids feeding the Iguanas.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...z/DSC_0125.jpg
The family at victor's house with the monkeys. Roland is in the back and the picture was taken by one of Victor's friendly realatives.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...z/DSC_0116.jpg
Me with the monkeys.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...z/DSC_0138.jpg
West Bay beach in Roatan.

If I had one negative for Roland, it would be that he's not a great photographer ...LOL. Here's a picture of us with the kids, at the orphanage, that Roland took:

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...z/DSC_0144.jpg

Sorry if this was more than you asked for, but we REALLY enjoyed our tour with Roland. Hope that helps!!

[Ltvscout]

Originally Posted by nixnutz

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...z/DSC_0138.jpg
West Bay beach in Roatan.

What resort were you by when on the beach?

[nixnutz]

Originally Posted by Ltvscout

What resort were you by when on the beach?

There was no resort. This was a public beach. There was a place directly behind us called "Island Pearl", but I don't think it was a resort.

Roland dropped us off about a 30yd walk from the main road. He parked the van while we set up on the beach and met us there after about 10 minutes (while he parked).

We were within walking distance to the Carnival beach area (Beach break at $40pp). We walked about 50 yards, through the Carnival area, to a pier where we hired the guy with the boat to take us snorkelling. Gustavo was his name....another positive in Roatan!

HTH...

[Ltvscout]

Originally Posted by nixnutz

There was no resort. This was a public beach. There was a place directly behind us called "Island Pearl", but I don't think it was a resort.

Roland dropped us off about a 30yd walk from the main road. He parked the van while we set up on the beach and met us there after about 10 minutes (while he parked).

We were within walking distance to the Carnival beach area (Beach break at $40pp). We walked about 50 yards, through the Carnival area, to a pier where we hired the guy with the boat to take us snorkelling. Gustavo was his name....another positive in Roatan!

Thanks for the reply. We've decided to go to the Mayan Princess on West Bay, just so we have use of their facilities. We're using Victor to get there.

[nixnutz]

Originally Posted by Ltvscout

Thanks for the reply. We've decided to go to the Mayan Princess on West Bay, just so we have use of their facilities. We're using Victor to get there.

I don't think you'll be disspointed. There are several "beaches" along a stretch, which are essentially one big beach. It's not like there are fences between them or anything.

Victor's people are really great. At least they were really great to us....

[nasvhillecruise]

Rahn,
Thanks for the great review & pics. I LOVE the monkey pictures. I think that's one of the things I'm looking most forward to on the cruise. Well, that & the ziplining. I know you can't please everyone, but from what I've read, Victor has a 90% or greater success rate. Did they let you pet/hold the anteater? I know I read one thread about a guy holding the anteater & getting nibbled on a little, but he didn't seem to mind too much.
Debbie

[nixnutz]

Originally Posted by nasvhillecruise

Rahn,
Thanks for the great review & pics. I LOVE the monkey pictures. I think that's one of the things I'm looking most forward to on the cruise. Well, that & the ziplining. I know you can't please everyone, but from what I've read, Victor has a 90% or greater success rate. Did they let you pet/hold the anteater? I know I read one thread about a guy holding the anteater & getting nibbled on a little, but he didn't seem to mind too much.
Debbie

No we didn't hold or pet the anteater. The kids were so facinated by the monkeys that we stayed with them. the ant eater was on the other side of the house. We could see him over there pacing around, but we didn't go over.

As we were leaving, another group arrived, so we wanted to keep moving.

My kids were most excited about the monkeys too. We planned to snorkel on the barrier reef in Belize, which I thought would interest them, but the monkeys were definately the highlight.

Enjoy!!

[B.L.T.]

Originally Posted by nixnutz

The Iguana farm and the orphanage are on opposite sides of the island. Not sure what else you crammed into your $25 tour, but it already seems to me that you were probably asking alot. If all you wanted to do was go to the orphanage/school, your friends wanted to see the iguanas, and the monkeys at Victor's house were part of your request, then that's a whopping 2 hour tour. What did you ask them to do for the other 3 hours??



Didn't your friends have to wait in the heat while you were at the orphanage? You say they weren't interested in the orphanage, so it seems to me that you should have found someone with the same itinerary/interests as you, with whom to book your tour.



That's just mean. Victor's house is humble....very humble and probably lacks all the necessities you've got back home. You know, air-conditioning, hot tub, in-ground pool, washer and dryer...necessities. He's poor and so is Honduras. Don't be so mean-spirited....

When we were there (Nov. '07), there were 4 monkeys...

My dog bites and I tell guests all the time to be careful around him....



The one woman only speaks 10 words of english. It was either Victor's wife or his mother, but either way, she doesn't deserve to be called "unfriendly" when she doesn't speak your language (or when she doesn't speak it well). "When in Rome..."?? Both of them were perfectly friendly with me, when I spoke to them in Spanish... By the way, the $2 part was right on the booking form....



That's unfortunate, because I would HIGHLY reccomend Victor's tour. See my next post for why and a reccomendation for our guide, Roland....

nixnutz here is my response to you.
Before leaving home I set up a tour with Victor.At no time was I told I was asking too much or that two things we wanted to do simultaneously were on opposite sides of the island..Here is what I asked for:
1.For two of us to visit an orphanage and school while two were visiting the iguana farm.
2.We wanted to visit Victor's home and see some animals.
3.We wanted to see the sunken ship that Victor suggested.
4.We wanted a tour of Roatan and the surrounding area.
Here is what we got:
1.Four of us stood around in the heat while two visited the Iguana farm. By the time we got to the orphanage we were told we were running out of time so two of us ran in for 5 min, while four waited in the van and we had to skip the school altogether.
2.At Victor's place we saw 1 monkey up a tree and an ant-eater tied up.We stood around for 15 min and tried to call the monkey out of the tree.We then paid someone $12. for the 6 of us and left.A smile is universal and has no language barriers. We were not there to view Victor's house and did not look to see if he had air-conditioning or a pool etc. we thought we were going to view a mini farm with animals.
3.As we are all middle age it was a bit awkward to bend in half and make our way through the barb-wire fence but the view was worth it.
4.We saw some awesome sights and talked to some wonderful people.
We were disappointed in the farm and lack of animals and also that we missed spending time at the orphanage and school. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. B.L.T.

[bluejaygirl]

nixnutz, your photos are great! i cant believe I will be there in a week or so! I am twice as excited now!