#1TravelMom

From everything I'm reading, MSC requires in person testing.

We are doing back to back cruises.  The first does not require testing, the second does.  We are spending two nights in between near the Orlando airport. We are looking for testing that accepts insurance. There are 9 of us so $65 per person at the airport will add up fast. Any suggestions?

I'm going to suggest you look at specific ships, not just a cruise line.  Warning: Just my opinion. We would choose Norwegian Getaway over Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas, but would choose RCCL Harmony of the Seas over Norwegian Star.  Not a lot of American cruisers consider it, but our last cruise was on MSC Seaside and our group LOVED it.  Ages: 7-62 - all had a great time.  We just booked MSC Meraviglia for October.  Also, what itinerary is interesting to your family? We have been to Roatan 15-20 times and will continue to go every year.  Others don't enjoy Roatan. If you have islands you'd like to visit, look at your dates and port schedule and that could narrow down your ship choices.  My youngest is 18.  It's really important to us that our kids have a great vacation as well as us.  Some of our favorite excursions have been:  Monkey/Sloths/Ziplining/Snorkeling West Bay in Roatan, Cavetubing in Belize, Climbing Mayan Temple Coba from Cozumel, Swimming with Stingrays in Grand Cayman, Hiking to the waterfalls and visiting forts in Puerto Rico,  and Downhill coaster and climbing Dunns Falls in Jamaica.  Maybe look for excursions that interest you so you have some adventures to look forward to as well as a great ship.

Another vote for the zoo.  We really liked it.  You could make a stop at Junkanoo Beach on the way back and just walk from there to the ship.

We've been on many cruises.  Very difficult to find a cabin with no noise.  I'm a super light sleeper and once I'm awake I find it very difficult to get back to sleep.  I sleep with earbuds in with a constant rain shower sound.  Works great for me.  You could maybe try something like this at home and see if it could work for you.  A speaker with sound doesn't work for me as I can also hear every little sound outside the cabin.

I would use Ronystours.com.  Nothing against Viator, but you just don't know what you'll get.  With Rony, you will know you have a reliable driver who will make sure you have a great day.  His rates are very reasonable.  I have spoken to people on several cruises who booked with ship excursions and sites like viator.  Cruise excursions can be crowded, you have to go with the group on the group schedule.  With the tour booking sites, you can get a random driver who doesn't speak English.  Roatan is a beautiful island.  I'd make sure you can make the most of your day.

We were in Roatan recently for nearly 2 weeks.  We visited Mayan Eden for the 2nd time.  We have been to 5 different "monkey/sloth" parks.  Mayan Eden is our favorite.  I recommend booking with Ronystours.com.  Choose his freestyle tour and you will get a private driver for the day.  Visit the beach or other places on your own schedule.  So much better than following a group excursion schedule.  He will make sure you have a great day!

 We've used Stingray Sailing many times. They are the BEST.  Contact them and see if they are back fully operational yet and have our date available.   I know they had been doing private charters only for a while.  If you are with a group or have people on your roll call who may be interested, Stingray Sailing is a great option for a private charter.  They are prompt, friendly and most importantly - their boat and equipment is top notch.  No junk, leaky masks.  They are very responsible in the way they interact with the rays.  When we've been there - other boats will be LOADED with people just waiting to touch one or two rays swimming around  Meanwhile, our small group has rays all around us.  We've done this tour at least 6 or 8 times and will continue.  Our family has such a nice time on this boat - so memorable!

We used Cayman Auto Rentals a few years ago.  Everything went smoothly.  10 min. +/- walk.  We drove you Rum Point for the day.

If you want to walk straight out onto the reef - Infinity is the best place.  Just walk straight into the water and you are on the reef.  Take care - there are many areas where the reef is too shallow to swim over - it will cut you.  You will see lots of fish - close up.  I think they are accustomed to snorkelers - it's easy to get great picks if you have an underwater camera. 

We just stayed at Paradise Beach Resort for 12 days - I snorkeled here almost every day - fabulous.  It is a short walk from Paradise Beach, but walking in the sand in the hot sun, it's definitely not as convenient as Infinity.  Also, there are lots of boats to take you out deeper if you'd like.  But, I just swam out to where the snorkel boats were.  If you are a confident swimmer, you can do this.  But, you need to be watchful as boats come and go and may not see you.  Try the offshore area first, it's really great!

Ronystours.com

Rony and Arnold are both great!   They have become friends of our over the years.  They will make sure you have a great day.  Please don't hesitate to give them a deposit on Paypal with friends and family.  He does this just to be sure you will show up.  He's totally trustworthy.  It is difficult for him if he waits on a family for hours and then finds out that a guide along the road convinced them to go with him. He loses out for the entire day. He is a great guy and really does all he can to help his community.  He has a small business and is truly appreciative for each family that books with him.

The beach at West Bay is beautiful with crystal-clear water.  Your party will have a great time there.  You can just walk right onto the reef or there are many small boats, just approach one and they will take you out if you'd like to go deeper.  The reef there is fabulous!  I know people way the peddlers are annoying. They are desperately trying to support their families. We just politely say no thank you if we are not interested and they move on.

LFK is great and we really enjoy spending the day there.  However, I definitely can't recommend snorkeling from there.  The waves are too rough.  Compared to the serene water at West Bay - easy choice.

On 7/16/2022 at 12:24 AM, c-leg5 said:

 

Did you have a buffet at Infinity Bay? They used to have a really good restaurant. Was tgat not available or could you have chosen from a menu if you were PAYG.

We just return from a trip to Roatan.  We ate at La Palapa on the beach at Infinity.  They have lots of great options - we really enjoyed everything we ordered.  My husband really liked the whole grilled fish.  Usually, it was caught within hours of him eating it.  The pasta with seafood is also really yummy!

I'd book transportation with Rony.  He is very reliable and will be waiting for you.  If you book his freestyle tour, you get a private driver - no waiting for anyone else.  You will also be able to stop along the way for photos if you like.  There is a nice overlook at the top of the hill before you get to West Bay.

Highly recommend Rony.  I'm sure you will feel comfortable with him.  We have visited Roatan for 15+/- years.  Rony has become a great friend.  We just returned from a 12-day visit.  Arnold(one of Rony's drivers) drove us all over the island.  We took supplies for children and families in a neighborhood in Coxen Hole.  We have never felt unsafe.  The people are so friendly.  The island now has police on the beach.  We let our belongings on beach chairs for hours every day.  Never had a problem.

If you are traveling with the family, go to West Bay.  They can enjoy the beach if not snorkeling.  You can either walk directly into the water and onto an amazing reef or take a boat further out if you like.  There are many boats along the beach, they will be glad to take you out.  You will still be in sight of the beach.

We have visited Infinity while in port.  We always use Ronystours.com.  A few years ago, we met another family from the ship.  They booked with someone else.  Their driver hardly spoke English and actually stopped at the grocery store and made a quick stop at his home to drop something off to his wife on the way to West Bay.   I would book directly with someone you know will be reliable.

We've used Mayan Divers at the Mayan Princess.  Not sure they are the least expensive, but they have nice equipment.

My sister wrote the above post for me as I dictated it to her(I was making chocolate covered strawberries).  She was at my house and logged in under her account and I forgot to tell her to change to mine to post.  I normally don't read everything she posts, but thought I should mention this in case she posts something like - "We just got back from our first trip to Roatan." 

We introduced her family to Rony on our recent visit.  They had a great time touring the island with us.  Rony does a great job with just 2 people or a large group. 

We just spent almost 2 weeks in Roatan.  We didn't see iguana on the menu anywhere.  We didn't even see any during our entire visit.

Look no further.  We have cruised for 35+ years.  We met Rony on our first visit to Roatan 15+/- years ago.  We have very high standards when it comes to excursions.  Rony speaks perfect English, he is always waiting when we arrive and is very friendly.  He's trustworthy and will do everything to make sure you make wonderful memories while in Roatan. We have a great visit every time!

Update since I wrote the above in 2019  After 32 years and 60+/-, we took a break from cruising and begin traveling to Roatan for 1 to 2 weeks each year.  Last month was our 3rd year we've visited.

A few weeks ago, we visited Mayan Eden and loved it.  The monkeys roam outside cages.  The guides are sure you have plenty of time to interact with them.  You will also get to hold a sloth and large tropical bird.  There are also other animals.  It is in a beautiful jungle-like setting and has a long suspended bridge.  I think we have visted all of the places that have interactions with monkeys and sloths.  This is our favorite.  Please remember a few dollars for the guides. Also, there is lot of shade - nice on sunny days. I highly recommend this place.

This could be your timeline - Of course, I have not idea what time you arrive or depart.  From our experiences, this is how your day could go.

Arrive Roatan:  10am

Disembark:       10:30am

Meet Rony/Drive to Mayan Eden:  11am

Mayan Eden:  11am - 12pm 

Drive to West Bay - Arrive:  12:30pm

West Bay Beach:  12:30pm - 4:30pm

Drive to port - Arrive 5pm-5:15pm 

Notes:  I'd book the Freestyle tour with Rony so you can move through your day at your own pace.  He has always provided great service and has become a friend over the years.  He will make sure you day goes smoothly.

I looked at our recent photos - times tell me that we were at Mayan Eden for 1 hour and 8 minutes.  There were 9 in our group and we took tons of photos.  We have visited the monkeys/sloths at least 10-12 times at different places around Roatan.  So much fun every time!  You could have a great visit here in 1 hour.

This "timeline" allows for 4 hours on the beach.  While visiting on cruise ships in the past, 4 hours was a nice amount of time for us to spend at the beach.  For $15 per person, you could get dropped at Foster's.  They offer beach chairs and have a small pool.  The are away from the busiest part of the beach on cruise ship days. 

Just another note - we are not people who get back to the ship 2 hours ahead of departure, but  we also don't want to become Youtube Pier runners.  We usually only allow a cushion of 15-30 minutes to make the most of our port days.  So far, so good.  West Bay is about 30 minutes from Mahogany Bay.  We allow 40-45.  If you are nervous about this - you may want to allow a little more time.  That's another nice aspect of doing Rony's freestyle tour.  If it rains or you want to leave a little earlier or later than planned, they will be available on your schedule.

We prefer Rony.  We have known him for more than 10 years and have done MANY tours with him while visiting on a cruise and staying on island at a resort.  He is a great guy that does a lot for his community.  He takes great pride in making sure every guest has a great day touring with him.  Either company will take you to the same locations.  I compare the 2 companies to Walmart and your local business owner.  Personally, we'd rather support a small business and have always had an amazing time with Rony.  You won't regret choosing him!

I get extremely motion sick on land and sea. I begin taking meclizine(Dramamine Less Drowsy) the morning we fly and take it faithfully until the last day of the cruise.  I used to get a prescription,  but now it's over the counter.   Make sure it is meclizine.   The other types of Dramamine do not work for me.  Just my opinion.  I get more motion sick than anyone I've ever known.

Please do not hesitate to book with Rony and send him a deposit. He is absolutely a great guy.   We have him booked for next month.  We have known him for more than 10 years and have booked MANY tours with him while visiting by ship and staying at resorts.  He is very friendly,  reliable and speaks great English.   He knows the island like the back of his hand.  I recommend his Freestyle tour - no time constraints.

He is a small business.  He does so much for his community.   The deposit is required so he can be assured he has secured your reservation.  Think Walmart(Bodden) vs your family-owned local stores(Rony).  We know Rony provides great service and we are happy to support his business