NCL excursion to Tabyana Beach in Roatan?

I posted this on the Roatan board with no response. I do not see this offered for our Getaway cruise in October. There is a Carnival ship in port the same day - do they get first 'dibs' for Tabyana?

It may be called something else? I'd suggest you call NCL and ask.

Last year they Combined it with a fantastic trip to the wildlife preserve. Then lunch and afternoon on beach with great snorkeling. Free ranging monkeys, not to be missed.

You could always book your own excursion at Roatan. We used Ronys Tours and they will take you anywhere you want to go and get you back plenty early. Pictures, description and links for everything we did are in my post from Christmas this past year. Hope you enjoy. https://gotravellife.com/2018/01/03/about-us/

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I posted this on the Roatan board with no response. I do not see this offered for our Getaway cruise in October. There is a Carnival ship in port the same day - do they get first 'dibs' for Tabyana?

Very typical for this time of year. They are still working on the contracts for next season. It is still listed on the NCL excursions page, so it has not gone away. Give it a few more weeks and if it doesn't show up then call NCL. Don't worry about it filling up. Tabayana can hold a couple of thousand people.

If it never appears you can do a day at one of the AI's or other hotels on the west end and get the same beach.

I posted this on the Roatan board with no response. I do not see this offered for our Getaway cruise in October. There is a Carnival ship in port the same day - do they get first 'dibs' for Tabyana?

Excursions for October may still not be finalized. But you can always book this excursion privately, or just jump in a taxi and go to Tabyana beach. If you do it on your own, the only thing you don't get is the "lunch" at the beach, and you can buy your own food nearby.

We did the ship's excursion many years ago and really enjoyed it, particularly as the reef is right off the beach with good, easy snorkeling. However, recent reports do say that aggressive vendors have become a problem at the beach. That's a shame if it's true.

Thanks so much for the feedback - I think we are leaning towards a day pass to Bananarama that includes transportation. That way it's one more thing crossed off the list. And I believe we can still simply walk down the beach and enjoy the snorkeling.

Excursions for October may still not be finalized. But you can always book this excursion privately, or just jump in a taxi and go to Tabyana beach. If you do it on your own, the only thing you don't get is the "lunch" at the beach, and you can buy your own food nearby.

 

We did the ship's excursion many years ago and really enjoyed it, particularly as the reef is right off the beach with good, easy snorkeling. However, recent reports do say that aggressive vendors have become a problem at the beach. That's a shame if it's true.

You can't go to Tabayana on your own, it is a private beach club open only to people on excursions. You can get a taxi to the area and enjoy that part of the beach, but not the beach club.

BTW I was there two months ago and there were no vendors in the area, security still ( as they have since I discovered the place 10 years ago) keeps them off the property.

All beaches in Honduras are public. Some resorts seem to get away with charging for access, but it is still illegal.

Tanyana, Bananarama, etc all use "West Bay Beach" which is public and easily accessed by anyone. We always negotiate an all day taxi where the driver takes us there, hangs around until we are ready to leave, then takes us back to the ship. Never been on a ship excursion to West Bay Beach.

All beaches in Honduras are public. Some resorts seem to get away with charging for access, but it is still illegal.

 

 

 

Tanyana, Bananarama, etc all use "West Bay Beach" which is public and easily accessed by anyone. We always negotiate an all day taxi where the driver takes us there, hangs around until we are ready to leave, then takes us back to the ship. Never been on a ship excursion to West Bay Beach.

They are charging for the loungers and the excellent security and of course the lunch buffet.

Of course anyone can walk on the beach put a blanket down and even snorkel with their own gear

But take a chair without a wristband...nope

Eat at the buffet without a wristband...nope

Use the snorkel equipment they have...nope

Expect security to watch your stuff..nope

And trust me security is watching your every move..that said...we never felt unsafe and will definitely go back to tabyana again...

I've seen a lot of great places on this earth but the reef there is incredible

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I have already booked the Tabyana Beach Party on 9/11 for my cruise. This is what it says on MyNCL:

"Discover the lost Caribbean in Roatan with a shore excursion to Tabyana Beach, a place where coconut, grape, and almond trees converge with a seemingly endless white sand beach and the clear turquoise waters of the Caribbean. Enjoy a swim in the beautiful water, take a stroll on the beach, kick back and relax as you listen to live Caribbean music. When you’ve worked up an appetite there’s hamburgers, hot dogs, BBQ chicken, beans & rice, cole slaw, watermelon, pineapple, papaya, lemonade and iced tea waiting for you. At Tabyana Beach, it's all about relaxation, natural beauty and a whole lot of fun!"

My wife and I are really looking forward to it as we never get to the beach here anymore. I thought it was reasonable at $85 each.

Just go there cheap independently. Bananarama is excellent and reliable. Includes great shaded lounge chairs, security and best- superb beach access that you can enjoy with the freedom of staying out as long as you like.

I don't find any value in the overpriced ship tours.

It is best to book ahead in my opinion. Transportation all set up etc. You may have to wait for cabs, and if you want any lounge chairs you are paying for that anyway. I would not just leave my stuff on a beach there, way too much potential for theft with hordes of foot traffic.

Just go there cheap independently. Bananarama is excellent and reliable. Includes great shaded lounge chairs, security and best- superb beach access that you can enjoy with the freedom of staying out as long as you like.

 

I don't find any value in the overpriced ship tours.

 

It is best to book ahead in my opinion. Transportation all set up etc. You may have to wait for cabs, and if you want any lounge chairs you are paying for that anyway. I would not just leave my stuff on a beach there, way too much potential for theft with hordes of foot traffic.

Guess it is my New York upbringing, but $85 seemed reasonable to me! Broadway shows left the $85 tickets at the trash heap a long time ago! :')

Guess it is my New York upbringing, but $85 seemed reasonable to me! Broadway shows left the $85 tickets at the trash heap a long time ago! :')

https://www.shoreexcursioneer.com/roatan/west-bay-beach-day.html

$29 is a LOT better.

But, I enjoy the lotteries with NY Theater. ;) Just saw Margaritaville, for $42 with a lottery win. :) Have been quite successful with this bargain theater. :)

We booked Paradise Hotel which is in that area for $79 for the 2 of us. It includes 1 drink each, lunch, shuttle to and from port, towels, lounge chairs and use of their pool. We booked through shoreexcursioner.com

FWIW, look up Little French Key on Google. It's next to BFK where one of the cruise excursions go and is quieter and nicer, it has multiple beaches (empty when we were there in March). It does have an 'animal rescue center' also which some folks object to (and some love); I can see pro's and con's. Worth consideration, included transfer was easy enough, prices were as advertised and experience was delightful (and I was actually pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness and care evident in the animal center but each to their own).

I realize that some may be nervous of 'going private' (me too to a limited extent) but I can vouch for this one being as advertised.

I posted this on the Roatan board with no response. I do not see this offered for our Getaway cruise in October. There is a Carnival ship in port the same day - do they get first 'dibs' for Tabyana?

I doubt another line would have 2st dibs, since NCL was the first ship to do Tabyana plus the area can handle a lot more than one ship. I am sure, if you check all the tours you will find your answer or they are holding off for some reason.

We booked Paradise Hotel which is in that area for $79 for the 2 of us. It includes 1 drink each, lunch, shuttle to and from port, towels, lounge chairs and use of their pool. We booked through shoreexcursioner.com

Interesting- since what you describe would be $100 for 2. Do you have a discount code??

It is $76 for 2, basic.

What did you book and how did you get that price?

I did Tabyana last November (Thanksgiving week) on Getaway, and we were in port with an MSC ship and a Carnival ship. All three of the ships has excursions to Tabyana, and they had us using a different color wristband than the CCL and MSC passengers - I believe that the MSC and NCL had the full buffet but CCL didn't or something along those lines. Their ships had different departure times, but there were jitneys running constantly to take people back to the ship.

Overall it was a good excursion, with good food and a pretty beach, it was definitely very crowded, and I noted that the condition of the place had slipped a bit (all of the beach loungers were in poor shape), plus the peddlers/merchants hassling you on the beach near the shore line and in the water was beyond ridiculous. The entire time, there were merchants with carts walking back and forth in front of the resort jingling bells and shouting..."ice cream, two dollars!", "snorkel!", "cuban cigars!"...constantly. While it was definitely very safe and security was watching everything, I'm not going back again on my next trip.

Interesting- since what you describe would be $100 for 2. Do you have a discount code??

 

It is $76 for 2, basic.

 

What did you book and how did you get that price?

I booked thru shoreexcursioner.com

I didn't have a discount code but did reserve a few months ago, price must have gone up 10pp

https://www.shoreexcursioneer.com/roatan/west-bay-paradise-beach-club-day-pass.html

They offer 3 packages, we chose the relax lunch.

Guess it is my New York upbringing, but $85 seemed reasonable to me! Broadway shows left the $85 tickets at the trash heap a long time ago! :')

agree, I don't like it, but not everything in life do we like? To me, anytime a tour is lower than about $100 it not over the top.

Rtbn75 tabyana beach & gumbalimba preserve