Transportation to Tabyana Beach (Carnival Excursion)

Carnival is offering an excursion to Tabyana Beach for $40 per person.

I'm looking over what is included and it sounds like it's basically just transportation.

Spend some time at a place where jungle meets powdery white sand beach and crystal clear waters as well as some of the world’s finest, most pristine coral at your feet.

On this excursion you will:

Have access to private sun loungers, fresh water showers with changing/restroom facilities, and a local gift shop, bar.

Enjoy the sounds of great Caribbean music.

Snorkel in the inviting Caribbean waters and see the stunning, unspoiled coral.

Take part in a friendly game of volleyball followed by a cool glass of iced tea or homemade lemonade.

Take a walk along the beach, or just lay in the sun.

An approximate 45-minute bus ride takes you to the beach with return transportation departing the beach every ½ hour starting two hours after arrival.

Snorkel gear is available for rent at an additional cost.

So for $80 per couple, is this really the best deal, or would we be better off hiring a taxi? I'm not sure how far it is from the terminal and what it would cost. We're not going anywhere else that day, so we wouldn't really need a private tour.

thanks. :)

You are also receiving access to the resort with chairs, facilities, etc.

So if we were to take a taxi, we wouldn't have access to that? I thought this was a public beach. No?

Chairs, shower/changing facilities, etc. are not free even if beach access is. That excursion includes those things, along with the iced tea and lemonade.

This is cheaper than our taxi for a day and we didn't have loungers or any amenities.

Thank you! I always feel more comfortable booking through the cruise line, but I know it isn't always the best deal. Looks like this would be a good choice. thanks! :)

How many are in your group? Just thought I would let you know another option if you are interested. We booked with Victor Bodden Tours and had a private driver for 25 a person (that with a group of 4) and the driver takes you wherever you want to go all day long. We took a quick tour of the island, took some amazing photos, went to Victors home where you can actually hold the little monkeys, and then went to the beach for a few hours. The driver watched our belonging while we were in the water. We have used Victor Bodden tours twice now while in Roatan. You can check out trip advisor for reviews. Enjoy Roatan!! We are going there in January for a week and I can't wait!!!

Banananrama on West Bay Beach, where Tabyana is, has a competitively price day pass plus transport.

We also did a Victor Boden tour, loved it and ended up.at west bay. Best beach ever.. but then it's money for beach access. Beach is free but if you want a place to sit and use bathroom then you need to pick a place. Snorkel money, chair money... it ads up. So pick a place that offers the stuff u want or be prepared to pay anyway. I thought it was worth it as this was the most beautiful beach I have ever been to.

Tabyana is across the island from the port. The excursion takes you there in small buses. In addition to the chairs( both shaded and unshaded) they have a live band, security to watch your stuff while you walk into the water for some of the best snorkeling on the island and being able to leave or stay at your own pace. I love Tabyana Beach!!

sounds great count me in

We've booked the Tabyana beach trip for our cruise in November, even more excited about it reading this. :)

What is the excursion called. I can't seem to find it?

What is the excursion called. I can't seem to find it?

I have always known the excursion to be called "Tabyana Beach Break" or something similar. This is the web site though one need sort the excursion through the ship.

This bit of from the web site:

<<<<Want to sign up for this Roatan cruise day trip on West Bay Beach? Check with your cruise line for pricing and availability. Tabyana Beach Party / Tabyana Beach Day is sold onboard most of the cruise ships that dock in Roatan. We might just be one of the best Caribbean cruise shore excursions that you'll have on your trip. You decide.>>

being able to leave or stay at your own pace.

This excursion finally hit the list two days ago for my Glory cruise in Dec. Ship docked from 10:00-18:00; however, the hours for excursion are listed as 10:15-14:15??!! Surely that can't be right. If roundtrip travel time is 1.5 hours, that only leaves 2.5 hours of beach time. :(

I've been to Roatan once, and went to Maya Key. That's definitely not a do-over spot for me. I've tossed around so many other ideas for the past couple of months that when this Tabyana Beach excursion finally came up on the list I thought all was settled. Now the listed hours are throwing me off. The excursion really has all that I've been looking for--front-row snorkeling, a short walk to Celeste's at West Bay Lodge (I've pondered a week-long stay there for the past several years), a lounger, no boats in water, a bar, and roundtrip transport.

So O2Cool and/or other CCers I seek your first-hand knowledge--what time did your ship leave and what is the latest time you were able to remain at the beach via this excursion?

This excursion finally hit the list two days ago for my Glory cruise in Dec. Ship docked from 10:00-18:00; however, the hours for excursion are listed as 10:15-14:15??!! Surely that can't be right. If roundtrip travel time is 1.5 hours, that only leaves 2.5 hours of beach time. :(

 

I've been to Roatan once, and went to Maya Key. That's definitely not a do-over spot for me. I've tossed around so many other ideas for the past couple of months that when this Tabyana Beach excursion finally came up on the list I thought all was settled. Now the listed hours are throwing me off. The excursion really has all that I've been looking for--front-row snorkeling, a short walk to Celeste's at West Bay Lodge (I've pondered a week-long stay there for the past several years), a lounger, no boats in water, a bar, and roundtrip transport.

 

So O2Cool and/or other CCers I seek your first-hand knowledge--what time did your ship leave and what is the latest time you were able to remain at the beach via this excursion?

I had the same concerns. The times totally threw me off. We were just here at the end of August and I can't remember the exact times we were there, but we had PLENTY of time at the beach.

Our ship left at 6:00p. Needed to be back on board at 5:30p. I don't remember exactly, but I want to say we left the beach around 4:00p (?)

The bus ride was more like 30 minutes each way.

I'd highly recommend this excursion. I loved being able to snorkel right off of the beach. Yes, there are vendors, but they keep their distance and mellow out after a while. The food didn't look very good, though. I ate breakfast on board the ship and just had pina coladas for the afternoon. :D Servers were very nice and I liked having the security guard there. Might not have been necessary, but I liked having somebody over at the lounge chairs since I spent a lot of time just chilling in the water. :cool:

Great feedback MaiTaiMary (love the name)!! Thank you. :cool:

This excursion finally hit the list two days ago for my Glory cruise in Dec. Ship docked from 10:00-18:00; however, the hours for excursion are listed as 10:15-14:15??!! Surely that can't be right. If roundtrip travel time is 1.5 hours, that only leaves 2.5 hours of beach time. :(

 

I've been to Roatan once, and went to Maya Key. That's definitely not a do-over spot for me. I've tossed around so many other ideas for the past couple of months that when this Tabyana Beach excursion finally came up on the list I thought all was settled. Now the listed hours are throwing me off. The excursion really has all that I've been looking for--front-row snorkeling, a short walk to Celeste's at West Bay Lodge (I've pondered a week-long stay there for the past several years), a lounger, no boats in water, a bar, and roundtrip transport.

 

So O2Cool and/or other CCers I seek your first-hand knowledge--what time did your ship leave and what is the latest time you were able to remain at the beach via this excursion?

We stayed at West Bay Lodge for 9 nights in March of 2014. We had a wonderful time. We ended up staying in their condo. It was great. We stayed last week at Bananarama in their condo (Same complex) and I have no complaints with them either. The thing I liked better about Bananarama is they gave us a seasonal discount on our room. We didn't have to pay extra for our beach chairs and amenities. (Please note Bananarama's regular rooms do not have TV, the condo does!) If you do the Tabayana beach break be sure to snorkel in front of the Grand Roatan. That is where the best coral formations are! :)

This excursion finally hit the list two days ago for my Glory cruise in Dec. Ship docked from 10:00-18:00; however, the hours for excursion are listed as 10:15-14:15??!! Surely that can't be right. If roundtrip travel time is 1.5 hours, that only leaves 2.5 hours of beach time. :(

 

I've been to Roatan once, and went to Maya Key. That's definitely not a do-over spot for me. I've tossed around so many other ideas for the past couple of months that when this Tabyana Beach excursion finally came up on the list I thought all was settled. Now the listed hours are throwing me off. The excursion really has all that I've been looking for--front-row snorkeling, a short walk to Celeste's at West Bay Lodge (I've pondered a week-long stay there for the past several years), a lounger, no boats in water, a bar, and roundtrip transport.

 

So O2Cool and/or other CCers I seek your first-hand knowledge--what time did your ship leave and what is the latest time you were able to remain at the beach via this excursion?

What did you not like about Maya Key? That is the other option I was considering. Thanks so much!

We stayed at West Bay Lodge for 9 nights in March of 2014. We had a wonderful time. We ended up staying in their condo. It was great. We stayed last week at Bananarama in their condo (Same complex) and I have no complaints with them either.

Thank you so much for your excellent feedback!!! The condo at West Bay Lodge had just been added the last time I pondered a trip/stay there. I'll also take a look at Bananarama condo! :)

What did you not like about Maya Key? That is the other option I was considering. Thanks so much!

I did enjoy my day at Maya Key—poolside, nice lunch, and met some great non-cruise travelers. I did not enjoy the 'beach front' as the water was not turquoise blue and clear like I expect in the Caribbean. The chairs on the 'beach' were very low to the ground so anyone with mobility issues would be hard pressed to use the chairs. I snorkeled a bit off the end of the dock but I wasn't comfortable with the reef so close to the surface. I don't like to see caged animals; however, I do understand under certain circumstances that a cage is the only option for some animals that were injured and cannot return to the wild. The island was very quiet the day I visited and I happened upon a 'zookeeper' outside of a monkey cage. As she and I were talking a caged monkey reached through the bars, grabbed her earring and took off. The look on her face told me she was as alarmed as I was although she played it off to 'funness'. Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe monkeys are now available to be touched/held upon request. After what I saw, no way. My visit was long ago (2007-2010—don't recall) but from my understanding they have since added interaction with various mammals which I deplore.

Also, consider that the island has inbound/outbound airplanes overhead throughout the day.

So that's why Maya Key would never be a 'do over' excursion for me.