dinojude Posted November 15, 2016 #1 Share Posted November 15, 2016 We are going to be in Roatan in December and are thinking about booking a tour with Victor Bodden. The ship comes into Mahogeny Bay. My DH uses a cane and I am concerned about the walking distance from the pier to the area to meet with the tour guide. Would appreciate any input you can give us on how far it is to reach the tour guide and is it flat/hilly, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_beachgirl_ Posted November 16, 2016 #2 Share Posted November 16, 2016 You'll get off the ship, walk down a pier like usual, then you'll enter a little tourist village with the usual shops that are at all ports. Go towards the left and leave this area. You'll end up in a parking lot with taxis. Walk past them. You'll need to walk up a small hill and then back down the other side. The vendors will all be waiting there for you. It's not far but if you are worried about your husband and his cane, I believe you can ask a taxi drive you to drive you up the hill and over. When I was doing my research, I believe it was $2 to do that. That may have changed but hopefully someone else can chime in on that. Might be something to think about. When Victor Bodden brings you back, he will drive right into the area and you will not have to deal with the hill at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa1963 Posted November 20, 2016 #3 Share Posted November 20, 2016 I just booked best of Roatan tour with Victor today. According to him, the distance from the port to the pick up area is about 350 yards over a hill, we can walk to the meet area or take a taxi at $2/pp. He can not get to the port due to some regulation, but he can drop customers off at the port. Hope this helps.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zqvol Posted November 26, 2016 #4 Share Posted November 26, 2016 . . . You'll end up in a parking lot with taxis. Walk past them. You'll need to walk up a small hill and then back down the other side. . . I would disagree with you that it is a small hill. IMO it is a rather large hill, and would be difficult for someone walking with a cane to navigate. The only way a person that is mobility challenged is going to make it is to have some assistance, even getting to a cab will be a big challenge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms411 Posted November 26, 2016 #5 Share Posted November 26, 2016 I agree with zqvol. I was with a friend who was having unexpected leg cramps during the cruise, and she had problems walking from the ship to the vehicle for the ship excursion which was much closer than Victor Bodden's tour meeting point. I saw somebody with Victor's sign when we exited the port area. It's much further than most other ports I've visited with no shuttle. I tried to measure the distance on one of my apps. Let me upload it to see if I can get the distance stats. Imo the shore excursions need to give more details about how far you have to walk to meet your excursion. It was a very stressful excursion for my friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms411 Posted November 27, 2016 #6 Share Posted November 27, 2016 I used the ramblr app when I was walking to measure the distance. I forgot to start it when we were walking from the ship so when I had to walk back after running an errand I turned it on. I made a few stops at stores so the actual distance is a bit less. The app says the distance was .6 miles. I thought it was at least .25 miles from ship exit to excursion, so it's probably .578 miles just to the ship excursion. The port exit is probably another .125 miles past that, and I think that's also where the public taxis were waiting. It looked to me that only ship excursions were allowed inside the port area and had their own parking lot within the port, but you have to walk approx .5 miles to get to those vehicles. There was a guy in a wheelchair on our excursion, but he was young and his young friends took very good care of him during the excursion. Imo, there is not full disclosure in some tour descriptions which is inexcusable with today's technology. I would not have measured had my friend not complained, because for me who walks a lot, it was no big deal. We both now have a different viewpoint on cruising after this trip. You can never ask enough questions and the more questions you ask, the more you enjoy your cruise, imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EatonDoolittle Posted November 27, 2016 #7 Share Posted November 27, 2016 I find youtube a great resource for this type of question. There are several videos there, this particular one videos almost the entire trip. Not Victor Bodden, but they all pick up in the same ares. A taxi up there is cheap (a dollar or two, as I recall), and certainly worth it of the heat, humidity, or climb would bother you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms411 Posted November 27, 2016 #8 Share Posted November 27, 2016 I didn't see any taxis until we got to our excursion vehicle which was about 1/2 mile from the ship. I use an app to measure distances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EatonDoolittle Posted November 27, 2016 #9 Share Posted November 27, 2016 The taxis are just outside the red-roofed building exit, you can see them if you watch the video, the narrator even points them out. You do have to walk through the port shopping complex, but you can get a taxi up the hill to the tour meeting points. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms411 Posted November 27, 2016 #10 Share Posted November 27, 2016 Again, just to get to the closer excursion vehicles is approx .5 miles. The taxis are further away. It is very clear that they don't want you leaving the port area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luv Cruising Land or Sea Posted November 27, 2016 #11 Share Posted November 27, 2016 We just returned from a stop in Roatan on the Caribbean Princess and docked At Mahogany Bay. We booked with Bananarama and it was raining so I was concerned about this "horrendous" hill that I had read about. I am a 65 year old woman with a bad knee, and slightly overweight. Not in great hiking shape but we decided to just "do it". The walk was not bad at all, but for someone with mobility issues I would grab a cab. You will have to walk about the same distance from the ship to the welcome center as you will from the welcome center over the hill to the pick up spot. (Took us about 20 minutes walking leisurely)The video posted previously is a great depiction but you will walk down the hill not ride as the videographer did. The vendors are allowed to drive in to the cab area on your return so you don't have to deal with the hill again. Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms411 Posted November 27, 2016 #12 Share Posted November 27, 2016 This is the least mobility friendly stop of the many Caribbean ports I have visited. If I hadn't been with my friend who had trouble walking, I wouldn't have noticed. Mobility is now on my radar for all future ports. The info is isn't easy to come by. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 2000 Posted November 28, 2016 #13 Share Posted November 28, 2016 (edited) This is the least mobility friendly stop of the many Caribbean ports I have visited. If I hadn't been with my friend who had trouble walking, I wouldn't have noticed. Mobility is now on my radar for all future ports. The info is isn't easy to come by. Roatan has anther port, one not owned by Carnival. The walk is not near the challenge Mahogany Bay is. My view is Carnival is doing everything it can to keep all its guests in the port area. Edited November 28, 2016 by Guest 2000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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