Anyone hear from Victor Bodden over the last few days

[TeacherCruiser09]

I am sailing with Carnival in Dec and all this is very disappointing. I have a trip booked with Victor, and thankfully my sister and I are young and will both be able to make the walk. This seems, however, like something Carnival would do. They seem to be cutting a lot of edges these days with the economy. Doesn't surprise me that they would find some other way to try to screw people over.

 

Thanks for all the information on this. I only get information from coming to the boards. I'm glad to keep up to date!!!

 

By the way, how was the tour you took on your cruise from the 17th? Reviews are always awesome!

[beachbird]

Just emailed Victor to request the private tour for our family of 4. We are young (at least the kids are!) and we can make the walk. I am interested to see how this all turns out. Thanks to all for the input. Reading this thread sealed the deal for me, and I immediately googled Victor and emailed a for a booking with him!

[MDSue]

Just emailed Victor to request the private tour for our family of 4. We are young (at least the kids are!) and we can make the walk. I am interested to see how this all turns out. Thanks to all for the input. Reading this thread sealed the deal for me, and I immediately googled Victor and emailed a for a booking with him!

I know you'll love your tour with Victor's guide! If you could take some pictures of the walk from the pier area to the pick up point and post them when you come back, it would be real helpful for the rest of us to know what the trek is like. My sister and I are able to make the walk too, but I wish Carnival would have been more accomodating to private tour guides in the first place.

Have a great time!

[IslandToIsland]

I know you'll love your tour with Victor's guide! If you could take some pictures of the walk from the pier area to the pick up point and post them when you come back, it would be real helpful for the rest of us to know what the trek is like. My sister and I are able to make the walk too, but I wish Carnival would have been more accomodating to private tour guides in the first place.

Have a great time!

I have recently received my confirmation from Victor. I'm so excited, his tour sounds great. We have Tex as our guide and so looking foward to our day in Roatan. Not sure when the OP is going, but I will also try and give some feedback on the walk. We will also have no problem making it. The email says uphill, so I will let you know.

[gypsyrose]

This is so sad that CCL is doing this to Roatan. We need to support the people who live where we visit. I can't understand why you have to walk up the road. Why can't they just wait outside the dock area? Sounds like they have blocked independant tours from a very large area. So unfair. Booo Carnival (who I only cruise w/)

[Cayoooga]

;) Just booked with Victor Bodden. He responded to my tour request the same day. We then confirmed our tour date, the following day. I would not dream of booking an excursion with any cruise ship at this wonderful port.

With the new pier in operation, and the tourist trap that a certain cruise line has created there, it is even more important to book with locals for excursions.

[lovevacadays]

Haven't checked this thread in awhile so will see if I can answer some questions regarding my tour with Tex on Nov 17th. It was an absolutely wonderful day. We drove around the island and saw the shipwrecks, some neighborhoods, stopped at a small church, ate lunch at the Half Moon Bay Resort and stopped at the Cameo factory. Roatan is a beautiful islandThe person I was traveling with is not really a beach or water activity person so we didnt do any snorkeling or things like that. Lunch at Half Moon Bay is fantastic. Kind of rustic. We sat out on the patio. There are waves crashing at your feet and once and awhile you can feel water spray on your legs. You have both a bay and ocean view. For $20 received two lobster tails, baked potato, salad. Also had fabulous Pina Colada's there.

 

To the person touring with Tex, you will enjoy him. He is an easy going kind of guy that knows alot about his island. Ask him to drive on the beach. We had stopped by his home for him to pick something up and met his dogs. He then took us for a short drive right on the beach. Pretty cool. Get off the ship as soon as possible though. We were in one of the later groups and they almost sent Tex off with some other passengers. Once you check in at Victor's booth be sure and mention that you are booked with Tex or you may get another driver.

 

In regards to the question about having to walk up a hill at the new pier: the poster was wondering why you couldnt catch a taxi right outside the pier. The new pier area is actually gated off. There is a gate at the main area and then a driveway (looks pretty long) down to the pier and all the facilities they have there. It's kind of like a compound and very different than any other pier area I've seen.

 

I hope all continue to book with independents here. We had a much better time than many of our fellow cruisers who booked through the ship or just stayed on the ship because they thought there wasn't anything to see or do.

[IslandToIsland]

Haven't checked this thread in awhile so will see if I can answer some questions regarding my tour with Tex on Nov 17th. It was an absolutely wonderful day. We drove around the island and saw the shipwrecks, some neighborhoods, stopped at a small church, ate lunch at the Half Moon Bay Resort and stopped at the Cameo factory. Roatan is a beautiful islandThe person I was traveling with is not really a beach or water activity person so we didnt do any snorkeling or things like that. Lunch at Half Moon Bay is fantastic. Kind of rustic. We sat out on the patio. There are waves crashing at your feet and once and awhile you can feel water spray on your legs. You have both a bay and ocean view. For $20 received two lobster tails, baked potato, salad. Also had fabulous Pina Colada's there.

 

To the person touring with Tex, you will enjoy him. He is an easy going kind of guy that knows alot about his island. Ask him to drive on the beach. We had stopped by his home for him to pick something up and met his dogs. He then took us for a short drive right on the beach. Pretty cool. Get off the ship as soon as possible though. We were in one of the later groups and they almost sent Tex off with some other passengers. Once you check in at Victor's booth be sure and mention that you are booked with Tex or you may get another driver.

 

In regards to the question about having to walk up a hill at the new pier: the poster was wondering why you couldnt catch a taxi right outside the pier. The new pier area is actually gated off. There is a gate at the main area and then a driveway (looks pretty long) down to the pier and all the facilities they have there. It's kind of like a compound and very different than any other pier area I've seen.

 

I hope all continue to book with independents here. We had a much better time than many of our fellow cruisers who booked through the ship or just stayed on the ship because they thought there wasn't anything to see or do.

Thanks for the tips. I have heard so many good things about Tex, so I am really looking foward to the tour. What time did you end up getting off the ship?

[lovevacadays]

Hi Froggy4. I can't remember what time we got off the ship. Cruised Princess and they were letting people with booked shore excursions off first so it delayed our departure a bit.

 

Looks like you are on Carnival and must be docking at the new Mahogany Bay terminal. We were one of the last Princess cruises to dock at the old pier in Coxen Hole. I would suggest that you email Victor and let him know you are definitely taking this tour and definitely want Texr. We saw the new terminal from the main street and you will have to walk a ways to get up to where someone might meet you. I'm hoping the way they will do it now is to have the particular tour guide you booked meet you there with their van. Perhaps you can ask Victor if that is how it is going to work.

 

Enjoy your day in Roatan. Breathtaking place!