Bodden Tours Pre-Book Nec?

[wldflr]

To those of you who have used Victor Bodden Tours, is it necessary to pre-book a tour with them or is it still possible to get a driver for the day once you 'hit the docks'?

 

I'm only asking cause I'll be with a group and of course, nobody can agree or commit to anything...one guy is afraid to get off the ship in this port!

 

I'd love to do a Best of Roatan Tour...could I book for us 2 and add more maybe?

 

Thanks!

[arlodog]

We docked at Coxen hole and Victor had a small kiosk right outside the main pier area. They were holding signs so I am sure that you could have picked up a tour at that time.

 

If I were you I would contact Victor and let him know what you are planning and ask how flexible he can be on the group size. That way he can have a driver on standby for you in case it is a busy day and you won't be disappointed. It is cash at the end of the tour with no deposit so you have nothing to lose by contacting him.

 

Have your friend read some of the reviews of Victors tours. It is a great time and I hate to see anyone miss the beauty of Roatan because they are afraid. The people are very friendly and dependant on the tourist trade so no worries!

[azkcruizers]

It may depend on how many ships are in that day and how busy he is. I have read that he is booked for the day we will be there in a few weeks, so if your heart is set on it you may want to contact him with some questions. Good luck!

[orchards]

We used Bodden Tours ( BoddenTours.com) Mahogany Bay several weeks ago from our Holland American Rydam cruise. We got his name from many references on cruisecritics.com forum and we were very happy with his service.

We contacted Victor Bodden by email from his web site (victorbodden@yahoo.com) and he was a pleasure to deal with on several back and forth messages regarding various options.

 

His price was $35/person but for 4 people it was $100 total for an "island tour." Our driver was Hector and he was very pleasant and helpful. Island tour is "basic" but you can add some things that were additional costs....which we basically did not do. Hector used a 5-6 passenger van which was very comfortable for our party of 4. Substantially less money, more comfortable and more flexible than similar bus trip from Cruise ship.

 

Roatan is about 40 miles long and 3 miles wide. Pleasant island. No concerns regarding safety (like we had at Belize City port).

Went to West End beach/shops. Hector stopped and let us walk around for a while. When we mentioned snorkeling, he took us to a small place near West End beach where you rent snoring gear for $7/person and just walk off the bank to swim around the reef. Pleasant but certainly not the same as going further out but we had fun. Place had small restaurant but Hector suggested another area for swimming and eating. Took us there...over "mountain" that had great views and to a nice Bay for swimming and lunch. Food there was very good. Again, Hector just sat around and waited....no pressure re time. We left dock at about 9:30 and got back to boat about 2:30. Paid him the $100 plus nice tip.

Of four ports, we enjoyed Roatan the most and Bodden Tours is highly recommended.

ENJOY

[MDSue]

If you pre-book, you have a better chance of getting a tour. He sometimes is completely booked up. Mostly likely if you pre-book for two, he would have no problem adding a few additional customers depending on the size of the car his guide is using. Your friends will be missing out on a great our if they don't get off the ship or just stay in the Coxen Hole area. Roatan is my favorite port and there is a lot to do- but not at the dock area [unless you dock at the new Carnival owned dock].