NCL Roatan excursions Tabyana Beach & Gumbalimba Park vs. Maya Key Private Retreat

[suzannebander]

which would you suggest and why? for me and my 10-year-old daughter. i've read mitsugirly's review and now i'm intrigued by maya key :D

 

thanks, guys!

 

1st time cruiser

NCL Star 7 night Western Caribbean

March 2013

[sjbdtz]

Gumbalimba was a lot of fun. Tabayana was quiet... didn't stay too long, but was clean & well-equipped.

 

 

Have done the other place.

 

 

 

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[rajones007]

I'll try to be brief and say I would recommend Maya Key over anything else on Roatan. It was just sooooo nice. Very well done, clean, quiet, and private.

 

The pool area was gorgeous. But hardly anybody was using it. We were all down at the very nice beach. (Apparently there are 2 beaches, but we only made it to one.) I don't swim, but my GF said the snorkeling right off the pier was the absolute best she's ever done.

 

The zoo was ok. Interesting with lots of variety. Your 10 year old will enjoy it. Some of the big birds are right out there in the wild, which is great for photos.

 

The replica Mayan ruins are very nice, very well done, and the indoor Mayan museums(?) areas are nice too. We did our own walk-thru, but it probably would have been more informative if we had gone with their official walk-thru and had somebody explain a lot of the stuff to us.

 

I didn't do much other than walk thru the zoo and the ruins. Then I laid on the beach, had a couple beers (the servers are plentiful and always around), and relaxed. My GF and her teens spent the day swimming and snorkeling.

 

The included meal was decent, not outstanding, just decent. The eating area is right beside the pool area and it's simply beautiful right there. (But you can go anywhere with your plate. I walked back to my lounge on the beach and ate there.) My only complaint with the food is they only give you one kick at the cat. There is no going back for seconds. So if they still have that limitation, just load up your plate the first time around. I went back just to get a plate full of those friend banana chips so I could snack on them all afternoon, but the guy wouldn't let me.

 

The gift shop is nice (pricey, but that's to be expected) and the bathrooms are HUGE considering how many people are actually on the island. Don't forget, Coxen Hole pier can only handle 1 ship at a time (It's rare that a 2nd ship is there on the same day). So Maya Key will be very quiet. They only sell a limited amount of tickets. I'd say there was maybe 50 to 60 people on the island when we were there.

 

Our teen daughter ended up with some sand flea bites on her legs. Of course she made it sound like she contracted the plague. But by the end of the day she never mentioned it again, so it couldn't have been that bad.

 

We still talk about our day there. My family has said on more than one occasion that if we ever go back to Roatan we're definitely going to Maya Key. It is not up for debate.

[SuperTrooper00]

I cannot speak to those two options, however....

My wife and I love culture, traveling, and especially beautiful beaches. So, Roatan has been our favorite port excursion of any we have ever done. And we never do an excursion through the ship, and that made Roatan even better. Having said that, we did the island by ourselves using their bus system and water taxi and it is a day we will never forget.

[Truefan]

I cannot speak to those two options, however....

My wife and I love culture, traveling, and especially beautiful beaches. So, Roatan has been our favorite port excursion of any we have ever done. And we never do an excursion through the ship, and that made Roatan even better. Having said that, we did the island by ourselves using their bus system and water taxi and it is a day we will never forget.

 

I'm curious about doing this on your own. Were there lunch options if you weren't in a tour group? How often do water taxi's run between there and the main island? Did you use the same beach as we are interested in the snorkeling described off the pier? Thanks.

[rajones007]

I'm curious about doing this on your own. Were there lunch options if you weren't in a tour group? How often do water taxi's run between there and the main island? Did you use the same beach as we are interested in the snorkeling described off the pier? Thanks.

Maya Key is for cruise passengers only. You cannot just show up, pay admission, and enjoy the amenities. That's what makes it so quiet and private.

 

The boat to Maya Key departs/returns from the pier every 30 minutes. It's about a 5 minute ride from the pier to Maya Key. (They could probably make the trip in 2 minutes if they sped up a little bit.)

 

You don't even have to go through the Honduran security check to go in/out of Maya Key. When you're walking off the ship, at the end of the gangway turn to your right and that's where you get on/off the boat to Maya Key. When you return, you walk right up to the ship. Everybody else who wants to go into town or take other tours has to show their passport/ID when they return to the pier to get back on the ship. When it gets close to ship departure time the line of people at the security check is quite long.

[lowroller]

It has been a while, but my group enjoyed Maya Key (I believe it was Fins and Flippers back then) I would think that any 10 year old would like it too. Was not crowded, nice pool area if you want to get off the beach.

 

which would you suggest and why? for me and my 10-year-old daughter. i've read mitsugirly's review and now i'm intrigued by maya key :D

 

thanks, guys!

 

1st time cruiser

NCL Star 7 night Western Caribbean

March 2013

[put me on a ship]

We've been to both places, both were GREAT, and would return to both! You really couldn't go wrong with either, but if I had to choose, ummmm......Maya Key? The lunch served was really good!

[luv2cruise53]

Last March I did Gumbalimba park. I bought a transfer and admission ticket on the dock at one of the huts as you leave the pier area for $20.00. I was put on a small van and we traveled perhaps 30 minutes or less to a beautiful National park reserve Gumbalimba.

 

I was slightly amazed that we were required to take a tour with a guide. I just wanted to wander on my own. there was a beautiful immense palapa which served as a guest area, restaurant and native jewelry etc....

 

The tour was over two hours long, and encompassed small museums on Roatan history, a butterfly section, and then a trek through the flora and fauna of their jungle. There were beautiful waterfalls everywhere and animlas in the jungle areas and rope bridges and quite a bit of a trek but all in all quite beautiful.

There were areas for exotic parrots and monkeys and other native Roatan creatures that could be petted and held for pictures.

 

All in all I was glad for the guide, and thoroughly enjoyed the tour. Back at the palapa and pool area food could be purchased. the beach also had 2 sections, and the water was crystal..aqua. There was a large bridge over a river to Tabayana Beach which I did not do.

 

The pool area was beautiful as well and there was a hut for water sports and snorkeling. the beach was a stones throw away with picnic tables under palms. The Park had a 6 station zip line which also seemed to be getting a lot of action.

 

This was the highlight of my week and perhaps the best excursion I have ever done.

 

Would I do it again...yes..in a heartbeat....But I am also impressed with the reviews on this Maya Key and they seemed so positive I would probably do that next time as I have done Gumbalimba Park.

 

:cool:

[SuperTrooper00]

I'm curious about doing this on your own. Were there lunch options if you weren't in a tour group? How often do water taxi's run between there and the main island? Did you use the same beach as we are interested in the snorkeling described off the pier? Thanks.

 

I am sorry if I wasn't clear. We have never done the two options the OP asked about. We did Roatan on our own (as I described) and ended up at West Bay Beach. It was a stunning way to spend the day, but my wife and I would both agree that the journey getting there (on our own I mean) was a HUGE part of the enjoyment.

[micdee]

We are interested in booking the excursion to Maya Key. I don't want to book online because we have a lot of OBC that I could use towards this excursion. Has anyone waited until they boarded the ship to book it? Also, what were the beer and frozen drink prices on Maya Key?

[rjm11]

I'd be careful about booking Maya Key onboard... there's a thread on the Roatan port page about someone trying to come up with a backup plan because half their party booked in advance, and it was sold out before the other half could book (the "other half" were hoping to book onboard too, for the reasons you mention). I think it's increasing in popularity, and has a good chance of selling out.