Safety in Roatan

[mcroadman]

So I want to keep it simple in Roatan, and take a taxi to the beach and spend the day there... Lunch and fab snorkeling etc. But some of my family are concerned about the possibility of harm/ kidnapping or thief.

 

What is the crime like for cruisers coming in to the Roatan port?

Can we trust the taxis?

Do we need to plan only RCCL excursions so that we are sure that the people are vetted and we are safe?

Are they vetted?

Who escorts you around when you use a RCCL excursions or do they direct you to a location?

 

 

 

Thanks

Mary

[Denversail]

We used Bodden and never felt unsafe. It was a great day. Very reasonable price.

 

 

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[lifes-a-beach]

We use victor Bodden as well and have never felt the least bit unsafe. Spent time in west end village and at west bay beach. Snorkeled half moon bay all day. You name it. Never had even the slightest bad vibe. There is crime everywhere. Use common sense and a local guide and you'll be fine.

[mcroadman]

We use victor Bodden as well and have never felt the least bit unsafe. Spent time in west end village and at west bay beach. Snorkeled half moon bay all day. You name it. Never had even the slightest bad vibe. There is crime everywhere. Use common sense and a local guide and you'll be fine.

 

do you mean there is crime everywhere in the world?

Or everywhere in Roatan?

:confused:

[lifes-a-beach]

Lol in the world. Roatan is very safe.

[mcroadman]

We used Bodden and never felt unsafe. It was a great day. Very reasonable price.

 

 

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So one concern is that we don't have a full escort from the port?

I guess with Victor Bodden, who sounds terrific, you have to meet them outside the terminal.

What is the safety there like? Are the taxis consider safe?

Should we go with an excursion from the ship just because it has the immediate escort? and who escorts or picks you up at the ship?

 

Thanks, want to be clear of the setting to reassure family.

[cruising grandma]

I was just in Roatan last week(Liberty of the Seas), traveling solo. I booked the Royal Caribbean Las Palmas Beach. They had three different times to leave from the ship, and had buses taking people back to the ship every hour on the hour. The water was clear, and very shallow way out. Past the swimming area, there was excellent snorkeling, I heard from one couple. They said not too many fish, but best coral they had seen anywhere. They have kayaks, snorkel equipment, a restaurant and bar. Loungers and a glass of fresh fruit punch are included in the tour excursion. It wasn't as far as the other beaches. On ship, the excursion was $34, but may be cheaper booked online before the cruise. I checked a couple of excursions on the RCI site before I went, and they were both $5-$10 more on ship. I had not checked Las Palmas. Tabyana Beach is very beautiful, but much farther away. Whatever you decide, have fun!:)

 

All lunch menu items were $12....burger and fries, chicken tenders and fries, salad with chicken or shrimp, and several other things. Beers were $3. Frozen drinks $5. Add rum to fruit punch $3.

Edited April 19, 2016 by cruising grandma

[aldofont]

Roatan is very safe. You can hop on a taxi just outside the terminal and go to a beach. Everything will be fine.

[Paul65]

I am not sure what your family is worried about, in particular, but Roatan is not a scary place to be, in my opinion.

 

If you do an independent tour, here's how it works - you get to the gate to leave the port area, and there will be a group of tour operators standing just across the street waiting for those passengers who have booked with them.

 

We did a snorkel/beach break combo with Roatan Ocean Adventures, and I would highly recommend them. It's a small, family-run operation, and the owner was the one waiting for us. Once we met up with him, he walked a short way with us to get his car, and we were off toward his home base to get outfitted with gear and board a boat for our snorkeling.

 

Had a great time, and after the snorkeling, they let us off at Big French Key for the beach break portion, and asked us when we wanted to be picked up to head back to the ship.

[Paul65]

All that said, if you would rather just hop in a taxi and take a ride to one of the public beaches, I don't think you'd have any trouble with that, either.

[BrotherCraig]

If you don't do a RCL excursion, then go with Bodden or Rony Tours. They are great! Very safe and reliable. You can book a private driver for they day for around $90 and set it up they way you want. We always get the driver for the day (4 of us) and go to West Bay Beach and then West End Village. Then we go to the Rum place on the way back to the ship. Always great! They drop you off inside of the port area.

Edited April 19, 2016 by BrotherCraig

[Denversail]

If you use Bodden add the monkey visit. Everyone in my family frowned when I added it. Turned out to be one of the highlights of our whole trip. All the naysayers LOVED it!

[cruisemainiac]

Victor and many other tour companies have booths inside the gate area. There are also shops and restaurants as well. I would however encourage you to explore outside the gate. There are great local shops. We have missionary friends who run a place called Made in Roatan about 75 yards to the right as you leave the terminal area. Just across the street is a straw market with some fantastic local carved items.

 

Please don't be afraid of the local cultures as you travel, you will miss out on so much.

[BrotherCraig]

If you use Bodden add the monkey visit. Everyone in my family frowned when I added it. Turned out to be one of the highlights of our whole trip. All the naysayers LOVED it!

 

We did the monkey thing as well once. My wife loved it. I didn't care for it. Glad I did it though and would recommend it so good add on for sure.

[BrotherCraig]

Victor and many other tour companies have booths inside the gate area. There are also shops and restaurants as well. I would however encourage you to explore outside the gate. There are great local shops. We have missionary friends who run a place called Made in Roatan about 75 yards to the right as you leave the terminal area. Just across the street is a straw market with some fantastic local carved items.

 

Please don't be afraid of the local cultures as you travel, you will miss out on so much.

 

Totally agree with you. Depends on what port you cruise into. We always cruise into Carnival's Mahogany Bay and they did an incredible job with it but we don't stick around very long there -- we love West Bay Beach and West End Village. So many great places on Roatan. It is our favorite port.

[oceanheart]

Roatan is very safe. If you get a taxi from the port, you can easily identify a licensed car as it will have the taxi number on the doors. Just make sure you negotiate the price with your driver before you begin the ride. Also are many independent tour operators that will pick you up from the gate and can arrange snorkeling, fishing and sightseeing activities. You can try Blue Cool Running Tours for a custom package.