Need Advice on Island Tours!!

[lovebelle]

Hi All, I am sailing to Roatan on the Spirit 11/28 and I am stuck on what to do while I am there. I am on a limited budget and really want to see the island. I was looking into the Discover Roatan Tour (East End Discovery) but wondering if anyone else has done this tour in the past and what did you think? Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated. :o

[FloridaAdGuy]

We were in Roatan last week on the NCL Sun. While we did not take the Discover Roatan Tour, our experience might help as you decide what to do:

 

One thing not often mentioned is the CONFUSION you'll first face when docking at Roatan and attempting to find a tour or cab (either for the day or to take you to a specific location). When you first disembark your ship you'll arrive in a dirt parking lot with cabs and vans parked on either side and people hustling about soliciting their services...it's a rather bewildering experience.

 

My advice, if you don't have anything specifically reserved, is to walk past this confusion to the end of the lot and go through the gate on the right side near the road. You'll notice MANY more dispatchers and tour guides BUT look for representatives wearing burgundy polo shirts that say ENGLISH TAXI DRIVERS. If you'd like a cab for the day you can probably negotiate a rate of $40 total (they started as high as $40 each BUT will quickly drop their price the second you suggest you'll speak to one of the other guides who will be hovering around). Ask that your driver be ANTONI if he's available as he's a kind, HONEST, funny, hard-working driver with a Toyota Corolla-style cab with WORKING air conditioning! He is also a GUIDE (some cab drivers will drive you around and not tell you much either cuz they can't speak English, don't know much about the area, or don't really care...they may even bring a guide with them that is NOT included in the price and you'll feel obligated to tip/pay them extra). Antoni will give you a full tour, take you shopping, take you to a great area for beach time and/or to a restaurant for a fabulous meal, and will show you the highlights and views of the island.

 

Antoni has lived there all his life (many drivers are from the mainland and don't really know the area that well) and is married with eight kids and really knows Roatan, its culture, and her people. He was the highlight of our cruise, making sure we saw and went everywhere we wanted to go (and we did as we were there the FULL day from 8:30A till 5:15P. We're planning a week stay in Roatan next year and will definitely use him again.

 

When you meet him, tell him Jenny and Lee say hi!

[happytogoing]

I am also on the same cruise!

 

I decided to stick with the ship's tour, we are doing an island tour, and then a beach, although I'm not sure I made the best choice. I think the ship's tours are probably a bit like a herd of cattle getting on and off a big old bus.

 

I think the cab tour would be much cheaper, but I didn't want to chance getting on one that would break down, etc... I'd worry all day about missing the darn ship, just isn't worth it.. we'll see how it works out.

[lovebelle]

Personally I am worried about the same thing...While everyone has awesome ideas and suggestion and there are probably much cheaper routes to go...I know I will worry the entire time about getting back to the ship on time (the curse of being a chronic worrier). But at the same time I dont want to book pricey tour and find out the hard way that it wasnt worth it in the end. So just hoping to get some feedback from some people.

[grabbit97]

We were in Roatan last week on the NCL Sun. While we did not take the Discover Roatan Tour, our experience might help as you decide what to do:

 

One thing not often mentioned is the CONFUSION you'll first face when docking at Roatan and attempting to find a tour or cab (either for the day or to take you to a specific location). When you first disembark your ship you'll arrive in a dirt parking lot with cabs and vans parked on either side and people hustling about soliciting their services...it's a rather bewildering experience.

 

My advice, if you don't have anything specifically reserved, is to walk past this confusion to the end of the lot and go through the gate on the right side near the road. You'll notice MANY more dispatchers and tour guides BUT look for representatives wearing burgundy polo shirts that say ENGLISH TAXI DRIVERS. If you'd like a cab for the day you can probably negotiate a rate of $40 total (they started as high as $40 each BUT will quickly drop their price the second you suggest you'll speak to one of the other guides who will be hovering around). Ask that your driver be ANTONI if he's available as he's a kind, HONEST, funny, hard-working driver with a Toyota Corolla-style cab with WORKING air conditioning! He is also a GUIDE (some cab drivers will drive you around and not tell you much either cuz they can't speak English, don't know much about the area, or don't really care...they may even bring a guide with them that is NOT included in the price and you'll feel obligated to tip/pay them extra). Antoni will give you a full tour, take you shopping, take you to a great area for beach time and/or to a restaurant for a fabulous meal, and will show you the highlights and views of the island.

 

Antoni has lived there all his life (many drivers are from the mainland and don't really know the area that well) and is married with eight kids and really knows Roatan, its culture, and her people. He was the highlight of our cruise, making sure we saw and went everywhere we wanted to go (and we did as we were there the FULL day from 8:30A till 5:15P. We're planning a week stay in Roatan next year and will definitely use him again.

 

When you meet him, tell him Jenny and Lee say hi!

 

WE SAIL ON THE SUN ON 12/4 AND IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAD A GOOD TIME. WHAT ALL DID YO USEE WHEN HE TOOK YOU AROUND, THIS ANTONI???

:) HOW DO I FIND HIM???