JenMJM

We asked Tex, our VB driver for the day, to take us to Celeste's for lunch. Their baleadas are very good. The restaurant is part of the West Bay Lodge complex and right down the road from Infinity Bay resort.

Hi All- we are heading out on a cruise on Sunday and had a few quick questions. For some background- we are travelling with my parents, husband, me, son (13), son (9). Husband, me and 13 year old are dive certified. We have hired a driver for the day so if the best dive shop or dive spot is elsewhere we have options.

 

We are looking for a good place to rent equipment and shore dive in Roatan. We are thinking West Bay but are open to suggestions.

 

(1) Where is the best entry point at West Bay to shore dive? We saw people shore diving through the kidney bean in front of Infinity Bay Resort.

(2) How far is the reef from shore? Reef is a very easy snorkeling distance from shore if that gives you an idea.

(3) Where would you rent dive gear from and distance from entry point to reef? Try Infinity Bay, but there may be others like Banarama. Infinity is in the best location, though.

(4) Web links or costs of rental gear (we need to rent 1 BC/regulator; 1 regulator; 3 tanks, and possibly lead instead of hauling it with us) Try this link: http://www.infinitybay.com/activities/diving/index.html

 

Thank you in advance for responding!

Last but not least, here is my blog post that includes Roatan from last week: http://sunshinenwine.blogspot.com/search/label/Western%20Caribbean

We got lucky last week and had Tex as our driver. He was wonderful! Definitely recommend!

We did the following:

Snorkeling the reef in front of Infinity Bay Resort

Celeste's for lunch

Played with the monkeys

General tour of island

Had a wonderful day and would definitely request Tex if we go back and choose to do something similar with our day.

It is about a 5-7 minute walk once you are out of the tourist village. There is a set of stairs on the left of the hill now so you don't need to walk uphill in the way of incoming vehicles. Can't find the video, but here are the directions from my confirmation email (which you probably already got):

Mahogany Bay Cruise Center (Carnival Dream, HAL Ryndam): As you exit your ship, customers on Local Independent Tours will be required by Carnival Corporation to exit their dock area through the gates and walk over the hill to the main road. Once outside the gates and over the hill, look for our representatives holding VICTOR BODDEN signs. One of our representatives will greet you, locate your name on our list and introduce you to your guide for the day. At the end of your tour day, we ARE able to drop you off to the entrance of the dock...so you will only have to do this long walk one-way, when you first arrive. You can view the hill behind the red-roofed building here http://www.boddentours.com/images/mahoganybayhill.jpg and print a map from the Mahogany Bay ship docks to our location here http://boddentours.com/images/maptobodden.gif

++ The Port Manager of the Mahogany Bay Cruise Center has negotiated with the on-site Taxi Association to provide transportation, if required, to the Independent Tours meeting area over the hill. The negotiated flat-rate for this taxi service is $2 per person. Please see the Taxi Dispatcher (in the Green Mahogany Bay shirt) to arrange for your group to utilize this service -- tell them that you need the $2 per person transport to Victor Bodden Tours on the other side of the hill. Or, if you'd rather, you can still walk over the hill (approximately 350 yards) to the designated area. ++

Be advised, many other independent tour companies, as well as the Carnival Corporation excursion department, want your tour-business, too! We pride ourselves on our tours, and are happy that you have selected Bodden Tours as your hosts during your Roatan port stop! Be prepared, as you may be approached by representatives of many of these other tour companies. Although we appreciate you supporting our Local Independent Tour Operators, we ask that you tell them your tour is already set, and head toward the Bodden Tours representatives at the locations outlined above.

**NOTE: Recently, someone has been impersonating our Bodden Tours dispatcher on the Carnival dock property, before you leave for "the walk." This person/persons is NOT affiliated with our company so be very careful! Here are images of several of the "uniforms" worn by unsanctioned individuals, although they look "official"...BEWARE: http://www.boddentours.com/images/falseguide.jpg and http://www.boddentours.com/images/falseguide2.jpg People wearing these shirts DO NOT represent my company, or the companies of any "true" independent tour guides! They have been known to say they work for Bodden Tours, or will tell you that the monkeys or ziplines (or another aspect of your tour) has been cancelled. Again, these people DO NOT work for our company, or any other independent tour company -- they are "poachers", trying to steal your business and money. Once outside the fenced-in Mahogany Bay complex, you can be sure that you are speaking to a Bodden Tours representative by their uniform (Bodden Tours placard sign, Bodden Tours polo shirt, etc.)**

A group of 50 tried Coral Breeze tours to Bannister (I think) a couple weeks ago. A cruising friend of mine posted about the experience. Now I understand why "overthehill" is constantly posting warnings about that company. Apparently it was a complete disaster for the huge group of bloggers. Talk about bad press...

Last week we took a water taxi - Belize Express - for $22.50pp roundtrip (about 45 minutes each way) to Caye Caulker and spent the morning at the Lazy Lizard. We had a nice relaxing time, and the drinks are cheap.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2VqF1KCHpro/Ux3Y0ej7bMI/AAAAAAAAAFM/2mirADyt3v8/s1600/lizard.jpg

We limed at the Lazy Lizard on CC, beautiful water views and cheap drinks. The veggie burrito and the nachos were amazing, and the Lizard Juice kicked the girls' !*! :p

Ditto! LOL At $5 each, it's hard to stop after just one. DH and I split two, and that was DEFINITELY good enough for us! We had a nice visit there last week:)

We were there last Thursday on Carnival Dream. It was a great day! Definitely glad I reserved our chairs ahead of time because he was booked for the day with two other ships in port. Definitely recommend this as a relaxing beach day. $2pp taxi each way. Great ceviche!

Are you on the Dream?

Not sure who are you asking, but we are on the Carnival Dream next week, yes.

A few years ago we did the Extreme with Pirates for our first and only zip line experience. We really enjoyed it and had a wonderful day with them. I would never bungee jump off a bridge, and I don't think I'll ever sky dive. That being said, the Extreme really wasn't bad. The first run and jump off was a little scary, but that was our first time. I also didn't think it was super strenuous.

What is the reason that you aren't interested in the Extreme? Is the height or length of time ziplining from one stand to another the reason? I think that would help responses better address your concerns.

I work in higher ed, and our college's Spring Break is March 1. This week is usually the FIRST week of Spring Break season, but most colleges tend to be second week of March. My coworker and I are taking advantage of our free time off and cruising. One of the members of our roll call just introduced himself as a student in Boca Raton, but I'm really hoping that none of MY students are on this cruise:D

That's the water taxi nearest the tender pier. $22.50 US RT pp.

 

There is another water taxi company about 2-3 blocks further up Front Street next to the swing bridge called Caye Caulker Water Taxi. Similar schedule. A tad cheaper.

 

http://www.cayecaulkerwatertaxi.com/

Thanks! I had seen this one, too, but was a little hesitant to rely on it since it leaves BC at 8am. Although we arrive at 8am, ship-time, I'm not sure we'll get the first tender out and be able to get to the terminal that quickly. No matter which we use, I'll report back to the board. Thanks for the response!

Sorry - I think I was getting the water taxi options confused. They all sound somewhat similar. Is this the one you took: San Pedro Belize Express http://www.belizewatertaxi.com/?

Need a little clarification. A few weeks ago I had researched the price of round trip tickets to Caye Caulker. You took the San Pedro Water Taxi for $45 per couple, correct?

I had previously recorded that Belize Water Taxi was $45 per couple, and San Pedro was $40. These prices came from their websites so maybe they are out of date? I'm really Type A when it comes to having exact change and knowing exactly how much I will be taking to shore. Thanks for the clarification! We'll be there in a little over two weeks.

We've never seen one readily available. Definitely none in the cabin. Just throw one in your checked bag.

The Sensation sails out of Port Canaveral for 3- and 4-day trips to the Bahamas every week. It was our first cruise in 2009. I just took my mom on her sister ship, Ecstasy, before it moved to Miami last October.

You may not read a lot of reviews about it because many of us who have been on it may be locals looking for a quick getaway or because those who are going on it haven't found anything new to say that hasn't already been said. All that considered, we had a great time on our first cruise and would probably sail her again if it weren't for all the other enticing options for us Floridians.

I can't speak to the quality now as opposed to several years ago, but I CAN tell you that the shorter trips are usually lively and have more of a party atmosphere. If you want some quiet time, though, just look for other places to hang out. You will find quiet when you want it.

I am a planner, too, and a very high J on the MBTI so I completely understand how the lack of recent reviews make you nervous. I wouldn't worry too much, though, as I'm sure you will have a great time. Just go with an open mind and a positive attitude, and it will be a great little vacation!:)

DH and DW = Dear Husband and Dear Wife

The class of ships kind of define the layout and size for each ship in that category. Someone on here started a fantastic spreadsheet to compare all of them. Can someone find that link?

We are taking a taxi back to The Money Bar for snorkeling and cheap eats again this cruise (Cozumel).

In 2011 at GC, we walked to the right out of the port gates and down the road (about a 5 min walk) to Eden Rock Dive Shop. We rented a cheap locker for our stuff, climbed down the stairs, and snorkeled right there. We had lunch at Guy Harvey's and don't recall being overly impressed.

We always bring our own snorkel gear so both of these days were really cheap! We also had big excursions planned for Belize and Roatan and wanted more laid-back, lower cost days.

One of our group members posted yesterday that the Nov 1st cruise is 78% sold already. The prices have only gone up since we booked last Monday. Our group is HUGE and growing more quickly than I've ever seen. If you are thinking about it, I'd say do it now. We have another couple who couldn't book when we did because he's waiting to hear about a job - hopefully he hears something soon or there might not be much left!

We will most likely return in March. The entry to water can be a little rough so just be careful getting in. It's fine once you are in the water, though. I remember the facilities being clean and easy to get to from the lounging area. You can order whatever you want from the menu, and the prices are really reasonable.

Copied this from my blog post from 2011 (prices for cab and snorkel gear seem to have gone up $1 since we were there): Took an $8 cab (for 4 people, one way). Ordered some drinks and nachos, grabbed some lounges under an umbrella and snorkeled for free right off their ironshore. The water was beautiful, although the reef was nothing to write home about. While we were there, several paid tour excursions dropped their snorkelers off right where we were. If you need to rent gear, the cost is $14 per person. DH and I took our own. We had a great time here and spent $35!

I posted a review about .BZ on Trip Advisor after coming back from our 2011 Legend cruise. I'm really glad we did it, and anyone who expects the ride to the caves to be a breeze in a poor country is not being realistic. I tell my students that they have to choose their attitude and how they react to a situation. We, personally, found the ride to be informative and not bad at all, the tour guides to be phenomal, the lunch really tasty and home-cooked, and the caves to be really cool, especially since this is the only port that you can really experience the caves.

I can see how the trail might be slippery, but that depends on whether or not it has rained - not something that either Vitalino or even you can control.

We had a fantastic time, and I would highly recommend it to anyone, but TO EACH THEIR OWN. There are people who really enjoy the stingray interaction experiences, and I will NEVER do it again. We enjoyed ziplining, but I'm sure there are people who would say they don't enjoy that sort of thing. I say go with your gut. If you decide to do it, know that you would be choosing a time- and tourist-tested company.

will it have a price drop for me? :D

It did for me last night!

Just sent in my reservation for March! Fingers crossed! :)

This beach is really for swimming and relaxing only. You can see in the photos on the website that it has been enclosed and the water is very smooth inside the breaking wall. We swam from the beach side to the rock side on the outer edge - easy swim. The water coming up on the rocks outside, though, it pretty rough. I don't think that I'd risk trying to climb down the rocks just to snorkel. Although the island is surrounded by reef, I would not use this as a snorkel access point.

We're on the Dream in March with the 7a-2p schedule as well. It looks like the Chacchoben Extreme Tour fits right into that schedule, but it's VERY tight. Has anyone done this tour while on this time span? If so, did you ever feel nervous that you wouldn't make it back to the ship in time?

http://www.thenativechoice.com/chacchoben_extreme.php

Copied from my Legend blog post (2011 - http://sunshinenwine.blogspot.com/2011/11/carnival-legend-western-caribbean.html):

Roatan: By far our favorite port! We did the Zip N Dip with Pirates of the Caribbean Canopy. The guides were fun but very professional and safety conscious. We had never ziplined before but did the Extremely Extreme anyway. They drive you to the top of the mountain, and you zipline back. We never once felt unsafe. After the zipline, we were driven to a resort called Parrot Tree Plantation and spent the next few hours enjoying their beach. It was gorgeous! It was a very relaxing afternoon. Cost was $95 per person.

The photos on Parrot Tree's website (http://www.parrottree.com/) are pretty spot on! There is an open-air bar very close to the beach and palapas for shade. Bathroom facilities are also decent from what I remember. The beach and water are gorgeous! On the day we were there, it not busy at all! This photo of me and DH pretty much sums up our afternoon.

Have never been to Freeport, but for Nassau, we have snorkeled twice.

Carnival excursion in 2009 = awful!

Blue Hole Watersports a few weeks ago = fantastic!

Entry copied from my blog post (http://sunshinenwine.blogspot.com/2013/10/carnival-ecstasy.html):

Blue Hole Watersports' 2-hour excursion leaves from the British Colonial Hilton, which is walking distance from port. Price is $55 per person with no deposit required.

Mark was our captain, and there were 9 of us that day. What a wonderful experience from start to finish! The water was clear and calm, and the reef was beautiful. I had about given up hope for colorful reefs in the Bahamas, but this proved me wrong. We were dropped at two different locations - a reef and a sunken ship used for the James Bond film "Thunderball." I was so excited to see my first Lion Fish just hanging out at the bottom of the wreck. On the ride back to the pier, we had our choice of soda or water from the cooler Mark stocked. Would definitely recommend BHW for a snorkeling excursion!