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Bodden tours

lvcruzers

By lvcruzers,
in Roatan

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lovevacadays

lovevacadays

Posted
Posted
I have been emailing Victor and Tex is available for the day we are in Roatan so i'm going to reserve him. My problem is, we are 6 people now, and that is Tex's maximum. We may end up being 7 people and if thats the case, we would need to rebook with a larger van. Here are my choices of guides if I do

 

the other guide wit larges van are ,Ronald,Francisco,marthy,Ald,WIILLAIM,Kenny, Dole, Zetro,Orsy,Lionel,RON, OLEN, OLEE

 

Did anybody ever use any of these guides with the larger vans? If so, the good/bad/ugly please. This will be my kids 18th birthday and I want to make it special and I know the guide is an important part of that, especially not knowing exactly what we want to do.

 

I would appreciate any input you have. For now, Victor says I can reserve Tex for the 6definates but want to make sure I have another idea on who to use in case we have to make the switch.

 

When we toured with Tex he mentioned Lionel was requested often and was good.

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lovevacadays

lovevacadays

Posted
Posted
When do you find out who your guide will be? we booked and I requested Tex and some other as options if he was not available. Victor confirmed our reservation but no mention of which guide.

 

we will have 7 people going in June

 

It looks like Tex can only accomodate 6. I would email Victor again and ask for a confirmation of your tour guide. Keep in mind, the internet can be spotty on Roatan so sometimes it may take Victor a few days to respond

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lovevacadays

lovevacadays

Posted
Posted
Emailed Victor, and heard back promptly. He said Tex only does the private tours (Best of Roatan) and is so popular, thanks to CC, that he is currently booked into 2013. We are doing the Fun-N-Sun tour. I'm sure whoever our tour guide is, will do a good job. I have faith in Bodden Tours and besides that, I'm an Optimist!.... :)

 

 

That's not surprising. If I booked a Western Carib cruise the very next thing I would do is book Tex.

 

Don't worry. I think most of their tour guides get great reviews. There have been a few negatives but that happens with any business.

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girlscruise2011

girlscruise2011

Posted
Posted
When we toured with Tex he mentioned Lionel was requested often and was good.

 

Thank you for that. Victor suggested Francisco if we need to go to the larger bus but we'll have to wait to see. Right now we have 6 so I'm keeping Tex all to myself for as long as I can :D

 

It looks like Tex can only accomodate 6. I would email Victor again and ask for a confirmation of your tour guide. Keep in mind, the internet can be spotty on Roatan so sometimes it may take Victor a few days to respond

 

Victor got back to me the same day, several times. I was very impressed with that but yes, he told me that Tex can only accomodate 6 people in his van so I would definately get confirmation again from Victor. Please come back and let us know what Victor tells you because if he can do your 7, then I'm definately going to try to keep him if we become a group of 7.

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hi2mari

hi2mari

Posted
Posted

We had Francisco(Paco) for our tour on feb. 17. He was wonderful. Gave us a great tour. We were a group of 12. We fit comfortably in the van but I wouldn't have wanted to fit more than 12. Only had a little over 5 hours for the tour but Paco helped to utilize our time best. We did zip line, monkey business, tour of the island, and West Bay Beach, which is beautiful. Got back to the ship at just the right time, was on board 1/2 hr before sailing. Highly recommended.

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girlscruise2011

girlscruise2011

Posted
Posted
We had Francisco(Paco) for our tour on feb. 17. He was wonderful. Gave us a great tour. We were a group of 12. We fit comfortably in the van but I wouldn't have wanted to fit more than 12. Only had a little over 5 hours for the tour but Paco helped to utilize our time best. We did zip line, monkey business, tour of the island, and West Bay Beach, which is beautiful. Got back to the ship at just the right time, was on board 1/2 hr before sailing. Highly recommended.

 

Thank you for the Francisco referral. We will only be max of 7. We are waiting for 1 more person to decide if they are joining us so we should fit great in the bus. I'm just hoping now that if we lose Tex, that Francisco is still available. I'm thinking of doing you excursion less the zip line. I'm hoping our tour guide can give us a few other suggestions to fill our time.

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sheephugs

sheephugs

Posted
Posted

We just returned from the Carnival Legend and had a great time in Roatan. We had Ronald for the private Best of Roatan. He was great!! Having been to Roatan last year I just wantedd to go back to Half Moon Bay for snorkeling which is awesome. My daughter wanted to do some shopping & he took us to a shop that specialized in handmade crafts. We were able to have a custom fitted trip. Ronald was very attentive & informative and spoke English very well. It was the highlight of the cruise.

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DetroitMike1

DetroitMike1

Posted
Posted

We took a tour through Victor Bodden while aboard the Carnival Dream's 2/18/2012 sailing. Our driver and guide, Kenny, seemed to be worried the ENTIRE time...

 

"Is this OK for you? Do you want to see something different? Anything I can do for you?"

 

Frankly, that is the kind of worry from a tour company that I could get used to dealing with! Kenny's ONLY goal the entire day was to show off his home country and insure that we were able to see and do what we wanted, when we wanted, where we wanted. Bothe Victor and Kenny found out what we wanted to do, and then suggested a private tour with a wonderful itinerary. He took us to Victor's Monkey zoo (FABULOUS!), my wife and boys went zip-lining through the Honduran Jungle (Safe, professional, and THRILLING), and then, at our request, he found a nice, secluded spot on a beach where we could explore the coral reef, swim in the ocean, meet the locals, and simply relax.

 

My humble opinion? If you are on Roatan and don't try his tour, you are REALLY missing out on an adventure of a lifetime.

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girlscruise2011

girlscruise2011

Posted
Posted
We took a tour through Victor Bodden while aboard the Carnival Dream's 2/18/2012 sailing. Our driver and guide, Kenny, seemed to be worried the ENTIRE time...

 

"Is this OK for you? Do you want to see something different? Anything I can do for you?"

 

Frankly, that is the kind of worry from a tour company that I could get used to dealing with! Kenny's ONLY goal the entire day was to show off his home country and insure that we were able to see and do what we wanted, when we wanted, where we wanted. Bothe Victor and Kenny found out what we wanted to do, and then suggested a private tour with a wonderful itinerary. He took us to Victor's Monkey zoo (FABULOUS!), my wife and boys went zip-lining through the Honduran Jungle (Safe, professional, and THRILLING), and then, at our request, he found a nice, secluded spot on a beach where we could explore the coral reef, swim in the ocean, meet the locals, and simply relax.

 

My humble opinion? If you are on Roatan and don't try his tour, you are REALLY missing out on an adventure of a lifetime.

 

Sounds perfect to me (except the zipline ;)). Do you mind telling me about the beach? I heard Tabyana Beach is the place to go but then I read that it is only accessable through the cruiseline excursions. I emailed Tabyana myself but they haven't responded.

I really want to have a nice beach to relax and snorkel. Do you remember what part of the beach you were brought to and how was the coral reef?

Sorry for all the questions. I'm just trying to make this the perfect day for my kids 18th birthday!

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DetroitMike1

DetroitMike1

Posted
Posted
Sounds perfect to me (except the zipline ;)). Do you mind telling me about the beach? I heard Tabyana Beach is the place to go but then I read that it is only accessable through the cruiseline excursions. I emailed Tabyana myself but they haven't responded.

I really want to have a nice beach to relax and snorkel. Do you remember what part of the beach you were brought to and how was the coral reef?

Sorry for all the questions. I'm just trying to make this the perfect day for my kids 18th birthday!

 

I'm sorry... I wish that I could remember the name, but I don't. We wanted something that wasn't necessarily a picture perfect beach, but rather was secluded and provided a nice opportunity for my boys (13 and 9) to snorkel. This one was a perfect fit for us, but not for others... It was quiet, secluded, FREE (no entry fees to pay in addition to the daily tour fee already paid), and allowed them to see the reef. For an older child, you may want a "nicer" beach, and the beach may charge you an entry fee. Strictly your preference.

 

If I were you, I would email Victor and see if he can check with Kenny and see where he will typically take folks like us that had requirements that were a bit different from the norm. You can also ask about Tabyana, and I'm sure that Victor can tell you whether they can get you in, and if so, what the cost may be (he only adds on the cost that they charge, nothing additional for himself...).

 

Good luck and enjoy!

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girlscruise2011

girlscruise2011

Posted
Posted
I'm sorry... I wish that I could remember the name, but I don't. We wanted something that wasn't necessarily a picture perfect beach, but rather was secluded and provided a nice opportunity for my boys (13 and 9) to snorkel. This one was a perfect fit for us, but not for others... It was quiet, secluded, FREE (no entry fees to pay in addition to the daily tour fee already paid), and allowed them to see the reef. For an older child, you may want a "nicer" beach, and the beach may charge you an entry fee. Strictly your preference.

 

If I were you, I would email Victor and see if he can check with Kenny and see where he will typically take folks like us that had requirements that were a bit different from the norm. You can also ask about Tabyana, and I'm sure that Victor can tell you whether they can get you in, and if so, what the cost may be (he only adds on the cost that they charge, nothing additional for himself...).

 

Good luck and enjoy!

Thank you for the info. I think when I get closer, I will double check with Victor about Tabyana. I'm sure him and Tex, who I have booked right now, will take good care of us.

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lovevacadays

lovevacadays

Posted
Posted
Thank you for the info. I think when I get closer, I will double check with Victor about Tabyana. I'm sure him and Tex, who I have booked right now, will take good care of us.

 

Oh lucky you to have Tex. My friend and I toured with him back in 2009. We were just talking the other day about how wonderful a day we had. I would suggest you ask Tex to take you some place besides Tabyana which will most likely be crowded with cruise ship passengers. We didn't snorkel but he did take us around the island including some places that had absolutely no tourists.

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girlscruise2011

girlscruise2011

Posted
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Oh lucky you to have Tex. My friend and I toured with him back in 2009. We were just talking the other day about how wonderful a day we had. I would suggest you ask Tex to take you some place besides Tabyana which will most likely be crowded with cruise ship passengers. We didn't snorkel but he did take us around the island including some places that had absolutely no tourists.

 

I do have Tex booked but right now we are at his max of 6 people and we may have a 7th person joining us. If so, we will have to switch to someone else :(

 

I've just read that Tabyana is the best place to snorkel but I will give the day to Tex and I'm sure we'll enjoy every minute of it.:D

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Athankfulheart

Athankfulheart

Posted
Posted

FYI - The first email from VB was titled " Please confirm" and after I replied, I received the next email titled " Confirmation". I booked a couple of weeks ago for my 3/17/12 sailing date. VB did not ask for a deposit or payment of any kind. It sounds like the deposit that a previous poster mentioned was short lived ?

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2ptu/000

2ptu/000

Posted
Posted

We did the sun and fun tour for $25. each. Price was certainly reasonable. It was to be a 4 hour tour. Turned into at least 5 hours. I guess you shouldn't complain about getting more for your money but we were ready to get back to the ship at 4 hours.

We toured the island. Not much to see. We were taken to a pretty vista so we could take pictures and buy stuff from local vendors. After that, we went to the monkey place. Monkey's are cute but they bite. Off to the beach after that. Beach was nice. We just sat at a table and had something to eat and drink. It was pleasant there but the rest rooms could be better.

Wouldn't tell anyone not to do this tour but wouldn't recommend it either.

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RodneeCruz

RodneeCruz

Posted
Posted

Our group had 9 people including one small child. We went on the Best of Roatan tour. It was AMAZING!!! It was everyone's favorite part of the whole cruise. We took much needed supplies to a local school, did some sight seeing, shopped at local stores, went to Victor's Monkey Business (which was SO SO SO fun!), we ended our day at a private beach. The beach was just beautiful! White sand, great restaurant with lobster enchiladas, not over crowded, swinging beds you could lay on. The people of Roatan are so friendly. Our tour guide took us to places which offered great photo opportunities. I would recommend this excursions to EVERYONE! The bus was very nice, clean, air conditioned, and spacious. :o

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October82

October82

Posted
Posted
Our group had 9 people including one small child. We went on the Best of Roatan tour. It was AMAZING!!! It was everyone's favorite part of the whole cruise. We took much needed supplies to a local school, did some sight seeing, shopped at local stores, went to Victor's Monkey Business (which was SO SO SO fun!), we ended our day at a private beach. The beach was just beautiful! White sand, great restaurant with lobster enchiladas, not over crowded, swinging beds you could lay on. The people of Roatan are so friendly. Our tour guide took us to places which offered great photo opportunities. I would recommend this excursions to EVERYONE! The bus was very nice, clean, air conditioned, and spacious. :o

 

Who was your guide?

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