Rendezvous Cay vs. Bannister Island

[kona_wahine]

I've been looking at Carnival excursions and I'm trying to decided between these two. Anyone have experience on Rendezvous Cay? It's alot smaller but that intrigues me. I'm looking for white sand, blue water.

[funfamilyof6]

I was told by my tour guide via telephone that it is very similar to Goff's Caye and very secluded more so than Goff's and Goff's is very secluded.

[TXSAIL]

I think you might favor Bannister , as it has a little more to offer..

 

 

[kona_wahine]

I am concerned that Renezvous may be boring and thinking Bannister may be better. I also like tha Bannister has chairs and better drink selection. ;) It's between these 2 because they leave direct from the ship. I'm just wondering how crowded Rendezvous gets, if snorkeling is comparable, what the beach and swimming area is like on both.

[mitsugirly]

 

 

 

 

From the looks of this picture, is there snorkeling right off the beach there? How far out is that?

[kona_wahine]

Just bumping this up. :)

[mitsugirly]

Anyone know if there is snorkeling there at Bannister? :confused:

[CENTEX CRUISER]

I did not see anyone snorkeling at Bannister...Don't think it would be a good spot for that

[mitsugirly]

I did not see anyone snorkeling at Bannister...Don't think it would be a good spot for that

 

Thanks for your response.

 

So if there isn't good snorkeling at Bannister, do you have any idea what the darker areas in the water is? Do they have sea grass there?

[CFoxtrot]

We have been looking at both of these as well. I'm leaning towards Rendezvous Caye due to the snorkeling looks to be fantastic! I too would love to hear anybody's input who has been there.

[CENTEX CRUISER]

Not really sure.*I don't think there is sea grass. Must just be a variance in depth....

Thanks for your response.

 

So if there isn't good snorkeling at Bannister, do you have any idea what the darker areas in the water is? Do they have sea grass there?

[EMc&DrS]

Is Rendezvous Caye an excursion they've added to replace Goff's Caye? We loved Goff's Caye and were looking for something similar where you can snorkel, swim, or lounge. Bannister reviews seem to be hit or miss, but there are no recent reviews out there for RC. Has anyone been there?!?

[xeriod]

Thanks for your response.

 

So if there isn't good snorkeling at Bannister, do you have any idea what the darker areas in the water is? Do they have sea grass there?

 

It is sea grass , that area in the pictures is for kayaking to. If your real lucky you might come across a manatee muching on that sea grass. Banister isnt really good for snorkeling , although you can come across some fish on the outter edges of the swimming area.

[mitsugirly]

If your real lucky you might come across a manatee muching on that sea grass.

 

 

:eek: Really? They come up that close?

[xeriod]

:eek: Really? They come up that close?

Not to Bannister , but those small islands near by. You'd have to kayak over there and then sit real still, look for bubbles, and wait for one to surface.

[dst]

OP - thanks for starting this thread, we are looking at both excursions as well and would really like to hear more about Rendezvous Island.......

[chauncy's wife]

OK, as promised, here's my review on Rendezvous. The excursion is contracted out to Wonder Tours which I was not that impressed with. They did not interact with us very much & it would have been nice if they would have been more informative about the island, Belize, etc. They weren't terrible by any means, but I would have liked more interaction. We left the ship at 8:30 am & the semi-submarine excursion was on the same boat. It took about 30-45 mins to get the island. The boat dropped us off & took the semi-sub tour to their destination. There were 5 or 6 big palapas w/ 3 six foot benches under each one. We hurried to one to put our stuff down so we would have shade later. We were given our gear & divided into 2 groups; advanced & beginners. The beginners entered the water from the front of the island & the advanced entered from the side & snorkeled out & around the back of the island & re-entered from the beach 180 degrees from where we entered. There were 2 guides in the water & 2 in kayaks. There were about 20 of us. The snorkeling was just OK for me. There was plenty to see but not alot of fish & the coral lacked any color but brown. I was a bit disappointed. Also, I had people bumping into me constantly & fins hitting me. My DH was smart & he stayed at the very front w/ the first guide & he didn't have this problem. We snorkeling for about 45 mins & then went back to the beach where they handed out beach mats. By the time we got out of the water, the semi-sub tour was back & enjoying the beach. They had 3 or 4 glass bottom kayas for use. The island itself was about 1/2 acre & it was beautiful. There were 5 palm trees on the island but the main shade was the palapas. They had a snack shack where you could purchase drinks & prepackaged snacks & also hot dogs. We stayed on the island another hour or so before heading back to the ship. The tour was 45 mins late getting back. I spoke to someone who took the Seargeant's Cay excursion & their experience with the snorkeling was disappointing to them also. After going to Roatan, I'm not sure any snorkeling will ever live up to that. If you want this excursion mainly for the beach, it would be a good tour; if you're going for the snorkeling...eehhh. I'd be happy to answer any questions if you have any.

[Stevesan]

Rendezvous Caye

 

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2107841000088053251ZHmEgq

[lexanna02]

Oh my....it's simply gorgeous!

[dst]

OK' date=' as promised, here's my review on Rendezvous. The excursion is contracted out to Wonder Tours which I was not that impressed with. They did not interact with us very much & it would have been nice if they would have been more informative about the island, Belize, etc. They weren't terrible by any means, but I would have liked more interaction. We left the ship at 8:30 am & the semi-submarine excursion was on the same boat. It took about 30-45 mins to get the island. The boat dropped us off & took the semi-sub tour to their destination. There were 5 or 6 big palapas w/ 3 six foot benches under each one. We hurried to one to put our stuff down so we would have shade later. We were given our gear & divided into 2 groups; advanced & beginners. The beginners entered the water from the front of the island & the advanced entered from the side & snorkeled out & around the back of the island & re-entered from the beach 180 degrees from where we entered. There were 2 guides in the water & 2 in kayaks. There were about 20 of us. The snorkeling was just OK for me. There was plenty to see but not alot of fish & the coral lacked any color but brown. I was a bit disappointed. Also, I had people bumping into me constantly & fins hitting me. My DH was smart & he stayed at the very front w/ the first guide & he didn't have this problem. We snorkeling for about 45 mins & then went back to the beach where they handed out beach mats. By the time we got out of the water, the semi-sub tour was back & enjoying the beach. They had 3 or 4 glass bottom kayas for use. The island itself was about 1/2 acre & it was beautiful. There were 5 palm trees on the island but the main shade was the palapas. They had a snack shack where you could purchase drinks & prepackaged snacks & also hot dogs. We stayed on the island another hour or so before heading back to the ship. The tour was 45 mins late getting back. I spoke to someone who took the Seargeant's Cay excursion & their experience with the snorkeling was disappointing to them also. After going to Roatan, I'm not sure any snorkeling will ever live up to that. If you want this excursion mainly for the beach, it would be a good tour; if you're going for the snorkeling...eehhh. I'd be happy to answer any questions if you have any.[/quote']

 

 

Thanks so much for coming back and sharing your experience - this was very helpful for us......

[kona_wahine]

Chauncyswife, thank you! I'm thinking I might like Bannister more, and just hang on the beach. We're going to snorkel in Roatan. Did you go to Tabyana there?

[chauncy's wife]

Chauncyswife, thank you! I'm thinking I might like Bannister more, and just hang on the beach. We're going to snorkel in Roatan. Did you go to Tabyana there?

 

Yes, we went to Tabyana & it was a life altering experience. It's the best snorkeling I've ever done. It was nothing short of spectacular. I cannot recommend it enough!

[mikel24m]

Chauncyswife, thank you! I'm thinking I might like Bannister more, and just hang on the beach. We're going to snorkel in Roatan. Did you go to Tabyana there?

 

You have got to see west bay beach in Roatan.We used victor bodden tours and wound up at Banarama.Most beautiful beach I have ever seen

[dst]

Tabyana and Bananarama are the same stretch of water.......just different names and further down the beach a bit.

 

Tabyana is one of our favorite spots in all of our travels - the one reason we chose the Dream was to go back to our favorite Island

[kona_wahine]

We are doing the Canopy Tour & Tabyana Beach tour through Carnival. It gets over at 2:45. I'm thinking I would like to stay longer at Tabyana. Is that do-able? The ship doesn't leave until 6:00. Doesn't Carnival have buses going back and forth? Would we be able to get a ride on one of them? Or a taxi?