Age or Wisdom???

[kaeffe]

We are a little confused and concerned. Is there a beach close to where the ship docks in Mahogany Bay within walking or taxi distance? This is our 9th cruise and except for our 1st one we have always done our own thing. I don't know if it age or wisdom but I'm unsure what to plan for Roatan or Belize. Ship excursions, private excursion or hire a guide/taxi and go it on our own. Any suggestions for both these ports are greatly appreciated.

[Colorado Kat]

Yes, docking at Mahoghany Bay is right next to a nice beach. You can easily walk to it, or take a scenic chair lift ride to it.

 

You could book a nice island tour, and visit monkees, zip line, and go to the West Bay beaches. Victor Bodden is a good tour provider.

[overthehillcruiser]

Keep in mind that Mahogany beach is man made, and not thought of highly by a number of cruisers..We are going there in March for our 4th trip to Roatan and were going to just use Mahogany, but changed our minds and are using Bodden again. There will be 4 of us , so only $25 PP and we have the option of doing whatever we like..If you have not been to Roatan I would highly suggest touring the island , as it is not flat, and very scenic.I think a lot will agree that a private driver is the way to go.. If you just want a place by the water and do not care to see or try anything else, Mahogany would be ok. If there are 2 ships there it can be a little crowded as the beach chairs are free...

Edited December 9, 2013 by overthehillcruiser

[overthehillcruiser]

As far as Belize is concerned, you pretty much have the tourism village, do a tour, or stay on the ship..We have done Bannister island and Shark Ray alley. The Bannister trip is like $39 PP through the ship, and we liked it. Shark Ray alley and Caulkner is a pretty long ride. If you go there DO NOT use Coral Breeze as we did..You can do a water taxi trip to Caulkner on your own also for $20 PP round trip, but watch your times..Good luck...:)

[blue_water]

We are a little confused and concerned. Is there a beach close to where the ship docks in Mahogany Bay within walking or taxi distance? This is our 9th cruise and except for our 1st one we have always done our own thing. I don't know if it age or wisdom but I'm unsure what to plan for Roatan or Belize. Ship excursions, private excursion or hire a guide/taxi and go it on our own. Any suggestions for both these ports are greatly appreciated.

 

Hi kaeffe,

We’ve visited both before and our favorite day on Roatan is pre-booking a private tour guide (not Bodden but a private outfit just for transportation). We head to West End which is a funky bay we like to visit and buy Lencan pottery and visit the shoops, bars, and of course the amazing cigar humidor/bar. We may stop at Gumbalimba this time as well and visit the monkeys and birds. We’ll take a nice water taxi from WE to West Bay where we will relax at the Thirsty Turtle with a great lunch and drinks and a steel drum band hopefully. WE want to see more of the resorts in WB this visit as we plan a land vacation to ROatan in the future, beautiful island. The driver will stay with us until we get on the water taxi and then meet us at WB and wait until we’re ready to head back to port. Great day in Roatan and we avoid many of the crowds that way. The nicest beach is West Bay if you want to head straight there.

For Belize the main excursions are snorkeling at the reef from Goff’s Caye, Water Caye, or Rendezvous Caye, the shark & ray alley excursion to Caye Caulker, cave tubing, ruins tours, or the zoo. We enjoyed Goff’s Caye last visit and this trip we’re tendering into port and taking a 45 minute water taxi on our own to Caye Caulker to see that funky island. Based on others’ help here it sounds like a great day for us and very cheap. We may opt for the 10 minute flight back to the muni airport for an extra $18pp to get more time on the island. Just a thought if you want something on your own and not involving ruins or tubing.

So for these 2 ports we’re going on our own. The ship excursions do not interest us at all in Roatan as it is so easy to see the island with any guide, and taking a tour with other cruisers limits your experience in many ways and you can do a personal tour for the same price. Belize is famous for snorkeling and I would highly recommend one of those excursions if you are interested in that. We’re not interested in snorkeling in Belize this visit or in cave tubing or riding to the ruins or the zoo and the Caye Caulker day looks like a great option to us. Just our opinion of course, others will have different ideas.

Good luck! :)

[Sfdtiller]

I agree completely with Blue Water, West End is the place to go. Mahogany bay is Carnival Corps private resort, you will see the same layout, colors and shops in Cozumel at the port there since they also built that one. West End has great little bars and restaurants. We take a taxi/driver over and have them drop us off at one end then walk the beach to the other end, about a mile.

 

Blue, if you don't need a resort there are some really nice places to stay in West End, check out Villas Del Playas and Lost Paradise inn. We are looking at renting a unit at Villas early next year.

[blue_water]

Thanks, would prefer a small boutique hotel or beach hotel and we'll look at those.

Thanks again!

[runner15km]

The beach at MB and surrounding buildings were once know as Coral Bay Beach. CCL built the pier and the shopping center. Any newbie going to MB beach for the 1st time would never realize that the beach was man made.

[#1TravelMom]

I understand why some like Mohogany Bay - close to the ship and no extra expense. But, Roatan is just beautiful and has lots of things to see. We prefer touring with Rony's Tours. He's a great guy who has a small company and takes great pride in offering outstanding service. I think Roatan is one of the least expensive islands to hire a private driver for the day. We just love having the flexibility to pace our day and change plans as we please.

 

If you have good mobility - I highly recommend Lamanai. This has been one of our top excursions(35+ cruises). Very unique experience - boat up a river through the jungle to a Mayan Ruin Site. One of the few places you can still climb to the top. You are rewarded with a panoramic view of the top of the jungle canopy with vistas into Guatemala.

[caribsun]

Lamanai is in Belize. :o