Basic Information - Little French Key

[silly2003]

My cruise does not appear to offer excursions to Little French Key... from what I can tell. Is this a location in Roatan, that is not associated with any cruise lines and you just book on your own?

 

How does the beach and area compare to the other accessible beaches from the cruise terminals. I see it is the #1 destination in Roatan, so it must be something special? Is it that it is just more beautiful than other beach destinations or the convenience of the activities available there?

 

Sorry for asking the basic information, but stuff I have read assumes I have already decided to go to LFK vs. someplace else.

 

Thank you for taking the time to answer. We selected the cruise we are on because it is Royal Caribbean and my MIL loves Royal Caribbean and it is during a school break for my child, so the destination was sort of arbitrary for us to spend time with my child's grandma.

[hockeygal54]

LFK involves taking a water taxi from cruise area to that beach. It is a ways away and you must allow plenty of time to get back. I think the last taxi runs around 1545-1600-ish and I wouldn't plan to wait for the very last one to make it back to the ship on time.

[alwayscruisetime]

Hi Silly -

 

If you've never tried an excursion on your own before (going ashore and NOT booking something through the ship) let me tell you that this is almost as easy. All you have to do is walk off the ship and find the driver Little French Key has sent for you, and beyond that everything's a breeze. They'll get you back to the port on time. Cruise Critic is great for finding out about alternatives to ships' excursions, and we've always found that the smaller groups mean you spend more time doing what you want, and the cost is cheaper even though you're getting more personal attention.

 

We visited Little French Key last January based on it being the #1 thing to do in Roatan on Trip Advisor, and we enjoyed it so much that we booked another cruise with that port so that we could take our (adult) daughter, who's a big animal lover. While many of their animals are no longer there, it's still a lovely day for what the cruise lines tend to call a "beach break".

 

Once you make reservations with LFK (you don't have to put any money down) they'll know to send a driver to meet you when and where the ship docks. Depending on your cruise line and where you dock (there are 2 choices) it may be different, but we walked outside the cruise port (you leave a gated area, you see police/armed guards along the way) up and down a hill, and there were all sorts of drivers/tour guides - sort of like when you arrive on the other side of security at an airport after your flight. Some are waiting for people who've already booked with them, some are hoping you'll choose them to drive you. We had read that some people take a $2 cab ride to get them to the drivers, and it may be something you want to do if you're worried about either grandma or a child hoofing it, but we had no problems walking the roughly 5 minutes. Some people are worried about safety/security, but let's face it - the tourism business brings in lots of money, so it behooves them to make sure you're safe in and around the dock.

 

The driver takes you to a restaurant called Frenchy's 44, which is affiliated with LFK. That's where you pay, and they have a small boat that ferries you over to LFK. That ferry ride takes less than 10 minutes. Since you're traveling to and from the port with their drivers, they know to expect you on either end, so there was no problem getting back to the ship on time. When you arrive, the person you pay asks which ship you're on, and what time you have to be back on board. Then that afternoon, the LFK staff calls to guests that they're taking people back for such-and-such a ship. We were the last stragglers out, and were back with time to shop before boarding the ship, but whenever you're ready to leave, you can ask to have a driver take you back. (Note that the drivers may be using what seem to be their personal cars, or might have a multi-passenger company van).

 

LFK has expanded since we were there, but there are several different areas where you can plop down to spend your day - you can look at the pictures on their website to see that. There are all options - lounge chairs in sun or shade, regular chairs around a table in sun or shade, hammocks, etc.

 

Again, you can read on their website all the activities that are available to you there, but they include snorkeling (either on a short boat trip or just by walking in from the beach) kayaks, massage, horseback riding in the water (I wouldn't recommend that for your group - it's bareback, and the horses were uncooperative the day we were there) a high jump into the water (when we were there it was from a platform, but now there seems to be a rope, too?) plus a zoo. When we were there, they had small mammals out with staff members to be held and touched, but I don't know what that situation is now.

 

Depending on the package you pay for, you may be served lunch, which is a plate lunch (no options for substitutions or special orders, as best I could tell, but I'm a fairly picky eater, and I was happy) served at the time of their choosing. There are several bars for drinks (both alcoholic and not) and they also offer limited snack food, although I understand they now have a pizza option, and you can also order from their affiliated restaurant and they'll send it over.

 

Your experience will depend on the day you go, of course, and who else is there. We had a lovely, quiet day (our choice) and there were others dancing on the bar and drinking until they got sick, so there's definitely something for everyone.

 

They charge extra when you use a credit card, so pay in cash if you can. They have several different packages that include different options (lunch, the number of drinks, whether or not you can use the kayaks/snorkel equipment for free, whether you go out on a guided snorkel tour by boat) but if you choose a lesser option, you can always pay extra once you're on the island if you decide you want to add something.

 

Hope all that helps?

[crewsweeper]

silly 2003...here's the website. All the info you need is here.

 

http://www.littlefrenchkey.com/