Are shore excursions necessary in Roatan and Harvest Caye?

[Luv2travlX2]

My husband and I are doing the Panama Canal cruise on the Jade in February. We'll probably book the ferry excursion in Panama although reviews about long wait times, rickety ferries, and few bathroom facilities are off-putting. We'll book excursions in Cartagena and in Costa Rica so that we can get the most out of our time there. Still deciding which ones to take. Many of these have no reviews on NCL's site so its hard to judge. But here's my main question. Do we need to book excursions in Roatan and Harvest Caye or can we just get off the ship, find a nice beach, and rent a kayak or snorkel gear on our own? We're on a limited budget and both the Panama and Costa Rica options are pretty pricey. But we don't want to be stuck in a small area with just souvenir shops and no easy way to access anything else.

[Maizy]

Check out Victor Bodden on Roatan. Great reviews. We are booked with him on our upcoming cruise. Answers promptly.

[ggTexasGal]

Check out Victor Bodden on Roatan. Great reviews. We are booked with him on our upcoming cruise. Answers promptly.

 

There are many, many, good reviews for Victor Bodden!

Review what NCL offers as well (helps to compare pricing).

 

As for Harvest Caye, it is worth checking-out the island, even if you do not stay long. We highly recommend getting off the ship as early as possible if you want to get lounger(s) near the water (especially the pool area). Snorkeling there is not great! Two person Kayaks (or singles) are available, currently $29 each. Paddle boards (individual) are also $29.

Overall, my best tip for both... be sure to have bug spray and sunscreen (Environmentally friendly "natural" formulas/non-spray are preferred)!

You can come and go to/from the ship if you don't want to eat/drink on the island (Take cash &/or credit cards if you do want to).

[brookie848]

We used Rony's Tours in Roatan and booked a driver for the day for $35/person (for the whole day). Using him for transportation to a beach would be an option as well.

 

Taxis are not regulated in Roatan, so you are better off pre-booking your transportation.

 

If you want a simple beach/pool day, you can do that on Harvest Caye. I would suggest getting off early since to get the best choice of seating.

[cb at sea]

Harvest Cay is a beach day....no excursion needed. All of Roatan's beaches are public, if a beach day is what you want. Do some research on your ports. Makes life easier AND CHEAPER if you know something about where you're going. A guidebook is very useful! Libraries have them to check out!

[Chuck2810]

on Roatan, Maya Key is nice and very low cost. Beach, cash bar (also affordable), and buffet lunch included. and you never leave port - they pick you up at the ship on a boat.

[larav25]

Check out Victor Bodden on Roatan. Great reviews. We are booked with him on our upcoming cruise. Answers promptly.

 

Victor Bodden Tours is great. We used them 2 years ago and the kids still talk about it. Roatan is a beautiful port.

[Nola26]

on Roatan, Maya Key is nice and very low cost. Beach, cash bar (also affordable), and buffet lunch included. and you never leave port - they pick you up at the ship on a boat.

 

Second endorsement for Maya Key. Not as low cost as just a cab and plop down on a beach, but I'm happy to pay for Maya Key for our family of 3 again in March. There is also animal rescue on the resort so you'll see and perhaps interact with animals. Beach, snorkeling opportunity, pool, walking trails lunch, sea lions and a tasty lunch, we were happy there.

 

Also the return boats run throughout the day so come back when you want, not stuck there all day if you want to leave.

[newmexicoNita]

Maya Key, Victor Bodden and Roni's are all great choices. Roni is going to be the least expensive and you can totally design your own tour with him. The cost is based on the choices you make. I have always thought one of the most fun places we have visited is Roatan. I would not think of doing it the first time without a booked excursion. after once, you have seen the island, etc then doing it on your own would be fine. We have probably been to Roatan 10 times or close. You can book with a tour company and still spend time at the beach.

 

As for Harvest Cay is fine to do without a planned excursion.

[italianprincess70]

We love Little French Key in Roatan!

 

 

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[ozscotart]

The last time we were in Roatan we did the semi submarine which we enjoyed. We are not beach people, I come from the land of beaches and am generally unimpressed by beaches others get enthusiastic about. Harvest Caye, we did the electric boat the Black Swan, very nice boat and we saw manatees. Both trips through NCL. I wouldn’t say there was much else on Harvest Caye of any interest to us, another time we might take the boat to the mainland.

 

 

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[sanger727]

Sorry to disagree; we used victor bodden tours and didn’t enjoy the tour at all. Roatan has ended up being our second to least favorite port in the Caribbean (Nassau was worse).

 

 

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[jscott792]

I am considering booking through Bodden, what did you not like about it? Was it the company itself that did something wrong or was it that you were unhappy with the aesthetic of the island? I, personally, want to see the “real” island. I’m not looking for a glossed over, touristy version. If it’s something the company did wrong, I would reconsider using them. Please elaborate....

 

 

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[sanger727]

I am considering booking through Bodden, what did you not like about it? Was it the company itself that did something wrong or was it that you were unhappy with the aesthetic of the island? I, personally, want to see the “real” island. I’m not looking for a glossed over, touristy version. If it’s something the company did wrong, I would reconsider using them. Please elaborate....

 

 

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I felt like we saw a glossy touristy version of the island. Don’t remember all of the stops but we did a walk through of a zoo like area with monkeys and birds, stopped at at least one ‘time share’ style property. Nothing about the tour felt like I saw authentic roatan. And frankly nothing we saw was especially interesting or beautiful (in comparison to other islands). It’s possible you could request otherwise since it’s a private tour, but we didn’t know better so just took the standard route.

 

 

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[jscott792]

I felt like we saw a glossy touristy version of the island. Don’t remember all of the stops but we did a walk through of a zoo like area with monkeys and birds, stopped at at least one ‘time share’ style property. Nothing about the tour felt like I saw authentic roatan. And frankly nothing we saw was especially interesting or beautiful (in comparison to other islands). It’s possible you could request otherwise since it’s a private tour, but we didn’t know better so just took the standard route.

 

 

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Hmmmm...I will have to look further into it then. We would take a private tour, so I will need to figure out where we really want to go and what we really want to do. Thank you for your help:)

 

 

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[nednrom]

My husband and I are doing the Panama Canal cruise on the Jade in February. We'll probably book the ferry excursion in Panama although reviews about long wait times, rickety ferries, and few bathroom facilities are off-putting. We'll book excursions in Cartagena and in Costa Rica so that we can get the most out of our time there. Still deciding which ones to take. Many of these have no reviews on NCL's site so its hard to judge. But here's my main question. Do we need to book excursions in Roatan and Harvest Caye or can we just get off the ship, find a nice beach, and rent a kayak or snorkel gear on our own? We're on a limited budget and both the Panama and Costa Rica options are pretty pricey. But we don't want to be stuck in a small area with just souvenir shops and no easy way to access anything else.

No need for a ship excursion in either place, no need for excursion at all on Harvest Caye. Little French Key is beautiful,look at you tube videos and transportation and use of the place is all inclusive in Roatan if you book through the owners. The beaches in Roatan are awesome if you are a beach person. Harvest Caye is a beach with free lounge chairs and umbrellas provided by NCL. Again check out you tube for more info.

Edited January 14, 2018 by nednrom

[mngolfer]

We used Victor Boden and loved it. We had a driver for the day. She took us to all the usual spots, but also took us to her home. It was a great day and had the best lunch at her recommendation at a little shack on the beach. Just a great day that we still talk about 5 years later. It was about $100 for 3 of us, but we did tip her quite a bit because she was fantastic.

 

 

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[abisutton]

We love Little French Key in Roatan!

 

 

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Just got off the pearl today, was there this week, and also july17 so just six months ago. I LOVED it so much in July we couldn’t wait to go back. Now I’ll never go back. The place has bad chairs now, many with terrible leans. The palapa were all gone or broken.

 

My last thought... I AM NOT a PETA person, but love my pets and think of them as my fur babies. I was very disgusted when I saw some of the things there, and most specifically the treatment of the animals. Let me tell you the large cat:panther/jag ( not sure which) was screaming and desperately being forced to stay in the water to be held and photographed. It was in humane to watch. I also found a small monkey in his cage that was biting the bars constantly and pacing/squawking, in the pen alone. I sat down to talk to him and we had a little connection, he held my hand through the bar and tried anything he could to get closer to me. I was feeling my heart break, you can’t not look at a monkey and see a human, we aren’t that far off! So I can not ever go back there and pray I may impact someone else with my truth from this past week and maybe they won’t go support the abuse.

 

I still think their pina coladas are the best in the Caribbean, but the food and service was really bad, and it was a not busy day at all

 

I have used Victor Bodden with success

 

You can also just take a cab/taxi to west bay and snorkel/lay on the beach at the numerous clubs there

[Luv2travlX2]

Abisutton,can you give me a few more details? What place were you talking about with the broken chairs? And where were the animals treated poorly?

[Notnewtoit]

Note: the current NCL excursion (and I presume previous ones) goes to BIG French Key. Little French Key is not Big French Key, it is smaller among other things! Reviews seem to strongly favor the little Key and you can book to go there privately with considerable ease... but do not assume that is where NCL are taking you... it is not.

 

Little French Key is where Abi mentions the animals are. They claim to be a rescue center and have recently updated at least one enclosure. I can't vouch for the validity (or not) of this claim as yet. Animals in cages is never really a great idea, unless perhaps they were rescued from some other form of even worse abuse. Vote with your wallet... don't pay to have a picture taken with the wildlife.

 

After a little research, the following can be found posted on a fundraising website in 2015, (allegedly) posted by the owner after the animals were stolen (apparently); I cannot verify it either way. Two wrongs don't make a right but if accurate, it does have some worth; a traveling circus was certainly a far worse fate. Google and a little time.

 

"My family and I moved from a happy life in California, to Roatan to try and start again. I have always had a passion for animals, so I wanted to try my best to help. Four years ago I rescued a White face Capuchin monkey, named Rico, and as of date our rescue center has grown exponentially. I have invested all my time, love, and effort into helping the animals of Roatan, and what do I get in repayment, this bitter atrocity. Simba the jaguar was rescued from a traveling circus, just like the lion, in case anyone didn't know. He was living in a traveler kennel awaiting a life of cruelty, sadness, and despair as Lawrence painstakingly had to suffer. I went to that circus everyday for a month and eventually was able to rescue Simba. I have been with him from the beginning. And as everyone knows, last year I rescued Lawrence the Lion. Please tell me if there was another place who would spend all that time, money, effort, and love to save him. What would they get out of it, what did we get out of it. I loved Lawrence from the moment placed eyes on him, I immediately broke into tears when I first saw him. The circus owners told me he was aggressive and couldn't be touched, I hugged him the day he arrived to LFK. These animals are not dumb, they are intelligent and loyal creatures, and I fear that they may have just lost what trust they had left for humans. They are not just another animal in a zoo for people's entertainment, they are my family, as are all of my animals. Imagine that people held you at gunpoint and stole your children, and there was nothing you could do but sit back and cry. I hope you all see Roatan in its true colors now, if you are not a local they will do everything in their power to destroy you, even though you may create so much good."

Edited January 15, 2018 by Notnewtoit

[janice2348]

I booked with Daniels Monkey and Sloth hangout which also includes a tour of the island. He has a good reputation. I cannot abide animal cruelty. His animals are well cared for.

[Travelicious]

If you are on a tight budget, Little French Key is not for you. I found it pretty expensive for what was offered.

 

In Roatan, there are booths as you exit the port area, and you can pick up a cheap tour there without having to pre-book. About 5 years ago, this is what we did, and paid $20 per person for an island tour and then being taken to a place to enjoy the beach. We had to pay a $10 entrance fee pp, and drinks and food were not included. Still, it was a nice day. Our driver and escort waited at the area until we were ready to leave.

[Samstress]

Another vote for Victor Bodden. Our driver was great & didn't shy away from showing us the 'other' side of Roatan away from the touristy areas. We took a lot of school supplies with us & entrusted them to our driver. It is definitely an eye opener but something that I think all of us should experience if for no other reason than to make us thankful for what we have. Our guide also took us to a sloth & monkey rescue facility. We loved the sloths & they are allowed to roam free thru the mangoes. We stopped for drinks at a roadside pub, bought some Roatan Jelly (which is what I had hoped to find) & had lunch beachside at one of the resorts. Our driver was knowledgeable and friendly & I would highly recommend this type of excursion is you're interested in getting off the beaten track.

Cheers,

Sandy

[Hearthosesteeldrumsplayin]

Just got off the Pearl, which stopped in Roatan and Harvest Cay. As to do an excursion/don't do an excursion: in Roatan, we just walked around. Never again. The area is very poor. While the people looked well fed, there were numerous stray dogs (only saw 1 stray cat) that all looked malnourished and mangy. Maybe we went the wrong direction, but my feeling is that if I ever stop there again (which will not be my choice, mind you), I would either stay on the ship or do an excursion. It does give you an appreciation for home, though.

Harvest Cay: we rented a kayak. Small, defined area to kayak around. We did see an iguana and a very large pelican, several small minnows in water. We turned our kayak in early, as we had paddled around a couple of times. Big yawn. Not something I would repeat. The island is new and was clean. If you are wanting a beach day, then you can enjoy. There is a large pool that holds 1,000. The children's play area was not operating while we were there. Zip lines were going, but everything costs additional. There were plenty of loungers available in shade, so I didn't see the need to purchase a cabana or clam shell---in fact, I would have been put out had I purchased one. We are not beach/sun folks, so I don't see the need to repeat that stop on any future cruise.

[pspercy]

Another vote for Victor Bodden.

 

In Cartagena we booked with http://www.cartagenatour.com/_index.php

aka Dora the Explorer. Excellent.