Bummed out about going to Roatan

[moondoggie]

I too am a frequent donor, both blood and platelets. Call your local CBB with specific names of the ports you will be visiting before you leave--this may influence whether or not you choose to leave the ship. A swim in the bay of Ziuhuatenajo (sp!) last January cost me a year of inactivity. Now I check prior to sailing.

 

Good for you to take this seriously--an afternoon of fun for you vs. perhaps saving a life or two. No comparison!

[thunder_lin]

Roatan is a lovely little place not to be missed. We didn't have anything booked when we arrived by ship and made a deal with a "cab" company right at the dock. There were approx. 10 of us and we each payed approx. 15.00 which included the tip. Lina was our driver for the day, she stayed with us the whole day, took us to Foster's Beach Club, made sure all of our needs were taken care of, took us on a wonderful tour of the island. We stopped at the Zip Lines to inquire and could have done it right then & there but decided against it. I think he quoted us $50.00 each. Lina then took us to the shopping area and had us back to the ship in plenty of time. It was one of the best days.

[SolidGoldCruiser]

We were in Roatan last week. Prior to arriving, I booked a shore excursion directly with Foster's. Our group consisted of 10, and we paid $18/each.

 

This included RT transportation, use of their beach and facilities, and one drink. Of course, I ordered a rum & coke - my fav - and it was very powerful - not watered down at all.

 

My contact there was Leslie, and she was absolutely great about answering all my many questions via email prior to our cruise. She even went to the local dive shop and got some info about renting snorkeling equipment for my husband.

 

We asked to be picked up at 8:30am, and our driver was on time and waiting for us. When we arrived at Foster's, chairs and umbrellas were set up for us, and we also were able to use the covered picnic tables. We ordered lunch from the restaurant there, and I had a delicious lobster salad.

 

Tabyana Beach (which is where the ship's excursions take you) is within walking distance so we strolled down and snorkeled the reef.

 

All in all - it was a great day, and I would not hesitate to go back. I'll be glad to answer any questions.

 

Oh - I forgot. There is a neat little gift shop on the premises, and I remember seeing some of those neat Honduran wooden items for sale - also some pottery.

[scejas]

 

 

[cruzinwithkidz]

Are those sharks in the ocean???????????????? Do you see sharks off the coast here? Two small kids, want to snorkel, just wondering:( .

[scejas]

No no -- those sharks and turtles are located in the shark and turtle tank at the Coral Caye beach -- when you pay to go this excursion it includes a tour of the multiple turtle tanks they have along with a sanctuary for some nurse sharks they have and rays.

 

You can get really close to the turtles and pet them in some cases... it was really interesting... apparently the larger turtles seen below were rescued from some poachers -- they'll tell you the story but they have a really cruel way of killing them....

[cruzinwithkidz]

Phew, thanks!

[packercruising]

Nothing I can add to what has already been said. Whoever said not to go to Roatan must be a mall shopper because it's true there are better places to shop. But Roatan and Belize were our favorite ports. Don't miss it! :)

[picktowncruzr]

The lobster lunch at Fosters is to die for!! If you do nothing else, take a cab to Fosters for a fabulous lunch! We actually booked with Paul David who was 'supposedly' operating out of Fosters but he never showed up at the taxi stand to pick us up. Nice, huh?? However, the taxi-supervisor guy hooked us up and transported us to Fosters - - explained our situation to the owner (can't remember her name) and she too made sure our day was great. They all covered for each other nicely, and you could tell their main concern was making sure we had a good day.

[jetskier]

If you are dreading Roatan that much, hop a local plane over to the mainland and you can go white water rafting. There are class 3, 4, and 5 rapids there.

If you are a scuba diver or snorkler, there is no better place than Roatan for unspoiled reefs.

 

Dave

[Lynne79]

The OP of this thread also disliked Belize - I beleive he/she said they viewed it as another sea day - on the Belize board. Maybe they just had a bad trip? Why go on this itinerary if you don't like it?

 

I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who posted your opinions of the islands. DH and I will be first-timers this fall and we're really looking forward to going to Roatan, Belize, Grand Cayman and Costa Maya.

 

It's actually a good thing we have more than 200 days of waiting - it'll take us that long to decide what to do at each stop!

[Lee & Melissa]

I also wasn't looking forward to going to Roatan when I was on the Valor in October, but it ended up being my favorite port out of all of them. My only wish would be that more cruise ships called on Roatan so I could get back there sooner.... and I WILL go back.

My suggestion... do not miss this port. Get to a beach, enjoy the scenery and if you're up to it, snorkle the reef. It's only like 50 yards off shore. It doesn't get any better than that