Valor 05/14/06 suggestions for Roatan and Belize

[Patty C.]

Hey there fellow cruisers.....we are celebrating our 30th anniversary sailing on the Valor 05/14/06....need suggestions for Roatan Island and Belize. On Roatan we are thinking of doing a canopy tour and then to a beach BUT don't want to be on a crowded beach...any suggestions??? Where should we go on Belize for good snorkeling and uncrowded beach time?

[GoinCruisin]

Check the Roatan and Belize boards... you will get a ton of great info there! Good luck!!

[mrdood]

Hey there fellow cruisers.....we are celebrating our 30th anniversary sailing on the Valor 05/14/06....need suggestions for Roatan Island and Belize. On Roatan we are thinking of doing a canopy tour and then to a beach BUT don't want to be on a crowded beach...any suggestions??? Where should we go on Belize for good snorkeling and uncrowded beach time?

 

Here is where you should research for Roatan:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=27

 

Here is where you should research for Belize:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=109

[Patty C.]

Thanks everyone....I'm new at these boards....will go to the sites for info.

[GoinCruisin]

Thanks everyone....I'm new at these boards....will go to the sites for info.

 

Patty, it's the same site... there are just different sections. If you go up top, and click on "Cruise Critic Message Boards" that is the "Root" or "Index" if you will... then you will see all CC has to offer! There is so much to this site you will love it!! Enjoy!!!!

 

If you have any general questions about Carnival, the ships, the cruise, etc, you are in the right place. If you want to see if anyone is cruising with you, you can check out the roll call boards, and start one if nobody already has. You'll get the hang of things quick!!

[BigDoug]

For Belize, I would suggest that you try the Shark/Ray Snorkeling and Caye Caulker Exploration tour offered by Coral Breeze. I don't know if a direct link is still allowed but just google coral breeze belize and it will be the first entry. Then check out the cruise ship tours. We did this on our March 2005 cruise aboard the Legend. Excellent tour and a great value.

[Patty C.]

Thanks for the instructions....I'm computer challenged at times but found how to get to the destination sites. Many thanks....Patty C.

[Patty C.]

Thanks BigDoug......I've been reading several reviews of people liking Caye Caulker...will check that out!

[kelz66]

Patty, we are on the same cruise. I saw your post on the roll call this morning.

 

In Belize we are doing the Private Island beach break thru carnival. (Bannister Island).

 

This is the ONLY excursion we are doing thue the cruiseline because they have an agreement with the resort and only carnival ships use it.

 

They are now offering it online, we booked it the other week.:D

[Patty C.]

Kelz66.....thanks for the info......need to check out Bannister island. I'm for less people on a beach and if Carnival cruisers are the only ones, this may be a defiinite possibility.

[kelz66]

Kelz66.....thanks for the info......need to check out Bannister island. I'm for less people on a beach and if Carnival cruisers are the only ones, this may be a defiinite possibility.

 

Here is thier site:

 

http://www.bannisterisland.com/index.shtml

 

But you can only book thru carnival.

[Dodeledy]

My husband and I flew to Roatan 2 summers a go and stayed for 7 nights. We were on the main beach the whole time and never wanted to leave. I can't remember the name of the beach but it is the only one. If you are interested in snorkeling at all- the beach day is unbelievable. We noticed VERY few people actually snorkeling from the cruise ship tour but it is right there in front of where they park you on the beach all day. The snorkeling is the best we have ever experienced. We have snorkled and dove all over Mexico, Grand Cayman and the Eastern Caribbean. The coral and variety of marine animals is insane! Also the coral (at least a couple of years ago) was pristine and untouched. Put it this way- 2 years ago we would walk up and down the beach area- and see no less than 5-10 starfish daily. I think Roatan has had VERY little tourism compared to the more popular Eastern & Western destinations and it shows (in a good way!) One word of caution would be eating while you are there. The food up and down the beach is very good- the water is ALL bottled as well as the ice but SURPRISE - apparently they wash thier fruits and veges in regular water...... my husband and I brought back some internal critter than we both had to end up taking prescriptions to get rid of! But still I would go back tomorrow. I think a zip line over the canopy would be fun but Roatan is also VERY HOT! So a day at the beach is what it would be for me. And the scenery on the way is georgous!

[salty dingo]

On Roatan, we did an all-day island tour through Victor Bodden. It was superb. Our driver was Henry, and we met his wife too. Very nice people.

 

In Belize, we hooked up with Yhony for cave tubing. It was awesome, and these guys do a superb job. Highly recommended.

 

There are lots of other choices too, just do the research.

[kelz66]

On Roatan, we did an all-day island tour through Victor Bodden. It was superb. Our driver was Henry, and we met his wife too. Very nice people.

 

In Belize, we hooked up with Yhony for cave tubing. It was awesome, and these guys do a superb job. Highly recommended.

 

There are lots of other choices too, just do the research.

 

We are also using Victor Bodden in Roatan!!!:cool:

[southwardbound]

We just got back from the western on the Valor. Couple things to think about.

Roatan:

The ride to Tabayana Beach is 30+ minutes. It was crowded when we went there but there were plenty of chairs and the snorkeling was awesome.

 

Belize:

This is a tendered port. Many of the Carnival excursions get priority. Go down to get your tender ticket at 8am as that is the first that they started giving them out. We booked a tour with Hammerhead Sports which use to be Coral Breeze. We did the Shark Ray Alley Caye Caulker Excursion. The boat ride to Caye Caulker is 21 miles EACH WAY! The snorkeling was good but the current was strong the day we went. We loved Caye Caulker. Very layed back.

 

Have a great time!

[salty dingo]

When we were on Valor in March, we had a private tour in Belize. They tell you Carnival tours get priority, but we got in the tender line shortly after getting to the Ivanhoe lounge. Just tell the cruise director you have a private tour and he will hook you up with a tender.

 

Don't bother getting a tender ticket, you won't need one if you are on a private tour. They are only there to keep the Carnival tour patrons from going too soon.

 

Word of caution: not all tenders go to the Belize mainland. Be sure of the destination before you get on the tender!

[xlivin0naprayerx]

Just did this cruise this summer. Here is my input:

 

Belize - Beautiful port. We went with a private cave tubing tour through Coral Breeze and it was wonderful. We saved a ton of money, and there were only about 12-15 people in our group as opposed to the close to 60 in the group from the ship. As others have said, just tell the cruise director (or assistant CD if that is who is giving out the tender tickets) that you have a private tour and they will send you off with a Carnival tour no problem.

 

Roatan - Stay on the ship and enjoy no lines and having the whole ship to yourself (and a select amount of others). The city is very poor, and the only happening place to go is Tabyana Beach, which is at the other side of the island. Practically everyone goes there, so I've heard its crowded. It's also about a 45 minute ride and the cab rates were horrendous. We couldn't justify the price. We decided to walk around for a while, but that only lasted about 15-20 minutes, since there was not much to see in town and it was very poor so we were hassled constantly for money. It was very sad. So we just headed back to the ship and enjoyed the day on the boat. It was great - no lines, the pool was practically empty, you had your choice of deck chairs, etc. Your call either way.

 

Enjoy!

[Patty C.]

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!! All of you out there are awesome. Thank you very much for all of your opinions....very much appreciated! Info on tendering especially helpful. Victor Bodden seems to come up a lot for tour in Roatan....LOTS of great reviews on him. Hopefully there's an opening...e-mailed Bodden Tours yesterday. Definitely want some beach/snorkel time at Roatan too. Again....you guys are awesome....THANKS! Patty C.:)

[Seaislegal]

Staying on the ship in Roatan is a BIG mistake. Roatan is a gorgeous island, yes some parts are poor (mainly Coxen Hole which is where the ships dock) but the island itself is gorgeous, the people super friendly and the food / drink great and inexpensive. Show me an island anywhere that doesn't have poverty! At least it is NOTHING like Jamaica, now that place is scary and after some experiences there on cruises that is the one place where I would stay ON the ship! Otherwise, part of the charm of a cruise is getting to explore new places to find out where you would like to go back and stay for a week or two.

 

A cruise was precisely now we discovered Roatan, and we have gone back twice on vacation there since then, the most recently being for two weeks at the start of this month.

 

We used Diane and Cinthia 8 times when we were there, got their information off these boards. They were fantastic and bent over backwards to accomodate our group and take us wherever we went. See my review posting in this same board. You can contact them at RoatanCabCompany.com or Jacksong2005@yahoo.com, tell them I sent you! They will give you a great tour and take you wherever you want to go, plus also suggest places you might not be aware of. They know the people at all the locations since they have been doing this for a while. Their cars that they used for our group all looked brand new and they were super safe drivers (which the cabbies on the island are not.. ).

 

West Bay beach is gorgeous, and they can always drop you at an end that isn't crowded and you can snorkel right off the beach to the reef. There are three canopy tours if you are interested in those, the Palmetto Bay being the more challenging one with rope bridges and a rock wall. I put a lot of info on that one under the Canopy Tour posting on this board.

 

You could also go to Gumbalimba park, they have kayaks with seathrough bottoms, gardens and monkeys there, plus its a short walk from there to West Bay beach, you cross over the raised bridge and keep heading that direction, passing Los Rocas Resort (which has a good bar) and Bite on the Beach (a really good restaurant/bar).

 

In Belize Caye Caulker is a good bet or else Ambergris Caye. The Hol Chan reserve is located right off Ambergris and has great snorkeling. Ambergris is the more developed island but Caye Caulker is more quaint and charming.

 

We have vacationed on Ambergris twice, but it was getting built up too much for our liking which is why we've switched to going to Roatan since then.

 

Andrea in Altanta

[Eliot Ness]

Thanks everyone....I'm new at these boards....

Patty, a CC member, gatorclaw, made some great videos of Belize and Roatan while on their Valor cruise last year. Even if you do a different excursion these videos will give you a great preview of these locations:

 

http://www.gatorclaw.com/voyageofvalor

 

John

[gaw]

Thanks BigDoug......I've been reading several reviews of people liking Caye Caulker...will check that out!

 

We did Caye Caulker on our trip in April, also on the Valor. It was very nice. We took the water taxi, it was the least expensive way and a nice ride.

[rolande]

I agree with Seaislegal: don't stay on the boat at Roatan! Go to the west end (10 min car ride) and enjoy the beautiful beach, people, and drinks/food. It's one of the best places I've ever been. We scuba dived at the Los Rocas, and drank many beers there. Great bar/cafe - great people. Don't miss Roatan. (one downer - the sand fleas on the Roatan beach bite - take some Deet/Off)

 

We did the cave tubing in Belize. Too many people. Way too many people. It would have been a great excursion if only a few (10 or 20) did it. But, there were hundreds. Other private parties were there, probably other cruise ships - just a friggin zoo. All we did was bump into people. Don't do that - unless they restrict the numbers.

[Van's Dream]

Just did this cruise this summer. Here is my input:

 

Roatan - Stay on the ship and enjoy no lines and having the whole ship to yourself (and a select amount of others). The city is very poor, and the only happening place to go is Tabyana Beach, which is at the other side of the island. Practically everyone goes there, so I've heard its crowded. It's also about a 45 minute ride and the cab rates were horrendous. We couldn't justify the price. We decided to walk around for a while, but that only lasted about 15-20 minutes, since there was not much to see in town and it was very poor so we were hassled constantly for money. It was very sad. So we just headed back to the ship and enjoyed the day on the boat. It was great - no lines, the pool was practically empty, you had your choice of deck chairs, etc. Your call either way.

 

Enjoy!

 

As a person who gave up my life back in Canada for an incredible life in the tropics, I encourage all cruisers to see Roatan.

In other words....get off the SHIP!!!

 

The above person's facts are incorrect, although I do agree that Coxen Hole, where the ship docks, is NOT our showcase community.

There is tons to see and do...the island is vast, lush and beautiful.

There are lots a ways to get around.

Tabayana at West Bay beach is but one PART of the larger West Bay beach, plus there are lots of other beaches to check out all over the island.

Enjoy the life and the culture of this fine island.

Believe me....for those that do...it will likely be their favourite port....

and as many say...they return soon after to get the week long (or longer) experience...

 

Wow"...your choice of Deck Chairs, etc." if you stay on the ship.

Gimme a break!

:D

[David and Mary]

My family and I was on the Valor in March, in Roatan we did the Canopy tour on the left hand side of the left side of the road, the guides are great, then went to West Bay Beach, rent a taxi have fun and try a Monkey-La-La while relaxing at the beach.:)

[cruzkrazy]

We just got back from Roatan on Wednesday. We did not have a good experience in this port at all. I did not book through the ship. I did all the planning and research on my own. I will not say any names and places we went (only if you ask me to e-mail you) but if there are people out there who are planning this day for their family you should make sure you have all the info on this port before you go. It was without a doubt the worst experience I’ve ever had in a port on a cruise, and I’ve been cruising for 20 years.

 

The rest of the cruise (Valor) was fantastic.