Is Victor Bodden safe?

[michelle2]

I have a reservation with Victor Bodden, but now I'm having second thoughts. For those of you that have done a tour with him did you feel safe? I'll have my kids and my husband with me. Did you see a lot of rough areas? Did you feel confident that your guide wouldn't take you anywhere unsafe? If we cancel the Victor Bodden tour we would book the Tabyana beach day through the ship. Maybe I'm worrying for nothing, but I'd like your comments...

[rjscott]

We were a group of 4 and we felt completely safe with Victor. He is so friendly and well-spoken and really wants to show you the best of his island, so he is not going to take you to unsafe areas.

 

We've been to Roatan twice and I never felt uneasy or unsafe. We did the Tabayana Beach excursion our first visit and it was fun, so I don't think you'd be disappointed if you do decide to take the excursion.

 

Becki

[KCGreg]

I agree. There are two guides on Roatan I would trust completely, Victor and Carlos Rodriguez. We have toured with Carlos twice, and we feel like he's one of the family. We've met Victor and he's a real gentleman. Either one of these will show you so much more of the island than you could get with the beach tour. Both Victor and Carlos have websites if you want to know more.

[michelle2]

Thanks to both of you for posting. I'm leaning towards keeping my Victor Bodden reservation.

[Falele]

We booked with Victor Bodden tours, and we had Enry as our guide. He was totally professional, curteous, and took us to the best places that we wanted to go to. He had great suggestions for us and then we chose to go snorkeling, iguana farm, and sightseeing for most of the island. When we were snorkeling, he locked my purse in his trunk, and it was totally safe. Nothing missing, nothing to worry about. They speak English as their first language , so no language barrier at all! Have fun!:)

[Starz723]

I have booked Victor Bodden for my trip in July on the Valor.

 

The reviews from the members on this board have given him excellent reviews. I totally trust my peers on this board for the expert advice. With that, I went ahead and booked with Victor.

 

We wont steer you wrong on these boards.

[michelle2]

I'm the OP on this thread. I just wanted to report back how our day went in Roatan. We had a fabulous time! Our Victor Bodden driver was Theris. She was so nice. She answered all of questions and took us on a great tour. She was very friendly and open. She kept us laughing all day. I can't believe now that I was worried about safety! I don't think there is an unsafe place on the island. We loved the iguana farm. We had some great snorkeling in West Bay. It was a great relaxing day. I would highly recommend Victor Bodden and Theris.:)

[rjscott]

Michelle, thanks for reporting back. Glad you had such a wonderful time and can recommend Victor and Roatan to other cruisers.

[centerpoint]

Michelle, thanks for reporting back. Glad you had such a wonderful time and can recommend Victor and Roatan to other cruisers.

We're headed down to Miami tomorrow AM...and will be using Victor's driver - Enri. We're looking forward to it.

[DiveCruiser]

You can't go wrong with Victor

 

Bob

[samtig]

Victor introduced us to our driver, Ali. They were both very nice people, very professional, & we had a wonderful day. They wouldn't take you into an unsafe area. Don't think you can go wrong booking with Victor.

[Starz723]

I highly recommend Victor Bodden Tours..

My tour in July when I was there on the Carnival Valor was fantastic.

 

He customized my tour to exactly what I wanted.

We had Henry as our driver and he was so very nice to us.

 

It is very safe and his vehicles are air conditioned and run well.

 

Just walk down to the end of the pier and walk directly across the street and you will see Victor's stand.

 

Marge

Starz723

[chefpammy]

So can anyone tell me how much it costs to use Victor and/or his website/phone number? There will be 2 of us and we want to go to the beach, snorkeling (maybe we can do that right off the beach??) and probably the iguana farm.

 

Thanks!

[TxLnghrnz]

So can anyone tell me how much it costs to use Victor and/or his website/phone number? There will be 2 of us and we want to go to the beach, snorkeling (maybe we can do that right off the beach??) and probably the iguana farm.

 

Thanks!

 

We went with Victor several years ago -- they really showed us a wonderful time!

 

Victor Bodden's website address: www.boddentours.com

 

There are lots of photos on his site...really makes me want to go back to Roatan!

[Rick/Bama]

I was on Roatan Nov 1, 2006. I had contacted Victor for a custom trip as I wanted to do some fishing as well as get my catch cooked up for me before heading back to the cruise ship.

Our driver was Henry, a very nice and considerate fellow as well as our boat captain for our 3 hour fishing trip. He had gone out fishing before our arrival to check on the fishing and to catch some fresh bait for trolling.

The weather was a bit rainy that day, but we were comfortable and caught Dorado (dolphin, the mahi-mahi kind, not Flipper) barracuda and tuna. We trolled between Coxen Hole, around the west end, to Sandy Bay, so we got a nice view of the island.The dolphin was our best catch, so we went ashore and Henry got some locals to cook it up for us reasonably. We drank Salva Vida, the national beer of Honduras, while we listened to music in the little thatch roof bar/cafe and waited for Junior to do the cooking. Junior's recommendation to steam the dolphin in butter,lemon,and garlic was excellent.

This was a reasonably priced excursion that I would recommend highly...we enjoyed it thoroughly. If you read this, Victor and Henry....thanks again!

[lusoamerican]

My husband, our 3 teenagers (19, 18 and 15) and I will be in Roatan Dec 29th (our 1st time there). I am inclined to book with Victor Bodden, because his prices seem so reasonable. But again our concern is: "Does he cater to cruisers?". In Cozumel we accidentally booked an independent scuba diving excusion once that would get back to the shore at the time the ship was supposed to leave... The owner was kind and returned our money but made it clear that he does not plan his scuba trips according to the cruisers needs, but caters more to non-cruising tourists. So in the last few years we have booked through the cruiseline to be safe. In Europe, if you miss the ship's departure in Barcelona you can get on atrain, stay in a hotel and pick it up in Nice the next day. Not a terrible things... In the Caribbean it would be a nightmare to miss the ship, for a family of 5.

I am comforted by these reviews but need just a bit more reassurance... Also, has anyone done a tour that allows for a variety of several different activities with Victor Bodden in Roatan Beach, snorkeling, shopping, etc? Thank you so much

[dec2007w3boys]

My husband, our 3 teenagers (19, 18 and 15) and I will be in Roatan Dec 29th (our 1st time there). I am inclined to book with Victor Bodden, because his prices seem so reasonable. But again our concern is: "Does he cater to cruisers?". In Cozumel we accidentally booked an independent scuba diving excusion once that would get back to the shore at the time the ship was supposed to leave... The owner was kind and returned our money but made it clear that he does not plan his scuba trips according to the cruisers needs, but caters more to non-cruising tourists. So in the last few years we have booked through the cruiseline to be safe. In Europe, if you miss the ship's departure in Barcelona you can get on atrain, stay in a hotel and pick it up in Nice the next day. Not a terrible things... In the Caribbean it would be a nightmare to miss the ship, for a family of 5.

I am comforted by these reviews but need just a bit more reassurance... Also, has anyone done a tour that allows for a variety of several different activities with Victor Bodden in Roatan Beach, snorkeling, shopping, etc? Thank you so much

We used Victor while we were in Roatan and would HIGHLY Recommend. We had Carlos as our driver and we were free to pick and choose what we wanted to do and when we wanted to head back to the ship. It is still my favorite port and Victor made that happen. Have fun!

[deeron51]

Hi,

 

We just returned from our August 23rd Carnival Legend cruise. We had a WONDERFUL day in Roatan thanks to Victor!!! We hired Lionel as our driver and he took us anywhere we wanted to go! The highlight of our day was the ziplining and monkeys on Victor's property.

 

We met Victor and he was very nice and very professional!!!

 

I would be happy to answer any additional questions.

 

 

Deena

[MDSue]

So can anyone tell me how much it costs to use Victor and/or his website/phone number? There will be 2 of us and we want to go to the beach, snorkeling (maybe we can do that right off the beach??) and probably the iguana farm.

 

Thanks!

For 2 people for the entire day, wherever you want to go, should be $40 per person. There is about a $5 pp charge to visit the iguana farm and if you need to rent snorkel gear that would be extra. You can snorkel right off the beach for no charge [only for snorkel rental]. We went to Half Moon Bay, but there are other beaches too.

We always tip our driver also.

[MDSue]

My husband, our 3 teenagers (19, 18 and 15) and I will be in Roatan Dec 29th (our 1st time there). I am inclined to book with Victor Bodden, because his prices seem so reasonable. But again our concern is: "Does he cater to cruisers?". In Cozumel we accidentally booked an independent scuba diving excusion once that would get back to the shore at the time the ship was supposed to leave... The owner was kind and returned our money but made it clear that he does not plan his scuba trips according to the cruisers needs, but caters more to non-cruising tourists. So in the last few years we have booked through the cruiseline to be safe. In Europe, if you miss the ship's departure in Barcelona you can get on atrain, stay in a hotel and pick it up in Nice the next day. Not a terrible things... In the Caribbean it would be a nightmare to miss the ship, for a family of 5.

I am comforted by these reviews but need just a bit more reassurance... Also, has anyone done a tour that allows for a variety of several different activities with Victor Bodden in Roatan Beach, snorkeling, shopping, etc? Thank you so much

Victor definitely caters to cruisers- they are his business. There is no set schedule if you book a tour. They will have plenty of ideas and places to go, but the great part is you get to choose what you want to do. The island is easy to navigate and not the large, so I wouldn't worry about getting back in time to catch the ship. We usually do our shopping last in Coxen Hole which is right by the port [at least for now], that way we are back in plenty of time.

[asroman]

My husband and I booked a tour in Roatan, Honduras, with Victor Bodden Tours in April 2011. Anthony Hamilton was our driver. Cost for the driver / van was $40 pp. We opted for the zip line and monkey tour (additional cost) ... owned by Victor Bodden. All the staff, especially Anthony, were highly professional, seemed to enjoy their work, and very helpful and caring. Anthony then took us to a private beach ($10 per person) and spoke with one of the service staff to ensure we were 'looked after' during our short beach stay. Anthony was attentive, kept our purchases with him, made efforts to get the van cooled off in anticipation of our next move, and overall made it an excellent experience. Anthony was particularly attentive to ensure we returned to the cruise dock on time, stating his boss (Victor Bodden) emphasized that his drivers always pay attention to that detail. Anthony made certain I had time for a "power stop" at the Cameo factory...which if you appreciate cameos is highly recommended due to the artistry of the proprietor, who is originally from Italy (a country known for its cameo production). If we have an opportunity to return to Roatan, you can be sure we will book through Bodden Tours and ask for Anthony. We recommend you do the same.

[punkin35]

we went with Victor Boden last year in October and it was the best, most fun excursion we ever had been on. We got to actually see the culture, the island and had a blast zip lining, the monkies were awesome, and a had a great lunch!

[DarB58]

We were very fortunate to book the Best of Roatan Private Tour with Victor Bodden Tours on November 10, 2011 and even though we only had a few hours to see the island our Guide “George” made us feel very welcome on his island! After an informative drive and photo opportunities, we stopped at the Elfrida Brooks School (Coxen Hole) and met with children in grades 1 and 5. We then proceeded to the Majken Broby Children's Home (Gravel Bay) and had a tour of the home and were lucky enough to spend a few minutes with some of the children. We managed to bring along with us some much needed supplies for the children in both locations. Following our visit we moved along to the Mayan Princess Resort in West Bay Beach to visit with a friend, and then we spent time relaxing on the beach. Even though we were two ladies travelling alone we never worried about our safety or timing required to return to our ship as we knew that George was always close by. The day was ours to plan (which included last minute changes) and George was more than accommodating. Many thanks to Victor and George for a day to remember!!!

[lovevacadays]

We were very fortunate to book the Best of Roatan Private Tour with Victor Bodden Tours on November 10, 2011 and even though we only had a few hours to see the island our Guide “George” made us feel very welcome on his island! After an informative drive and photo opportunities, we stopped at the Elfrida Brooks School (Coxen Hole) and met with children in grades 1 and 5. We then proceeded to the Majken Broby Children's Home (Gravel Bay) and had a tour of the home and were lucky enough to spend a few minutes with some of the children. We managed to bring along with us some much needed supplies for the children in both locations. Following our visit we moved along to the Mayan Princess Resort in West Bay Beach to visit with a friend, and then we spent time relaxing on the beach. Even though we were two ladies travelling alone we never worried about our safety or timing required to return to our ship as we knew that George was always close by. The day was ours to plan (which included last minute changes) and George was more than accommodating. Many thanks to Victor and George for a day to remember!!!

 

Darlene, nice to hear you had such a great experience. I also traveled with a friend back in 2009 and had Tex as our guide. We never felt unsafe and never worried about getting back to the ship in time. How I wish I was in Roatan right now

[Terrijordan]

I found Victor Bodden Tours via the internet while searching for excursions for Roatan, Hondourus. We did a fun and sun package which was 25.00 pp it was very easy to find Bodden tours just outside the port he was the first booth on the left. Our tour bus was full (about 15 people maybe) and Annie was our tour guide and Rupert was our driver. It was a rainy day but we still had a great tour which started off with some history of Roatan from Annie who was one of the nicest people I met the week of our cruise (Norwegian Star). We went to Mr. Boddens Monkey farm, I LOVED it. Those monkeys were a riot and so much fun. The birds were so beautiful and we got great pictures. We found the farm to be clean and not smelly (the deer pen was a little stinky) from there we did some more touring of the country on our way to the beach we had a choice of a public beach or private the only draw back was that a private beach would be an additional 10.00 pp I wish we as a group of strangers had chosen that option because the public beach cost 7.00 per chair and extra to rent snorkling gear it was also just a beach (which was still very nice) but the private one had a beach and a large swimming pool as it was a resort. There were no added fees other then the 10.00 so if you get the chance take advantage. We also stopped on the top peak to get some pics of the island then headed back down to the ship. No worries all day, Annie and Rupert sat at a table at the beach (there was also food available there) and watched over our bags. I would not hesitate to use this company again. They are well worth it.:)