Is Victor Bodden safe?

[MsHoo]

I highly recommend Victor Bodden's tours. You basically let them know what you want to do and they take you to it. It was $40pp for the 2 of us. We could have buddied up with other passengers and for 4 or more it drops to $25pp. The weather didn't cooperate on our December 2012 cruise however our tour guide Anthony was still great. We told him we wanted to try local cuisine and he took us to this beachside restaurant that had a lunch buffet that was authentic and awesome. Because the weather was drizzling/raining we didn't stay out the full time. When we were ready to go back he took us right up to Mahogany Bay.

 

Here is the sticky part. To be picked up for the tour you have to take about a 10-15 minute walk from Mahogany Bay over a hill to get to the tour guides. Victor keeps the tour prices low because he doesn't go with the cruise company there his drivers can only go into Mahogany Bay is when they have passengers. It was no big deal for the short walk. We also went to Victor's Monkey Business, this where you will pay for your tour and you have the option to pay $5 more to see the small "zoo" he has. It was the best part of our trip seeing the animals. The cappuchin monkeys are mischievious little things. My partner walked into the enclosure and one landed right on his head. Hilarious. Another took my bandana off... we got great pictures and had good time. :D

You can also check out this tour company on Trip Advisor and many of the reviews will list the individual drivers and we were able to pick which tour guide we wanted. Great communicated from the company by email before we even got there.

[kmainous123]

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...

 

Yes, you will be very safe. I took my grandchildren and daughter two years ago with Victor Bodden Tours. We did the private by car. I was a little nervous (I even took a picture of the license plate!) but I had Ann and she was wonderful. They take you where ever you want to go and make suggestions. We did a private beach and it had the most beautiful pool I have ever seen. It was $10 more. We also did the monkeys and the kids got to hold baby monkeys. We did the lizzard farm and it was great. You cannot believe how many there are and it is at a beautiful part of the bay and plenty to see.

 

Last year, I went again, with a friend (female) from work, and we were very safe. I have never heard a bad thing about Victor Bodden. You will be fine and it is truly the best island tour I have ever taken, much better than usual bus tours, and they answer all your questions and are so friendly. I will be there this month.

 

:) Karen

[dbail4]

With all these great reviews we just booked with Victor Bodden Tours...

[CENTEX CRUISER]

it's just wife and i , and last march we went to the untraveled east end, no problems whatsoever...

[texsun49]

We just returned from cruise and used VB. We did the fun and sun tour and it felt very safe, even as we went to the poorer side of the island where there is tremendous poverty the people would wave and smile as we drove by. I felt less threatened than many places I have driven through in the US.

[BoxerGal]

We were there a week ago today and did a private tour w/ VB. Olan was our guide. He was excellent. He took us all around and told us the history of the island. We then visited the monkeys at VB's place (awesome photo op inside the monkey's cage). From there we went to http://jungletopzipline.com/ and ziplined - AWESOME! 18 different zips, a couple of extension bridges and beautiful views! From there we headed to West Bay Beach and had a wonderful lunch at Bananarama. We paid the $10 for beach access, which included either a chair or a drink (which itself would have been $7). We chose the drink since we didn't have a whole lot of time left. They had a a guy playing keyboard - easy island tunes - and it was the most relaxing way to end a great day.

 

This was one of the highlights of our trip - you won't be disappointed!

 

Susan

[islandgirl7]

We were in Roatan last Thursday (January 24th) with the Carnival Legand and went on a Victor Bodden tour. I felt completely safe and our guide, Kenny was the best. I highly reccomend them.

[dkoitz]

We used Victor Bodden 3 times and never had a problem. We loved his monkeys (monkey business) and animals next to his house. Tip* bring the Cereal Fruit Loops from Breakfast in the box. The monkeys love it. The Iguanas are very cool and huge if you do the iguana farm. The driver will take you where ever you want to go. We are using him again this March.

[DanJ]

We took a tour with them a couple weeks ago, while there on the Dream. Had Jorge as our driver and we gave us a nice tour. We went up to the east end, down into Coxen Hole, stopped at a shopping plaza there, went to Monkey Business, from there down to West Bay where we took a glass bottom boat tour. Then we went up to one of the highest points where we took some pictures and made our way back down through some of the neighbourhoods. The tour was $120 for the 4 of us, including the Monkey farm. The glass bottom boat was another $120, and we basically had it to ourselves. A couple of the neighbourhood kids came on with us, and talked to our kids about what they were looking at. After a return trip through Coxen Hole and he dropped us back at Mahogany Bay. I think we had him for a total of 6 hours, which you can't beat the price for.

 

The only drawback to using the private tours from Mahogany Bay is they aren't allowed in the parking lot outside the gates. By the time you walk from the ship, through the shopping area, out the gate, down the road and over the hill to where the private tour people congregate, it's a pretty decent walk. My daughter actually slipped and fell on the damp pavement coming down the hill and skinned her knee. They can drop you back at the terminal at the end of the tour. Definitely recommend VB tours.

[ililac]

Hiya!

 

So my mother, my best friend, and I booked a Victor Bodden tour for my sweet 16 cruise. It was only the three of us traveling so we were really careful with safety. This was the best time we had on all of the islands. I don't recall the guys name but he was fantastic! We did the zip line and monkey tour and I had SO MUCH FUN! The people are super nice, and when we got tired of one thing, we got to move on to the next. One big thing too was I got umm, propositioned by a guy and my tour guide handled it and I didn't have any more troubles. I would definitely recommend this company, they were perfect.

 

Thanks,

Heather

[debba55]

We booked a private tour with Victor Bodden on February 5 and were extremely satisfied. We were two women and for 80$ we had a fabulous women driver, Laura. Our transport was a very new, very clean van with cold ac. She gave us an informative tour of the island and took us to a fabulous restaurant and beach with shade ...Half Moon Bay...I highly recommend this company.

[Loucat]

The OP posted this question in 2006. I assume they received an answer before 7 years passed. It is nice that recent posts still report that Bodden tours are safe. We were on one in January and had a great time!

[tigercat]

I am in the minority here. I booked with Victor for a tour with my sister and I. I am sure it was just the driver we got but when we got back on board we were not happy. I had hoped to talk to Victor when we got back to the pier but he wasn't there. Did we feel safe? Not at times. I had asked to be taken somewhere to shop just a little, and we were taken to a little shop in town that was so crowded with people that lived there. My sister couldn't go in because of the stairs and she sat in the car scared. My driver disappeared as soon as we got into the store to go and talk to his friends. They didn't speak english so I was trying to find something and ask the price but it was really difficult. No I don't think everyone should speak english but I had hoped that my guide would have helped me with the translation. We asked to be taken to a beach, and he showed us a beach from a ways a way and told us that was as good as it got. We got a real good spiel about how we should tip him big because he had a lot of kids and his wife needed some things to help care for them.

Did we get our moneys worth....NO. I did try another time to book with him and to ask for someone else but it seemed that he was fully booked 8 months out.

tigercat

[ut_jd]

For those of us that have an upcoming tour with VB, what was your driver's name?

 

I am in the minority here. I booked with Victor for a tour with my sister and I. I am sure it was just the driver we got but when we got back on board we were not happy. I had hoped to talk to Victor when we got back to the pier but he wasn't there. Did we feel safe? Not at times. I had asked to be taken somewhere to shop just a little, and we were taken to a little shop in town that was so crowded with people that lived there. My sister couldn't go in because of the stairs and she sat in the car scared. My driver disappeared as soon as we got into the store to go and talk to his friends. They didn't speak english so I was trying to find something and ask the price but it was really difficult. No I don't think everyone should speak english but I had hoped that my guide would have helped me with the translation. We asked to be taken to a beach, and he showed us a beach from a ways a way and told us that was as good as it got. We got a real good spiel about how we should tip him big because he had a lot of kids and his wife needed some things to help care for them.

Did we get our moneys worth....NO. I did try another time to book with him and to ask for someone else but it seemed that he was fully booked 8 months out.

tigercat

[brinvic]

Just looked through his website and saw his "Fun-n-Sun" tour which would cover pretty much everything in one day. I guess my question is since they are use to dealing with cruise ships are they pretty good about getting you back to the ship on time? Looks like we are in port from 8-3 that day and from what the tour time allows looks like it should be plenty of time. Very reasonable rates, too.

[irie0518]

For those of us that have an upcoming tour with VB, what was your driver's name?

 

We had Tex last week and he was great!! I think he is one of the more popular guides so I would request early if you want to try to get him.

[tigercat]

I really wish I knew. Victor said his name at the start when he put us in the cab but that was it. I wish I had written it down as I forget names. It was a man that is all I remember. I really wish I had someone else as others seem to have had a good time. I don't mind using Victor again but will hope that I get someone who is good. I did try and let Victor know after we got home but am not sure that did anything. We did get back in plenty and I mean plenty of time so we were not late for the ship. Just know that if your driver starts talking about how many kids he has and how much he needs lots of money you know you have the same one as we did. Funny thing is we had more kids in our family (my siblings) than he did and my parents and some of my siblings lived in a 2 room shack. I don't think he was happy when my older sister started telling our family history.

tigercat

[jamin jul]

We booked with victor bodden a few years ago and felt safe. we had 4 adults and 4 kids. we did a tour of the island and to the beach. it was nice because it was just the 8 of us and we could do whatever we wanted. we are going again at the end of the month and may book with him again . we are just going to the beach but with kids we feel safer going with him than taxi.

[Yvonne]

My husband was a little nervous about our Victor Bodden tour, since it was just him and myself and not a larger group. But I told him this is their life, their business, their way of making a living. And Victor has hundreds of excellent reviews on Trip Advisor, so I wasn't nervous at all. We had Julio as our driver, and he said he has been with Victor for 6 years. If they weren't safe, there would be lots of poor reviews and "word would get around" here on Cruise Critic as well.

[KY Deb]

We had an excellent experience with Victor last week off the Glory. We had a group of 20 in very nice, clean air-conditioned van. Unfortunately at the end of our tour, one lady discovered she had left her purse at Fosters at West Bay. She and her husband hopped into a private cab and went for a harrowing ride back to Fosters. They only had an hour to get there and back before the ship left.

 

Our driver Benjamin and tour guide, Annie, were beside themselves. Fortunately, we discovered the purse wedged into the side of the seat of the van. Annie called Fosters to let the couple know we had the purse. Our friends were the last ones in the ship that day, no fault of our tour. Annie and Benjamin stayed at the port until our friends returned.

 

We had a really fun day on tour and at Fosters and an experience none of us will forget. The driver and guide were both so concerned and did not abandon us in our hour of need. Very impressive customer service!!

[laurag35]

We ended up using Victor Bodden last week. When we arrived at port it was pouring rain and didn't let up. We were supposed to go to Little French Key. We decided not to go since all we would do is sit at a beach in the rain. Reluctantly we hired a driver from Victor Bodden. His name is Isaac and is a lovely man. We had 5 of us and paid $100 for the entire day. He drove us around in a nice Siena minivan. Since it was raining we didn't have a ton of options. Isaac gave us a tour of the whole island. He took us to an Iguana preserve. We went to a grocery store for some snacks. We went and saw an interesting show with native dancers. We ate lunch on the beach at a cute little restaurant. My girls wanted to find conch shells and he took my girls and I all along the beach on foot looking for shells. He pointed out interesting rocks and coral that we saw along the way. His english was not great but he was so sweet and kind. We really got a feel for the island and its beauty. There is poverty but it is rolling hills, beautiful water, flowers, brightly colored houses. I wish the weather had been nicer to snorkel and really see the water but we would have not had a tour of the island. It was a great decision. We made it back to the port with time to spare.

[noleswin]

Just wanted to say we had a great day in Roatan with Victor’s crew last week. We arrived and checked in and was taken to our driver for the day, Isaac.

Isaac welcomed us to the Island and asked what we wanted to see or do and told us what order would work best to beat crowds and we were off.

1st stop was ziplining at Pirates of the Caribbean. We chose this to experience the Extreme and was very satisfied.

Did a little site seeing and got some good photos for the island from the top.

2nd stop was Victor’s place to play with the Monkey’s and we settled our bill.

Off we went to continue the day. We had mentioned lunch and told him about a previous restaurant we had visited. Isaac said we could do whatever we wanted but said if we would rather just pick up a quick bite on the go we could eat in the van so we didn’t waste our time on the island. We chose that.

3rd stop a local market deli which had a good variety of pork, chicken, fish, rice and beans, and a few other sides. 4 meals with 4 bottles of soda. $12 US… LOL

4th stop Beach. We did not pay last time in Roatan for beach use but that was 2009 and I guess times change. The place we went there was a $10 per person fee that included a chair and use of restrooms. My son and I negotiated a snorkel tour for $35 for the two of us. A small boat took us out with another couple and we spent about 1 hour or so out on the reef. Very good snorkeling here.

5th and last stop. The cameo factory. The wife had seen this and loves any type of hand crafted jewelry so we made a quick stop and let her pick something out.

Back to the ship with plenty of time to spare.

I love Roatan and can never imagine doing any tours here without Victor’s. We will be back in Oct. can’t wait.

[ut_jd]

We recently went on a tour with Bodden tours and never felt unsafe. We even went through some poorer and seedy areas, but our driver always made sure we were taken care of and aware of our surroundings.

[2Xayear]

Did Victor Bodden in Roatan, a couple of weeks ago. Victor sent a terrific email giving tips and comments that arrived before we left so we had all the info we needed, in advance. Once comment though I told Victor about...was the directions where to meet. I thought they were ambiguous HOWEVER, when I read them agin, it a case of ME not reading correctly. His directions were perfect, but the client does have to read.:)

Our guide was Tex and he did a terrific job. We were delighted to have him as our guide. Did the Iguana Sanctuary and got some terrific photos. Monkey Farm, one beach stop and a tour of the island. As Victor said in his email,

"YOU are the boss...so please let us what you DO and DO NOT want to do! "

 

Anyone on the fence with this company should rest easy. Highly recommend!

 

Bob

[pmoniz]

noleswin - Is the Pirate of the Caribbean Ziplining different from what Victor Bodden offers? We have reservations with Victor Bodden for a Zip & Dip tour in October but went onto the Pirates website and it seems different?