Tabyana tour full....now what

[halliewd]

:( …..Just tried to book the Tabyana Beach Party & Snorkel (Roatan) through NCL for Feb 23 trip and it is full….now what?

 

That is all that is talked about on the Roatan port of call site (ok maybe not all but quite a bit). Bumming big time…….we love to snorkel and Tabyana gets such rave reviews it was a must for us.

 

Other tours are Coral Cay where is that and how does the snorkeling compare?

 

Also Roatan Natural Marine Reserve, how does this compare

 

NOTE- this is our first cruise and we are bit worried about not booking our excursion with NCL and then having problems and missing the ship leaving

[ukbecky]

Odd that it's full already. We did that trip over Thanksgiving two years ago and booked that excursion on the ship without problem. They had many buses going to Tabyana and didn't seem concerned with how crowded it got(NCL wasn't the only ship that day going to that beach). The crowds were a bit of a pain but the snorkeling was very good. I know this doesn't help much but I would be wondering if it was really full this far out. Might be worth checking with someone else in shore-ex.

[samdham]

If you're looking to snorkel, Gumbalimba has equipment you can rent. When we were there in 12/05, we did the canopy tour first, which ends in Gumbalimba. We had a lobster lunch (but there was a food stand nearby that we didn't see until later), took a guided tour of the park and played with macaws and monkeys (I had a monkey sitting on my head!). After the tour, we had a long time at the beach. It's a quiet beach, no music or anything. My husband rented snorkel equipment and went waaaaaay out into the water and he said it was a whole 'nother world. I stayed on the beach and chatted with another passenger whose husband snorkeled with my husband. There were a few shops there with souvenirs, but no pressure to buy.

 

When we wanted to leave, we told the people who worked there. When there were enough for a bus load, the bus came and took us back to the ship. On the way, the bus stopped so we could take pictures of the gorgeous views.

 

It was our favorite port.

[halliewd]

I actually tried to book last Saturday got no conformation.....called yesterday (Tue) and the lady at NCL said she would set it up....still no conformation so called today (Wed) and was told it was full. The women I spoke with today at NCL also thought is was stranged and emailed someone (not sure who) to confirm and she called back saying yep full :(

[ukbecky]

I'm sorry to hear that. Perhaps the beach mentioned above would be do-able. Although we only went to Tabyana, the snorkeling is probably good all around there(the water was crystal-clear coming into port and you could see coral clearly all along the shore). Good luck.

[jayjayp]

You could take a taxie--we went on the ship tour but wanted to come back early and took a taxie--not to expensive and we got a little tour to boot.

[travelingfools]

Halliewd: We too were considering booking that same excursion, since we are on the same sailing I guess we'll have to also make other plans. It's odd that it's sold out already. NCL still has plenty of cabins available and The Sun is showing right now as the only ship in Roatan that day. We haven't booked anything as of yet, since we have others who may be joining us. We have 6 already traveling and a possible 4 more. We would like to go Zip-lining and wanted to snorkel from the beach, so we may have to go that route. Maybe we'll book a tour through Victor so we can zip and then go to West End & West Bay. Keep in touch!

[ZoneHPH]

it's very possible that this excursion is deemed full for now...(if i recall from my western caribbean cruise on the Wind in 2004)...this was a rather inexpensive excursion...and certainly something where all ages can enjoy.

 

however, i do find it strange that it's full...perhaps it's full for online reservations? i'd keep checking with the shore excursion office.

 

but i have to say...if it gets down to the wire...split up your family...

 

Group 1 can book speciality restaurants for that evening or the next evening

Group 2 can go to the Shore Excursion/Dive In desk.

[halliewd]

Halliewd: We too were considering booking that same excursion, since we are on the same sailing I guess we'll have to also make other plans. It's odd that it's sold out already. NCL still has plenty of cabins available and The Sun is showing right now as the only ship in Roatan that day. We haven't booked anything as of yet, since we have others who may be joining us. We have 6 already traveling and a possible 4 more. We would like to go Zip-lining and wanted to snorkel from the beach, so we may have to go that route. Maybe we'll book a tour through Victor so we can zip and then go to West End & West Bay. Keep in touch!

 

travelingfool

see if you are able to book and if so book 2 extra....It just so happens I know someone that would buy the 2 extras off your hands:D

[halliewd]

it's very possible that this excursion is deemed full for now...(if i recall from my western caribbean cruise on the Wind in 2004)...this was a rather inexpensive excursion...and certainly something where all ages can enjoy.

 

however, i do find it strange that it's full...perhaps it's full for online reservations? i'd keep checking with the shore excursion office.

 

but i have to say...if it gets down to the wire...split up your family...

 

Group 1 can book speciality restaurants for that evening or the next evening

Group 2 can go to the Shore Excursion/Dive In desk.

 

Price was about $60 pp........and when you say "shore excursion office" do you mean the excursion number on the NCL site?

 

I'm hoping it is a oops becasue like I said earlier even the NCL rep thought is seemed strainge ....I will keep trying to book for a week or so but after that will have to go with something else for fear of everything being booked

[salty dingo]

You may find you like the freedom of a custom tour, rather than one of the ship's tours. On Roatan we hired a driver who worked for Victor Bodden, and he took us all over the island. We did the Zip line, Iguana Farm, and ended up over by Tabyana, but at an adjacent beach that was not crowded and full of tourists. Tabyana is where all the hotel guests go, so it may be really crowded.

[halliewd]

You may find you like the freedom of a custom tour, rather than one of the ship's tours. On Roatan we hired a driver who worked for Victor Bodden, and he took us all over the island. We did the Zip line, Iguana Farm, and ended up over by Tabyana, but at an adjacent beach that was not crowded and full of tourists. Tabyana is where all the hotel guests go, so it may be really crowded.

 

we have thought about but a bit scared of missing the ship.....hubby won't zip line but I have to admit I would love to see a bit of the island before snorkeling

 

......I won this trip/cruise :D normally we just pick a place and send a week really trying to get a feel for it, being somewhere for only a few hours is going to be hard........ but like we said we may find new places to spend our week vacation in years to come.

 

What does something like cost........did you set it up before leaving home?

[salty dingo]

we have thought about but a bit scared of missing the ship.....hubby won't zip line but I have to admit I would love to see a bit of the island before snorkeling

 

......I won this trip/cruise :D normally we just pick a place and send a week really trying to get a feel for it, being somewhere for only a few hours is going to be hard........ but like we said we may find new places to spend our week vacation in years to come.

 

What does something like cost........did you set it up before leaving home?

 

You won't miss the ship! The drivers all know the drill and they will get you back whenever you ask them to! The only people who miss the ship are drunks or people who lose track of time.

 

If you have your own snorkel equipment, and are OK snorkeling from the beach, you should be fine with a personal guide. If you want to go out on a boat, you may be better off booking a ship tour.

 

We researched the tour options over on the port of call boards here. We read a lot and decided who we wanted to tour with. We emailed the owner and they replied with a reservation. Basically, they will do whatever you want and will suggest activities that you can do and have time for.

 

I think we had four people in a mini-van (plus the driver) and it was maybe $25 each for the day, not including fees for activities we did, which were all optional. The Iguana farm was $5 and the Zip Line was $20 or something like that. I can't remember.

 

We found an internet cafe over by the beach and checked email, walked the beack, found a small grocery and bought drinks and snacks, and chilled out under a coconut tree until it was time to head back to the pier.

 

Roatan is not a really big place. At least not the developed parts where you will go. It was our favorite stop of the whole cruise. We saw shipwrecks from the shore and it felt like we were in a pirate movie! Picture is attached.