Is Roatan safe,

[BostonRedsoxMA]

I just read that this warning ends on July 29th. That day we arrive at Isla Roatan on Valor, I am concerned and very much considering staying on the ship. Am I being overly cautious? Carnival has not changed their itinery..... Anyone just coming off Valor have any input? :confused:

[MDSue]

It's really a shame that Honduras is having to go through this. Roatan is off the coast and so far seems to removed from the turmoil. Hopefully they won't suffer any affects as they are a wonderful country and people. I would feel quite comfortable that Carnival will monitor the situation and act accordingly. Hopefully you will give Roatan a chance, I think you will really enjoy it.

[Van's Dream]

Cruiseship visitors...

I am glad I have this opportunity to respond.

There has been a lot of negative press since the end of June, in regards to Honduras, but it is not warranted. Believe me, or wait for others who have disembarked on Roatan these last 2 weeks.

 

As a Canadian living on Roatan, who is also a tourism-related business owner, I need to say LOUD and CLEAR, that there is nothing going on here on Roatan, that should give you any concern.

 

That is the reason why Carnival did not change their itinerary.

If Carnival or anyone else, thought that YOU would be at any risk, there would be changes to the Port of Call.

 

Please check into my claims if you wish...We have total peace and quiet.

And.... if I was telling untruths, my name and reputation would soon be effected....and of course I would not want that, being a thriving business on Roatan for 10 years.

 

Please get off the ship when you arrive on Roatan. Hopefully, you have scheduled an excursion to see some or all of our beautiful island.

 

Enjoy the cruise.:)

[dst]

Captain Van:

 

Thanks so much for your first hand experience, this stop is the one we are looking forward to most and we would hate to miss the Island!

 

You are blessed to be living in such a beautiful place........

 

Can you tell me where the best area to snorkel is, I have heard all sorts of different opinions but I would think you would have some input ;)

[Sanddiver]

 

Please check into my claims if you wish...We have total peace and quiet.

And.... if I was telling untruths' date=' my name and reputation would soon be effected....and of course I would not want that, being a thriving business on Roatan for 10 years.

 

[/quote']

LOL!!!

I thought you bought Capt Vans around 4 years ago, and wasn't it started over ten years ago?

[dce85]

I understand the concern about the unrest in Roatan, but we visited there last Friday on the Legend. (I was wondering what our visit would be like.) There was no evidence anywhere that the negotiations were taking place between the two presidents the day before our visit. We had a wonderful day with Rony of Rony's tours and asked him about the situation. His response was commenting on the brief meeting the day before. His expectation was that the regular presidential election would be moved earlier so that the situation could be resolved.

We found the island was beautiful . . . we had superb weather. The scenery is lovely and the people gracious. We asked Rony to show us the island and we basically drove around the entire island. Enjoy your visit to Roatan. Trust the cruiseline . . . they won't make the stop if there is any danger.

[davo3ee]

BostonRedSoxMA: I think you are over cautious and a litttle paranoid. You should man-up and take the advice of others in this forum. Go and have fun. How safe is safe? In my opinion, I would feel safer in Roatan than being a NYY fan in your beloved Fenway Park. :cool:

[BostonRedsoxMA]

I would expect the friendly people of Roatan to be much more curtious than those who congregate at Yankee Staduim. However, the poliical turmoil presently in Honduras is the issue not that fact that the Yankees have been on a 9 year losing streak. Thanks for the suggestion though:p

[dst]

I would expect the friendly people of Roatan to be much more curtious than those who congregate at Yankee Staduim. However, the poliical turmoil presently in Honduras is the issue not that fact that the Yankees have been on a 9 year losing streak. Thanks for the suggestion though:p

 

 

LMAO - Go Sox!!!!!!!!

[floater]

We got home last night from a week in Roatan. There wasn't a hint of any unrest or trouble. The Island seems far removed from any problems on the mainland. The water is warm and clear, the people are very nice and you can't help but to have a good time there. Have fun.

 

Floater ;)

[dst]

Floater - was this your first time on the Island, please tell me some things you did and what we should not miss.....

[floater]

dst, I didn't mean to ignore you, we had to go out of town, to pick up the dog. This was our first trip to Roatan. Our approach, on this trip, was different than when we are on a cruise. On a cruise we tend to relax on the ship and then go,go,go in the ports. This trip we rented a house on the beach to just kick back, relax and do lots of snorkeling. Our house came with a dock that went out to the reef at a place called Spooky Channel. We snorkeled there several times every day. Each time we went out we saw something new. We saw a turtle, lobster, a few barracuda and tons of fish of every size and color. The coral reef was very healthy and had several varieties of coral and sponges.

 

There are a lot of cabs on the Island, and locals use them often. When you are near the road they will honk if they are available. If you want one just put up your hand and they will stop for you.

 

The two main tourist areas are The West End and West Bay. West Bay is an area with upscale resorts with a big beach. Most of these resorts offer day use for a fee. This is not the real Roatan. The West End is a funky community full of restaurants, bars, and serious dive shops. There isn't much of a beach there. There are lots of small boats that appear to be available for hire. We occasionally saw one of these boats bring a small group of 2 to 6 people up to snorkel the inner reef at Spooky Channel. If your goal is fantastic snorkeling, away from the crowds, this might be the way to go.

 

The only excursion type thing we did was the Dolphin Encounter at Anthonys Key Resort. My wife and daughter did this and they said it was great. They said there was a baby born there on 7/11. It was still with it's mother in one corner of the enclosure, when they were there, so they didn't get to see it. They said all the dolphins kept swimming over to the mother and the baby to check on them and then they would come back to the people.

 

U S dollars are accepted everywhere and there was always someone in the stores that spoke english. The town of Coxen Hole where the cruise ships dock isn't a Grand Caymen or a Cozumel. These are real people living the island life. Things are tough but the people are friendly. One day we went into town to the Post Office so we could buy some stamps for the postcards my daughter was sending to her friends. The Post Office was out of stamps, they said to try tomorrow, they might have some then. On this trip into town there was a lot of commotion in front of a store. We saw 2 armed policemen heading there and several people talking and rushing to the area, of course we thought the worst. It turned out to be that the ATM was working and everyone was trying to get to it before all the cash was gone. The people were talking to one another and smiling as they walked away holding their cash. I think this is the real Roatan I will remember. I'll try to answer any questions I can.

 

floater

[crewsweeper]

Floater, Sounds like you had a great time. That's the way we'd like to visit Roatan if we weren't on a cruise. We think the island is very beautiful and hope it doesn't become a Grand Cayman or Cozumel (SanMiguel) type of a place.

[MDSue]

dst, I didn't mean to ignore you, we had to go out of town, to pick up the dog. This was our first trip to Roatan. Our approach, on this trip, was different than when we are on a cruise. On a cruise we tend to relax on the ship and then go,go,go in the ports. This trip we rented a house on the beach to just kick back, relax and do lots of snorkeling. Our house came with a dock that went out to the reef at a place called Spooky Channel. We snorkeled there several times every day. Each time we went out we saw something new. We saw a turtle, lobster, a few barracuda and tons of fish of every size and color. The coral reef was very healthy and had several varieties of coral and sponges.

 

There are a lot of cabs on the Island, and locals use them often. When you are near the road they will honk if they are available. If you want one just put up your hand and they will stop for you.

 

The two main tourist areas are The West End and West Bay. West Bay is an area with upscale resorts with a big beach. Most of these resorts offer day use for a fee. This is not the real Roatan. The West End is a funky community full of restaurants, bars, and serious dive shops. There isn't much of a beach there. There are lots of small boats that appear to be available for hire. We occasionally saw one of these boats bring a small group of 2 to 6 people up to snorkel the inner reef at Spooky Channel. If your goal is fantastic snorkeling, away from the crowds, this might be the way to go.

 

The only excursion type thing we did was the Dolphin Encounter at Anthonys Key Resort. My wife and daughter did this and they said it was great. They said there was a baby born there on 7/11. It was still with it's mother in one corner of the enclosure, when they were there, so they didn't get to see it. They said all the dolphins kept swimming over to the mother and the baby to check on them and then they would come back to the people.

 

U S dollars are accepted everywhere and there was always someone in the stores that spoke english. The town of Coxen Hole where the cruise ships dock isn't a Grand Caymen or a Cozumel. These are real people living the island life. Things are tough but the people are friendly. One day we went into town to the Post Office so we could buy some stamps for the postcards my daughter was sending to her friends. The Post Office was out of stamps, they said to try tomorrow, they might have some then. On this trip into town there was a lot of commotion in front of a store. We saw 2 armed policemen heading there and several people talking and rushing to the area, of course we thought the worst. It turned out to be that the ATM was working and everyone was trying to get to it before all the cash was gone. The people were talking to one another and smiling as they walked away holding their cash. I think this is the real Roatan I will remember. I'll try to answer any questions I can.

 

floater

Thanks for the great review. I'm looking forward to the time when I can soend more than just a day in Roatan,

[dst]

Floater - sounds like you had the perfect vacation; thank you so much for posting the review. We're so excited to visit Roatan

[Clamshell]

Roatan is as safe as any other port. When you get there, tell the Taxi Guy that you want 'Tex'... if he's not in line, you'll get one of his relatives. You'll get a day of sightseeing or whatever you want to do for $20-$30 a head (depending on how many).

 

You will get vastly reduced zip-line rides vs. Cruise prices. You will get a tour of the island and a trip to the West End.

 

Cruise port cities KNOW that if tourists get bludgeoned, robbed or murdered on a regular basis, they will not get the "Turista Big Bucks" anymore, so they are on top of things (possible exception of Jamaica MoBay)

 

Relax and enjoy... Most accidents happen within 25 miles of home, and most murders are committed by someone the victim knows.

[dst]

Clamshell:

 

Thanks for the tip, we are going to explore the Island a bit

[lindseesmom]

We are going to Roatan as well and we leave on the 16th. We also have a tour with Rony booked.

[dst]

We are going to Roatan as well and we leave on the 16th. We also have a tour with Rony booked.

 

Please let us know how your tour was and all about the Island

 

Happy Sailing.....

[nocando10]

We used Victor Bodden and had a great time. Private driver for the day for 25 a head. We did Ziplining, Horseback riding, Visited with the Monkeys and even had some time for shopping. We did all these activities with just our guide with us, talk about no crowds. After hearing the stories of lines of people on the ship tours this was very welcomed.

 

 

By the way pictures of all the above are in the link in my signature. The Roatan pictures are on the 2nd and 3rd page I think.

 

 

John

[Azhemi]

Been there 3 times, it is safe and a wonderful place. If you are worried hire one of Victor Bodden's drivers. I suggest Hanno.

[Terre]

We were there in June and had booked Fins & Flippers. The walk to its ferry pier is a short distance to the ship's dock. We had no one bother us. Several years ago we docked at a different place and it was very crowded. We had booked Sante Wellness center and the owner met us at the pier and took us right to her van. No problem that time either.

 

I'm guessing it's like anywhere else...just use common sense and you'll be fine. I wouldn't wander off down a side street or back ally and stay with excursion recommendations from CC or through the ship.

[Sanddiver]

Several years ago we docked at a different place and it was very crowded.

Been the same dock for many many years, where and when did you dock elswhere?

[Terre]

Been the same dock for many many years, where and when did you dock elswhere?

It's been probably 2001 or 2002; don't remember the name of where we docked, but it was definitely different from this past June. Very busy and the whole dock area was fenced in. The people picking us up couldn't come inside the fenced in area and on the outside along the streets there were shops. The streets were very busy, too.

 

We went straight to Sante Wellness Center from the dock area. If it was the same place, they have drastically changed it since our first time there. I'm not lying about this.

[across the seas]

Here is my original post, yes I asked if Roatan was safe, maybe I should have been more specific, I am looking for peoples experiences in Roatan......not travel warnings that I can read for myself.

 

If you can share your personal experience, I would appreciate it however, I am educated enough to be able to go on line and pull negative stories on any country.......dang we have enough right here in our own backyard. I was looking for experiences - do you have a personal experience....if not kindly find another thread to hijack!

 

 

If Safety becomes a serious problem...your ship will not go there!!