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I went to Roatan with a large group. The cruise line offered a tour to the sanctuary at a much higher rate than I booked directly with the sanctuary. Our tour I booked also included snorkeling whereas the cruise line did not. I cried when I held the sloth. So completely happy we experienced this excursion. Not once did we feel unsafe or hassled.
We were in Roatan in February with Princess so Mahogany Bay. Fantastic time! Cruise port filled with shops (still thinking about the handmade wooden display bowls), amazing iced latte, went horse back riding on Luna Beach. Loved it. Bought homemade chocolate on our way out. Yes a poor country but so glad we were privileged to be there. Bought an ornament from a teen girl helping make money for her family. A treasured humbling memory of a beautiful person with a different life. I would love to go again and see the sloths.
We did the ultimate zip line. The highest point was 300 feet above ground and the lowest was 150 ft. We had a great time at Roatan and can't wait to revisit.
Hello from Texas! I need to tell you that your planner is an absolute godsend! We have a week until we get on the Carnival Jubilee and using your planner has helped me remember so many small details that I would have otherwise forgot. We are going to see a Sloth Sanctuary while we are in Roatan as well and very much looking forward to it I enjoy your videos, keep up the good work!
We've done the zip line tour. It was FANTASTIC! We also did the all inclusive day tour at Infinity Bay Resort twice. Superb as well. Our TA now pushes the resort tour on all Roatan cruises after she went with us. A funny side bar...apparently Alan Jackson is huge in in Roatan. LoL That threw us WAY off listening to Country music on the van heading to our excursion in Roatan.
I'm lucky enough to be married to a native Honduran.. her family is still in San Pedro Sula, so we use those connections to book our tours.. on one boat tour, our guides jumped in the water, grabbed two conch shells and made us fresh ceviche on the boat! Like any Central American destination, you have to take precautions no matter what tour you take.. we find the beach at Roatan to be beautiful and perfect for snorkeling, however we hope to get to see sister islands, Guanaja and Utila next time we visit.
❤ Thanks for this one! I will be there for the first time in 3 weeks. Taking my mom for her birthday and Mother's Day. You gave me some great ideas! I was going zipline, but now I will take my mom with to the sanctuary and do it there!
Our family has always used Bodden Tours in Roatan. We have had 4 different tours with them at different times with different family groups. They are the best! My son and DIL even brought school items to donate to the public school there (every 2 kids were sharing 1 pencil) and our tour guide Francisco got them to a school and translated for them.
I enjoyed the review of the Roatan port. I am a solo cruiser and most of the time hesitate to take tours on cruise ports. You give fair reviews and options of what the tour is really like, what to expect and the options out there. Keep it up!!!
Love this video. We will be going to Roatan for the first time next month on the Harmony of the Seas. We booked an excursion with Daniel Johnson tours that includes monkey and sloths and a beach break at Las Palmas beach club.
We spent a week on West Bay Beach (destination wedding for a couple who are avid divers) a few years ago. Since we stayed at a resort and had lounge chairs, the venders were not an issue. We really enjoyed the sanctuary along with some other fun activities. The capuchins must have thought my head was there for them to practice parkour. It was fun having so many of them bounce from a ledge to my head to a different ledge. I now also have to buy any pairs of socks I see featuring sloths since I didn't realize how cute they are until I held one. I still have my tin hangings from the Rusty Fish. They decorated my backyard fence back in my old home. I still haven't gotten around to rehanging them in our new home's backyard. A fun way to get from West Bay Beach to the West End is by using the boat taxis when they are running. A few dollars gets you a nice leisurely ride along the shore with pier to pier service. I'm not sure how long cruise ships generally stay at dock but the tour desk at Banarama had a wonderful trip to the islands of Cayos Cochinos. That trip was absolutely beautiful. I sure hope you got to enjoy a monkey lala frozen drink when you were there. It is the official drink of the island. I loved it when the monkey lala was the featured happy hour drink for the day at the resort we stayed. Two for one pricing! I'd definitely stay in Roatan again if the opportunity arises.
I did the same Excursion and I loved it, and I am single ended the private Tour by myself just me and the guide and it was awesome I'll definitely do it again
We’ve been to Roatan twice pre-COVID and loved it, mainly since the snorkeling is awesome!We did a snorkel/beach excursion twice. I know many cruisers use Private tour companies, but I’m a little scared to use a non-ship excursion in Roatan, mainly because our guide on the first trip had said Roatan really has one main road. Both times we were there, it was quite congested with traffic and I worry about missing the ship on a private excursion. Roatan Fun tours and Bodden both look good, especially to do multiple things in one day…perhaps someday I’ll brave it. Roatan is a favorite port, but since we live in NY, we’d have to cruise from Florida, which means flying (I know you often drive, but we do not have enough vacation days for that), so unfortunately, we cannot travel there as often as we’d like. Id like to hold a sloth someday. We ARE scheduled to go to Roatan when we cruise on Wonder this fall, but we’re doing a ship snorkeling excursion. At some point soon, I’ll have to switch to private since many of the cruise line excursions have an age limit of 60, which counts me out at 66.😢
Roatan was our favorite stop our last cruise This last March! We hired the same private tour company with a Sloth stop, zip lining (highly recommend), beach stop and island tour. So much fun and it was all very reasonable!!
On a Roatan HAL cruise we were at Mahogany Bay and did a ship excursion. Ski lift to the beach where we had a private cabana. Tiny building with AC, trees with misters spraying, lounge chairs and a nearly private beach area! Lovely and relaxing with no crowds! Did I mention bar and food service? Well worth the money!
I went to Roatan a few months ago with Carnival and loved it. We took the private excursion to their all inclusive beach with food and drinks and just relaxed for the day and made it back in time for some shopping. So next time I go I will definitely go privately to see the sloths and monkeys. They didn’t allow any vendors on the beach which was nice, but we did get hassled a lot in the shopping areas.
We loved Roatan and had booked a private tour of the island. The highlight was the mangrove tunnel. The island is beautiful and our driver Angel from Cleve’s tour company was fantastic.
My first on a cruise I just boarded oasis of the seas about 2 hours ago!!!! And we are going to Roatan! And have no idea What we are doing. Perfect timing!!!!
Great video! I went to Roatan back in 2019 and we did the ziplines right near the ship- an excursion through the cruise. We went on a cruise in early April a few weeks ago that was supposed to go here, but got cancelled the morning of due to the wind that day. We were so looking forward to going again, but the sloth tour that you guys did seems so fun! Thanks for the wonderful video Ilana! :)
Have been there 3 times. Did get to hold the sloths. Went to the cameo place and learn how they are made. Did an iland tour. Went to a cultural center. Have always found good excusions with Carnival!
We were in Roatan, where we took the Wild On tour through Island Marketing Limited. We got to go to the monkey and sloth sanctuary, iguana farm (where you are literally surrounded by them and can feed them), a partial island tour and stopover for an hour or so at West Bay Beach where we had a couple drinks and people watched at the bar/restaurant. It is indeed a beautiful beach. It was a great 4 hour tour, and the interaction at the sanctuary and iguana farm are neat things you don't get on most island type tours. Highly recommend it!
I am going in November. I had to book through a private company to hold a sloth but you know I have to do it! I can't wait to get there! This is my first cruise and your videos are a fantastic place for getting tips and tricks. Thank you so much for these!🥰
nov ? we re also going on radiance of seas RCCL nov 4-11th 2023 doing private tour and excited horse riding, sloths, rum & chocolate factory, private resort hotel beach and away from those ppl selling us hassling us. We are going as party of 4-6 so excited.
My mom's family is from Honduras 🇭🇳 her cousin retired there it was a great experience. And he took me around town before I went back to the ship...my ship was the only thar docked that day...we had turquoise bay to ourselves 😊
I lived and worked as an international development volunteer in Honduras during the 1980s. Never had enough money to go to Roatan - also during the 80s there was very little tourism in Honduras and the Bay Islands. Looks as if things have changed - will have to go there some day -)
Love your channel! You always give great tips and info. We are going to Honduras for the first time on NCL Prima in 90 days from Galveston TX, first time leaving from that port too. Really looking forward to this trip, just booked a tour to the sanctuary and I cannot wait to hold a sloth. They are my spirit animal :) this tour also does a 2 person dune buggy ride thru the jungle- that should be fun!
My first cruise was on Celebrity Edge in Oct 2020 and I really enjoyed going to Roatan, took a cruise excursion as I was a solo traveler, was a great experience and the people were so friendly. i felt very safe on the excursion, and loved the beach, and no hawkers as it was a resort.
My favorite port. We go to Tabyana Beach. The reef and snorkeling are amazing. Great food and service as well. They have security watching your belongings while you snorkel or explore. My daughter had a very relaxing massage on the beach 😊
My brother & I like to scuba dive on cruises. So we choose ports like Cozumel, Belize & Roatan that offer scuba diving. Most of the time we would do a private dive shop excursion, but we've gone with the cruise ship excursion diving before as well. During Covid, private excursions were not available, so we haven't gone cruising.
Your video makes me want to go back. When we were in Roatan, we booked an excursion through Princess Cruises for a boat tour that would also take us to a school where we would see some cultural dances. As we began our tour, it POURED rain. The boat Princess had booked for us had canvas covers, which allowed the rain to soak us. There were other boats in the harbor that had solid roofs and inside seating.Many of us asked to be taken back to the ship, which the driver did. We went immediately to the cruise desk, showed them how soaked we were, and said that this tour was not up to the high standards of Princess Cruises and their other tours. They refunded our money. We did dry off and go to shore where we bought souvenirs and had a drink, but that was it.
we went with victor bowden tours as well...he is excellent and will actually talk with you at home to see what you would like...we saw sloths, monkeys, parrots and went to an iguana sanctuary, saw the cameo factory and other studd, well worth the price, certainly cheaper (and better) than many ports
I can't tell you how much I love your videos. We are booked on Harmony of the Seas Royal Caribbean on March 3, 2024. Our first ever cruise. We reserved the monkey, sloth and glass bottom boat touring Roatan. So looking forward to this.
Hello Ilana about three weeks ago my wife and I were on a Norwegian cruise and did the exact same excursion. Needless to say it was the highlight of our trip. We're looking forward to our East Caribbean cruise next February.
We were in Roatan 3 weeks ago. We took an excursion through the ship,to use our OBC. It wasn't what we were expecting and was somewhat disappointed. We will definitely do the excursion you took,it sounds so much better. Thank you Ilana for your helpful video!
I love this channel and I love cruises, but I’ll add a bit here as someone who’s been to Roatan a dozen or so times never once on a cruise - it’s an amazing destination in itself. I highly recommend going for a few days on your own. When there’s no ships in port, it’s the most hospitable, friendly, accommodating place with the best scuba diving and beaches. The West Bay is the nice beach, but head to the West End - cruise passengers almost never find it and it has great food (my recommendation is Loretta’s) and diving (Jackson’s Divers is a favorite) and it’s so low key. I think it’s a lousy cruise destination but a phenomenal longer destination. LOVE Roatan!
We go to Roatan frequently. Yes there is quote a lot of poverty but the people are super nice and willing to work to make your time there wonderful. I highly recommend getting a private driver that will stay with you. There are many places all over the island with neat craft shops. Also the large rum came factory thst has-been built in the kasy few years toward Sandy Beach. Don't try navigating the roads yourself. The local cops like to check ID and give tickets. If you don't know the roads they can be treacherous. West Bay is concrete but everywhere else is pretty rough. There are many restaurants scattered all along the island shores with awesome local dishes.
I tend not to book excursions through the cruise line due to crowds and no way was I going to stay next to the ship at Mahogany Bay. I simply took a taxi to the other side of the island and enjoyed the day at West End. The people are friendly and really appreciate your business and you get to try local food. It's a shame so many are frightened about leaving the cruise port to experience what the island has to offer. Talk with your driver and have him stick around while you spend the day there. He's happy to do so since he has a guaranteed fare.
We went to Roatan last year and absolutely the best part was the sloths!! We used Victor Bodden as well and we’re going back again in September and will be using him again then. Roatan is one of my favorite ports by far!
We visited Roatan during a RC cruise August of last year. We also booked a private tour with Viktor Boden tours, and they are FANTASTIC! What's even more is that my daughter required a handicap accessible van, and they provided us with one (not easily found in many Caribbean islands). I wish we had time to see the sanctuary, but alas, we were only able to go to the Chocolate factory and do some shopping. Next time, though!
We really enjoyed Turquoise Bay Dive shop and resort. We arrived in Mahogany Bay. We were taken on a 25 minute drive in a shuttle across the island and arrived at the resort. Booked thru the cruise line.
Little French Key is a must! Ships usually offer French Key as an excursion, so you have to book Little French Key independently. It is a much better option and the owners make sure you get back to the ship in plenty of time. Highly recommend
I've been to Roatan 3 times. We never do "excursions." We grab a taxi and pay the driver well,"still chep" for all day. We have been to the places in your video and had fun. We also saw local things that most never see like armed guards at gas stations etc. Maybe we are fortunate, but I never felt truly in danger even once.
Hi. Great video as always.😊. My husband and i will be in Roatan in Sept during our Royal Caribbean cruise. I can't find the name of the tour company and tour that you did. Can you please provide? Thank you!
I am going on my first cruise with my husband and some family and several friends. We are so looking forward to this. I love all animals but 🦥 sloths are in my top 3. I was worried about safety in Roatan and. You answered all of my questions. Your videos have really helped planning and preparing for our cruise.
We had the opportunity to meet Victor Bodden on our trip and had the pleasure to join him on the ziplines. He a good dude. We also enjoyed the sanctuary.
I'm going on a cruise that stops in Roatan in January. I love sloths and I would LOVE to hold one! I am skeptical about wildlife tourism and the ethics of keeping wild animals for entertainment, so I wasn't sure about this place. But my research has shown that they are very humane in their treatment of the animals and birds. I'm looking forward to visiting!
We're going in April 2025. My wife is really looking forward to holding the sloths. I guess I am to a little. Thank you for all your vids and tips. This will be our first cruise
Loved this video. We are going there in November. Could you give me the name and information about who you booked your private tour with, this is what I am looking for. I feel if you went through them, it must be safe. We will be on wonder of the seas. I believe we will be docking I mahogany bay. Any information you can give me about your private tour, with cost information will help, your tour guide. I would love to do this tour. I have been following you for a couple of years now, bought thee packing cubes from your recommendation, best things ever. I have learned a lot from you. Can't wait for your response. Thank you
We've been to Roatan and your right about wandering off on your own is not advisable, but you could say that about most islands. Our niece is 18 years old and we can no longer entice her to going on a cruise with us even though pay and we pay and were talking Hawaii for her graduation. So how do you get your son still go with you? I would like to try the sloth excursion. Probably another reason why our niece won't go with us anymore, we like to stay in our lane, slow and old. Princess instead of Disney/Royal Caribbean.
Lol, I actually have 2 sons. The older one decided when he was 18 that he didn’t want to travel with us. The younger one realized a free cruise wasn’t a bad life 😉😂. Actually the older one finally cruised with us again last January & we had an amazing time
@@LifeWellCruised I wish that we could say that. We miss her never having had any children she was our "kid." On the other hand, we don't miss going on Disney/Royal Caribbean (4 cruises) in the summer with a thousand small children.
I went to see the monkeys this past November on a Norwegian cruise. We went on a tour through the ship which included a trip to the beach. Some friends of mine commented on how Honduras is dangerous. I reassured them that Norwegian tourists are not exposed to any dangerous areas. The tour guide did explain that the area we were in was away from the populated areas where there is quite a bit of crime. I had a great time and would definitely visit again.
We visited Roatan about a month ago on Virgin Voyages, and booked a private excursion to the monkey and sloth preserve and Little French Key. It was a wonderful experience! It was nice to get to the sloths before all the big crowds. The caretakers were great, and our driver/guide was awesome. LFK was nice, no vendors, not too crowded.
Love Tabyana Beach on Roatan. The coral reef is only about 50-60 yard off the shore, and only 5-10 feet down (a few spots you can actually touch without diving). And they keep the beach vendors away from the seating...
My cruise on Harmony of the Sea is at the end of May. Since this will be my first time in Roatan, I'll book my excursion with the ship. I know it's going to cost a little more, but peace of mind is priceless.
We had a wonderful time at Routan using Victor Biden private tours. All our stops were selected before the cruise and was so easy. We had a very friendly tour guide who had grown up on the island and had a wealth of information. I asked him how they made the coconut oil for frying their fish and he drove us by a friends house who was making the oil in a large cauldron in his front yard. The process was very interesting. Absolutely one of our most memorable tours in over 20 years cruising. Will definitely use Victor B. Next time!
We will be leaving on the 30th for Roatan, Costa Maya and Cozumel on the Allure of the Seas. Our second cruise. The ONE thing I wanted to do in Roatan was the sloths. My second grandson (who isn't little at 23 years old now!!) loves sloths and I wanted to see them, get video and photos, and maybe a baby stuffed sloth for him. But EVERY excursion through Royal will not accommodate my wheelchair (it doesn't fold up). So even the private tours are out. We plan on going on the dock areas in each place, seeing what we can, picking up a small souvenir and going back to the ship. My husband isn't aware of how disappointing this is (I don't tell him) and I know he would pay for me to go, almost whatever it took but it's just not available. I could step up a couple of steps if a conveyance could carry the chair, but that isn't available. There's no way I could walk the dock, much less the sanctuary. But, it looked like so much fun, and the sloth looked so cuddly. Even without any tours or excursions, we're going to have fun and we can't wait. :)
I’m sorry to hear that there isn’t a way to accommodate your wheelchair. Thankfully the cruise ship should be great and I hope you have a wonderful cruise!
I’m going in April 2024 and really looking forward to the sloth excursion to see the parrots. And the beach looks great. Should we do it privately rather than through the cruise line considering safety issues?
May I ask which private tour you booked for the sanctuary. Sloths are on my to do list next February and I am overwhelmed on which place too choose. I love the idea of private.
love your videos, thank you for all the wonderful tips! going to Roatan in May, definitely going to book the sloth tour. One question, does everyone in the group get to hold the sloths?
We are 2 weeks back from a Western Caribbean cruise on the Ruby Princess. Our first port was supposed to be Roatan but the port was canceled as the Captain said the winds were too strong to safely navigate into Mahagony Bay. Perhaps some other time.
Planning a cruise? Get The Ultimate Cruise Planner. It's a 47 page cruise travel planner with packing checklists, shore excursion planning forms and much more! ($10 off for a limted time). Details here: lifewellcruised.com/ultimate-cruise-planner/
I went to Roatan with a large group. The cruise line offered a tour to the sanctuary at a much higher rate than I booked directly with the sanctuary. Our tour I booked also included snorkeling whereas the cruise line did not. I cried when I held the sloth. So completely happy we experienced this excursion. Not once did we feel unsafe or hassled.
We were in Roatan in February with Princess so Mahogany Bay. Fantastic time! Cruise port filled with shops (still thinking about the handmade wooden display bowls), amazing iced latte, went horse back riding on Luna Beach. Loved it. Bought homemade chocolate on our way out. Yes a poor country but so glad we were privileged to be there. Bought an ornament from a teen girl helping make money for her family. A treasured humbling memory of a beautiful person with a different life. I would love to go again and see the sloths.
We did the ultimate zip line. The highest point was 300 feet above ground and the lowest was 150 ft. We had a great time at Roatan and can't wait to revisit.
Love Victor Bodden! We always ask for Jerry. He even took us to a local grocery store and we took him out to lunch.
do you have the link for Victor Bodden. We are looking to book a tour. Thanks so much
Is there a webpage for Victor Bodden Tours?
I went on that excursion to hug a sloth and play with monkeys last year. It was so much fun!
Hello from Texas! I need to tell you that your planner is an absolute godsend! We have a week until we get on the Carnival Jubilee and using your planner has helped me remember so many small details that I would have otherwise forgot. We are going to see a Sloth Sanctuary while we are in Roatan as well and very much looking forward to it I enjoy your videos, keep up the good work!
We've done the zip line tour.
It was FANTASTIC!
We also did the all inclusive day tour at Infinity Bay Resort twice.
Superb as well.
Our TA now pushes the resort tour on all Roatan cruises after she went with us.
A funny side bar...apparently Alan Jackson is huge in in Roatan.
LoL That threw us WAY off listening to Country music on the van heading to our excursion in Roatan.
Haha too funny!! I’ll have to check that resort
Tabyana beach snorkeling, easily one of my best tours in the Caribbean. Fantastic coral reef.
Went to Roatan five years ago on NCL. Enjoyed our excursion to Little French Key.
We are off to Roatan in 2 weeks time had no idea what to do but now you have inspired us to venture out and take a tour
I'm lucky enough to be married to a native Honduran.. her family is still in San Pedro Sula, so we use those connections to book our tours.. on one boat tour, our guides jumped in the water, grabbed two conch shells and made us fresh ceviche on the boat! Like any Central American destination, you have to take precautions no matter what tour you take.. we find the beach at Roatan to be beautiful and perfect for snorkeling, however we hope to get to see sister islands, Guanaja and Utila next time we visit.
❤ Thanks for this one! I will be there for the first time in 3 weeks. Taking my mom for her birthday and Mother's Day. You gave me some great ideas! I was going zipline, but now I will take my mom with to the sanctuary and do it there!
Our family has always used Bodden Tours in Roatan. We have had 4 different tours with them at different times with different family groups. They are the best! My son and DIL even brought school items to donate to the public school there (every 2 kids were sharing 1 pencil) and our tour guide Francisco got them to a school and translated for them.
I enjoyed the review of the Roatan port. I am a solo cruiser and most of the time hesitate to take tours on cruise ports. You give fair reviews and options of what the tour is really like, what to expect and the options out there. Keep it up!!!
Thanks & I’m glad you enjoyed it :)
Love this video. We will be going to Roatan for the first time next month on the Harmony of the Seas. We booked an excursion with Daniel Johnson tours that includes monkey and sloths and a beach break at Las Palmas beach club.
That’s awesome! I’ve heard good things
We spent a week on West Bay Beach (destination wedding for a couple who are avid divers) a few years ago. Since we stayed at a resort and had lounge chairs, the venders were not an issue. We really enjoyed the sanctuary along with some other fun activities. The capuchins must have thought my head was there for them to practice parkour. It was fun having so many of them bounce from a ledge to my head to a different ledge. I now also have to buy any pairs of socks I see featuring sloths since I didn't realize how cute they are until I held one. I still have my tin hangings from the Rusty Fish. They decorated my backyard fence back in my old home. I still haven't gotten around to rehanging them in our new home's backyard.
A fun way to get from West Bay Beach to the West End is by using the boat taxis when they are running. A few dollars gets you a nice leisurely ride along the shore with pier to pier service. I'm not sure how long cruise ships generally stay at dock but the tour desk at Banarama had a wonderful trip to the islands of Cayos Cochinos. That trip was absolutely beautiful.
I sure hope you got to enjoy a monkey lala frozen drink when you were there. It is the official drink of the island. I loved it when the monkey lala was the featured happy hour drink for the day at the resort we stayed. Two for one pricing!
I'd definitely stay in Roatan again if the opportunity arises.
I did the same Excursion and I loved it, and I am single ended the private Tour by myself just me and the guide and it was awesome I'll definitely do it again
We’ve been to Roatan twice pre-COVID and loved it, mainly since the snorkeling is awesome!We did a snorkel/beach excursion twice. I know many cruisers use Private tour companies, but I’m a little scared to use a non-ship excursion in Roatan, mainly because our guide on the first trip had said Roatan really has one main road. Both times we were there, it was quite congested with traffic and I worry about missing the ship on a private excursion. Roatan Fun tours and Bodden both look good, especially to do multiple things in one day…perhaps someday I’ll brave it.
Roatan is a favorite port, but since we live in NY, we’d have to cruise from Florida, which means flying (I know you often drive, but we do not have enough vacation days for that), so unfortunately, we cannot travel there as often as we’d like. Id like to hold a sloth someday. We ARE scheduled to go to Roatan when we cruise on Wonder this fall, but we’re doing a ship snorkeling excursion. At some point soon, I’ll have to switch to private since many of the cruise line excursions have an age limit of 60, which counts me out at 66.😢
Great video Ilana. Holding a sloth is definitely on my list! We'll have to book this excursion when we make it to Roatan.
Roatan is great! :) I loved holding the sloths during my last visit. So much to see and do!
Roatan was our favorite stop our last cruise
This last March! We hired the same private tour company with a Sloth stop, zip lining (highly recommend), beach stop and island tour. So much fun and it was all very reasonable!!
I booked with these same people. Their customer service was amazing. Looking forward to this adventure.
Going next month on the Harmony. Thank you for the information.
On a Roatan HAL cruise we were at Mahogany Bay and did a ship excursion. Ski lift to the beach where we had a private cabana. Tiny building with AC, trees with misters spraying, lounge chairs and a nearly private beach area! Lovely and relaxing with no crowds! Did I mention bar and food service? Well worth the money!
Hi, Ilana!! Going in October. Great info. Thanks for the great info, as always
I went to Roatan a few months ago with Carnival and loved it. We took the private excursion to their all inclusive beach with food and drinks and just relaxed for the day and made it back in time for some shopping. So next time I go I will definitely go privately to see the sloths and monkeys. They didn’t allow any vendors on the beach which was nice, but we did get hassled a lot in the shopping areas.
We loved Roatan and had booked a private tour of the island. The highlight was the mangrove tunnel. The island is beautiful and our driver Angel from Cleve’s tour company was fantastic.
My first on a cruise I just boarded oasis of the seas about 2 hours ago!!!! And we are going to Roatan! And have no idea
What we are doing. Perfect timing!!!!
How exciting!! Have an amazing time 🛳👏
We just did Tabyana beach excursion in Roatan it was beautiful and wonderful, super safe loved the crystal clear beach
Thank you for this EXCELLENT video with so much information!! Moving Roatan up on our cruise list!! 😍💐🦥
Loved the sloths! One of my favorite excursions ever! We also snorkeled there. When we went last year it was cash only.
Thank you for this. Been looking for good tips. Going there in 2024.
Great video! I went to Roatan back in 2019 and we did the ziplines right near the ship- an excursion through the cruise. We went on a cruise in early April a few weeks ago that was supposed to go here, but got cancelled the morning of due to the wind that day. We were so looking forward to going again, but the sloth tour that you guys did seems so fun! Thanks for the wonderful video Ilana! :)
Just went myself to Roatan and it was my favorite port. We went to the same chocolate factory and I got to hold a sloth as well.
Have been there 3 times. Did get to hold the sloths. Went to the cameo place and learn how they are made. Did an iland tour. Went to a cultural center. Have always found good excusions with Carnival!
We were in Roatan, where we took the Wild On tour through Island Marketing Limited. We got to go to the monkey and sloth sanctuary, iguana farm (where you are literally surrounded by them and can feed them), a partial island tour and stopover for an hour or so at West Bay Beach where we had a couple drinks and people watched at the bar/restaurant. It is indeed a beautiful beach. It was a great 4 hour tour, and the interaction at the sanctuary and iguana farm are neat things you don't get on most island type tours. Highly recommend it!
Thanks for the info....I'm headed to Roatan on the Scarlet Lady the first week of Feb......and I will definitely hug a sloth!
I am going in November. I had to book through a private company to hold a sloth but you know I have to do it! I can't wait to get there! This is my first cruise and your videos are a fantastic place for getting tips and tricks. Thank you so much for these!🥰
So glad they’re helpful:)
If you’re eating or having some drinks, request the bill and double check you’re being charged correctly. Some restaurants already include the tip.
nov ? we re also going on radiance of seas RCCL nov 4-11th 2023 doing private tour and excited horse riding, sloths, rum & chocolate factory, private resort hotel beach and away from those ppl selling us hassling us. We are going as party of 4-6 so excited.
I loved Roatan. We went there on my last cruise. I did a charter fishing excursion with my g/f's dad.
My mom's family is from Honduras 🇭🇳 her cousin retired there it was a great experience. And he took me around town before I went back to the ship...my ship was the only thar docked that day...we had turquoise bay to ourselves 😊
Lucky!!
We were there several years ago. We plan to go back
I lived and worked as an international development volunteer in Honduras during the 1980s. Never had enough money to go to Roatan - also during the 80s there was very little tourism in Honduras and the Bay Islands. Looks as if things have changed - will have to go there some day -)
I loved hugging the sloth it was very enteresting there love the monkeys too one took m hat
Love your channel! You always give great tips and info. We are going to Honduras for the first time on NCL Prima in 90 days from Galveston TX, first time leaving from that port too. Really looking forward to this trip, just booked a tour to the sanctuary and I cannot wait to hold a sloth. They are my spirit animal :) this tour also does a 2 person dune buggy ride thru the jungle- that should be fun!
Thanks for the info. We head out May 13 on Adventure OTS and it is one of our stops.
My first cruise was on Celebrity Edge in Oct 2020 and I really enjoyed going to Roatan, took a cruise excursion as I was a solo traveler, was a great experience and the people were so friendly. i felt very safe on the excursion, and loved the beach, and no hawkers as it was a resort.
Thanks for sharing!
My favorite port. We go to Tabyana Beach. The reef and snorkeling are amazing. Great food and service as well. They have security watching your belongings while you snorkel or explore. My daughter had a very relaxing massage on the beach 😊
My brother & I like to scuba dive on cruises. So we choose ports like Cozumel, Belize & Roatan that offer scuba diving. Most of the time we would do a private dive shop excursion, but we've gone with the cruise ship excursion diving before as well. During Covid, private excursions were not available, so we haven't gone cruising.
Your video makes me want to go back. When we were in Roatan, we booked an excursion through Princess Cruises for a boat tour that would also take us to a school where we would see some cultural dances. As we began our tour, it POURED rain. The boat Princess had booked for us had canvas covers, which allowed the rain to soak us. There were other boats in the harbor that had solid roofs and inside seating.Many of us asked to be taken back to the ship, which the driver did. We went immediately to the cruise desk, showed them how soaked we were, and said that this tour was not up to the high standards of Princess Cruises and their other tours. They refunded our money. We did dry off and go to shore where we bought souvenirs and had a drink, but that was it.
we went with victor bowden tours as well...he is excellent and will actually talk with you at home to see what you would like...we saw sloths, monkeys, parrots and went to an iguana sanctuary, saw the cameo factory and other studd, well worth the price, certainly cheaper (and better) than many ports
I can't tell you how much I love your videos. We are booked on Harmony of the Seas Royal Caribbean on March 3, 2024. Our first ever cruise. We reserved the monkey, sloth and glass bottom boat touring Roatan. So looking forward to this.
Me too, im in the same cruise 🎉
I am cruising to Roatan on my honeymoon on RCL! Thanks for the advice!
That’s awesome!! Congratulations
We have been in Roatan, love using Real Deals very safe and you learn alot from them. Very friendly. Holding a sloth was one thing on my bucket list.❤
Hello Ilana about three weeks ago my wife and I were on a Norwegian cruise and did the exact same excursion. Needless to say it was the highlight of our trip. We're looking forward to our East Caribbean cruise next February.
We were in Roatan 3 weeks ago. We took an excursion through the ship,to use our OBC. It wasn't what we were expecting and was somewhat disappointed. We will definitely do the excursion you took,it sounds so much better. Thank you Ilana for your helpful video!
That’s too bad. Our cruise line didn’t offer this either, but because I’d been there before I felt comfortable with a half day tour
I love this channel and I love cruises, but I’ll add a bit here as someone who’s been to Roatan a dozen or so times never once on a cruise - it’s an amazing destination in itself. I highly recommend going for a few days on your own. When there’s no ships in port, it’s the most hospitable, friendly, accommodating place with the best scuba diving and beaches. The West Bay is the nice beach, but head to the West End - cruise passengers almost never find it and it has great food (my recommendation is Loretta’s) and diving (Jackson’s Divers is a favorite) and it’s so low key. I think it’s a lousy cruise destination but a phenomenal longer destination. LOVE Roatan!
Great to hear your extra info!! :)
I spent the first three months of 2023 in West End. It is wonderful.
Planning a trip in June! Thanks for the info!
We go to Roatan frequently. Yes there is quote a lot of poverty but the people are super nice and willing to work to make your time there wonderful. I highly recommend getting a private driver that will stay with you. There are many places all over the island with neat craft shops. Also the large rum came factory thst has-been built in the kasy few years toward Sandy Beach. Don't try navigating the roads yourself. The local cops like to check ID and give tickets. If you don't know the roads they can be treacherous. West Bay is concrete but everywhere else is pretty rough. There are many restaurants scattered all along the island shores with awesome local dishes.
I tend not to book excursions through the cruise line due to crowds and no way was I going to stay next to the ship at Mahogany Bay. I simply took a taxi to the other side of the island and enjoyed the day at West End. The people are friendly and really appreciate your business and you get to try local food. It's a shame so many are frightened about leaving the cruise port to experience what the island has to offer. Talk with your driver and have him stick around while you spend the day there. He's happy to do so since he has a guaranteed fare.
We went to Roatan last year and absolutely the best part was the sloths!! We used Victor Bodden as well and we’re going back again in September and will be using him again then. Roatan is one of my favorite ports by far!
That’s awesome!
This was helpful. I've never been ti roatan and traveling there on Icon of the seas next year.
I am going next week, and I'm more excited about holding a sloth than the entire cruise!
Great video! how may one conatct Victor. My family is heading to Roatan next week on Royal Caribbean.
We visited Roatan during a RC cruise August of last year. We also booked a private tour with Viktor Boden tours, and they are FANTASTIC! What's even more is that my daughter required a handicap accessible van, and they provided us with one (not easily found in many Caribbean islands). I wish we had time to see the sanctuary, but alas, we were only able to go to the Chocolate factory and do some shopping. Next time, though!
Great tips Ilana!
We really enjoyed Turquoise Bay Dive shop and resort. We arrived in Mahogany Bay. We were taken on a 25 minute drive in a shuttle across the island and arrived at the resort. Booked thru the cruise line.
I like Mahogany Bay! Thanks for sharing this
The fish is amazing. I’ve never taken a cruise there but I use to go to Honduras 3-4 times a year.
Lol, thanks for commenting on that. They said it was great too 😂
Going here in December on the Jubilee. My wife told me we were going to see sloths. Now I know what to expect...
Thanks for the great video with so many helpful tips. I haven't held a sloth but I held a wombat in Australia! :) He was pretty soft (and enormous!).
Great info. My group will be there on 13 June. Look forward to holding a Sloth...lol
Little French Key is a must! Ships usually offer French Key as an excursion, so you have to book Little French Key independently. It is a much better option and the owners make sure you get back to the ship in plenty of time. Highly recommend
I’ve heard really good things. Hopefully another time
I've been to Roatan 3 times. We never do "excursions." We grab a taxi and pay the driver well,"still chep" for all day. We have been to the places in your video and had fun. We also saw local things that most never see like armed guards at gas stations etc. Maybe we are fortunate, but I never felt truly in danger even once.
Hi. Great video as always.😊. My husband and i will be in Roatan in Sept during our Royal Caribbean cruise. I can't find the name of the tour company and tour that you did. Can you please provide? Thank you!
I am going on my first cruise with my husband and some family and several friends. We are so looking forward to this. I love all animals but 🦥 sloths are in my top 3. I was worried about safety in Roatan and. You answered all of my questions. Your videos have really helped planning and preparing for our cruise.
I have a parrot and love birds. I will definitely have to check this out! Going in December on Virgin 💃
We had the opportunity to meet Victor Bodden on our trip and had the pleasure to join him on the ziplines. He a good dude. We also enjoyed the sanctuary.
Do you have a link to him?
I'm going on a cruise that stops in Roatan in January. I love sloths and I would LOVE to hold one! I am skeptical about wildlife tourism and the ethics of keeping wild animals for entertainment, so I wasn't sure about this place. But my research has shown that they are very humane in their treatment of the animals and birds. I'm looking forward to visiting!
I struggle with this too. Thanks for sharing this
Go horse back riding on the rescued horses. It was wonderful and we rode in the ocean.
Roatan was a safe Port for us. We like to rent cars and explore the islands we have turned right and left after leaving the Port in Roatan...lol.
Thank you for sharing! Holding a sloth in my opinion would be the best.
It is ABSOLUTELY amazing!!
We're going in April 2025. My wife is really looking forward to holding the sloths. I guess I am to a little. Thank you for all your vids and tips. This will be our first cruise
Loved this video. We are going there in November. Could you give me the name and information about who you booked your private tour with, this is what I am looking for. I feel if you went through them, it must be safe. We will be on wonder of the seas. I believe we will be docking I mahogany bay. Any information you can give me about your private tour, with cost information will help, your tour guide. I would love to do this tour. I have been following you for a couple of years now, bought thee packing cubes from your recommendation, best things ever. I have learned a lot from you. Can't wait for your response. Thank you
We've been to Roatan and your right about wandering off on your own is not advisable, but you could say that about most islands. Our niece is 18 years old and we can no longer entice her to going on a cruise with us even though pay and we pay and were talking Hawaii for her graduation. So how do you get your son still go with you? I would like to try the sloth excursion. Probably another reason why our niece won't go with us anymore, we like to stay in our lane, slow and old. Princess instead of Disney/Royal Caribbean.
Lol, I actually have 2 sons. The older one decided when he was 18 that he didn’t want to travel with us. The younger one realized a free cruise wasn’t a bad life 😉😂. Actually the older one finally cruised with us again last January & we had an amazing time
@@LifeWellCruised I wish that we could say that. We miss her never having had any children she was our "kid." On the other hand, we don't miss going on Disney/Royal Caribbean (4 cruises) in the summer with a thousand small children.
@@brianbollan7069 hopefully she’ll come around :)
The whole fish dish is typical of the Caribbean, and being a resident of the Caribbean I can tell you it is delicious.
Thanks for the info going there next year
Glad it’s helpful
I went to see the monkeys this past November on a Norwegian cruise. We went on a tour through the ship which included a trip to the beach. Some friends of mine commented on how Honduras is dangerous. I reassured them that Norwegian tourists are not exposed to any dangerous areas. The tour guide did explain that the area we were in was away from the populated areas where there is quite a bit of crime. I had a great time and would definitely visit again.
😂😂😂😂 all countries had good areas, safe areas, and dangerous areas 🤦♀️ .
Roatan , Bay Island 🏝
Islas de la Bahia are safe .
Complete safe ❤
Snorkeling in Roatan is awesome!
We took a tour in Roatan and saw monkeys and sloths. We booked thru Viator. It was about 50 dollars, awesome tour.😊
Fantastic! Thanks for sharing
I love Viator. We used them several times in Europe and in British Columbia. Always been satisfied!
We visited Roatan about a month ago on Virgin Voyages, and booked a private excursion to the monkey and sloth preserve and Little French Key. It was a wonderful experience! It was nice to get to the sloths before all the big crowds. The caretakers were great, and our driver/guide was awesome. LFK was nice, no vendors, not too crowded.
Sounds nice!
I heard LFK had closed?
Love Tabyana Beach on Roatan. The coral reef is only about 50-60 yard off the shore, and only 5-10 feet down (a few spots you can actually touch without diving). And they keep the beach vendors away from the seating...
That’s great to know
My cruise on Harmony of the Sea is at the end of May. Since this will be my first time in Roatan, I'll book my excursion with the ship. I know it's going to cost a little more, but peace of mind is priceless.
We had a wonderful time at Routan using Victor Biden private tours. All our stops were selected before the cruise and was so easy. We had a very friendly tour guide who had grown up on the island and had a wealth of information. I asked him how they made the coconut oil for frying their fish and he drove us by a friends house who was making the oil in a large cauldron in his front yard. The process was very interesting. Absolutely one of our most memorable tours in over 20 years cruising. Will definitely use Victor B. Next time!
He is awesome.
How interesting!
Holding a Sloth was on my bucket list and unfortunately no sloth, but we had a blast at Gumbalimba Park
We will be leaving on the 30th for Roatan, Costa Maya and Cozumel on the Allure of the Seas. Our second cruise. The ONE thing I wanted to do in Roatan was the sloths. My second grandson (who isn't little at 23 years old now!!) loves sloths and I wanted to see them, get video and photos, and maybe a baby stuffed sloth for him. But EVERY excursion through Royal will not accommodate my wheelchair (it doesn't fold up). So even the private tours are out. We plan on going on the dock areas in each place, seeing what we can, picking up a small souvenir and going back to the ship. My husband isn't aware of how disappointing this is (I don't tell him) and I know he would pay for me to go, almost whatever it took but it's just not available. I could step up a couple of steps if a conveyance could carry the chair, but that isn't available. There's no way I could walk the dock, much less the sanctuary.
But, it looked like so much fun, and the sloth looked so cuddly.
Even without any tours or excursions, we're going to have fun and we can't wait. :)
I’m sorry to hear that there isn’t a way to accommodate your wheelchair. Thankfully the cruise ship should be great and I hope you have a wonderful cruise!
I’m going in April 2024 and really looking forward to the sloth excursion to see the parrots. And the beach looks great.
Should we do it privately rather than through the cruise line considering safety issues?
Looks an interesting place.
May I ask which private tour you booked for the sanctuary. Sloths are on my to do list next February and I am overwhelmed on which place too choose. I love the idea of private.
love your videos, thank you for all the wonderful tips! going to Roatan in May, definitely going to book the sloth tour. One question, does everyone in the group get to hold the sloths?
Everyone in our group was given the chance to hold the sloth if they wanted to.
Awww that sloth is so cute and adorable and love sloths xoxo 😚 💖💙🛳️🛳️💙🦥💘💘💘🦥🪻💐🪻❤️🔥❤️🔥💓🌞🌞🩶🩷🩶💛💛🩷🩷🌼❤️❤️💔🌾🌈🌈🌈🌞🌻🦥🦥🦥🛳️🛳️💙💙🛳️💘🦥🦥🤍🩵🤍🤍🤍💓💓🌻❤️🔥🖤🩷🩷🩷🩶💛💛
We are 2 weeks back from a Western Caribbean cruise on the Ruby Princess. Our first port was supposed to be Roatan but the port was canceled as the Captain said the winds were too strong to safely navigate into Mahagony Bay. Perhaps some other time.
Awe too bad