A Typical Day on the Island of Roatan
Roatan is a beautiful mountainous island off the coast of Honduras in Central America. This is quickly becoming one of our favorite destinations in the Western Caribbean. We have been to 2 different ports in Roatan and been a total of 5 times over 18 cruises. The locals are friendly (and not at all pushy) and the beaches are gorgeous! What more could you ask for?
Morning
Like most of our port day experiences, we like to wake up before the arrival of the ship into port and watch the approach to the island. This island is so pretty and the mountains are so gorgeous. We just love it!
The kids watching us pull into Roatan- Carnival Breeze 2017
Then we grab a quick bite at the Lido Buffet or the MDR, depending on our plans for the day. Don't forget to plan your day according to your excursions but keep in mind EVERYONE will be at the Lido Buffet about 1 hour prior to the disembarkation of the passengers.
The island of Roatan has 2 main ports for cruise ships: Mahogany Bay (exclusive to CCL) and Coxen Hole. These 2 are both great but Mahogany Bay is unbelievably easy to access and is only open for Carnival Cruise Line's cruise ships.
Mahogany Bay, Roatan
(Carnival Conquest 2013, Caribbean Princess 2016 and Carnival Breeze 2017)
This bay area on the island of Roatan is exclusive for Carnival Cruise Line's cruise ships (Carnival, Princess or Holland America) and has anything and everything you could need in a port right at your finger tips and within walking distance to the ship. This bay offers a huge beach area with FREE access for cruise passengers, a ski-lift type of thing to get you to the beach (or you can walk), a nature trail, over 2 dozen shops and restaurants, and a snorkeling pier. Most of these amenities are free and easily accessible from the ship.
The entrance to the island right off the ship- Caribbean Princess 2016
The kids were SO EXCITED- Carnival Breeze 2017
A view of the beach area taken from the ship- 2017
Another view of the FREE beach area (Chairs and Clam-shells cost)
A view of the Sky-lift (ski-lift) that takes you from the port area to the beach.
There is also a Nature Trail through the nearby jungle area close to the port.
Caribbean Princess 2016
Entrance to the beach area- Carnival Breeze 2017
Natalie and I got back off the ship and did more exploring while the boys took a nap!
Carnival Breeze 2017
The end of the Ski-Lift area near the beach- Carnival Breeze 2017
We have snorkeled from the pier near the beach every time we have visited and it remains to have some of the best snorkeling we have experienced in the Western Caribbean. There is a sunken ship near this area if you are an experienced snorkeler and are hoping for an adventure. We have always brought our own snorkeling gear but you can rent snorkel equipment for less than $15 on site.
Snorkel near the beach- Caribbean Princess 2016
The beach area at Mahogany Bay is great and offers amenities like locker rental, mat rentals and even kayaks available for use. This beach is very kid friendly and only goes to about 6-7 feet deep before it is roped off. Carnival offers an actual excursion for this beach that includes 2 beach mats, a clam shell, locker rental, kayak rental and 2 chairs for $50 and is a GREAT deal. We have purchased this each time we have visited as it is a lot and can be shared between us and the kids! There is also a cabana rental via CCL for $200 for the day.
The clam-shell included in the $50 beach for a day package via CCL- Carnival Conquest 2013
We LOVE this beach so much!
Caribbean Princess 2016
Luke and Chris on the beach- Carnival Breeze 2017
The use of the mats really helps with kids! But even then, Chris is still touching the bottom of the ocean at this point! It is PICTURE perfect!
Carnival Breeze 2017
We love you Mahogany Bay! We CANNOT wait to get back!
Carnival Breeze 2017 Caribbean Princess 2016
Sloth and Monkey Sanctuary and City Tour- Coxen Hole
Our first visit to Coxen Hole brought us to the port area and we found a local who took us on a tour of Roatan city of Coxen Hole and then took us to the Sloth and Monkey sanctuary. This was really neat as the tour took us to the highest point of the island and we were able to see the cruise ships and all the surrounding areas.
This view was worth the cost of the trip alone- NCL Pearl 2018
2018 with NCL Pearl and Liberty of the Seas in the background.
Then we went to the sloth house to hold and pet sloths and monkeys! It was so awesome. We loved it and knew the kids would love it too! Our April 2020 Liberty of the Seas cruise got cancelled thanks to COVID-19 but we hope to get the kids there in the near future. We found this tour at the port entrance of Coxen Hole through a local tour guide and it was $35 per person but included the tour and the entrance to the Sloth and Monkey Sanctuary.
NCL Pearl 2018
Chris LOVED this experience!
NCL Pearl 2018
Afternoon
As per typical for our port days, we like to eat a later lunch or mid-afternoon snack once we get back on board from our day ashore. When we have ported at Mahogany Bay, we have even gotten back on the ship to eat lunch and then got back off for more beach time. It is very convenient.
We like to take any left over afternoon time to explore the ship or just spend the afternoon at the pools and whirlpools when it is less crowded as well! Of course, we make an effort to go to an open deck or our balcony to watch sail away! It is one of our favorite things to do on port days!
Watching sail away from our balcony- Liberty of the Seas 2018
Evening
This is an evening spent at the Main Dining Room and Main Theater as we try to squeeze anything and everything else we can out of this cruise and cruise ship. This includes the main show, comedy shows or fun activities like "The Quest- Adult Scavenger Hunt" or "Battle of the Sexes". These are great activities and fun ways to meet new cruising friends.
Time for a Deck Party- Carnival Breeze 2017
We love to catch a sunset on the open deck- Carnival Conquest 2013
Roatan is the farthest port from Galveston or New Orleans on this itinerary so it takes a while to get to this port or back to Galveston. This usually means after Roatan you have 2 sea days and that means it is time to completely relax! We love Roatan, its beaches and locals especially! We will be back!
Stay tuned for more Western Caribbean Port Days and tips and tricks for Western Caribbean favorites like Grand Cayman and Jamaica! Thanks for following along!
GOD IS GOOD... ALL THE TIME!
Want to see what the 7 trips to Belize looks like for Cruise Like a Davis?
Click on any cruise link below to check it out:
Want to see what the 7 trips to Belize looks like for Cruise Like a Davis?
Click on any cruise link below to check it out:
No comments:
Post a Comment