c-leg5

It may not be your choice and you do get what you pay for, as always, but some would prefer to pay for excursions and see Alaska. Lucky there are options. That said, Royal has never been the cruise line of choice for Alaska so there are even more choices for those who care to look. +1.

It is highly likely you will be in a shared van from port to town. If in doubt ask amongst people waiting in line at dispatch if if you can share. If all else fails I wouldn’t have a problem with a solo taxi - agree price before you leave and take a photo of taxi number as a safeguard against leaving anything if any one asks. Walking is also perfectly possible and safe. Stay ocean side. It is about 3 miles biggest problem will be heat depending on time of year. We have done it several times and there will always be taxis passing asking if you want a ride if you change your mind en route. Again verify price and photo. i am fairly sure you can do taco tour independently or there are electric bike tours but they may start in town?There is a bike hire place just past Park Royal.

Thanks +1. you are correct on all counts. This thread as usual has become side-tracked and my suggestion was for someone without kids. I was giving them options to check out. All the options I suggested have websites for people to check the details but you are correct, despite Del Mar clearly describing their facility on their website many people fail to read carefully and are disappointed with lack of beach and small size. It is also our “go-to” facility on many visits from International, with a few other favorites rotated in for variety. No transport is convenient time-wise and the savings pay for one person’s admission.

The “hotel” will not have a shuttle. YOU will have to book a shuttle - probably from the airport - that is what people have been trying to tell you, unless you go for uber, lyft or private ride.

There is a telephone, text, WhatsApp, email contact information all on his website. Have you checked your junk email? Are you using gmail - it doesn’t always work. Roatan has regular internet problems so I don’t know how long you have waited?

Yes it isn’t like they keep a secret or a big mystery!

Just about every email I receive from Royal has my points and status listed and number of points needed to next level.

The PDA and fuel surcharge seem strange to me and yet they have itemized them plus included gratuity.

The PP was taking a 1 mile, 5 minute ride from Tremont, Galveston to Carnival pier. It seems expensive to me.

Official taxi rates, posted at the ports, haven’t changed in some years. How much you can negotiate would be up to you but it would give you a target. We haven’t had as much success on cruise ship days getting official pesos rates recently.

I think you are definitely overthinking the whole scenario. It basically comes down to how far in advance you are flying in and do you WANT to do something in Galveston. If you are simply flying in the day before, as a safeguard, the simplest, easiest and probably cheapest option by far, is to stay near the airport (preferably at a hotel with free shuttle to and from airport). Return to the airport next day and take one of pre-booked return shuttles - cruise line, one of several already discussed independent shuttles, or uber/lyft. Several people have stated you will not get a Galveston hotel to pick you up at the airport. Several Galveston hotels seem to have even stopped their cruise port shuttles. IF you want to stay in Galveston for a night, you need a shuttle to the hotel (same independent choices as above), a taxi/uber/lyft to the port and a return shuttle to the airport after the cruise. You also have to find a Galveston hotel that will allow a one night stay in Galveston (if that is all you require) which will depend in day of the week and what events are on in Galveston.

Thanks. Still seems very expensive. Which pier were they taking you to?

That seems strange - the closed banner has gone and there are reviews for September/October on TA.

How were they able to repeatedly enter if they weren’t paying the fees? Hard to disguise a bus.

I thought you used them from the Tremont? Which port were you going to?

I am assuming from your choices you are looking at ship excursions only? Of those four I have been to Sol y Mar and Maya Key but neither recently. Maya Key is my “go to” with young children because it is the most convenient travel wise of all excursions on Roatan. It is a 5 minute boat ride directly from within the port and usually has a choice of return times. It is by no means exclusively for people with kids it is simply easy and convenient. It is the only one of your four that has a swimming pool. It has good snorkeling although currents can sometimes be a problem and take you onto coral depending on the weather. It has areas to walk and animals to view if temperatures are not conducive to swimming. Very good bathrooms. No vendors. Sol y Mar is a bus ride away but not too far. It has been several years since we were there and it was quite new at the time. It has different option packages and you are separated along the beach according to your package - family, PAYG, AI etc. It had some water sports available, reasonable beach. Snorkeling reports not generally great but I didn’t try. No vendors. Tabyana is a section at the end of the prime beach of Roatan (West Bay) and is exclusively for cruise ship visitors. It is a 30 minute (?) ride depending on traffic and road conditions. West Bay is prime snorkeling from the shore or via a guided boat. I haven’t been so no idea about facilities. West Bay is renowned for being bombarded by vendors - not sure about Tabyana section. I have never been to Big Key or seen many reviews. It is somewhere I would like to try.

What are your priorities and have you looked at recent reviews on this board for these beaches?

I know they have been open since cruising resumed (I have been) but I am doubting there are many reviews since their closure this summer. I suppose it depends what you classify “recent”.

USD accepted and fine for a day. Usually better value with pesos but not necessary.

@Tree_skier said FF HH

And is it fat free?

it is About time they updated their map. This is what many have been saying for some time. The arch may be open and you may be able to use it but officially it is for ship tours and you end up fighting with the crowds boarding busses. We prefer to cut through the “huts” and go above the swimming pool. Some follow the above route but cut through one of the shops. I think the map is the “official” route through the port passing all the shops!

Isn’t Explorer in Europe? That makes a big difference regarding popular dining times.

Having now listened to the blog he actually says if you have 5.30 dining but don’t get into port until 6 o’clock you can go to MTD. I think he is talking about excursions that run late, as I mentioned above, in ports which have late departures. Sometimes these are scheduled and expected to be late, sometimes the excursion is delayed unexpectedly and returns late (hopefully a ship excursion depending on how late). In the case of an planned late return it is courteous to advise the head waiter the day before and ask for options.

Thanks for current pricing. That is the cheaper pass that we have also done in the past but i think it was under $20 then! I wouldn’t do the full AI at El Cid but that is just our personal preference. It is good for a few hours.