Island Marketing Roatan Cruise Excur.-Garifuna, Mangrove Tunnel, Turq.Bay, Iguana far

[World Gallery]

Has anyone used Island Marketing Roatan Island Cruise Excursions? Any feedback? We wanted to find something very authentic to do with our children ages 9 - 16 and they have a tour that sounds great called Garifuna Village, Mangrove Tunnels and Iguana Farm Island Tour w/ stop at Turquoise Bay, but we would love to get feedback first. Here is a description of the tour (from their website) that we want to book with them (It is long!):

Your tour heads to the unspoiled East of Roatan, where you will find authentic Garifuna villages, fishing towns on stilts, lush jungle, beaches and incredible hilltop views of the coral reefs and distant islands of Utila, & Guanaja. As you leave the tiny Capitol of Coxen Hole and your cruise ship behind, the road leads to the busy fishing port of French Harbour with a photo stop at a huge wreck site in the lagoon. With its shrimp boats and shacks this is well off the usual tourist track. The route then leads to French Cay and the Iguana Farm, where you can feed and touch the huge green Island Iguanas. At nearby Parrot Tree plantation, you can take a coffee break at the lovely marina, before driving up the mountainside to photograph both sides of this 3 mile wide island, and see most of its jungle clad 35 mile length.Next, its on to the highlight of the trip. Oakridge and Jonesville. These old Caribbean fishing villages, constructed on stilts over the water give a unique insight into the real Roatan. Joneseville still sports family names dating back to the days when Pirates made it their home from home. Their direct descendents still live in this sleepy backwater, where pirate ships used to “Careen” while waiting for the Spanish Galleons to pass by from South America, loaded with treasures. It hasn’t changed much since then! Here you will board an authentic Cayuco, (motorized canoe for 6). Your Garifuna guide takes you through deep shaded deep mangrove tunnels, barely wide enough for the canoe, and teeming with wildlife. You dock at the famous “hole in the wall” floating bar, for optional lunch and drinks. Constructed loosely of flotsam and barrels and tilting precariously in places, it offers amazing BBQ specialties cooked by its “colorful” owner.After docking back at Oakridge, you drive on to Punta Gorda Garifuna native village, where the way of life has been largely unchanged for hundreds of years. The Garifuna people display their native dancing and music on cruise ship days and this is another great photo and souvenir opportunity. Our last stop is a 30 minute Beach break at Turquoise Bay, to swim or enjoy a drink or snack at this tropical resort & beach. After relaxing in these lush surroundings, you return to the cruise terminal after your real Roatan experience.

[Sanddiver]

Has anyone used Island Marketing Roatan Island Cruise Excursions? Any feedback? We wanted to find something very authentic to do with our children ages 9 - 16 and they have a tour that sounds great called Garifuna Village, Mangrove Tunnels and Iguana Farm Island Tour w/ stop at Turquoise Bay, but we would love to get feedback first. Here is a description of the tour (from their website) that we want to book with them (It is long!):

Your tour heads to the unspoiled East of Roatan, where you will find authentic Garifuna villages, And be asked to pay for the Garifuna Village tourist set up fishing towns on stilts, lush jungle, beaches and incredible hilltop views of the coral reefs and distant islands of Utila, & Guanaja. As you leave the tiny Capitol of Coxen Hole and your cruise ship behind, the road leads to the busy fishing port of French Harbour with a photo stop at a huge wreck site in the lagoon. A rusted frieghter With its shrimp boats and shacks this is well off the usual tourist track. The route then leads to French Cay and the Iguana Farm, where you can feed and touch the huge green Island Iguanas. Can you say Disease?At nearby Parrot Tree plantation, you can take a coffee break at the lovely marina But be ready to PAY as well the coffee aint free, before driving up the mountainside to photograph both sides of this 3 mile wide island, and see most of its jungle clad 35 mile length OK, You pull to the side of the road just like anyone else can do .Next, its on to the highlight of the trip. Oakridge and Jonesville. These old Caribbean fishing villages, constructed on stilts over the water give a unique insight into the real Roatan. Joneseville still sports family names dating back to the days when Pirates made it their home from home. Their direct descendents still live in this sleepy backwater, where pirate ships used to “Careen” while waiting for the Spanish Galleons to pass by from South America, loaded with treasures. It hasn’t changed much since then! So you visit an old village with a bunch of locals who have the same family name, WOW, that happens with the Kennedy's in the Hamptons too but is it worth anything? Here you will board an authentic Cayuco, (motorized canoe for 6).Your Garifuna guide takes you through deep shaded deep mangrove tunnels, barely wide enough for the canoe, and teeming with wildlife. You dock at the famous “hole in the wall” floating bar, for optional lunch and drinks. Constructed loosely of flotsam and barrels and tilting precariously in places, it offers amazing BBQ specialties cooked by its “colorful” owner. Remember, They say luch is optional, it is NOT cheap if you want it and that colorful owner is a North American living on a caribbean Island because tourists pay him After docking back at Oakridge, you drive on to Punta Gorda Garifuna native village, This was built just for tourists to visit, it is somewhat like a disney type thing where the way of life has been largely unchanged for hundreds of years. The Garifuna people display their native dancing and music on cruise ship days and this is another great photo and souvenir opportunity. Our last stop is a 30 minute Beach break at Turquoise Bay, to swim or enjoy a drink or snack at this tropical resort & beach. 30 minutes to break, swim or snack??? Wow, What a great time After relaxing in these lush surroundings, you return to the cruise terminal after your real Roatan experience.

Hope this helps

[barbaraanne]

Hope this helps

 

I take it you've been on this tour then? Well, what do you suggest one does in Roatan??

[World Gallery]

Thanks for taking the time to read through all of that. We are really hoping to find something that represents the "real Roatan" in some way. What about this one? I just received a reply from Maya Key:

 

Admission price to Maya Key is $30 for adults 13 years and older, $20 for children 12 years and younger.

We do have a nice beach and really good snorkeling. Unlimited snorkeling with a snorkel guide is include in your admission.

The animal rescue and rehabilatation is included also. We have birds, monkeys, cats, turtles,croc's, snakes, sea lions etc... that have all been either donated, confiscated, injured or rescued.

We also have replica's of Maya Ruins, an interpretation center and a arts and crafts center. There is a guided tour of the Maya's and the animals center or you may look at all of it on your own. The guided tour is nice because you can learn alot more about the history and culture of the Maya and the animals.

[Name Of The Game]

I've heard that's a very nice place. I would choose that.

[lulubell]

:):):):):):)

Hope this helps

[amapola]

We just did a tour that included the mangrove canals & Garifuna village. The Garifuna dance show was neat, but it did look very touristy. Of course, we are tourists... :rolleyes:

The rest of the tour was awful. We drove by the rusted ship and actually I would have liked to stop there to take a pic, because it does look quite interesting. The canoe ride through the mangrove (called "Roatan's Venice" by some clever marketing person) could have been really neat, but the canals are filthy, full of floating plastic bottles, bags, a mattress (!!), all sorts of junk caught up in the mangrove root system. Wildlife consisted of ONE crab and several birds. We didn't stop at the floating bar, just motored down through the canal, once around a lagoon, and back out the same canal. Maybe 15 minutes total. DH and I still quote the man who was sitting in front of us on the bus, who at one point turned to his wife and asked "You paid for this??" :D It was truly one of the poorest excursions we have ever taken.

[barbaraanne]

We just did a tour that included the mangrove canals & Garifuna village. The Garifuna dance show was neat, but it did look very touristy. Of course, we are tourists... :rolleyes:

The rest of the tour was awful. We drove by the rusted ship and actually I would have liked to stop there to take a pic, because it does look quite interesting. The canoe ride through the mangrove (called "Roatan's Venice" by some clever marketing person) could have been really neat, but the canals are filthy, full of floating plastic bottles, bags, a mattress (!!), all sorts of junk caught up in the mangrove root system. Wildlife consisted of ONE crab and several birds. We didn't stop at the floating bar, just motored down through the canal, once around a lagoon, and back out the same canal. Maybe 15 minutes total. DH and I still quote the man who was sitting in front of us on the bus, who at one point turned to his wife and asked "You paid for this??" :D It was truly one of the poorest excursions we have ever taken.

 

Wow, now that's telling the truth. Thanks for the info!

[Jay B]

I suppose different people like different things. We went on this tour last fall and loved it. We were the only people on the tour and had a great time with our tour guide, Cynthia. Details are included in our review of the Carnival Legend from September 09. j

[Holly2]

we had thought about doing the Mangrove tour and see the local towns by water. Maybe just go to the beach and snorkel.

Really excited about this port -- want to have the best possible day. Anyone used them? Suggestions?

[cruisingforsix]

Ibelieve they also use various names on different islands if i'm not mistaken. In Belize maybe Belize Excursions. We took the same identical tour of Lamanai two different times and couldn't have had two totally different experiences. We took our children in July and it was just the seven of us on a small boat ,very nice and relaxed ,he showed us so many things and took alot of time. We went back last feb. and there were about 40 people on amuch bigger boat and very rushed. we didn't get to show my sister and bil some of the ruins and when we would ask the guide(same guide too) he kept saying not enough time. Iguess there were people from a few ships and maybe had to leave before we did,but it just wasn't a good time the second time around. If you can get a small group it is much better. Also some people had gone tubing with same company and said it was not that great.

[csmileyrun]

Garifuna Village, Mangrove Tunnels and Iguana Farm Island Tour...Just wanted to say what a GREAT time we had with Moody Jones, our personal tour guide on Friday, Dec. 23, 2011 in Roatan. He was extremely knowledgeable, a safe driver, and was just a really nice person. He was even on time even though our port was switched at the last minute. We were the only two on the tour which made it awesome. We really LOVED seeing the REAL Roatan, especially after our AWFUL experience in Costa Maya at the phoney port Carnival set up. The iguanas were really cool and it was great feeding and petting them (we didn't die of disease either!) The mangroves were great, so fascinating to see how they grow. Yes there was trash, but that is real, not some made up tour just to please tourists. We would have Moody be our tour guide again in a heart beat. Thanks again to Moody and Island Marketing! Texas, USA.

[chillin123]

We just did a tour that included the mangrove canals & Garifuna village. The Garifuna dance show was neat, but it did look very touristy. Of course, we are tourists... :rolleyes:

The rest of the tour was awful. We drove by the rusted ship and actually I would have liked to stop there to take a pic, because it does look quite interesting. The canoe ride through the mangrove (called "Roatan's Venice" by some clever marketing person) could have been really neat, but the canals are filthy, full of floating plastic bottles, bags, a mattress (!!), all sorts of junk caught up in the mangrove root system. Wildlife consisted of ONE crab and several birds. We didn't stop at the floating bar, just motored down through the canal, once around a lagoon, and back out the same canal. Maybe 15 minutes total. DH and I still quote the man who was sitting in front of us on the bus, who at one point turned to his wife and asked "You paid for this??" :D It was truly one of the poorest excursions we have ever taken.

Hey, Thanks for the info. We are looking into the Roatan Resort Adventure thru Island Marketing. They take you to the Fantasy Islane Facility for the day and the biggest reason we are looking ino it is the kayaks they have available for 2 hours. Any alternative excusion that you know of, we are not big on histoy but do enjoy kayaking. Also don't want any "Surprises".

[chillin123]

Hey, Thanks for the info. We are looking into the Roatan Resort Adventure thru Island Marketing. They take you to the Fantasy Islane Facility for the day and the biggest reason we are looking ino it is the kayaks they have available for 2 hours. Any alternative excusion that you know of, we are not big on histoy but do enjoy kayaking. Also don't want any "Surprises".

Thank you for the feedback. I am ready to book the same tour-Garifuna Village, Mangrove Tunnels. 4 of us will be going. Would you suggest bringing lunch or chancing it and eating while out. We do not plan on the Iguana Farm. Both men have physical issues one knee and one back-any problem getting in/out of the boat?

[chillin123]

Has anyone used Island Marketing Roatan Island Cruise Excursions? Any feedback? We wanted to find something very authentic to do with our children ages 9 - 16 and they have a tour that sounds great called Garifuna Village, Mangrove Tunnels and Iguana Farm Island Tour w/ stop at Turquoise Bay, but we would love to get feedback first. Here is a description of the tour (from their website) that we want to book with them (It is long!):

Your tour heads to the unspoiled East of Roatan, where you will find authentic Garifuna villages, fishing towns on stilts, lush jungle, beaches and incredible hilltop views of the coral reefs and distant islands of Utila, & Guanaja. As you leave the tiny Capitol of Coxen Hole and your cruise ship behind, the road leads to the busy fishing port of French Harbour with a photo stop at a huge wreck site in the lagoon. With its shrimp boats and shacks this is well off the usual tourist track. The route then leads to French Cay and the Iguana Farm, where you can feed and touch the huge green Island Iguanas. At nearby Parrot Tree plantation, you can take a coffee break at the lovely marina, before driving up the mountainside to photograph both sides of this 3 mile wide island, and see most of its jungle clad 35 mile length.Next, its on to the highlight of the trip. Oakridge and Jonesville. These old Caribbean fishing villages, constructed on stilts over the water give a unique insight into the real Roatan. Joneseville still sports family names dating back to the days when Pirates made it their home from home. Their direct descendents still live in this sleepy backwater, where pirate ships used to “Careen” while waiting for the Spanish Galleons to pass by from South America, loaded with treasures. It hasn’t changed much since then! Here you will board an authentic Cayuco, (motorized canoe for 6). Your Garifuna guide takes you through deep shaded deep mangrove tunnels, barely wide enough for the canoe, and teeming with wildlife. You dock at the famous “hole in the wall” floating bar, for optional lunch and drinks. Constructed loosely of flotsam and barrels and tilting precariously in places, it offers amazing BBQ specialties cooked by its “colorful” owner.After docking back at Oakridge, you drive on to Punta Gorda Garifuna native village, where the way of life has been largely unchanged for hundreds of years. The Garifuna people display their native dancing and music on cruise ship days and this is another great photo and souvenir opportunity. Our last stop is a 30 minute Beach break at Turquoise Bay, to swim or enjoy a drink or snack at this tropical resort & beach. After relaxing in these lush surroundings, you return to the cruise terminal after your real Roatan experience.

Did you go and how was it? I am in the process of booking this same tour but if you went, I would appreciate your feedback.

[chillin123]

Hope this helps

Is this for real?? It really was THAT bad?

[chillin123]

Can Moody be requested? I just signed up for the Private Tour up to 6 (4 of us). Sounds like a great day to me.

[ExpatCanuck]

we used roatan sun splash tours. They were fun and professional. We did a full island tour and the mangroves to port royale (I think thats the name?). There were really neat, they twisted and turned all along the coastline.