Bodden Tours-time issues

[stevea20]

I have been reading many good things about Victor Bodden. Indeed, I find it incredible that, on Trip Advisor, that of just over 1000 reviews posted, 900 of them give Bodden an "excellent" rating. That's unheard of.

 

But there's one issue I haven't seen addressed. Since this company is not allowed to pick up or drop off at the cruise pier, how are they for making sure people get back to their ships on time? And I don't mean just in time but with plenty to spare. We have never done an excursion that wasn't booked through the ship and I'd hate to spend the day worrying that we were going to miss the ship.

 

Comments please? Thanks.

[wantocruisemore]

We're using Victor the end of this month. From his emails to me, while they cannot pick up at the pier, he does indicate they drop you back off there. Plus, if there were people late, believe me, we would hear about it.

 

And that many favorable reviews is NOT unheard of. When we did our Italy trip a couple of years ago we used Rome in Limo due to all the great reviews on Trip Advisor and Cruise Critic. We're not disappointed and I wrote a favorable review after returning home.

[bguppies]

I have been reading many good things about Victor Bodden. Indeed, I find it incredible that, on Trip Advisor, that of just over 1000 reviews posted, 900 of them give Bodden an "excellent" rating. That's unheard of.

 

But there's one issue I haven't seen addressed. Since this company is not allowed to pick up or drop off at the cruise pier, how are they for making sure people get back to their ships on time? And I don't mean just in time but with plenty to spare. We have never done an excursion that wasn't booked through the ship and I'd hate to spend the day worrying that we were going to miss the ship.

 

Comments please? Thanks.

 

Actually you are HALF right......

 

They can't pick you up at the pier if you dock at Carnival's pier at Mahogany Bay, since Carnival uses that to try and discourage cruisers to do independent excursions by making it as difficult as possible for people to get to where they meet their van/bus.

 

So Carnival forces you to walk completely out of the complex, up a hill and over to meet your van at the gate. (like a ten minute walk unless you have mobility issues)

 

But on the way back, Victor Bodden is allowed to bring you all the way back into the complex, to the exact same spot that the Carnival excursions get dropped off.

 

We went with Bodden on our first trip to Roatan and it was a great day and excellent excursion.

 

The reason they are so ridiculously highly rated, is that they have been servicing cruise ship passengers for years and are incredibly professional.

 

Your driver will know when your ship is scheduled to leave and they run on your schedule, so if you want to arrive back a little early, let your driver know.

 

Bill

Edited September 13, 2013 by bguppies

[N.FL Cruisers]

How steep is this hill? I am wondering if my FIL can make it with his bad knee. Is the 10 minute walk once you exit the ship or once you leave the port complex?

[overthehillcruiser]

At Coxen Hole you get with your Bodden driver just a very short distance from the ship...He has a kiosk right in the pier shopping area..No walking compared to Mahogany which we are doing next..There is absolutely no problem with timing of ship departure with Bodden..

Edited November 29, 2013 by overthehillcruiser

[Bluewake]

Four of us did the "Best of Roatan" tour in August with Roland, one of Victor's drivers. (I don't know if he still does tours himself or has drivers). As others have said, you can either walk over the hill or grab a cab. Frankly, unless you can't walk, not much point in taking a cab because it's less than 1/4 mile and not a strenuous walk. As you walk, you will be approached by different people asking if you want a tour. We just said we were meeting Victor Bodden's driver and everyone was helpful. When we met Roland, he had our name on a list. Roland was excellent, very friendly, totally knowledgeable about Roatan and very accommodating in terms of what we wanted to see and do. For example, two in our party wanted to go to Carambola Gardens and we wanted to go to West End. Roland said "no problem", dropped off our friends and took us to West End for a hour while our friends were at the Gardens. We asked to get back to Mahogany Bay with time to allow us to explore the shops and Roland did exactly as we asked. It was our first trip to Roatan and we really liked it...we would go back in a heartbeat. We'd also highly recommend Victor Bodden's tours and Roland in particular.

Edited November 29, 2013 by Bluewake

[Pom Lover]

We used Boden tours last time we were in Roatan and we were told that they had never missed a ship yet. They are extremely professional. We are doing a private tour with them this time and we are extremely excited.

 

My FIL has health issues (bad back) and he was easily able to walk from The ship to meet our tour guide last time. Like others have said after the tour you will be dropped off as close as they can. You will still have to walk across the port complex to board the ship.