First time cruiser looking for Roatan advice for family

[TXfunlovingmom]

Hi all,

My husband and I are taking our first cruise ever in March with our children (one to be six) and the other is ten. Roatan is our first stop, and we will be on a Royal Caribbean ship. We are trying to figure out what the best tour for us is, and after reading about the ferocious bugs I am pretty concerned about our little guy who is a bug magnet, and just becomes miserable. Oh and then there is the Malaria. We really would like to see the Daniel Johnson Monkey and Sloth resort and maybe the Iguanas. We were considering snorkeling but that is not a top priority as we are planning to snorkel in Cozumel. What else could we do where we wouldn't get eaten alive? Glass bottom boat? Hang out in one of the ports? Is there stuff to do at Royal Caribbean ports? Are the food and cocktails tourist safe? Thanks so much!

[idahospud]

Have you considered a private tour? We've used Victor Bodden but Rony's is also rated high. With a private tour you can design a day around what you want. You can get in the monkeys, sloths, iguanas, and even some snorkeling. The snorkeling in Roatan is far superior to Cozumel and is easily accessible from the beach. I wouldn't pass it up. Have to be honest on the bugs, I've been to Roatan probably six or seven times and haven't noticed anything other than flies being a huge problem at any of those stops. Does bug spray not work for your little guy?

[TXfunlovingmom]

Have you considered a private tour? We've used Victor Bodden but Rony's is also rated high. With a private tour you can design a day around what you want. You can get in the monkeys, sloths, iguanas, and even some snorkeling. The snorkeling in Roatan is far superior to Cozumel and is easily accessible from the beach. I wouldn't pass it up. Have to be honest on the bugs, I've been to Roatan probably six or seven times and haven't noticed anything other than flies being a huge problem at any of those stops. Does bug spray not work for your little guy?

 

 

Deb, what you described is basically what we decided on and a tour around the island if we have time! :) So relieved to hear you say that about the bugs. I read some things.. I think they were mostly on Trip Advisor about people getting eaten up. I did some bug spray research and hopefully we will be good. Great to know that about the snorkeling also.. we were starting to lean that way. Thank you!

[idahospud]

Your kids will love it! Holding a sloth was amazing, feeding iguanas was a bit scary for me because there are so many of them everywhere, and the snorkeling was great. We have time to get all those things in along with a tour of the island. Enjoy your trip!

 

Are you all set for the other ports?

[TXfunlovingmom]

Great! We are pretty excited. Yes, I think we are all set for other ports. We are planning our beach day in Cozumel and we booked an excursion for Costa Maya to some ruins that aren't too far away. Can't wait. This will be a new experience for us all. Thanks again for the tips!

[idahospud]

There is nothing like that first cruise! We just finished number 60. Not as exciting as the first one for sure.

[TXfunlovingmom]

There is nothing like that first cruise! We just finished number 60. Not as exciting as the first one for sure.

 

Wow! :D:D:D:D:D:)

[Tonimarieb]

Daniel Johnson’s was the highlight of our last trip. Your kids will love the Sloths! It was such an inexpensive excursion and our entire party(ages 8-60) loved it!

[TXfunlovingmom]

Daniel Johnson’s was the highlight of our last trip. Your kids will love the Sloths! It was such an inexpensive excursion and our entire party(ages 8-60) loved it!

 

 

That's so great to know, thank you! Looking forward to it! :)

[heidikay]

I can recommend. http://roatanoceanadventures.com/ We have gone on snorkel tours twice with him. There is a place with sloths just a few doors down and he can arrange that. Check out the link.

[heidikay]

Also the two times we were there I don't remember bugs.

[c-leg5]

Also the two times we were there I don't remember bugs.

 

Bugs on the beach are notorious in Roatan. They bother some people they don’t affect others. They can be one place one day, another place another. These are not mosquitoes.

[TXfunlovingmom]

Bugs on the beach are notorious in Roatan. They bother some people they don’t affect others. They can be one place one day, another place another. These are not mosquitoes.

 

 

Thanks!

[Greenhopster]

Hi TXfunlovinmom, We have been to Roatan 3 times and each time we use Victor Bodden. It is the best. Private driver and we go to the iguana farm and the monkey business, and all over the island. The driver will do whatever you desire. He will wait for you if your hanging at the beach or having lunch in some very neat waterside restaurants. We also bring some school supplies for an elementary school on the island. Driver will run us by the school and we hand over a couple of bags of supplies they can use. You can't go wrong with Victor's service. The kids will love the animals you can play with.

[BillRobin1971]

If the sun is setting and you’re still there, spray everyone. We got destroyed our first couple of times there, until we were told the no see ums are most bothersome toward sunset. We no longer have issues.

[Kristi Barber]

We also used Victor Bodden and had Tex as our driver. Tex took us several places and we had a great time.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2474234

 

Here is my review and details of what we did with Tex in Roatan. Enjoy!

[TXfunlovingmom]

Thanks so much you all for the tips! We had already booked with Daniel Johnson's and we are getting a tour guide with them. They sound pretty flexible, but I will tuck the other place away in my brain. :)

 

Kristi, great pics, we would love to get to NOLA with our kiddos for a little family vacay there. Love the pic of you and the sloth, I SO want to do that!

[volk904]

Snorkel would be much better in Roataan than Cozumel. It has been a few years but I sure don’t remember the bugs on West Bay Beach any worse than any other Beach.

 

 

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[#1TravelMom]

We have toured with Ronystours.com many times. Rony is awesome. Our kids love the monkeys and sloths. Also, you could add a stop in Rony's village. He is from a small, very poor town. Your children could take gifts. Rony could arrange for your children to meet kids their age and give them the gifts directly. We have wonderful memories visiting and interacting with children there. They are just precious and extremely appreciative for anything you give them. I think it has been a great experience for my girls to see how some children live with much less and are happy.

[cheggy]

Thanks so much you all for the tips! We had already booked with Daniel Johnson's and we are getting a tour guide with them. They sound pretty flexible, but I will tuck the other place away in my brain. :)

 

Kristi, great pics, we would love to get to NOLA with our kiddos for a little family vacay there. Love the pic of you and the sloth, I SO want to do that!

We did this and it was wonderful. The sloth we held was named Dori and she was so gentle and sweet. Hair feels like it's course like a horse's tail.

Hope you have happy memories as we do.

[KarimaJ]

At Little French Key there were no bugs and I am a mosquito magnet as well!

[geduffer]

I’m going to Roatan next April and I’ve found this thread to be extremely enlightening! Thanks to all for their contributions to this discussion. I will add what I experience when I go.

 

 

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