Trying To Embrace Royal Excursions

[RCCL Fan]

16 hours ago, AustinCruise said:

In Roatan we did the RCCL beach break to Tabyana @ west beach.  It was pleasant.  Reasonably early trip over there on a crowded bus. But only about 40-50 at the place.  Trips back started at noon and last one at returned about 1.5 hours before the ship left.  There was 6 of us that stayed until the end.

 

Food was meh but beach was super empty - thanks Covid - so we had a good time.  Could walk up and down and find something else if needed.

 

Biggest negative on our excursions was lots of folks out selling their goods w/ not many customers.  All were polite, but it got annoying.

 

We usually do Bodden Tours but this worked out fine for us. A bit more relaxing, usually we pack more in.

 I would LOVE to go there.  We love west bay beach.  Last time we had Bodden Tours take us around the island for a lay of the land then drop us at west bay beach for most of the day.

 

That's what I WANT to do.   But Tabyana isn't an excursion option for us on our upcoming sailing.  I don't know why.      😞

[RCCL Fan]

14 hours ago, cruizzing said:

@RCCL Fan: We also like to do our own excursions and will run into the same problem in April (with kids traveling with our group and us wanting to do excursions). I've looked into "Private Journeys" through Royal, though haven't used it yet. (I am at the stage in the process where they've sent me a suggested itinerary and we still have some time to decide/commit).  However, DEFINITELY more than booking tours on your own, but seems to satisfy Royal's kids/excursion restriction and may be similar to what you're used to. Good luck, and would love to hear what you and your family end up doing in port.

 

Never heard of this!  I'll go check it out!

[AustinCruise]

50 minutes ago, RCCL Fan said:

 I would LOVE to go there.  We love west bay beach.  Last time we had Bodden Tours take us around the island for a lay of the land then drop us at west bay beach for most of the day.

 

That's what I WANT to do.   But Tabyana isn't an excursion option for us on our upcoming sailing.  I don't know why.      😞

Good luck. Hope it shows up. I’m shocked it’s not there. 

[Sea Dog]

I wish I could help Wayne but I've never been to Roatan yet. We will be there coming up September of 2022. I will be monitoring this thread to hear recommendations. Excited about going there. I hope you get some good alternatives.

[c-leg5]

20 minutes ago, AustinCruise said:

Good luck. Hope it shows up. I’m shocked it’s not there. 

+1

 

I am also surprised it isn’t there since it us exclusively for cruisers. Do you have other ships in port that day - perhaps they are restricting mixing, or perhaps they have reached their limit with limited capacity. 
 

If you are intent on West Bay, I see Mayan Princess is an option, further down the bay. Do you normally swim out to the reef to actually snorkel? You would need to walk back towards Infinity to be closer to the reef in the water otherwise you would have the beach and the ocean, and presumably the resort pools, if they are allowing access to non-residents.

 

Have you considered Turquoise Bay VIP?

 

personally i would give Maya Key a try, if it is as it was although the beach isn’t very good if that is important. Transport is so easy from Coxen Hole. 

Edited September 20, 2021 by c-leg5

[RCCL Fan]

1 hour ago, c-leg5 said:

+1

 

I am also surprised it isn’t there since it us exclusively for cruisers. Do you have other ships in port that day - perhaps they are restricting mixing, or perhaps they have reached their limit with limited capacity. 
 

If you are intent on West Bay, I see Mayan Princess is an option, further down the bay. Do you normally swim out to the reef to actually snorkel? You would need to walk back towards Infinity to be closer to the reef in the water otherwise you would have the beach and the ocean, and presumably the resort pools, if they are allowing access to non-residents.

 

Have you considered Turquoise Bay VIP?

 

personally i would give Maya Key a try, if it is as it was although the beach isn’t very good if that is important. Transport is so easy from Coxen Hole. 

 

Thanks for the advice....   Turquoise Bay and Mayan Princess are not sensible for us. 

We have 5 children traveling with us. $179 each for lobster and open bar for them is silly.   They eat fries and chicken nuggets.    It's just not sensible for our group to pay $900 for them alone. 

 

So it's French Key, Maya Key, or Sol Y Mar for us.  

 

Yes it's a crowded day ---  4 ships in port the day we're in Roatan,  I'd be fine knowing our options are limited if their attempt is not to mix ships.

 

 

 

[RCCL Fan]

1 hour ago, Sea Dog said:

I wish I could help Wayne but I've never been to Roatan yet. We will be there coming up September of 2022. I will be monitoring this thread to hear recommendations. Excited about going there. I hope you get some good alternatives.

 

This thread isn't just for Roatan,  I mentioned it as an example.  We need help in Costa Maya and Cozumel too.... but i think it should be any island.

 

Just looking to give parents of vaccine less kids idea of tours that might work for us... no matter where they are. 

[c-leg5]

14 minutes ago, RCCL Fan said:

 

Thanks for the advice....   Turquoise Bay and Mayan Princess are not sensible for us. 

We have 5 children traveling with us. $179 each for lobster and open bar for them is silly.   They eat fries and chicken nuggets.    It's just not sensible for our group to pay $900 for them alone. 

 

So it's French Key, Maya Key, or Sol Y Mar for us.  

 

Yes it's a crowded day ---  4 ships in port the day we're in Roatan,  I'd be fine knowing our options are limited if their attempt is not to mix ships.

 

 

 

I understand.

 

I presume it is BIG French key not LITTLE? I haven’t been to either but I have been to the other two if you have any specific questions. I guess it depends on the ages of the kids and what they like to do, and how adventurous? 
 

Way back when Maya Key was “Fins and Flippers”, there was a menu to order from but I believe the last couple of times it was a set bbq type meal - I don’t recall kids food - we had a toddler with us.

 

By the way, Turquoise Bay has cheaper options, (in case other people are interested) - I just got the impression you  liked “over-the-water”cabanas and I read a review about them once. We went long before the cabanas were built and the boys went fishing while the ladies relaxed., but there is not a lot there other than a pool.

[jean87510]

9 hours ago, KimA75 said:

We are completely in the same boat.  We did book Maya Key for Roatan, even though we were really looking forward to a private tour there.  Costa Maya- we hate that we are missing Maya Chan, but I am actually looking forward to to the Bacalar Fort and Seven Colors Lagoon.  Cozumel is our issue.  There are so few excursions available for a 7 year old and we don't want just another beach day.  So far, my 11 year old, 7 year old, and I are staying onboard, while my husband will go scuba with a private company (hubby and I are vaccinated).  I would love to take the kids on an ATV or dune buggy tour, or do something a little more active than a beach day.  I know there are some private companies that allow some younger kids than what RC indicates.  So, it would be nice if they could add more options.  But, we are also going in December.  With the recent Pfizer study I'm hoping that we will have time to get the kids vaccinated before we go and then we can look into other options.

 

I would love for someone to give some ideas or reviews on here with the kids that are around 7 for Cozumel.  Hopefully I will see a review that makes me go "Ooh, that sounds amazing.  Let me get on RC's site and book it now!"  

Xcaret. Xel-ha.  both at playa del carmen.  My kids loved both places at that age.

[jean87510]

9 hours ago, KimA75 said:

We are completely in the same boat.  We did book Maya Key for Roatan, even though we were really looking forward to a private tour there.  Costa Maya- we hate that we are missing Maya Chan, but I am actually looking forward to to the Bacalar Fort and Seven Colors Lagoon.  Cozumel is our issue.  There are so few excursions available for a 7 year old and we don't want just another beach day.  So far, my 11 year old, 7 year old, and I are staying onboard, while my husband will go scuba with a private company (hubby and I are vaccinated).  I would love to take the kids on an ATV or dune buggy tour, or do something a little more active than a beach day.  I know there are some private companies that allow some younger kids than what RC indicates.  So, it would be nice if they could add more options.  But, we are also going in December.  With the recent Pfizer study I'm hoping that we will have time to get the kids vaccinated before we go and then we can look into other options.

 

I would love for someone to give some ideas or reviews on here with the kids that are around 7 for Cozumel.  Hopefully I will see a review that makes me go "Ooh, that sounds amazing.  Let me get on RC's site and book it now!"  

Xcaret. Xel-ha.  both around playa del carmen.  My kids loved both places at that age.

[c-leg5]

28 minutes ago, RCCL Fan said:

 

This thread isn't just for Roatan,  I mentioned it as an example.  We need help in Costa Maya and Cozumel too.... but i think it should be any island.

 

Just looking to give parents of vaccine less kids idea of tours that might work for us... no matter where they are. 

You would normally get better responses from the ports of call forums but I agree they are slow at the moment and only just becoming active.

[Jerseygirl1416]

45 minutes ago, RCCL Fan said:

 

Thanks for the advice....   Turquoise Bay and Mayan Princess are not sensible for us. 

We have 5 children traveling with us. $179 each for lobster and open bar for them is silly.   They eat fries and chicken nuggets.    It's just not sensible for our group to pay $900 for them alone. 

 

So it's French Key, Maya Key, or Sol Y Mar for us.  

 

Yes it's a crowded day ---  4 ships in port the day we're in Roatan,  I'd be fine knowing our options are limited if their attempt is not to mix ships.

 

 

 

I would cross off Sol Y Mar. We made reservations for passes there directly with the beach resort. They were supposed to pick us up at the port but didn’t show so we got in a taxi and found out they were closed that day for seaweed. They didn’t bother to email or call or text us that information. Very annoying.

[puppymom76]

We are also traveling with an unvaccinated child (8 yrs) with a similar itinerary to yours and I’m also chafing at the excursion restrictions. I would normally book a private tour, do only what we want for as long as we want at a fraction of the cost! I just keep telling myself we’ll have a good time and that’s all that matters 🙂

For Cozumel I’ve booked the “swim with a pair of dolphins at Chankanaab” excursion (and hopefully have time for some lunch and a little beach snorkeling ); for Costa Maya we are touring ruins (she’s not going to be excited about that but it’s what my Husband wanted to do and it’s his vacation, too! Lol); and in Roatan we are going to Gumbalimba Park to play with monkeys and sloths and hopefully zip line and have some beach time. I say hopefully because the excursion is very short to try to cram all of that into 3.5 hrs. I don’t understand why the excursions are all so expensive and so short? If we leave at the appointed time we will be back on the ship every day no later than 1:30, sometimes as early as 12! 

[c-leg5]

28 minutes ago, Jerseygirl1416 said:

I would cross off Sol Y Mar. We made reservations for passes there directly with the beach resort. They were supposed to pick us up at the port but didn’t show so we got in a taxi and found out they were closed that day for seaweed. They didn’t bother to email or call or text us that information. Very annoying.

I am sure that was annoying but this is one case when booking through the cruise line might actually be advantageous, as the tour would have been cancelled and refunded on board.

 

I am not as familiar with seaweed problem locations on Roatan as Cozumel but I do know we have encountered a lot of seagrass at West End on a couple of visits. Not sure when your visit was scheduled but I hope you managed to find an alternative location? 

[Missusdubbya]

12 hours ago, KimA75 said:

to the Bacalar Fort and Seven Colors Lagoon

I have been on this tour at Costa Maya, it was great 👍 

[brillohead]

4 hours ago, puppymom76 said:

for Costa Maya we are touring ruins (she’s not going to be excited about that but it’s what my Husband wanted to do and it’s his vacation, too! Lol)

I'll probably get attacked by someone in this thread for saying this, but would you consider allowing your child to stay on board during that port day, if it's something she wouldn't enjoy doing?

I know a lot of people will exclaim, "it's a FAMILY vacation, we need to be TOGETHER ALL THE TIME!!!!" ... but honestly, after almost two years of COVID and social distancing and quarantining/isolating, I think most families have had PLENTY of time together of late.

When my son was 4yo, we cruised on Princess and he ADORED the kiddie program... couldn't wait to go, hated to be picked up, and couldn't wait to return.  We did Chankanaab as a family, but in St. Martin we let him stay on board and we went off and rented scooters and rode all over the island.  He had a great time on the ship with his friends and we had a great time on the island as a couple and everyone was happy.  

For those who would clutch their pearls and wring their hands and exclaim, "But what if you were in an accident and missed the ship!!!!!"  Well, if I'm in an accident, I certainly DON'T want my child there in the accident with me!!!  If anything were to happen to us on the island, I at least would know that my son is safe and fed and entertained on board amongst familiar faces... even scarier would be for him to be on an excursion with us and we get injured and he's there with strangers or alone while we're unconscious in a ditch somewhere.

Anyway, just something to think about.  I know that I would have been bored to death at a Mayan Ruins excursion at 8yo and would have complained constantly to my parents that it's hot, I'm thirsty, my feet hurt / I'm tired from all the walking, I'm bored, I'm hungry, etc.  My parents wouldn't have enjoyed the tour, and I wouldn't have enjoyed the tour, and it would have been a waste of time and money and effort all for the sake of saying that we'd spent the day together.  You have all the other port days and all the sea days to spend together, so a 6-8 hour separation isn't going to make your family vacation a failure. JMHO

[jean87510]

4 hours ago, brillohead said:

I'll probably get attacked by someone in this thread for saying this, but would you consider allowing your child to stay on board during that port day, if it's something she wouldn't enjoy doing?

I know a lot of people will exclaim, "it's a FAMILY vacation, we need to be TOGETHER ALL THE TIME!!!!" ... but honestly, after almost two years of COVID and social distancing and quarantining/isolating, I think most families have had PLENTY of time together of late.

When my son was 4yo, we cruised on Princess and he ADORED the kiddie program... couldn't wait to go, hated to be picked up, and couldn't wait to return.  We did Chankanaab as a family, but in St. Martin we let him stay on board and we went off and rented scooters and rode all over the island.  He had a great time on the ship with his friends and we had a great time on the island as a couple and everyone was happy.  

For those who would clutch their pearls and wring their hands and exclaim, "But what if you were in an accident and missed the ship!!!!!"  Well, if I'm in an accident, I certainly DON'T want my child there in the accident with me!!!  If anything were to happen to us on the island, I at least would know that my son is safe and fed and entertained on board amongst familiar faces... even scarier would be for him to be on an excursion with us and we get injured and he's there with strangers or alone while we're unconscious in a ditch somewhere.

Anyway, just something to think about.  I know that I would have been bored to death at a Mayan Ruins excursion at 8yo and would have complained constantly to my parents that it's hot, I'm thirsty, my feet hurt / I'm tired from all the walking, I'm bored, I'm hungry, etc.  My parents wouldn't have enjoyed the tour, and I wouldn't have enjoyed the tour, and it would have been a waste of time and money and effort all for the sake of saying that we'd spent the day together.  You have all the other port days and all the sea days to spend together, so a 6-8 hour separation isn't going to make your family vacation a failure. JMHO

especially when you factor in the ride there and back!

[brillohead]

1 hour ago, jean87510 said:

especially when you factor in the ride there and back!

Thanks... it's nice to know that I'm not the only one.

[CruisinMama2003]

1 hour ago, brillohead said:

Thanks... it's nice to know that I'm not the only one.

Nope you arent the only one. We have left our son on the ship many many times for excursions that i KNOW he would not have enjoyed. 

[Biker19]

7 hours ago, brillohead said:

I'll probably get attacked by someone in this thread for saying this,

Have not seen the parenting police lately.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

13 hours ago, RCCL Fan said:

 

This thread isn't just for Roatan,  I mentioned it as an example.  We need help in Costa Maya and Cozumel too.... but i think it should be any island.

 

Just looking to give parents of vaccine less kids idea of tours that might work for us... no matter where they are. 

if you tell us WHAT is available for your cruise, I am sure we'll scrape up enough knowledge to help you with some choices. 🙂

[KimA75]

14 hours ago, jean87510 said:

Xcaret. Xel-ha.  both around playa del carmen.  My kids loved both places at that age.

I thought about Xcaret, but I admit, I'm leery of taking the ferry.  I know this cuts out a lot of options, so maybe I need to get over it.  The last time we were there, a few years ago, there were safety issues with some of the ferries.  It has been a while though.  I'm not seeing a RC choice for Xel-ha.

[RCCL Fan]

14 hours ago, c-leg5 said:

I understand.

 

I presume it is BIG French key not LITTLE?

 

(in case other people are interested) - I just got the impression you  liked “over-the-water”cabanas and I read a review about them once. We went long before the cabanas were built and the boys went fishing while the ladies relaxed., but there is not a lot there other than a pool.

 

Yes Big French Key is what's offered.

 

I would love to hear your thoughts on the other two.

 

No, not looking for cabanas....  never done one.     and I wish they had cheaper options for us.... but as I mentioned, creating a safe place for us with young kids who don't have any options other than what's listed on the RCI website.

[RCCL Fan]

14 hours ago, c-leg5 said:

You would normally get better responses from the ports of call forums but I agree they are slow at the moment and only just becoming active.

 

Yes, this thread has turned into lets discuss Roatan, and that wasn't what I intended it to be....

 

Otherwise I would have gone there.

 

Instead, I was looking to create a thread for families of unvaccinated  kids to discuss favorite rci options/tours which didn't have a high age limit on the various different islands.   I simply used Roatan as one example and then everyone started talking about Roatan....  wasn't my intention.

[RCCL Fan]

14 hours ago, puppymom76 said:

We are also traveling with an unvaccinated child (8 yrs) with a similar itinerary to yours and I’m also chafing at the excursion restrictions. I would normally book a private tour, do only what we want for as long as we want at a fraction of the cost! I just keep telling myself we’ll have a good time and that’s all that matters 🙂

For Cozumel I’ve booked the “swim with a pair of dolphins at Chankanaab” excursion (and hopefully have time for some lunch and a little beach snorkeling ); for Costa Maya we are touring ruins (she’s not going to be excited about that but it’s what my Husband wanted to do and it’s his vacation, too! Lol); and in Roatan we are going to Gumbalimba Park to play with monkeys and sloths and hopefully zip line and have some beach time. I say hopefully because the excursion is very short to try to cram all of that into 3.5 hrs. I don’t understand why the excursions are all so expensive and so short? If we leave at the appointed time we will be back on the ship every day no later than 1:30, sometimes as early as 12! 

 

It's a bear isn't it??

 

We fell victim to all the documentaries on how horrible the dolphin places are and we don't do them anymore.  BUT...  we did them before all that. I've done the one at Chankanaab, and I will give you some advice.  The platform we were led on was out in the ocean, it's just kinda fenced off.    As a result, if the waves are high, as they often are, you are constantly being pushed and knocked off your feet by the waves.  As adults we had a very hard time standing on the platform, and couldn't imagine doing it with kids.    They have life vests on so I guess you're just floating and that's ok.  Just something to be mindful of.

 

My wife wanted to do Gumbalimba, and I protested, Mexico's beaches have the bad seaweed, in Roatan I want to be in crystal clear water on the beach all day, not in the forest.    So, she agreed.   But maybe i'll circle back around.

 

The other family we're traveling with has a dad who wants to do the ruins.    I don't care that much, and the kids will be bored, so we're splitting up that day. 

 

I'm hoping it all washes out in the end!  I'll definitely report back on how mine goes