Windy Conditions in Roatan?

[talkorpi]

Hi y'all, we are going to Mahogany Bay next week.  I've been here a couple of times and really love this port, and part of the reason I picked this specific itinerary was for Mahogany Beach.  However, I heard that it has been really windy the last few days and some ships have had to cancel due to wind conditions.  Can anyone verify this?  Never had a port cancellation and I will be pretty bummed if this turns out to be true and happens to us next week!

 

Bonus points if anyone can explain why it has been so windy 😉

[crewsweeper]

Storm systems frontal lows and jet stream.  Been windy throughout Caribbean.  We're on an Eastern next week and forecast is for 15-20 mph early in the week.

 

Double check your forecast for Roatan a few days before you leave.  But one reason Mahogany Bay gets cancelled for wind for bigger ships versus ships being able to dock in Coxen Hole is the geographic location.  Mahogany Bay is primarily a narrow cove surrounded on 3 sides by large hills. Prevailing winds come over those hills and sweep into the cove making.it difficult for larger ships to dock.

[c-leg5]

It seems to have been really windy recently with many ships unable to dock at Costa Maya as well.
 

Mahogany Bay has been notorious for ships being unable to dock ever since it was built due to its geographic location as @crewsweeper says. Other cruiselines are able to dock at Coxen Hole even when ships are unable to dock at Mahogany Bay.

[Guest 2000]

I have been learning from this wind map. Wind Map

 

Fudge.  I was going to offer you the Mahogany Bay webcam as well but it seems to be off line. This is the link if ya wish to have the ocassional peek. 

 

http://www.mahoganybaycc.com/webcam.aspx

[wolft927]

Yea, From Working on Cruise Ships for years as well as cruising Coxen Hole very rarely you will miss. Costa Maya on the other hand I have missed that port almost as many times as not being able to tender in Grand Cayman lol

[DavidsNana]

Just got back from Caribbean Princess Cruise 4/1-4/8 and we missed Roatan/Mahagony Bay and Costa Maya ports due to high winds and seas.  So we only made Cozumel and Belize out of the 4 ports.  We also were lucky to get to go ashore in Belize due to rough seas for the tenders.  We were waiting in the theater for our Cave Tubing excursion to be called to tender.  One group left and then we waited and waited for over an hour before we were taken to the tenders.  Found out later from one of the ships officers that I spoke to ashore, that the wait was due to the seas kicking up and that it was touch and go as to whether or not we would be allowed to tender.  We finally make it but everyone was so late that the tours were delayed so instead of the ship sailing at 5 pm, we sailed at 7:30pm as the tender line was so long that it took that long to get everyone back aboard.  A Royal Caribbean ship was docked at Cozen Hole on Roatan while we sailed by!  Princess did give everyone a $75 non-refundable credit to use as a goodwill gesture for us missing the two ports even though it was not in their control.

[jbrinkm]

We were on Allure (Royal Caribbean) last week and had wind the whole time, and somewhat rough seas, even with cloudless skies and bright sun. Our captain called it a "spicy wind." We did the same exact cruise the year before and had little to no wind, so it definitely felt unusual. That being said, we were able to dock in Roatan because Royal uses Coxen Hole (@DavidsNana maybe you saw us? On Wednesday 4/5?) . We did a 3 reef snorkel and the guys on the boat kept warning us that conditions were rough from the wind, and the third stop wasn't great due to the silt that had been stirred up. They said that the winds were going to be even worse overnight and, lo and behold, we were unable to dock at Costa Maya due to wind/rough seas. 

Edited April 16, 2023 by jbrinkm

[DavidsNana]

@jbrinkmYep, we saw you docked at Coxen Hole as we sailed by to Mahogany Bay.  I was out on our balcony and was pretty sure we weren't going to make it into the port.  I must say that the captain did start to go in so gave it a good try but the wind was just too high.  So you were unable to dock at Costa Maya too!  I have done this exact cruise a few times before also and had never experienced the seemingly constant winds like on this one.  For the life of me, I still don't understand why Carnival Corp built that port on Roatan given the difficulties in docking there in strong winds.  Same for Costa Maya.  Glad that you were able to still do your snorkeling excursion.

[OCSC Mike]

We missed Roatan on Harmony of the Seas in June 2019 due to high winds. Really put a damper on the cruise as we had never been there and had a private tour set up that we were really looking forward to... but what can ya do?

[seekszoe]

In Roatan today and found a cool coffee shop and smoothie cafe a short walk from cruise port gate.  Excellent smoothies and service. They also have a market.  Walk about a half mile outside main gate, it will be to your right.  

Edited May 16, 2023 by seekszoe

[talkorpi]

Guess I’ll follow up here since this is my thread - was on the infamous Ruby Princess 4/2-4/9 cruise. We missed both Roatan and Costa Maya due to windy conditions. Guess I jinxed it by making this post. 😡