Gumbalimba Park

[Dolby1000]

Anyone taken a shore excursion here? Would live to hear about others experiences, we are considering it for an upcoming Wonder Cruise.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Dolby1000

[crewsweeper]

If it's not too hot, there are lots of trails and some animals and birds.  But you need a ship excursion these days.  Visitors can't DIY.

[Dan G]

just came back and I definitely would skip this 'excursion'.  First of all there were 4 or 5 ships in port and the 'tour' involved much more waiting around than an actual tour.  There was a ton of waiting for the 'group' in front of you.  They give you a tour of the trees in the parking lot, then you go up to a stupid insect exhibit.  From there you wait patiently to cross a suspension bridge that takes forever as everyone wants their pix taken as they stand on the bridge.  The mcaws were good but the jumping monkeys I could have lived without.  You wait in long lines to take a pix with the mcaws then again for the monkeys.  That was the whole 'tour'.  The bus was late in picking us up and very late returning us to the ship.  It was pretty much a total rip off with no time to explore.  They charged $5 to put something in a locker and food and drink was way overpriced.  Please skip this tour.

[#1TravelMom]

Dan G :Sorry to hear you didn't have a great experience.

 

Dolby1000: We've been to all the animal parks.   We like Mayan Eden the best.   I recommend Ronystours .com.  We always meet him as soon as the ship docks.  He gets us there before any crowds.   It's a great park.  The monkeys and sloths roam free.   You can get great pics with them. Just the right amount of "education".  Also, if you go with Rony you can stay a long as you like.  No ship excursion schedule. 

[OCSC Mike]

13 hours ago, #1TravelMom said:

We've been to all the animal parks.   We like Mayan Eden the best.   I recommend Ronystours .com.

 

@#1TravelMom We already crossed paths regarding Rony and Roatan in another thread but this led me to a a follow-up question... What are your thoughts on Manawakie vs. Mayan Eden?

 

 

[#1TravelMom]

Manawakie is small with all caged animals.   They have more extensive "lessons" while you visit each area.   We definitely like Mayan Eden the best.   It's a much more natural setting. 

[OCSC Mike]

11 hours ago, #1TravelMom said:

Manawakie is small with all caged animals.   They have more extensive "lessons" while you visit each area.   We definitely like Mayan Eden the best.   It's a much more natural setting. 

 

Thanks. Manawakie was recommended b/c it's smaller and farther away from the port and we want to see more of Roatan anyway and I know RC has its own excursions to Mayan Eden. I've seen very good reviews for both so we'll give it some thought. I still have over 3 weeks.

[ceilidh1]

We were disappointed with Gumbalimba, too. Very similar experience to @Dan G - lots of waiting around. Minimal time with monkeys/macaws and very "staged". I was expecting more natural animal viewing but it wasn't at all like that. I had zero interest in the insect exhibit and would happily have skipped that given the choice. 

[cruisetravel8]

Hello, I see mixed reviews re: Gumbalimba.  Do you have any other suggestions for what to do in port?  Thank you.  We're coming into Coxen Hole thru RCCL.  There is only 1 other ship in port with us.

[cruisetravel8]

Nevermind, I read further in topic and see private tours:  RonysTours, Daniel Johnson or Cleve's Tours.  Thinking a sloth/monkey visit?  iguanas?  I think that's it.  At first thought Gumbalimba Park would be ideal since all together, but reviews are mixed, i.e. long waits, rough travel to park, etc.  So, thinking a private tour instead, do you think crowds would be more manageable this way?  Thank you

 

[#1TravelMom]

If you contact Rony. He can meet you as soon as the ship starts allowing passengers off and take you directly to Myan Eden.   When we were there, we only saw about ten other people. We were just there last month.   We walked through leisurely and had all the time we wanted with the animals. 

[cruisetravel8]

On 8/9/2024 at 9:03 PM, #1TravelMom said:

If you contact Rony. He can meet you as soon as the ship starts allowing passengers off and take you directly to Myan Eden.   When we were there, we only saw about ten other people. We were just there last month.   We walked through leisurely and had all the time we wanted with the animals. 

Hi!  I'm trying to decide which tour with Rony....can I please ask you, since you've done a few...which monkey/sloth place?  Mayan, Mawakanie, Daniel Johnson, AJ's?  We're also thinking to see iguanas, ?butterflies?  Have you done mangrove boat tour, thoughts?  That's mostly what we're most interested in.  See West beach, but not spend too much time there.  Thank you!