Cruise Into Roatan, Honduras

Roatan Island in Honduras was the third port we stopped at on our Carnival Cruise and another unexpected one! As we traveled in September, it was hurricane season in the Caribbean. So our itinerary kept changing to avoid the storms and we didn’t originally expect to cruise into Roatan. Cruises can be so fun but the best part is spending days exploring tropical islands like Roatan.

After we had departed the port in Miami the ship’s staff delivered us another notice advising more changes to the ports we’ll be visiting. We saw that one of our cruise ports will be, ‘Isla Roatan, Mohogany Bay’. My first thought was “yeah but what country is that”? The ship had limited wi-fi, but once we got signal I had a google and realized we’ll be going to Honduras. The Honduras mainland has a reputation for being dangerous, with gang violence and robberies. I did wonder if that had something to do with the notice not mentioning the country?

Isla Roatan never felt unsafe, it’s a small island of about 90 thousand who rely on tourism and it has a large police presence. Their first language is English so organizing our day was easy. 

During this holiday I was traveling with 5 others, I think cruises are a great idea for a group holiday. Also, we thought being in a large group we’ll be able to book some local shore tours at a cheaper rate (this definitely wasn’t the case). 

Cruising into Roatan

When our cruise docked at Mahogany Bay in Roatan we headed to the ship’s top deck to check it out. And it looked absolutely gorgeous. The weather was perfect and from the ship, we could see the lush jungle along the coastline and how crystal clear the ocean was.

After breakfast, we left the ship and headed away from the port hoping to get some local deals on tours or transport of the island. There were people everywhere to answer questions and offer transport. We quickly learned that there were no good deals and definitely no hiding the fact that we arrived on a cruise ship. In the end, we hired a van and driver, and we could go anywhere we wanted. The cost was $40USD per person, insane really! Between the 6 of us, we paid $240 for 7 hours!

Anyway, we got our van and all jumped in, and then a lady followed us on? She asked, “can I sit here”? We were like “Yeh, but who are you?” She introduced herself as our guide or “babysitter”, she explained she was here to help us throughout the day, answer questions, and make sure we are back in time for the departure of the ship. There was never any mention of a guide, nor did we want one, but the van was already moving and we didn’t have the heart to tell her “mmm no thanks, out you go”.

How we spent our day on Roatan: 

Daniel Johnson’s Monkey & Sloth Hang Out.

We had found this place on Trip Advisor, it was in the top 10 things to do in Roatan and also mentioned that we could hold a sloth. Amazing! Daniel Johnson’s Monkey & Sloth Hang Out is a small rescue center for exotic animals. Some of these animals came from the mainland due to their habitats being destroyed by deforestation. Or they once were people’s pets. This was a beautiful center that didn’t at all feel like a zoo. The staff really appreciated the animals and aimed to educate all visitors on each species and why they ended up there.

They have 7 three-toed sloths on the property, none of which are kept in cages. They roam free in the mangroves, being the world’s slowest mammal’s the staff aren’t too worried about them disappearing. This is also one of the only places in Central America where you can actually hold a sloth. After we’d seen all the animals, one of the staff picked up one of the sloths from the trees and brought him over. I was so excited, I’d never seen one in real life before and they were so gorgeous. We were told how to position our hands, then one at a time we each got a little cuddle. This made me so happy that our cruise itinerary changed to include Roatan. Otherwise, I may never have come here.

Entry was $10USD per person and the money goes back to improving the animal’s enclosures and feeding them. I highly recommend visiting, this park was lovely and not at all like one of those horrible ‘for profit’ animal parks. 

West Bay Beach.

After vising the animals we drove 40 mins to West Bay Beach. Apparently, this is the best beach on the island. It was stunning but lined with all-inclusive resorts and was full of tourists. Access to the beach is via the resorts & we each had to pay $10 to enter.

Along Roatan lies the second largest coral reef in the world, so I felt excited to go snorkeling. The Snorkelling straight out in front of the resort wasn’t very good. So after a bit of the swim and sun-bake, we all decide to get a boat to take us out to the reef.

All along the beach were people selling activities and tours, plus a few little market stalls. We paid $10USD each for a boat to take us to a good snorkeling spot, for as long as we wanted. After leaving the beach we quickly realized we’d been ripped off (of course the guy who took our money wasn’t in the boat). The boat literally went further up the beach and stayed very close to the shore. Hot Tip; all you need to do is walk up the beach to the Grand Roatan Caribbean Resort and swim straight out (as long as you’re an ok swimmer, it’s very manageable). So don’t hire a boat and waste $60 haha.

Thankfully this snorkeling spot was incredible. Great visibility, with so many fish & the brightest coral. It was a massive area with a big drop-off. Really awesome.

Throughout the day on Roatan, we found we were constantly pulling money out, more so than any other cruise port!

Our guide was lovely though and it was great to learn more about Honduras from her. At one point she was telling me that she doesn’t get a wage, just relies on tips. And, she actually has to pay the van company $10 for them to allow her to be a guide to their customers. So as frustrating as it was always having to take money out, we made sure she was given a good tip.