Port Of Roatn Town Center
Port of Roatán – Coxen Hole
Courtesy of Discover Roatán
If you are calling at Roatán on ships of cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean, NCL, MSC, Oceania, Regent or Viking you will be docking at the Port of Roatán Town Center frequently referred to as Coxen Hole – the name of the largest city on the island of Roatán just a few minutes walk away.You may like to check these links: portofroatan.com | and www.discoverroatan.net
Day In Roatan What To Do On Cruise Ship Stop
It looks like all the other posts are people actually vacationing for an extended period of time in Roatan. For us, it will be a stop on our cruise the last week in October. The last carribean cruise I took, i met a bunch of people in Belize who had just come from Roatan and they LOVED IT. Here is my question: I am a beach lover, my husband is not a beach lover, nor is he a shopper. Sometimes he will go get a bite to eat and a beer in air conditioning while I sun myself, so if there is a beach that has something else right nearby, that is great. Neither of us are divers. If you had just 6 or 8 hours in Roatan, what would you do? . I’d like to spend at least an hour or two on an outrageously beautiful beach, then get to see some of the highlights of the island, perhaps via taxi?? Help, its coming up quickly. p.s. this is a change on our itinerary due to recent damage to the pier in Mexico , so it is a VERY pleasant surprise for us. Sorry for being a little lengthy, but no sense in asking for recommendations without giving you an idea of our likes and dislikes.
Here is a link to a guide who caters to cruise ships. I do not have any first hand info. it’s just a link I found, but it seems like a good way to spend a day.
Enjoy!
Put on your insect repellent, the no-see-ums can be voracious!
And there is the option of Coral Cay, which is a very beautiful setting with wildlife, beach, shop, reef, restaurant all out on a wind cooled cay.
Culture & History Of The Roatan Cruise Port
Originally, Roatan was home to the indigenous Paya, Maya, Lenca, and Jicaque tribes. In the 14th century, Chistopher Colombus sailed to the islands and brought European diseases which devastated the local communities. Pirates and traders were common in the era. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the fishing and tourism industries expanded, and the population boomed as a result.
Roatan Port Facilities & Location
There are two places where your cruise ship may dock: Coxen Hole and Mahogany Bay. At Coxen Hole, youll find a shopping mall and restaurants for a quick bite to eat. Theres an ATM as well as internet access in the area, and its walking distance to other parts of Roatan.
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Top Food And Drink Spots Near The Roatan Cruise Port
360 Restaurant and Bar
Visit 360 and soak in the low-key ambiance. Try the whole red snapper and a plate of parrilladas, a platter of grilled meats. The rice and beans in mojo sauce is one of the most popular dishes.
La Sirena de Camp Bay
Seafood is the standard fare at La Sirena, where lionfish, coconut shrimp, and rum are featured. The ocean views are well worth the drive.
Cals Cantina
If youre craving Tex-Mex, head to Cals. Admire the beautiful island views as you enjoy lunch. Try the conch fritters or fried shrimp. For dessert, dont miss the coconut pie. Theyre open Tuesday to Fridays.
Zip Line Through The Jungle
Roatans lush mountainous interior makes it an excellent zip lining spot. Youll find multiple zip line adventures to choose from on the island, including options close to it all.
For example, South Shore Zip Line Adventures in West Bay allows guests to glide over the forest canopy and take in a birds-eye view of the sea and vegetation below. Youll also have access to several suspension bridges and walkways, taking you deeper into the jungle to view the regions wildlife.
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Escape To Little French Key
Little French Key is a private island resort that is highly rated among cruisers visiting Roatan. Different packages are available including use of the white sand beaches, food, and drinks. There are also a number of add-ons like horseback riding, massages, and more.
This private escape also offers combo tours which include access to the resort in addition to either a visit to AJs Sloth Farm, a guided Mayatlantis tour, a guided snorkel tour, a zipline ride, or scuba diving.
Most cruise lines offer packages to the neighboring Big French Key instead. Big French Key offers a similar, yet more simplistic experience.
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Important Things To Know
1. NCL ships pull into the Port of Roatán, Coxen Hole.
2. English is the first language on the island, followed by Spanish.
3. There is one well-worn road and no detours around traffic jams. Bare this in mind if you venture out on your own.
4. The U.S. State Department considers Roatán reasonably safe for travelers.
5. Taxi fares are usually one way and sometimes quoted on a per-person basis . Clarify what you want and the total price before you begin your journey.
Around the Port of Roatán
Before coming in to port I asked at the shore excursion desk what we would find in and around Coxen Hole. The desk person responded emphatically that, There is nothing there. Nothing.
This is not quite true. The dockyard is small and colorful, with cheap souvenir stores, craft carts and a couple of outdoor bars and coffee stands.
The street just outside the dockyard is filled with local craft stalls, empanada stands and small cafes, one or two overlooking the water.
This stretch of road is not going to appeal to everyone. But were an adventurous family. If wed had the time we would have ventured down this street to window shop, bargain and try our luck with the empanadas.
Unfortunately, we only had a few minutes on the dock before we had to board so we couldnt look around as much as we wanted to.
Get Ready For Roatáns Busy Dock Yard
Takeaway 1: If you want to do a shore excursion, especially a visit to the reef, book it early on in your cruise, ideally before you leave home.
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Cruising On Carnival Glory Heres Our Guide To Everything You Need To Know Before You Board
About the Ship:Carnival Glory is a large-sized, family-friendly ship. Staying true to Carnivals laid-back approach to cruising, Glorys attractions include casual dining spots, and activities like comedy shows, lip-sync contests and dance parties. Glory launched in 2003 and refurbished in 2017 when it received a WaterWorks aqua park featuring the Twister slide, AquaTunnel, and kids area. At full capacity , Carnival Glory can hold up to 3,756 passengers and offers 1,492 total cabins.
Activities + Entertainment: As most have found when sailing on Carnival Glory, finding something to do during your days at sea will not be a problem for travelers of any age! Onboard highlights include a WaterWorks Aqua Park, kids and teens clubs, a video arcade, an adults-only Solarium, onboard shopping, a casino, an art gallery, and three pools.
Entertainment options on Carnival Glory include the family-friendly Hasbro Game Show and the Punchliner Comedy Club. There are also Playlist Productions shows in the main theater and the Towel Animal Theater experience where passengers of all ages can learn how to make the same towel creatures they find in their cabins. At night, adults can sample cocktails and dance the night away at Glorys many bars such as SkyBox Sports, Alchemy Bar, and Azure.
What to Expect at Embarkation & Onboard Procols
What’s At The Coxen Hole Terminal
This port and Terminal is much smaller than Mahogany Bay, only has one pier perpendicular to the coast and the exit gates open directly into a nice but smaller plaza. But the terminal also has all basics services like Restrooms, Car Rental, Pharmacy, ATM, Internet, an Information Booth, and Taxi Stand.
Port of Roatán – Coxen Hole
Courtesy of Discover Roatán
This terminal only has a few duty-free stores and gift shops. The shore excursion bus hub is on the right side of the terminal. On the left side, you will find the the taxi dispatch and the exist to the main street leading to Coxen Hole. Although within walking distance, there isn’t much to see in this small town.
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Go Scuba Snuba Diving
Have you been putting off the scuba diving excursions because you dont know how to dive, but secretly wish you could? Well, worry no more the snuba excursion allows you to learn how to scuba dive and actually do it.
If you are booked on this excursion, you will take a 40 minutes bus ride from the cruise center to a private resort called Anthony keys resort. Once there you will have a class on basic scuba diving practices. Then proceed to practice the same in shallow waters and once you have mastered how its done, you will be taken to an actual diving area where you will get to dive and explore the beautiful coral reef off the shores of Roatan. All this will part you with about $135.
If you are already a certified scuba diver, you want to take the 2 tank diving excursion, also located at Antonys Key resort, where there are 2 excellent diving spots, namely Marylins porch and elbow. These spots offer 70 feet and 40 feet well lighted deep-sea excursions. The dive guides are professional and caring, and you can always access your photos and videos from the local photographer diving with you taking pictures and videos of you underwater.
Roatan Cruise Tips Activities And Overview
Food and Drink in Roatan
Editor’s Note: Addresses in Roatan do not exist the way we know them. We’ve included pertinent location information locals and cabbies will be able to point the way.
One of the best drinks on the island is Salva Vida, a famed local beer. It can be found at just about any bar or restaurant. If you’re not the beer-drinking type, pina coladas are always a sure bet.
Eldon’s Supermarket: In the center of Coxen Hole, Eldon’s Supermarket’s cafeteria scrambles up eggs, along with fried beans and tortillas.
The Lighthouse: The Lighthouse, located in West End on the south side of the point, offers some of the best fish tacos, grilled lobster and conch soup on the island.
Trattoria da Piero: This restaurant, found at the Las Rocas Resort, is set on a rocky point at West Bay and known for authentic Bay Island dishes like shrimp with rice, chicken in coconut milk and beef in coconut milk.
Pura Vida: Pura Vida, at the Splash Inn in the center of West End, cooks up homemade pasta, pizza and seafood.
Dale’s Restaurant: Located along the water on the road from Coxen Hole to Little French Cay, Dale’s Restaurant specializes in Honduran food, buffet style.
Fruit Carts: Just outside the Coxen Hole port gates, you’ll find local vendors who drive by with fruit carts. Try fresh, sweet slices of local pineapple for just a dollar or two.
Beaches in Roatan
Don’t Miss in Roatan
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Explore An Eco Nature Park
For a similar experience, many cruisers also enjoy the Manawakie Eco Nature Park. Located on the north side of Roatan, you can also interact with many exotic animals here. At Manawakie Eco Nature Park, you will get up close and personal with sloths, birds, monkeys, and more.
The Mayan Eden Eco Park is another option located a bit closer to the cruise port. Here, you will find a butterfly and hummingbird sanctuary, in addition to interactions with monkeys and sloths. You can also add on a zipline tour at this attraction.
Both options are great cruise excursions for nature lovers.
Arch’s Iguana Farm & Marine Park
The iguanas in Roatan are a unique experience for visitors. There are over 3500 iguanas at Archs Iguana Farm & Marine Park! The indigenous Black Spiny-Tailed Iguana is a crowd favorite, as are the Tarpon in the marine park. Island guests are free to interact with iguanas and feed them. This island attraction is an awesome combination excursion with Daniel Johnsons Monkey & Sloth Hangout.
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Roatan Village Itinerary & Schedule Changes
Due to weather and other unforeseen conditions, the cruise ship may be delayed. The 2021-2022 Port of Roatan cruise ship schedule may be changed by the line/administrator, in favor of wellbeing or security reasons, strikes or common distress, port shutdown, government organizations travel notices or advisories, or for many other reasons. Changing ports of call, is part of the cruise lines strategy on arrival/departure times, etc.. If a port is skipped from your booked schedule, all administration expenses and port charges for that port will be discounted to the travelers credit accounts.
- Port of Roatan Exit & Excursion Meetup Map
Things To Do On Roatn
Monkeys and Beach
We were traveling with a kid who hates snorkeling. Had I done my research and learned about Roatáns amazing reef I might have booked a snorkel trip anyway.
But since tween traveler loves monkeys, we booked a shore excursion to Gumbalimba Park animal preserve, which has friendly capuchin monkeys from the mainland.
As in Belize, the tour guide on the bus did a lot of talking, telling us about the islands history and current economic boom. The lesson continued in the park, which had bas-relief of the island, inside a genuine pirate cave.
While walking through the park we spotted one sloth in the trees, lots of large iguanas, a rodent-like local rabbit, fluffy-footed local chickens and toucans.
There are parrots, which will sit on your arms, shoulders and head for photos. They are heavy, with big claws that grab you snugly. Its not what you expect and nor is it the most comfortable thing. Its the kind of thing you have to do once.
From the parrots we moved on to the monkeys, which tween traveler couldnt get enough of. She let any little capuchin that came near her sit on her arms, shoulders and head and petted their soft fur. We took a lot of photos.
The tour ends with an insectarium, which had a large collection of mounted butterflies and bugs. It was odd looking at dead specimens after interacting with so many live ones. Its skippable unless you are fascinated by bugs.
Tabayana Beach
Other Roatán Excursions
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Top Sights & Attractions For Cruises To Roatan
Roatan Rum Company
Rum tasting, anyone? The Roatan Rum Company is centrally located near the Roatan lighthouse and offers tours Monday through Saturday. Sample the chocolate rum, the delicious rum cake, and other local delicacies. On your cruise to Roatan, soak in the beautiful view from the top of Rum Point.
Flamingo Cultural Center
The best way to discover the history and community of the island is the Flamingo Cultural Center, which offers educational programming on Garifuna culture, local preservation efforts, responsible tourism, social programs to benefit the local community, and much more. Look into the traditional dance classes while youre here.
West Bay Beach
On your Roatan, Honduras cruise, hit the beach at West Bay, which is great for families with young kids. The water is shallow enough that all types of swimmers can enjoy, plus it’s brimming with schools of fish and colorful coral to explore. There is a fee to enter, but it comes with access to restrooms and changing stations. Rent a beach chair and enjoy a cold drink while you unwind.
Ziplining And Relax At Tabayana Beach
Traverse above the Roatan jungle of Gumbalimba through 12 zip lines which are up to 600 feet apart. A one-hour bus ride will take you to the mountain ridge and from there your helpful instructors will give you safety information and hook you up to the zipline, giving you a Tarzan-like experience swinging through the jungle.
While you wont see a lot through the thick canopy of trees, once in a while when you stop below a particular section, you will get to see a lot of iguanas, macaws, and different bird life.
Once at the bottom of the mountain after 50 minutes of ziplining, you will take another bus ride to Tabayana beach where you can enjoy a nice rotisserie chicken lunch, with hotdogs, hamburgers, and slaw. Grab a cool drink, relax at the beach or take a swim in the shallow waters before you are whisked back to the port. This excursion will cost you about $90.
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Mahogany Bay Cruise Center
The largest of the two ports in Roatán is the Mahogany Bay Cruise Center, located on the southwest coast of the island and owned by Carnival corporation. Obviously, this is the docking port for Carnival ships but also for Princess, Holland & America, and all other cruise lines belonging to this corporation.
The Mahogany Bay Cruise Center has two berths where two mega ships can dock. The piers and terminal can get busy and crowded at times with over 8,000 passengers and crew.
Hang Around With Some Sloths
If your priority is making sure you get great selfies with sloths and monkeys, you can visit one of the sanctuaries on the island. Daniel Johnsons Monkey and Sloth Hangout is highly rated among cruisers. At the Hangout, you will get a guided tour and learn all about the animals.
Victor Boddens Monkey and Sloth Sanctuary is another popular option, complete with sloth hugs. A visit here can be combined with other activities offered by the company like the Fun-N-Sun or Zip-N-Dip tours.
If iguanas are your thing, you might want to visit Archs Iguana & Marine Park.
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