One Day in Roatan Honduras from the Cruise Ship: A Timed Plan

A cruise day here is short, and the clock matters more than the plan. This guide works backwards from your all-aboard time: when you can get off, when the guides meet you, what fits in four, six and eight hours, where to eat and when to head back. The ports and the meeting points are covered in full on Roatan Honduras cruise tours; here the subject is the hours.

How long do you have ashore?

Less than the ship's timetable suggests. Take the docking time and the all-aboard time, then allow about an hour at each end. The first goes on clearing the ship and reaching your guide. The last goes on the drive back and the queue to board.

So an eight-hour call leaves about six hours of tour, and a six-hour call about four. Roatan keeps Central Standard Time, six hours behind UTC. Your ship may keep another clock, so check which one your all-aboard uses.

What happens in the first hour off the ship?

You walk off, through the port shops, and out past the security gate. At the Port of Roatan most guides wait outside gate 1. At Mahogany Bay, which is being renamed Isla Tropicale, they wait up the hill past the gate, a two-to-five-minute walk or a US$2 taxi.

The meeting times differ by operator:

• 20 minutes after arrival: the most-booked sloth, rum and West Bay day.
• 30 minutes after the doors open: the kayak and reef snorkel.
• 30 to 60 minutes after arrival: the two-hour reef snorkel.
• One hour after docking: most private drivers, and the zipline and customizable days at the port kiosk.
• 90 minutes after docking: the buggy and zipline day.
• Whenever you are ready: the customizable full day.

Several operators run their pickups on ship time, since ship time and island time can differ. If your confirmation gives a time, ask which clock it means.

What fits in four hours?

A single idea, done well. The two-hour reef snorkel gets you in the water and back with time to walk the port. The private wildlife, chocolate and rum day runs three to four hours. The private West End boat gives you three snorkel spots in two hours.

Keep the beach out of a four-hour day unless it is the whole plan. The private driver to a West Bay resort gives you three to six hours on the sand, and a 20-minute drive each way. On a short call, take the short end.

What fits in six hours?

This is the classic island day. The most-booked shared day runs four to five hours: a viewpoint and animals for 45 minutes, the Manawakie sanctuary for 45, a rum tasting for 30, then two hours on West Bay and a photo stop on the way back.

The family day runs six: an hour at an eco-park, an hour and a half in West End, then an hour and a half on West Bay. The zipline and West Bay day gives two hours at the zipline and about three on the beach. The water-bike day takes six hours in all.

What fits in eight hours?

A long call lets you stack a reef morning and a beach afternoon. A private customizable day is the easiest way to do it. The Since-2003 customizable day runs three to eight hours from the stops you pick when you book. The customizable full day runs up to nine and a half, with the entries paid as you go.

On a long day, the one fixed point is still the ship. Build the day backwards from your all-aboard time, and leave the last stop close to the port.

Can you fit a snorkel and a beach into one day?

Yes, on a six-hour call. The three-reef trip spends about three hours on the reef and an hour on a small cay. The private snorkel and day-pass day gives you a 45-minute snorkel at Blue Rock, an eco-park and a resort day on West Bay. The private beach-club day adds about 80 minutes of drift snorkelling to some three hours at a club.

Put the beach last, closest to the ship's time. Then the part you cut short, if the day runs late, is the lazy part.

Does it matter which port you arrive at?

For the plan, only a little. The Port of Roatan sits in Coxen Hole, and Mahogany Bay in Dixon Cove, about 5 km east. Most tours collect at both, so the port rarely changes which tour you can book.

What changes is the walk. At the Port of Roatan you leave through a gate into town. At Mahogany Bay the meeting points sit up a hill past the security gate, and a US$2 taxi saves the climb. The two ports are laid out on the island map.

What if it rains?

Tours run in light rain. Boat trips stop if the sea is unsafe, and a tour the weather cancels is moved or refunded. By our average of NOAA's daily records at the airport, 1991-2020, November is the wettest month, with about 16 wet days, and April the driest, with about 3.

A storm at the start of the day need not spoil it. One traveller on the Superman zipline day began in a thunderstorm, worried about the zipline, and found the rest of the day went to plan. On a wet day, the tastings and the sanctuaries keep you under cover longer than a beach.

Which timeline suits your call?

Here are sample days for three lengths of call, built from the tours' own stop times.

Where do you eat?

Almost no fare includes lunch. The beach clubs on West Bay sell food and drinks, and the private beach-club days say so in their terms. Some private days offer a restaurant stop that you pay locally.

The simplest plan is a late breakfast on board and lunch at the beach. On the most-booked shared day, lunch and drinks are not in the fare. Carry small US dollar notes, since tips and small purchases are easiest in cash.

When should you head back?

Earlier than feels necessary. Several operators write their return into the listing. The water-bike day promises you back at least two hours before the ship sails. The private sanctuary and West Bay day lists an on-time return among what it includes. The private snorkel day promises plenty of time before the scheduled departure.

Those are the operators' promises, not the ship's. An operator cannot hold your ship. On the three-reef trip, one traveller got back without much time to spare. That operator's reply says it keeps in mind that the drive to the port takes 21 minutes.

What should you carry?

• Your ship card and ID: keep them on you all day.
• Small US dollar notes: for lunch, tips, a beach chair or the US$2 taxi.
• A towel: the resort day passes on the private days do not supply one.
• Reef-safe sunscreen and a hat: most of the day is outdoors.
• Your operator's phone number: in case the ship docks late.

What if the ship is late, or changes its port?

Message the operator at once. The listings ask for your ship's name, docking and re-boarding times for exactly this reason, and most will move the pickup. One traveller on the VIP day had the ship's arrival moved an hour later the night before, could not reach the operator, and found the guide waiting anyway. Keep the number handy all the same.

If the ship switches ports, your pickup may still work: most tours collect at both. One traveller on the wildlife and ATV day took a taxi to the other port, not knowing there was a pickup at their own. Every fare refunds in full if you cancel 24 hours ahead.

Frequently asked questions

Tours that fit a cruise day

Roatan Monkeys & Sloths + Chocolate & Rum Tasting + Beach Break

Sloths, a rum tasting and two hours on West Bay, with the fees and taxes paid and a meeting point 20 minutes after the ship arrives.

From $65 per person

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Roatán West Bay Beach Club with Private Driver

Your own driver to a West Bay resort for three to six hours: the day pass covers beach chairs, the pool, showers and changing rooms. Bring a towel.

From $55 per person

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Since 2003: Roatan's ORIGINAL Customizable Best of Roatan Tour

Three to eight hours with a bilingual local guide, built from the stops you pick when you book. Add-ons you did not preselect are paid on the day.

From $75 per person

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