Excursion recommendations for Roatan and Costa Maya?

[queenbee]

I'm going on a cruise in July on Allure. What are some recommended excursions in Roatan and Costa Maya?

[Ryan79]

Costa Maya = Maya Chan. That’s not even a discussion with my wife and I.

[ChessE4]

9 hours ago, queenbee said:

I'm going on a cruise in July on Allure. What are some recommended excursions in Roatan and Costa Maya?

Costa Maya is your best bet for Mayan sites, and we have been to Chacchoben twice.  Lake Bacalar was relaxing (a raft trip), but not very engaging.

In Roatan we enjoyed a beach/snorkeling excursion, so I'd look at those.  Other people swear by the sloth/eco-park experiences.

[GatorCruiser]

8 hours ago, Ryan79 said:

Costa Maya = Maya Chan. That’s not even a discussion with my wife and I.

Someone also recommended Almaplena resort there. Website looks nice. 

[Cactus527]

Hey, I'm doing Allure in July too!

We booked Turquoise Bay for Roatan, and then we did Red Shirt Golf Carts (rental) in Costa Maya to explore the area. The first was through RC, the second is not. 

[Ryan79]

32 minutes ago, GatorCruiser said:

Someone also recommended Almaplena resort there. Website looks nice. 

I may have to check that out for next time, but going anywhere else other than Maya Chan is going to be a tough sell to the Mrs.! 

[wordell1]

Maya Chan has closed in July in the past (2022).  I'm not sure what they are doing this year.

[billdauterive]

I believe Maya Chan is closing this summer until Aug/Sept, but the email was so long ago I'm not completely certain on timing.
I'm at least one of the people that have recommended Almaplena as a Maya Chan alternative.  However, I haven't personally been since pre-covid and the price is now significantly more ($96/pp) when it used to be identical to Maya Chan.  It's more secluded and less overall capacity and the travel time is about the same, you just travel on the "highway" instead of the beach road.  Personally I liked the location, beach and structures better at Almaplena, but I liked the food, drinks and service better at Maya Chan.

[GregD]

Another vote for Maya Chan here.

For Roatan we always use Bodden Tours. They offer fully customizable excursions and their prices are very affordable. 

[jbrinkm]

Make sure whatever you book in Costa Maya is refundable if you don't dock, and gives you an option to cancel if the sargassum is bad. There have been quite a few cancellations of this port recently due to wind/rough seas. Maya Chan (if open, although probably won't be) DOES refund for these reasons. 

Roatan - SO much to do here! There's really fun ziplining, great snorkeling, the animal/sloth sanctuaries are interesting, there's an organic chocolate shop, and some beaches (although I don't know as much about the beaches since we use our other port stops for beach breaks and do the active stuff in Roatan). We have used Roatan Getaway Tours for the past two years and have really enjoyed our trips. They have tours on their website, and can also do a custom tour of your choice for a reasonable price. 

Some people like going to Little French Key. I haven't been so I don't know much, but it seems like a popular activity. There was some drama around ownership so I think you have to email the current owner for a reservation and then pay when you get there. 

[GatorCruiser]

I emailed Maya Chan recently about summer of ‘24 and they said they expected to be closed again as in previous years. 

[brdjnr]

We are going to be in Costa Maya late October.  Sounds like Maya Chan is the place to go.

[OCSC Mike]

We had a great time at Nohoch Kay in Costa Maya in 2019. It's a smaller all-inclusive beach club that may look more "hole-in-the-wall-esque" but it had amazing food, good drinks, and a very relaxed vibe. Definitely not a place to party. It was small enough that I got to chatting with the manager for a bit. He asked what type of food I liked and when I replied seafood, he said he'd have the chef make me something off the menu (which was plenty fine as-is with standard Mexican fare). I wound up with a delicious garlicky shrimp dish over rice. My other memory was the dog that seemingly lived there. He took a nap in the sand under my lounge chair for at least an hour, thankful for the shade provided by me in addition to the palapa (palm umbrella that comes with every 2 loungers).

Glancing at their website, they seem to have added a few things like short snorkel trips for an additional fee. We'll be in Costa Maya in June with extended family so we're not going back this time but would definitely go back in the future.

As for Roatan, sadly we could not dock there on that 2019 cruise due to high winds. My wife and I were pretty upset as we had never been there before and had a private tour set up with Rony of Rony's Tours (he was great to connect with ahead of time via e-mail to personalize our tour) that involved going to one of the sloth/monkey options, stopping somewhere to snorkel, grabbing a quick bite to eat, and seeing his local town and school. His website had a very long list of options and he/your driver will basically take you wherever you want in your private car). It was especially sad b/c my wife (now a teacher of 23 years) had collected so many school supplies from her fellow teachers to donate to Rony that she filled a large duffel bag that must have weighed 30-40 lbs. (it had wheels and was very old so we were fine leaving it there). We ended up explaining our dilemma to guest services and we wound up in a back office with some sort of customs officer who had us fill out forms and he said they would hold onto the bag and as long as Rony (or someone on his behalf) would come get it, they would drop it off on the ship's next planned stop in Roatan in a couple weeks.

Anyway, that's my long-winded 2 cents. I have heard nothing but good things about Maya Chan and I know some other tour operators are much bigger in Roatan so I figured I would share some alternatives. The best analogy I can come with is that these were like smaller mom n pop restaurants compared to bigger chains.

[Ryan79]

4 hours ago, brdjnr said:

We are going to be in Costa Maya late October.  Sounds like Maya Chan is the place to go.

Make sure to make your reservations ASAP. They sell out practically every day there are ships at the port. We saw a couple have to do the walk of shame back to the port facility because they thought they could just walk up to the meeting place outside the port facility and it would be no problem for them to go. The woman manning the meeting place was holding in a laugh telling them that this particular day has been sold out for nearly 6 months. 

[ColdRingo]

Our recent cruise (April 15-22 on the Harmony) had a stop in Roatan. We picked this excursion: Mayan Princess Beach Experience with Lunch and Drinks. The club was nice, lunch was good (5 courses) and it included an open bar.  The beach was very well kept, and chairs were provided with umbrellas and some open beach beds.  Water was beautiful - it was a great choice for anyone wanting a few hours at a nice beach. I think it's a newer option, because one of the Royal Caribbean shore excursion team accompanied us to evaluate the excursion. I chatted with him afterward, and he said he thought it was well managed and would be expanding the number of slots available for each ship that stopped there.

My lone complaint would be that every 5 or 10 minutes someone is coming up to you and selling shirts, trinkets, massages, etc.  As long as you can get past that, it's a pretty good choice (IMO) in Roatan.

[Suzy85]

We went to Maya Chan this past March. It was wonderful and would recommend them if they're open during your cruise. We did a private tour with Bodden Tours in Roatan. I would recommend them as well. Your driver will customize the tour based on what you want to do. 

[SweetPea]

I've been to both Almaplena and Maya Chan. For the two of us, Almaplena wins hands down. If in a group, especially with kids, I'd vote for Maya Chan.

[Angie F]

On 4/11/2023 at 5:16 PM, Cactus527 said:

Hey, I'm doing Allure in July too!

We booked Turquoise Bay for Roatan, and then we did Red Shirt Golf Carts (rental) in Costa Maya to explore the area. The first was through RC, the second is not. 

hello, I am new on here and also to cruises...we are taking our 2 teens in JUne and also booked Turquoise BAy, do you happen to know yet if the snorkeling is any good there? I am having concerns bc many friends who have been to the island are now telling me that the WEST side of the island is best for snorkeling. Also, could you please tell me a contact for the red shirt rentals? we have no plans yet for that stop and are thinking to go explore and need to make that reservation for the golf cart. thanks 

 

[Cactus527]

12 hours ago, Angie F said:

hello, I am new on here and also to cruises...we are taking our 2 teens in JUne and also booked Turquoise BAy, do you happen to know yet if the snorkeling is any good there? I am having concerns bc many friends who have been to the island are now telling me that the WEST side of the island is best for snorkeling. Also, could you please tell me a contact for the red shirt rentals? we have no plans yet for that stop and are thinking to go explore and need to make that reservation for the golf cart. thanks 

 

Can't tell you much about Turquoise Bay because we'll be there in July. You'll have information before I do! I know they provide snorkeling equipment there, but we didn't choose it because it's good for snorkeling (I've heard the west side of the island is better too) - we chose it to get away from crowds and possibly be in a quieter location. 

The contact for Red Shirt Golf Cart Rentals is Carolina Barbosa at [email protected] . All the information we got from her was quick and straight forward. You can't beat $60 for a 4-person golf cart for the entire day!

[Angie F]

10 hours ago, Cactus527 said:

Can't tell you much about Turquoise Bay because we'll be there in July. You'll have information before I do! I know they provide snorkeling equipment there, but we didn't choose it because it's good for snorkeling (I've heard the west side of the island is better too) - we chose it to get away from crowds and possibly be in a quieter location. 

The contact for Red Shirt Golf Cart Rentals is Carolina Barbosa at [email protected] . All the information we got from her was quick and straight forward. You can't beat $60 for a 4-person golf cart for the entire day!

Hello & thank you so much for your reply, I will contact her about the golf cart rental for sure. We too are looking for a quiet side of Roatan, we might stick with the reservation and just tell our two kids to make due with the level of snorkeling/pretty water & fish to see that they have there. 
(please disregard my additional message from tonight, I am not used to this blog yet and did not see that you had replied to me already.)

[WAAAYTOOO]

How does the golf cart thing work ?  Where do you pick up the carts and where can you drive them ?

[Angie F]

24 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

How does the golf cart thing work ?  Where do you pick up the carts and where can you drive them ?

I will travel there in late June & the other person who has already reserved the golf cart states she/he will go in July . However I did find a site of a lady who gives very good details for Costa maya and  where to go and all in regards to what you are asking …. I will try to attach that link so you can read her awesome advice . 
https://cruisemaven.com/what-to-do-in-costa-maya-mexico/

[The Fox]

I don't know about Roatan, but in Costa Maya they are just outside the port shopping area. We took them once, but will not do it again. Our cart was very old and we sometimes wondered if we would make it back to the ship. They gave us a map that basically showed how to get to Mahahual. I was disappointed because I had wanted to explore more, but didn't want to get lost. For $8.00 we could have taken a taxi to Mahahual, a far cry from $60.00.

[Phillip C]

Going to Costa Maya on September 17th . Booked Maya Chan and wanted to know how long the ship will we be able to stay ashore for this exscursion.

[KJones]

@Phillip Cyour RC invoice should list the arrival/ departure times of all your port stops

[brdjnr]

@Ryan79 we are booked for our October cruise.

From what I can tell getting there is part of the charm.  I guess lol.  I'd be remiss if I didn't (gently) ask about safety, this is our first trip to Mexico.

[Ryan79]

@brdjnrYou will be 100% safe. Maya Chan is totally isolated and you will not encounter a soul there who isn’t an employee or a guest. No beach vendors and no general public interactions. The only time you are even remotely outside of a secured area is the 1/4 mile walk from the port to the meeting place. Even this walk is not the least bit sketchy. I went with my kids and I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to take them back. In all honestly, you are going to be more safe there than on a 3 day Carnival booze cruise!

[Cactus527]

@brdjnr we were in Costa Maya and Cozumel last week (we = me + 2 teenagers). While we were only in the port at Costa Maya, we went everywhere across the island of Cozumel on a private tour. Never felt unsafe, even when a huge amount of people had to be suddenly evacuated from the outdoor restaurant we were having lunch at to an interior storage area due to a torrential downpour! 

[CrznTxn]

On 4/11/2023 at 9:02 AM, Ryan79 said:

Costa Maya = Maya Chan. That’s not even a discussion with my wife and I.

Maya Chan is closed June thru end of August when they make upgrades, get to go see family and time off. The other reason is the seaweed is really bad during this time and they are open to the sea and get quite a lot. We visit them all the time during the open season and David and Julie are fantastic hosts. Even met Mark (David's dad and owner) on our last trip who was there to repair the tractor. It is all inclusive including all the water toys, floats, etc. They will even bring you your drink out to you in the water.

[Sea Squirrel]

Has anyone tried Nacional Beach Resort? It gets pretty good reviews and the pictures look nice (less sargassum).  Maya Chan is our first choice but we are sailing in mid-March ‘24 and we are concerned about sargassum on the beach. We are traveling with our 17 yr old daughter and think she might be bored if the beach is unusable. From what we’ve seen, it overwhelmed the smaller places like MC this year but the bigger places were better equipped to handle the huge bloom.