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Please note!! When Roatan keeps showing up on “most dangerous ports”, the articles are just looking at the country of Honduras and not the island itself. The island has a very low crime rate (kinda has to, it’s pretty reliant on tourism); crime is really just an issue on mainland Honduras. Don’t be deterred by the lazy clickbait articles, the island is beautiful and full of lovely people. I’m a 27f and always try to find cruises with a stop in the island because I find it just magic.
I saw the same a couple of days ago, the USA were classifying it as somewhere you should really avoid but that didn’t take into account that it’s separate from the mainland of Honduras
Having been to Roatan several times and having always booked private tour vendors, I was shocked to find out this is considered a dangerous port. I've never felt in danger here. If you want an excellent private tour of the island, ask for Jerry at Boden Tours.
Honduras is super dangerous. Roatan, while being an island off the coast of Honduras is still considered Honduras to those that don't know better. I've been many times, Roatan is fine.
Stop at the Honduras a couple years ago on a cruise and going to one of our excursions noticed policeman or guards walking around with guns just outside of the port it was a little nerve-wracking but the port was one of my favorites
@@lynnbowen8842 the guards are there as a deterrent, to protect you. It didn't phase me because i've been to several countries, even in Europe that have armed guards standing around at various tourist locations, airports etc.
Roatan never seemed that bad when we would go as crew, I walked into town on my own and it felt fine. I went to the treetop animal park which is literally a 5 minute walk from the port where I got to hold a sloth which was a dream, it was $10 and you could hold loads of animals, great experience.
3 visits to Routan and never used a cruise line tour. My husband’s family is from Honduras. We walked into town, found a local shanty bar on our first visit, told them what we wished to purchase and they sent a kid to get the local person that had it. We purchased drinks at the bar, got what we needed from the local, then back to the ship. Never felt scared or unsafe. Maybe it was because hubby spoke the language.
Greetings Gentlemen, My Fiancee and I just came back from our very first cruise on the 8th. We booked it over 6 months previous and in our run up to going on the cruise we watched as many Cruise ship videos as we could to help prepare us. The two of you are on of our favorites along with Don's family Adventures, Living la Lido Loca, etc. When you posted this video, after we had gotten back, it really peaked our interest because Roatan was on of our two main stops. We sailed out of Tampa on the Carnival Paradise. I will say that what we found in Roatan was both interesting and different from all the videos we watched about it. First off, I was surprised when you said this port topped the list for most dangerous ports. I can't believe that, with all the videos from everyone else we watched, this subject was never addressed. To be fair, my fiancee is half Puerto Rican and speaks Spanish quiet well, so that helped us out, I'm sure. One of our biggest surprises though was that EVERY video we watched on Roatan said that any excursion or tour group that wasn't directly sanctioned or tied to the cruise ships were NOT allowed within the confines of the port and that, to get outside the port in Mahogany Bay, it was a bit of an uphill hike. My Fiancee is disabled and we were on a tight budget so we originally figured we would just hang around the port since it has a private beach and such. She did decide that she wanted to see West End though and we were told that the taxis were very regulated and safe for tourists. When we got to the Taxi stand, we got to talking to the young lady running the stand and she asked us if we wanted to hire a cab for the day. She told us that the driver would take us wherever we wanted to go and would even watch over our belongings if we wanted to say, go snorkeling or such. We were told, directly, that the cab driver was like any tour guide and that they had places they would recommend based on the fact that they would get a cut but that we were under zero obligation to go to any of these places. Last but not least, we were told NOT to pay until we returned to port and were NEVER asked for a credit card. The mechanical condition of the cabs could probably have been better but it was clean, and air conditioned and, for $100 we had our own private tour that lasted from about 9:30 am to 7 pm. We got to do all the normal stuff like the Rum and Chocolate factory, local shopping, great stops for photo ops, and an all inclusive resort where I snorkeled and my fiancee went on a glass bottom boat tour. It was great to have a personal guide because it was much easier to engage in conversation and ask questions that you might not have asked on a bus style tour. We got to learn interesting things about the economy, the locals views on tourists and ex pats, local politics, etc. At NO POINT did we ever feel unsafe, even when driving through some of the poorest sections of town. Our driver was even straight forward about it being a bad idea to wander into some of the villages looking like a rich foreigner if you weren't with a local, but that's common sense anywhere you go. Our driver was from the mainland and he explained that the vast majority of Hondurans don't even know that Roatan exists and that you have to pass several tests to get permission to move to the island and be a tour guide. Basically, just wanted to give our two cents on our experiences on Roatan just a couple of days before you both got there and to thank you, once again, for your fun and entertaining videos.
We visited Roatan on NCL in 2019 and had a lovely time. We did experience rain and rolling brown-outs, but we met a local with an amazing personality. He showed us around and told us the island's history. No issues whatsoever.
I have been to Roatan five times on three different cruise lines. Overall Roatan is much safer than the Mainland of Honduras. All five times I have used a very popular independent travel operator. Had a fantastic time. West End Bay Beach has unbelievable snorkeling .
@@jessyka74 I been to Roatan several times yes it is dangerous to go out on your own, but every time we went we used Real Deals Roatan took the sloth and monkey tour and they are amazing tour guides. I love shopping right in the port bought serveal handmade items.
@@jessyka74 I know it might be more expensive but I’d stick with the tours royal Caribbean or whatever cruise line your traveling on provides. Honduras is beautiful ( been there 3 times) for volunteering. Buuuut it is dangerous so you do need to be careful.
So shocked to hear that Roatan is considered dangerous. I was there last February and the people were super friendly. I speak Spanish and there was nothing shady going on with all the people I was around. With that being said, we booked an excursion through NCL so I'm sure that contributed to the level of safety. Thank you both for always including such pertinent information in your exciting vacation videos. Much love from NY ✌🏻❤
I went to Roatan on NCL and there was a giant mudslide. You could see the mud streaming into the ocean, changing its color. We were allowed off the ship, but told we couldn't go beyond the port. There were about 3 shops. Some guys ignored this and ventured further out. One of them got bitten by a feral dog. Best to follow ship's instructions!
When I went to roatan it kinda looked like that too but not as bad as what your saying, there were like deep steep ditches that were muddy and I only saw it on the way to turquoise bay.
I absolutely love Roatan, I had a wonderful time there and felt so safe the whole time I was there - I booked my tour privately, which was just awesome. My first cruise was onboard the Allure of the Seas, a simply stunning ship. I visited Roatan during a NCL Escape cruise, again just amazing! Keep up the great work guys, Weather is certainly warmer there than here in Liverpool haha!
When my sister and I went to Roatan, we visited a botanical garden, and when walking back towards the ship we saw the president of Honduras, and actually had our picture taken with him. Couldn't tell you his name, but I do remember he smelled so wonderful!
We visited Roatan while cruising on Allure of the Seas several years ago. We really enjoyed this port. The island is beautiful and the girl who did our tour is one of my all time favorite tour guides. She talked about the history of the island with the mainland. There was a stark difference between the locals who lived in poverty and the grand estates. Overall a beautiful port and I never felt unsafe.
Another awesome video! How many of you out there have been practicing David's "packed full of flavor" impression? My coworker says I nailed it! Being from the USA I take that as a compliment. I suggest that David begins a new segment on the video series...titled...the "packed full of flavor" menu item ( of the cruise, the day, the restaurant whatev) Then David would tell us which item received his best vegan/veg dish (the packed full of flavor dish) award on each cruise. Then, once that segment gets real popular, I mean, why wouldn't it? You have to sell us "Packed full of flavor" kitchen aprons. The words on the front of the apron. Loaded with Benisims and of course a pic of the two of you.
When I worked on NCL, we were one of the first ships to regularly port in Roatan (every Tuesday). That place has come a looooonnng way since then! There was no pier back then, just anchor/tender. I think I went ashore twice over the course of 6 months. Once was to attend a soccer match I arranged between our crew and a local team. It was a lot of fun, but some of our officers had to call in sick the next day because they couldn't walk. The local team absolutely ran circles around us. Ha ha!
One of my favorite ports. Especially Carnival's Mahogany Bay complex. Love the beach access. Have also taken independent tours several times on the island, always had a great experience.
Had I, or my family, known you were visiting Roatan, we could have shown you around. Our family has a common house we share, as well as my cousin lives there. Her husband is a professional underwater photographer. Together, they know all the great island spots, AND the scuba spots! Every time we visit, we bring extra shoes/clothes/books to donate to the island kids. That's the kind of currency the Hondurans prefer. So many of them wish to be off the island to explore the world. There certainly are secrets to navigating the island, especially when you know the locals. HOPE YOU HAD FUN!
Ben and David the Winjammer is the best place to go for Caribbean night. They make Cuurried goat, oxalis, Jerk chicken, jerk pork , Escoveich fish , pepper pot soup, rum cake and beef and chicken patties or empanadas. Also , Cuban foods. Caribbean punch and pastries. The dining room does not do much for Caribbean night. I wish someone who tells the guests where to go for Caribbean foods got Caribbean night.
“Worse than childbirth” 😂 I’ve experienced both brain freeze and childbirth and the former was definitely more painful. 😂 Lovely excursion! Enjoying this series.
I went to a private island in Roatan and it was fantastic!! You are right, you need to be careful everywhere and I tend to rely on ship tours. Love your outlook and look forward to "travelling" with you
My brother and his wife went on a vacation to Roatan. They spent two weeks there several years ago and the only thing they didn’t like was when the cruise ships docked and all the day trip people came littered the beach and left.
We are doing the same cruise in late march. Glad to hear it was safe. we will definitely try that excursion. I totally agree with the French onion soup. We did an 11night on Princess Rega in the med in October and the French onion soup was delicious. Love watching fellow friends of Dorothy travelers
We love your channel & never miss your vlogs We cruised for years (over 30 cruises) & miss it so much Thank you both for bringing back so many great memories Love from Dublin 💖💚💖☘️
Part of the magic of Roatan is viewing the island while the ship sails around it when it is going to dock. The natural beauty is breath taking. I do recommend taking ship's excursions to view more of the island & experience snorkeling and see highlights of interesting places. That said, I've been to Roatan, Honduras on different cruise ships 4 times (2002, 2005, 2010, 2018) & felt safe however an incident happened to me on my 3rd visit which has kept me even more cautious. Yes it is Roatan, Honduras with a low incidence of crime but when oppprtunity exists, crimes can happen, even to tourists! I had good experiences on ship's excursions in 2002 & 2005. I love this port for its natural scenery and beauty. The incident in 2010 was on my 3rd visit. I decided to walk into Coxen Hole (town) among many passengers who were also curious to see the town. Along the way, a child tried to steal my camera by grabbing it's strap. Since he had looked suspicious to me, I kept a strong grip on the case. All he got was my shoulder strap which tore from the case. I yelled & shop keepers came out, asked me what happened. A young girl knew him by name & said I could press charges. I declined. He had dropped the strap which I found. After 28 cruises, this was the 1st ever bad incident I experienced at any port. I just used Google to search the question "how many murders in Roatan, Honduras". A site "cruise law news . com" reports some interesting facts. While murder is rare, it has happened in 2014, an NCL employee was murdered after an attempted robbery. In Nov 2018. a 69 yr old man from California who lived on Roatan on West end was abducted, robbed & murdered. Fortunately, these incidents are rare. However, going off to explore Roatan in a rented jeep is not recommended. A man did this with his two daughters, and was stopped at gunpoint. He was shot at as he fled in the jeep, so he stopped, & was robbed of all valuables. They were lucky no one was injured or died.
we were on the same cruise as you. We ran into you in Costa Maya...it was a pleasure meeting you both. We did a catamaran in Roatan, and driving there seeing the guns petrified me. If we are ever in Roatan again, I think I am staying on the ship. LOL, not for me.
We love Roatan. Jamaica is where we stay on the ship. We did a private tour in Roatan that was highly recommended. This was about 4 years ago. We asked the driver about crime there. He told us that the locals who live there don't want crime, and that so many Hondurans from the mainland are not allowed to come to the island if they are troublemakers. Our tour took us to the Monkey/Sloth sanctuary and several hours at West Bay beach. Our driver was amazing. When we got to the beach he told the 7 of us to stick close to him for the one block walk to the beach. It wasn't for any physical danger, but that locals may want to offer selling us drugs.
Huh. I had no idea. I visited Roatan as a port stop in very early 2020 and I just wandered off the ship and got into a taxi. I went to a beach. It was lovely. Also just got back from a fab MSC sailing last week which went to Cartagena and Colon. I'm imagining they are on that list too, but I had a wonderful time in both Colombia and Panama. Cartagena was gorgeous!
Visiting Roatan and thinking you will "discover what Honduras is all about," is like visiting Hawaii or Puerto Rico, and expecting to know what the United States is all about, lol.
Been to Roatan a couple times. To date this is our favorite port. Have never felt to be danger. We always book with a private tour that is family owned/operated. 2kadventures. We love the island so much. We have even had discussions about retiring there 😀. Glad you had a great time!
We never felt threatened during our week-long stay on Roatan. Honduras proper though - that's another story from what I've heard. My husband and I have been tossing out locations to move to after retirement and Roatan gets the top every time. You have to try Roatan's very popular frozen cocktail, Monkey La La, if you get another chance to go back to the island. Loved it when it was the day's special at the Bananarama beach bar :) Two for one!
I actually got off and explored this port on my own and, thinking back, I really would recommend sticking to a shore excursion. I didn't feel comfortable when docked here, which is a shame as it's SUCH a gorgeous port!
We visited Roatan while on Odyssey last winter and had a lovely experience. Kind people and wonderful nature. We're there sketchy areas and polluted areas? Yes, but you can find that in most places. Stay in a group on an organized tour and you will be fine. Don't be scared by what they were saying.
Those reefs are gorgeous! Thank you so much, for telling us how to have a safe time! Roatán is beautiful, and I’ve done it twice on my own. Obviously, not the safest, but if someone wants to take a taxi, to maybe the town of West End, there are official government approved taxis behind the port shopping areas. I looked up a business while onboard the ship, and told the driver to drop us off/pick us up there. Sounding like we knew where we were going added to the safety. It’s possible, but stay alert, and know a little Spanish. 😊
I've heard that it's gotten dangerous for ex-pats moving there, with a few actual murders, but never anything about it being unsafe for cruisers. It's one of my favorite ports, and we particularly love Little French Key.
OMG, you 2 crack me up. "I got a brain freeze,. that's gotta be worst than child birth" try again lol!! ♥ In any case, I am not a cruiser, never plan on going on a cruise (for various reasons), but I thoroughly enjoy your videos. Always fun, informative and super interesting. Thanks for making these gems! :)
Visiting Roatan in May on Wonder! Visited Roatan years ago and still not sure if we will do any excursions when usually we do! Looks like you had a fun and safe experience! As always, great content, informative, and entertaining!! Thank you Ben and David!! Our favorite channel!! 11-23
My favorite time of day is a new blog from my favorite cruisers! Never been to honduras on a cruise so this is a great look at it. Always appreciate your outlook!
😆🤣😂🚣🏻♂️ yes the person in back rows/steers ha much better view with David holding the camera while Ben is rowing ha loved this! How about a body cam or hat cam for hands free filming when doing excursions?
I went to Roatan in 2002 and it changed my view of beach vacations forever because it introduced me to snorkeling . It was before cruise lines and it was a homespun quaint kind of place with little mom and pop run restaurant shacks. You could snorkel off the beach at west end and I couldn’t get enough of it. I remember hearing the kids speak creole to each other when they didn’t want us to understand and a monkey came up to me in a restaurant and tried to pull my bracelet off. There was no crime that I heard about. We hired a taxi to give us a tour of the island and it was super cheap. Good memories.
Roatan can be dangerous after dark or off the beaten path anytime of the day or night. We booked a shore excursion onboard. We went by van to swim with porpoises and it was wonderful. Don’t wander away from the little market at the port whether you are alone or with a group.
I’m so glad you created a post for this. Roatan, Porta Plata, and yes Nassau all have chosen to go in a different direction. A good rule of thumb, if there’s a private island nearby, that the cruise companies attempted to deal with the ports perspective governments about crime. Apparently the Bahamian government and Honduran government must of thought it was a joke. But, crime in Nassau on tourists have skyrocketed, as well as Belize, and Roatan.
Definitely giving me flashbacks of the one time we stopped at Roatan, driving past guys holding machine guns standing at the side of the road was surreal
Great stuff, as an aside, I was only about a km from you folks the day you got soaked in Halifax! I have to add this. Guys, you "row" a boat with oars. You "paddle" a canoe or kayak with a paddle!😉😉
I love watching you guys and your adventures. I literally laugh out loud at least once during every single video. Hahaha your sitting there like you're a lady of leisure 🤣
roatan is much different than than mainland, we have been on 2 private tours on the island with no feeling of danger. an excellent place to explore, whether the monkeys, birds, snorkel...really anything, one of our 2 most favorite ports!
Speaking of your Mum at the end of the video Ben, when will we get to see her again? She seems game to go on more cruise's. It was great fun for us to have her join you guys.
One of my favorite ports. I always feel safe. I book excursion outside cruise line. Little French Key is where I spend my time; I absolutely love it. ❤️
Honduras was my favorite port on our 14 night cruise! We had a blast, it was even the rainiest day of the two weeks and it was still an amazing port. We went to little French keys.
Love your video guys, we traveled from Australia to do a Caribbean cruise on Caribbean Princess back in May/June as Australian cruising had not started and was still a possibility of not happening till 2023. We visited Roatan, went on an island bus tour to the native village on a beach and watched local dancing, it was lovely but wish we had done the wildlife tour or the beach like you both did. We had no idea that it was supposed to be dangerous or unsafe, we loved the huge port shopping area with all the different shops, we did find it rather unorganised getting in the correct group at the start of the tour as there was a Carnival ship in port at the same time, so double the amount of people. We have done a few cruises now and the one we felt the most unsafe was Papua New Guinea, where we had armed escort front and rear of the group of busses, along with an ambulance, doctor and nurses, bur still had a wonderful trip. Keep up the great work both 👏🏻🙌🏻👏🏻🙌🏻🦋
I have been to Roatan in 2021, not my favorite port but we did go to the same beach you guys went to! I did enjoy that though, I booked the bungalow with NCL. 9:43
I loved the lasagne on Royal Caribbean so much that I bought the hardback RCL cookbook just for that one recipe. 🤣. Labor intensive recipe but worth the trouble. 😊
Had a great time zip lining in Roatan, safer there then on the mainland of Honduras. When you leave the port area, you can see the impact of poor economic conditions. Locals rely on cruise ship passengers booking excursions. Locals were welcoming and friendly.
A frozen head is the worst! I had one the other day with a margarita and hit you out of nowhere. The potato soup looks yummy (minus the cheese). And the French onion minus the cheese I always order French onion without the cheese and bread. 🧅
We went to Roatan several years ago and booked direct with Upachaya. Had a beautiful day boating and snorkeling and walking the beautiful gardens. And a delicious vegetarian lunch. I am not sure if they are still open or not.
Hey Ben and David. Been away for my anniversary so catching up on videos. We went to Honduras on a private tour. Felt safe but was also 11 of us. Anyway gonna watch and enjoy for a change. Thanks in advance for I’m sure an amazing vid.
I love you two and always loved that port. It is a dangerous place but most places have some dangerous areas. I was most scared for my life in an area of Rome once for instance. I enjoyed your account and your videos are so well edited and keep the interest up.. really enjoy you guys.. do you have a calendar of future trips, would love to casually meet up with you fellas one day
OMG! I love the shirts you guys wear! The green one with sea creatures! The white one with the blue sailboats! Where did you guys get your style sense??? 👕
Thank you for informing me on this port! It is one of the ports on our Cruise we are going on next December and I had NO IDEA! I will definitely be taking your advice!
