Anyone from SB going to be on this cruise? I will be diving in Roatan with my son. Any tips or suggestions would be very much appreciated. 
Carnival Dream Aug 4th
- Thread starter DivingIvan
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Call up Alvin at Native Sons and setup your dives with them... Good shop, loved the people, and they have a 1 800 number to call so no phone charges! With Carnival, they try and capture you at their docks and want nothing more than for you to stay at Mahogany Bay. Taxi's that come up to ferry people out pay a fee (my understanding) so we walked to the outside gate and had a taxi waiting for us (good to have a contact at times) which took us to Native Sons... The ride is not that long by taxi and remember, you are paying for the return trip as well so when they say 40.00, its round trip. They should not ask for payment up front and if so, only give half. They will pick you up and then return you to the boat.
These dive shops know exactly how these cruise ships work... Schedule of arrival in case your late or early, and departure time... Personally, I will not dive with the boats "excursion" as they tend to take all divers to the same spot time and again. I like this as it keeps those who dive 2-3 times a year from destroying the reef system...
Again, my suggestion is to get out of Mahogany Bay and into the West End area from the get go... See how the people really live and buy a gift from the locals in the West End...
I have been to Roatan several times and once via Carnival... Since Carnival changed our port of call from Belize to the Caymans after we were at sea, they lost my business... not that I was a big cruise fan anyway... Oh, speaking of which, if the cruise blows off Roatan or time in port in cut way down; Native Sons will not charge you...
I am sure others will chime in with other shops but this was my one experience on Roatan off a cruise ship... otherwise I stay at CocoView and I can recommend them as well as an AI...!
Hope your trip fairs well, lee
These dive shops know exactly how these cruise ships work... Schedule of arrival in case your late or early, and departure time... Personally, I will not dive with the boats "excursion" as they tend to take all divers to the same spot time and again. I like this as it keeps those who dive 2-3 times a year from destroying the reef system...
Again, my suggestion is to get out of Mahogany Bay and into the West End area from the get go... See how the people really live and buy a gift from the locals in the West End...
I have been to Roatan several times and once via Carnival... Since Carnival changed our port of call from Belize to the Caymans after we were at sea, they lost my business... not that I was a big cruise fan anyway... Oh, speaking of which, if the cruise blows off Roatan or time in port in cut way down; Native Sons will not charge you...
I am sure others will chime in with other shops but this was my one experience on Roatan off a cruise ship... otherwise I stay at CocoView and I can recommend them as well as an AI...!
Hope your trip fairs well, lee
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Anthony's Key Resort is the cruise operator. They're going to shuttle you to their north side location by van - about 1/2 hr each way, do 2 nearby dives, visit their gift shop and return. They allocate one boat to their cruise guests so the site will likely be one that all the cruise divers can do. I've seen other Carnival cruise divers mention they dove Overheat Reef - it's a decent dive but far from the best on the north side. Good for both beginners and advanced as it starts real shallow. We dove it once, it was decent but there's better nearby.
Barefoot Divers also has a cruise program. They're 10min ($20) by cab from Mahogany Bay. They do valet diving - handle everything for you - small groups - it's a pretty small boutique resort so everything is pretty nice - including their gear if you're renting. Since they do small groups and some of the resort guests don't dive, their boat is often uncrowded. The morning we were there, seven of us were their entire business. barefoot divers - day dive packages|cruise shippers|full valet service
Best part is they're 5mins. from Mary's Place - one of the signature dives on Roatan. The day we were there - morning but non-cruise - we did Mary's Place and then went over to Cocoview on their boat and dove the Prince Albert wreck. Probably be done by noon/1PM so you'd have a little time to look around Mahogany Bay if desired. It's frankly just better diving than what AKR will likely take you to.
Barefoot Divers also has a cruise program. They're 10min ($20) by cab from Mahogany Bay. They do valet diving - handle everything for you - small groups - it's a pretty small boutique resort so everything is pretty nice - including their gear if you're renting. Since they do small groups and some of the resort guests don't dive, their boat is often uncrowded. The morning we were there, seven of us were their entire business. barefoot divers - day dive packages|cruise shippers|full valet service
Best part is they're 5mins. from Mary's Place - one of the signature dives on Roatan. The day we were there - morning but non-cruise - we did Mary's Place and then went over to Cocoview on their boat and dove the Prince Albert wreck. Probably be done by noon/1PM so you'd have a little time to look around Mahogany Bay if desired. It's frankly just better diving than what AKR will likely take you to.
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