Roatan is the largest of the Bay Islands about 65 miles off the Northern coast of Honduras. It's a popular destination for cruise goers as it spouts amazing beaches, fresh seafood, wildlife parks, and so much more! 

I visited this beautiful island for the first time on a Western Caribbean cruise with Norwegian Cruise Lines aboard their ship the Norwegian Joy. One the things many believe they need to do when visiting ports is to book excursions directly through the cruise lines, while that is a good option, it's not the only one. Booking a third party tour or going solo can be risky but often will save you a huge chunk of change if you do it right. Make sure to also be back on time as one of those risks is the ship will leave if you're late!

My group booked a tour with a vendor inside of the cruise port and we were able to haggle the price down from $40 per person to $35! It's also best to have cash as often vendors that do take credit often charge higher prices for taxes but those can be cut out when using cash. Legal? Probably not, but I'm not going to complain if that's how they run their business and I still receive great service. 

Here's my list of recommendations to do if you have a whole day on the island!

Things to Do in Roatan

1. Get Your Passport Stamped

Roatan is the only cruise port I've ever been to that has a place with official passport stamps! If you walk straight down from the entrance of the port, it's at the end. There's one worker in the booth and Rotary sign, but the booth is clearly labeled it's for passport stamps. I love to fill up the pages so this is a huge win for me! 

2. Get Your Souvenirs Early

If you're someone that likes a specific item from each port like me (I love unique magnets), then it can be helpful to grab those right away so you don't feel rushed at the end of the day. Especially, if you're hurrying to get back to the ship after a long day to not miss it leaving. Many shops tend to start closing up as the crowds die down and you wouldn't want to miss something you wanted! Don't forget that vendors outside of the port can also have better deals on unique items if you want to grab something during the day! Just don't put it off until the last minute.

3. Visit a Wildlife Park

Roatan is bustling with wildlife! I visited Maya Eden Eco Park as part of the package I booked where we spent about an hour with an included tour learning about all the animals they had. I was fortunate enough to hold a monkey, a sloth, and a toucan which were very cool experiences! Just be careful with the sloth as they are not soft and those talons can be dangerous. I did get a light scratch.

4. Eat the Local Steamed Fish

One of the amazing things about the Caribbean and Central America is the abundance of freshly caught fish. Eating something caught that day by the beach is about as good as it gets! I had lunch at Beachers by West Bay Beach and ordered their steamed whole red snapper, per the the waitresses recommendation. It came with coconut rice and beans and fried plantains. I'm not sure how I can express that this was probably the best fish I've ever eaten in my entire life. It did take some time to come out but it was worth every minute because it was cooked to absolute perfection and the flavor was phenomenal. If you can't handle a whole fish, they do also have just a fillet version, but I would say take the leap and get the whole fish. Add some fresh lime and some of the yellow hot sauce!

5. Visit a Beach

The water in Roatan is warm! We were able to spend time by the beach where we had lunch. The waves were moderate and the water a beautiful blue. I could see the bottom, which is always important in my book as the ocean has a lot of wildlife I'm not interested in making friends with. Make sure to wear sunscreen as the sun does beat down pretty heavily!

6. Take a Picture with the Roatan Sign

This is a very touristy thing to do, but it's a nice memory to have and great if you like to post your pictures online!

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