Caribbean Cruise Ship Port of Call Profile
The islands of the Caribbean are located in a region southeast of the Gulf of Mexico and Northern America, east of Central America, and to the north of South America.
Weather Update
Aletta weakens to Tropical Depression - no threat to land.
Our Home Port is Venice, Florida, a city located on the southwest coast of Florida in Sarasota County.
Western Caribbean Port Calls
Belize
Cozumel
Costa Maya
Falmouth
Grand Cayman
Mexico
Montego Bay
Ocho Rios
Playa del Carmen
Progreso/Merida
Roatan
Roseau
San Tomas
Need to know
Hurricanes
Honduras is situated in an area of the Caribbean prone to hurricanes. Rainy season is from May to November, and periodic hurricanes between June and November.
In the event of a tropical storm or hurricane alert, a notice will be posted on our Weather Updates
Medical Services
Medical care in Honduras varies greatly in quality and availability. Outside Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, medical care is inadequate to address complex situations. Support staff facilities and necessary equipment and supplies are not up to U.S. standards anywhere in Honduras.
Facilities for advanced surgical procedures are not available. Wide areas of the country, including the popular tourist areas of the Bay Islands, do not have a general surgery hospital.
There are several clinics, two hospitals and a recompression chamber for divers. One of the hospitals is private and designed for the foreigner communities. Modern state-of-the-art equipment and well trained doctors are on call 24 hours/day. Ambulance service is also now available on Roatan. Larger medical centers are available on the mainland.
Ambulance services are limited in major cities and almost non-existent elsewhere. Emergency services may be contacted directly through their local numbers.
Scuba diving is popular in the Bay Islands, but the limited medical facilities there pose a special risk in the event of an emergency. There is a decompression chamber on Roatan and Utila for divers, but no advanced medical care on either island for diving related accidents.
Air Quality
Severe air pollution, which can aggravate or lead to respiratory problems, is common throughout the country during the dry season due in large part to widespread forest fires and agricultural burning.
Water Quality
Honduras lacks a substantial infrastructure for maintaining water purity. Travelers are strongly encouraged to avoid drinking tap water or a beverage that contains ice from an unknown source (even alcoholic drinks). Bottles and bags of purified water are widely available.
Food Safety
Individuals traveling to Honduras should avoid eating untreated raw vegetables, fruits that can’t be peeled on the spot, raw fish like ceviche and undercooked shellfish and products containing mayonnaise, pastry icing, and unpasteurized dairy products.
Hot cooked food, fresh bread, dry foods such as crackers, bottled carbonated beverages, coffee, tea, and beer are usually safe, provided such food items are not purchased from street vendors. air dry.
Getting around
Taxis and buses are regulated. Make sure to negotiate the rates prior to entering the vehicle and make sure you know what currency the driver is quoting.
Ask if the rate is US dollars or Lempiras. The average rate per person for a ride to the West End from the cruise terminal is $7.50 US and West Bay about $10.00 pp. A full day island tour by taxi will range around $100.00 for the taxi.
Snorkel/Dive
The island is surrounded by nearly 70 miles of living reef and offers excellent snorkel and dive. opportunities.
Coco View Wall
Southeast coast dive site.
Local Resorts
Spend the day at one of the local resorts listed below.
Anthony's Key Resort
CocoView Resort
Mayan Princess Beach Resort
Captain Ron's Hideaway
Roatan, Bay Islands
West End Beach
The island is located near the largest barrier reef in the Caribbean Sea and the second largest worldwide after Australia's Great Barrier Reef. It has become an important cruise ship and scuba diving destination in Honduras. For many years the island was a hidden gem, with some of the most beautiful white beaches and the best snorkel and diving spots in the Caribbean, but it was 'discovered' around 2005 by cruise ships and hotel developers.
After two and a half decades of mostly military rule, a freely elected civilian government came to power in 1982.
History
The restored Mayan ruins near the Guatemalan border in Copan reflect the great Mayan culture that flourished there for hundreds of years until the early 9th century. Columbus landed at mainland Honduras (Trujillo) in 1502, and named the area "Honduras" (meaning "depths") for the deep water off the coast.
Honduras is a democracy with a developing economy. Facilities that would normally be used by tourists, including hotels and restaurants, are generally adequate in the Bay Islands, and near the Copan ruins. Large sections of the country, however, lack basic public services or even a governmental presence.
Honduras is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere with an extraordinarily unequal distribution of income and massive unemployment. Growth remains dependent on the status of the US economy, its major trading partner, on commodity prices, particularly coffee, and on reduction of the high crime rate.
The country was devastated by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, which killed about 5,600 people and caused approximately $2 billion in damage. Mitch left hundreds of thousands homeless, devastated the road network and other public infrastructure, and crippled certain key sectors of the economy.
Good to Know
Port of Entry
Coxen Hole - Mahogany Bay Cruise Center
Time Zone
CST (EST-1, UTC/GMT -6 hours)
Map Coordinates
16°23′N 86°24′W
Average Temperatures
Water: 82º Summer - 79º Winter
Air: 83º Summer - 78º Winter
Personal Safety
Crime is endemic in Honduras and requires a high degree of caution by U.S. visitors and residents alike. U.S. citizens have been the victims of a wide range of crimes, including murder, kidnapping, rape, assault, and property crimes. Sixty-two U.S. citizens have been murdered in Honduras since 1995; only twenty cases have been resolved. Four U.S citizens were murdered in Honduras in 2007, six in 2006, and ten in 2005. Kidnappings of U.S. citizens have occurred in Honduras, including two incidents in 2007. Poverty, gangs, and low apprehension and conviction rates of criminals contribute to a critical crime rate, including horrific acts of mass murder. With a total of 3,855 murders in 2007, and a population of approximately 7.3 million people, Honduras has one of the world’s highest per capita murder rates.
Copan, Roatan/Bay Islands, and other tourist destinations have a lower crime rate than other parts of the country, but thefts, break-ins, assaults, and murders do occur. Exercise particular caution walking on isolated beaches, especially at night. Coxen Hole on the island of Roatan should be avoided after dark.
The Honduran law enforcement authorities' ability to prevent, respond to, and investigate criminal incidents and prosecute criminals remains limited. Honduran police generally do not speak English. The government has established a special tourist police in the resort town of Tela and other popular tourist destinations, including Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, La Ceiba, and Roatan, but the number deployed is small and coverage is limited.
Things to do and see
Half Moon Bay Restaurants and Bars
Beachside restaurants such as Cannibal Cafe Mexican Restaurant, and the Lighthouse Restaurant for seafood. Bars include Sundowners, Twisted Toucan and the Purple Turtle.
Gumba Limba Park
Animal Preserve. Website
West Bay Canopy Tour
Ride a zip Line and glide through the jungle.
Coxen's Cave
Take the history tour.
Botanical Garden
Water sports including snorkeling, SNUBA and kayaking.
Beaches
Pigeon Cay
45-minute boat ride from Roatan. This beach offers calm waters, shade trees and some wildlife. Great get-a-way spot.
Half Moon Bay
Food and beverage services.
West Bay
Powdery sand beach.
West End Beach
