Customer Reviews from 2007...

Here are a few reviews from some of our guests that visited in 2007...each tour is different, but we try to make each one memorable.

Your Review...

If we've had the honor of showing you Roatan, please let us know what you think. If you have any photos, we'd love to include them here, as well.

More Customer Reviews...

2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004

Joyce, Gary, Matt and Andy - Boston, MA:
I want to express our appreciation for a fine day in Roatan. We all decided this was our favorite day on our cruise on the Valor. We met Enry just outside the cruise terminal and were on our way in his air conditioned van in about 10 minutes. We wanted to do the ziplining at South Shore Zip lines and he made sure we got there before the crowds. What a blast. We loved the time we spent at the West Bay Beach and having lunch at Infinity Bay. It was so relaxing, just what we needed. The island is so beautiful, I can't help but tell everyone about it. Enry was a great guide, he was very accommadating and conscious of the time we had. We got to see everything we wanted to. We loved the monkeys at Victor's house even though his brother is a Yankees fan! Thanks to Victor Bodden tours we loved Roatan. (Carnival Valor, May 30, 2007)

Victor's daughter, Shelsie, shows off a couple of the Spider Monkeys

Mel and Nathan Presley - Cookeville, TN:
Booking a tour with Victor was the best part of our cruise! Getting off the boat we were met with mass chaos of cab drivers/tour operators trying to get our business. We politely walked over to Victor's wodden hut and told them our name. They already had everything down that we wanted to do, introduced us to our driver and we were on our way! Lionel was our guide for the day, and he was GREAT! He was knowledgeable about the island, friendly, safe (the roads are crazy) yet efficient (so we could see as many sites as possible), and very patient when we wanted to spend extra time at a site. We were the second people up to the ziplines (so we didn't have to wait in line) and we had an WONDERFUL guide named Pedro-who helped us all through the course. When we saw the video of the cruise ship conducted zipline we were SO glad we didn't book through them. Victor's course seems to be more exciting and allows more freedom, yet is flexible so people of all ages can do it (there was a five year old in front of us!). Next Lionel took us to several places for picture-taking (shipwrecks, overlooks,etc). Then we headed over to the Bodden Compound where we got one on one time with a couple spider monkeys, anteater, howler monkey and even some deer! Our last stop was Half Moon Bay where we walked down the street hopping in and out of the shops and drank local beers and had some snacks at this little hut right on the beach! Our experience was far better than anything we could've booked through the cruiselines...we really got to SEE ROATAN! THANK YOU!! (June 2007)

Melinda Resley - McKinney, TX:
Upon our arrival we followed Victor’s instructions and went to his Bodden Tours "tour hut" (on the dock) where we were met by our driver. Our first stop was Palmetto Zip lines. I can’t tell you enough how much I enjoyed this. I’m 60 and very afraid of heights, but the kids talked me into trying it and I ended up loving it. The guides at Palmetto are the greatest and I always felt safe. By the end I was going down without hands. It’s a kick and everyone should try it. Just to let you know one person on our tour was 6’5” and football player size and he was able to go. Don’t worry about age or size. They will take care of you.

We then drove to the Iguana farm. They were everywhere but oh so cool. Feeding them was fun. Then it was on to Victor's to play with the monkeys. They were so cute and friendly we could hardly pull ourselves away. Finally off to West End to snorkel and to just relax. On the way we made several stops for pictures. Can’t say enough great things about our day in Roatan with Victor Bodden tours. (Rhapsody of the Seas, May 23, 2007)

Terry & Tacy Olivo:
We just returned from our cruise on the Rhaposdy of the Sea. We booked a tour with Bodden Tours for our day in Roatan. Theris Dixon, our driver for the day, met us at the dock. She took us all over the beautiful island! She personalized the tour just for us. We toured the island from one end to the other. Being a native of the island, Theris gave us the history of the island and answered all of our questions.

There were two ship wrecks on our tour. We stopped by Victor's home where we held one of the many spider monkey's, saw the beautiful birds and the cashew trees in bloom.

Next we went to Half Moon Bay and snorkeled on the coral reef and had a wonderful seafood dinner. The beach was free and the bathrooms were clean. They had snorkeling equipment for rent,

We Zip Lined over the jungle canopy. It offered views like no other! We visited the cameo factory and saw them carving.

We were totally impressed with this beautiful island and the great tour we had. Theris was such a great hostess! Thank you so much for making our day so wonderful! We definately recommend Bodden tours! Roatan was our favorite port on our cruise. (Rhapsody of the Seas, May 7, 2007)

Tim & Sue -- Toronto, ON:
My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our experience on your tour. Many thanks to your brother William who showed us around the island. We enjoyed everything we saw especially the Iguana farm and your home. We have never held a monkey before and they are awfully cute and friendly. Roatan was the best port we went to and a lot of the fun was due to the tour we took with your company. When, not if, we come back we will book again with your company. Thanks again for making Roatan the highlight of our cruise.(Rhapsody of the Seas, May 7, 2007)

Teri & Jeff and Family (cruisecritic.com) - Manassas, VA/Melbourne, FL/Jacksonville, FL:
I just returned three days ago from the Carnival Valor and also toured Roatan with Bodden Tours. Our driver was Willson (Victor's cousin) - but I believe all of his personnel are very nice and reliable. We thouroughly enojoyed ourselves and you will as well.

The port is extremely hectic, be forewarned. When you get off the ship follow the walkway towards the right - it will take you out past the security gate. Almost immediately across the street there are some little huts - one of them has a hanging sign that reads "Bodden Tours." Check in with them there and they will introduce you to your driver for the day.

Once you get out of town we headed to the east end of the island. This is where the Iguana Farm is. Along the way we passed two ship wrecks (photo opps) and heard the history about them. As for the Iguana Farm, I wasn't sure what to expect of the place but I have to admit, I really enjoyed it. The road to get there seems primative but don't be concerned when your driver takes the back, dirt roads - that is where this place is.

We were told there are literaly 4,000 iguanas on the property and they were everywhere. (up in the trees, on the side walk, blending in with the grass, etc..) all different sizes. For $5 is it worth it. We fed them and took pictures with them. Be sure to walk the entire road - they have a caged monkey but the best is down on the pier. They have all kinds of fish, turtles and sea creatures to observe from the pier. It is a neat little place.

From there we headed back to the West End stopping along the way to try sugar cane water and then on to Victor's house. Victor himself has monkeys to play with - they are awesome! I really go attached to Tacco. Victor is a real animal guy - let's the monkeys free to roam the property every day except when a ship is in port. (Otherwise they go up in the trees and don't interact with folks as much.) He has deer, several different kinds of monkeys and another little guy with a long snout - don't know what he is but I fell in love with him.

From here we traveled to the West End and went to Half Moon Bay and spent a leisurely few hours there soaking in the sun, breeze, snorkling, food and beer. It is BEAUTIFUL there! I found the food to be quite good. We had conch fritters that were all minced conch and the best I have ever had. Additionally folks recommended the fried shrimp (hubby had and enjoyed) and I had the coconut shrimp (VERY large and VERY tasty!) We enjoyed it completely. WE paid for our driver's lunch and beverage as well and even with my two beers (great local brewed stuff) and my husbands two sodas the bill was only around $48. Not bad for lunch for three, with beers, sodas and an appetizer! I would recommend.

There is plenty of time to do all of these activities and still get back to the ship in plenty of time. Willson was very conscientious and wanted to please us. He did a great job!

Enjoy your trip!(Carnival Valor, April 29, 2007)

Denise Smith - Louisville, KY:
We arrived in Roatan on the Carnival Valor on April 18, 2007. Our driver was Lionel. He was patient and very helpful as we asked him a million questions about the island. We visited the iguana farm, which was really cool, and stopped to see monkeys at someone's home. We got to hold the monkeys, which is something I always wanted to do.

He took us to a lookout point over the water, which was the most wonderful site. Vendors were selling items at the lookout, the prices there were at least half of what vendors at other locations were charging (check out all the wooden items). We saw some shipwrecks too.

My husband wanted to snorkel, so he took us to do that. Not sure of the name of the bar and restaurant, but drinks were cheap and they had free lounge chairs, so I could watch while my husband was out in the water.

He even stopped by a local bar on the way back to the ship when my husband asked for a local beer. Do you research before you arrive so you can ask your driver to take you wherever you want…(Carnival Valor, April 18, 2007)

Terry & Susan Kinney - Colorado Springs, CO:
Susan and I took Victor’s “Best of Roatan” tour on 17 April 2007. The tour was certainly the crown jewel of our seven day Western Caribbean cruise. Our guide, Hanno Ebank, was capable, courteous, and VERY knowledgeable about Roatan. He listened to our desires, made suggestions about where we might want to visit, and, best of all, advised us to avoid certain over-priced shops which had been touted by the cruise line. He planned a route which took us to all we wanted to see (plus more), always mindful of the availability of refreshments and restroom facilities. Hanno took us to an open air restaurant on Half Moon Bay where we enjoyed our best meal of the entire trip. If you are looking for a really great time at a very reasonable price, your best choice is Bodden Tours! (Grand Princess, April 17, 2007)

A trip to Sherman Arch's Iguana Farm

Philippe Gayte & Family - Seattle, WA:
Wow, are we glad we booked with Bodden Tours. We (family of 4) visited beautiful Roatan on April 11th, 2007 on the Grand Princess. Julio was our driver and was such a mild-mannered, polite, motivated young man. He was born and raised in Roatan so was very knowledgable. This tour is the best way to get the real flavor of the island. We were driven all over and did everything and more that we had planned. The scenery was gorgeous and the drivers know just where to take you. Even better they know how to avoid big crowds (aka the tours booked through the ship). We stopped at the Iguana farm which is very fun especially if you like reptiles. It cracked us up to watch them eat the leafy greens we got to feed them. We then went zip-lining which was a hoot! Our youngest (10 yr old) was fearless and was swinging upside down and letting go with his hands - the whole zip-lining thing was definitely a highlight for the boys. Another highlight was going to Victor's property to see spider monkeys, an anteater, parrots, etc. The monkeys were so cute and not shy. It was a treat to hold them. We ate lunch in a restaurant on the water at Half Moon Bay. Service was a bit slow that day but both Julio and Victor pulled some strings and moved things along a little faster. The kids then went snorkeling in the prettiest clear blue water from the shore. Our final stop before boarding the ship was the Majken Broby Childrens Home. We'd been in contact with them before our cruise and found out specific needs they had and brought along a whole suitcase full of donations. What an eye-opener. The kids were so sweet and our boys played kickball with them for a bit. While they don't live in conditions we are used to it's so heartwarming to see that they are cared about. Our driver Julio even knew who a couple of the kids were because he knew either their mom or siblings. We were sorry the day had to end but what an absolutely memorable day it was! We can't wait to get back to Roatan. Thanks Julio and Victor... Bodden Tours is the way to go while in Roatan!!!! (Grand Princess, April 11, 2007)

Astrid - Old Orchard Beach, ME:
Just needed to tell you how happy we were with your tour. We were in Roatan on March 30th and had Ben as our tour guide. He was ever so polite, informative and just a pleasure to be with. The high point of my visit was the spot at Victor’s house to see and hold the monkeys. I had 2 baby monkeys on my neck that never wanted to leave me. It is nice to see someone care so much for nature. We had been to Roatan over 5 years ago and saw a great deal of improvement, the paved main street and lots of building of new resorts. Good for the locals and the tourists as well. I highly recommend for everyone to come to this wonderful island and be sure to contact Victor Bodden Tours for the best sightseeing. (Celebrity Zenith, March 30, 2007)

Runner1909 (cruisecritic.com) - OK:
Can't say enough good things about our tour last week arranged through Victor. We quickly met our driver, Pilo, after a short walk off the ship. Ironically, he had been a waiter on Carnival for 18 years. My DH is a photographer so Pilo took us to all the interesting spots--and there were plenty. We also went to the iguana farm and West End for snorkeling. We actually covered the whole island, he took us anywhere we wanted to go. Pilo knows everyone on that island, he was amazing! We had a wonderful time. It was our favorite port of call this cruise. We highly recommend using Victor's services. (Carnival Valor, March 21, 2007)

PrincessJLS (cruisecritic.com) - Kansas City, KS:
We just had a tour with Victor Bodden last week and it was great. We met our guide, Enry, at their tour booth around 8:00 am. I had asked Victor to plan our day doing the canopy tour, Half Moon Bay with a lobster lunch, snorkling, shopping, and island touring. The trip lasted until 3ish?? Enry was a great tour guide! Very pleasant, knowledgable, and accomodating. We first toured the island on our way to the canopy tour. We were the only ones at the canopy tour when we arrived. The cruise ship tour had just arrived as we were leaving. There were six of us, my husband and I (49), our two daughters and their friends (23,22,19,19). We had wonderful guides. I was very nervous, but after starting it was so much fun and felt very safe. Enry picked us up at the end of the tour. He then took us to Half Moon Bay. This was a very quaint beach and restaurant. We snorkled right off the dock, but it was a little murky from all the rain the night before. We had lunch at the restaurant, 3 lobster tails, salad, bread and potato for $20.00. We all loved it. We then did a little shopping at the West End and drove to an overlook before heading back to the ship. This was my most favorite stop on our cruise. Leave it to Victor for a wonderful day. (Carnival Valor, March 21, 2007)

Smarks (cruisecritic.com):
I was at Victors on 3/21/07. The monkeys were adorable. I had two on my head at once. They weren't corerced, they just go from one person to the other. It was not crowded, so some one on one with the monkeys was possible. But we got there early. We had Ben as our guide with Victor Bodden Tours. He was great. We didn't go to West End Beach. Ben took us to Half Moon Beach. It was not crowded, it has a resturant, and snorkeling was great and not crowded. Just a few kicks away to a great reef and no extra charge for chairs. No entrance fees. Nice uncrowded place. I didn't see seadoo's or that kind of stuff, but they did have snorkle rental and a very nice place. I plan to visit there again. Ben took us everywhere we wanted to go. Even a nice overlook for pictures. And stopped for $1.00 beers. Enjoy your trip. (Carnival Valor, March 21, 2007)

Debbie, Husband & 13-year old daughter:
I justed wanted to thank you and let you know what a wonderful time we had. We took the tour with Ali on 3/20/07 and fell in love with your beautiful island. Ali was fantastic. Our only regret was that we ran out of time before making it to your house to see the monkeys. The zip line was fun but the best time was just taking our time seeing the island. I love to garden and Ali was great at showing us all the beautiful plants on the island. We hope to see you all again someday! (Grand Prinicess, March 20, 2007)

Sherry, Family & Friends (cruisecritic.com) - Kingwood, TX:
Just returned today. Victor took great care of the 14 of us. He took us on a mini tour of the area. Then he dropped part of my group at South Shore zipline and drove the others to the beach. He returned to South Shore to wait for the zipliners to finish (1 hr.), then took us to join the others at the beach for food, drinks and snorkling (we brought our own equipment).

FYI - We loved ziplining in Belize last year and DH said Roatan's South Shore was far better. My 54 yr. old SIL zipped upside down and was thrilled with the tour.

Victor said many Roatan beaches are beginning to charge for access. He took us to one area where he knew the staff at the beach concession place and bypassed any charges. There was a real estate office right next door. The beach bar had good food and drinks. The beach was nice and the water was crystal clear. I brought fish food and it was fun to snorkle with it.

With notice, Victor can arrange horseback riding. Wish I'd done this for my DD. Victor's van was comfy with a/c. We saw the ship's tour lumber by on a school bus. The ziplining cost $45 per person. Additionally, we paid Victor $25 per person for the day. This covered transportation and personal guide for the whole day. He stayed with us the entire time. Very nice guy and very easy to work with. (Grand Princess, March 13, 2007)

He took us to do a little zip-lining, which we enjoyed immensely. He got us there early before it got too crowded, but there was still a little bit of a wait. Albert made sure we were “presented” to the zip-line operators, and pulled some strings to get us bumped to the front of the line! The weather was humid but relatively cool, and we had a guide for our group of four that did everything for us…he caught us at every platform, and hung upside-down in the “solo loco” during every zip. We had a great time.

Albert (who seemed to know everyone on the island!) then took us to a local watering hole to freshen up and enjoy a few bottles of Salva Vida, a delicious local beer. He told us it means "life saver" in Spanish, and the label on the bottle features a life ring! Using the restroom here (sorry I can't remember what it was called; the only thing I remember is that the place was run by a guy who'd moved from Hawaii!) was free to customers, or two dollars if you didn't buy any food or drink. Salva Vida was two bucks, so that worked out just right! There's a great view from the terrace.

We then continued our tour as it started to rain, and rode to the west end of the island and had a delicious lunch and a few more Salva Vidas before heading back to the ship. On the way, we stopped at the cameo factory to see some of the local artisans at work. We were back at the pier in plenty of time to unwind before sailing.

The price for our tour was $100 for the four of us. We left our belonging and cameras in Albert's van during the zipline, lunch, and everywhere else, and it was completely safe. (Grand Princess, March 3, 2007)

Sharon & Fred White - Boise ID:
We had a wonderful time today with your tour guide Ali...he is a wonderful person and really knows his job. We saw so much and he explained everything so well. You have a great employee with Ali. Thank you so much Victor, you delivered everything you promised. Hope to return another time to your beautiful island. (Grand Princess, February 24, 2007)

Vicki - Boise ID:
We did the zip line tour with you the week of Feb 14th. We had an AMAZING time! Brad was our zip line guide. We had so much fun with him. He learned our names and personaly directed us. When we reflect back on the whole cruise experience, our day spent with you was our favorite. You and your staff made sure we had a great time. (Carnival Valor, February 14, 2007)

David, Teri, Brad & Cathy - Dallas, TX:
Thanks again Victor for the great time we had in Roatan. We saw comments about BoddenTours on CruiseCritic.com and decided to use them due to all the positive comments. Alie was our driver. You just can't beat their deal for a driver and transportation for all day! We had a fantastic day: (1) We did the zipline at Palmetto Park (2-3 times better than the one the cruise takes you on their tour to Galimba Park.) I think Galimba is set up for people who don't go for the more strenous or just out right fun! (2) The Iguana farm was great! You get to feed & interact with them just like pets. It is so great to see them out in the open & not in cages. (3) Last, we went to Half Moon Bay for some snorkling and relaxing on a FREE beach with waiters to serve you drinks or food. This whole tour on the boat would probably run you $300.00 per person. Our total at the end of the day plus tips and drinks & food $100.00 per person. My last comment to all cruisers---Please take plenty of one dollar bills with you as tips--Various children (the ones who will supply you with food to feed the iguanas and ones at the side of the road selling trinkets)and teenagers (Guides at the ziplines).The best part of this tour was putting a smile on these kids face showing you appreciate their efforts. Thanks again and see ya next time Victor! (Grand Princess, January 23, 2007)