We are trying to plan a trip to include both Pico Bonito Lodge and also spend some time at the beach in Roatan. We talked to Infinity Bay Resort and then said that the cruise ships are there every day but Sunday and implied that it can be very unpleasant. I went to a website called CruiseTT that has the port schedules and on the days we are going to be there it says that on only one of the three days will there be ships. Does any one know if that site is accurate or is there a way that we can truly know for sure if the ships will be there. We are planning to come in on March 4 and then leave on March 8th first thing in the morning. Has anyone stayed at Infinity Bay when the ships were there? Was it really bad. I read stories of hoards of people mistreated the reef. I know that is something that I could not watch Any help would be greatly appreciated.

As a frequent visitor to Roatan, I will say that cruise ship days do bring alot more people to West Bay and to some of the larger resorts who have shore excursions with the ships. If Infinity Bay is saying it is crowded I would believe them. I was just there less than a month ago for cruise and non-cruise days and while it was quite a difference both days were doable and not overwhelming.
I will say most of the shops are open cruise days and West Bay is more crowded but workable and fun.
You may want to go to some of the more secluded beaches on Sandy Bay if you do not want the 'crowds'. Papaya Bay is very nice, Seadancer and Hobbies Hideaway are very nice on the beach and secluded, Anthony's Key (dolphin area is very crowded on cruise days) but nice.
Lastly, Carnival has their own new port called Mahogany Bay. It is a self contained area with its own shops, beach etc. So on Carnival days the cruise ship traffic outside is reduced as compared to other cruise lines.
Hope this helps.

We've been to Roatan for two years, and will stay again at Seagrape Plantation in West End this Spring. It's quiet and rustic compared with the large resorts at West Bay. We went to West Bay Beach one day to snorkle and were very distressed to see so many people mistreating the reef; standing on the coral, taking pieces, feeding the fish, etc. The beach is beautiful, but the crowds were too much for us. We visited Paya Bay for one day and were impressed; it's way "off the beaten path", but quiet and lovely too.

Hi Quest42n8.....I hope you read this old site, again! We are going to be on Roatan in March for 1 day. (cruise ship) We are avid snorkelers and would like to know where is the best area to snorkel ...lots of colorful coral with sea life...few people? We are leery of ship excursion as we know it will be crowded and probably not very good snorkeling. Any suggestions? Thanks.

I found the website http://tourismroatan.com pretty good at explaining the various snorkelling and diving spots...differentiating between the tourist hotspots and more out of the way places if you want to escape the crowds. Go to their snorkelling page and cruise ship passenger page as they talk about the various ways to spend the day - with and without the crowds.
I'm going there on my third trip late Feb/early March and can't wait. It's not like other place in the Caribbean I've been!

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