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You’ve probably heard the term, “Tender Mercies” in some sort of capacity or another.
According to the LDS church, tender mercies is defined as very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support and spiritual gift which is received from Jesus Christ.
I think Norwegian cruise line should define it as “passengers at the mercy of their cruise line’s abhorrent tender operation”…we were definitely not feeling guidance, assurances, consolation or support.
Roatan, Honduras has been a destination on my “go to” list for some time. When we discovered it was part of our Christmas cruise itinerary, we were elated and planned to see as much of it as we could.
Looking through our destination handout the night before docking, I discovered that tender tickets were required for disembarkation. Never having had this experience, I inquired with Guest Services as to the appropriate location and then informed my husband that he would be in line before the ticket handout start time to ensure our early departure.
We were scheduled to dock around 7:30 am and we watched the coastline of Roatan come into view. With my husband having secured Group 2 tickets, we were excited that our day would begin early.
Roatan’s cruise port in Coxen Hole can normally handle two ships at their dock, with Carnival utilizing their own port, Mahogany Bay further up the coast. Apparently, part of the Coxen Hole dock was damaged a couple of months ago and one of Royal Caribbean’s larger ships needed the still-usable portion. So, where did that leave us? With no Honduran-run tender operation available, the Pearl’s lifeboats would have to suffice.
Each able to hold approximately 50-75 passengers and with a total of 2,394 passengers on board the Pearl…well, you do the math.
Three lifeboats were being utilized and those passenger with status and shore excursions were allowed to leave first. So, our Group 2 ticket wasn’t as great as I thought. That, in combination with rougher than normal ocean conditions, slowed down (and even stopped temporarily) the tendering tremendously. By 9:20, Group 1 was finally being called. It wasn’t until 10:10 that we were allowed to leave the ship, a very slow process.
Walking up the pier to the Town Center, we fought the crowds and the urge to take it all in. Having to be back for the last tender at 3:00 pm meant having to rush to do anything.
Making our way to the taxi staging area, we quickly made a deal with a driver to bring us out to West Bay, an area I knew had a nice beach.
Driving along the windy, narrow roads, our driver, Tino, gave us a brief history of the area. Noting the heavy traffic due to three ships being in port, we decided that we had to give ourselves ample time to get back to the boat at the appropriate time.
After about a 15 minute drive, we were pulling onto a small, narrow road. Passing a few rental cottages, we were not sure exactly where Tino was taking us. West Bay? Parking his van, he helped us out and guided us into a restaurant where we paid the owner $10 per person for chairs, umbrellas and the use of the facilities (showers and toilets).
Following the sound of waves and music, we stepped out of the restaurant onto the sand and looked around in wonder. A pristine arc of sand lined the water’s edge. Clear, turquoise water reflected the bright sunshine and I recognized some of the condominiums that I had researched previously when we had thought we might travel there.
With only three hours to enjoy these beautiful surroundings, my husband and I first headed up the beach. Stopping into one of the dive centers, we inquired about the accommodations and dive packages offered. Inspecting each of the resorts we passed, we made mental notes of where we might like to stay upon our return on a future vacation. We then headed down the beach, finding it more crowded than where we had made camp for the day. It was evident that this was a place where cruise ship passengers head for a day in the sun.
Heading back, we ordered a few drinks and stood in the water, enjoying the soft sand beneath our feet and the sun beating down on our heads, knowing it was a crisp 49 degrees back home.
Three hours goes by pretty fast when you are having fun.
Packing up our belongings, we headed inside to find Tino and begin the congested drive back to our ship.
Glad that we had given ourselves ample time, we sat in traffic just outside the port and then found the line for the tenders to be extremely lengthy. It was quite frustrating to watch the Royal Caribbean passengers sashay on board, whenever they felt like it. At least we had entertainment!
Finally on board and happily ensconced the pub eating fish and chips, we looked out of the picture windows at the shores of Roatan.
Sad that our day had started out slowly, we were happy to find that because of my diligence in getting in line for tender tickets early, we were the lucky ones to have had more time onshore. A great deal of passengers had not been aware that tender tickets were required (read your daily handouts!) and many more missed privately booked excursions (non-refundable). Some passengers in higher numbered groups were unable to get off of the boat until 2:00 pm, giving them only an hour to wander around the port!
So, what did we learn from our time in Roatan?
Read everything that the ship gives you…thankfully, I knew about the tender tickets.
Research your ports thoroughly…with a quick decision to make, I knew where to ask the driver to take us.
Book outside excursions cautiously…cruise ships take no responsibility for being unable to dock and will not refund you for missing a pre-paid excursion. They will, however, refund you for the cancellation of excursions booked through the ship.
Roatan, has a ton of things to offer besides beautiful beaches…we will be back to discover them all!
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Norwegian Cruise Lines
- https://www.ncl.com
- Ship Name: Norwegian Pearl
- Itinerary: 7 days, departing Tampa. Ports of call, Harvest Caye, Belize, Costa Maya, Mexico, Roatan, Honduras, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands