Roatán cruise port

Snorkel the second-largest reef on earth, then go hold a sloth.

Roatán is a 48 mile sliver of Honduras ringed by the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, and cruise ships dock at one of two walk-off piers five miles apart: Isla Tropicale (the Carnival-owned port long known as Mahogany Bay, with its own beach and chairlift) or the Port of Roatán at Coxen Hole, used by Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, MSC, Celebrity and Virgin. Most cruisers head west to West Bay Beach for reef snorkeling straight off the sand, or do the sloth-and-monkey sanctuary and a zip line in the hills. SmartCruiser lists every cruise that calls at Roatán from every line, priced with taxes, fees and port expenses included, with the sailings that carry SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit or instant savings at the top.

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DockedIsla Tropicale (Mahogany Bay) or Coxen Hole, both walk-off

USDdollars accepted everywhere, change in lempira, English spoken

Feb to Augdry season, mid 80s and calm, clear water

All inevery price includes taxes and fees

Start here

Three ways to do Roatán

Reef beach, animals and zip lines, or the port’s own beach a chairlift ride away; the buttons filter the list of sailings below.

Beach day

West Bay Beach

The island’s best beach: white sand, the reef 50 yards out and beach clubs that rent chairs and sell lunch
Shared taxi about $20 for one or $25 for two one way from Coxen Hole under the posted Taxi Association rate, 25 to 35 minutes
Beach-break ship tours (about $50 to $75) include transport, a chair and a club, which is the easy way to do it

Best for: snorkelers, families, first-timers

Animals and adventure

Sloths, monkeys and a zip line

Hold a sloth and feed capuchins at the Monkey and Sloth Hangout or Daniel Johnson’s sanctuary, about $45 with transport
Jungle Top zip line starts next to the Coxen Hole terminal; combo tours with the sanctuary run about $60
Gumbalimba Park bundles all of it with a beach stop for about $75 per adult

Best for: kids, animal lovers, thrill seekers

Easy day

Isla Tropicale beach by chairlift

Carnival-family ships only: the Magical Flying Beach Chair carries you over the lagoon to a private 10 acre beach, about $12 to $14 for an all-day pass
Free to walk the 10 minute path instead; chairs, clamshells, kayaks and a swim-up bar at the beach
New for 2026: a pool, swim-up bar and extra beach peninsula added in the port’s renovation

Best for: anyone on Carnival, Princess or Holland America who wants zero logistics

Live from the cruise lines

Roatán cruises: SmartCruiser picks first

Every cruise that calls at Roatán from every line, priced live with taxes, fees and port expenses included. The picks at the top are sailings where booking with SmartCruiser gets you something extra: instant savings or bonus onboard credit. Below them, every other sailing that stops here, with full sorting by home port, line, month, length and price.

SmartCruiser picks

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Every cruise that calls at Roatán

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Prices are per person, double occupancy, in US dollars, and include cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses as published by the cruise line at the moment you load this page. Fares are capacity controlled and change daily; the fare is confirmed when you book. Flights, hotels and transfers are extra unless the line’s offer says otherwise. SmartCruiser instant savings and bonus onboard credit are provided by SmartCruiser on top of the cruise line’s price and are not available when booking direct; amounts are per stateroom, vary by stateroom category and are shown for the lowest category offered. Special SmartCruiser rates are pricing SmartCruiser holds on that sailing for its clients, with extra onboard credit; you book your own stateroom and travel on your own. Senior fares apply to guests 55 and over; resident fares need proof of residency in a listed state or province at check-in; police and fire fares apply to active or retired police, fire and EMT personnel with ID. Qualifier-fare savings are measured against the best fare the cruise line offers the general public for the same stateroom category on the day the list was pulled, updated weekly.

Where you start

Home ports that sail to Roatán

Pick a home port and the list above filters to cruises leaving from there.

MiamiRoyal Caribbean, MSC, Norwegian and Carnival 7 night Western Caribbean loops with Roatán, Costa Maya and Cozumel Fort LauderdaleCelebrity, Princess, Holland America and Royal Caribbean 7 to 11 night Western Caribbean and Panama Canal cruises Port CanaveralRoyal Caribbean, Carnival and MSC 7 night Western Caribbean sailings from the Orlando port GalvestonRoyal Caribbean, Carnival and Princess 7 night cruises from Texas; Roatán is a Galveston staple New OrleansCarnival and Norwegian 7 night Western Caribbean loops from the Mississippi TampaCarnival, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity 7 night Western Caribbean cruises from the Gulf coast MobileCarnival 6 and 7 night Western Caribbean sailings from Alabama

In port

Things to do in Roatán

Everything on the island is within 35 minutes of either pier, and the reef is the reason you came.

West Bay BeachA mile of white sand on the west end with the reef wall a short swim out; beach clubs rent chairs for about $10 to $20 and sell lunch. Taxi about $20 for one or $25 for two one way from Coxen Hole (a bit more from Isla Tropicale), 25 to 35 minutes; ship beach breaks about $50 to $75.

Snorkel or dive the Mesoamerican ReefRoatán Marine Park protects the second-largest barrier reef on earth, with 80 degree visibility off West Bay and West End. Snorkel boat trips run about $40 to $60; two-tank dives about $100 to $130 from West End shops, all within 25 minutes of the piers.

Monkey and sloth sanctuariesDaniel Johnson’s Monkey and Sloth Hangout and the Monkey and Sloth Sanctuary near French Harbour let you hold a sloth and feed capuchins and macaws. About $45 per person with transport on a tour, 15 minutes from Isla Tropicale or 25 from Coxen Hole.

Gumbalimba ParkA 20 acre nature park above West Bay with free-roaming monkeys and macaws, a pirate cave, botanical trails and a zip line and snuba as add-ons. Tours with transport and a beach break run about $75 per adult; 20 minutes from Coxen Hole.

Zip linesJungle Top Zipline runs right beside the Coxen Hole terminal and South Shore Canopy and Mayan Jungle Canopy are 20 minutes away; most have 12 to 18 lines over the canopy and the sea. About $50 to $60 per person, $60 combined with a sanctuary visit.

Isla Tropicale beach and chairlift (Mahogany Bay)Carnival-family ships dock here: a 10 acre private beach reached by the Magical Flying Beach Chair (about $12 to $14 all day) or a free 10 minute walk, with chairs, clamshells, kayaks and bars. The 2026 renovation adds a pool, swim-up bar and a new beach peninsula.

Little French KeyA private island resort a 10 minute boat ride from French Harbour: lagoon beach, horseback riding, kayaks and a small animal rescue. Day packages with lunch run about $90 to $130; about 15 minutes from Isla Tropicale, 35 from Coxen Hole.

West End villageThe laid-back dive village with bars on the water, Half Moon Bay and dive shops; a $3 to $5 water taxi links it to West Bay. Shared taxi from Coxen Hole about $15 to $20; a good lunch stop on the way back from the beach.

Pick your style

Which lines call at Roatán?

Carnival Corporation brands use Isla Tropicale; nearly everyone else uses the Port of Roatán at Coxen Hole.

      CarnivalMost of the fleet from Galveston, New Orleans, Mobile, Tampa, Miami and Port Canaveral, docking at its own Isla Tropicale portSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      Royal CaribbeanStar, Symphony, Harmony and Enchantment of the Seas on 7 night Western Caribbean loops from Florida and Galveston, at Coxen HoleSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      NorwegianBreakaway, Getaway and Joy class ships from New Orleans, Miami and Port Canaveral, usually paired with Harvest Caye and Costa MayaSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      MSCSeascape and Seashore on 7 night Western Caribbean loops from Miami and Port Canaveral; the most frequent caller at Coxen Hole some monthsSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      PrincessRegal, Sky and Caribbean Princess on Western Caribbean and Panama Canal cruises from Fort Lauderdale and Galveston, at Isla TropicaleSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      Holland AmericaRotterdam, Nieuw Amsterdam and Eurodam on 7 to 11 night winter Western Caribbean cruises from Fort LauderdaleSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      CelebrityEdge and Solstice class ships on Western Caribbean sailings from Fort Lauderdale and Tampa, at Coxen HoleSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      CunardQueen Elizabeth and Queen Anne on winter Caribbean and Panama Canal voyages, docking at Isla TropicaleSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
    

Timing

When to go

Roatán is warm all year and sits south of the main hurricane track; the dry season runs February to August, the rainy season October to January, and cruise traffic peaks from November to April.

February to AprilHighs mid 80s, the driest months, flat seas and the best reef visibility of the year; peak cruise season with two or three ships a day.

May to AugustUpper 80s, humid, mostly dry with a late-day shower; fewer ships, softer fares and warm 84 degree water for snorkeling.

September to OctoberHot and increasingly wet; the tail of hurricane season, though direct hits are rare this far south.

November to JanuaryThe wettest months, with November and December the heaviest, in short tropical bursts between sunny spells; highs near 82 and the busiest cruise weeks of the year over the holidays.

Good to know

Roatán questions we answer every day

Where do cruise ships dock in Roatán?

There are two walk-off piers about five miles apart on the south shore. Carnival, Princess, Holland America, Cunard and the other Carnival Corporation brands dock at Isla Tropicale, the Carnival-owned port known until 2026 as Mahogany Bay, east of the airport near French Harbour, with its own private beach, shops and chairlift. Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Norwegian, MSC and Virgin Voyages dock at the Port of Roatán in Coxen Hole, the island’s main town, with a shopping village, taxi stand and a zip line at the gate. Neither port tenders in normal operations; check your itinerary for which pier you have.

How do I get around and what do taxis cost?

Taxis wait at both terminals under a posted rate board. From Coxen Hole the Taxi Association rate to West Bay is about $20 for one person or $25 for two one way, with about $10 for each extra rider; from Isla Tropicale figure a few dollars more. Colectivo shared taxis along the main road are $2 to $5 but do not go all the way to West Bay, and a $3 to $5 water taxi links West End and West Bay. Agree the total, and whether it is per car or per person, before you get in, and set the pickup time.

What currency, language and time zone, and will my phone work?

The Honduran lempira is the currency but U.S. dollars are accepted everywhere tourists go and prices are quoted in them; expect change in lempira, so pay with small bills. English is the first language of most islanders, Spanish is the official one. Roatán is on Central Standard Time all year, usually one hour behind the ship’s Eastern clock. U.S. phones roam at international rates; the Coxen Hole village and most beach clubs sell Wi-Fi.

Is Roatán safe for cruise passengers?

The U.S. State Department rates Honduras Level 3, reconsider travel, for the mainland, but notes that the Bay Islands, including Roatán, see far less crime and are where the cruise lines have called for decades. Both ports, West Bay and the sanctuaries are busy and patrolled by tourist police. Use the taxi stand at the terminal rather than touts on the road, keep valuables on the ship, and if you go to West Bay on your own, leave the beach with at least 90 minutes before all-aboard.

What is the best excursion, and should I book it through the ship?

West Bay Beach with snorkeling off the sand is the best day on the island and the cheapest, and a ship beach break for $50 to $75 makes it foolproof. Sloths and a zip line are the other must-do, and tours bundle them for about $60. Book boat trips and anything timed through the ship; a taxi to West Bay on your own is fine if you agree the price and the return time up front.

Do I need a passport for a cruise that stops in Roatán?

On a round-trip cruise from a U.S. port, U.S. citizens may sail with a government photo ID plus an original or certified birth certificate (the closed-loop rule), but we strongly recommend a passport: Honduras is a foreign country and if you miss the ship or need to fly home, only a passport gets you on the plane. Carry a photo ID ashore at Isla Tropicale, where purchases are cash or card rather than your ship account.

Are taxes and fees included in the prices here?

Yes. Every price on SmartCruiser includes the cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses. Flights, hotels, shore excursions, drinks and gratuities are extra.

Talk to a Roatán cruise specialist

Our consultants know which pier your ship uses and which Western Caribbean sailings give you the longest reef day on Roatán. Monday to Thursday 9 to 6, Friday 9 to 5, Saturday 10 to 6 ET.

1-800-444-1560