Things I Discovered Visiting Isla Tropicale (Formerly known as Mahogany Bay)

When trying to decide which cruise to go on, my family and I look at what trips are available at the time of year we can go. On a recent trip, we narrowed our options down to two, one with Royal Caribbean and the other with Carnival on the Jubilee. Both of these trips were very similar but the deciding factor for us was the stop at Roatan, Honduras. Carnival Cruise line stops at a different location in Roatan than Royal Caribbean does because they have a private beach, Isla Tropicale. While Royal Caribbean has what appeared to be a nice shopping area, the beach at Isla Tropicale sounded nice. Previous to this trip we had gone to Half Moon Cay, one of Carnival’s other private beaches, and had a great time. Because of this experience we were looking forward to our stop at Isla Tropicale. Here are my thoughts as well as more info about this port to help you decide if you too want to visit. 

Walk to the Shopping Area

Once you disembark from the ship, you will have to walk up to the shopping area and then to the beach unless you pay for the Magical Flying Chairs (more on that later). While this walk to the shopping area is not extensively long, it is what I would call a short hike. Unlike other ports, I don’t remember seeing any services that would shuttle people or cart them to the shopping area. This is something you will want to consider before going here. If you have a wheelchair, motorized scooter or stroller, the good news is that the path is nicely paved making it easy to travel on. You will also want to allow for plenty of time to walk back to the ship before the time you need to be aboard. This way you won’t have to rush as you walk back to the ship. 

Shopping Area

Getting to the Beach

Once you arrive at the shopping area, you may decide to stay and shop a little while. If you decide instead to head to the beach, there are several different ways to go. 

Magical Flying Chairs

This mode of transportation, I highly recommend. The experience made our day so fun. For around $18 you can pay for an all day pass to travel back and forth on the Magical Flying Chairs. These cable suspended chairs will take you from the shopping area to the beach area. You will get to glide above the trees and enjoy the views of the ship, ocean and other cruise passengers as you go. I have to say, this was a big highlight of the day for my family and I. We pre-purchased our tickets through the cruise line and it was an easy transaction and experience. When you go you might want to compare prices and see whether purchasing the tickets ahead of time through the cruise line or purchasing them in person on Isla Tropicale is a better deal. 

After standing in line, when it is your turn to ride the Magical Flying Chairs, you will first stand with your feet on pre-marked spaces on the ground, the chair comes up behind you and you sit down. We did not have any small children with us when we went so the bar that was in front of us felt safe enough. They did appear to have additional straps that children could use to help them be a bit more secure, but before buying tickets, I would suggest considering if you feel like this ride is safe for your family if you have small children. Another thing that I want to caution riders about is to make sure your shoes are secure on your feet before riding. I was wearing flip flops and I quickly found out that while I could hold them on my feet, it was difficult and uncomfortable. I was always afraid that I was going to drop one. After the first ride, I put my shoes in my bag instead of wearing them to avoid losing them on the ride. 

Paths

If you prefer to walk, there are two paths you can take to the beach. The regular paved path or the nature trail. The paved path is great if you are using a wheelchair, motorized scooter or have a stroller. The nature trail is great if you want to be surrounded by the nature of the area. Because we wanted to experience both, on one of our trips back to the shopping area we walked the paved trail and on the way back to the beach we took the nature trail. We liked them both and the great thing is the nature trail is not an intense hike and can be casually walked while you enjoy the scenery. It is not paved so you will want to consider that before walking it. Both trails can be found by following the path to the right of the Magical Flying Chairs.

The Beach

At Isle Tropicale there are varying beach experiences you can have, from the private paid area to the free beach and other activities. First off, if you want a little bit more space or prefer a quieter area you might want to pay the extra money and purchase access to the private area. As an added benefit, the private area had really nice looking lounge chairs with comfortable cushions. In addition to the chairs in the private area, there are lounge chairs on the free beach area that you can rent so you are guaranteed a chair. 

If you are like us and would prefer to not pay the extra, you can still enjoy the beach in the free area. This area is a bit further down the beach. The main downfall to this area is that there is limited seating up near the ocean. While we were able to pretty easily find lounge chairs in the free area of the beach, we could not see the ocean well from where we were sitting. To go to the water, it was a short walk up to the front of the chairs, still making it a pleasant experience. Another nice thing about this area was that the trees provided a lot of shade. The lounge chairs did not have the nice cushions like the paid area did but they were still nice. The chairs were fairly close together so there is a possibility that you will be close to other guests while in this area. 

Lunch

Bathrooms

Whether you are at the beach or in the shopping area, there are accessible bathrooms not far away. Not only were they spacious but they were also clean. In the shopping area the restrooms are not far from the Magical Flying chairs and at the beach they were to the left of the free beach area. 

Mangrove Bay

When we visited Mahogany Bay, they were working on building the new expansion to the private beach. This new area is called Mangrove Bay. Carnival has built a pool in this area with daybeds and cabanas that you can rent. This area looks like it would be a nice addition to the beach. Have you been since they opened? Let us know in the comments if you liked the new upgrades. 

Additional Features

 

My family and I enjoyed our visit to Isla Tropicale (Mahogany Bay) and would be happy to visit again. If you go, let us know what your favorite part was in the comments. – Pepper and Passports

If you love cruising, make sure you check out all the info about the cruises I have been on HERE.

If you are sailing out of Galveston and want to spend a little extra time in the Galveston area, HERE are some fun things you can do.

When we traveled to Mahogany Bay we were aboard the Carnival Jubilee. Check out all the food options on this ship HERE.

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