Freyward_Cruiser

@Kristal Blade From my memory, we used US dollars but then we were given change in Guatemalan quetzals. I think US dollars are accepted here, because they do have cruise ships and tourism that comes in. We also used our credit cards when we could (in the restaurant). The vendors had everything you've seen in touristy locales. It all kind of depends what what you are searching for. My aunt and mother-in-law bought little toys, handheld fans, jewelry, and bags... We bought a nice tapestry/runner to put on top of our dresser at home. 

This was our last stop on a Panama Canal Cruise we took with NCL. We were here on February 27, 2019. We have been to Los Cabos a few times so we didn't really feel the need to explore much, and we only had a few hours anyway. So we took our time around the Marina. We stopped in a few shops, found the pharmacy (we had a nurse with us), and then ate lunch.

We sat down at a great table overlooking the boats in the marina, at Bob Bisbee's Place. Great atmosphere and good service. The fresh guacamole is tasty with a few beers. We even had cell service here, which we took advantage of, since we've been without for two weeks (not complaining much). But it was nice to check in back home and brag a little about being in the warm sunshine!

From there it was some more shopping, with a light buzz. What can go wrong? It was hot and crowded so we slowly made our way back to the tender dock and back onto the ship with no worries. It was a nice way to relax without feeling like we needed to see and do it all. Although, if you've never been to Cabo before, there are so many fun things to do! Parasailing, Lover's Beach, Snorkeling, and ATV Tours are a few of the fun things we have done here on other trips and highly reccomend.

@iancal These are great suggestions as well. There are so many beaches to choose from. We just really loved the view from this one!

We were on the Norwegian Star and came into port in Acapulco, Mexico on February 25, 2019. (Sorry it has taken so long to write this topic!) We did not book a cruise excursion for this port. We went to the service desk on our ship and asked about any nice beaches we could get to relatively easily… they recommended taking the ferry on the West side of town. So we planned on finding a cab to take us to the ferry.

So when we got off the ship, we found a taxi driver (Miguel) just outside the port, he said he could take us to the ferry that goes to Isla de La Roqueta. It sounded good to us and the rate seemed fair. He drove us across town to the pier between Playa Caleta and Playa Caletilla. He helped us buy tickets for the “ferry” boat (it was just a passenger boat), and told us we could use it to return on any similar boat that stops at the pier on the island. He talked to the captain and then told us the boat was leaving in 15 minutes and to wait.  We told Miguel we were aiming to be back around 3:30PM and he said if we walked up to the road when we got back, he’d be there. Sounded like a plan.

We were ushered onto the boat 10 minutes later. We had a slow boat, I think the motor might have been dying… but we made it out to the island without incident. We were on the boat with another couple that looked to be locals or at least Mexican vacationers. The ride out was pretty.

Arriving on Isla de La Roqueta, we disembarked on a nice clean pier. We walked a short way down the beach (Playa La Roqueta) filled with tables, umbrellas, and plastic chairs. A man came up and offered us a set of chairs, a table and an umbrella to rent for the day. The price was good, so we did! He then offered us a cheap bucket of beer and left a food menu. So we dropped our stuff and relaxed.

The view looking out over the water is absolutely incredible! There are great city views. The water is a beautiful turquoise. We quickly headed for the warm ocean water with a beer in hand. The sand at the top of the beach is really fine and gets much more coarse towards the water. There were also some pieces of sea glass (they do serve the beers in glass bottles).  We enjoyed floating in the water and sipping on beer. It was a sunny, beautiful day.

The beach was fairly empty when we arrived in the morning, but as the day wore on the beach began to fill up. There were a lot of locals and a great mix of Mexican travelers and international tourists. I don’t think there were hardly any other people from the ship. 

The guy that sat us at the table when we arrived kept bringing us beer and we got food as well. Excellent service! We settled up at the end of the day. It was very reasonable for the whole day on a sunny beach, being catered to. We loved it. There are vendors on the beach as well, but they are not pushy or really even noticeable unless you flag them down. 

At 3PM we packed up, settled our tab, and headed for the pier at the end of the beach. We hardly waited at all for a passenger boat to pull up. We showed our ticket from earlier and hopped on. This boat was a lot speedier and we were back at Playa Caleta in no time. 

We walked up to the street and Miguel had just pulled up! He was a fantastic cab driver and we were really grateful to have such an honest and helpful driver. I don’t know about any other cab experiences in Acapulco, but our driver was fantastic. He drove us back to the ship and even stopped at a gas station to get us a Coke (since the boat only had Pepsi)!

Overall a very relaxing and beautiful way to spend our time in Acapulco! I highly recommend seeking out Playa La Roqueta for a relaxing beach day. It was well worth the effort.

We were on the Norwegian Star and came into Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala on February 23, 2019. We bought the cruise excursion called ‘Antigua On Your Own’, which is basically just a 1.5-hour bus ride from the port to Antigua (and back). I will say we had an amazing guide on the bus, Edgar, who gave us some great information on Guatemala as we rode in. The name Guatemala comes from a native language and roughly means ‘Land of Trees’. 

When we got closer to Antigua, we switched from a large tour bus to smaller vans. This allowed them to take us into the central area, where the streets are much narrower. We got dropped off at ‘Jade Maya’, which is a jade factory, but thankfully no sales pitch! We were just given a map and a time to return to the same spot. So off we went to explore on our own! If you plan on going here on your own and are only visiting for a few hours, do a little research to find some sights you want to visit.

The one and two story buildings here have huge wooden doors and ornate iron grills over the windows, many with plants set out. Most of the buildings have interior courtyards that aren’t visible from the street. We did glimpse the inside of ‘Hotel Eterna Primavera Antigua’ and asked to go in. It was a lush little paradise, full of plants and so pretty!

If you have any reservations about walking around on your own or are concerned for your safety in Antigua… don’t be! We never once felt unsafe here and the street grid is fairly easy to navigate. Just use standard common sense, keep your belongings on you, and be aware. There are street vendors around and they can be a little persistent if you show interest but nothing too off-putting. Also something to note, the elevation here is much higher than sea level (5,000 feet). One person in our group (there were four of us on this trip) was on oxygen and she had to go a little slower because of it.

We walked the cobbled streets and uneven sidewalks to the Central Park (Plaza Mayor) and then turned up 5a Avenida Norte toward the Santa Catalina Arch. The street is full of people at times (part of it is a pedestrian street), just pop into any of the souvenir shops along here and the crowd will thin again. Normally there is a fantastic view of Volcán de Agua to the south, but the day we were there it was covered in clouds. Bummer! Also, look for the ‘mistake’ on the clock above the arch.  

At the end of the street, Iglesia de la Merced (a church) is right there. We admired the façade (stunning) and went inside to look around. It’s worth a short visit. From here, we went across the little park in front of the church to a bar called ‘Tarritos’. The service was friendly, the food was good with large portions, and the beer was cold. Prices were not bad either. 

With a little buzz, we slowly made our way back through the street grid to Central Park (Plaza Mayor). We rested here for a little bit. Vendors will try to sell you stuff. Be sure to check out the fountain! The buildings around here are beautiful as well.

Then we returned to ‘Jade Maya’ by a slightly different route, just to see the streets. There are a few crumbling church facades that denote the fact that this was a colonial city and, at one point, the capital of Guatemala. 

Overall, a beautiful city worth a visit!

@Turtles06 Really? Hmmm, I don't remember our guide having any comments with us or the cathedral caretakers about shoes. I wonder why it changed... 

A group of four of us (2 ladies in their 60s, and 2 men in their 30s) traveled on a Panama Canal Cruise with Norwegian Cruise Line (fantastic cruise experience). One of our ports of call was Corinto, Nicaragua. We were there on Feb. 22, 2019. There was not much material online about organized tours outside of what the cruise ship offers. I like to research all my options and make an informed decision. Don't get me wrong, sometimes the "convenience, safety, and time issues" factor prompts me to use the cruise tours.

In my research on Corinto and Nicaragua, I came across several reviews/posts about using a local guide named Reynaldo Romero. He has great feedback online and is highly spoken of. He has an email, but no website. I'll admit I was a little skeptical, but I shot him an email anyway.

>>> His email is corintotour@outlook.com <<<

He responded promptly with several suggestions as to what we could do with our one day in Nicaragua. He answered all my subsequent questions (there were a few) without delay and in good, easygoing spirit. We finally settled on a itinerary, a price (we didn't have to pay until we got back to the cruise port after the tour), and a meeting place with a time.

He greeted us at the port gate at the time we agreed with a sign that said our name. Super friendly and immediately gathered us together and got us to an air conditioned van, it was hot out! By the way, it was us 4, 8 other tourists, Rey, and our driver... He gave us a small run down of the itinerary and we were off!

This is what we did... we drove to a town called El Viejo. All along the drive Rey pointed out what we were seeing and gave us a wealth of information about his country. He is a very talkative and friendly guide! He can answer almost any question you ask him too. Over the course of the day, we really felt like we got to know how he lives. Once in El Viejo, we stopped at Basilica Imaculada Concepcion de Maria, super pretty! Then we walked a few blocks to a family bakery and got to try rosquillas and rosquetes... yum! He bought some for the van to eat on the way to our next stop, a peanut field... why? The view of the volcanoes is incredible! Then we went on to León (a lot of the cruise tours just go here for more than what we paid for all day)... Rey took us to the top of the cathedral, they just let you walk all over the roof! Amazing, amazing views! (Definitely do this if you can!) Lunch at a great spot recommended by Rey, he ate with us. Then we walked around the market behind the church... lots of sounds, smells and things to buy! On the ride back to port we got to know Rey even more and learned more info than I could repeat. We stopped by a papaya farm, the fruit is so delicious. We also got to ride around Corinto as we had time. Rey also stopped at a store and those who wanted Nicaraguan coffee got out and went shopping with him! (Honestly if you want a specific souvenir, he will do his best to get you it!)

Got us to the port with plenty of time! We honestly had such a wonderful day getting glimpses of Nicaragua with many varied experiences. Rey was a superb guide who loves his country and is super knowledgeable and friendly. His experience as a guide really shows. If you want to make the most of your day in Corinto I highly, highly recommend using Reynaldo Romero! E-mail him!

>>> His email is corintotour@outlook.com <<<

PLEASE NOTE: If you see this review on TripAdvisor it is because I wrote this exact review there as well... but I thought I would put it up here on Cruise Critic as well!

@BillB48 This is true!

Our stop in Puntarenas (Puerto Caldera), Costa Rica on February 21, 2019 was part of our Panama Canal Cruise. There were four in our group, two younger guys and two older ladies. Before the cruise I booked a tour with Odyssey Tours, the 10 in 1 Puntarenas Highlights Tour. Their website is: http://www.odysseytourscr.com. We decided that this was a good option for us because it allowed us to see a broad spectrum of things, without being too physically demanding (one person in our group is on oxygen). We were lucky enough to have the van and driver to ourselves for the day! It turned out to be a good choice. We paid the same amount of money that the cruise wanted to just see the crocodiles on the river (more on that later). They also don't make you pay anything for the tour until you arrive, but we didn't have to pay until the tour was over. The Odyssey Tours website has a good general description on their website, but I will go into the details a little bit.

We met outside the port gate, as arranged via email. Our driver was Roarner, or as he said, to just call him Mr. "R"! He was friendly and ushered us into the air-conditioned van, thank goodness! It was hot and the dry season here in Costa Rica. He stopped by a little store and got a snack, but it wasn't for him, he said. We soon found out it was for the white-faced monkeys! We literally pulled off the highway a sort time later and he calls out into the trees and opens the food. Sure enough two, then three, then five monkeys were around us and the small crowd that was now there. They took the food and climbed on our shoulders (only if you wanted them too). These had been trained to take food and be around people, but it was still neat to see them!

Our next stop was to a small roadside fruit stand. Friendly service, it felt like they knew our driver pretty well. They let us try watermelon, papaya, pineapple, and 'jugo de cana' a.k.a. sugarcane juice. All delicious! We also tried the fleshy part of a cashew nut, which tasted like a sweet squash? Interesting, but not my favorite. We then bought some fruit smoothies with rum ($8), why not?! We enjoyed them as Mr. R told us about his country on the ride out to the Punta Leona beach resort area. This was down a dusty and bumpy gravel/dirt road, a shortcut. Well, we ended up at Playa Mantas. Walked the beach for 30 minutes or so, until we were ready to move on to the next thing. This was a shop called 'Maravillas Souvenirs and Woodshed' and it sold souvenirs and beautiful wood art. We browsed and bought some little things. No sales pitch and no pressure! When we were ready, we left.

From there we rode up the hills to a little hotel called the 'Carara Costa Rica Ocean View Hotel'. The main reason for the stop was the view. It was gorgeous and we could see fields, the rainforest, and the ocean far, far below. Our ship was not visible, it was lost in the haze. Didn't stay long, but we did get to here the incessant chirping of cicadas! I guess they emerge every 7 years for about 7 days... lucky?! Around the corner from this place, we stopped at a local resort called 'Villa Lapas'. The grounds here are amazing! I guess macaws are often spotted here but it was mating season and they are more reclusive then... we heard one though!

Then it was on to the best part of the whole tour, in my opinion. We road out on the Tarcoles River to see the crocodiles! We joined a boat of the 'Original Crocodile Man' fleet. The boat tour was about an hour long and our guide, Ronnie, was awesome. There is lots of birds, lizards, iguanas, and of course we saw crocodiles. At one point Ronnie lured a massive one out of the water, impressive. At the very end we did get a fleeting glimpse of two macaws. We were also lucky enough to watch the biggest crocodile in the area surge out of the water with a huge fish in it's mouth, without any prompting by the guides. It was great!

Then it was on to a late lunch. It would have been earlier but our boat tour was later due to tides. So by the time we ate, we were starving and the meal was simple, but delicious! After lunch, we did a quick drive by of the main sites in the town of Puntarenas itself. It was nice to hear about these sites from Roarer's point of view. We made it back to the port gate, paid the guide, and we were back on the ship in time for the all aboard.

Like I said, this tour really does offer a good overview of the highlights of the area. We got to see so much more than just the crocodile boat tour that the cruise line was offering. It isn't the most immersive, nor is it the most adventurous tour, but it's a good intro to the area and Costa Rica. I say, if you want more value, go with this tour from Odyssey. 

We were on a 14-day Norwegian Panama Canal Cruise and rolled into the Panamanian coast on February 19, 2019. We got up super early to get a spot at the front of the boat. It ended up being worth it to get a great view of the new bridge spanning the canal and then eventually the Gatun Locks. I say eventually because it was a long wait! We had sat in chairs at the front of the boat and they were great seats, until people stood at the rail in front of us. Literally stood right in front of us and didn't say a word! Okay... so we had to stand at the rail with them. For a few hours. But it was so cool seeing the cargo ships in front of us going up the one side (and down the other side) of the Gatun Locks. I suggest taking photos of these ships going up and down with the locks and all the marvelous engineering that makes it happen now, because once your ship is in the locks themselves, it is hard to see much. 

But I do suggest going down to the lower outer deck (usually where your lifeboats are) to see some of the action along the sides. Admittedly this is more fun when you come out the other end of Gatun Lake and are sinking down to sea level. The gap between the ship and the canal is very noticeable here, with only 24 inches to spare on each side, holy crap! They literally have to pull in all the side lamps of the ship so it can fit through. It is incredible that they can get these massive ships across a continent! The views on the lake itself are also fun to watch go by. I was surprised at how lush and green everything is, the whole time. The ship gives you a pamphlet with facts and history of the canal. It is worth looking at beforehand or as you go through the locks to help you appreciate it that much more. The captain also talks about it over the loudspeaker. Make sure to bring a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen if you are going to be out on the deck for a while. It gets hot early and the sun's rays are very strong here. All in all, it really was an incredible experience and a must do in my opinion! Get up early so you have a good view and then enjoy the ride!

We knew we didn't have much time in this large city so we decided to explore the Old Town. We were on the Norwegian Star and arrived in Cartagena on February 18, 2019. We did book a cruise excursion called "TRANSFER TO OLD TOWN BY CATAMARAN" and it basically took us to Old Town via an open air ferry boat and dropped us off with the understanding we could take any return boat of theirs when we were ready to come back. It was worth it (especially with our $25 discount). Approaching the city from the water was beautiful. Our boat out did not give us any info, but the return boat did narrate what we were seeing. I guess it depended on the boat/captain whether you heard information?

Once docked, it is a short walk across the street and under a wall and you are in the Old Town. We had signed up for a free walking tour in Old Town, separate from the cruise, and we showed up and waited and waited... it ended up being an hour late and then we didn't move through the city much so we walked off and explored on our own. The free tour would have been great and informative if we were in town for a few days but not ideal for someone with only 6 hours to experience a slice of Colombia.

We absolutely loved walking through the Old Town of Cartagena, Colombia! It was hot and muggy but we still enjoyed every minute. The ornate wooden balconies overhanging the narrow streets with vines and flowers are so full of charm. Great photo opportunities around every corner. We even found a small restaurant where we got to sit out on one of those balconies and watch the street life go by below. 

So, if you ever find yourself in Cartagena, Colombia and you are short on time... and don't want to do a planned excursion... definitely walk the Old Town! It is beautiful and full of life.

We don't speak Spanish, but not once did we feel unsafe or lost. We ordered food and beer without too much difficulty. We bought a painting, and haggled, no problem. The Old Town is also fairly easy to navigate as it is walled in and also has some tall churches to orient yourself with. The streets/sidewalks can be uneven at times and are not ideal for those who have difficulty on uneven ground. But they are manageable for most. Go explore!