10 day FLL to ACA Island Princess Panama Ports

Has any one done this cruise and how safe are the ports, I have done Ocho Rios, Jamaica, had no problem.

it is the ports below I would like to know about.

Puntarenas, Costa Rica, San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua, Puert Quetzal, Guatemala and cruise tours. I was given info on what the State Department has to say about them. We are looking at Mar of 2010 .

any help would be wonderful.

1TS

Wish you had heard something. We're doing that cruise Feb. 1, 2009. Will let you know how it goes when we return.

Has any one done this cruise and how safe are the ports, I have done Ocho Rios, Jamaica, had no problem.

it is the ports below I would like to know about.

Puntarenas, Costa Rica, San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua, Puert Quetzal, Guatemala and cruise tours. I was given info on what the State Department has to say about them. We are looking at Mar of 2010 .

any help would be wonderful.

 

1TS

We're going on the Island Princess on Dec 30/09 & looking forward to it! Haven't had any problems in Mexico before - realize it doesn't answer your questions, haven't had problems in Guatemala either. If I could piggy back on your questions, if someone has gone on this cruise, which ports can we just get off the ship and walk into a town & enjoy ourselves and which ports do we need a tour and which ports do you suggest we take a tour? Alot of questions and hopefully we'll get all the answers before we go!

Wish you had heard something. We're doing that cruise Feb. 1, 2009. Will let you know how it goes when we return.

What happened to her Review or Report ???

We're doing the same cruise 1/9/10. I work with someone who used to live in San Juan del sur. She said this is a safe area. I hope to get more information from her before we start making tour decisions

Maybe everyone has seen the post that talks about it by now but it appears that San Juan Del Sur is an easy port to just get off and walk around. On that other thread there was mention of an hotel called Pelican Eyes. That is where we will head on our Dec 30 Cruise. We are in port such a short time that travelling and 11/2 on a bus doesnt appeal.

Did anyone find out any further information?

From the article in the news today, it looks like Aculpulco may be the port to be concerned about!

We did the FLL to ACA cruise in March/April 2009. We did ziplines in Costa Rica at The Hotel Vista Golfo. http://www.hotelvistagolfo.com They picked us up at the port and drove us up there. It was about a 35 minute trip into the mountains. We opted to drive to the start of the ziplines rather than take the horseback ride (we live on a ranch) and were glad that we did as they just rode the horses up the road and had to wear helmets that looked very hot. It was the 25 ziplines over 11 waterfalls. It was fabulous!

In San Juan del Sir, Nicaragua, we walked outside the gates and hired a guy (Luis) and his translator (Frank) and they took us everywhere we wanted to go (Rivas, Masaya Market and Granada with a quick trip to the shores of Lake Nicaragua). The country was beautiful and so were the people.

In Puerto Quetzal, Guatamala we again hired a guide (we don't like ship tours...way overpriced) and went to Antigua. It was a very pretty city. We saw a church and visited some markets. Had a really nice lunch. We were somewhat burned out by the time we got to Guatamala after stops at Costa Rica and Nicaragua the two previous days...needed a sea day in there to recoup. We enjoyed the Central American countries very much. Beautiful and rich in history.

Great ideas here, thx.

What to do for those 3 hours in Cristobal, Panama?

tomatospice, can you please describe in more detail re. your excursion in Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala? Did you just hire the guide at the port? What kind of transportation did you use? Was it comfortable? How much time did you spent in Antigua? What's the price of your tour?

Thanks in advance.

We're doing the same cruise 1/9/10. I work with someone who used to live in San Juan del sur. She said this is a safe area. I hope to get more information from her before we start making tour decisions

Did you get any more info on San Juan del Sur?

I haven't yet. I'll track the gal down and see what information I can get

What to do for those 3 hours in Cristobal, Panama?

If you just have 3 hours in Cristobal . . . less time to tie up, and 30 minute before sailing "back on board" time, I'd content yourself with browsing around the pier at Cristobal. There are shops, bars (a nice one at the end of Pier 6 where you can watch the Canal and sip local beer and rum), there are usually performers in the center of the pier, and there is a great Indian craft mart with beautiful Embera baskets and carvings, and the Indians are warm and welcoming and fun to meet and interact with.

Regards, Richard

We just hired a guide right at the port in Guatamala. We stayed in Antigua for several hours. The guides will stay as long as you want at each place you go...you need to just be aware of how long it takes to get back to the ship from wherever you are so that you don't miss it. Our cost was approximately $35 per person, with four people. We traveled in a little van with air conditioning.

We just hired a guide right at the port in Guatamala. We stayed in Antigua for several hours. The guides will stay as long as you want at each place you go...you need to just be aware of how long it takes to get back to the ship from wherever you are so that you don't miss it. Our cost was approximately $35 per person, with four people. We traveled in a little van with air conditioning.

Thanks for the information. We will be traveling with relatives and friends. Did you see any big van or bus that can accommodate 10 persons?