CRUMB Posted July 14, 2010 #176 Share Posted July 14, 2010 Does anyone know if you can book this trip through the cruiseline (P&O in my case) or whether you have to book direct with the tour operator? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basebare Posted July 14, 2010 #177 Share Posted July 14, 2010 Does anyone know if you can book this trip through the cruiseline (P&O in my case) or whether you have to book direct with the tour operator? you book through Cosol himself via his website. http://www.cosol-tours.com I thoroughly enjoyed our day and would highly recommend his tours! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisingforsix Posted July 15, 2010 #178 Share Posted July 15, 2010 We did Cosol last year and would probably not do it again for several reasons, there are other tour operators who offer similar toursyou might want to check out. we did see some beautiful and interesting things. and if you are expecting a lunch ,don't you get to sample foods set up on tables outside. our driver was distracted for most of the trip and seemed to get engaged towards the end of the day. the snorkel part of the tour was a little scary and got off to a rough start with a guide screaming at the boat driver. our boat was a row boat with a motor and did not look like it was in the best shape. one life jacket for about nine people including a child. we ran into some people from our trip who had taken a different tour and were eating a delicious lunch at the snorkel spot between the pitons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenF Posted July 15, 2010 #179 Share Posted July 15, 2010 I think Cosol might be experiencing some growing pains his tour has gotten so popular that he has had to contract out to some guides who are not as good as him and his brother so that might explain some of the hit and misses lately and the large caravans of 10 or more vans. Most of the complaints seem to be of the the other guides he uses when he has a large number of people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shashi883 Posted July 15, 2010 #180 Share Posted July 15, 2010 We will be taking this tour in November and we are really looking forward to it. Thanks for all the feedback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjyanne Posted July 18, 2010 #181 Share Posted July 18, 2010 I think Cosol might be experiencing some growing pains his tour has gotten so popular that he has had to contract out to some guides who are not as good as him and his brother so that might explain some of the hit and misses lately and the large caravans of 10 or more vans. Most of the complaints seem to be of the the other guides he uses when he has a large number of people. We've done his tour 4 times. Not sure if everyone realizes this but everyone goes to the same sights. Afterall, there are only so many things to see if the few hours in port. Also, all taxi drivers in St Lucia are trained as tour guides (some better than others). Cosol has always enlisted other drivers as needed so he doesn't have to turn anyone away. I agree that the fewer ships in port the better the excursion. We did his tour with as few as 25 and as high as 77. The 77 crowd did make for a more rushed atmosphere but I'd bet the people would be there whether or not they were with Cosol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindalo5032 Posted July 18, 2010 #182 Share Posted July 18, 2010 Someone recently posted about their tour with Cosol and stated that the A/C in the van did not work well. We will be there in September (we are the only ship in port that day) and have signed up with Cosol. However, I am concerned about the A/C issue. Would hate to be in a hot van all day. Has anyone else had a problem with the van they were in on a Cosol tour not being sufficiently cool? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kellyrobin Posted July 19, 2010 Author #183 Share Posted July 19, 2010 Cosol wat the BEST excursion ever!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fengshuibabe Posted July 22, 2010 #184 Share Posted July 22, 2010 My sisters and I (ages 40-43-45) booked a tour with Cosol roughly 18 months ago. We loved it so much, I recommended him to a friend and his wife (ages 35ish) who also agreed it was great fun. On my tour, there was a stop that we were able to snorkel near the Pitons...at a hotel beach area. Very nice but the jellyfish were moving in so we exited. I am not sure if this part was stopped because his tours have gotten so popular. Why is the tour great? Cosol talks the entire time, telling stories, history, funny anecdotes, and is smiling and laughing with everyone--they say attitude is everything. He is high energy and wants to be sure everyone gets their moneys worth. We enjoyed the stop at the banana plantation where he quickly explained how banana farms work and his role there at one time. He gives the background of each of the food preparers that you get to sample, and while there is rum punch to drink along the way, don't feel like it is one drunken van ride--it is your choice if you drink and how much--and the tour is just as fun sober as when tipsy. My sisters and I thought it was a very in-depth, true look at St. Lucia with someone who has spent his life here and is passionate about helping his island's economy and youth. If I were sailing through again, I would not hesitate to take his tour nor to refer him to my best friends and clients! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joesimcox Posted July 25, 2010 #185 Share Posted July 25, 2010 Can anyone give me some recent feed back on Cosol Tours? Or any other suggestions for St. Lucia?? Toured with Consol earlier this year. Yes he is that good. The tour is the best organized and covers all the best spots between Castries and Pitons. Consol had several vans on tour that day and he travelled along to make sure everyone was happy. I have been to St. Lucia and the Caribbean dozens of times and this is the best tour for St. Lucia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrssharpy Posted July 26, 2010 #186 Share Posted July 26, 2010 I wish I had all day to type a reply about how UNBELIEVABLE Cosol's tour was!!! We had another driver - "Baptist" - and the day was beyond incredible! The van was extremely air conditioned. The driver was incredibly kind, laid-back, helpful, and willing to stop whenever we wanted for pictures or whatever. We saw every single thing I think one could put on a "wish" list for a day in St. Lucia...natural bridge, banana plantation (with an explanation & taste of fresh banana & coconut), stops for pics of the pitons, local homemade buffet for "breakfast" (johnny cakes, coconut candy, fried plantains, breadfruit balls, piton fish, mango, coconut, sugar cane...I can't even remember it all!!! - and constant supply all day of water, beer, rum punch), scenic views through small fishing villages, stop at soufriere volcano (only drive-in volcano), toraille waterfall which also has a botanical garden, stop by the "world heritage site" sign for the pitons, fresh cookies (stopped by in a small town to pick up), boat ride to Jalousie beach and time to hang out - we were encouraged to bring more water & rum punch with us over so we wouldn't have to pay for anything when we got to the beach (where The Bachelor took one of his "dream dates" in a recent season on tv), fresh baked bread & cheese for the return ride. I canNOT say enough about the jovial, informational, over-the-top exquisite day Cosol provides!!! This tour simply canNOT be beat!!!:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucyjlou Posted July 27, 2010 #187 Share Posted July 27, 2010 Can anyone tell me about the water taxi part of the tour? We are thinking of doing the tour with our 2yr old. Is the water taxi safe for a young child? Is it a large or small boat? Is the ride fast and dangerous for young child? Not sure what to expect. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweetest Sin Posted July 27, 2010 #188 Share Posted July 27, 2010 I'd say it was maybe 20 foot open air boat with 4 or 5 rows of benches. I wouldn't say it was unsafe. If you aren't used to boats and how they can pitch and roll you may feel uncomfortable with how close you are to the water. And you may get wet! We had children and elderly and I never worried about anyone going overboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpetcov Posted August 16, 2010 #189 Share Posted August 16, 2010 Someone recently posted about their tour with Cosol and stated that the A/C in the van did not work well. We will be there in September (we are the only ship in port that day) and have signed up with Cosol. However, I am concerned about the A/C issue. Would hate to be in a hot van all day. Has anyone else had a problem with the van they were in on a Cosol tour not being sufficiently cool? Hey linalo5032! I see you will be on the same cruise as me! I also booked Cosol. Boy, I wonder how many people will be on this tour! Come join the Serenade discussion thread for Sept 12th sailing here!: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1083040&page=16 Hope to see you there and register for the meet and mingle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saxlover Posted September 7, 2010 #190 Share Posted September 7, 2010 just did his tour last week. sooo much fun. great tour, and great food a beverages. plenty of food, bottled water, soda, rum punch, beer, and strong rum. ask for the blue bus. highly recommend this tour. great photo ops, beautiful beach and great tour guides Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmic Rays Posted September 11, 2010 #191 Share Posted September 11, 2010 just did his tour last week. sooo much fun. great tour, and great food a beverages. plenty of food, bottled water, soda, rum punch, beer, and strong rum. ask for the blue bus. highly recommend this tour. great photo ops, beautiful beach and great tour guides What was the cost please and how many were in the van? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
princessmargaret Posted September 11, 2010 #192 Share Posted September 11, 2010 just did his tour last week. sooo much fun. great tour, and great food a beverages. plenty of food, bottled water, soda, rum punch, beer, and strong rum. ask for the blue bus. highly recommend this tour. great photo ops, beautiful beach and great tour guides For Saxlover or other recent St. Lucia visitors, How was the relative lushness of the rainforest? This is not as dumb as it sounds. We took an island tour last February and St. Lucia was a experiencing a bit of a drought. A lot of places looked dry and crispy. Not as crispy as southeastern Pa right now, though; it's been a brutal summer here. We will be visiting the island again this February and wondered if it had recovered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cd2 Posted September 18, 2010 #193 Share Posted September 18, 2010 We have signed up for our Nov cruise and reading on the Roll Call, someone said all the roads on St Lucia are awful, winding, narrow, steep with no guard rails, so now I am a little nervous...Could someone who was on Cosols tour tell me if the roads are dangerous? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stokil Posted September 20, 2010 #194 Share Posted September 20, 2010 Can anyone tell me if you get time to go in the waterfall? and what about the mud bath at the Volcano? we wanted to do both and can't find anywhere people saying they went in!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aletta80 Posted September 20, 2010 #195 Share Posted September 20, 2010 @Stokil: Are you sure you want to go IN the waterfall? All open water (rivers, streams, waterfalls) in St. Lucia potentially carries bilharziosis, and I wouldn't risk getting infected. Check here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schistosomiasis BR, Aletta (also previously thinking about jumping in the waterfall before I read that...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stokil Posted September 20, 2010 #196 Share Posted September 20, 2010 wow thanks. I had no idea. Really appriciate the tip and website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aletta80 Posted September 20, 2010 #197 Share Posted September 20, 2010 No problem :-) By the way - we'll meet on the Victory in November - I have just realized we'll be on the same cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smmountaingal Posted September 20, 2010 #198 Share Posted September 20, 2010 just did his tour last week. sooo much fun. great tour, and great food a beverages. plenty of food, bottled water, soda, rum punch, beer, and strong rum. ask for the blue bus. highly recommend this tour. great photo ops, beautiful beach and great tour guides Did you return by boat or van? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpetcov Posted September 24, 2010 #199 Share Posted September 24, 2010 We have signed up for our Nov cruise and reading on the Roll Call, someone said all the roads on St Lucia are awful, winding, narrow, steep with no guard rails, so now I am a little nervous...Could someone who was on Cosols tour tell me if the roads are dangerous? I wouldn't say they are dangerous. Just very winding. More so after the tour riding back to the ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flygirl 123 Posted September 25, 2010 #200 Share Posted September 25, 2010 I may have wrong Island, but isn't there a tour where you can swim in hot springs or baths? thxs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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