Equinox shore excursions

[merknerk]

:rolleyes:Hello Everyone

We are going to the Caribbean in March on Equinox. Is there a good excursion to take us through the Panama Canal that any of you have experienced ? Also , any suggestions for Belize and Costa Rica ? We are also going to Cozumel and Grand Cayman. We like to spend time at the beach and would love to snorkel. I am not a strong swimmer so more shallow water would do. Do any of you know of a good area for this ? We are planning on renting a jeep in Cozumel. Any good ideas on what to see ? Thanks so much for your input.

[Milhouse]

We did the same/similar itinerary this past December on Equinox. There are a number of regular posters that have recently sailed this itinerary so you'll probably get a number of good suggestions.

 

In Belize we targeted either going out to one of the islands off the coast or going cave tubing which had great reviews. (We didn't want to see ruins.) We ended up going to Caye Caulker which we quite enjoyed except that the weather didn't fully cooperate. Ship mates that did the cave tubing raved about it.

 

In Costa Rica, we wanted to see the rainforest and also do the Tortuguero Canals which I read was where you could see a lot of animals. We ended up grouping with a few ship mates on our roll call to do an independent tour that included both. We ziplined in the Veragua Rainforest (note: there are different zip line locations) but the Tortuguero Canals was cancelled. Again, the weather just wasn't cooperating with us. Chatted with some folks that did the canals earlier in the day before the rains hit us and they gave it a positive review and saw a number of animals.

 

In Grand Cayman, the thing to do appears to be the Stingrays. We did that on a previous trip and it was great. However, it sounded like on our recent cruise, all the tours were cancelled due to wind. We took the bus to Hell (quite the tourist trap :) ) and then to Cemetery Beach and just walked to the south end of Seven Mile Beach. SMB is really a beautiful beach with fine sand and nice water.

 

We primarily did a beach day in Cozumel because we previously walked around San Miguel on a previous trip. Lots of different beach club options if you want access to facilities vs a plain public beach.

Note: Nice sandy beaches don't usually equate to good snorkeling. Recommend checking out CozumelMyCozumel website for tips.

 

[And we did an Embera Indian tour with ship mates in Panama which we really enjoyed but it looks like you want to go see the locks.]

 

Hope that gives you some ideas. And just be prepared for the weather. :)

[Clydesmom7865]

:rolleyes:Hello Everyone

We are going to the Caribbean in March on Equinox. Is there a good excursion to take us through the Panama Canal that any of you have experienced ? Also , any suggestions for Belize and Costa Rica ? We are also going to Cozumel and Grand Cayman. We like to spend time at the beach and would love to snorkel. I am not a strong swimmer so more shallow water would do. Do any of you know of a good area for this ? We are planning on renting a jeep in Cozumel. Any good ideas on what to see ? Thanks so much for your input.

 

I did the 11 day ultimate caribbean with Equinox and one of my CC buddies invited me to join their Panama Canal tour and it was great. The link is here:

 

http://panamatours.com.pa/index.php/Panama-Canal-Tour.html

 

This Captain Carl's tour and is FABULOUS.

 

I did a ship's excursion in Belize to the Lamanai ruins and loved that.

 

In Costa Rica I did the Jaguar Rescue Center with JJ's tours and organized it myself with fellow CCers joining me. You can see JJs website here:

 

http://jjcostarica.bravehost.com

 

In the Grand Caymans I too wanted to snorkel and see the Sting Rays. I went with Native Way Island tours and even when the ship's excursions were cancelled they went. Book PRIVATE through their website for the best tour experience. We had fewer people on our boat for booking in advance and not at the pier. Their website is: http://www.nativewaywatersports.com/

 

Have a great time.

[merknerk]

You guys are great !! Thanks so much.

[knitpurl]

In Costa Rica, we wanted to see the rainforest and also do the Tortuguero Canals which I read was where you could see a lot of animals. We ended up grouping with a few ship mates on our roll call to do an independent tour that included both. We ziplined in the Veragua Rainforest (note: there are different zip line locations) but the Tortuguero Canals was cancelled. Again, the weather just wasn't cooperating with us. Chatted with some folks that did the canals earlier in the day before the rains hit us and they gave it a positive review and saw a number of animals.

 

Did u do a pre planned tour? or a walk off and find a tour/guide to take you to the rain forest ?> Thanks

[Milhouse]

We did a pre-planned tour. TMLAalum on our roll call coordinated a group with one of the well known guides listed on the Costa Rica forum in the Ports of Call section. We enjoyed our guide but the weather threw a number of wrinkles in the day. If you're interested in knowing more about our guide and specific experiences, let me know and I can expand.

 

If you decide to do it on your own, I suspect it's quite doable; you should just research your pricing. If you walk from the pier to the exit, there are a number of taxi's and guides waiting to grab your business. The trip to Veragua Rainforest (and to a number of our destinations) seemed pretty long. We actually got there via a taxi (long story) and the ride got pretty bumpy along the forest road. Bigger buses likely managed the pot holes better.

Our guide was pretty friendly with the staff at each stop so I'm sure if they get "volume discounting" compared to what an individual would get doing it on their own.

[knitpurl]

We did a pre-planned tour. TMLAalum on our roll call coordinated a group with one of the well known guides listed on the Costa Rica forum in the Ports of Call section. We enjoyed our guide but the weather threw a number of wrinkles in the day. If you're interested in knowing more about our guide and specific experiences, let me know and I can expand.

 

If you decide to do it on your own, I suspect it's quite doable; you should just research your pricing. If you walk from the pier to the exit, there are a number of taxi's and guides waiting to grab your business. The trip to Veragua Rainforest (and to a number of our destinations) seemed pretty long. We actually got there via a taxi (long story) and the ride got pretty bumpy along the forest road. Bigger buses likely managed the pot holes better.

Our guide was pretty friendly with the staff at each stop so I'm sure if they get "volume discounting" compared to what an individual would get doing it on their own.

 

if you wouldn't mind please expand ..I would like to know more..thanks

[siestatom]

Just did this cruise in January.

 

Took the Celebrity Panama canal transit tour and it was pretty bad, especially considering it was $160 each.

 

The first bus ride was one hour and the buses don't have bathrooms. Then they dumped us at a deserted public park near the canal. The bathroom here was attached to a gynnasium and way too small to handle the 8 bus loads that arrived. Some people had to wait 30 minutes in line!

 

Finally we were taken to the boat. It was so crowded that we couldn't get two seats together. When something interesting happened, like a lock door opening, people would stand up blocking the view for everyone else.

 

Going through the canal and locks would have been great, in a comfortable boat, but this was pure cattle car.

 

After the boat trip, more lines, more waiting, and finally a two hour drive to get back to the ship. Remember, no bathrooms on the buses.

 

We complained to Celebrity and they did send us a nice note of regret and a bottle of wine but it hardly made up for a lousy tour that costs $320 for two.

 

Though I've had some good experiences on ship sponsored excursions, many have been disappointing.