Excursion help

[Janice Romano]

We are going on the Coral Princess Panama cruise on March 7th, and I would like to book an excursion in Cartagena, Colombia and/or Limon, Costa Rica. Any suggestions on great excursions would be very much appreciated - thanks

[sjmbruce]

We are going on the Coral Princess Panama cruise on March 7th, and I would like to book an excursion in Cartagena, Colombia and/or Limon, Costa Rica. Any suggestions on great excursions would be very much appreciated - thanks

 

 

although i thought id prefer independent excursions, we actually went with Princess in Colombia. we saw the fort, los bovedas (shopping) the old/walled city,went into san pedro claver church and the inquisition palace and drove through the modern city with a stop at an outdoor mall 5 minutes away from the beach. i think there was 14 people total and i felt like we got to see a lot.

 

in costa rica, we met up with people from cruise critic and went with oscar brown tours. we went to the jaguar rescue center, which was amazing. we also stopped at a banana plantation and took a canal ride. we had a good lunch at a restaurant on the beach. i wasnt in love with oscar brown tours but it wasnt bad either.

[paul929207]

Have you checked the Port of Call section? That is the best place for info on the ports you will visit.

[Pam in CA]

I was there in October and even though I'd been to Cartegena before and took the Princess tour of the city, I wasn't impressed. This time, someone on my roll call put together a tour with Lee Miles. It was the best tour of the cruise (and many cruises) and I saw Cartegena in a way I hadn't before. The Princess tours takes you to the prison cell area where there are shops. The quality is poor and the prices are high compared to our stop at Lee Miles' shop, "Mr. Emerald" (yes, I know, what a coincidence.) I bought a large, beautiful uncut emerald pendant set in silver for my daughter for $99. And, I bought a gorgeous, high-quality pendant for myself for $600. His quality and pricing was so much better than where Princess takes you. Here's a description of our tour:

 

> From what you say I believe that #3 should fit the bill. After the

> visit up at La Popa there is a somewhat extended tour around the

> base of the Fortress of San Felipe for guided information, photos,

> etc. Then you will drive into the Walled City and do a walking loop

> that includes a stop in Plaza Santo Domingo and then in Plaza

> Bolivar. This allows time for an informational stop at the Palace

> of Inquisition and then a tour of the Precolumbian Gold Museum. You

> will then walk to the Church of San Pedro Claver for a visit and

> then on out to the buses waiting just outside the city wall. Total

> walking for this option is 6-8 blocks total, with stops; but it is a

> very complete tour of the Old City, not a 'smattering'. No one

> should feel short-changed as far as the option to see the Old

> City.

 

http://www.misteremerald.com/

[Janice Romano]

I was there in October and even though I'd been to Cartegena before and took the Princess tour of the city, I wasn't impressed. This time, someone on my roll call put together a tour with Lee Miles. It was the best tour of the cruise (and many cruises) and I saw Cartegena in a way I hadn't before. The Princess tours takes you to the prison cell area where there are shops. The quality is poor and the prices are high compared to our stop at Lee Miles' shop, "Mr. Emerald" (yes, I know, what a coincidence.) I bought a large, beautiful uncut emerald pendant set in silver for my daughter for $99. And, I bought a gorgeous, high-quality pendant for myself for $600. His quality and pricing was so much better than where Princess takes you. Here's a description of our tour:

 

> From what you say I believe that #3 should fit the bill. After the

> visit up at La Popa there is a somewhat extended tour around the

> base of the Fortress of San Felipe for guided information, photos,

> etc. Then you will drive into the Walled City and do a walking loop

> that includes a stop in Plaza Santo Domingo and then in Plaza

> Bolivar. This allows time for an informational stop at the Palace

> of Inquisition and then a tour of the Precolumbian Gold Museum. You

> will then walk to the Church of San Pedro Claver for a visit and

> then on out to the buses waiting just outside the city wall. Total

> walking for this option is 6-8 blocks total, with stops; but it is a

> very complete tour of the Old City, not a 'smattering'. No one

> should feel short-changed as far as the option to see the Old

> City.

 

http://www.misteremerald.com/

Wow! Thank you so much, Pam. I will check that tour out - the day we are there is my 65th birthday so I wanted to make it a bit special.

[Suitcasefull]

What a marvelous way to spend your 65th! I'd suggest you also look at Dora's offerings for tours. We were very pleased with her tour and customized it to skip some things and allow more time for others. Guess that would depend on how big the tour was but we chose to take a private one for two. We used Greenway Tours in Puntarenas but I believe they also do tour in Limon. Check their web site. Again, we customized but not totally private for two. Had a van for eight. Great trip; think you'll enjoy!

[cpristash]

Will be in Limon from 7a/6p...would greatly appreciate any info regarding this including ship tour -vs-independent operator