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Princess Excursion in Cartagena?

cruiseapril

By cruiseapril,
in Princess Cruises

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Colo Cruiser

Colo Cruiser

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Posted (edited)
Hi- We are booked on a Caribbean Princess Panama Canal cruise and were wondering about a good Cartagena excursion...2 of us have never been there.

 

Can anyone recommend a Princess excursion in Cartagena?

 

Not a Princess tour but much more personable.......

Lee Miles has been living in Cartagena for more than 35 years.

We did a tour with him on our Coral full transit canal cruise.

He is excellent.

 

 

http://www.destinationcartagena.com/PrivateToursinCartagena

Edited by Colo Cruiser
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Pam in CA

Pam in CA

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Not a Princess tour but much more personable....... Lee Miles has been living in Cartagena for more than 35 years. We did a tour with him on our Coral full transit canal cruise. He is excellent.
I've been to Cartagena several times and did Princess tours and then one with Lee Miles. No comparison. Lee's tour was much, much better at almost half the cost. Small group, you'll see a lot more and not wait for over 40 people at a time get off and then back on a bus.

 

Both Princess and Lee's tours stop for shopping. Lee's nickname is "Mr. Emerald" and his store is much better than the tourist trap Princess takes you to. The quality of cut and uncut emeralds is far superior. His prices are very good and fair.

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azbirdmom Great Review Rare

azbirdmom

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If you like birds and wildlife, save time after whatever your tour to stop at the "zoo" at the port. It's free and there are macaws, toucans, peacocks, monkeys, and iguanas there. They don't publicize it but if you go to the building that houses the port store, just go out the back door and there it is.

 

We did Princess tours both times and took the city highlights / fortress one the first time and then did the old city "on your own" tour earlier this year. Loved both, but the private tour sounds wonderful too.

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Bowler Lady

Bowler Lady

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Hi- We are booked on a Caribbean Princess Panama Canal cruise and were wondering about a good Cartagena excursion...2 of us have never been there.

 

Can anyone recommend a Princess excursion in Cartagena?

We did the Highlights of Cartagena and Fortress also and really enjoyed it.

 

Sent from my SM-G930V using Forums mobile app

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Redwing55

Redwing55

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If you like birds and wildlife, save time after whatever your tour to stop at the "zoo" at the port. It's free and there are macaws, toucans, peacocks, monkeys, and iguanas there. They don't publicize it but if you go to the building that houses the port store, just go out the back door and there it is.

 

We did Princess tours both times and took the city highlights / fortress one the first time and then did the old city "on your own" tour earlier this year. Loved both, but the private tour sounds wonderful too.

Is this in Cartegena? Sounds more like another port... Costa Rica maybe?

Edited by Redwing55
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cruiser&flyer

cruiser&flyer

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From the cruiseship pier to old-town Cartagena it is an easy 30 minute or so walk. There you can spend hours wandering the beautiful walled city.

Once I met, talked to and had pictures taken in the old town with Miss Colombia. She was working on a photo shoot. Another time we got caught up in some political demonstration that was taking place right at the entrance of the old city. Now THAT was interesting.

We have done it numerous times and even though the neighborhood one walks through leaves a lot to be desired for, we NEVER felt unsafe. The people along the way are JUST wonderful to stop and talk to/with.

There are much worse, more dangerous and certainly more violent neighborhoods in any given major city back home in the USA.

Edited by cruiser&flyer
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Thrak

Thrak

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We did a private tour. There were 8 of us from our roll call and we booked with DORA

 

We all agreed it was a great tour and a far better deal than Princess. Dora has a number of guides but we got her as we were the first group to book for that date and I can recommend her as great. She "protected" us from most of the 20 bazillion street vendors as they knew who she was and knew not to waste much time on us. Sheesh... I though Mexico had street vendors but Cartagena blew me away.

 

Reading the replies above it seems there are a number of ways to go in Cartagena so you shouldn't have a problem.

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cruiser&flyer

cruiser&flyer

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Yes there is a large assortment of animals at the terminal.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Keith,

And some killer duty-free deals at the cruiseship terminal. A couple of years ago they had a deal going on for 4 cartons (800 cigs) of Marlboro for $40, and it was Class A Virginia tobacco! That was an insane deal for the smokers.

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Colo Cruiser

Colo Cruiser

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Keith,

 

And some killer duty-free deals at the cruiseship terminal. A couple of years ago they had a deal going on for 4 cartons (800 cigs) of Marlboro for $40, and it was Class A Virginia tobacco! That was an insane deal for the smokers.

 

 

We got some great Colombian coffee there.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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Cruise Raider Great Review Rare

Cruise Raider

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Is this in Cartegena? Sounds more like another port... Costa Rica maybe?

 

Definitely, this is in Cartegena and it is fabulous.

 

To the OP, we took a free walking tour of the Walled City. OMG ... it was amazing. They don't even beg for tips but everyone gave them a tip. They did ask for only one thing and that is that you post your review on Trip Advisor.

The tours are given by college students ... smart ones at that and they really know the history of their country. They were even very knowledgeable on the areas outside of the city itself. It was hot, I mean hotter than hot when we went. Our tour started in the morning and we thought the afternoon tour would be hotter but come to find out, at least there is a breeze in the afternoon so that might be a better option depending on your cruiseship itinerary.

 

Just google 'free walking tour Cartagena' to find out how to sign up.

 

BTW, you only have to get your own transportation and save a little for a tip. We gave $5 each ... but it is not mandatory. The tour is about 2.5 hours.

Just outside the zoo area, you can grab a cab. They will try to charge you $20 to take you there but we heard from someone else it should only be $10. Tell them that and you should be able to go for $10. On the way back, we got it for $8. Be aware that hardly anybody there will speak English so brush up on a little Spanish. My high school Spanish actually came in handy .. at least I remembered some of the basics.

Also, if they drop you off in the front of the Plaza, you will need to walk towards the water (you won't see it but that is the direction) until you hit the Naval Station. That is where the tour starts. Don't be surprised if someone approaches you to join their tour. This is probably not your tour unless they have your name on their list of those who have signed up. You do have to sign up ahead of time for the free tour to participate.

We were apprehensive at first because last time we were in Cartagena, it was quite the experience. We didn't feel safe at all. Day and night from what it now is like. We loved it!!! I would go back in a heartbeat. Colon, Panama is much more dangerous!

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Orlando Vic

Orlando Vic

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How about a private tour?

 

Martin Rosales does an excellent job with reasonable prices and flexibility (he added in a 1/2 hour for shopping at my request). http://cartagenatourguides.com/

 

He is very responsive, knowledgeable and has excellent reviews on Tripadvisor.

 

Email him for details:

 

martin@cartagenatourguide.com

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Redwing55

Redwing55

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Yes there is a large assortment of animals at the terminal.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Dang it, we totally missed it.:( Oh well.

 

Strange since if I recall, the port was in a pretty industrial area. Of course, maybe I'm getting my ports mixed up too. Thanks for those replies.:cool:

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suzieb25

suzieb25

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We just completed a private tour with Dora a couple of weeks ago. Our ship was late getting in because of strong winds so our port time was cut short, but Dora was there waiting for us. She gave our small group of four a memorable tour and was always mindful of the time. We were able to see everything we wanted to see and do and Dora still got us back in time to enjoy the animal sanctuary at the port before boarding the ship. dora@cartagenatour.com

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suzieb25

suzieb25

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At this little zoo, I set my bag down on a bench to grab my camera. Suddenly a beautiful Toucan flew over to the bench and became obsessed with my bag! He tried to chew the straps and nibbled on the bag. We had a photo frenzy! The bag was filled with fresh coffee beans and I guess he just couldn't resist the aroma!

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