For Anyone considering the White Water Rafting tour

[Sue L]

All I can say is DO IT!!! We just got back from the Brilliance of the Seas 11 day Panama Canal Cruise and did the white water rafting in Costa Rica. In 11 cruises I think it will go down as one of our all time favorites. It was not only a fantastic experience it was also one of the best organized tours we have ever been on.

 

We were picked up at the port at 7:30 in the morning. We boarded a brand new air conditioned bus for a 60-75 minute ride through the Costa Rican countryside. The guide (Jose) spoke beautiful english and explained in detail many aspects of the country and spoke of the sites along the way.

 

We arrived at the "operation center" which consisted of a beautiful set of buildings that included a gift shop (very reasonable prices) a changing room, and a covered outdoor eating area. We were given a little while to change into swimsuits and get ourselves organized for the tour. We then reboarded the bus and were transported to a another site to a shuttle bus for a steep ascent to the river.

 

We were then issued helmets, paddles and broken up into groups of 6, plus one guide for each boat. We were given a thorough orientation and then climbed into the boats and were "tested" on our skills.

 

We had 6 rafts on our tour and we stayed nearby. The river is dam controlled and the rapids were great. All in our boat were newbies and we had a ball. We had some rapid areas and others that were calm and sedate.

For anyone who thinks that this might not be for them, I just want to let you know that I am 48, with two bad knees and two bad hips. The other couples in our boat were average age around 54 or so as were most of the tour.

 

After the rafting we were taken back to the operation center where we were provided with an all you can eat buffet with salad, chicken, spaghetti, rice and beans. The food was delicious and this is coming from a picky eater. We then boarded the buses for the return trip to the ship.

 

If you haven't surmised from my description I would highly recommend this tour and if I get back to Costa Rica I wouldn't hesitate to do it again.!

[snausman]

I could not agree more with you. We also took this tour and it was wonderful from start to finish. The highlite of our cruise!

 

Don't think about it just do it.

 

Laura

[2VaCruzers]

Out of curiosity...was this excursion booked independently (if so, what company) or was it booked thru the ship?

[LA_FadeAway]

Thanks for the report!

Which port did you do it from (Limon or Puntarenus) and do you know which river you were on?

[VacationsRme]

Did anyone fall out of the raft. I am not a very good swimmer and I am afraid of the idea of falling out?

[oceanbreezer]

Sue L - Sounds like a lot of fun!

 

Did you book your tour through the ship or on your own. Which port in Costa Rica did you leave from? Were they Class 3 or Class 4 rapids? We are going through the Panama Canal in October and stopping in Punt. CR and just down to Panama again in Feb 2008 with the family and stopping in Limon CR.

 

Can you please enlighten us on the details? We really would like to do this.

 

Thanks

[tbag124]

are there any restrictions on participating? weight limits, etc? who did you book thru? thanks!

[snorkelman]

are there any restrictions on participating? weight limits, etc? who did you book thru? thanks!

 

I just got back yesterday and did this excursion through Carnival for $110 per person. It was great. It was exactly as described by the original poster. I suggest spending the extra $30 to buy a cd filled with digital pictures of your rafting experience.

 

I think the weight limit was 250 pounds per person, but we saw several people who were clearly over this weight limit that were not even questioned.

[GufiFoot]

Out of curiosity...was this excursion booked independently (if so, what company) or was it booked thru the ship?

I have the same question. What company was it, even if it was booked through your cruiseline. Ours doesnt offer it, but we will be there for 12 hours. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, kcj

[oceanbreezer]

GufiFoot - Check out www.riotropicales.com . You can reserve a one day tour with them and perhaps they can advise you on transport to arrive there and how far away it is from the port. If you have a group and the cost of a van is split 6 to 8 ways the cost would probably be reasonable. This is the company that Carnival Cruise Lines uses. What cruise line will be travelling with? Hope this helps:cool:

[GufiFoot]

GufiFoot - Check out www.riotropicales.com . You can reserve a one day tour with them and perhaps they can advise you on transport to arrive there and how far away it is from the port. If you have a group and the cost of a van is split 6 to 8 ways the cost would probably be reasonable. This is the company that Carnival Cruise Lines uses. What cruise line will be travelling with? Hope this helps:cool:

Thanks Oceanbreezer. That is tons of help. We are with HAL & there were a few people that were surprised that they didn't offer it. I will check it out.

Thanks again,

kjc

[GufiFoot]

Thanks Oceanbreezer. That is tons of help. We are with HAL & there were a few people that were surprised that they didn't offer it. I will check it out.

Thanks again,

kjc

ooooppps! That website isn't it. It is a dog/cat/bird selling site..... hmmmm. Any other ideas? Thanks for your help

Kjc

[GufiFoot]

AH HA ! Found it... leave out an "s" (in Rios) and you go from purchasing a pet to a great whitewater rafting site ... hehehehe ..... :D www.riostropicales.com

Thanks so much.

BTW, we are on HAL/Volendam

kcj

[wesp]

I highly recommend this ship's tour! We did the trip on our recent cruise on RCCL Jewel of the Seas. It ranks up there with Maui Downhill as an all time favorite shore excursion. :)

 

Wesley

[PR1NCESSD1ANE]

I highly recommend this ship's tour! We did the trip on our recent cruise on RCCL Jewel of the Seas. It ranks up there with Maui Downhill as an all time favorite shore excursion. :)

 

Wesley

 

Did you take the excursion through RCCL or book through a private tour operator? We will be on the Jewel 1/14/11 and are considering this excursion.