Sue L Posted April 6, 2007 #1 Share Posted April 6, 2007 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.! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snausman Posted April 9, 2007 #2 Share Posted April 9, 2007 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2VaCruzers Posted May 7, 2007 #3 Share Posted May 7, 2007 Out of curiosity...was this excursion booked independently (if so, what company) or was it booked thru the ship? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LA_FadeAway Posted May 16, 2007 #4 Share Posted May 16, 2007 Thanks for the report! Which port did you do it from (Limon or Puntarenus) and do you know which river you were on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VacationsRme Posted May 21, 2007 #5 Share Posted May 21, 2007 Did anyone fall out of the raft. I am not a very good swimmer and I am afraid of the idea of falling out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oceanbreezer Posted July 1, 2007 #6 Share Posted July 1, 2007 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbag124 Posted August 8, 2007 #7 Share Posted August 8, 2007 are there any restrictions on participating? weight limits, etc? who did you book thru? thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snorkelman Posted October 8, 2007 #8 Share Posted October 8, 2007 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GufiFoot Posted October 20, 2007 #9 Share Posted October 20, 2007 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oceanbreezer Posted October 21, 2007 #10 Share Posted October 21, 2007 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: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GufiFoot Posted October 21, 2007 #11 Share Posted October 21, 2007 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GufiFoot Posted October 21, 2007 #12 Share Posted October 21, 2007 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GufiFoot Posted October 21, 2007 #13 Share Posted October 21, 2007 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesp Posted December 4, 2010 #14 Share Posted December 4, 2010 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PR1NCESSD1ANE Posted December 30, 2010 #15 Share Posted December 30, 2010 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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