Anyone take Myfriendmario tours?

[KAWS]

Has anyone taken myfriendmario tours in Colon Panama?

 

I'm interested in one of the tours but it gets back to the cruise ship at 3:30 pm and the ship is set to depart at 4:00. They say their clients have never missed a ship.

 

Has anyone been on this tour? It goes to the Panama Canal, Indian Village and a waterfall. Were you back in time to spare?

 

I will be on the Carnival Liberty. What is the latest you can get back onto the ship?

 

After reading such positive reviews about this tour operator, I suggested this tour to my friend that was on the Carnival Miracle last week.

 

Now this woman is mega-picky. With that said, she said it was FABULOUS. She said the Indian Village was the best part of the tour and she said it had to be the highlight of her whole trip. She said they were treated very well and would highly recommend anyone taking one of their tours. She also said she saved a ton of money using them. Carnival wanted something ridiculous like $175+ pp for a tour of the panama canal and she wound up paying something like $55 pp and got so much more and so many people less.

[churee]

We got back from the Western Caribbean a week ago and had to brag about the wonderful tour we took with Mario (CL001). It was better than anything I envisioned. We stopped at the Gatun Locks just in time to see a ship coming through. Since none of us had been to the locks before, it was very interesting and informative. We were there about an hour and that was enough. Then on to the rain forest where we saw sloths, families of Hollar monkeys, a crocodile, butterflies(including a blue morpho) and other vegetation. Our guide and driver had an uncanny ability (being tuned into the rain forest) of stopping at just the right times so we could see different animals. It was awesome. Our last stop was San Lorenzo Fort which was very scenic and historical. We always felt safe, well taken care of, and got back to the ship in plenty of time. I would recommend Mario anytime.

[LeslieSJ]

I went on a different Mario tour Feb. 2008 and had a fabulous time.

Our tour first did the Gatun Locks then went to Portobello by van and from there to a tiny beach by boat.

I thought the secluded beach was special and felt like an adventure. The fact that there were only 6 other people there with us made it a treat. It was certainly nothing like a long white sand beach as in Aruba or Grand Cayman but was interesting and unique compared to a "normal" beach day.

 

I don't snorkel so I walked around and picked up shells and washed-up coral pieces; my husband does snorkel and said he saw a lot of fish and he was pleased.

 

The ride in the van to Portobello was about an hour - long, but a good chance to see a lot of the countryside and coastline and to hear our guide Lori talk about Panama. Lori, by the way, was a fabulous guide -- informative, friendly, let us set the pace of what we were doing -- couldn't have asked for better.

 

The Gatun locks portion was very interesting to me since I hadn't seen locks before and had just read a book about the Panama canal. The hour we spent there was fascinating but that was enough - I'm glad I didn't book a ferry all the way through the canal -- I think after seeing one ship go through I had seen enough. The facilities were very nice; an employee of the canal agency was speaking through a p.a. system explaining the progress of the ship and what exactly was going on along with some historical information about the canal and the work on the expansion.

 

I went into the tour expecting a "rustic" experience and that's what it was so I was not disappointed. I thought the day was well-spent and would book another tour with Mario if ever in Panama again.

[Bookbug53]

Our first stop on the Miracle and we had booked with My Friend Mario to do the canal, rain forest, and fort. Mario Senior was our guide and he was very nice. Met us at the bottom of the escalators as promised. There was a slight problem with the group size as he was expecting just another couple but 6 people showed up. He only had a six passenger vehicle with him and now he had 10 including the driver. They had their email confirmation which showed six so he quickly adapted. We joined another group briefly on their much larger bus and rode to the canal while he arranged for a larger vehicle to meet us there. The first group stayed at the canal and we took off for the rain forest. (We did however get pictures of the Coral Princess passing through to Gatun Lake before we left). I must admit to being rather disappointed in this part of the tour. They stayed on a rather busy road and there really was not much to see. At one point we stopped and hiked a short distance into the forest but there did not seem to be much point. He did not offer much information at this time and it seemed to be a poorly thought out walk. We went on from here to Fort San Lorenzo and this was very nice. We walked all through the fort and the views from there are amazing. Cold drinks were provided and after that we rode on and stopped at a beach for photos. We arrived back at the canal and were fortunate enough to see all sorts of vessels passing through. We were delivered back to the pier about one hour before final boarding which was at 4PM.

[MamaBear4]

The myfriendmario tour of the Locks, Indian Village and Waterfall was the highlight of our last Caribbean Cruise. We are 50-something and our children are in their late teens. Our family still talks about the incredible day we spent at the Indian Village and the waterfall. The people were incredibly warm and friendly. Lunch was included at the Indian Village. The fish wrapped in a leaf was probably the best fish I have ever eaten! We watched them dance and then we all joined in. We couldn't resist their smiling faces. The canoe trip to the waterfalls was beautiful. We hiked a short distance and came upon a huge waterfall where we swam under the Falls. We ended our wonderful day by going to the Locks.

 

I booked this tour based on a review written by another Cruise Critic member. The way he described the experience made me immediately book the trip. Our family was so glad that we did this excursion!

 

I would trust that Mario will get you back to your ship in time.

[nothomeonacruise]

Hi, what kind of lunch do they serve at the Indian Village?

[Plooey]

Any recent cruisers reviews? I am thinking of booking with Mario.

[ghstudio]

I just contacted him for a private tour for our small group. We aren't going to do it due to my "hmmm" sensor. He wants a significant deposit mailed to someone in Indiana (not a company)...and no credit cards. It's not clear that he actually has an office and if something does go wrong, I'm not sure that his "insurance" has any validity at all...and I'm not sure how I would get my money back. Based on all the reviews, I suspect that if things go well, there's nothing to worry about...but a deposit up front requires a little caution.

 

Think we'll just take the ship tours in Panama which are about the same price but a little shorter...

[hugsthecat]

I just contacted him for a private tour for our small group. We aren't going to do it due to my "hmmm" sensor. He wants a significant deposit mailed to someone in Indiana (not a company)...and no credit cards. It's not clear that he actually has an office and if something does go wrong, I'm not sure that his "insurance" has any validity at all...and I'm not sure how I would get my money back. Based on all the reviews, I suspect that if things go well, there's nothing to worry about...but a deposit up front requires a little caution.

 

Think we'll just take the ship tours in Panama which are about the same price but a little shorter...

 

 

Are you talking about Mario. I think you may have gone to the wrong web site or email.Mario has never asked for an advance payment. We used him this past December.There were about 25 of us. We had a great time and paid at the end.

 

 

Michael

[Jeanine&Jim]

I have been having no response to my emails lately from Mario any one having similar problems and has any one been this year? Any info you can give would be greatly appreciated.

[Oldpuppy]

Booked with Mario in March 07 and had a great, trouble free adventure.

Have re-booked with him for our 2 Feb cruise...Believe it is C007....As we have seen the locks, we have talked about limiting our time there allowing for more time at the falls and village. Only minor issue has been price as he does charge less for more people....Never an argument, just discussion where the price break is. In 07 we had Laura or Lorrie, She is a Brit but never has been to the UK!

 

Oldpuppy

[Jeanine&Jim]

I have been having no response to my emails lately from Mario any one having similar problems and has any one been this year? Any info you can give would be greatly appreciated.

Just heard back everything is okay. We'll let you all know how the tour is we are in Panama 3/1/09.

[fab5family]

Hi All,

 

Can't wait for our Carnival Miracle cruise in March!

 

I have tried emailing Mario a few times and have not heard a response. Any suggestions?

 

Thanks.

[Pie R Squared]

I tried contacted Mario yesterday 3/5 and have not gotten a response yet either. :mad: I'll post when I hear something.

 

I am going to be in Panama on April 12.

 

Paul

[Jeanine&Jim]

Heelo, We booked with Mario and had a great time on our 2/23/09 Cruise. I too was a little nervous about sending deposit to a US address but all went well. You are actually sending it to Mario's sister. Mario has had some difficulty with his emails. I believe on his website he has 2 emails, one worked for us and one did not. I think the correct one was wong753@hotmail.com

When we got off the ship we were told to go down the second escalator as we did we saw at the bottom right, a woman was holding a sign with my name on it. We had Lori as our tour guide. She introduced us to Mario(he had a tour with another ship). Lori was absolutely wonderful. We had a private tour for 4 that totalled 300.00. Well worth the money. We went to the Fort,and through the rainforest. We saw howler and cappachino monkeys, sloths and toucans. We went to a beautiful virgin beach and had a swim. We went to the Panama Canal and saw 3 ships go through. Very Amazing!! Lori answered all our questions, gave us a ton of info and was very knowledgeable. We were served cold drinks.

It is a bit of a drive through the rainforest to the Fort but well worth it. Just to stand in the middle of the road howling for monkeys as they jumped from branch to branch was so cool.

We like taking a private tour as you can plan your day to your own desires. Lori timed everything perfectly so we could see the ships go through the Locks but we were never rushed.

FYI I recommend you let them know at the time of booking if you are beer or soda drinkers. At the end we ran out of soda as we don't drink beer. Also bring a snack as the day is a little long.

I would highly recommend My Friend Mario for a tour. I have taken 5 cruises and have booked privately for all but 1 tour and have never had a problem as I use Cruise critics recommended tours mostly. Sometimes I will check on Frommer's and Trip advisor as well. Have fun in Panama.

[Pie R Squared]

Jeanine&Jim,

 

Thanks for the post, my girl friend finally got a response from Mario. We are going to book the CL007 tour.

 

Paul

[lrtjs5]

Has anyone ever heard of someone missing the ship on one of Mario's excursions??

[Jeffski]

We used Mario for a tour in March this year off the Freedom. It was nice and he delivered as promised. Elvis was our guide. I would use them again.

[arf2005]

Has anyone ever heard of someone missing the ship on one of Mario's excursions??

 

We used them the week of March 14th as well. I wasn't extremely impressed, but they were adequate. They did tell us they had insurance that would cover any one missing the ship - and had never had to use it...who knows! Jeffski it sounds as if we had opposite experiences in Costa Rica and Panama using the same companies! We may have lucked out in Costa Rica by getting Oscar himself. I found Panama to be a worse dump than Costa Rica - trash everywhere - even in the countryside (We went to the Embera Indian Village and then to the Canal). The roads were horrible and I would not go back to the Atlantic side again - although I would recommend everyone go at least once just for the experience. However, once is enough.

[Demerara]

We used their service back in January for tours before and after our cruise. We found them to be well organized but given the short time - your tour may be rushed. They are well aware of your time frame and sensitive to the time. Our guide/driver got us to Colon port on departure and on our return, they were waiting for us to transfer us back to the Panama city.

Their service provided what we asked. Their transfers from Panama city (hotel or airport) to port in Colon is half the price of the cruise lines. $30 pp one way.

We would use them again.

[lrtjs5]

We used their service back in January for tours before and after our cruise. We found them to be well organized but given the short time - your tour may be rushed. They are well aware of your time frame and sensitive to the time. Our guide/driver got us to Colon port on departure and on our return, they were waiting for us to transfer us back to the Panama city.

Their service provided what we asked. Their transfers from Panama city (hotel or airport) to port in Colon is half the price of the cruise lines. $30 pp one way.

We would use them again.

 

 

Great to know! I don't mind being rushed, just get me to the ship on time!!

[KYWEST1]

Has anyone tried the Canal and Day at the beach tour (including snorkeling) with Mario?

The Indian village looks a little boring, and I was thinking this "Emerald Island" sounded nice for snorkeling.

Thanks for any info!

[arf2005]

Has anyone tried the Canal and Day at the beach tour (including snorkeling) with Mario?

The Indian village looks a little boring, and I was thinking this "Emerald Island" sounded nice for snorkeling.

Thanks for any info!

That was actually my first choice, but most of my group wanted to do the Indian Village. They all found the village fascinating - I did too, but I'm a beach person and would have probably found the beach to be a better fit for me. We were suppose to go to the waterfall that is by the Indian Village and that was the part I was most looking forward to. Apparently there hadn't been enough rain and so that part of the tour was cancelled. Just my luck! The main reason I wouldn't do the Indian Village again - the horrible roads there and back!

[Jeffski]

We did the canal and beach with Mario but no snorkeling. There wasn't any snorkeling happening at the beach we were at so I don't know how that works.

[KYWEST1]

From the beach, they take you to Portobela (sp?), where you catch a boat to Emerald Island for snorkeling. It sounds cool, but no one has posted anything about it.

Thanks again for your replies:)