Coral Princess excursions April 2008

[CCGSRuss]

I'm traveling with a group of 4 on the Panama cruise on the Coral Princess on April 15th. We have picked all our shore excursions except for Limon in Costa Rica. Would like to get a "feel for the Country" but want also want to have some fun and do not want to spend most of the day on a bus. We are in our 40's - 50's and are in reasonable fitness. Any suggestions?

[Kirsten T]

I've done 2 with Princess - the Eco-cruise and countryside by train, and the Pineapple Plantation. Both enjoyable, without long bus rides. Eco-cruise is a brief bus ride to the canals, about an hour boat ride to view the rainforest and its inhabitants (we saw toucans, sloths, crocodiles, lizards, LOADS of colorful birds) then a 45 minute train ride by the beach, through the countryside and through a banana plantation. You reboard the bus, travel to a banana processing plant for a brief tour, then return to the ship.

 

Pineapple plantation is also not a long ride; you visit a grower/processing plant and follow the pineapples from the fields into the plant. They also made dried pineapple for Trader Joe's - no added sugar. There's a lot of sampling, which was awesome! Brief stop at a gift shop then a return to the ship. Neither excursion is very "active" but they're both interesting.

 

Have a great cruise!

[TCF]

We were in Costa Rica on the Coral at about the same time as you are only last year.

I took a tour with Oscar Brown that was interesting. We toured...briefly...the town of Limon...then out into the country....stopped at a house where a friend on Oscar lives and keeps a sloth and other animals so you can take up-close photos....the toured a banana plantation....then a boat ride on the Torteguerra Canal to see wildlife and birds...(the boat guide was amazing at picking out anumals etc in the foliage that we never would have picked up on our own)....then back to the ship. Whole trip took about 4 1/2 hours....small van...A/C...stops for pop/water/juice etc.

It was a friendly, unrushed, on the ground tour that I really enjoyed. Cost was $45 a head as I recall.

At the top of the docks area...straight up from the ship...is a wonderful local market with artisan stalls.....amazing woodwork, jewelery, handcrafts, textiles and Costa Rican Coffee beans....top grade...$5US a pound!!!

It's hot and humid....take lots of water with you.

Between Costa Rica and Panama I lost 13 pounds....and it was ALL water!!

You are going to have great time!!

BTW Oscar Brown has a website you can Google.

[mamabeac]

We, too, are on the April 15th sailing of the Coral. We have selected the pineapple tour and are looking forward to it after reading several comments on these boards.

[CCGSRuss]

Thank you all for your input. We have booked the Eco Cruise & country ride by train tour.

 

Seven weeks to go!

[Boozebabe]

8 of us are on the April 15 Coral also. We are doing the Train & Eco-cruise. It should give us enough "flavor" of the country.

 

Just 84 hours til we board......WooHoo.......but who's counting?