Has anyone ever used Okeydokey tours with Charlie Soto

[Reenwad]

Glad to see that most people had a great time with OkeyDokey. I just won't plan on Charlie being the guide and hope we get Rey & Steyton!

We're taking the A-2 tour which includes 'Brisas De La Jungla Zipline 13 platforms. Anyone been on these recently?

[Pioneer]

We just got back from the Panama Canal cruise on the Island Princess. I booked the Costa Rica tour (A1-A5), with Charlie and we had 13 people from our board go with us. Charlie provided a very comfortable A/C Van for just our group. We met Charlie, but our tour guide was Carlos. They took us to the canal, and then the Veragua rain forest, where they also provided lunch. Then a tour of a banana plantation, and a visit to an area where they had many monkeys. He offered a stop at the Bonita beach, but we declined. At the end of the tour Carlos took us to a local supermarket to get local coffee and vanilla. This tour was fantastic, and Carlos was a superb guide, we also had a seperate driver. I would definitely recommend Charlie and okeydokeytours to anyone.

 

The Veragua rain forest is something that can not be missed. Great tour and lecture, followed by an aerial tram through the canopy, a walk to a great waterfall, and followed by a nice lunch.

 

This was our best tour on the cruise.

[ellbon]

I've been reading all the reviews of okeydoketours and have noticed that no one has posted that they've been on the whitewater rafting trip, which is what we're interested in. Has anyone taken this trip and can comment on it?

 

that is because yuo need 4 or more people. i am still hoping he can get me enough to raft ir i have to do a ship's tour .these rafting companies have small rafts and they want 4 per raft. i have only been in big rafts with like 8 others.

[wendyfran]

We just booked with charlie for the A-2 tour....we will be on the CCL Freedon Christmas cruise!

 

Just wondering, Charlie says it is a 40 minute van ride to the zipline...does that sound accurate? My family of 4 HATES being on buses/vans too long! The excursion thru the cruise zipline was a 2 hour bus ride each way!! We opted out of that one.....

 

ANY thoughts are highly regarded!

 

Thanks

[NCTribeFan]

Reading some of the above posts, it appears there are several zipline places, so I would imagine that the ship goes to a different site.

 

I don't mind the van/bus rides as it gives me a chance to see some of the countryside. After all, I'm spending money to go far from home to a foreign island/country and I like to see (and learn) as much as possible, especially when it's my first visit. I look at cruises not just as wonderful entertainment, but also as great educational opportunities.

 

I'll be in CR on 12/18 on Carnival Miracle and several of our Roll Call members have booked the A-1 with Charlie (at the recommendation of one of our well-traveled members who has used him multiple times for west-coast stops).

[m steve]

some went zip lining while others just wandered around facility for an hour. Nice shopping and drinks and free coffee available. I skipped breakfast so I enjoyed the coffee. Better than Princess'. Good tour guides on the canal. Father and son and they spotted lots of animals for us. Cost was reasonable and felt safe all the time. We had 8 in our group and half zipped. Included a very good lunch. Driver had soft drinks, water and beer. Stopped at a local market before boarding for coffee, big selection and very reasonable prices.

[chamima]

some went zip lining while others just wandered around facility for an hour. Nice shopping and drinks and free coffee available. I skipped breakfast so I enjoyed the coffee. Better than Princess'. Good tour guides on the canal. Father and son and they spotted lots of animals for us. Cost was reasonable and felt safe all the time. We had 8 in our group and half zipped. Included a very good lunch. Driver had soft drinks, water and beer. Stopped at a local market before boarding for coffee, big selection and very reasonable prices.

 

 

Which tour did you do and from which port?

Which facility did you zipline from and was there anything to do while "wandering around"?

We are going out of Punteranas and he says he is taking us to Villa Lapas and that there is a rainforest walk there for those who aren't ziplining.

(I'm still trying to get him to take us to TuruBari as I heard it is better)

[biddy belle]

Just returned from using Okey Dokey in Puerto Limon, the A-5 tour to the aerial rainforest tram, and it was great. The guide, Carlos, is very flexible and accomodating, and we saw more of Costa Rican life than we expected, to our delight. Highly recommend this company. Be forewarned, however, that the dirt road up the mountain to the rainforest may be the roughest trip you've ever taken! We were in a modern van, good air conditioning, careful driver, Marco, but it almost loosened the fillings in our teeth! Makes great memories!

[Weliketogo]

We just returned from a cruise through the Panama Canal with a stop in Puntarenas, Costa Rica. We used OkeydokeyTours (Charlie Soto) and had a great time. There were 8 of us in the group. Charlie and his group were there to greet us at the end of the pier. We had contacted Charlie earlier and put together a customized tour to Poas Volcano, La Paz Water Gardens and Sarchi/Grecia. I particularly liked the fact that we had a nice van with AC, a driver (Calli) and tour guide (Gus) for the trip. Gus was exceptional with his knowledge of Costa Rica and he sat in the middle row of the van so everyone could hear him easily, his english was excellent. We got to see some of the devastation caused by the 6.2 earthquake last January, very interesting. Gus and Calli were very accomodating and stopped at a couple of extra places along the way. I would have no reservation about recommending Charlie Soto and his tours. He will do his best to make your tour the best possible. Enjoy cruising!!!. Merry Christmas !!!

[salboz]

Hi Guys: Can anyone recommend Charlie Soto or comment on his services? I have been in contact with this and he seems quite nice. I would like an opinion from someone who has used him. Thank you. Larry :)

I used him based upon great reviews on this site. Very disappointed. I notified Charlie upon my return and he said he would get back to me as what we experienced from his drivers was not acceptable to him. Never heard anymore. Examples - Charlie provides a snack at one of the stops. Driver didn't offer so we bought our own. Much later he came with the snacks that Charlie was providing and when he saw we already had some, he sat and ate them himself. Had to wait in van a number of times while he and the driver visited with friends.

[NCTribeFan]

Just back from 12/14 Miracle sailing. We were in Costa Rica last Friday.

 

Here's the link to my review (not quite finished, but the CR portion is in posts 22-25. It wasn't quite as wonderful as our tour in Panama the prior day, but it was very good, especially for the price.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1107851

 

I wouldn't hesitate to book with Mr. Soto again and would be perfectly happy with Jorge as our tour guide.

[Nanner]

I toured with Charlie out of Puntarenas in 2006 and had a marvelous time. We are returning to Costa Rica in April, this time to Puerto Limon. I must admit a bit of concern about the boat issue, but will address that with him.

 

My question is about Bonita Beach. Is that strictly a lunch stop, or do you get any time to go in the water?

[NCTribeFan]

I had emailed him before we sailed, asking if there were changing rooms or if we would need to wear our suits under our clothes. He told me there were changing rooms and to just bring them with us.

 

But then we didn't have time to go in the water. Of course, we had the unexpected birthday cake and singing. :o

 

If you were to wear your suit and eat quickly, you could probably get a few minutes in the water. There was pretty high surf. In fact, there were lots of surfers down to the right (looking at the water). I had pretty much decided I wasn't getting in that surf anyway, as I'm not a swimmer.

 

I suppose it depends on how the rest of the tour goes as to how much time you'll have at Bonita Beach.

[iluvcruzin]

We just recently went on tour with Carlos and Okaydokaytours. I wouldn't worry about the boat at the Canal because they are fine and the same ones used by the cruiseline tours. Bonita Beach isn't your typical swimming beach and is more of a dark sand surf beach. There is a bar/restaurant onsite. Our particular tour didn't go there until the end of the day (we ate at Jungle Breezes). We were there maybe 20 minutes.

 

If you can get a big group (we had 20 I think), they have a larger bus to accomidate versus the small vans. It was a comfortable ride. I would highly recommend this company as we had a wonderful day exploring Costa Rica.

[chamima]

We just recently went on tour with Carlos and Okaydokaytours. I wouldn't worry about the boat at the Canal because they are fine and the same ones used by the cruiseline tours. Bonita Beach isn't your typical swimming beach and is more of a dark sand surf beach. There is a bar/restaurant onsite. Our particular tour didn't go there until the end of the day (we ate at Jungle Breezes). We were there maybe 20 minutes.

 

If you can get a big group (we had 20 I think), they have a larger bus to accomidate versus the small vans. It was a comfortable ride. I would highly recommend this company as we had a wonderful day exploring Costa Rica.

 

We are docking in Puntarenas. Were you there or Limon?

Looking for info on his tours from Puntarenas.

[lisaburchrn]

WE just returned from a cruise to Costa Rica and we used OkeyDokey with Charlie Soto. At first I was hesitant to book a tour operator other than Carnival but we did and I am so glad we did. We did the A-2 tour and Rey was our tour guide. We went zip lining, toured a banana plantation, had lunch on Bonita Beach, took pictures of Colon from a high spot in town and our final stop was at a local grocery store to buy coffee. I highly recommend this tour if you are visiting Costa Rica. Rey did a fantastic job showing us his country. Zip ling was great! You won't be disappointed.:D

[NCTribeFan]

Sounds like the only difference in A-1 and A-2 is that we did the canal and you folks did the ziplining.

 

Maybe some day I'll go ziplining. I had planned to go in Roatan in May, 2008, but a woman died just a couple of weeks before we sailed and I decided I just didn't need to do it. I cruise to relax, not risk my life. :o

 

Everyone seems to love it, though. Unless something happens and you die, of course. :(

[michelle1836]

WE just returned from a cruise to Costa Rica and we used OkeyDokey with Charlie Soto. At first I was hesitant to book a tour operator other than Carnival but we did and I am so glad we did. We did the A-2 tour and Rey was our tour guide. We went zip lining, toured a banana plantation, had lunch on Bonita Beach, took pictures of Colon from a high spot in town and our final stop was at a local grocery store to buy coffee. I highly recommend this tour if you are visiting Costa Rica. Rey did a fantastic job showing us his country. Zip ling was great! You won't be disappointed.:D

 

was lunch included in the price or was that extra?

[lisaburchrn]

The price does include lunch and I forgot to mention that we also did the canal tour with the A-2.

[Bobocasey]

We used Okeydokey tours in Dec we did the A-1 tour. They did an excellent job touring Costa Rica. Took us to a store and stayed with us to help us purchase coffee. Much better than the ship's tour cost half as much and we only had 17 people on our tour more flexiblity with a smaller group. Went to a great little beachside restaurant for lunch. The surf was to rough to swim the day we were there.

[GLYNAGP]

We Used Okey Dokey tours in Puerto Limon at the end of December. They were excellent . We did the A1 Tour which also included lunch and a short time a a beach. Carlos our Guide and Jose the driver every were very good . It was very good value for money and we would not hesitate to use them in the future

 

Glyn and Kath

Malaga

Spain

[Nanner]

Most of our group did the walk on the suspension bridges back in 2006, and really enjoyed it. A couple of folks went zip lining, and there was a tree that had fallen across the line. It was a real challenge for the group to go backwards, uphill, hand over hand, to the platform and get down. The tour guides helped out, but one of the wives was concerned about her husband getting overexerted.

 

Like anything, even the best laid plans can go awry. We still had a great tour.

 

Since we are going to Puerto Limon this year, the Okeydokey website said lunch is extra, but some folks have indicated that lunch was included. I emailed Charlie, and he said it is indeed included in the price. Now I'm curious about the kind of food and quantity. We bought our own lunch on the Pacific side, and it was more than we could eat. What type of food do they serve you at Bonita Beach?

[linrns]

We recently used okeydokey tours in Limon Costa Rica jan 19. We had a great time doing the A-1 tour. We were greeted by Carlos and Jose just outside the gates after going through the shopping area. Were kind of unsure of where the gate was that we were supposed to be and found that several other tour operators were very kind in directing us to the right place. We were on the Zuiderdam and had only 1 other couple from the Miracle on our tour that was waiting for us. We were first taken to a remote area in the forest where Carlos showed us many plants, was very pretty and interesting. He also had several fruits that he cut up for us to try. We then went to an area to see monkeys in the trees, saw a boy with a sloth which we could have petted for a tip of course. Then went to the banana factory which is very facinating. Loved watching the guys pulling the bananas through the fields! We then went on a small boat on the tortuguera canal. The driver and a younger boy were great...gave us a very good tour making sure that we saw lots of wildlife, even pulling into the bank so that the little guy could pick us flowers. Saw several sloth and birds and a howler monkey. Carlos then took us to bonita beach for lunch which consisted of a spicy chicken, beans, rice and coleslaw. Then stopped at a market for coffee and vanilly. Very cheap!

Tour was very worth the price. We really felt that we got to see the real Costa Rica. I would definitely recomment to others. Had a great time...very private and informative. No worry about getting back to the ship on time. Still had lots of time to shop in the markets by the ships.

[airheadfan]

We used this company and had a wonderful experience. While exchanging emails regarding our preferences (like no shopping) Charlie suggested combining two tours into one, so we went to the canal and the rain forest. I guess we were lucky, but it turned out that there were only two of us (myself and wife) and we were fortunate to have Ricardo as the guide/driver - his English is excellent and he has a very solid SUV. Just two of us in the boat on the canal and we saw the usual sloths, monkeys, a huge iguana and a tree trunk covered in bats (my personal highlight). I was concerned about getting back to the cruise boat on time, and this was not a problem. All in all, a wonderful experience with a very professional company. And no trouble finding them outside of the gates - as someone else said, just ask and the other operators will direct you to Charlie's location.

[Aussie Gal]

We used Charlie Soto back in 2006 and were very disappointed. We docked at Puntarenas and Charlie was there to meet us. We were told to go to a certain van and wait and finally we discovered we were with a different guide. We asked where Charlie was and were told that he wasn't accompanying us that day. We had stressed in our emails that we wanted him to be our guide which he agreed to.

 

There only four of us and we had a good day even though our guide was a young man trainee teacher and hadn't been guiding before. We did the Volcano tour and found when we got to the Park we had to pay the entrance fee even though Charlie said it was all included. After lots of phone calls between our guide and Charlie, we ended up paying less than he had quoted.

 

We were disappointed as we wanted an A1 tour with a guide who had been highly recommended on this Board and we had booked him very early to be certain of having him. I believe that it should be first in first served, and not someone at the last minute booking and taking our guide. By the way, when we got to the volcano it was all in cloud and we couldn't see a thing!

 

Jennie