Cosol Tour in St. Lucia

[reality466]

Our family was on the same tour as a few of the other recent posters who loved this tour. We had less than a perfect experience. This was our least favourite excursion of the week and the only one we had not booked through the cruise line.

I think it really comes down to who is your guide. Our guide was a super nice guy but not the best man for the job. We saw a lot of the island but did not get a lot of commentary to go with the sights. Even when asked questions our guide said very little.

We felt a bit rushed at each stop. Being rushed was not the problem, we knew this tour packed a lot of the islands highlights into one day, the problem was our guide.

On the positive side we did have the opportunity to take wonderful photographs and see some highlights of St. Lucia, providing us with some wonderful memories. St. Lucia was certainly one of our favourite islands, it is truly a lovely place.

There is a difference between a taxi driver and a tour guide. Everyone is not cut out to be a guide. It certainly takes knowledge and skill to keep everyone engaged for a full day tour. I agree with one of the previous posters, your driver can make or break your experience.

[52marv]

I am sorry to hear that so many people had bad experiences with the Cosol tour. It must be very upsetting to read positive reviews and then have a bad time. I have tried to be as thorough as possible in my review. While my review is very positive, the circumstances of my trip are very different from the others who have posted. Different circumstances may make for very different experiences. I hope I've given enough information for people to make an informed choice; as I've appreciated and benefitted from the honesty of other people who post here.

 

Three generations of my family were on the March 21, 2009 sailing of RCI's Serenade of the Seas. We were on St. Lucia on Wednesday, March 25. We were the only ship in port that day. Our group included my husband and me, my 11 and 8 year old kids and my 81 year old father and 73 year old mother. My Dad has a total knee replacement and my Mom uses a cane.

 

I chose to tour with Cosol after reading the reviews on Trip Advisor and Cruise Critic. We had a private tour for an extra fee. I would suggest this option to limit the disappointment some previous posters experienced in March 2009 when 5 ships were in port.

 

Cosol's tour was perfect for our varied group. I cannot say enough about how thoughtful, patient and accommodating they were. Cosol has put a lot of thought into his tour, resulting in a comprehensive trip that kept the attention and delight of everyone from the kids to the grandparents.

 

Cosol himself greeted us just outside the ship at 8:20 am. He was a very friendly person! His staff member Adrian, immediately escorted us to a silver van which was spotless, very comfortable and had good air conditioning. Our van had a cooler full of cold drinks which was a very thoughtful touch. We left Castries at 8:30 am.

 

Sam, our driver, was very helpful with my parents’ limited mobility, which had been my biggest concern. I didn't need to worry; Sam took such good care of my parents that they were able to enjoy the whole island despite their medical issues. Sam also kept my kids engaged and kept up a wonderful conversation about the history, environment, and present day facts about St. Lucia. Sam is not just a great driver and tour guide; he is an engaging, friendly and highly informed person.

 

While we drove through the capital, Castries, Sam pointed out interesting sights and told us about the history of the island.

 

Our first stop was at a Banana Plantation where Sam explained the growing and exporting business. The bananas we ate were creamier and sweeter than the ones we get in the U.S.

 

Next, we stopped roadside for our kids to have their pictures taken with Boa Constrictors while Sam entertained the adults with information about how they came to be on the island and their impact on the environment. What might have been just a quick photo op was actually a fun discussion for the whole family.

 

We stopped at a hillside restaurant for a “snack” which was actually a full lunch of St. Lucian delicacies. The food is very good, the views are fabulous and the lady who runs the restaurant is extremely gracious. This stop was one of only two places where we saw the other Cosol tours. As we were leaving the restaurant, the other tours arrived for their snack. There may have been 4-5 vans in the caravan. But since we left town early, we didn’t really interact with the other tours.

 

We went to the drive in Volcano and had a tour with a very knowledgeable guide. It’s a fun place, although the smell of sulfur is very strong.

 

The waterfall was lovely, and only a 5 minute walk from the van. It’s not a big waterfall, but it was pretty. My dad was able to make it, although it was a bit much for my mom as it is uphill and the walkway has loose pebbles.

 

The stop to swim at the beach at Jalousie Plantation is very peaceful. We spent an hour there. It’s a beautiful beach, the water is calm, there is a tiny waterslide and the views are unmatched. We drove to the beach since we were on a private tour. The other Cosol tours arrived by water taxi.

 

On the way back to the ship, Sam stopped for bread and cheddar cheese. It is some of the best bread you will ever taste and it comes out of the oven so hot it melts the cheese. Our final stop was above Marigot Bay, which was beautiful.

 

My kids and my parents agreed that this tour was THE highlight of our cruise. I am so very grateful to Sam and Cosol for such a magical, unforgettable day.

[BroncosFan2010]

I am sorry to hear that so many people had bad experiences with the Cosol tour. It must be very upsetting to read positive reviews and then have a bad time. I have tried to be as thorough as possible in my review. While my review is very positive, the circumstances of my trip are very different from the others who have posted. Different circumstances may make for very different experiences. I hope I've given enough information for people to make an informed choice; as I've appreciated and benefitted from the honesty of other people who post here.

 

Three generations of my family were on the March 21, 2009 sailing of RCI's Serenade of the Seas. We were on St. Lucia on Wednesday, March 25. We were the only ship in port that day. Our group included my husband and me, my 11 and 8 year old kids and my 81 year old father and 73 year old mother. My Dad has a total knee replacement and my Mom uses a cane.

 

I chose to tour with Cosol after reading the reviews on Trip Advisor and Cruise Critic. We had a private tour for an extra fee. I would suggest this option to limit the disappointment some previous posters experienced in March 2009 when 5 ships were in port.

 

Cosol's tour was perfect for our varied group. I cannot say enough about how thoughtful, patient and accommodating they were. Cosol has put a lot of thought into his tour, resulting in a comprehensive trip that kept the attention and delight of everyone from the kids to the grandparents.

 

Cosol himself greeted us just outside the ship at 8:20 am. He was a very friendly person! His staff member Adrian, immediately escorted us to a silver van which was spotless, very comfortable and had good air conditioning. Our van had a cooler full of cold drinks which was a very thoughtful touch. We left Castries at 8:30 am.

 

Sam, our driver, was very helpful with my parents’ limited mobility, which had been my biggest concern. I didn't need to worry; Sam took such good care of my parents that they were able to enjoy the whole island despite their medical issues. Sam also kept my kids engaged and kept up a wonderful conversation about the history, environment, and present day facts about St. Lucia. Sam is not just a great driver and tour guide; he is an engaging, friendly and highly informed person.

 

While we drove through the capital, Castries, Sam pointed out interesting sights and told us about the history of the island.

 

Our first stop was at a Banana Plantation where Sam explained the growing and exporting business. The bananas we ate were creamier and sweeter than the ones we get in the U.S.

 

Next, we stopped roadside for our kids to have their pictures taken with Boa Constrictors while Sam entertained the adults with information about how they came to be on the island and their impact on the environment. What might have been just a quick photo op was actually a fun discussion for the whole family.

 

We stopped at a hillside restaurant for a “snack” which was actually a full lunch of St. Lucian delicacies. The food is very good, the views are fabulous and the lady who runs the restaurant is extremely gracious. This stop was one of only two places where we saw the other Cosol tours. As we were leaving the restaurant, the other tours arrived for their snack. There may have been 4-5 vans in the caravan. But since we left town early, we didn’t really interact with the other tours.

 

We went to the drive in Volcano and had a tour with a very knowledgeable guide. It’s a fun place, although the smell of sulfur is very strong.

 

The waterfall was lovely, and only a 5 minute walk from the van. It’s not a big waterfall, but it was pretty. My dad was able to make it, although it was a bit much for my mom as it is uphill and the walkway has loose pebbles.

 

The stop to swim at the beach at Jalousie Plantation is very peaceful. We spent an hour there. It’s a beautiful beach, the water is calm, there is a tiny waterslide and the views are unmatched. We drove to the beach since we were on a private tour. The other Cosol tours arrived by water taxi.

 

On the way back to the ship, Sam stopped for bread and cheddar cheese. It is some of the best bread you will ever taste and it comes out of the oven so hot it melts the cheese. Our final stop was above Marigot Bay, which was beautiful.

 

My kids and my parents agreed that this tour was THE highlight of our cruise. I am so very grateful to Sam and Cosol for such a magical, unforgettable day.

 

I am glad you had a great time. Your review sounds more like what I was expecting on my cruise. I wish I could have had a peaceful encounter with this beautiful island!

[Sanlj]

I realize that this is a bit off topic, but I'm hoping to catch someone here who is planning to tour with Cosol soon. My requests for his Coconut Cookie recipe on other boards have gone unanswered. I have also emailed Cosol with the request, but did not get a response.

 

We were on his tour in February with Bompy and had a very nice experience. After our beach visit, Bompy passed around Coconut Cookies which were simply and absolutely delicious. They are hard like biscotti, quite large, with a mild coconut flavor. I have searched the internet and have not found anything remotely like this cookie.

 

I would LOVE to have this recipe and wonder if anyone planning to tour with him soon could see if it can be shared.

 

Have a wonderful time on this beautiful island and be sure to taste those cookies!!

[OHCruisin]

52marv - the fact that you had a cooler in your van is a surprise. As Ashley mentioned, our drinks were in a random van that drove with the caravan. But we only saw it twice as we eventually lost the rest of caravan.

 

Maybe Cosol is reading these reviews and making changes to the experience. Could be adding individual coolers to each van is one of the changes.

 

For those of you who had such a postitive experience, I'm glad you did. It appears you were fortunate in your guides as well, which is a huge part of the experience. Our driver was nice enough, but not a dynamic person at all. that really has an effect on your experience.

[southlake333]

I realize that this is a bit off topic, but I'm hoping to catch someone here who is planning to tour with Cosol soon. My requests for his Coconut Cookie recipe on other boards have gone unanswered. I have also emailed Cosol with the request, but did not get a response.

 

We were on his tour in February with Bompy and had a very nice experience. After our beach visit, Bompy passed around Coconut Cookies which were simply and absolutely delicious. They are hard like biscotti, quite large, with a mild coconut flavor. I have searched the internet and have not found anything remotely like this cookie.

 

I would LOVE to have this recipe and wonder if anyone planning to tour with him soon could see if it can be shared.

 

Have a wonderful time on this beautiful island and be sure to taste those cookies!!

 

Well, I just got back from a Cosol tour and I don't think those are his cookies. He buys them from a vendor on the side of the street (he loves to help the local population) and then gives them to people on his tour. So honestly, he probably doesn't have the recipe. But if you find it, post it here! Those sure were good! :)

[southlake333]

My wife and I just returned from the RCI - Serenade of the Seas cruise (March 21st - 28th) and we did the Cosol tour while on St Lucia on Wed, March 25. It was amazing. I'll try to give a very detailed review here and also comment on a few things I've read on this board as Cosol did explain to me the situation on that 5 ships in port day while I was there. A bit of background on my wife and I.....we're from Texas, I'm 31, she's 29 and this was our 2nd RCI cruise.

We were the only ship in port the day that we arrived so it was easy to find Cosol's group. We simply walked off the ship around 8am, walked into the only building you could walk into and there were people holding up Cosol signs. There ended up being about 45 people on this tour overall so we all stood in one big group waiting for everyone to get off the ship (as some people love to be fasionably late...lol). Still, we were on our way shortly. We were warned that there would be no bathrooms for a while so we should go at the pier (which we did). But we hit the next bathroom stop like 1.5 hours later so it wasn't like we were going to wet ourselves or anything on the trip.

The large group was divided into smaller groups of around 12 and then placed into nice, air conditioned vans and sent on our way. We were lucky enough to get some really friendly other passengers in our van with us and Cosol as our driver!

Now let me tell you a bit about Cosol. He's extremely friendly, a ton of fun, he really cares about St Lucia (and all the locals there) and on top of that he's a bit of a ladies man which made the tour that much more entertaining....lol (I'm sure he'll LOVE that I'm saying that here but more on that later).

Our first stop was at a Banana Plantation where Cosol explained a ton about the banana business (as he used to work there). He gave us some details on how banans grow, how they reuse the land, etc. Then, we got to eat some of them which were delicious! They were actually vine ripened (instead of picked while green and then shipped to your local Walmart) which made them sooo tasty. After that we had a few photo op stops (some of them had some friendly vendors selling necklaces) and we got to see a fishing village where Cosol stopped to place our bread and cheese order for later. After that we had a few more photo op stops, some interesting history on the island, island economy, housing prices, everything you can think of.

Eventually we made it to our "breakfast stop" which was basically a big driveway with tables set up that contained tons of delicious snacks made by a woman Cosol knows (who we joking called Mrs Wednesday....more on that later). All of the tour vans ended up here so we had all 45-50 people but it didn't feel crowded at all. We also got to start drinking rum punch, local beer, coke, diet coke, water, etc. As for the food, there were things like breadfruit balls, fudge, chicken strips with dip, fish with dip, plantains and a whole bunch of other stuff I can't remember the names of. Although it wasn't a full sit down meal, I completely filled myself up.

After that I think the tour split up. Our half went to the Pitons to snorkel and lay on the beach. So after more sight seeing we made our way down to the water taxis (which are also locals that own small boats) where we got more alcohol and a quick little boat ride over between the Pitons. Once we got to the beach between the Pitons, we were let out and given the option to just lay on the beach or snorkel. Snorkel gear was rentable from the water taxi for $10 per person if you didn't bring your own. My wife and I rented some from the kid left in charge of the snorkel gear while the water taxi went back for another group of people. Now this kid (probably 10 years old) must have been the son of the water taxi owner was great. He was super friendly, very helpful and the kind of boy you could be proud of. He sat by the snorkel gear the whole time and even offered to watch our bags while we went snorkeling.

Unfortunately, the snorkel area (marine preserve) contained tons of jelly fish so after getting stung quite a few times, I gave up and went to the swimming area with my snorkel mask where I looked for buried treasure! (rocks and coral...hey I'm easily entertained). The water was a great temperature and the beach was beautiful. It even has an easily available fresh water shower.

After hanging out here for around an hour, we were picked up by the water taxi and taken back to our van where more liquor awaited us....including what Cosol called the local ******. This stuff was strong and nasty but it worked...lol. Then we we headed to the waterfall and botanical gardens. The waterfall was cool, the water under it was frigid and the botanical garden was beautiful.

I think this was the point where we stopped for locally made coconut cookies (hard as a rock but delicious). We pulled off to a little hut looking structure with a few women where Cosol bought the local cookies and handed them out to everyone in the van.

From there we headed on to the drive in volcano. Now I've heard that this place stinks horribly and you'll never get the smell out of your clothes. That wasn't the case at all. My clothes smell fine now and the scent smelled exactly like smoke bombs on the 4th of July. It wasn't bad at all. A volcano tour guide hopped on the van with us and gave us some background, then we all got out, took pictures and listened to more tour information while Cosol drove the van back to the entrance to the volcano (which was only a few hundred feet away). On the walk back we took plenty of great pictures, saw a healing pool which looked like gray steaming water and we were able to buy some nice necklaces for really cheap from some roaming vendors. Let me say real quick that all of the vendors we saw during this tour were extremely friendly (unlike on some islands like Antigua).

After all of this, we headed back to the ship and made one last stop in that fishing village where Cosol had placed an order for bread and cheese. The bread looked exactly like a turkey leg (and was about the same size), was so warm it was almost hard to hold and it had a pre cut slit down the middle to put a big ole slice of delicious cheese into. It was really yummy and completely filled me up (along with another beer). We made one more sight seeing stop and got back to the ship with just enough time to do a little bit of shopping before we had to get back on the ship. My tour was about 7 hours (9am-4pm) since the overall group was small and we were in port for 10 hours that day.

Overall, it was a great tour which I would do again in a heartbeat.

Ok, so now let me give a little side information so that everyone can be as informed as possible. Cosol is very friendly and a great tour guide but he can only drive 1 van himself which will hold 9 or 10 people. So chances are, you won't get him as your driver. There is plenty to drink but you can't just grab drinks at any time, you must grab several whenever you stop at locations where they pull out the coolers. The first bathroom stop costs $1 to use. Every bathroom after that is free. The reason I think is because there is someone that stands there cleaning it all day long.

The tours are not "private". You are divided into the vans which can hold a limited number of people. So if you have 15 people and expect to all be together (like one poster said), it will not happen. However, having only 9 or 10 people in a van makes the tour very personal.

Cosol appears to really care about the locals. He had friends in every stop, he pays the local boat owners to ferry people to the pitons, he buys cookies from a local vendor on the side of the road, he buys bread from a local vendor that makes it, etc. Now when I say "local vendors", what I mean is "local resident living or working in some little run down hut". So seeing him give business to these people really makes me respect him.

Lets see...what else....the pier meeting area is limited in size. So if multiple boats are docked, I could see the initial meeting area getting chaotic. But there's really no way around that. The pier just isn't set up properly for large group gatherings. That being the case, realize that its not the fault of the tour operator, but rather the fault of the port.

They do push for us to post positive reviews on Cruise Critic which does appear a bit annoying and pushy. However, that is only until you find out that Cruise Critic reviews are Cosol's ONLY form of advertising. He relies on these review to get business. I find that extremely interesting because every single person (all 45-50) that went on his tour the day that we were there had found him through this website (I know this because he asked us all before the trip and everyone said yes). So with that being said, I would ask others to post their experiences with complete honesty but please don't continue to add bad post on top of bad post for your single bad experience because you could literally ruin his business. Considering I had a great time and he obviously helps the local population, I would hate to see that happen.

Ok, now for Cosol and his ladies man status. So the entire trip whenever we stopped somewhere there were women ready to strike up a conversation with him. We started jokingly talking about him having a Mrs Monday, Mrs Tuesday, etc (apparently Mrs Monday was the hottest but we never saw her...lol). His friendly personality brings the best out of all of the locals which I think gives an extra touch to his already great tour.

Ok, so now let me explain a little about the 5 ships in port day that several people have complained about. Cosol actually made it a point to explain that day to us because he takes these reviews so seriously. Apparently, the biggest problem that day was that one of the ships tendered in and took forever to do so. The last tender to arrive from that ship didn't get there till around 10 or so. On top of that, the last tender going back was going to leave around 3:30. Since most of the complaints appeared to be on that boat, lets do the math a bit. The tour is supposed to be 6 hours but 10-3:30 is only 5.5 hours and obviously it takes time to get started and you have to get back prior to 3:30 in order to get back on your ship on time. So at minimum your tour would have to have a full hour cut off of it. Now you could have asked ahead of time if you could get a bit of a discount since the tour would be cut short and I'm sure Cosol would have agreed. But complaining that you didn't do everything isn't fair to Cosol, its the cruise line's fault. If Cosol isn't given enough time to show you everything, what do you honestly expect him to do? As for the confusion and chaos on the pier, I already explained that the pier didn't have a good way for large groups to gather and coordinate. The end results is that everyone just has to stand in the same courtyard. Of course that's going to feel chaotic. Once again, not Cosol's fault.

Now bad tour guides/drivers is another story. He did not explain anything to us about that. But based on what I've read on here, it sounds like one ship arrived early so he probably scrambled to get some extra drivers in order to accomodate that ship. That was probably a bad choice on his part but at least he tried.

Ok, I think I've dumped all the knowledge I can right now but I'd be happy to answer any other questions I can since my trip is fresh in my mind right now. Overall, let me say that the Cosol tour was great and I would do it again in a heartbeat. As with anything, there will always be circumstances that could cause someone to have a bad time and on top of that you can't please everyone all of the time. So in reading these forums, please realize that a 5 ship in port with one of them tendering day appears to be the only negative review Cosol has had. So don't let that stop you! Schedule a trip and enjoy, you won't regret it!

[southlake333]

Maybe Cosol is reading these reviews and making changes to the experience.

 

That is an understatement. He obsesses over these reviews. He knows exactly how many negative reviews he has and he made it a point to explain the situation for each negative review to us while we were on the trip. So yeah, if you think something should change, I'm sure he'll pay attention.

[sweetestpea]

My wife and I just returned from the RCI - Serenade of the Seas cruise (March 21st - 28th) and we did the Cosol tour while on St Lucia on Wed, March 25. It was amazing. I'll try to give a very detailed review here and also comment on a few things I've read on this board as Cosol did explain to me the situation on that 5 ships in port day while I was there. A bit of background on my wife and I.....we're from Texas, I'm 31, she's 29 and this was our 2nd RCI cruise.

 

We were the only ship in port the day that we arrived so it was easy to find Cosol's group. We simply walked off the ship around 8am, walked into the only building you could walk into and there were people holding up Cosol signs. There ended up being about 45 people on this tour overall so we all stood in one big group waiting for everyone to get off the ship (as some people love to be fasionably late...lol). Still, we were on our way shortly. We were warned that there would be no bathrooms for a while so we should go at the pier (which we did). But we hit the next bathroom stop like 1.5 hours later so it wasn't like we were going to wet ourselves or anything on the trip.

 

The large group was divided into smaller groups of around 12 and then placed into nice, air conditioned vans and sent on our way. We were lucky enough to get some really friendly other passengers in our van with us and Cosol as our driver!

 

Now let me tell you a bit about Cosol. He's extremely friendly, a ton of fun, he really cares about St Lucia (and all the locals there) and on top of that he's a bit of a ladies man which made the tour that much more entertaining....lol (I'm sure he'll LOVE that I'm saying that here but more on that later).

 

Our first stop was at a Banana Plantation where Cosol explained a ton about the banana business (as he used to work there). He gave us some details on how banans grow, how they reuse the land, etc. Then, we got to eat some of them which were delicious! They were actually vine ripened (instead of picked while green and then shipped to your local Walmart) which made them sooo tasty. After that we had a few photo op stops (some of them had some friendly vendors selling necklaces) and we got to see a fishing village where Cosol stopped to place our bread and cheese order for later. After that we had a few more photo op stops, some interesting history on the island, island economy, housing prices, everything you can think of.

 

Eventually we made it to our "breakfast stop" which was basically a big driveway with tables set up that contained tons of delicious snacks made by a woman Cosol knows (who we joking called Mrs Wednesday....more on that later). All of the tour vans ended up here so we had all 45-50 people but it didn't feel crowded at all. We also got to start drinking rum punch, local beer, coke, diet coke, water, etc. As for the food, there were things like breadfruit balls, fudge, chicken strips with dip, fish with dip, plantains and a whole bunch of other stuff I can't remember the names of. Although it wasn't a full sit down meal, I completely filled myself up.

 

After that I think the tour split up. Our half went to the Pitons to snorkel and lay on the beach. So after more sight seeing we made our way down to the water taxis (which are also locals that own small boats) where we got more alcohol and a quick little boat ride over between the Pitons. Once we got to the beach between the Pitons, we were let out and given the option to just lay on the beach or snorkel. Snorkel gear was rentable from the water taxi for $10 per person if you didn't bring your own. My wife and I rented some from the kid left in charge of the snorkel gear while the water taxi went back for another group of people. Now this kid (probably 10 years old) must have been the son of the water taxi owner was great. He was super friendly, very helpful and the kind of boy you could be proud of. He sat by the snorkel gear the whole time and even offered to watch our bags while we went snorkeling.

 

Unfortunately, the snorkel area (marine preserve) contained tons of jelly fish so after getting stung quite a few times, I gave up and went to the swimming area with my snorkel mask where I looked for buried treasure! (rocks and coral...hey I'm easily entertained). The water was a great temperature and the beach was beautiful. It even has an easily available fresh water shower.

 

After hanging out here for around an hour, we were picked up by the water taxi and taken back to our van where more liquor awaited us....including what Cosol called the local ******. This stuff was strong and nasty but it worked...lol. Then we we headed to the waterfall and botanical gardens. The waterfall was cool, the water under it was frigid and the botanical garden was beautiful.

 

I think this was the point where we stopped for locally made coconut cookies (hard as a rock but delicious). We pulled off to a little hut looking structure with a few women where Cosol bought the local cookies and handed them out to everyone in the van.

 

From there we headed on to the drive in volcano. Now I've heard that this place stinks horribly and you'll never get the smell out of your clothes. That wasn't the case at all. My clothes smell fine now and the scent smelled exactly like smoke bombs on the 4th of July. It wasn't bad at all. A volcano tour guide hopped on the van with us and gave us some background, then we all got out, took pictures and listened to more tour information while Cosol drove the van back to the entrance to the volcano (which was only a few hundred feet away). On the walk back we took plenty of great pictures, saw a healing pool which looked like gray steaming water and we were able to buy some nice necklaces for really cheap from some roaming vendors. Let me say real quick that all of the vendors we saw during this tour were extremely friendly (unlike on some islands like Antigua).

 

After all of this, we headed back to the ship and made one last stop in that fishing village where Cosol had placed an order for bread and cheese. The bread looked exactly like a turkey leg (and was about the same size), was so warm it was almost hard to hold and it had a pre cut slit down the middle to put a big ole slice of delicious cheese into. It was really yummy and completely filled me up (along with another beer). We made one more sight seeing stop and got back to the ship with just enough time to do a little bit of shopping before we had to get back on the ship. My tour was about 7 hours (9am-4pm) since the overall group was small and we were in port for 10 hours that day.

 

Overall, it was a great tour which I would do again in a heartbeat.

 

Ok, so now let me give a little side information so that everyone can be as informed as possible. Cosol is very friendly and a great tour guide but he can only drive 1 van himself which will hold 9 or 10 people. So chances are, you won't get him as your driver. There is plenty to drink but you can't just grab drinks at any time, you must grab several whenever you stop at locations where they pull out the coolers. The first bathroom stop costs $1 to use. Every bathroom after that is free. The reason I think is because there is someone that stands there cleaning it all day long.

 

The tours are not "private". You are divided into the vans which can hold a limited number of people. So if you have 15 people and expect to all be together (like one poster said), it will not happen. However, having only 9 or 10 people in a van makes the tour very personal.

 

Cosol appears to really care about the locals. He had friends in every stop, he pays the local boat owners to ferry people to the pitons, he buys cookies from a local vendor on the side of the road, he buys bread from a local vendor that makes it, etc. Now when I say "local vendors", what I mean is "local resident living or working in some little run down hut". So seeing him give business to these people really makes me respect him.

 

Lets see...what else....the pier meeting area is limited in size. So if multiple boats are docked, I could see the initial meeting area getting chaotic. But there's really no way around that. The pier just isn't set up properly for large group gatherings. That being the case, realize that its not the fault of the tour operator, but rather the fault of the port.

 

They do push for us to post positive reviews on Cruise Critic which does appear a bit annoying and pushy. However, that is only until you find out that Cruise Critic reviews are Cosol's ONLY form of advertising. He relies on these review to get business. I find that extremely interesting because every single person (all 45-50) that went on his tour the day that we were there had found him through this website (I know this because he asked us all before the trip and everyone said yes). So with that being said, I would ask others to post their experiences with complete honesty but please don't continue to add bad post on top of bad post for your single bad experience because you could literally ruin his business. Considering I had a great time and he obviously helps the local population, I would hate to see that happen.

 

Ok, now for Cosol and his ladies man status. So the entire trip whenever we stopped somewhere there were women ready to strike up a conversation with him. We started jokingly talking about him having a Mrs Monday, Mrs Tuesday, etc (apparently Mrs Monday was the hottest but we never saw her...lol). His friendly personality brings the best out of all of the locals which I think gives an extra touch to his already great tour.

 

Ok, so now let me explain a little about the 5 ships in port day that several people have complained about. Cosol actually made it a point to explain that day to us because he takes these reviews so seriously. Apparently, the biggest problem that day was that one of the ships tendered in and took forever to do so. The last tender to arrive from that ship didn't get there till around 10 or so. On top of that, the last tender going back was going to leave around 3:30. Since most of the complaints appeared to be on that boat, lets do the math a bit. The tour is supposed to be 6 hours but 10-3:30 is only 5.5 hours and obviously it takes time to get started and you have to get back prior to 3:30 in order to get back on your ship on time. So at minimum your tour would have to have a full hour cut off of it. Now you could have asked ahead of time if you could get a bit of a discount since the tour would be cut short and I'm sure Cosol would have agreed. But complaining that you didn't do everything isn't fair to Cosol, its the cruise line's fault. If Cosol isn't given enough time to show you everything, what do you honestly expect him to do? As for the confusion and chaos on the pier, I already explained that the pier didn't have a good way for large groups to gather and coordinate. The end results is that everyone just has to stand in the same courtyard. Of course that's going to feel chaotic. Once again, not Cosol's fault.

 

Now bad tour guides/drivers is another story. He did not explain anything to us about that. But based on what I've read on here, it sounds like one ship arrived early so he probably scrambled to get some extra drivers in order to accomodate that ship. That was probably a bad choice on his part but at least he tried.

 

Ok, I think I've dumped all the knowledge I can right now but I'd be happy to answer any other questions I can since my trip is fresh in my mind right now. Overall, let me say that the Cosol tour was great and I would do it again in a heartbeat. As with anything, there will always be circumstances that could cause someone to have a bad time and on top of that you can't please everyone all of the time. So in reading these forums, please realize that a 5 ship in port with one of them tendering day appears to be the only negative review Cosol has had. So don't let that stop you! Schedule a trip and enjoy, you won't regret it!

 

Southlake333, I'm so glad you enjoyed your tour with Cosol and were so compelled to join Cruise Critic to share your experience. Welcome to CC!

 

I'm pretty sure that NONE of us that were on tour March 4th (where 5 ships were in port) are trying to put Cosol out of business. We are just posting our experience like you have... Fair enough, right?!? That is what CC is all about. As a business owner myself, I feel Cosol should be prepared for circumstances like this and perhaps evaluate how things should be altered when over 200 people are on the tour. You had 50, that is an easy number to handle unlike 200+. I'm hoping Cosol learns from this so people won't have a horrible day like we did! I'm not blaming Cosol for everything if you've read my past posts. I'm a very fair person. A lot of time was wasted that day that didn't have to be... that was the frustrating part! I missed out on a great experience. I know that it was an unexpected day but he did have time to get organized and it was anything but. When that many people are on the tour, meeting for breakfast is a joke! We wasted 30+ minutes right there along with 30 minutes at the second 'snack & drink' stop. That is enough time to make up for the time lost. I would have been happy with 30 minutes at the beach vs. ZERO! I realize you can't please all people, all the time but unless you were there that day, you can't even begin to fully imagine the scenario. What works for 50 doesn't work for 200. It's TOO many people to conduct the same kind of tour. Hiring taxi drivers to fill in isn't fair to people who are paying money to hear about the island. Taxi drivers aren't always great guides like someone previously posted.

 

Like I said in a prior post. Cosol seems like a very nice guy and very passionate about St. Lucia, it's a gorgeous place. I just hope he learns from this. Perhaps if 5 ships weren't in port that day, I would have had a better experience- a better driver, a full tour, a warm welcome, etc... Who knows. As to the pushing reviews on CC, I don't think it's entirely a bad thing. It was the delivery in it all. Screaming at us when most of us were already on edge & annoyed and wanting to get back to the ship ASAP. At the end of the tour, if the guide/driver says... I really appreciate your visiting our island and if you've had a positive experience today, I would appreciate you giving your review on CC or TA. That's a courteous way to handle it without looking desperate.

 

I don't think posting our reviews is a bad thing. Is it wrong to see a postive on top of positive review? No, not as long as the reviews are honest and genuine. Just like ours are. I feel this feedback can only help Cosol. I hope he has a plan B for when this might happen again.

[swom]

southlake333, thanks so much for the very extensive review. I've been reading all the bad posts on his tour, but it never really bothered me that much. I just figured it was a busy day in port and also, you can't please all the people all the time.

I'm very easy to please and hardly anything bothers me on a cruise, so the bad reviews really didn't phase me.

I had booked with Cosol over 9 months ago and was not changing my plans because of a few bad posts, but I really do appreciate your fantastic review. I now know exactly what to expect and can't wait to do this tour.

Thanks so much again for the review.

[msakmom]

My husband and I were also on Cosol's tour on March 25th and had an AWESOME time. His whole team couldn't do enough for us. Even though Cosol wasn't our driver (we were priviliged enough to have JC:)), he still checked in on us periodically to make sure we were having a great time. We were fed well and had plenty to drink if we so chose. His tour was one of the biggest highlights of our trip. If you're reading this Cosol (and JC), thanks soooo much. It was great and I would recommend it to everyone.

 

To those of you who felt cheated on the big tour, you can't control late tendering. You just have to try to make the best of a bad situation. I encourage you, if you ever get the opportunity again, try it one more time. I know you will not be disappointed. Unless, of course, you are one of those people who just can't be pleased. Hopefully, that's not the case.

[Ms. B]

I also want to say again, that we had an AWESOME time with Cosol on March 18. I would take his tour again in a hear beat and I would recommend it to anyone who asks. Cosol cares very much about his reputation as a tour guide and fully understands the consequences of a bad review. I think he tries very hard to please his clients. After all, the majority of his business is because of cruise critic. So, by all means, if there was something that went wrong, let him know. I know he works hard to remedy any and all problems.

 

On another note, Cosol also makes sure that the kids on the island benefit from his business. He mentioned that he hires about 15 young kids to clean his vans at the end of the day. He leaves U$ bills sporadically around in his vans for the kids to find so that they use the $ bills to buy little treats for themselves. Also, becasue most kids walk 4-5 miles to school each day. When the kids clean his vans, he personally gives them a ride to school in the mornings. I think that is so nice. SO, please don't try to put him out of business. Through his business, he is able to provide jobs for many other people and kids on the island.

 

PEACE AND LOVE TO YOU COSOL... keep up the good work

 

Beverley, Mike and Steven

[BroncosFan2010]

I also want to say again, that we had an AWESOME time with Cosol on March 18. I would take his tour again in a hear beat and I would recommend it to anyone who asks. Cosol cares very much about his reputation as a tour guide and fully understands the consequences of a bad review. I think he tries very hard to please his clients. After all, the majority of his business is because of cruise critic. So, by all means, if there was something that went wrong, let him know. I know he works hard to remedy any and all problems.

 

On another note, Cosol also makes sure that the kids on the island benefit from his business. He mentioned that he hires about 15 young kids to clean his vans at the end of the day. He leaves U$ bills sporadically around in his vans for the kids to find so that they use the $ bills to buy little treats for themselves. Also, becasue most kids walk 4-5 miles to school each day. When the kids clean his vans, he personally gives them a ride to school in the mornings. I think that is so nice. SO, please don't try to put him out of business. Through his business, he is able to provide jobs for many other people and kids on the island.

 

PEACE AND LOVE TO YOU COSOL... keep up the good work

 

Beverley, Mike and Steven

 

 

That is very good to hear about how he helps out the local people. I wish we had been able to experience this type of tour and hear these things on our tour.

I do not want to put anyone out of business by my posts, but I think others have a right to hear a mix of reviews, so they do not get their expectations too high. Know that things can be different from the glowing reviews you hear on these boards. I will not be doing another Cosol tour, and I will not recommend him to anyone because of MY experience.

[dreamer09]

I have booked a Cosul tour for May. Two large ships in port. This seems to make the difference....As much as I would like to take the good reviews with the bad....I am having second thoughts. I don't want to spend the day feeling like I'm in a cattle herd (no offense to cattle). I just want to tour this beautiful island with a few strangers (a few)...and it seems hard to do on your own.

[BroncosFan2010]

I have booked a Cosul tour for May. Two large ships in port. This seems to make the difference....As much as I would like to take the good reviews with the bad....I am having second thoughts. I don't want to spend the day feeling like I'm in a cattle herd (no offense to cattle). I just want to tour this beautiful island with a few strangers (a few)...and it seems hard to do on your own.

 

 

There were tour operators offering island tours right at the pier in St. Lucia. The prices were very reasonable. This is something you could consider if you want to tour the island. You may be able to view more of the island than on the Cosol tour, as he seems to keep everyone on one side of the island.

[dreamer09]

There were tour operators offering island tours right at the pier in St. Lucia. The prices were very reasonable. This is something you could consider if you want to tour the island. You may be able to view more of the island than on the Cosol tour, as he seems to keep everyone on one side of the island.

I never considered that. It seems that everyone knows ahead of time what they are doing and it is stressing me out to me so scheduled on vacation but mostly to do the right thing, go on the best tour. How would I know if they are reputable?:confused: I'd love to have the freedom to decide a few of our days that day and see what we feel like doing...

[msakmom]

I have booked a Cosul tour for May. Two large ships in port. This seems to make the difference....As much as I would like to take the good reviews with the bad....I am having second thoughts. I don't want to spend the day feeling like I'm in a cattle herd (no offense to cattle). I just want to tour this beautiful island with a few strangers (a few)...and it seems hard to do on your own.

 

 

There were 50 people on our tour and I'm telling you, it was not overcrowded at all. The only time we were actually all together was at the breakfast. Other than that, there were only 10 in our van and JC made it a very personable tour. Not one time did my husband or I feel like we weren't getting our money's worth. If you check out all the threads, I'm sure you will find way more good to great reviews for Cosol than bad. On his tour, you get fishing villages, banana plantations, breakfast, boat ride to the Pitans, snorkleing at the Pitans, the volcano, waterfalls, lunch, and several photographic opportunities. There is only so much you can fit into one day.

[southlake333]

I have booked a Cosul tour for May. Two large ships in port. This seems to make the difference....As much as I would like to take the good reviews with the bad....I am having second thoughts. I don't want to spend the day feeling like I'm in a cattle herd (no offense to cattle). I just want to tour this beautiful island with a few strangers (a few)...and it seems hard to do on your own.

 

My suggestion would be to worry less about whether the Cosol tour will be crowded with 2 large ships in port and more about how many people 2 large ships will bring to the island. There appeared to be 1 main road that traveled along the SW side of the island that we took. That being the case, if there are a large number of tourists on various different tours, you may end up feeling crowded no matter which one you take. That is one of the big things I feel detracts from the joy of cruising. :(

 

Thankfully, you are broken into vans with Cosol's tour which means you won't have more than 10 or so people with you most of the time. Plus, based on all the reviews here, it look like it'll take more than 2 ships to ruin this excursion.

 

I personally was initially attracted to the excursion because of all you got to do. Its a nice island sampler that no other tour provides. Now that I've completed it, I can honestly say it was more than worth it and I feel I got a great tour with a full taste of St Lucia. So weigh that against your comfort level knowing there will be 2 ships in port that day. :)

[southlake333]

southlake333, thanks so much for the very extensive review. I've been reading all the bad posts on his tour, but it never really bothered me that much. I just figured it was a busy day in port and also, you can't please all the people all the time.

I'm very easy to please and hardly anything bothers me on a cruise, so the bad reviews really didn't phase me.

I had booked with Cosol over 9 months ago and was not changing my plans because of a few bad posts, but I really do appreciate your fantastic review. I now know exactly what to expect and can't wait to do this tour.

Thanks so much again for the review.

 

Well I'm glad my review helped you! :)

 

I always have such a hard time finding detailed information on anything I want to do on a vacation that I had hoped to help someone else by providing every detail I could come up with. Let me know if you need any more info.

 

Now I need to get around to writing reviews on all the other excursions I took on this trip....

[sews]

We just returned from our Royal Caribbean cruise & toured with Cosol on Friday, April 3. We had a GREAT time & I highly recommend Cosol! Our ship offered a similar excursion for about $30 more, so it was also a great value. We were on one of 2 ships in port that day & there were a total of 8 of us with Cosol. He did say that he works directly with a cruise line (if he said which one, I didn't hear) & can have up to 200 people on a tour. There were many other tours going to the same places, but Cosol was very good about timing the stops to avoid the crowds. The only negative about the whole day was that it rained in the morning, but Cosol even managed to make that fun. He's a great guy, he was great fun, the food was great & his homemade rum punch was the best we had on the whole trip! I wouldn't hesitate to do it all again.

[Ms. B]

there were also 2 ships in port when we were ther 3 weeks ago. Cosol did en excellent job of avoiding the crowds. Would much rather do his tour than be stuck on a cruise ship bus tour with 50 plus people on one bus.

[Ms. B]

Know that things can be different from the glowing reviews you hear on these boards. I will not be doing another Cosol tour, and I will not recommend him to anyone because of MY experience.

 

Why not direct them to these cruise critic boards and let them read the reviews for themselves, weigh the pro's and con's and then decide for themselve. This way they can make an informed decision that is not just based on your experience.

[elliekate]

I guess I'm not over this! ;)

 

NCTribeFan, I respect your comment but I guess you would have had to personally experience what we did to fully understand our frustration with the whole experience. I'm sure you are right, Cosol probably didn't know until the last minute that other ships would be diverted causing them to show up all on the same day. Plus, our ship was tendered and that was an added problem to the mix. All understandable! People from our ship emailed Cosol when we found out that we were being tendered (since we were worried about the time issue), he had a few days notice. However, I don't think that makes it 'OK' to be less than welcoming. I felt like I was more of a bother than anything and so did many in our group. We were herded around unlike any other tour I've been on. It was crazy! My main problem/issue was how it was all organized. If Cosol knew in enough time to hire extra drivers, etc., he could have done things a little (or a lot) different. With 50 people, you can pull out a couple of card tables with food and I feel that would be appropriate. Pulling out two card tables for 200+ people, doesn't work. Truuust me! We all didn't need to 'meet' for breakfast. Split up the food and put some in each van along with a cooler and get on with it. Some people waited for over an hour until the tour even started and this was after the time delay of tendering. Get them off the boat, get them in a van, and get them on their way to see the island! It isn't rocket science. We could have been site seeing and not have missed the banana plantation and the beach (see if you like your tour without the beach stop) if it was handled differently. There is also no reason to travel in caravans. If there was some organized lecture or something at each stop, I could see that but they just drop us off and we take photos so why do 10+ vans need to stop everywhere at the same time. It doesn't make sense, it didn't make sense.

 

Like I said prior, I'm so happy for people who have had a positive experience with Cosol. I wish I had. I do believe our circumstances weren't normal but as popular as this tour is, I feel Cosol needs to reevaluate how it's organized, especially when there are over 50 people on the tour. The tour was not personal/private at all and if I'm going to be herded around and etc., I'd much rather it be on a ship tour where at least, there is some organization involved and a driver/guide adds something to my experience. I loved St. Lucia, it was my first time and I can't wait to go back but I really missed out on a great experience (along with my family) that I got on the other islands and obviously, that bothers me. I just wanted what was advertised, that's all. Nothing more. I would have been happy if that were the case. It didn't happen and I wasn't happy, that's all.

 

I hope you have a great tour.

 

Hey Erika, Amy, Amanda and others from the 2/28 cruise! I reiterate everything you guys have said about Cosol......what a crazy day! When we did the catamaran sail in Barbados with Shasa the next day, it was soooo relaxing after the "cattle call" with Cosol! From reading the good reviews, I am sorry we missed out on the beach portion of the tour. Also, was there actually a banana plantation...not just a stop at the side of the road? We enjoyed the van tour of St. Maarten/Martin with Bernard so much, I would definitely not write off another van tour on the islands. We have done other good van tours as well on St. Thomas and St. Kitts.

 

Anyway, just wanted to say hi to the 2/28ers! It looks like you guys have already found other cruises to look forward to.....we are still looking!

 

Judy

[wibeachbum]

We were in St. Lucia on March 26th. Some people from our roll call toured with Cosol and had a great day.

 

We took a tour with Herod and enjoyed the day very much. There were four of us in Herod's van. We paid $50 per person. Herod was very informative and we had a great day. It was nice that it was just the four of us and we could kind of set our own pace. If we wanted to spend more time at a stop we could or we could move on early if we were ready. One difference between his tour and Cosol's is that he can drive into Jalousie Beach.

[sweetestpea]

Hey Erika, Amy, Amanda and others from the 2/28 cruise! I reiterate everything you guys have said about Cosol......what a crazy day! When we did the catamaran sail in Barbados with Shasa the next day, it was soooo relaxing after the "cattle call" with Cosol! From reading the good reviews, I am sorry we missed out on the beach portion of the tour. Also, was there actually a banana plantation...not just a stop at the side of the road? We enjoyed the van tour of St. Maarten/Martin with Bernard so much, I would definitely not write off another van tour on the islands. We have done other good van tours as well on St. Thomas and St. Kitts.

 

Anyway, just wanted to say hi to the 2/28ers! It looks like you guys have already found other cruises to look forward to.....we are still looking!

 

Judy

 

 

Hi Judy! I do agree with you. If I hadn't had other great van tours in the past, I might feel the same way as others discouraged by the experience. Bernard in St. Martin and Gordon (SO funny) in Antigua were AWESOME but they were more on the private side and not too many people, which I like! LIVE AND LEARN! I guess we 'lucked out' being on St. Lucia the day with 5 ships. I wish I would have experienced a tour with under 50 people. Oh well. I too wish we had been able to go to the beach. That was really the one place we wanted to go. Oh, and I couldn't tell you if there is a banana plantation. Our group didn't even get a stop by the road 'drive by' banana tour so that is an urban legend to me, just like the beach! Ha! You are lucky you had a nice relaxing day on Barbados. Two of my party got so sick on the Cosol tour (windy roads and no air circulation on the van) that they had to stay on board and miss lovely Barbados. Not fun.

 

Yes, I'm SO excited for my next cruise! You must get something planned!:D