Thinking of booking the West Coast of Costa Rica

[Len3]

We've never sailed on Windstar and are looking for something unusual. As listed below, we've don't several traditional cruises in the past few years.

Can someone please give us a run-down on Windstar - what to expect, how does the West Coast of Costa Rica compare with the caribbean, how's the food - just all of the info that you can think of. Any comments will be greatly appreciated.

[whatnot]

West Coast of Costa Rica on Windstar was a fabulous experience. I would do it again! You are almost the only people there, at almost all of the ports because the big ships can't go there. It was really nice not to have to contend with the hordes of people from the big ships! Windstar visits areas where there are National Parks that in some cases can only be visited by water or air. It's a great change from the Carribbean. Although, I still love it. Costa Rica is much more about nature than jewelry stores!

 

On our cruise we went to Nicaraugua for one day. Although, to some it could be a little depressing because of the poverty, we found it to also be very educational as far as understanding the politics of Central America. We were also able to see the beautiful Spanish Colonial buildings built by the early settlers from Spain.

 

Costa Rica is a beautiful country and Windstar does a great job. They have a naturalist on board who tells you what to look for and in some cases goes ashore with you.

 

We have sailed on Sea Dream Yacht Club, Cunard, Princess, Celebrity, Holland America. The food was very good and the service is very good. Sea Dream is the only line that I would rate as excellent in both those areas and they don't go to Costa Rica.

 

And on our sea day from Puerto Caldera to Nicaraugua the ship was under no power, but sailed ALL day. It was fabulous!

 

The cabins are average size for a small ship but very well appointed with what I thought was an amazing amount of storage space.

 

I'll be glad to answer any other questions you have.

 

If you like nature

[whatnot]

Somehow that got cut off!

 

But if you love nature, beautiful seas and coastline, and lush tropical foliage, you will love Windstar Costa Rica!

[mbaskin]

Totally agree with Whatnot. Have done the cruise twice and would happily do it again if time and resources permit.

[maminaz]

We also have done the CR cruise and would go back in a heartbeat. Spent four days pre-cruise at Arenal and it was a highlight of the trip.

 

We love Windstar for its ship size, personal service, lack of crowds and interesting itineraries. If they were still in Tahiti, that's who we would be sailing with in November!

 

And like whatnot, we would be happy to answer any questions you might have. :)

[Len3]

Please tell me about the dress code, quality of food - just anything that you can think of.

[Len3]

OK - we just booked it for February 14, 2009!!!!:D

[whatnot]

The dress is yacht casual for dinner. No ties or coats required. My husband likes to wear Tommy Bahama type shirts and a nice pair of slacks. A nice polo or dressy casual shirt would work too. I would not wear shorts! There is one night when there is a Beach BBQ on the back deck by the pool. Shorts would be appropriate there. For ladies, it's dressy slacks and tops or skirts or sun dresses.

 

The food is very good. Never had anything bad.

[maminaz]

That is on the money. :)

 

With so few people (less than 200) you see the same faces every day and there is a sense of "comfortableness" in just a couple days. Taking a little time to chat with the crew will make for a wonderful week as well. They will remember you.

 

It's a different experience.....I just asked my DH how he might describe the difference between large ships and Windstar and he said "a large ship is like a full 747 airplane with some kids....Windstar is like a private jet...not fancy or pretentious...but quiet and they know you exist." And he didn't mean this as a slam to large ships (we cruise large too and love it)...it's just different.

 

And it's really cool being able to be on the Bridge at almost any time to see what is going on. :)

 

Any questions about the ports, please ask away.

 

Very excited for you that you have booked.

[Len3]

What are the best excursions for this one?

[Len3]

We also have done the CR cruise and would go back in a heartbeat. Spent four days pre-cruise at Arenal and it was a highlight of the trip.

 

We love Windstar for its ship size, personal service, lack of crowds and interesting itineraries. If they were still in Tahiti, that's who we would be sailing with in November!

 

And like whatnot, we would be happy to answer any questions you might have. :)

 

Which hotel did you stay in? We're going 4 nights pre-cruise. Did you rent a car at the San Jose Airport or how did you get to Arenal and then onto the ship and return to the airport? Please give me as much detail as possible. Thanks to all for your help.

[whatnot]

I can answer some of your questions about shore excursions.

 

For San Juan del Sur, Nicaraugua we did the all day tour. We thought it was worth it. We went to the volcano, saw lots of countryside and how people lived and went to the beautiful (but not really well cared for) Spanish Colonial city of Granada. We had a FAbulous lunch at a really nice restaurant(just don't drink the water or eat raw veggies- they may be fine but I just don't do it) We also went to the local craft and vegetable market. Prices for local crafts, etc are better here than in Costa Rica. This is a good place to buy local things. If poverty upsets you, then this may not be the trip for you. I just always come away from these countries appreciating what I have alot more and having a better understanding of the rest of the world. The bus was comfortable and the guide we had was possibly one of the best I've ever had.

 

Playas del Coco- just kinda a beautiful beach. We just bummed around. A somewhat interesting village. Some people we knew went on the River Float. They thought it was great. Saw lots of wildlife and monkeys!

 

Quepos - The star atraction is Manuel Antonio Park. The ship tour was very good. We saw monkeys, two toed and three toed sloths, etc. But if I had not had a guide I would have never seen some of the things. You can do this on your own with no problem if you know what to look for.

 

Bahia Paraiso- This is the stop for Corcovado. If you really want to see this park. Book as soon as you can. We booked after we got on the ship and we were on the waiting list. We did not get to go. We did not realize that you could not do it on your own. Those that went said it was fabulous. This park is only accessible by air or water and the government limits the number of people for daily access so it is really special. I would go if I had the chance again. If you don't go, there is a nice hotel where the ship tenders and a very interesting area where you can hike along the beach and view some very nice gardens, as well as seeing some very quaint local scenery.

 

CuRu -you can do on your own.

 

Tortuga is the fun beach BBQ.

 

Roads in Costa Rica in some areas can be less than you desire. So we didn't rent a car. We booked a driver through Coach Costa Rica. We did not go to Arenal, so I can't tell you anything about that. We used them for an all day city tour of San Jose, our transport to Puerto Caldera from San Jose(a 2 hr trip because of the roads), our return from the port to San Jose, and another all day tour to the coffee plantations and another volcano etc. We were very pleased with them. Just Google Coach Costa Rica for more info.

 

You will have a great trip!

[maminaz]

We hired a driver for transport SJ to Arenal, Arenal to the ship and then again from the ship to the airport. In hindsight, we would have rented a car for SJ to Arenal and kept the car for the time in Arenal. A car in Arenal is a good idea. :)

 

I'm out of town right now and will look through our docs when we get home and let you know the names of the vendors we used. A hotel near town would be good. What parameters do you have for a hotel? I can help if I know your wishlist. The Observatory Lodge is amazing...right on the side of the volcano...but very basic. Difficult to get a reservation unless far in advance, but you might google and check it out.

 

One night I thought I heard a jet flying low...Arenal was erupting and our hotel woke up ALL the guests to watch. We've got some stories from there....it was quite the trip.

[Xoe]

I loved the Costa Rica adventure on Wind Star (January 2007). For photos, go to my web site http://fredasphotos1.shutterfly.com . The "Costa Rica/Wind Star" album is the 7th from the top. It's best viewed by clicking "play slideshow"; it is in a travel story form with titles and descriptive information for each photo, and should help you develop a feeling for what you will see.

 

I too used Coach Costa Rica and was very pleased with their services. The all-day Nicaragua trip was excellent; I would not have wanted to miss it.

 

I was so delighted wtih that Windstar cruise that I booked the Wind Spirit itinerary out of St. Thomas for January 2008 -- also a wonderful trip -- and am booked on Wind Surf out of Barbados in January 2009. I may repeat the Costa Rica journey in 2010.

 

Have a great time!

[Len3]

We hired a driver for transport SJ to Arenal, Arenal to the ship and then again from the ship to the airport. In hindsight, we would have rented a car for SJ to Arenal and kept the car for the time in Arenal. A car in Arenal is a good idea. :)

 

I'm out of town right now and will look through our docs when we get home and let you know the names of the vendors we used. A hotel near town would be good. What parameters do you have for a hotel? I can help if I know your wishlist. The Observatory Lodge is amazing...right on the side of the volcano...but very basic. Difficult to get a reservation unless far in advance, but you might google and check it out.

 

One night I thought I heard a jet flying low...Arenal was erupting and our hotel woke up ALL the guests to watch. We've got some stories from there....it was quite the trip.

If you can give me the details on car/driver, etc., it would be greatly appreciated. Windstar wants $89.00pp each way, just to transfer on the days of the cruise. We would really like to do this the way that you did it. Thanks so much. LenMurphy@Verizon.net

[maminaz]

Sorry to be so long in replying..took awhile to find the info. We also used Coach Costa Rica. It wasn't inexpensive, but it was calm and we got to stop along the way if we so desired. Did shopping, bought some wine at the local supermarkets and stopped whenever a view caught our eye.

 

In Arenal, there are some neat options if you want to be active. There is a zip line that we heard good things about, but we chose to do the one Windstar offered (and it was amazing...howler monkeys at eye level in the trees). The hanging bridges park is a nice hike and the rainforest breathtaking. If anyone is afraid of heights, the bridges may be a challenge. Some are hundreds of feet in the air. We went toward closing time and as it started to get dark the monkeys came to life and just screamed like crazy. They want you out of the park after dark because of the wildlife, so you need to make sure what time dusk arrives. There is also a rappelling excursion that was a highlight of our trip. Again, fear of heights will not be conducive to this. You are equipped with gear (you need good water shoes that you can also hike in), given a lesson (all but one person was a novice) and you are led through the rainforest. I think we rappelled seven times and three of those were right through huge waterfalls!!! There are safety ropes on you that are manned by staff with each rappel. It was an uphill hike back to the van, so a bit tiring. Again, it was an amazing thing to do. The staff creates a disk with pictures of everyone during the excursion and it is a great keepsake to buy. I think there is a great list of activities on arenal.net.

 

 

Len, if you would like to chat offline in more detail, feel free to email at mam_in_az at yahoo.com as we check email more frequently than these boards (yes, those are underscores in the address).

[Len3]

Thanks so much to everyone on this post. Now we are set for our trip. As usual, CCer's are wonderful and we greatly appreciate all of the help and assistance.:D

[andyonli]

We are actually booked on a Costa Rica cruise that departs on 12/20. This will be our 4th Windstar cruise - twice on the larger ship and once on the smaller. Not much to do on board, which is exactly why we like Windstar. Food is above average - less formal than other lines we've been on like Seabourne, Regent, etc.:)

[tomstur]

Our Windstar cruise stops in Playas del Coco which has the zip line as the excursion. Is this the same one you did?

[tomstur]

Len3, my wife and I will also be on the 2/14 Windstar. Hello from Memphis!

[Len3]

Len3, my wife and I will also be on the 2/14 Windstar. Hello from Memphis!

 

A very hardy "Welcome Aboard" - We were beginning to think that we were going on a ghost ship. What excursions do you have planned?

[tomstur]

Booked on the zip line in Playa Del Coco and Corcovado National Park in Bahia Paraiso. We are looking to book something in Quepos as I mention in my other post. Not sure at this point???