Who has used Oscar Brown lately

[dec2007w3boys]

I haven't heard to many reviews of Oscar Brown lately. We are booked with him for zip lining in a few weeks. Carol was great about getting back to us on our emails early summer to book this. But, I just wondered who has used him lately and how it went.

thanks!

[dec2007w3boys]

Ok - anyone??????

[gomobch]

I am on the Miracle in February and I was thinking of booking him too, someone on our post mentioned him.

[aztravelgrl]

Cruising on Carnival Miracle Nov 29th..any opinions regarding these two tour companies? :)

[TCF]

I think the problem of a slow response from the CR tour companies like Oscar Brown and others may be due to the incredibly heavy rains that tried to wash away half the country in October and November. These were unusually heavy storms for this time of year and washed away thousands of homes, businesses, etc. across the country.

Apparently power and email failures have been very common...but I understand things are getting back to normal.

We were on the CR west coast in October and a large tour bus on a country dirt road in front of us got stuck in the mud due to a heavy rain storm the night before...it set our excursion back 2 hours!

I keep remindng myself that these things are just part of the joy of cruising!!

[dec2007w3boys]

I was in Costa Rica last week and had an excellent day with Catherine of Oscar Brown tours. Highly recommend! The zip lining was fantastic!

[MandyGirl]

I was in Costa Rica last week and had an excellent day with Catherine of Oscar Brown tours. Highly recommend! The zip lining was fantastic!

 

Do you know if it was the same zip lines the cruise excursions use? (Such as Carnival Corp?) I believe the ones my cruise uses is a series of seven. We are definitely ziplining, but still unsure if to book independent or via the cruiseline. Thanks in advance! :)

[dianeksfun]

We are doing the canopy tour with Oscar in February. I believe there are twelve or thirteen lines. You can check it out by a google search for the Resort at Jungle Breeze

[MandyGirl]

Thanks! that is definitely good to know ---- something 20 min from port vs 2 hours makes a deciding factor in who we go with

[dec2007w3boys]

We are doing the canopy tour with Oscar in February. I believe there are twelve or thirteen lines. You can check it out by a google search for the Resort at Jungle Breeze

Jungle Breezes is who we used. Highly recommend! I believe it was 13 lines. Some were long and fast - we had a great time!

[dinerdogg]

Oscar was waiting for us when we got off the ship in Costa Rica. Soon after we were joined by four other people. We had only signed up for the zip line tour but because the other 4 people had signed up for the additional package including the canal tour and banana plantation so we got to do that too for free! Don't be in a rush because there is a slower pace in Costa Rica and Oscar likes to make a lot of stops to tell you about local things en route. We even stopped at his friends house to see his pet sloth! The day was great and Oscar was a joy to talk to. We got back to the ship with plenty of time to spare and he even took me to a pharmacy in town to get cough medicine. It is a great deal and the closest you will get to feeling like a local!

[rondelco]

We did the Canal (#1) tour with Oscar a couple weeks after 'dinerdogg' and can agree with most of dinerdogg's comments. (We didn't do the zip-line, didn't need the pharmacy stop, and I don't know about the "feeling like a local" part.)

 

Oscar was at the dock waiting for us at the e-mailed 8 am pick-up time. Unfortunately, a group of six others from our ship apparently mis-read "8 am" to be "9:30", so we had to wait for them, only leaving at 9:15 after both I and Oscar made separate trips back aboard to try to locate and contact them. He drove through the bustling town, pointing out various sights, past the island where Columbus first landed, the more well-to-do suburbs- with leisurely stops (listed in no particular order) at his friend's home where we saw and could hold a sloth, another house where a girl came to our van to show us her pet miniature crocodile, the banana plantation, the scenic highest point overlooking the town and port, a restaurant back in town for a big lunch, a coffee store for those who wanted to buy some, and of course the canal for the boat ride.

 

Winding our way through the canals, we saw a variety of birds, some sleeping monkeys and sloths high in the trees, a lizard, a baby croc on a downed limb, and very small bats sleeping in formation on another tree trunk.

 

Throughout the van ride, Oscar provided interesting commentary (he seemed to know everybody and everything about the area!) along with the cold beverages he provided, and was generally very accomodating and eager to provide a truly memorable and enjoyable experience for all. He even literally went the "extra (quarter-)mile" to drop DW and me off by the ship's gangplank (as DW has some ambulation difficulties).

 

Hope this is of some interest and value.

[LadyDivot]

I've lost Oscar's contact info. Can someone let me know Oscar's email address?

 

Thanks!

 

Pam

[rondelco]

I've lost Oscar's contact info. Can someone let me know Oscar's email address?

 

Thanks!

 

Pam

<limonense03@yahoo.com> You can also try <cbrown@costarricense.cr> One or both of these will likely get you to his sister Carol.

-Ron

[LadyDivot]

Thanks, Ron! I appreciate the quick response.

 

Pam

[cruisetwin]

Just popped in to relive some Costa Rica memories. We toured with one of Oscars family members almost two years ago. It's still the thing we talking about from our trip. The ziplining was amazing, monkeys, the banana plantation made us appreciate our lives at home, and we had a great little stop at a gentlemans hut where we held a little sloth!! It was such a special trip and I would recommend them to anyone!!

[rumrum]

Our group of 5 did the Oscar Brown tour #1 less than a month ago. It was excellent. Two of my grandchidren were along and the guide had them howling at the howler monkeys who howled right back. We stopped at a stand and saw and sampled local fruits. Then on the way to the banana plantation we made a stop and they each got to hold a sloth. The banana plantation tour was brief but interesting and I learned more than on two previous banana plantation excursions. Our excursion ended with the canal tour.

[love2vacation]

Jungle Breezes is who we used. Highly recommend! I believe it was 13 lines. Some were long and fast - we had a great time!

 

We have a combined tour 1 and 2 booked for April so that we can try the zip line. Can you answer some questions?

Was is jarring at all, and where there escorts or helpers on the platforms?

What was the resort like? We have some of our group who are not doing the zip line and are hanging out at the resort. We know there is horse backing riding but are the grounds walkable and are there places to just sit and relax?

Thanks in advance for your input!

[lincolndog]

WE did the zip lining about a month ago. What a blast! People on platforms were great. No jarring at all. Only compliant from all of us was that it goes way to fast. Could have done it again easily.

[Driftwoodgal]

We have a combined tour 1 and 2 booked for April so that we can try the zip line. Can you answer some questions?

Was is jarring at all, and where there escorts or helpers on the platforms?

What was the resort like? We have some of our group who are not doing the zip line and are hanging out at the resort. We know there is horse backing riding but are the grounds walkable and are there places to just sit and relax?

Thanks in advance for your input!

 

I can answer about the people that are waiting. Yes, there are places for people to sit, and there were places that you could take pictures of the people on the zipline, but you better be quick as they are flying by. They were developing the resort when we were there. They had tons of new plants planted on walk paths, with plaquereds telling you what type of plant. I saw all kinds of little colored frogs. It was raining the day we were there so we decided to skip the zipline this time. We had already done one two years earlier, I am still talking about it.

 

All of our tours with Oscar have been great. We were some of his first customers when we sailed on the Splendour of the Seas. Great tour then, and all of them after that one. I don't think you will be disappointed if you tour with him, he loves to make it a memorable day in his country.

[travelite]

I can answer about the people that are waiting. Yes, there are places for people to sit, and there were places that you could take pictures of the people on the zipline, but you better be quick as they are flying by. They were developing the resort when we were there. They had tons of new plants planted on walk paths, with plaquereds telling you what type of plant. I saw all kinds of little colored frogs. It was raining the day we were there so we decided to skip the zipline this time. We had already done one two years earlier, I am still talking about it.

 

All of our tours with Oscar have been great. We were some of his first customers when we sailed on the Splendour of the Seas. Great tour then, and all of them after that one. I don't think you will be disappointed if you tour with him, he loves to make it a memorable day in his country.

 

These must be Zip Lines for tourists. My experience with zip lines in C.R. have been quite primitive and out in no man's land. If you want a real experience try to find someone that will take you to one of these more remote locations. Look for local nature guides rather than tour companies.

[Driftwoodgal]

These must be Zip Lines for tourists. My experience with zip lines in C.R. have been quite primitive and out in no man's land. If you want a real experience try to find someone that will take you to one of these more remote locations. Look for local nature guides rather than tour companies.

 

Don't understand your post. What is your take on quite primitive? Both ziplines that we have been to have had over 11 platforms, and they are not 90 seconds long and one line.

[Eileen G]

We just went with Oscar on March 6 and had a great time. We went on tour 2 the zip line, banana plantation and beach. Oscar picked us up right on time at 8. There were 6 people in the van. On the way to the banana plantation we stopped at a fruit stand and tasted some fruit, then stopped to see a sloth family. The banana plantation was more interesting than I thought it would be. Then we were off tho Jungle Breezes for zip lining. This is an extreemly safe opperation. It was much eaiser than I thought it would be. There were 12 zips. The longest was 270 meters. The guides were very helpful. Only three of our group did the zip lining. The other three were able to watch us do the first 5 zips and the last two. My dad had the chance to video us ziping through the trees. Oscar met us at the last zip with the van. We were supposed to stop at the beach but since it was raining Oscar gave us a tour of Limon and dropped us back at the ship at 12:30.

This was a great tour for the price. It was $70 to do the zip lining and $35 for those who didn't. On our ship the cost of just zip lining was $115. It rains alot in Costa Rica so be prepared to have rain.

Here is the link to Jungle Breezes. http://www.junglebreeze.com/

[Driftwoodgal]

Eileen,

 

Sounds like one of our days with Oscar. He stayed on his cell phone trying to keep us dry. He actually the cell phone to dodge the rain showers so the zip liners got a break from the rain. They were still developing Jungle Breezes when we were there. It beats the 1 1/2 hours out to the other zipline. We did an all day tour with Oscar, so we added the Tortugua canals on our tour too. I love Puerto Limon and no one better to tour the area than with Oscar.

[travelgirlie]

we just went with oscar on march 6 and had a great time. We went on tour 2 the zip line, banana plantation and beach. Oscar picked us up right on time at 8. There were 6 people in the van. On the way to the banana plantation we stopped at a fruit stand and tasted some fruit, then stopped to see a sloth family. The banana plantation was more interesting than i thought it would be. Then we were off tho jungle breezes for zip lining. This is an extreemly safe opperation. It was much eaiser than i thought it would be. There were 12 zips. The longest was 270 meters. The guides were very helpful. Only three of our group did the zip lining. The other three were able to watch us do the first 5 zips and the last two. My dad had the chance to video us ziping through the trees. Oscar met us at the last zip with the van. We were supposed to stop at the beach but since it was raining oscar gave us a tour of limon and dropped us back at the ship at 12:30.

This was a great tour for the price. It was $70 to do the zip lining and $35 for those who didn't. On our ship the cost of just zip lining was $115. It rains alot in costa rica so be prepared to have rain.

Here is the link to jungle breezes. http://www.junglebreeze.com/

 

thanks so much for the jungle breeze link. I hope that those that had previous questions read the zip info. It states that if you decide to stop at platform 5 you may do so and also at platform 7. For first timers it is always good to know that you do have options.:d thanks again