Carnival Freedom Cruise (to Colon Panama, Costa Rica, Cozumel) recommended?

[Jan2007]

We are thinking about taking the 8 day cruise on the Freedom from Ft Lauderdale doing this itinerary, but are wondering about the ports of call. Are they worth visiting or is there a much better place to visit in the Caribbean. We have been to Cozumel many times and don't mind it again, but the other 2 we know nothing about.

 

Has anyone been? Would you recommend them? Any tips on this cruise?

[LHP]

We are thinking about taking the 8 day cruise on the Freedom from Ft Lauderdale doing this itinerary, but are wondering about the ports of call. Are they worth visiting or is there a much better place to visit in the Caribbean. We have been to Cozumel many times and don't mind it again, but the other 2 we know nothing about.

 

Has anyone been? Would you recommend them? Any tips on this cruise?

 

We just did this cruise in November and we had a great time.

 

While we go to Cozumel as many as 5 times a year (and love it)....we had not been to Costa Rica or Panama.

 

The main " theme" of course in Panama is the Panama Canal. And while the ship excursion is costly and 8 hours....if there is a chance you won't be back to that part of the world...I would highly recommend it.

 

While the country of Panama is generally tourist friendly, unfortunately Colon is not....it is not one of those ports where you can just grab a taxi.

 

There is an area right at the port that is "inside the fence" that has a few stores and a couple of bars and it was fine on your own. This area is not a secured area...the locals use the grocery store inside it etc....but we did not feel unsafe at all...as long as we were inside the fence. The local grocery store had great prices on liquor.

 

Costa Rica was ok. We walked around town on our own without hesitation. We did take some precautions. We left our expensive watches and other jewelry in the ship's safe. And don't wear anything that can be "snatched" off of you. Just in using this common sense precautions, we had no problems walking around town. I even found a karaoke bar!!

 

I enjoy days at sea ....so that was the main draw for us for this cruise. But it was good to see ports we had not been to before.

[Jan2007]

thanks LHP!!!!

Any good beaches?

I guess I"m kind of wondering whether this would be a good cruise or if we're better off doing tried and tested "winner" ports we already know of...

[MAO]

We are also in the process of booking a cruise on the Freedom Jan. 2010 to these ports, thank you for posting and as usual thank you LHP for helping out:)

In my research it seems that Limon has more to offer and that Colon might be scary!?:confused: So we also need all the info we can get.

Excursions, beaches, private tour operators, local areas that are safe or to watch out for etc.

The port of call board is alittle sparse in gathering info.

Thanks to all that can help.:)

[ellbelle]

About three years ago on Celebrity, Colon, Panama was one of our ports of call. We were also warned about staying inside the fence, so we opted for a ship sponsored tour of the city and the canal. The canal was very interesting and watching ships (even a cruise ship) go through the canal was amazing. I could have been there for hours.

 

We decided that we had to go back and actually go through the canal, which we did last March on HAL's Volendam. Puerto Limon, which was a stop on both cruises, did offer some great excursions. The sloth santuary, although it is expensive is well worth it. There are also two tour operators in Limon, Costa Rica that are popular. You might have to go back several pages on that board to find them, but they both offer good tours. Again, not the cheapest, but worth the money. We went with Oscar (can't remember his last name though!), and did a tour which included ziplining (WOW). He is very personable, and we felt totally safe with him.

 

If beaches are your priority, then this may not the best itinerary. But if you want to experience a different vacation, it might "fit the bill". I would do either itinerary in an instant. Have a great cruise, wherever you decide to go!

 

Cheryl

[ellbelle]

We are also in the process of booking a cruise on the Freedom Jan. 2010 to these ports, thank you for posting and as usual thank you LHP for helping out:)

 

In my research it seems that Limon has more to offer and that Colon might be scary!?:confused: So we also need all the info we can get.

Excursions, beaches, private tour operators, local areas that are safe or to watch out for etc.

The port of call board is alittle sparse in gathering info.

Thanks to all that can help.:)

 

I just looked at the Costa Rica board, the tour operator is Oscar Brown. Charlie Soto and Okey Dokey are the same. I found what Oscar offers just by doing an internet search.

[carzyboutcarnival]

Ill be going on the carnival freedom with the same ports on July 4,2009, if you book an excursion with the ship will it be safe to go outside of the "fence"???

 

We were maybe going to do the Zip Line, are we safe?

 

cbc

[pe4all]

We did this same itinerary on Liberty when she first came over to the U.S. Coz is always fun. Did river rafting (thru Carnival) in Costa Rica - had a blast! In Panama we did the rainforest tram ride/butterfly farm - it was okay. (had kids to amuse!) We always want to try new ports/islands. I would go back to both ports - I see that there are many more excursions now than when we went. (it was the first time Liberty- or any other Carnival ship-had done this itinerary, and there were only around 3-5 excursions per port. There are many more now, plus independent vendors to use) If you take an excursion thru Carnival, you will be as safe as you can possibly be - barring any extenuating circumstances!:eek:

[vacruizer]

I loved this itinerary but will admit it is not for everyone. If you are looking for a beachy and/or the bars by the pier like Senor Frogs type trip you would be better off with another cruise. If you are into history, nature, and the less developed type ports it is great - we are looking at doing it again in 2010 with a possible CC group!

 

It all depends on what type thing you are looking for. Also make sure to budget for excursions in Limon and Panama since they really aren't your usual port to just wander around like you can in places like St. Thomas or Cozumel. The excursions for those ports are also expensive but well worth it to us - and I'm a budget kind of girl! Costa Rica is my favorite port ever and seeing the Canal in Panama was incredible. :)

[Kan't Wait]

I just looked at the Costa Rica board, the tour operator is Oscar Brown. Charlie Soto and Okey Dokey are the same. I found what Oscar offers just by doing an internet search.

 

On a previous cruise with X about 3 years ago, we stopped in Costa Rica and Panama. In Panama we took a taxi to the Gatun Locks and had no problems. I know that people say it isn't safe but we got the taxi within the fence and went straight to the locks, stayed about 30 minutes or so. The taxi driver then took us to a rescue zoo and we enjoyed that for another 30 minutes. Then we went back to the ship area and walked around the shopping there. In Costa Rica we used Danilo Hall for a zipline tour and a boat ride through a canal and he was great- we are using him again in May and trying the aerial tram. He also stops at a local grocery store so we can get coffee and vanilla super cheap. In Cozumel we always do a beach day with time to go to some bars downtown. I have been to the Caribbean several times and I don't mind going back to Costa Rica or Panama. Hope this helps.

[cruisinbuddy]

We just did this cruise and I would recommend doing it once. We snorkeled with the Fury in Coz, Missed Costra Rica, and did Portobello and Gatun locks in Panama. Whatever you decide to do, I think you'll enjoy it, but maybe not put it on your "must do again" list.

[Jan2007]

Hmmm, I don't know right now if this would be the best choice since we love a good beach and are looking for that on this vacation.... but still thinking about this option..

[vacruizer]

Hmmm, I don't know right now if this would be the best choice since we love a good beach and are looking for that on this vacation.... but still thinking about this option..

 

If you are ok with just one beach day there's Cozumel. But if you are looking for more beaches - I'd go with another itinerary - maybe something like one of the St. Thomas/St. Maarten type itineraries. Either that or a western that does Cozumel and Grand Cayman. Another option would be one that has Half Moon Cay and Grand Turk for beaches.

[richfret]

Am doing the Cozumel, Panama, Costa Rica cruise on the Freedom on March 14. I have been to Panama twice and the locks are really worth seeing. We went through them with the Tropicale which was a small enough ship to fit through. The second time, we did the train across the Ithmus. I recommend both tours although Carnival has no ships that go through the canal any more. Since we have seen the Canal twice, we are doing the jungle aerial tram excursion this cruise. At Cozumel, we are doing the Tulum tour. It is the same tour we did in 1997. This tour is very unique and you can't help but be impressed by what you will see. The Mayan ruins are amazing. I really look forward to going there again. At Costa Rica, we are doing a private tour through the country, canals and jungle. Costa Rica has many rivers and is beautiful once you get out of the main city.

 

Remeber also that the Freedom is a new ship and is really up to date. I have been on the Valor and Liberty which are in the same class and I like this style ship very much.

 

You also have 4 sea days on this cruise and I enjoy them as much as a port. Being an 8 day cruise gives you that extra day to rest.

 

Feel free to join us on the Freedom (3/14/09) Roll Call. There are about 14 pages of comments regarding the cruise and you will get the flavor of what to expect.

[amcjeep4life]

Richfret! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make sure to write a review when you get back! We are doing this itinerary in October, and can not wait! We are not necessarily "beach people," so we are really looking forward to this trip. We are most likely going to book the ferry tour of the Panama canal, and the Sloth Sanctuary tour in Costa Rica. We may try the cooking class at Mr. Sancho's in Coz. I look forward to reading whatever you would like to tell us after your cruise! Hope to hear from you. Have a safe and enjoyable trip!