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Cosol Tours


lovetocruise79
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We were on COSOL Tours on March 14th and loved it! If you can, bring some apples off the ship for COSOL and his team (although, he will want to keep them all for himself LOL). It is too hot on the island to grow apples and they are very hard to come by so they will love you forever if you bring some.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed our day, with as much food and drink (and more drink!) as you could consume. Rum punch flowed freely at each stop. The beach in between the Pitons was fabulous for snorkeling and the views were stunning all day. Highly recommended.

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We were on COSOL Tours on March 14th and loved it! If you can, bring some apples off the ship for COSOL and his team (although, he will want to keep them all for himself LOL). It is too hot on the island to grow apples and they are very hard to come by so they will love you forever if you bring some.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed our day, with as much food and drink (and more drink!) as you could consume. Rum punch flowed freely at each stop. The beach in between the Pitons was fabulous for snorkeling and the views were stunning all day. Highly recommended.

 

Really glad you had a great day!

for others condisering this trip (and for you egeller, for other cruise stops in the future) - please don't bring fresh fruit off the ship to either give away or consume on your own. While it seems like a good idea and a great snack (or a nice gift), it is potentially dangerous to the local environments. Fruit that is imported to the island is screened to ensure no foriegn insects, or environmental hazards are introduced. There are lots of threads on CC about briging food off a ship, including fresh fruit. Sealed or packaged foods, no problems, fresh fruit is a big no-no! There are notices in every daily program onboard every ship I have ever been on that includes info about bringing fruit off the ship or bringing it back on-board. That is why there is agriculture questions on your US customs forms or inspection lines - please don't introduce foriegn fruits or foods to local environments! OK - I am off my soapbox!

Apples are actually quite easy to come by one the island - they are anywhere from $1.50EC to$4EC per apple, which may seem a bit expensive, but is less than $1US to about $1.75 US. Every grocery store has them and yes they are imported, we don't grow them here.

 

Again - I am really glad you had a great tour - Cosol does an excellent trip. Come back and visit longer - so much more to see and do!

Edited by reedprincess
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LondonTowner-

 

When we were on Cosol's Tour last November, my friend's 80 year old father came along. He had a little bit of difficulty getting out of the water taxi when we reached the beach because the driver does not pull up to the dock, and you esentially had to get out of the boat directly into knee deep water filled with small rocks. On the return trip, the water taxi did pull alongside the dock but it was a 3-4 foot drop. We were part of a large group so there were several strong guys assisting him.

 

btw - he skipped the walking part of the volcano tour opting to sit in the shade. The tour involves walking down a long set of wooden stairs and then back up again.

 

Cosol has 2 guys on each boat/water taxi so they would probably assist you.

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We just completed a tour with Cosol last week, and I was very happy with the service and kindness we received. On the day we were in port, Cosol had two vans, one being driven by Cosol, and the other by his brother, Yellowbird. We were with Yellowbird.

 

All of the things that have been noted by others were true for us as well. The rum punch was flowing throughout the trip, and the lunch spread took us by surprise not only in the amount of food available, but by the quality of it as a whole. It was nice to experience locally prepared foods.

 

One thing that wasn't mentioned, but we enjoyed, was the Yellowbird stopped along the way to pick up little items for us from the local vendors, including homemade cookies, fruits, bread, etc. It was a nice surprise, and I appreciated the fact that throughout the trip he was giving back to the local people who I'm sure appreciated the business.

 

The tour itself was very good and informative, but quite draining. The road system in St. Lucia is one of the worst that I've been on, and the winding trips around the mountain made me a little carsick (not at the fault of Yellowbird, as he drove very safely...the road itself was the problem). We stopped at the volcano, the pitons, Jalousy beach, Marigot Bay, the Botanical Gardens, and two fishing villages.

 

While I am very happy that I did the tour, I will most likely opt for a different tour of the island next time. As I mentioned before, it was a VERY draining drive and trip through the country and took every minute of 6 1/2 hours, with probably 4 of them being in the van.

 

Everything we saw was definitely worth seeing and I would highly recommend people to take this tour if it's your first trip to St. Lucia or you've never experienced the full island.

 

A few notes...

 

- It was asked about whether there is a land/sea portion, being dropped off at the port. In our trip, it was a complete land tour, and the boat ride to the beach and back was about midway through our land tour. An option to take a boat back to the ship was not available.

 

- Jalousy beach was our least favorite of the six islands that we visited (Antigua, Grand Turk, St. Thomas, St. Kitts, Barbados). It was a very rocky beach and there were a ton of jellyfish (they were small, so the pain wasn't severe, but it's still not fun to be stung by 3-4 jellyfish over the course of a 20 minute swim). The snorkeling was nice, but we gave up relatively quickly because of the issues with the beach itself.

 

- We spoke with another group that had been on the tour, and apparently the boat trip to the beach has been improved over the past year. While getting in and out of the boat still isn't ideal for someone who is disabled, there were a number of older (70+) people on our trip who were able to get in and out of the boat without too much trouble.

 

- The value of this trip was great. For what was offered, the price tag of $65 per person was an absolute steal. The gas alone was probably close to a full tank, not to mention the food, drinks, etc. that are provided as part of the trip.

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LondonTowner-

 

When we were on Cosol's Tour last November, my friend's 80 year old father came along. He had a little bit of difficulty getting out of the water taxi when we reached the beach because the driver does not pull up to the dock, and you esentially had to get out of the boat directly into knee deep water filled with small rocks. On the return trip, the water taxi did pull alongside the dock but it was a 3-4 foot drop. We were part of a large group so there were several strong guys assisting him.

 

btw - he skipped the walking part of the volcano tour opting to sit in the shade. The tour involves walking down a long set of wooden stairs and then back up again.

 

Cosol has 2 guys on each boat/water taxi so they would probably assist you.

 

 

Why didn't the driver pull up to the dock?? Are the boats that arrive at the beach not allowed to use the dock?? I will also be traveling with my senior dad and all of these land and sea tours just don't seem to work well for those less mobile.

 

For this reason, and other reasons (car sick, windy roads, 7 hours all day in a van) that we are dropping our plans to do a land or land and sea tour and just strictly looking for a 1/2 day Pitons sea tour. Anyone know of any tours that do 1/2 day sea tours to the Pitons? The only one I found was a ship-sponsored tour. I'll sign up for that, just wanted to know if there were any private vendors. And no, Serenity does NOT do a 1/2 day tour, they all are all land and sea full day tours.

Edited by ibcnusoon
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What time does this tour get you back to the ship? I don't want to have to worry about being late and a couple people mentioned the tour ran long. Thanks!

 

People are saying it's a 6-1/2 to 7 hour tour. Our ship is in port from 8am-5pm so I assume by the time you round everyone up and on the road it's 9am.

 

Upon return, you are probably pulling into the port area at the end of the day at 4:00pm, 15 minutes to 1/2 hour before you need to be on the ship. Cutting it close for sure, providing there are no delays all day.

 

I haven't heard any non-Carnival tours miss the ship, but I don't want to be sitting in the back of a van worrying on the return trip.

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And no, Serenity does NOT do a 1/2 day tour, they all are all land and sea full day tours.

Yes, Serenity TVL DOES do a half day , 3.5-4 hour tour of the volcano and Pitons - I just spoke with and emailed them today - they need a minimum of 6 to do this tour. It is a possibility - check with your roll call to try to gather up 6 people. It is right on their home page, about 2/3 of the way down with a big orange star and the words $35US Special, followed by the tour info - it is called the Volcano and Piton Delight. It is not listed on their Land Tour page. It is on the homepage: w w w dot serenitytvl dot com

Here is the email received today:

"Hello Chris,

Thank you for making Serenity Vacations and Tours your choice of ambassador services during your stay in St.Lucia. We require a minimum of 6 persons to make this tour possible. As of now we have no one booked but if you would like you can book this tentatively and we will let you know closer to the date if this is possible. I have attached a booking form which has to be completed and resent. After the form has been resent a confirmation will be sent. You can also fax it at 1 410 782 0137 or call us toll free number 1 866 766 0794. Let me know if you have any further questions.

Kind regards

Acacia"

It also included the booking form.

 

Perhaps you should recheck their website, again, it is on the homepage, not their Land or Sea Tour page. Good luck finding other tours.

Edited by reedprincess
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we are not long back from our cruise on ventura and we used cosol who was amazing. one of our roll call e.mailed him about a tour and before long people on the roll call wanted to be included so 19 of us went and a marvelous time was had by all.we were a very mixed bunch of ages and infirmaties and as far as i know it was no problem for anyone. my husband is early fifties and not long had hip replacement, also has severe arthritis in his feet( although its possible he just uses that as an excuse to make me do more!!) and he thoughly enjoyed himself, althoughj the piton beer that is included in the price may have some bearing on that, only joking , he doesnt drink much alcohol , but he did say the piton beer was very nice. our guide was not cosol but sylvia who did a great job, she told us so much about the island but was never boring. the roads are very winding but our driver was really good |(and young). i dont suffer car sickness so cant comment there but im not good on steep windy roads and although the roads made me utter plenty of ooh's and ah's i never felt afraid.plenty of stops for photo's and the food selection was amazing. i would do this tour again as cosol and his crew are so good at providing a good all round view of st.lucia for cruise paasengers.

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Yes, Serenity TVL DOES do a half day , 3.5-4 hour tour of the volcano and Pitons - I just spoke with and emailed them today - they need a minimum of 6 to do this tour. It is a possibility - check with your roll call to try to gather up 6 people. It is right on their home page, about 2/3 of the way down with a big orange star and the words $35US Special, followed by the tour info - it is called the Volcano and Piton Delight. It is not listed on their Land Tour page. It is on the homepage: w w w dot serenitytvl dot com

Here is the email received today:

"Hello Chris,

Thank you for making Serenity Vacations and Tours your choice of ambassador services during your stay in St.Lucia. We require a minimum of 6 persons to make this tour possible. As of now we have no one booked but if you would like you can book this tentatively and we will let you know closer to the date if this is possible. I have attached a booking form which has to be completed and resent. After the form has been resent a confirmation will be sent. You can also fax it at 1 410 782 0137 or call us toll free number 1 866 766 0794. Let me know if you have any further questions.

Kind regards

Acacia"

It also included the booking form.

 

 

Perhaps you should recheck their website, again, it is on the homepage, not their Land or Sea Tour page. Good luck finding other tours.

 

 

Thanks for the info, but we are looking for a 1/2 day sea tour to the Pitons. Someone directed me to Serenity but we are not interested in a 1/2 day land tour. There are 6 people in our party.

Edited by ibcnusoon
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Thanks for the info, but we are looking for a 1/2 day sea tour to the Pitons. Someone directed me to Serenity but we are not interested in a 1/2 day land tour. There are 6 people in our party.

You did not specify in your earlier post that you wanted a 1/2 day SEA tour - you only incorrectly stated that Serenity did not do a half day tour. they do in fact do a half day tour, it is land only.

If you want a half day sea tour, you should check with your ship. Most independent tours are full day or 3/4 day sea tours or land/sea tours.

Good luck - I hope you find what you are looking for in St. Lucia.

Enjoy your cruise.

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My DW and I were booked on Cosol a few weeks ago but decided to skip it as we did the Chefs table the night before and didnt want to get up that early and spend 7 hours in a van (just too tired).

So we took our time getting off the ship and booked "Lushan Country Life" tour on our own at the pier. It's about a 2.5 hour tour to various sites for photo ops, and then to the main site at their country farm. Very interesting and entertaining and very reasonably priced.

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ibcnusoon-

 

When we got to the beach, the small dock was already full (my group totalled over 30 people and we were in 3 vans and 3 boats; not including another Cosol van with other folks from our ship) and since my boat came in last, it was unable to pull up to the dock.

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Thanks for the info, but we are looking for a 1/2 day sea tour to the Pitons. Someone directed me to Serenity but we are not interested in a 1/2 day land tour. There are 6 people in our party.

 

 

I think Spencer Ambrose does the 1/2 day sea tour to the Pitons. Its called the "Jalouise Beach Break".

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We toured with Cosol himself 2 weeks ago. He provides a wonderful experience. He works very hard to make sure that you are entertained. The food was amazing. We loved his many stops along the way. The water taxi to the beach was great fun and the snorkeling was good. We enjoyed seeing Cosol's beautiful island. He collects the money at the end of the tour. His tour is very well organized. The people of St. Lucia are very charming. You won't be disappointed. :)

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My partner and I booked with Cosol Tours after reading the reviews here and on Tripadvisor. Yellowbird was waiting for us in the cruise terminal and was very easy to find.

 

He was a very good informative tour guide and has a great sense of humour.

 

We enjoyed the 'breakfast' which consisted of various local dishes and some things we had never tried before. There was more than enough to eat, so eat little at breakfast that day to appreciate it all.

 

There were plenty of rum punches, water, beer or soft drinks throughout the day.

 

As I have limited mobility I was a bit apprehensive about getting on/off the water taxi. I shouldn't ave worried as Yellowbird and his helpers made it all so easy.

 

There were four other passengers from our ship on the tour, so it was almost like a private tour.

 

An excellent day out and a lot cheaper than doing the same trip with the ship's excursions.

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I think Spencer Ambrose does the 1/2 day sea tour to the Pitons. Its called the "Jalouise Beach Break".

Spencer's Beach brwak tour is 5-6 hours(and usually closer to 6) , it's a great tour with lots of time at the beaches down south, between the Pitons - but that's all it includes - and is more than half day.

It is a great option for those who don't want all, all day or to spend any time in the car, but it's not a half day (3-4 hours).

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seeing the same thing - the site (http://www.cosol-tours.com) looks like one of those random domain squatting sites, and doesn't have any information about the actual tour. Does anyone have the phone number or email address for Cosol Tours?

 

thanks

Brian

 

his email is, cosol966@hotmail.com, dont no what has happened to website, but i would not book with any body else personally, email him book it that way i did he replys quickly,

 

 

That should help with the website - his number is:

758-719-6697

Hope that helps! Hopefully, he will get his website sorted out!

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We are booked in Cosol this month and have read alot of great reviews.

 

Only one concern I have is that I read that there is a stop along the way where you can pose with a guys snake.

 

My wife is absolutely terrified of snakes to the point where I'm considering canceling our tour.

 

Can anyone shed some light on this, and if the snake is unavoidable?

 

Don't know if anyone ever answered you, but we didn't see the snake on our tour in December and you never have to get out of the van at any stop so yes its avoidable.

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Recently took Celebrity Summit as a "newbie" to cruises. Ventured down to local excursion vans and by chance found Cosol. Everyone was already departing as I was late however he waited for me and my friend and personally delivered us to one of his Vans to catch-up the tour. The tour was great as well as Cosol and his driver Ben. Professional, fun, knowledgeable and trustworthy. We only paid after the tour was over. All kinds of typical meals as well as all drinks were provided with no reservations. The stops were wonderful, and even included a boat to a place to snorkle (and view of the Pitons), as well as the volcano. A lot for the value - I totally recommend Cosol for your tour of St Lucia - 5 starts!!!!

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