NCL's Discover Rio Dulce excursion

[philamike]

Anyone do the "Discover Rio Dulce" excursion on NCL? (Boat tour, followed by a stop in Livingston.) If so, what were your thoughts? I'm considering it for my upcoming cruise on the Norwegian Spirit.

Thanks,

- Mike :-)

[GTJ]

Most of the commentary here about tours in this area have focused on Go with Gus Tours, http://www.gowithgustours.com/. The feedback for his tour has been overwhelming positive. Having toured with Gus in November 2007 I agree with the consensus, and his tour of the Rio Dulce area and Livingston made Santo Tomas de Castilla one of our favorite ports.

That being said, I am sure that NCL has partnered with a reputable tour operator who will visit the same areas. I would very much consider a tour to these locales while in Santo Tomas. The only other tours I might consider are to the Mayan ruins, either at Quirigua, Copan, or Tikal (though the last two are accessed by air making the tours very expensive). Even so, I would likely put Rio Dulce ahead of them. Traveling by lancha into a very remote part of this continent, observing a different ecology, a different society, is quite fascinating. Livingston is one of those places inaccessible by highway . . . and having been to several such highway-isolated communities (largely in Canada) this is certainly one of the most interesting with its mix of peoples and commerce.

[buckeyes #1]

hey philamike,

we're also considering the "Discover Rio Dulce" excursion and we're comparing it to the tour offered by Happy Fish "Tour of Rio Dulce Canyon/Livingston".

Both are comparable in price around $49-50. I'm kinda leaning towards the NCL operated tour b/c they gurantee their excursion (meaning you can't get left behind). Plus if anything happens on the tour (something bad or unforseeable, the cruise will take some sort of responsibility: maybe offer refunds).

On the otherside of the coin, cruise operated tours are often over crowded and rushed.

still undecided over here.......

[philamike]

Originally Posted by buckeyes #1

hey philamike,

we're also considering the "Discover Rio Dulce" excursion and we're comparing it to the tour offered by Happy Fish "Tour of Rio Dulce Canyon/Livingston".

Both are comparable in price around $49-50. I'm kinda leaning towards the NCL operated tour b/c they gurantee their excursion (meaning you can't get left behind). Plus if anything happens on the tour (something bad or unforseeable, the cruise will take some sort of responsibility: maybe offer refunds).

On the otherside of the coin, cruise operated tours are often over crowded and rushed.

still undecided over here.......

My friend and I did book the tour through NCL. Let me know what you decide to do. :-)

[jmc27]

Hi where did you get the price of $50 - NCL are quoting $125 and Gus Tours $85 on their web site - have I missed something or is it a different tour?

[philamike]

Originally Posted by jmc27

Hi where did you get the price of $50 - NCL are quoting $125 and Gus Tours $85 on their web site - have I missed something or is it a different tour?

NCL does have a few versions that include a Rio Dulce tour. The one I'm referencing is this one:
http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/shorexDeta...groupId=TDE_23

- Mike :-)

[jmc27]

Hey thanks Mike will check that out as that looks more like an excursion we would be interested in
Merry Christmas