Help with attractions/shore excursions

The excursions for our full transit cruise are now available to book, but is there anything one can do "on your own" or are most of the attractions some distance from port?

I gather we can walk Curacao on our own and maybe do the trolley train tour?

For Cartagena we need to get the shuttle for the 30 min ride into the town and walk about ourselves.

Puerto Quepos is still undecided - rainforest or beach?

Topolobampo has a travel warning currently - also undecided there.

Cabo San Lucas - would like to do the catamaran sail and snorkel to Chileno Bay, but DH doesn't snorkel.

Have you been to any of these places and could please suggest something?

I have done the groundwork but don't wish to finalise without recommendations.

Curacao has it's own board, here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=81

Cartagena (Columbia) has tons of info here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=500

Going on full transit Panama crossing (Oct 22 cruise on Veedam). Am surprised that a no. of the ports in the itinerary are not listed in CruiseCritic port reviews eg

a) Corinto, Nicaragua

b) Puerto Quetzel, Guatemala

c) Puerto Chiapas, Mexico

d) Huatulco, Mexico

Anyone has any info on the above ? Much thanks!

I did not see anything on Corinto, but you can find the others here...

b. Puerto Quetzal http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=460

c & d can both be found under Mexican Riviera http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=203

Thank you so much!:)

Topolobampo is the port for Los Mochis. The big attraction there is the Copper Canyon rail trip. If you choose to do other things, there is a shuttle bus to Los Mochis. The city is not the typical tourist town, but the Central Market is interesting and authentic if you are interested in seeing how the Mexican people live and shop. They have a pretty nice park there with wood carvings and sometimes the artists are there working on their wood carvings.

They also have a shuttle that will take you to a beach a few miles from Topo. We felt very safe in both places.

When we were docked there, the dolphins put on quite a show in the harbor. They came up within inches of the ship to perform their antics !!!

I've been to those Veendam ports a few times and there are things you can do on your own in some of the ports.

1. Corinto, Nicaragua--a lot of Roll Calls have organized tours to Leon with Julio tours. If you can get a whole van together it is as low as $50 per person. It is a good tour--Julio was a Sandinista so he has lots of stories. The cathedral is worth a visit--make sure you get Julio to arrange a roof tour if you go. There is very little to do in Corinto itself other than taking a walk or getting a pedicab ride. the port is an industrial port as are 2 of the other ports you mentioned. I doubt there is internet available anywhere at this port.

2. Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala--the attraction here is Antigua which is a 90 minute ride from the port. Due to the distance, I would not risk a private tour here but Holland America usually has an Antigua on your Own tour which is basically transportation to Antigua with commentary to and from. You are dropped off and told when to return and you can do whatever you want in the town which is well worth a visit. This was $50 the last time I took this itinerary. The only down side is that the time in Antigua is too short. If this one is sold out, don't worry--they always seem to add additional space. At the port there is rather expensive internet, bars, lots of venders, and usually a fashion show.

3. Puerto Chiapas--Not sure why this is a port but it's probably a cheap stop for the cruise lines. There is usually a shuttle bus available to the nearest city--Tapachula--which was $20 round trip/person the last time we were there. Buses run every 30 minutes or so and you can go and come back whenever it suits. The town is not particularly noteworthy. You can visit the market, which is an eye opener. There is a small museum which I have not visited. You can also get a cab from there (or from the port) to the ruins of Izapa, only a few miles outside of town. I have not visited these ruins yet but will do so in November. At the port there is a building with a few shops, internet, and occasional performances by native dancers. Also at the port is a bar and a pool.

4. Huatulco--There is a nice beach with lots of restaurants with wi-fi right at the port. There are shops nearby, as well as a small town--La Crucecita--within short cab ride or walking distance. According to a friend, there was good bird watching on a ship's tour she took. There are other lovely bays for boat trips. And, a $5 cab ride or $5-$10/person water taxi will get you to Playa La Entrega where there is decent snorkeling.

Thank you so much for taking time to write out the detailed and very helpful info! Really appreciate it! This is a cruise to celebrate my husband's retirement, and we are looking forward to it! Thank you again!:)

Hope you have a great trip. Sorry, I should have read over my reply more carefully, I think the Tapachula shuttle actually was $10 round trip last time we were there.

oh, that's great! Thank you so much!!:) Looking forward to it!

Topolobampo is the port for Los Mochis. The big attraction there is the Copper Canyon rail trip. If you choose to do other things, there is a shuttle bus to Los Mochis. The city is not the typical tourist town, but the Central Market is interesting and authentic if you are interested in seeing how the Mexican people live and shop. They have a pretty nice park there with wood carvings and sometimes the artists are there working on their wood carvings.

 

They also have a shuttle that will take you to a beach a few miles from Topo. We felt very safe in both places.

 

When we were docked there, the dolphins put on quite a show in the harbor. They came up within inches of the ship to perform their antics !!!

Sounds like there is something special to watch if you choose to stay onboard.