Anyone have recent experience with My Friend Mario?

[The Viking]

Originally Posted by jwindham

But we were at the Country Inn and Suites on the entrance to the canal. I went out to watch ships and what do I see but 2 boats that are carrying people for the partial transit, and due to the people on the ships and how they looked, it was very obvious this was the tour. They were over packed with no seating at all.

We were also on the Grandeur 3/4 to 3/11 and stayed at the Country Inn & Suites after the cruise for a few days.

We also saw many smaller boats loaded with passengers in front of the hotel, but they were all workers at the locks which were picked up at the dock just below the hotel. Not trying to argue, but I think that is the boat you saw.

Regarding Marion, we also sed him for all our transportation:

Punctually picked up at airport and brought to The Doubletree downtown Panama City.

Punctually picked up for transportation to Colon. Female driver with male companion. Neither spoke Englisg and we no Spanish but had a great time. As we had never been in Panama before we thought he was our body guard, but as he was giving directions, I think he was teaching her the best way to get to the pier.

We had a tour of Gatun Lock and Panama city booked with Mario as day that the Celebrity
Equinox also was in port.

A gentleman was waiting for us at the Grandeur with my name on a sign. He assisted us with luggage and guided us over to the bus with Equinox passengers in front of that ship.

So far great!!!

On the morning of our departure from the Country Inn & Suite we had booked him for a 44:30 Am pickup. We waited 20 minutes and took then the cab which was waiting in front of the hotel. Explanation was that the driver did not wake up in time so he aparently came around 5 AM.

Lesson learned, but the fact the other transport and assistance in Colon was perfect, we will not hesitate to use Mario again.

[twiggers]

No...she took pictures of the boats. They were not workers onboard! It was tourists.

[jwindham]

It was tourists and the boats were both packed, not sitting room at all. We were able to confirm this when we went to the Miraflores lock visitor center and the boats were in the locks at the time. Mario dumped us as he did not have room and it was easy to try to tell lies. Even The Viking got left at the hotel the last day. Just not reliable at all. So if you like to gamble.............. then use Mario.

[Sun-Cruisers]

We took Marios's Canal, Rainforest, and Fort excursion the day prior to the full transit of the canal on Infinity. Our guide Rey was a delightful guide who was very knowledgeable of all aspects of the excursion. Plenty of time was provided at the Gatun viewing stop to see a full lock-thru process. The rainforest aspect did provide viewing of monkeys and sloths. All in all the excursion gave a greater appreciation of the history of the area and a primer for the Infinity's canal transit the next day. We highly recommend Mario.

[The Viking]

Originally Posted by jwindham

Even The Viking got left at the hotel the last day. Just not reliable at all. So if you like to gamble.............. then use Mario.

This is true and I am not here to defend Mario, but with super service for 3 transports incl. a tour We will take the gamble next time. We know that we can always find an alternative last minute except for the tours.

[Nado44]

We recently sailed RCCL's Grandeur of the Seas from Colon to Miami (April 15-18, 2012). Flew in the day before - and boarded Grandeur the following day at around 1 pm.

Getting in touch with MyFriendMario via email was somewhat difficult. Took a week to get a response to our initial inquiry. Successfully scheduled a transfer from PTY to our downtown Panama City hotel for $25 (for two persons and two pieces of luggage) (and cash only and due upon arrival to the hotel). Mario uses a Blackberry and is apparently more responsive to service requests that are more immediate than later.

Upon exiting customs, we were worried that our driver would be a no-show as we didn't see anyone holding a sign with my name on it. The driver came running in about 10 minutes later. Driver's name was Mario (apparently, the owner of MyFriendMario works with 4-5 different drivers who's name is also Mario) - and this Mario was great. Spoke very good English and was quite the avid tour guide as he spoke enthusiastically about Panama's topography and history.

We arranged to have the same Mario pick us up the following morning at 8 am (promptly) to take us to Colon and with stops at Gatun Locks and the rainforest. I believe we paid $125 total for the entire morning (about 4.5-5 hours total). Was well worth it and lots of fun!

We would use MyFriendMario's services again without hesitation.

[NitaBcruising]

We just got off Island Princess. We booked with Mario. He took a few days to reply, but he did, and we arranged a tour for 10. Rey was our guide, possibly the best guide we've ever had on a private tour!

We did the Panama City Tour, which included a tour of the Locks. Unfortunately for him, one couple was sick, one was a no-show, and we had one extra, making our group only 7, in a 23 passenger bus!
Rey made a super guide, as his dad was American, his mom Panamanian. He spent time in America, as he was drafted and spent a few years here. His English was very easy to understand! He was great on the local history.

I would highly recommend Rey for a guide, and Mario was good to work with, once we connected. Price for the small group was $45 pp. We tipped Rey a bit more than we might have, beings he was short passengers.

[GWNiemi]

We will be in Colon in March 2013 on Equinox and are considering an MFM tour. The Rainforest , Fort and Canal tour sounds good. We wondered how much time is spent sitting on the bus looking out the window and how much time is spent outside of the bus on your feet? Do you actually walk through the rainforest?

[psbtrvlr]

Originally Posted by GWNiemi

We will be in Colon in March 2013 on Equinox and are considering an MFM tour. The Rainforest , Fort and Canal tour sounds good. We wondered how much time is spent sitting on the bus looking out the window and how much time is spent outside of the bus on your feet? Do you actually walk through the rainforest?

I don't remember how much time was spent for everything. We did go for a walk in the rain forest. We did walk around the fort. We walked up to the locks at the canal and watched for quite a while.

[Nado44]

Since you're be sailing into Colon instead of driving from Panama City, very little time will be spent driving around. The rainforest, Fort and Canal are all within a 15-20 minute radius.

Yes, you do actually walk through the rainforest. But it isn't really that big of a deal. Guide will probably take you through a series of paved roads - and then take you for a walk down a graveled path to a nice looking beach. We saw sloth and an anteater - but strangely, no monkeys. If we had to do it again, we might skip this - and instead do just a tour of the Locks. But then again, the rainforest was only about 5-10 minutes from Gatun.

Originally Posted by GWNiemi

We will be in Colon in March 2013 on Equinox and are considering an MFM tour. The Rainforest , Fort and Canal tour sounds good. We wondered how much time is spent sitting on the bus looking out the window and how much time is spent outside of the bus on your feet? Do you actually walk through the rainforest?

[twokey]

I have tried to find My Friend Mario Tours several times. The website, www.myfriendmario.com takes me to an ERROR page.
Am I doing something wrong? Or, is this a sign that I should take the Panatrain from Panama City to Colon, instead?

[BillB48]

Originally Posted by twokey

I have tried to find My Friend Mario Tours several times. The website, www.myfriendmario.com takes me to an ERROR page.
Am I doing something wrong? Or, is this a sign that I should take the Panatrain from Panama City to Colon, instead?

In the past there have been problems sending him emails through the webpage, give this one shot; viajesalmiza@hotmail.com