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Costa Rica Excursions


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We did a great zipline excursion which we picked up right off the ship. I think it was $99 per person and included the drive to the zipline, zipping and lunch.

 

We have zipped several times and this was by far the best--lots of lines, over beautiful jungle and waterfalls, some very long runs.

 

The lunch was a typical Costa Rican menu--meat, rice, beans, etc. We have spent a week in Costa Rica and often got a similar meal.

 

There also other things to do at the resort. Wish I could remember it's name!

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We did a full day tour with Thumbs Up Day Tours in Puntarenas. It was a very good tour and included some monkey watches and a cruise up the Tarcoles River to see lots of different birds and some amazing crocodiles. We arranged a small group through our roll call. I would recommend this tour.

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Highly recommend the Monster Bus and Rainforest Exploration tour. Did this tour and had a BLAST!! Probably one of the best tours we have ever been on and had so much fun with the tour guides who were very, very knowledgeable about the rainforest, ecology, and the flaura and fauna of Costa Rica. Well worth the $79.95 per person in our opinion.

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Pacific side tours tend to be VERY long (8 or 9 hours). In general tours through the cruise line are done well, and the ones with dining have very good food and service. Puntarenas has a spectacular beach right at the port, as well and a lot of local vendors right at the end of the pier. Good place to stock up on locally made Christmas presents. Long tours in Nicaragua and Guatemala were also great.

 

Puerto Chiapas in a new Mexican port that was totally disorganized - ruins/chocolate tour was a waste of money.

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Highly recommend the Monster Bus and Rainforest Exploration tour. Did this tour and had a BLAST!! Probably one of the best tours we have ever been on and had so much fun with the tour guides who were very, very knowledgeable about the rainforest, ecology, and the flaura and fauna of Costa Rica. Well worth the $79.95 per person in our opinion.

 

I agree. Best tour of our 10 day cruise.

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I've been to Costa Rica 3 times on a cruise and once on a 10 day land trip. I absolutely fell in love with the Macaw Sanctuary http://www.natuwa.com/homepage. I'm pretty sure Princess still has an excursion that includes this. That excursion also includes a snack and a river trip. Maybe you can find a private guide that can take you there. Just be aware that this place is about an hour drive, on the way back we were the last to get on the ship since there was an accident on the one and only road that leads back to the port. so, if you book this on your own give yourself 3 hours to come back.

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On another stop in Costa Rica we picked up a tour on the dock that took us to a river where we took a boat tour; saw a lot of crocodiles and other wildlife and nice scenery. They also drove to some scenic areas and outlooks going and leaving the river. We enjoyed it.

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We went with a small group (6) from our roll call in a van to the sloth sanctuary. We got there before the big buses did and had a great personal tour from one of the founders. We stopped at a fruit stand, then headed to the Tortuguero Canals for a boat ride through the sanctuary. We saw a lot of wildlife in spite of the drizzly weather. We ate lunch at a beachside restaurant. On the way back to the ship, we stopped at a grocery store for folks to buy Costa Rican coffee and other food souvenirs at a better price than the tourist places closer to the pier. A woman on our roll call arranged it all with the tour company, and I don't remember which company did it.

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Do not waste your day doing the Princess Excursion to the capital city of San Jose. The National Theatre which is the big draw card is frequently closed but they don't tell you that until you arrive in San Jose. There's nothing at Sarchi except a shopping experience masquerading as a cart factory. This was the most disappointing ship's excursion we've ever done. There was almost a mutiny in San Jose and everyone on our tour was given a full refund for this 8.5 hour wasted day.

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Thank you all for your suggestions. These boards are always helpful and we have a look to look into, not just for Costa Rica but for the other ports also. We are so looking forward to this cruise and the different ports. Like I said, we have a lot of research to do and appreciate all your input.

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  • 1 month later...
My husband and I will be on the April 10, 2018 Panama Canal cruise on the Coral Princess. Been checking out some excursions. Any suggestions, especially for Costa Rica?

 

We did the Thumbs Up 10 in 1 tour off the Coral Princess in Punta Arenas two weeks ago and they were excellent. I posted this on another travel bulletin board:

 

Excellent Cruise Ship Excursion

We were on their 10 in 1 tour for our Punta Arenas port stop on the Coral Princess. It actually exceeded our expectations and was everything that they advertised. The price and amenities were buch better than the ship's similiar excursions. It was a very good overview of the area. The included lunch was great and we saw numerous animals. It was $70 per person, we had people in a real nice 20 passenger Mercedes van. Our guide was Canadian who needless to say spoke perfect English.

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  • 1 month later...
We did the Thumbs Up 10 in 1 tour off the Coral Princess in Punta Arenas two weeks ago and they were excellent. I posted this on another travel bulletin board:

 

Excellent Cruise Ship Excursion

We were on their 10 in 1 tour for our Punta Arenas port stop on the Coral Princess. It actually exceeded our expectations and was everything that they advertised. The price and amenities were buch better than the ship's similiar excursions. It was a very good overview of the area. The included lunch was great and we saw numerous animals. It was $70 per person, we had people in a real nice 20 passenger Mercedes van. Our guide was Canadian who needless to say spoke perfect English.

 

 

Just off the Coral Princess yesterday and also went on the 10 in 1 tour with Thumbs Up. Our guide, Kari, who was originally from the US, now resides in Costa Rica and did an fantastic job!

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I will be on a partial transit cruise on the Coral Princess in March and, because I love trains, I am considering taking a train excursion in Limon. Princess is offering two excursions involving trains. One is Banana Route Railway the other is Train, Tortuguero Canals and Countryside. Has anyone done either excursion or heard anything positive or negative about either?

 

Thank you.

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I've been to Costa Rica 3 times on a cruise and once on a 10 day land trip. I absolutely fell in love with the Macaw Sanctuary http://www.natuwa.com/homepage. I'm pretty sure Princess still has an excursion that includes this. That excursion also includes a snack and a river trip. Maybe you can find a private guide that can take you there. Just be aware that this place is about an hour drive, on the way back we were the last to get on the ship since there was an accident on the one and only road that leads back to the port. so, if you book this on your own give yourself 3 hours to come back.

 

I will be in Puntarenas next Feb and was thinking about this tour. My question is, were you able to see any sloths? We really wanted to visit the Sloth Sanctuary but it's accessed through Limon and we won't port there. We've heard some people have seen them at the Macaw Sanctuary.

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  • 1 month later...
The 6-1-B tour. The details can be found on their website.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone while I probably should be working.

 

Thank you, That is the one I am looking at!

 

Thanks for making my day - I laughed out loud when I saw your signature.....I sometimes work from home and ....yup.....I can relate to the "while I probably should be working' phrase!

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  • 5 months later...

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