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Is Cosol in St. Lucia as good as people say??

kellyrobin

By kellyrobin,
in St. Lucia

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Vmalcolm

Vmalcolm

Posted
Posted

We toured with Cosol on November 10th, post hurricane. He warned us ahead of time that there had been alot of damage to the areas we would normally visit, but promised us a good time and definitely delivered! We had toured with him about two years before and knew we were in for a good time no matter where we went. We went to the banana plantation and sampled bananas as well as many overlooks offering beautiful scenery. Unfortunately, we also so alot of the damage the hurricane had caused. We were unable to go to the volcano, waterfall or Pitons, but it did not hurt the trip at all. We still had all the yummy food and drinks and he took us to Pigeon Island for Beach Time with the mobile bar in tow! He showed us a great time, and I look forward to returning to tour with him again in the near future.

 

Cosol did say that the road should be reopened in a few weeks, and alot of progress had already been made.

 

Valerie

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MsDolly

MsDolly

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We were with Cosol on November 12th, the trip was certainly not what we had hoped for, the hurricane had done a great deal of damage. Cosol was to be our guide but that also did not happen, we had his brother instead, who did a decent job. The road has opened now, but still no waterfall or valcano, all and all given that the ship only had a few water based tours to offer not a bad deal. He really does have this well organized with plenty of food and drink.

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AAAAmerican

AAAAmerican

Posted
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Thank you for the current outlook.

 

Congratulations on your Cruise Critic Anniversary too!

 

;)

 

 

 

 

 

We were with Cosol on November 12th, the trip was certainly not what we had hoped for, the hurricane had done a great deal of damage. Cosol was to be our guide but that also did not happen, we had his brother instead, who did a decent job. The road has opened now, but still no waterfall or valcano, all and all given that the ship only had a few water based tours to offer not a bad deal. He really does have this well organized with plenty of food and drink.
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CHuntMD

CHuntMD

Posted
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We went with Cosol just last week, volcano is open, waterfall is not. Water taxi to the beach between the Pitons was almost to much for my grandmother but she was a real trooper and made it all day. Ask for Baptist for the tour, he knows everything about the island.

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billrco90278

billrco90278

Posted
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We just returned and we had a great time. Loved the Spiced rum and rum punch so much we are trying to get Cosol to send the recipe. They are very well organized and will make sure you have fun and enjoy all the great sites in St Lucia.

 

What time did you get back to the ship?

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CHuntMD

CHuntMD

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4pm for us, ship left at 4:30 so time for the 2 for $3 caribe beers right at the peer and a little shopping. There was some decent traffic getting to the dock. There are two docks and the Serenade was the around the other side closer to the little runway.

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fxd1340

fxd1340

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We were also on the Thanksgiving day tour- we were lucky enough to have Cosol himself as our guide and he provided the best day of our entire trip. Very fun atmosphere and very informative. We could not believe the value of his tour for the $65 price. It will be the best money you spend all week! You get to do so much on his tour- snorkel or swim at a private beach only accessable by water taxi- eat a homemade breakfast sampling the local fruits and recipes, go to a banana plantation, go to the volcano, stop at a local person's house for a hot lunch of the infamous cheese bread, stop at every scenic spot along the island for photo ops, and of course all while enjoying Cosol's homemade rum punch! ( or water, soft drinks or local beer). Thank you Cosol for a day we will always remember!

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Milwaukeeee

Milwaukeeee

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He gives a very good and full tour, though I am now disappointed that in a period of about two years he's increased the price from USD 45.00 to USD 60.00. Still worth the higher price.

 

 

We are paying $65.00 per person.....wonder if all do or is that including the tip we would typically add on.

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nevarez

nevarez

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Just got back from the Serenade of the Seas and took a tour with Cosol. He charged us $65 pp and it was definitely worth it. The price includes entrance to the volcano, water taxi to and from Jalouise Beach, breakfast, lunch and all your drinks (water, sodas, beer, rum punch). His van is large and roomy which I'm sure eats up gas. He says the tour is about 84 miles round trip and gas there is about $5 per gallon and he has the air going the whole time. There were only 6 of us passengers in his van the day we went. I didn't book him ahead but saw him with a sign as we stepped off the ship and he let us join his van.

 

At Jalouise Beach, there's someone renting out snorkling gears for $5 each. There's a bathroom and shower at no charge.

 

He is extremy outgoing, informative, likeable, and laid back. He is proud of his island and knows a lot about it also. It seems lots of people there know him personally as they would wave hello as we drove past.

 

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our day in St. Lucia with Cosol.

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Sunny AZ Girl

Sunny AZ Girl

Posted
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I have not had a chance yet to thoroughly read this entire thread, but I am interested in the water taxi. I have arthritis in my knee and hip and some small boats are difficult (if not impossible) for me to access. Can someone tell me how hard it is to access the water taxi he uses?

 

For example - the water taxis in Cabo San Lucas - I can get into them from the dock, but from the beach you have to hoist yourself over the side from the water - that's not happening with me!:eek:

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VFC Coach

VFC Coach

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My wife/I took a tour with Cosol in Nov 2007. It was, and remains, the best tour we've had on our +25 Caribbean cruises. However,...

 

We took a second tour with Cosol last week (on Dec 6th). The price was $15.00 more, we went to fewer places and, most important, we didn't have Cosol as our van guide. The end result was a tour that didn't come close to meeting our expectations. I understand that prices go up and the recent hurricane & flooding made it difficult to go to all of the places that we saw in '07. However, the key was not having access to Cosol. When I booked the tour this past summer, I specifically asked Cosol whether he would be our van guide. He said yes. However, we were given a different driver (Elias) who didn't come close to measuring up to Cosol. Plus, and I'm being generous here, Cosol didn't direct more than 20 words to the people in our van the entire time we were there.

 

We went to the standard places (Banana farm, Jealousie beach, volcano) and did the standard things (buffet, bread/cheese) but it just wasn't the same with a different guide.

 

I'm glad Cosol has become successful but the wonderful experience that was provided in '07 wasn't matched in '10. Simply put, as he has expanded, the product has degraded. His tour was easily the most forgettable of the 6 that we went on this past cruise.

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ncdachsiemom

ncdachsiemom

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I have been twice with him, 2008 and 2009. Last time there were 13 of us from 12 to 83. Everyone had a great time. It went everywhere you would want to go, food was great, times at each stop were adequate, and you really get the feel of this beautiful island. Highly recommend him! You should definitely try to get Cosol and if not, Yellowbird.

 

Linda

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Anna2001

Anna2001

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We are booked with Cosol 3-11-11 and I'm hoping we get Cosol personally. I'm sure the others are good but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Anyone else booked from Celebrity Milly?

I'd be on the same cruise as you, and I will certainly book with Cosol, pleasure to meet you:)

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Milwaukeeee

Milwaukeeee

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I'd be on the same cruise as you, and I will certainly book with Cosol, pleasure to meet you:)

 

 

Happy to hear we will be sailing together. l have heard many good things about Cosol and know it will be a great tour. Hope you also signed up for

the Cruise Critic gathering for those of us chatting on these pages....I forget what it's called but it's a way to put faces with name on these boards.

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retired1998

retired1998

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Cosol was very informative and we had fun. We were in a van including 14 people. We almost missed the van because we couldn't find Cosol. But one of the port people took us to where he was. The price now is $65 p/p and worth it.

 

8/99 Alaska –Celebrity, Mercury

8/01 Scandinavia/Russia –Princess, Crown Princess

1/05 Western Caribbean –Celebrity, Constellation

10/05 Hawaii –Norwegian, Pride of America

1/07 Panama Canal -Celebrity ,Constellation

8/07 Hawaii- Norwegian, Pride of America

1/08 South America – Celebrity, Infinity

10/20/08 Mediterranean – Celebrity,Century

6/11/09 Eastern Caribbean –Princess, Caribbean Princess

10/15/09 Mediterranean-Carnival Dream

6/24/10 Caribbean – RCCL Explorer of the Seas

12/3/10 Caribbean – Celebrity Millenium

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