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

[amistad]

Those of you that have been on this tour with children, did they get bored or did they also enjoy the day?

[cruissett]

Tour sounds great, but can you tell me how crowed the vans get. 12 seems like a lot, is there a lot of climbing over seats to get in?? And if you're in the back, are you able to hear??

 

Thanks

[Cosmic Rays]

In my opinion the more that are in a van the worse it is from both a comfort point of view and also being able to hear, especially if the driver/guide is not using a microphone and of course added to the accent.

 

Six to eight is ideal even if it costs a few dollars more...................

[cruissett]

That's why I asked. DH hates climbing over people to get in and out of van tours, does anyone know how many rows of seats are in the vans?? and is it difficult to climb to the rear of the vans??

I really don't want to do a bus tour with a large group of people, but it may be better then listening to DH complain.

[UMTerp]

There will be two ships in port on our St. Lucia day. Do we stand a chance of having a tour that not too crowded? Also, anyone with teens do this tour? Did they like it?

 

TIA!

 

UMTerp

[ramby]

How would this tour be with children (ages 6-12)? I am worried it might be too much for them and that perhaps we should do a shortened version and omit some of the stops. Thoughts?

[jillocb]

I'm really looking forward to our tour with Cosol in St Lucia on our Emerald Princess cruise next week. So many people make it sound horrid, though!

 

Thankfully, we are the only ship in port in St Lucia that day. I guess in the future maybe people should know that there will be a lot of folks on the island (it's only so big) so maybe don't take a tour on that specific island. That's why we're not going on a tour in St Thomas when we have 3 other ships there with us.

 

Just my $0.02.

 

Everyone always get back from Cosol tours on time? That's our only worry - non-Princess excursion - possibility of missing the boat?

[sarar]

I'm really looking forward to our tour with Cosol in St Lucia on our Emerald Princess cruise next week. So many people make it sound horrid, though!

 

Thankfully, we are the only ship in port in St Lucia that day. I guess in the future maybe people should know that there will be a lot of folks on the island (it's only so big) so maybe don't take a tour on that specific island. That's why we're not going on a tour in St Thomas when we have 3 other ships there with us.

 

Just my $0.02.

 

Everyone always get back from Cosol tours on time? That's our only worry - non-Princess excursion - possibility of missing the boat?

 

I am very envious of you Jill, we went with Cosol last year and had a fantastic time. Our guide was Yellowbird and he was brilliant, I am a part-time wheelchair user and nothing was too much trouble for him, he even carried me to places my wheelchair could not get to i.e. into a boat when we went to a private beach.

[itisamymc]

need to delete

[CianaDoll]

Does Cosol allow for a full stop at the Sulphur Springs? Are you given time to enjoy the spring mud bath or the mineral bath?

 

Thanks in advance.

[cruisingforthe25th]

Just got back from a cruise on the Carnival Victory - and toured St. Lucia with COSOL. This was the best tour of our cruise. Worth every penny, and more. We had Baptiste as our driver. We had 10 people in our van. Cosol was in one of the other vans, and made sure everyone was being taken care of at every stop. we did visit the Sulphur Springs - had a tour, got to see the mud baths - but we did not get to go in. We also visited the falls - and had time to go in the water there. Went to a beach for approx 1 hour. Very enjoyable visit. Plentiful drinks and food. Highly recommend.

[island777girl]

Just got back from a cruise on the Carnival Victory - and toured St. Lucia with COSOL. This was the best tour of our cruise. Worth every penny, and more. We had Baptiste as our driver. We had 10 people in our van. Cosol was in one of the other vans, and made sure everyone was being taken care of at every stop. we did visit the Sulphur Springs - had a tour, got to see the mud baths - but we did not get to go in. We also visited the falls - and had time to go in the water there. Went to a beach for approx 1 hour. Very enjoyable visit. Plentiful drinks and food. Highly recommend.

 

What time did you get back to the ship? We have to be back on board by 430, so wondering if thats cutting it too close....

[billrco90278]

I booked with Cosol based on great reviews on both Cruise Critic and Trip Advisor, but have a concern. I understand that Cosol is a large operation with many vans. I recall reading of 75 people on his tour one day. Do the vans travel individually or in a caravan? Can his tour turn into a cattle drive and then a mob scene when food and drink is served?

[welldone60]

I booked with Cosol based on great reviews on both Cruise Critic and Trip Advisor, but have a concern. I understand that Cosol is a large operation with many vans. I recall reading of 75 people on his tour one day. Do the vans travel individually or in a caravan? Can his tour turn into a cattle drive and then a mob scene when food and drink is served?

 

 

We were some of the unlucky ones that had way to many people on a Cosol tour. There were six ships in port and Cosol tried to take way to many on the tour. The vans did travel along the same route and most of the stops were so crowded you could hardly move. Food stop was just crazy, you were lucky to get a few samples, some got nothing. They ran out of drinks at the first stop.

Now saying that, check to see how many ships will be in port. This could be a great tour if there were only 75 people or less (we had over 20 vans and small buses).

You can see by the reviews that most love this tour. We just had a bad day.

 

Check this site for ships in port. http://cruisett.com/ports.php

[billrco90278]

We were some of the unlucky ones that had way to many people on a Cosol tour. There were six ships in port and Cosol tried to take way to many on the tour. The vans did travel along the same route and most of the stops were so crowded you could hardly move. Food stop was just crazy, you were lucky to get a few samples, some got nothing. They ran out of drinks at the first stop.

Now saying that, check to see how many ships will be in port. This could be a great tour if there were only 75 people or less (we had over 20 vans and small buses).

You can see by the reviews that most love this tour. We just had a bad day.

 

Check this site for ships in port. http://cruisett.com/ports.php

 

Sounds like a grim and dissappointing day you had! Having convinced my wife to try a private tour, it would be a bummer if the experience turned negative. I notice on Trip Advisor most of the negative reviews are at least a year old. Perhaps Cosol is more careful now. Of course, the reviews are overwhelmingly glowing.

 

On our day, Dec. 12th, there are four ships, but one is the small Windstar Wind Surf. The other are Caribbean Princess, Adventure of the Seas, and Thomson Destiny. So it does not sound like too bad a day for crowds.

[welldone60]

Sounds like a grim and dissappointing day you had! Having convinced my wife to try a private tour, it would be a bummer if the experience turned negative. I notice on Trip Advisor most of the negative reviews are at least a year old. Perhaps Cosol is more careful now. Of course, the reviews are overwhelmingly glowing.

 

On our day, Dec. 12th, there are four ships, but one is the small Windstar Wind Surf. The other are Caribbean Princess, Adventure of the Seas, and Thomson Destiny. So it does not sound like too bad a day for crowds.

 

We still enjoyed our day, the big problem was the crowds at the Volcano and Falls. We got hung up in so much traffic that we lost several hours of our tour, so our time at the beach and other stops were shortened or eliminated.

Ask your driver what the crowds will be like at the Volcano and Falls. If he thinks they will be bad, ask if you can skip one or both stops. There is lots to see on the island.

[2Canucks]

We're booked for a Cosol tour in Feb/11 and hopefully with only 2 ships in port that day we won't have a crowding problem at the sights.

 

I wonder if Cosol monitors this website... I'm thinking it would be in his best interests to scale back on the tour numbers and go back to a more personalized approach for his tour or at the very least make sure "all' of his tour guides are at the same level of expertise.

 

This website is widely used and the numbers are increasing as word of mouth continues to pass along the info... to check out Cruisecritic. He'd be wise to read the tour reviews and postings from the people who have already done his tour and adjust his style a little....more isn't always better.

 

Pat :)

[cruisingforthe25th]

During our visit in October (21st) the Carnival Victory was the only ship in port. Cosol had one large group (approx 18) that booked as a group that he put in the vans first. Then the remaining group (approx 30) went in 3 additional vans. We traveled pretty much as a caravan. Cosol himself was around at most of the stops, making sure everything was OK, and everyone was happy. At the first stop, someone wanted to buy a water (the drinks were in another van), and he took care of getting the water. We had plenty of food and drinks - no one should have gone hungry or thirsty. When we stopped for drinks, the water/coke/beer and rum punch was freely flowing. As many refills of the punch as you wanted.

 

We arrived back to the ship at approx 3:45. This left a little bit of time for shopping at the port stores. We had spent a little more time at some of our stops, so we did not stop at the straw market. However, our driver kept a good look at the time, to ensure we got back to the ship.

[jillocb]

We just came from our 10 Day Eastern Caribbean cruise and used Cosol in St Lucia. It was wonderful. There were multiple vans and a car toting a private tour. We stopped at just a few places together, mostly alone. Did not have to wait for the other vans to go. The food and alcohol served were all wonderful. Tour guides were great and quite amusing. We had Baptiste as our guide. The other van had Cosol. Not sure who was running the car private tour. They made sure you were well fed and well .... drunk.

[KansasCityGuys]

I was just on Cosol Tours website and am very much impressed with what I saw and am reading here. We will be on the Emerald Princess departing Ft. Lauderdale Nov. 28. How are the reservations handled. Do you pre-pay or do you make a reservation and pay at the time of the tour?

 

Thanks,

 

Scott

[2Canucks]

Has anyone heard if Cosol is still offering tours after the Tomas hurricane?

 

Thanks for your help with the question above.

 

Pat :)

[CHuntMD]

I've emailed Nereus aka COSOL after Tomas went through. He was making a slight change to the tour. Will find out next week in person ;)

CH

[2Canucks]

I've emailed Nereus aka COSOL after Tomas went through. He was making a slight change to the tour. Will find out next week in person ;)

CH

 

Could you possibly return here with a review of your Cosol tour day?

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

Pat :)

[gigianne]

I emailed Cosol tonight and got a quick reply - our tour on the 27th is good to go!

[willk49]

We were on a Cosol tour the week before the hurricane. Had a good time. The vans are 13 passenger and seem well maintained. We were in the very back and never felt car sick. Getting in and out was easy enough. I made the mistake of not taking advantage of the final bathroom break. I really had to go :o and fortunately a young woman in our van was in the same predicament as she spoke up. Our driver, Baptise, pulled into a gas station at the next town. The homemade spiced rum they serve after getting back from snorkling was delicious! It was pouring rain on the water taxi out to the beach. We got soaked. Snorkling was good even with the cloud cover.