Check it off the Bucket List! Panama Canal on the NCL Star October 1-16...with pics!

[Cubechick]

Day six, Huatulco, MX

 

Huatulco would also meet my expectations. All good! I had read that it’s a quiet resort town. They are interested in keeping the natural beauty of the area in tact, so it hasn’t become built up like Cabo is. There is a small beach right next to the pier and that’s where we headed. Huatulco was a short stop so we didn’t want to wander too far (although I will definitely explore more if we ever have the pleasure of returning!).

 

 

DH was out on our balcony as we pulled up to the pier. As usual there was a dockworker positioned to catch the lines and tie us up to the dock. He called out as he waited, “Hello! My name is Marco! Welcome to Huatulco! Welcome to Paradise! Oh? You want to park your boat here? That’ll be $100!” A much nicer “vibe” than Acapulco!

 

 

We walked around the area, enjoying the cove with small boats lined up.

 

 

The pretty buildings and streets were clean and quiet this early in the morning. Little things made Huatulco inviting, like the tree full of parrots that brought back fond memories of our trip to San Francisco last April.

 

 

Like most of our stops, there were plenty of people available to give various tours. There were also a number of small shops and restaurants set up on the beach.

 

We ended up at a table with an umbrella in a front row spot on the beach, offered by Carlos (I didn’t catch the name of the actual restaurant).

 

He was friendly and we didn’t feel pressured to sit in his area, which is why we chose him. There technically isn’t a charge for the tables and umbrellas, but they do of course expect you to order from their menu. Ultimately we’d have a Coke (when is the last time I had Coke in a glass bottle made with real sugar??), some local beers and margaritas during our stay. (I had to have one authentic margarita while still in Mexico!) DH took advantage of the rocks on one end of the bay and did some snorkeling (he brought his own equipment) while I just enjoyed the weather and read a little. Plenty of vendors came by selling the usual…scarves, necklaces, jewelry, etc. But they took a polite no for an answer and weren’t too aggressive.

 

 

Time to leave arrived too quickly, and after a quick stop at a grocery store for some sparkling water (agua con gas) we reluctantly made our way to the ship. When we approached the ship I saw Jorge standing near the gangway. I called to him that we hadn’t received our baskets yet and he replied that it was because we were in a suite! I asked what on earth that had to do with anything and he hastily said he would send us some wine. I hope that this was a misunderstanding on Jorge’s part and not a new policy. Latitudes status certainly has nothing to do with what room you’re staying in!

 

Tonight ended up being a buffet night for us. DH had the Indian food that he’s come to love. Later we ended up in the Red Lion Pub listening to Kenny Giordino sing and play guitar. He’s pretty good…about what you expect on a cruise ship with the normal repertoire. I unfortunately didn’t get a good picture of him, but he kind of reminded us of Severus Snape from the Harry Potter movies. ☺

[Cubechick]

My Dad would be heartbroken to see what has happened to his beloved Acapulco. He loved it there. I remember back in the 70's, when I was just a wee lad, he'd go every year. One year it would just be him and his brothers, and the next year they'd all bring their wives. They did that, every other year without their wives, for about 15 years.

 

He'd always bring me back a Mexican toy. "Ball-in-a-cup?!?!? NEATO!!!! Thanks Dad!!!"

 

Even after he and my Mom divorced, he still went. Just not as often. Maybe once every other year....right up until he died in 2006.

 

EDIT. Sorry for going on like that. I wanted to also thank you for the update. Please keep them coming. And don't forget the ship photos. Whatever you got, I'd like to see them...please.

 

It is truly a shame what has happened to Acapulco. It's nice that your dad got to see it when it was in its glory.

 

As I stumble upon decent photos of the ship, I'm adding them to my Star collection on Flickr:

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/39515557@N04/collections/

 

I'll keep adding as I go along. We have a crazy number of photos to sort through!

[Oviedo32765]

<snip>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

</snip>

 

I have to compliment you on your photographic skills. You take awesome photos! Did you enhance them in Photoshops or other program? Psst! What's your secret? I won't tell! :D

 

Also, I have noticed several panorama photos like the two above. Are they a series of photos that are stitched together? If so, what software did you use?

 

I may have to dump :eek: my Nikon DSLR for a camera like your!

[Cubechick]

I have to compliment you on your photographic skills. You take awesome photos! Did you enhance them in Photoshops or other program? Psst! What's your secret? I won't tell! :D

 

Also, I have noticed several panorama photos like the two above. Are they a series of photos that are stitched together? If so, what software did you use?

 

I may have to dump :eek: my Nikon DSLR for a camera like your!

 

Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying the photos. No photo shop. And as far as the panoramic ones go, DH took those. The camera has a setting for it. We've been very pleased with the purchase. It also does HD video:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Cyber-shot-DSC-HX5V-Wide-Angle-Stabilization/dp/B00328HR76/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1319502705&sr=1-1

[Urban trekker]

Enjoyed your last two reviews - i have a slightly more favorable review of Acapulco - i did the hiking trip and while hot it wasn`t too bad and after that I walked around the fort and old town - while there were some vendors begging me to purchase there trinkets I found it a lot less scary that the last time I was there in 2007 - then there were so many little kids pestering you and not taking no for an answer - one gentlemen with proper government ID wanted to do a walking trip with me on the pretext of working on his English but after a couple of minutes of banter i was on my way back to the ship.

 

As for welcome basket - I got one and i am only Gold - that particular cruise excursion guy is the worse that I have had in seventeen cruises - I have a list of other little things that I will be passing onto the customer relations people at NCL.

 

His other job is a flight attendant for a major US airline - feel sorry for the people on the Pearl who will be getting him in about five weeks.

 

You are doing such a good job of describing the cruise I might not need to do my own but rather refer people to this thread.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[sbt518]

Day six, Huatulco, MX

 

 

Later we ended up in the Red Lion Pub listening to Kenny Giordino sing and play guitar. He’s pretty good…about what you expect on a cruise ship with the normal repertoire. I unfortunately didn’t get a good picture of him, but he kind of reminded us of Severus Snape from the Harry Potter movies. ☺

 

I'm cracking up right now, my husband and I were on the Star last week and we were calling him Snape all week! We did get pictures, I'll post one in my review.

 

Also, I'm really enjoying your review so far. Were the people evacuated for the Noro outbreak? We heard there were a lot of heart attacks on board your sailing? That is so sad! I hope all those people are OK.

[time2cruise1]

My Dad would be heartbroken to see what has happened to his beloved Acapulco. He loved it there. I remember back in the 70's, when I was just a wee lad, he'd go every year. One year it would just be him and his brothers, and the next year they'd all bring their wives. They did that, every other year without their wives, for about 15 years.

 

He'd always bring me back a Mexican toy. "Ball-in-a-cup?!?!? NEATO!!!! Thanks Dad!!!"

 

Even after he and my Mom divorced, he still went. Just not as often. Maybe once every other year....right up until he died in 2006.

 

EDIT. Sorry for going on like that. I wanted to also thank you for the update. Please keep them coming. And don't forget the ship photos. Whatever you got, I'd like to see them...please.

 

You're dad may not be heartbroken. There are still wonderful parts of Acapulco. The ship docked in old Acapulco where you can get a hotel for $15 a night. We took the ATV tour that gave us a chance to see new Acapulco and Diamond Bay where the famous resorts and Sylvester Stylone's house is. A very different city. We had a great day and great food after a nice run down the beach. Clearly the gangs are killing the city with tourism down almost 70%.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Cubechick]

Enjoyed your last two reviews - i have a slightly more favorable review of Acapulco - i did the hiking trip and while hot it wasn`t too bad and after that I walked around the fort and old town - while there were some vendors begging me to purchase there trinkets I found it a lot less scary that the last time I was there in 2007 - then there were so many little kids pestering you and not taking no for an answer - one gentlemen with proper government ID wanted to do a walking trip with me on the pretext of working on his English but after a couple of minutes of banter i was on my way back to the ship.

 

As for welcome basket - I got one and i am only Gold - that particular cruise excursion guy is the worse that I have had in seventeen cruises - I have a list of other little things that I will be passing onto the customer relations people at NCL.

 

His other job is a flight attendant for a major US airline - feel sorry for the people on the Pearl who will be getting him in about five weeks.

 

You are doing such a good job of describing the cruise I might not need to do my own but rather refer people to this thread.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

 

You'll get no argument from me, Dennis! Jorge wasn't the greatest...

 

I'm glad you enjoyed the hike. I was nervous about the air quality with my asthma. I can (and do) pre-treat, but a lot of humidity can be terrible for me.

[Cubechick]

I'm cracking up right now, my husband and I were on the Star last week and we were calling him Snape all week! We did get pictures, I'll post one in my review.

 

Also, I'm really enjoying your review so far. Were the people evacuated for the Noro outbreak? We heard there were a lot of heart attacks on board your sailing? That is so sad! I hope all those people are OK.

 

I'm so glad it wasn't just us with the Snape thing! He even sounded like Snape when he spoke!!! :D

 

We read (on here) about a person being evacuated because of the Noro in Cartegena. I'm not surprised. Thankfully we didn't catch it (got a cold though), especially as the ship was in full "code red" two days before we got to Tampa.

[JMHAM1]

What is that exactly?

 

The reason I ask is earlier this year, on Princess in one of their specialty restaurants, they had an item that looked very very similar. It was some sort of cold lamb loin, sliced just like that, with pine nuts and chutney or something like that. It even had some dandelion weeds thrown on top.

 

It tasted like the Ass of Satan, so I want to avoid it at all costs.

 

(Seriously, that image is bringing up painful memories.)

 

I thought it was listed on the Princess menu as "Le Ass of Satan"!

 

 

 

Cubechick, your review is amazing. Less than 100 days before we board the Star for the first time YAY!

[bsblindab]

Day Two…@ sea

 

Ah, what a blissful first night of sleep. I could have stayed snugged in that comfy bed all day but for cappuccino on the balcony beckoning. Ah, this is living. I swear the suites are worth the money for the Lavazza machine alone! Once the caffeine shot the cobwebs from my brain it was time to get freshened up and head to Cagney’s for breakfast. A traditional eggs Benedict and some wonderful fresh fruit from the buffet and I’m good to go. DH had the crab cake Benedict, which gets such rave reviews (I’ll be having mine another day).

 

Trying to get off on the right foot, we head off for a 30-minute power walk around the promenade deck. A seven-day cruise can do substantial damage to my waistline. I’m very nervous to find out what fifteen days will do! The air is incredibly muggy, but I enjoy every moment outdoors as I imagine winter lurking around the corner.

 

Our meet and greet was scheduled for the civilized hour of 11:30 so we had plenty of time to shower and make ourselves presentable. The turnout of roll call members to the M&G was impressive. I think at least 80 – 90 percent of those who said they’d turn up did. The officers showed up in full force, including the Captain, Hotel Director and the Senior Food and Beverage Manager. The Senior F&B is a unique position. He will take over for the HD when the HD goes on vacation to increase continuity on the ships. The Captain very generously invited everyone who attended the M&G to tour the bridge at a time later in the cruise (this is the first Meet and Greet I’ve attended where this was offered). Everyone eagerly signed the sign-up sheet once they realized what it was for!

 

Lunch again in Cagney’s, but what was really on our minds was that the Patriots game against the Raiders was being broadcast in the Red Lion Pub. Unfortunately, seating is limited in this space, so we headed back to the cabin to watch the game. People may laugh, but this trip would interfere with four Sundays! That’s almost a quarter of the season!! The Patriots were victorious, naturally, and we found seats at the pub between games to enjoy a pint of Boddingtons.

 

 

For the first time since the Gem in 2008, we had dinner in the main dining room! We usually don’t bother because we prefer the atmosphere of the specialty restaurants, and when we want something more casual, the buffet works just fine. In fact DH loves the Indian food served at the buffet. Anyway Aqua was quite good and the new menu very successful.

 

 

The left side offered special appetizers, entrees, and desserts, which changed daily, while the right side, offered classics. Steak, chicken breast, and pasta for example, all of which were very good. I wish they’d employ the method of a couple of daily specials at Cagney’s during lunch. It would be wonderful to have choices different from the static menu. We’d walked by an empty LeBistro on the way to Aqua and found out why. I swear everyone on the ship was in Aqua! It was packed even though it was 8:00 at night. Thank goodness the concierge, Patrick, had arranged reservation for our party.

 

DH wasn’t as successful at the casino this night, so we went to the Red Lion to catch the last of Sunday night football, walking by the atrium on the way.

 

 

Our first sea day since June 2010 was wonderful…our last cruise had been Hawaii, and although a stunning vacation, we missed our sea days!

 

we will be on the Star next October..What is this 3rd picture of? Is that the atrium? with restaurants on either side?

[valleyvillage]

Directly below is the Java Cafe (pastries are free, coffee beverages Starbucks prices), on the right is Endless Summer, the Tex Mex, directly behind you would be the Tapas Bar (free tapas with beverage purchase) and on the left is the Blue Lagoon, included in cruise. It' the 24 hour comfort food spot, loved by many, dismissed by some, one of my faves.

[Urban trekker]

The noro didn`t start to appear until after we left Puntarenas so the earlier evacuations wouldn`t be for that reason - the one at Panama was for a gentlemen who suffered a stroke - this was confirmed to me by a cruiser who was aware of the details.

 

Other gems from cruise consultant include - my tender tickets at Cabo being good for two days when the stop is for one - my luggage having to be out on Friday night when we dock on a Sunday - our departure time from Key West is 5PM not 2PM - a dinner special while the ship is docked in Prince Rupert - these are all mistakes from being lazy - tmeplates are fine but you must remember to keep them updated.

 

More - were any of you in the atrium when he was suppose to be describing the new Breakaway and he mentioned that he had forgetten the material and would present it the next day.

 

Anyways - keep the reviews coming - helping me pass the time as I continue to fight the cold I picked up on the first leg of the cruise.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[RNPJN]

This is just random, but we just came back from the Panama canal cruise on the Pearl. We also are Platinum and didn't receive the complimentary basket & were told its because we were in a suite. & then the latitudes consultant proceeded to tell us if we had ever received it before (we have), that it was a mistake. I didn't really care about a cheap bottle of wine but did not appreciate that attitude at all! Our cruise was fantastic, aft suite also, but its these little things that seem to trip NCL up. If policy changed, so be it, but don't give me a story.

[time2cruise1]

This is just random, but we just came back from the Panama canal cruise on the Pearl. We also are Platinum and didn't receive the complimentary basket & were told its because we were in a suite. & then the latitudes consultant proceeded to tell us if we had ever received it before (we have), that it was a mistake. I didn't really care about a cheap bottle of wine but did not appreciate that attitude at all! Our cruise was fantastic, aft suite also, but its these little things that seem to trip NCL up. If policy changed, so be it, but don't give me a story.

 

We heard the same story. Did not take no for an answer and it finally arrived day 5 after publicly embarrassing the Cruise Consultant. You will love this 3rd night in Spinnakers he told me he was too drunk to talk about it. The fact we pay 5-8 times more for a suite then an inside is no reason not to send a $8 bottle of wine.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[RNPJN]

Our point exactly! Was it really worth it to NCL to dissatisfy a passenger for a token bottle of wine? Their reasoning made no sense whatsoever. We're paying extra for a suite and you get your loyalty freebie perk taken away. Not exactly a goodwill gesture when their staff acts like that. So unprofessional, I don't know how I would have reacted to that latitudes person in the bar, That's just rude on his part!

[Cubechick]

Our point exactly! Was it really worth it to NCL to dissatisfy a passenger for a token bottle of wine? Their reasoning made no sense whatsoever. We're paying extra for a suite and you get your loyalty freebie perk taken away. Not exactly a goodwill gesture when their staff acts like that. So unprofessional, I don't know how I would have reacted to that latitudes person in the bar, That's just rude on his part!

 

I don't like to hear that this is apparently policy. :( It certainly doesn't reward our loyalty does it?

[Cubechick]

Day Seven, Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala

 

It’s day seven of our adventure and I’m not sinking into depression, having to pack! In fact, we have over a week to go! Woo-hoo!

 

I understand that our experience is common place, but it was the first time that we’d taken an NCL excursion that we were corralled into the Stardust Theater to wait for our tour to be called. Usually we’ve had a meeting place on the pier and have just walked off of the ship at the appropriate time. This was not bad. The theater was packed and it was approximately an hour between the time we were told to meet and the time we were on our bus. The shore excursion lady was funny, telling stories of the goofy questions they get asked. One of my favorites was “How small does my face need to be to get a mini-facial?”

 

When we got to the sea of busses, I counted seven for our Colonial Antigua tour (plus three busses for German speaking guests). The first two busses were filling up rapidly, so we waited by the third bus so we’d be able to get seats near the front. I noticed that someone was already sitting on the bus, and thought he kind of looked like the Captain, but figured I had to be wrong. Well, wouldn’t you know, it was the Captain. That alone made the whole tour. How many people get to say that they spent an entire day with the Captain?

 

Overall I would recommend this tour. On the way to Colonial Antigua we passed cool rock formations, small villages, and several volcanoes, one of which was spewing smoke! That alone was worth the price of admission! It is a long drive however, and the tiny Colonial Antigua roads can’t accommodate the big tour busses, so a good half hour is spent just maneuvering the streets. Once you get back on the highway (and past the landslides caused by the frequent earthquakes) all is good. Colonial Antigua is also around 3,000 feet above sea level so the temperature was quite comfortable!

 

 

(not the best picture taken from the moving bus, but you get the idea...T2C1 may have a better pic since he was in the front seat of the bus on the way back)

 

Our tour guide, Dario was very informative, but almost too much so. I don’t know how to explain it, but he simply talked too much. He imparted a tremendous amount of information, but in such a way that I couldn’t retain a darn thing he said. I paid attention to other guides during our cruise and noticed that they’d give you very good sound bites, then pause and let you digest what they said. Dario was so nice and so friendly, but he literally talked non-stop and I’d tune him out…and therefore I learned very little of Guatemala’s history.

 

Basically we stopped in a plaza where he warned us that the vendors would swarm. He said that they’re illegal, so the police are there to keep them off of you (to a small degree) but if you want to buy something just keep an eye out for the cops. While the police did keep them from becoming a completely parasitic invasion, I don’t think they really cared if the tourists parted with their USD. The Guatemalan vendors were much more colorfully clothed than their Mexican counterparts and more articulate (for the most part) but also much more persistent.

 

 

They really didn’t want to take no for an answer. It was a relief to go into the church and the B&B where we had lunch as they were barred from entry. It was quite comical at the B&B as they were all gathered at the arched entryway but it was as if they were blocked by a Star Trek force field. If you glanced in their direction, they would start shaking their wares, but couldn’t cross the threshold.

 

 

Anyway, the church was very nice, and the ruins behind it quite interesting. Lunch was very good, but for $90 pp I think they could have included more than water as a beverage. The best part were the homemade tortillas that we watched young ladies form and cook before us.

 

 

When we came out of the church we saw several uniformed schoolgirls walking down the street. According to Dario, the school day runs in two sessions. The girls that we were seeing now would be out later, trying to peddle their wares, and the girls who were out selling this morning, would now head to school. What was particularly interesting to note was that in this very poor country, almost every schoolgirl we saw was talking or texting away on a smart phone. I also saw satellite dishes on top of homes that were little more than shacks. It was quite surreal.

 

Despite the fact that there were a total of ten busses on this tour, they did a great job of staggering everyone so as we entered the B&B, a group was leaving and while we were there, two other groups showed up. I barely noticed the other groups as we were touring so you never felt overly crowded.

 

After the lunch there was a trip to the “Jade Museum” (translated to shopping opportunity). Actually, this was more interesting than we expected. The woman giving the presentation was an archeologist who moved to Guatemala in the ‘70’s to rediscover the Jade mines of Guatemala. They’d been lost when the Spanish Conquistadors invaded and banned Jade because the local Mayans would make some of their jade into statues. Per the Spaniards, this was worshipping false idols and the jade mines were lost in history (see I retained a lot more of this lady’s 20 minute talk than I did of Dario’s hours of pontificating).

 

Her “retirement boulder” was more of a “retirement rock” as far as size goes, but if I recall correctly she estimated that the value was upwards of $20 million. I would loved to have purchased something…but I can only wear gold and the cost has become prohibitive as of late. It was also nice being in the shop as the armed guards meant you definitely didn’t have vendors crowding you!

 

 

As usual, the ride back always seems longer, but the volcano chugging more black smoke made for a nice diversion. Back at the pier I got my fridge magnet and a t-shirt for DH. We also stopped at a small cigar bar for a bottle of Gallo, the local beer. A very successful day at shore!

 

Dinner was again at Aqua, which continues to impress. The food quality in the main dining rooms has been impressive. This may be a reason that the specialty restaurants have been so slow…you don’t need to go to them to get better food!

[Urban trekker]

To coin a phase for a well known restaurant chain - I`m Lovin`it

 

PS - I think Antigua is around 4500` above sea level

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[Cubechick]

To coin a phase for a well known restaurant chain - I`m Lovin`it

 

PS - I think Antigua is around 4500` above sea level

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

 

I think you're right now that I think about it. I was just going by what Dario said. :)

[Cubechick]

Days 8 and 9…sea day & Costa Rica

 

This sea day was marked by a martini clinic and the silver on up Latitudes party. I thought it interesting that on the invitation they specified that you could get “call drinks”. I’ve never seen that advertised before…I’ve known you could order what you want, but haven’t seen it confirmed in writing!

 

During the day there was a cooking demonstration by a chef from Le Bistro and a pastry chef. The beverage manager was very impressed by the turn out…I didn’t bother to point out that the event was free. It was fun watching them cook and killed a half hour or so. They also passed out samples of what they cooked so it was an opportunity for some to try a little of LeBistro’s yummy filet mignon.

 

The martini clinic was good. DH and I split one tasting, which is a smart move when you’re served five martinis…and you have a cocktail party to go to afterward!

 

Dinner was at Ginza. Up until this night, the Freestyle Daily had specifically stated that the sushi was priced ala carte. Today’s Freestyle Daily didn’t state that, so one of our friends tried to order sushi for the $15 fee that they charge at Ginza. Well, a big broohaha ensued. We were told that sushi was still ala carte regardless of what the Daily said. At this point the HD, Filippo and the F&B Manager, Yannis walked by. They confirmed that it was an error and made our meals two for one. Ironically, if they’d charged our friend the $15 they would have made out. Her order of sushi only came to $6.50! The next day, the Freestyle Daily had been corrected! ☺ The Asian fusion restaurant remains one of my favorites on the ship. I always have something good when I eat there.

 

Now on to Costa Rica. We’d hooked up with some folks on the roll call and booked a private tour with Okey-Dokey tours. This was a good tour as there was a lot going on and it offered something for everyone. My only criticism of the entire day was at the beginning. The tour operator was supposed to meet us at the main gate to the pier, with a sign with the name of the person who had booked the tour. DH and I walk down and find no one. Didn’t see a sign or recognize anyone who’d be touring with us. We head back toward the ship and another tour operator asked if he could help. We told him we were booked with Okey-Dokey, and he got on his cell phone and called Charlie Soto the owner. We were assured that someone was waiting and the guy that helped us told us that next time we should book with Ricky Ricardo, because he’d be right there meeting us. ☺

 

Back down the pier we walk and yes there is a guy with a tiny “Okey-Dokey” emblem on his polo shirt, but no sign. We find out later that they had made a sign, but left it in the van. Doh! Finally we all gather and board the van. The van held our group of nineteen just perfectly. Four people didn’t show and we were all grateful because if they were there, the jump seats would have been employed and we would have been cramped indeed.

 

The first stop on the tour was to feed Capuchin monkeys. I was a little apprehensive about this and waited to see how it went for others before I gave it a shot. It was funny to watch all of these people walking around, holding bits of banana and crackers, calling, “Monkey, monkey, monkey”. If you followed directions, all went well. You approached the monkey with the food in your fist and held out your hand toward them. You let them come to you and we were instructed to keep our fists closed to make the monkey work for the food. (But not to close your fists so tight that they can’t get to the food…if the monkey showed it’s teeth you were instructed to let go immediately!) Obviously the monkeys are fairly tame being hand fed all of the time. My monkey did come up to me as advertised, pried my fingers apart, took his banana and scurried away to eat it. It was pretty cool. One other tip was to not stand under the monkeys…the monkeys having an all fruit diet, well, let’s just say they “go” rather frequently.

 

 

 

Next we stopped at a fresh fruit stand and we were given monstrous slabs of pineapple and watermelon and fresh cashews. There was supposed to be a stop involving sugar cane, but that didn’t materialize. The description of the tour also mentioned a mango plantation, but unless you count them pointing at one as we drove past, that didn’t happen either.

 

Our next stop involved splitting the group up. You had the option of zip-lining (which half our group did), a bridge canopy walk (no one did this), or the crocodile man river tour on the Tarcoles river (this is what we did). This was a cool tour. The boat first took you out to a sand barge where the pilot of the boat got out and fed the crocodiles slabs of fish.

 

The crocs were literally five feet from us (this is one tour where people listen when they tell you to keep your hands in the boat!!) and some of the ugliest animals I’ve ever seen. They have the same predatory stare as sharks and their muddy color just evokes a bit of revulsion. The vultures that shared the sand bar with the crocs were attractive by comparison!

 

 

 

We’d see other crocs in the distance but really the rest of the tour was spent viewing numerous types of birds and cruising through the mangroves. This was very enjoyable and definitely nothing we’d ever done at home!

 

 

When we were done, we drove ten minutes down the road to pick up the zip-liners at a nearby resort. After that it was off to lunch. We ate at what was truly a local roadside café. It was a buffet really of several types of rice, beans and chicken. There was some calamari that we tried that was very good as well. A typical Costa Rican meal consists of rice and beans, chicken, and a garden salad. DH and I gave the salad a fairly wide berth. Washed, uncooked veggies were your most likely culprit for bacteria in these rural areas. When I heard later on that the ship picked up the noro virus in Costa Rica, my first thought was how many people had salad that day?

 

After a quick stop at a grocery store so people could buy coffee and rum, it was back to the ship. I looked at the time and realized that we’d get back in time to see the last hour of the Jets/Patriots game. Yay! The Patriots were victorious again!

 

Dinner was at Aqua again and this time for me it was the roast beef with Yorkshire pudding. Very, very good.

 

Up next, the Panama Canal!

[spirit rev]

Cubechick

Love your review, particularly now that you are at ports we weill be at in January - another cruise line.

If you had it to do again, would you use Okey-Dokey Tours another time? Did you hear anything about other tours folks liked - or at least saw while in Puntarenas?

Like so many others, I love your pictures.

Thanks for your time writing and sorting through the pictures so you can share with us.

[MikeyB]

Hello Cubechick

I also enjoy your write-up. Learning more about NCL (Sorry, Norwegian).

Regarding being Platinum. I have just reached that status.

What was the Latitudes welcome basket? nd was something else offered that is not on their official list?

[DrFootball]

Trying to Get DW to(agree to) do this next spring,..but we're re-locating next fall and she wants Alaska for '13...

 

 

Bill(DrFootball)(Cubechick's not gonna like this next Quote!)

"We Stomped you OUT"-Michael Strahan at the Giants Victory parade after SB 42…

Bill's Brainiac Random Quote Generator V0.95 final beta for Mac

[Cubechick]

Cubechick

Love your review, particularly now that you are at ports we weill be at in January - another cruise line.

If you had it to do again, would you use Okey-Dokey Tours another time? Did you hear anything about other tours folks liked - or at least saw while in Puntarenas?

Like so many others, I love your pictures.

Thanks for your time writing and sorting through the pictures so you can share with us.

 

When I researched Okey-Dokey they seemed pretty much on par with Ricky Ricardo tours. I think you'd be fine with either, but I have to admit that if I go back I'd try Ricky Ricardo. I liked that he was right there on the pier...he seemed to have his act together.

 

Hello Cubechick

I also enjoy your write-up. Learning more about NCL (Sorry, Norwegian).

Regarding being Platinum. I have just reached that status.

What was the Latitudes welcome basket? nd was something else offered that is not on their official list?

 

The welcome basket is just a higher end fruit basket with a bottle of white or red wine. It hasn't been officially on the list of benefits in quite some time, but it's something we've always received ever since we became gold.

 

Trying to Get DW to(agree to) do this next spring,..but we're re-locating next fall and she wants Alaska for '13...

 

 

Bill(DrFootball)(Cubechick's not gonna like this next Quote!)

"We Stomped you OUT"-Michael Strahan at the Giants Victory parade after SB 42…

Bill's Brainiac Random Quote Generator V0.95 final beta for Mac

 

Mean Dr. Football.