Cartagena shuttle??

[mike x ftc]

We're on the Equinox in November, we have read its not easy or advisable to walk from the ship to the old town, does anyone know if Celebrity run shuttle buses (payable or otherwise). I have noted there is no excursion options for "on your own". Or do we have to get a taxi?

Thanks

[jelayne]

There wasn't a shuttle when we went in Dec 2012. We took a taxi.

[gold1953]

Taxi is $20.00 each way . Just find another couple to share the trip

[Balloon Man]

We were in Cartagena off Millennium a couple of years ago. Absolutely no port security.

 

We found a taxi driver immediately outside the port who for $40 took us on a two hour tour - half of which was on foot through the city centre where vehicles are not allowed. Ended-up in a bar for a quick beer which he paid for because we didn't have any Colombian cash.

 

Absolutely brilliant. Felt completely safe at all times. Lovely city to explore. And we tipped him well!

 

Of course, the fact my wife was born in Colombia and speaks the local Spanish fluently might have helped ;)

[hamrag]

We're on the Equinox in November, we have read its not easy or advisable to walk from the ship to the old town, does anyone know if Celebrity run shuttle buses (payable or otherwise). I have noted there is no excursion options for "on your own". Or do we have to get a taxi?

Thanks

 

No shuttle service. We almost always DIY in port, and consider Cartagena virtually impossible (and highly inadvisable) to walk to as it is probably about 5km. We got a taxi from port, the drivers/agents organising the taxis are somewhat aggressive and intimidating. When we were in the taxi, at the port exit a "friend" of the driver embarked and tried everything he knew to get us to do a tour rather than a transfer. I don't tolerate nonsense, and was less than comfortable telling him repeatedly we simply wanted to walk round Cartagena. We were very glad to get out in the end, and the only way we managed it was for me to be direct and slightly rude to the "friend" and driver.

On the way back it is simple, because you get a taxi from town and they do not have the agenda which prevails at port.

 

The old town area is stunning, so don't be put off by my report, and simply a "must see"!

 

Enjoy.

[HappyTvlr]

There was one guy right outside the exit offering a two hour tour, and we turned him down. He kept trying, and we kept walking and declining. We quickly found a taxi and were easily able to confirm with him that we just wanted a ride to town. Walking around all day we felt extremely safe, and enjoyed a meal in a small highly rated (tripadvisor) restaurant where we spoke no Spanish and they spoke no English. Sorry I can't recall the name, but it was fantastic. I am now studying Spanish. I will pass on one of the best pieces of advice ever given to me about taxis in tourist areas. If you know what your journey is going to be, as in this case it is ship terminal to downtown, you go online and search out how much the ride should cost. Even if this is not possible, you should always come to a clear understanding as to what the fare will be with the driver BEFORE you take the ride. If they are unwilling to set the fare, go to the next guy. They typically don't use meters, and they know what they plan to ask you for at the end.

[wallie5446]

We're on the Equinox in November, we have read its not easy or advisable to walk from the ship to the old town, does anyone know if Celebrity run shuttle buses (payable or otherwise). I have noted there is no excursion options for "on your own". Or do we have to get a taxi?

Thanks

We have yet to decide on what and how to see the city yet also. Quite a few on the Roll Call have various tours set up.

See ya at

Sail Away in 85 days!

EW

Edited August 17, 2014 by wallie5446

[mike x ftc]

Thanks very much for the replies, we'll have to just brave a taxi and pray!!

I'll re check our roll call..

Thanks for the advice.

Edited August 17, 2014 by mike x ftc

[Lsimon]

Running the Taxi Gauntlet at any port can sometimes be a little intimidating. But the best advice is to discuss what you want and what the cost will be, and whether the ride/tour will be your party only or shared with others, before you ever even agree to walk towards the taxi.

 

I will say that the one time we were in Cartagena, several years ago, we did want a short tour that included the fort and then time around the old town. We discussed this with the first driver we met who gave our group of 9 a reasonable rate. He gave us an excellent tour including guiding us through the fort and old town on foot with lots of information. It was a very nice day.

[jkgourmet]

Will the taxi drivers in cartegena take USD?

 

Will bars and restaurants take credit cards or USD?

[Lsimon]

Will the taxi drivers in cartegena take USD?

 

Will bars and restaurants take credit cards or USD?

 

Our taxi driver (hired at the cruise terminal) did take US Dollars and quoted our rate in dollars from the start. I believe the street vendors selling goods in Cartagena took US dollars as well. Don't remember about the fort admission or if the taxi driver provided that for us or not. We used credit cards in the restaurant we had lunch at. While our experience was pretty limited, I think you'll do fine with US Dollars or credit cards in the tourist areas (especially the tourist areas catering to cruise passengers) for limited expenditures.

 

OTOH, if you're shopping in "regular" stores where prices are quoted in local currency or a restaurant that doesn't take credit cards then you might do better with Columbian Pesos which you could get at a local ATM.

Edited August 17, 2014 by Lsimon

[cluso]

We were there a couple years ago. The taxi drivers were very aggressive. HOWEVER--walk to the front (street side) of the main terminal, and there is a large sign quoting what taxi fares SHOULD BE. Some of the drivers were quoting way higher fares, hoping you would not walk by the sign. The way we disembarked, you would not go by that sign.

 

Old Town was great--take your camera! Felt safe. Walk the wall around Old Town.

[cluso]

I checked my picture of the sign, and 3 years ago it was $15 (per taxi, not per person) to "Centro" from the cruise terminal. I recall the taxi drivers were quoting around $30-40 for the ride before we saw the sign (and that was just a ride to town--no tour). Live and learn...:rolleyes:

 

The sign was in US dollars and they were accepted everywhere we went.

Edited August 17, 2014 by cluso
Addition

[CHEZMARYLOU]

Thanks for all the information, especially the tip about the sign giving the usual price. Our first time in Cartagena we did a ships tour to the fortress. Next time we want to go to old town on our own.

 

Mary Lou

[cashmeremypuppydog]

[/b]=jkgourmet;43781437]

Will the taxi drivers in cartegena take USD? Yes

 

Will bars and restaurants take credit cards or USD? The fort will not take USD so we used our credit card. We also purchased coffee at the grocery store in old Cartagena and paid with our credit card.

.

[ClaudiaB]

We took a fabulous private excursion there a couple years ago. Very safe and we had a wonderful day.

 

We went through Lee Miles who is known as Mr. Emerald. Someone on our roll call had done it before and we ended up with about 4 or 5 cars or small vans.

We were met by Lee on the pier and got our van driver. He spoke English very well, and we had zero problem understanding him. He was funny and smart and really knew his city.

 

He gave us a private tour of the Palace of the Inquisition, a great walk through the old town with some interesting facts. Also went up to the fort for awhile.

He was very informative about what we should and shouldn't do. There were more beggars than I've ever seen, some kind of aggressive, but he said just hold up your hand and say "no" and it was no problem. He even knew some of the kids and spoke to them and they scurried away. There were many, many large buses in town, it was crowded, and I was so grateful we had a very small van and only 5 in it.

 

Beforehand we had asked if we could have our driver take us to a nice sit-down place for lunch that was authentic and away from tourists. He did. It was not a place you'd normally look twice at, but once inside it was like a tropical country club - we asked him to join us and picked up his tab - he was surprised, guess people don't normally do that. Lovely lunch and we learned so much about him and his family and what life is like for him in Cartagena.

 

We *did* do the optional stop at the end to Mr. Emerald's jewelry store. We didn't stay long - and we wouldn't have had to stop but one of the people in our car wanted to, so we did. I don't think anyone even bought anything - my husband offered, but honestly I'm not a huge emerald fan and I don't buy from places I haven't checked out.

 

We never felt afraid or anything. It was extremely hot - of course - and humid - of course - so glad we carried a couple large bottles of water each. I remember a lot of people didn't get off the ship but I'm so glad we did. No one ventured very far, no matter what they did - I mean, you really don't want to rent a car and drive inland or anything like that.

[youwash]

We were in Cartagena on the Equinox this past January. Where you dock is really a container shipping port. Our opinion is that it would be a really long walk to the exit for a taxi. Granted, the fact that it is 100 degrees would make it seem long no matter how far it actually is.

We are not timid travelers as we have been to many ports but we still like to do ship excursions for the ease and security. We did do a ship excursion which was a combination of things-La Popa Monestary, just a photo stop at the Fort a Folkloric show and a walk thru old town. The tours pick you up at the ship. It was just enough for us.

[Hlitner]

They had shuttles the last time we were there, but sharing a taxi was cheaper and faster. There are plenty of taxis at the Port's taxi stand and they will take you anywhere for about $5 (if shared). And we agree that it is not reasonable to consider walking from the port into the central part of town. The distance would be a bigger problem then the safety. We actually thought that Cartegena had remarkably improved their situation over the past few years...to where DW and I now felt quite safe walking around on our own (and we tend to go to some back streets).

 

Hank

Edited August 17, 2014 by Hlitner

[waggie]

I would hate to mislead you, but when we were there 2 years ago we took a taxi, 'agreed' a rate which was more than the sign - which we had missed! and he took us into town. On our return we saw that there was a boat service alongside the dock. Lovely, modern, large vessel which docks across the road from the walled city and made for a super return trip right back to the ship! Shame we didn't notice it on our way out to join the taxi queue!

As others have said, Cartagena is a gem of a city and you shouldn't miss it.

Enjoy!

Edited August 18, 2014 by waggie
added text

[waggie]

After some searching I have found this reference:

There is now a catamaran service that takes passengers from the cruise port to the docks by the Old Town. You buy a bracelet at the port store for $10 and it allows you to go to the Old Town and back for one price. The trip takes about 15 minutes each way and run every 30 minutes. There are 2 catamarans and they each hold about 120 passengers. During the trip you get a good view of Bocagrande as well as the old town and Convention Center. There are restrooms on board as well as refreshments and a guide to provide maps and other information.

 

I just hope the service is still running!

Waggie

[mike x ftc]

Wow, the catamaran sounds much more like it:) i really hope it is running as that would be great.