what to do on margarita?

[nightworker]

We Are Going On The Constellation In Jan And Would Like Info On What To Do In Margarita, I Have Read Conflicting Reports On The Pier Where The Ship Docks. So Say Go To The Beach By The Ship And There Is Great Shopping At The Pier. Especially For Pearls. I Was Also Thinking About An Excusion To The Beach. We Would Greatly Appreciate Any And All Input!!!!

[KAYEF]

YES!

There are fantastic buys on pearls right there on the dock/pier by the ship.;)

I got "taken" at a ship-sponsored shop while on a tour. :mad: They switched the pearls on me right when the tour operator came in and said we were leaving in two minutes, put them into a bag, and I didn't know until I got back on the ship what they'd done................and they were expensive.

I bought two lovely black and white pearl necklaces and a pair of black earrings right on the pier as I was heading "home" after a soaking, rainy day. They are beautiful, real and were far less expensive.

Just make sure they are real!!

and, have a lot of fun................

[emcee207]

dodge flies

[Islandbuoy]

If you like to drink while returning from the beach --the "chiva" beach party is good

[pd52]

We were there on Galaxy 18 months ago. It was our first time there. We walked to the beach from the ship, rental of chairs and umbrella's available. Very calm waters, you could walk out quite a was in shallow water. We actually just sat in the water for quite a while watching everyone. It's not for snorkeling, but if you just want to swim and relax, it was like an extended day at sea, just an extra large pool without chair hogs. Close enough to the ship to go back for lunch. The shops when we were there weren't actually shops, they were straw outdoor shops that were actually pretty nice. We did get quite a few things to bring back as small gifts. We were pleasently surprised at the island, and thoroughly enjoyed the day. Shore it's building up.

Have a great time.

[canderson]

The confusion about many things related to "this" island, is that there are two islands (both served by Celebrity in some fashion, and at times both served by Constellation!) that more or less share the same name. There's Isla Margarita off the coast of the Dominican Republic (a shorex from Casa de Campo), and Isla Marguerita off the coast of Venezuela.

 

The difference (in all respects) is night and day. As an example, there isn't anything remotely resembling a cruise ship dock on the island near the D.R.

 

What I've noted is that the lack of a distinction between the two by posters is leaving a lot of folks scratching their heads if they're not familiar with the other island and recognize the problem.

 

To the OP -=- a total strangeness -- but which island pertains to you depends upon your cruise date in January!!!

 

The January 14th and 28th itineraries of Constellation take you to Casa de Campo (and one shorex is to the little island there), and the 7th and 21st itineraries of Constellation take you to the island off the Venezuelan coast!

 

In order to get correct information, you must be specific about which January itinerary you've got, and those posting replies need to be equally specific in their response!

[sweetair]

kayef: did you know that if its a shop sponsered by the ship you have a guarantee protection? contact celebrity to find out what you can do!

 

emcee: lmao about those dang flies!!!maybe they should re-name it FLYisland!!!

 

*SWEET*

[drfun48]

On one Margarita I don't do much,but on five or six...lookout!

[nightworker]

Thank You All So Mcuh For The Info. We Are Going On The 21st Of January, So We Will Be In Margarita Venezuela. Has Anyone Done The Excursion To White Sands Of Coche Island? I'm Really Trying To Decide Between Staying By The Pier And Going To The Beach And Shop At The Pier Or The Excursion.!!!

[wieslaw]

Thank You All So Mcuh For The Info. We Are Going On The 21st Of January, So We Will Be In Margarita Venezuela. Has Anyone Done The Excursion To White Sands Of Coche Island? I'm Really Trying To Decide Between Staying By The Pier And Going To The Beach And Shop At The Pier Or The Excursion.!!!

Hello nightworker, just about a week ago we were on the Margarita Island Venezuela. We did not book any excursions there. We did some shopping in the close by 'stores' and spent about 2 hours on the beach right by the ship. I am not sure but I believe that the tour to Choche Island was cancelled at the last 'minute' because there was not enough people that wanted to go there and the operator of the tour cancelled it. I do not know if there is only one operator for this tour or more and if Celebrity will have some other operator provide this service in case if there is similar situation........so just in case be prepared for the same outcome.

Wes

[greeneg]

Thank You All So Mcuh For The Info. We Are Going On The 21st Of January, So We Will Be In Margarita Venezuela. Has Anyone Done The Excursion To White Sands Of Coche Island? I'm Really Trying To Decide Between Staying By The Pier And Going To The Beach And Shop At The Pier Or The Excursion.!!!

 

 

Nightworker, don't miss our Roll Call:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=144233

[darrencantwait]

Hey Nightworker. Like you, I'm trying to find more people that have done the ship sponsored excursions. I can't hardly find anything here. We're looking at the White Sands of Coche or the Cubagua Sailing.

 

Hope we can get some feedback before our March sailing.

[wieslaw]

Hey Nightworker. Like you, I'm trying to find more people that have done the ship sponsored excursions. I can't hardly find anything here. We're looking at the White Sands of Coche or the Cubagua Sailing.

 

Hope we can get some feedback before our March sailing.

 

Darren, I do not know if you tried to ask Kristina, who works there (in the port) and seems to answer many questions for many people.

Try the link below:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=123457&page=4

 

Wes

[boards]

We took a very reasonably priced tour of the island when we were there in Dec. '05 on the Veendam. It was very interesting and informative, but it rained the whole time and bus roof leaked and we had to change buses. It was still very good and price was right.

[darrencantwait]

Wes...thanks for the tip. I had been on that board. I hadn't asked Kristina because I wasn't sure she would be able to comment on ship sponsored excursions. But, after your post, I went ahead and asked her anyway. We'll see if I get anwhere. Thanks for your input.

[dcuzz]

Isn't the island off of the Dominican Republic called Catalina Island, not Margarita Island?

[canderson]

Isn't the island off of the Dominican Republic called Catalina Island, not Margarita Island?

There are two islands off the DR that are at times used for shore excursions by various lines. Catalina is the little island on the south side of the DR, just south of La Romana. (Call it Catalina Island instead of Isla Catalina and really confuse people when they mistake it for one off the California coast!) That's one we've visited -- er, both of them, actually:p . When Celebrity has visited Casa de Campo, they have sometimes offered shorex to Catalina.

 

The other island (that causes the confusion at hand) is somewhere on the north side of the DR.

[albertiger]

i was on Constellation 12/10 and did an excursion here. cant remember the exact name but it was eco-something. very nice day, they took us to a mangrove swamp/lake where we went out in little 4-6 passenger boats with a driver, then to a nature preserve-monkeys, pythons, ficus maze, fresh fruit tasting. the best part was seeing the diversity of the island, the worst part was the a/c on the buses (they switched ours and it was worse than the first) was awful! the guide was a little chatty but spoke excellent english and it was NOT expensive, about $38pp. very informative and enjoyable.:D

[RichardK]

Hopefully, this Island has come around a bit………for, in the early 90's I spent a year there one week!!!