Enrichment Voyages .. anyone heard of them?

[Southrim1]

Maven, are you on this Enrichment Voyage — either on ship now or joining the MV Explorer in Puntaranas on May 22?

[Southrim1]

Maven

 

First, enjoy the lectures on the ship. Pick ones that sound interesting. These are all conducted by professors who have been on the ship before. Yes, they dumb things down a bit for the tourists, but they are on the ship 24/7 so you can always ask questions. Dr. Max Brandt is an expert in his field and a former dean of the ship, and he's a really approachable human being. If you are into music, chat it up with him. Dr. Jill Wright runs things and she is also quite pleasant and an alumni of the Semester at Sea program. You will find that many of the support staff are former students who have a genuine love for what they do.

 

Number one: In Belize take the trip out to Jaguar's Paw and do the cave tubing. Last year two people freaked out when we had to cross a river and march off into the jungle and turned back to the resort. The key word here to remember is "resort" ... they are not going to allow the guests to be eaten by wild animals. Once you walk about a mile along a clearly marked trail you enter the river (with your inner tube and head lamp) and start your float, which takes you right back to where you crossed the river. It is a hoot. Along the walls are fist-sized spiders that walk on the water (they are harmless). It's an hour plus of floating in the dark and then they serve you lunch. Check out the lobby to the resort

 

Number two: Since they switched the ports from Cozumel to Montego Bay (because of Swine flu), I would suggest the bus ride out to the Appleton Rum Factory. The trip up and over the mountain to the other side of the island is worth the trip all on its own. The rum factory is a bonus and also worth the trip all on its own.

 

In Puerto Limon, Costa Rica, they dropped the white water rafting (which was a hoot, but we are later in the season and the river flow may be too low to be safely traversed). The Kayak ride is fun, but not too adventurous.

 

We are going through the Panama Canal, so you'll get to see all three locks along the way. The Gutan Lock trip is what we did last year, which might be redundant on this trip. On the free day last year we walked over to the bus station in Colon (do not do that alone) and took the bus over to the airport/mall on the Pacific side of Panama. It was fun and quite a slice-of-life experience. It costs three bucks each way. It takes one and half hours to go from the Atlantic side to the Pacific side. The mall is as good as anything in the states (which came as a surprise after walking around the free quarter in Colon — avoid that it is a waste of time). The trip back is an hour, as there are no stops in Panama City.

 

Puentarenas, Corinto, Roatan, San Thomas de Castilla are all new, so no insights on these places. Last year we took a cab to the public beach (and bar) on Seven Mile Beach in the Caymans and then walked back to the ship (three-and-a-half miles) and stopped in a Fidel Murphy's Pub along the way for lunch. It was one of the best memories on the trip, so we are thinking about taking a cab out to West End on Roatan, have lunch on the beach and then walk back to the ship (looks like just over four miles on the map, which we are allowing three hours to cover - everything slows down when you do a place on foot).

 

Have fun. The MV Explorer and the Enrichment Voyages are very different from normal cruise ship fare.

[MMDown Under]

Does anyone know the web address for these Enrichment Voyages?

[Southrim1]

Marion and Berry

 

Website is

 

http://www.enrichmentvoyages.com/

 

The cruises are available between semesters of the Semester at Sea program run by the University of Virginia. So they run just twice each year.

[MMDown Under]

Marion and Berry

 

Website is

 

http://www.enrichmentvoyages.com/

 

The cruises are available between semesters of the Semester at Sea program run by the University of Virginia. So they run just twice each year.

 

Thank you for the website, much appreciated.

[maven9]

SOUTHRIM,

You've whetted my appetite, and I was very glad to see your message. I'm a bit surprised that there's not too much communicating from other passengers on this board.

I just received my excursion paperwork from HQ in VA, but appreciate your ideas very much.

I'm wondering about the ship's temp, if the room gets cold? Is your wife packing anything on the heavy side?

I'll ck back often.

M.

[ontdi]

Hi,

I'm onboard now. The ship's hallways & other rooms such as theatre & dining rooms are very cool. I'm very seldom cold on cruise ships, but I wish I'd brought a light weight sweater or shawl, etc. The staterooms have thermostats that are very sensitive, so controling room temp is not really an issue.

We are having a wonderful time on this cruise.

Belize is tomorrow & we are doing the Reef Rocket snorkeling excursion.

Cheers,

Dianne

[Southrim1]

Maven

 

Just sweatshirt and sweater (mainly for the plane ride), I noticed last year that some people ate inside in the deck six eating area all of the time, but I found it to be on the cool side, so we always ate outside. The rest of the ship always seemed comfortable, so that is really not an issue.

 

One other thing that I found very helpful is that the ship's staff provides is a daily itinerary, which is delivered to your room the day before. It tells you the events of the day, which professors will be lecturing, dinner hours, where to assemble for the various port trips (they have a staff member assigned to each group), any changes in the ship's schedule and general events.

 

Be sure to check the bulletins for the various lectures - they usually last about an hour in the student union. Dr. Max Brandt's music lectures are not to be missed. He makes them fun and interesting. Did not know that pre-Columbian cultures lacked one particular type of musical instrument - chordophones (instruments with strings) — guitars and similar stringed instruments were all introduced to Central and South America after the arrival of Columbus.

 

Some of the passengers thought that the staff members tended to treat them like students, and there is probably a little bit too that, but it was a very minor point. They are just use to dealing with 700 students that if not looked after will tend to set their own agendas — that's just the nature of being a student.

 

Have fun. The ship is a beauty.

[Southrim1]

Ontdi

 

Would be interested to hear about your travel experiences over the next couple of days in San Tomas de Castilla and Roatan. These are both new from last year's itinerary (Honduras port last year was Puerto Cortes). We hit both San Tomas de Castilla and Roatan in the reverse order on the return voyage to Fort Lauderdale.

[ontdi]

Southrim1,

 

Today in Belize we did the Reef Rocket snorkel excursion. The water was warm, clear & not rough. A bit of a current was towards the shore---far better than taking you out.

 

The next 2 days will be San Tomas de Castilla & then Roatan. We have booked the Rio Dulce Canyon/Livingston trip for San Tomas. The following day in Roatan we have made reservations with Fins & Flippers. They have a wonderful web site if you want to check it out. We just reserved a spot online & will pay when we get there. It would be similar to a private island with beach, snorkeling, snacks etc. The ticket provides unlimited trips across the water to this place. For $20 for all day it seemed like a very good deal. Pick up or boarding is very close to the cruise pier too. Not sure what you would like to be doing, but will report on our experiences.

 

Tonight is a BBQ for dinner on deck 7, or dinner in main dining room as well.

 

Don't miss Dr Iain Campbell's chats on birds & astronomy. His love of the subjects is infectious!

 

Chat later.

Dianne

[Southrim1]

Ontdi

 

We've also got Rio Dulce Canyon/Livingston booked on the flip side, so you get to be the guinea pig and do all of the trailblazing. Roatan, right now we are thinking about taking a cab over to West End, see the sights, have lunch and then walk the four-and-half miles back to the ship.

 

Thanks, enjoy the BBQ and maybe a cold Red Stripe!

[maven9]

Thanks ONTDI & PACRIm!

Di,

Did you take any ship excursions? If , which was the best?

I'm solo on this trip, and think I have to do most w/ a group. But, PACRIM: if you have anything going, please LMK! Trust you know since you've been there before! This is going to be great!;)

M. ;)

[Southrim1]

Maven

 

Not clear on which leg of the voyage you are on. On now? Or joining the ship in Puntarenas on May 22?

 

We are repeating only two of the in-port programs. Cave tubing in Belize, which was sooooooo much fun. And since they dropped Cozumel and switched to Jamaica, we will sign up for the Appleton Rum Factory tour again. My wife enjoyed both of these trips on the voyage last year so here we go again.

 

Some of the best in-ports are the ones we did on our own. In Puerto Cortez, Honduras - not really a tourist port, if you know what I mean, we cut a deal with a cab driver on the pier to take us out to El Castillo de Omoa for three hours. A little scary at first, but it turned out great.

 

In Cristobal, Panama we went to the Gutan Locks in the morning of the first day as an organized tour (that was fun, especially since the tour guide had never been to the locks before and the bus driver got lost getting there) and then to the Free Trade Zone on our own in the afternoon (that was a waste of time — the only reason to go there is if you need a washer and dryer). So the next morning (we were in port two days), we walked over to the bus station (a chaotic place) and got on a local bus to Panama City on the Pacific side of the isthum and then back on another local bus before the ship left port. That was lots of fun.

 

If you've received your Final Field Program guide, then you have a pretty good description of what the ship has to offer. The internet is a great place to find information about each port — if the cruise ships stop, then there will be plenty (and sometimes confusing info) to read.

 

If you are the May 22 leg, what is route to San Jose? Through Dallas?

[ontdi]

Thanks ONTDI & PACRIm!

Di,

Did you take any ship excursions? If , which was the best?

I'm solo on this trip, and think I have to do most w/ a group. But, PACRIM: if you have anything going, please LMK! Trust you know since you've been there before! This is going to be great!;)

M. ;)

 

 

It's late now tonight & an early morning tomorrow. I'll catch up tomorrow after we are back on the ship.

Chat later.

Dianne

[Derby Lane]

We are also on the cruise with ONTDI on Sunday we were in Montego Bay and went to a Beach Resort for the day, Monday was a sea day but there was a few lectures, card games, bingo and movies going on. It is really great to have free 24 hour wi fi and your own computer in your cabin.

Tuesday we did the ship tour Rainforest & River Safari, part of the trip was by motor couch then a crock (in Boston its called a Duck goes on land and water) then a boat with no cover back to the ship, make sure you bring your SUNSCREEN and insect replent. Today Wed we did the Go with Gus Tour Rio Dulce Canyon/Livington which included going to a village school, this trip was the greatest. Tomorrow thurs we are doing a private tour with Juan Carlos in Roatan Hounduras will let you know how it goes.

Karen

[maven9]

I'm on the 5/22 voyage...thinking you have the better one to fly home after Costa Rica. I was sorry for the 2 missing days in Cozumel, but so it is.

I'm leaving from Chicago, transferring in Ft. L, then on to CR.

How was Jamaica?

PACRIM, there's 2 tours offered by Port Compass which we'd book online or by phone. We've used them in Buenas Aires, one of the best. Look at http://portcompass.com. The Jamaica plantation seems interesting. They would take 4 of us, but we ended up with 6.

M.

[maven9]

SOUTHRIM1 and passengers?

Are you interested in excursions for 5/22 MV Explorer?

We've used PortCompass for an excursion last year in Beunos Aires...very reliable, good guide. They have several for central Am., too. If you send me your address, I will e-mail some of the offerings to you. http://portcompass.com/index.php

I'm vanhuis2525@sbcglobal.net.

M.

[ontdi]

Hi All,

 

Sorry to be a bit slow in getting back on these boards, but better late than not at all!

 

In San Tomas de Castilla we did the Rio Dulce/Livingston tour that was offered by the ship. It was an excellent one. We were a little bit late leaving the dock, but more than made up for the time as we were 3PM getting back to the ship. It was a very full & busy day. Most of the trip is on a boat, (makes for easy sightseeing), with a few stops before arriving in Livingston. One of the stops was a natural hot spring & cave experience. The entrance to the cave was an additional $2, but I don't think anyone went to it as it was a slippery walk to it & then very hot, dark & wet inside. Guides suggested not to do it. They provided plenty of bottled water for us. The school project was also very good. The final leg of the trip was a visit to Livingston with a guided walk around town, followed by a bit of free time for lunch etc. All in all a great trip for the money. If you take pictures of people playing instruments in town they will want money.

 

There is a new terminal building right at the pier with a few places to book your own tours & many stalls with things to purchase. The prices were very good there too. (wooden carvings, baskets, purses, wall hangings, lots of local handicrafts, coffee, etc, etc). No need to shop in town.

 

The next port was Roatan. We did not do a ship tour here. They seemed more expensive than other ports. I think I mentioned earlier that we found a site on-line for Fins & Flippers. It is about a 3-5 min walk from the ship. It was truly amazing. There were only 6 of us from the ship there & no one else. We had the place to ourselves. It was the most relaxing & beautiful day we'd had. Good catch up time for the rest of the voyage. The water was crystal clear & very warm. Snorkeling was also good. Beer was $2, drink special served in coconut shell--$5, & no food item over $8, most were $5-6 & wonderful. I sound like an advertisement for the place but would love to have stayed there a couple of days. Maybe another time! Also it serves as a rescue center for injured birds & a couple of animals that were taken from private homes. (they shouldn't have had them)

 

Back onboard & a sea day today.

 

Lectures continue to be very good, of course depending on your interests.

 

Keep in mind these are just my opinions & I cannot comment on excursions we did not take.

 

Anything else?? We are getting ready for Costa Rica in the morning, doing the Tortuguero Canals. Will let you know about that too.

 

Cheers, Dianne

[Southrim1]

Ontdi

 

Thanks for info about Guatamala. Very helpful and informative.

 

Here is what you have to look forward to on Monday (except you'll be going the other way).

 

[maven9]

I'll be on the 5/22 voyage landing in San Jose from Ft. L.

It's great to have these posts...from folks currently on board and passengers I'll meet on the 22d. Hope we can get together.

Also, go back a few posts to my note about PortCompass tours. They have a nice sounding day out of Montego Bay.

M.

[Southrim1]

Maven

 

I agree, this is so nice having a sneak peek at what's ahead.

 

As for Jamaica, my wife has her heart set on the Appleton Rum Factory, so I think we are going to take that trip again this year.

 

It looks like everyone arrives in San Jose between eight and nine in the evening next Friday. I'll be the one in the Red Semester at Sea sweatshirt.

[ontdi]

Back again.

Today we were in Puerto Limon. We did the Tortuguero Canal ride. It was a very easy excursion. ~~~bus ride to the canal, fresh fruit & pop available at no additional cost, then canal ride. It was very slow & peaceful. Saw sloths, howler monkeys, turtle, caymans, tons of birds etc. Back to beginning for more fruit, beverage & back to ship.

They have a fairly new terminal buiding now with crafts, carvings, etc. Of interest to the women----the best pedicure I've ever had for $12 plus tip.

We had rain at breakfast time, but it cleared before we hit shore.

 

All for now.

Dianne

[maven9]

My flight is scheduled to AR @ 2:35pm. It originates in Chicago.

I'd like to meet everyone...Frank suggests wearing Mardi Gras beads (I only have a lei or ???).

Hopefully I can stay up to greet you onboard. Otherwise, I'll see you ON THE BUS! Or maybe the next morning. I'm in 4017, email: vanhuis2525@sbcglobal.net

M.

[florida frank]

beads.....lei...whatever works. since we don`t sail away till the next day, wear one or the other so we can identify folks at the airport....the bus....the ship...

[Southrim1]

Maven

 

2:35! Yikes, at least you'll see things on the trip between San Jose and the ship in the daylight. We won't reach the ship until after midnight.