Cosol Tour In St. Lucia

[logbook]

We just did the Cosol tour last week. It was great. We actually had Baptist for our driver. He was a lot of fun and extremely friendly. We loved him. The vans are new - and he actually WANTED someone to sit up front with him, so my DH did. The seats are roomy and it's a comfortable ride. All the other drivers caught up with Cosol at one point during the tour and he introduced himself. You can't go wrong with them. It was a fun day!

[YOUGOCRUISINGAL]

My husband and I went on the COSOL tour of St Lucia the first week in April. We are middle-aged and have taken 20 plus cruises and I can say that without a doubt, this was the best tour we have ever taken.

 

We were lucky to have COSOL himself as our tour guide, but in talking to others at the stop-offs, it seemed as if all the guides were great!!!

 

Unlike tours from the cruise ship excursion lists. COSOL has brand new air conditioned vans that hold from 8-10 people which gives you a much more personal tour. You stop at a banana plantation and sample the bananas, there is a stop for an authentic St Lucian breakfast which includes fruit, fish, fritters, coconut, candies, pastries and anything that you want to drink including awesome rum punch.

 

You visit the drive thru volcano, rain forest, botanical gardens with water, soda, local beer, juices and rum punch along the way. The stop at the Hilton Jalousie between the Pitons for snorkeling is the best. My husband and I live in Florida and have snorkeled many times, so we opted for the beach. Everyone who snorkeled said that they were truly impressed with the amount of fish they say so close to the shore.....We just enjoyed the beach.

 

On the way back, we stopped for fresh , hot jhonnycake with cheese, that was really a treat!!!!!

 

I do not think that you will ever find a better value.....THANK YOU COSOL FOR A GREAT TIME IN ST LUCIA!!!!!!

[earthfaries]

Has anyone booked a private tour with Cosol? We would like to do that for the 6 of us, just wondering about the details.

 

Do you get the same regular sized van...is it the same tour...

 

Thanks!

[sumfun2]

We did the Cosol tour last week and had a great time.

 

We visited St. Lucia several years ago, and did a catamaran trip down to Soufriere, took a van to visit the volcano and tour a cocoa plantation, then back to the catamaran for the trip back. I would have to say that I liked boat trip a little better than Cosol's tour because you see some spectacular views from the boat, and you get to visit some more secluded beaches.

 

Don't get me wrong. Both are good tours, but you might want to consider going by boat as well.

[earthfaries]

We did the Cosol tour last week and had a great time.

 

We visited St. Lucia several years ago, and did a catamaran trip down to Soufriere, took a van to visit the volcano and tour a cocoa plantation, then back to the catamaran for the trip back. I would have to say that I liked boat trip a little better than Cosol's tour because you see some spectacular views from the boat, and you get to visit some more secluded beaches.

 

Don't get me wrong. Both are good tours, but you might want to consider going by boat as well.

 

 

The tour by boat...was that through the cruise ship, or did you book it on your own?

[sumfun2]

We booked the boat tour through the cruise (Celebrity), but I would think there are similar tours through independent companies.

[dchip]

I took Cosol's tour for the second time on March 19. It was beyond fabulous!! The first time we had Cosol for a driver, this time it was his brother Yellowbird who was just as wonderful!! You cannot ask for a better tour of St. Lucia.

 

Here is a link to my photos & info on how to contact Cosol: http://www.pbase.com/dchip/st_lucia_march

 

Cheers, Denise

[Snorkel Dawg]

I'll 2nd that the snorkeling between the awesome pitons was amazing. The spot is just off the Jalouise/Hilton beach walk right in. We had taken our own gear with, no one had to tell me twice! The awesome snorkeling spot is called "Anse des Piton, Marine Reserve". It's a protected space, no anchoring. The coral as well as the variety of fish there was excellent. It's a beautiful, beautiful place. Go there! & Drink Piton!!!

 

Cosol you da man,

Snorkeldawg

 

 

I'm gonna be one of Cosol's drivers one day

 

 

 

 

 

 

The snorkeling is the best. My husband and I live in Florida and have snorkeled many times, so we opted for the beach. Everyone who snorkeled said that they were truly impressed with the amount of fish they say so close to the shore.....We just enjoyed the beach.

 

I do not think that you will ever find a better value.....THANK YOU COSOL FOR A GREAT TIME IN ST LUCIA!!!!!!

[SharC]

What was the turn around time between your email request to book an excursion with Cosol and his response? I have e-mailed him twice in the last week and have not heard from him. I am making reservations for November so I have time but I don't know if I am doing something wrong.

[Snorkel Dawg]

His response time was pretty quick, no longer than a couple of days. He told us he gets 25 calls on his answering machine & 40-50 e-mails a day. He is a very busy man but still...this is the Caribbean we're talking about here, people are more laid back than here in the states. Don't worry he will get back to you. We even e-mailed him from the ship. Here's his email address: cosol966@hotmail.com

go! have fun! Drink Piton beer! Try the homemade rum punch shots!

 

Tell Cosol Snorkeldawg says Hi!

[cinnam0n]

Shar, make sure that his mail isn't going into your junk folder - it will be from Nereus Francis (Cosol's real name).

[dchip]

Check the email address and what you are putting in the subject line. He will get back to you :D Pictures of our tour with him along with contact info can be found here: http://www.pbase.com/dchip/st_lucia_march

 

Cheers, Denise

[ruskatab]

We are going on this tour in 2 weeks and are so excited we cant stand it. Thanks everyone for the info and posting the pictures. It made our decision to go on this tour very easy.

[J & G]

We are going on this tour in 2 weeks and are so excited we cant stand it. Thanks everyone for the info and posting the pictures. It made our decision to go on this tour very easy.

Were you all on Voyager in January?

[ncdachsiemom]

Hello, everyone,

 

I have to agree with all the other posters. Cosol's tour was the best I have taken on any of my cruises. I can't say enough about how good a guide he was, knowledgeable, interesting, and fun! All of the stops were great, the snacks and drinks were very good (especially the hot bread with cheese!), and his vans were very comfortable. I took 3 tours arranged through advice on this board, and one ship's tour...my last one!! The ship's tour was boring, expensive, and the guide was awful. If you want to have a great time, book a Cosol tour. :D By the way, take some green apples (if you have any on your ship) to him...he loves them, and they are very expensive in St. Lucia...the most beautiful island.

 

Linda

[waterbugohio]

Ok Im am a first time cruiser here. Can I just carry green apples off the ship?? Will we be checked anyway?? I thought they were very particular about what kind of foods you can carry off?? I would love to bring him some apples if I just know how????

[lhall85917]

I'll add to the praises for this tour - we had a great time and it was an excellent value. Our tour cost $30 less per person than the one we took in Barbados and was 30 times the fun!! Click on the link for pictures in my signature for our March Pearl cruise for some pics from our tour with Cosol if you are interested.

[Richiebaseball]

We were just in St Lucia last week and used Cosol. You know, you get a little concerned after reading all the reviews raving about this tour and you think to yourself, can it really be this good? Well, it was that good.

 

We had Yellowbird as our driver and he was fantastic. It seems like all of the drivers are.

 

A perfect day in St Lucia.

[earthfaries]

Check the email address and what you are putting in the subject line. He will get back to you :D Pictures of our tour with him along with contact info can be found here: http://www.pbase.com/dchip/st_lucia_march

 

Cheers, Denise

 

Thanks for sharing your wonderful pictures ~ we are so excited about our tour with them this December!!!

[Stacey779]

Well after hearing all the great reviews on CC we went ahead and booked Cosol for our December cruise. :)

 

My question is about the timing. We're scheduled to be docked at 8:00 a.m. and the e-mail Cosol sent me says we're supposed to meet him at 8:20 a.m. Does this sound like we're cutting it too close? I would be so upset if we missed the tour because there was some delay in getting passengers off the ship.

 

Also, when do you normally get back to the ship? We're supposed to leave at 5:00 p.m. I'm sure we'll have plenty of time, but just wondering. Thanks!

[Richiebaseball]

We were back to the ship a little after 3:00 I think. Plenty of time.

 

I would send an email to Cosol a little closer to your cruise just reminding him you don't get in until 8:00. It takes a little while until everyone gets there so I think you'll be fine.

[sumfun2]

Well after hearing all the great reviews on CC we went ahead and booked Cosol for our December cruise. :)

 

My question is about the timing. We're scheduled to be docked at 8:00 a.m. and the e-mail Cosol sent me says we're supposed to meet him at 8:20 a.m. Does this sound like we're cutting it too close? I would be so upset if we missed the tour because there was some delay in getting passengers off the ship.

 

Also, when do you normally get back to the ship? We're supposed to leave at 5:00 p.m. I'm sure we'll have plenty of time, but just wondering. Thanks!

 

Don't worry about missing the tour. They know exactly when the ships are supposed to come in and they will wait if it's late. When we took the tour, he had a list of all the people who booked and which vans they were assigned to. There were 7 vans for our ship (at ~12 people to each van), and 6 vans for another ship. I think they waited about 10 or 15 minutes past the meet up time before leaving. So try to make it off the ship in time, but they will wait a few minutes if you're late.

 

They are very conscious about getting you back to the ship on time, so don't worry about that either. I think we had at least 2 hours to spare on the return.

[J & G]

.....(at ~12 people to each van).....

 

Judging by your name and use of mathematical symbols, I conclude, through deductive reasoning, that you must be a "math person".....:D

 

Sorry to be off-topic.....

 

We are using Cosol on May 2 (land-based trip for us this time). We can't wait!

[tiyana4]

We were just in St Lucia last week and used Cosol. You know, you get a little concerned after reading all the reviews raving about this tour and you think to yourself, can it really be this good? Well, it was that good.

 

We had Yellowbird as our driver and he was fantastic. It seems like all of the drivers are.

 

A perfect day in St Lucia.

 

This is so good to know. When we booked our cruise we had no idea what tours would be available. And since this is a very port-intensive cruise (6 stops), we only wanted the best of each island. I think we have found that in Cosol Tours.

 

We are so grateful that we found CC when we did. We would have no way of knowing that tours like this existed. Thanks for sharing. We will be emailing Cosol tonight.

[airlink diva]

Ok Im am a first time cruiser here. Can I just carry green apples off the ship?? Will we be checked anyway?? I thought they were very particular about what kind of foods you can carry off?? I would love to bring him some apples if I just know how????

I just placed them in my small backpack when I left the ship. I wasn't the only person who had apples with them. Cosol loves green apples, but they are very expensive on the island.

Trust me, you will enjoy his tour!! I loved it so much that I'm taking it again later this year!!

The only thing that I didn't like about his tour (and it wasn't his fault) was I sailed during Easter weekend and we were in St. Lucia on Easter Sunday. The majority of the places were closed. We still had a great time. I also regret not buying any of those dolls at our first stop or extra bottles of hot sauce!! I'm buying a case of it when I return!

Happy sailing!!

Second time around and my 40th birthday cruise on the

MAASDAM

10/24/08-11/07/08