Anyone else in Samana on 4/5/09?

[endoellen]

We'll be in Samana on 4/5/09 aboard the NCL Jewel. On our roll call boards they already have a group of 10 booked for Playa Rincon with Casa Dorado, so no room left for us.

Trying to find others that may be on our ship or on another ship in port the same day who would like to take the private excursion to Playa Rincon. They charge a minimum fee for up to 10 people. So with only 2 of us, it is not reasonable. Would really like to make this excursion instead of cruise ship tendering to nearby beach & charging $45.

If you are interested, please post here or go to the roll calls for NCL Jewel 4/3/09.

Thanks,

Ellen

[chesterians]

Thanks for the invite. We're on the NCL Jewel as well. Family of 4 with 2 teenage kids. Count us in as part of a group headed to Playa Rincon. Next steps?

[endoellen]

Thanks for the invite. We're on the NCL Jewel as well. Family of 4 with 2 teenage kids. Count us in as part of a group headed to Playa Rincon. Next steps?

 

 

I will do some more checking on the prices. It would probably be better if we could get 2 to 4 more people to get the price right. The website that has this tour is Casa Doradodr. com (no spaces) if you wish to check it out. I'm not sure if their price includes transportation from the cruise ship or not. Check back here or on the NCL Jewel roll call. Hopefully we will be in touch.

Glad to know you are interested.

Ellen

[endoellen]

This is some info. I got from our roll call posts. I think we will need more than 6 people to get the price down.

I will still try to contact them to see if they will take any more grps.

Ellen

 

Thank you for your interest in Casa Dorado! Below is the info on our Playa Rincon excursions from Las Galeras beach. All prices are based on up to 10 people, not per person. We do have availability for APril 5th and we have found that it is enough time for visitors to enjoy Playa Rincon and snorkeling if they are interested.

 

Snorkeling at La Playita/Playa Rincon Excursion - Round-trip boat ride to la Playita to snorkel followed by swimming at Playa Rincon. Conde Nast Traveler ranked this beach as one of the world's 10 best. It's so splendid, in fact, that many Dominicans refer to it as the most beautiful on the island. Over three miles long, Playa Rincon is surrounded by coconut palms and almond trees, not to mention a 2,000 foot mountain on one end. The best way to get to this isolated beach is by boat; a ride that is definitely worth it. We provide all snorkeling equipment and ice cold water. The price of the trip is $250 for up to 10 people. Lunch can be ordered in La Playita and cooked while you snorkel.

 

We are located in Las Galeras, which is 18 miles from Samana. We can reserve a taxi that will be waiting for you on the Samana boat Dock and will bring you straight to Las Galeras main beach and return you at your leisure. The taxi is $100 for up to 10 people. The taxi is a large van/small bus that easily fits 10 passengers.

Lunch is not included in any of these prices, but they run $10-18 per person. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

Catherine Guzman

 

We would be doing the La Playita/Playa Rincon excursion which give you time at La Playita to snorkel and they will also cook you lunch to order. We then go by boat to Playa Rincon for relaxing beach time. I gave her our times in port and she said that would be plenty of time. I believe it is about 1/2 hour taxi ride from the port to Las Galeras where they will meet us.

en

[endoellen]

Thanks for the invite. We're on the NCL Jewel as well. Family of 4 with 2 teenage kids. Count us in as part of a group headed to Playa Rincon. Next steps?

 

I rec'd a reply for CasaDorado. Trips to Rincon for beach day or snorkeling & there are both available. They would arrange a taxi for up to 10 at cost of $100 plus cost of trip. With 8 people our cost would be $33 each for beach or $44 each including snorkeling.

Are you still interested in taking this excursion with us? I would have to have a definite commitment. If someone from our group doesn't show up, then the rest of us get stuck paying twice as much. The cost is a group rate of $260 for taxi & boat ride to Playa Rincon or $350 for taxi, snorkeling & then to Rincon for beach time.

 

I see you may be new to these boards. There are quite a few families that will be on board. It will just be my DH & myself. Check out the NCL roll card board for this sailing. We would be glad to have you join in. The more the merrier. We will also be having a meet & greet on the ship for everyone on the boards from our roll call. You can get other ideas for other ports & if interested get in on other excursions that everyone is planning.

Hope to get a reply soon,

Ellen

[chesterians]

Thanks Ellen. We commit to the excursion with you. We have our own snorkel gear and would only need the taxi and boat ride. Do we need to send a deposit and, if so, should we contact Casa Dorado for that purpose? Would be nice to have others join us to reduce costs, but also fine if that doesn't happen. Please let us know.

 

Mark

[endoellen]

Thanks Ellen. We commit to the excursion with you. We have our own snorkel gear and would only need the taxi and boat ride. Do we need to send a deposit and, if so, should we contact Casa Dorado for that purpose? Would be nice to have others join us to reduce costs, but also fine if that doesn't happen. Please let us know.

 

Mark

 

I think the snorkeling part of the trip is a boat ride to LaPlayita (must be the better snorkeling area) and then to Playa Rincon for beach time. Lunch is not included, but can be purchased for approx. $12-$15 or you could always bring something from the ship to snack on. This trip is $250 plus the $100 taxi cost.

If we just take the taxi to LasGaleras & then the boat to Rincon for beach day it is $160 plus the $100 taxi fee.

What would your family rather do? The other couple from our roll call said they were fine with doing just Playa Rincon, but will go along with snorkeling if that is what everyone else wants. My DH & myself are up for either one. So for now there would be 8 of us sharing the cost. Maybe we'll find another 2 who will want to come along and that would lower our cost.

 

I will check again with Casa Dorado about a deposit. Their email didn't really give me that info. & I'll post the information for you. I'm glad that you want to make the trip and I'm getting excited about our trip now that it is getting closer!

Ellen

[chesterians]

Thank you again Ellen. This is Mrs. Mark. We would like to go snorkeling at La Playita and then beach it at Playa Rincon. Glad another couple has joined. Pls let us know about the deposit and we will take care of it straight away. We are also looking forward to the cruise.

[endoellen]

Thank you again Ellen. This is Mrs. Mark. We would like to go snorkeling at La Playita and then beach it at Playa Rincon. Glad another couple has joined. Pls let us know about the deposit and we will take care of it straight away. We are also looking forward to the cruise.

 

This is the reply I rec'd from Catherine at Casa Dorado about a deposit. We still only have 8 people for now, which will be $44 pp.

 

Usually when a group gets big enough one person offers to make the reservation and pay the $40 deposit. Then the day of the excursion they pay less. If the weather is too bad for the excursion, the deposit is refundable.

 

Catherine

 

I will reck with the other couple from our roll call and get back with you. I want to be sure we have their commitment to the snorkel & beach trip. Where are yall from? Have you taken many cruises?

This will be our 14th. We love it & I enjoy planning for the ports.

Ellen

[pennstate1]

Ellen:

 

My wife and I would like to join you. We are interested in the snorkeling plus the beach. If you still have space for the 2 of us, we will definitely commit.

 

Jon

[endoellen]

Ellen:

 

My wife and I would like to join you. We are interested in the snorkeling plus the beach. If you still have space for the 2 of us, we will definitely commit.

 

Jon

 

Hi Jon,

We would definitely like for you to join us. We have 8 people right now and the taxi & boat is suppose to hold 10. If you join us, then our cost should be $35 pp.

Are you on the NCL Jewel? I think the ship docks at 10am & leaves at 6pm. I'm checking with CasaDorado on how much time we get to snorkel & how long at the beach & will post when I get the reply. The biggest hassle of it will be the tendering.. I've read that the ships use their lifeboats for tendering.

If you're on the Jewel, check out our roll call on these boards.

Ellen

[pennstate1]

Ellen:

 

Yes we are on the Jewel that week. I will sign the roll call as suggested. We have taken this cruise ship and itinerary several times , but have never done Playa Ricon.

 

In Tortola, we go to Brewer's Bay which has excellent snorkeling. The taxi is $6/person each way.

 

In St John's Antigua, we go to Darkwood Beach. The snorkeling is not very good, but it is one of the prettiest beaches we have been to.

 

In Barbados, we head to Gibbes Bay for swimming and snorkeling.

 

And lastly in St Lucia, we take the Cosol tour. It is the best and most fun tour that we have ever taken. The last stop is Jalousie Beach which is excellent for snorkeling. We would like to find a group that would be interested in this tour and would be willing to bypass the waterfall and volcano so we could have a couple of hours at Jalousie instead of 40 minutes.

 

If any of your group would be interested in tagging along with us to any of these places, we are always looking for company.

 

In closing count us in for Playa Ricon.

 

Jon

 

PS: I am easy to find. Just look for the PennState shirt.

[endoellen]

chesterians & pennstate1,

 

Glad that you all want to take this excursion! I have 2 others from the roll call board, so we now have a total of 10. This gives us the best price at $35pp. Here is a reply I rec'd from Casa Dorado about our excursion. We will be their 2nd grp. from the Jewel for this day.

 

The taxis are always waiting when you come out, they get there early Your group would go to Playa Rincon first and then snorkel before you leave. Christine's group does the opposite You actually take the taxi to la playita, which is where you snorkel from, right from the beach - we do this to maximize your time. The boat ride from la playita to rincon is 12 minutes. You would have about 2 and a half hours on Rincon then you would return to la playita to snorkel for one and a half hours then your taxi will be waiting to take you back to Samana at your leisure. We usually set the return time when you arrive in las galeras. The cruise ship offer makes the last tender a little bit later(about 6:30). We always plan to get you back one hour before the last tender.

 

Hope this is OK for everyone. Since another grp booked first, we will have to do the snorkeling 2nd. But, if anyone doesn't really want to snorkel, it sounds like you can spend more beach time there. I will have Catherine send me her reservation form. They require just a $40 deposit and the balance to be paid the day of the trip. Everyone does need to show up because we will be charged the total of $350 no matter what.

If yall don't mind, we could exchange cabin #s before we cruise so that we can at least touch base before that morning. Or, we can introduce ourselves at the meet & greet that our roll call is having on Sat.

 

I think it will be a good day there.

 

pennstate1,

We have also done this itinerary before except for Samana. Our first time there as well.

I have been thinking about Brewer's bay or Cane Garden Bay in Tortola. We've done the Baths & a sailboat snorkel trip there before. I'm not sure about Antigua yet. We've done the Kayak excursion & a day pass at a resort. I'm thinking about Sneaky Pete's beach bar at Dickerson bay???

Barbados we are booked for the Silver Moon day sail which we've done before & loved it.

St. Lucia, I have an ATV tour booked for the morning. We've already taken COSOL tour and seen all the sights. Don't want to do that again even though we thoroughly enjoyed it the first time. Just don't want to do all the sightseeing & riding around.

It always helps to get info from others who've been in these ports.

If I'm not being too nosey, is it yourself & wife? What age grp?? We are in our early 50's, but stay very active & love the beautiful blue water!!!

Ellen

[chesterians]

Good morning. We are glad to have a group of 10 now and are very much looking forward to the cruise and our day trip in Samana. Thank you Ellen for organizing this group/trip and for offering the deposit. We are definitely in so no worries about being stuck with the full amount. And of course we are pleased to share our cabin #s.

 

This is our 2nd cruise ... 1st one was in 2008 to the Eastern Carribbean on the Royal Carribbean, which we really enjoyed.

[endoellen]

Good morning. We are glad to have a group of 10 now and are very much looking forward to the cruise and our day trip in Samana. Thank you Ellen for organizing this group/trip and for offering the deposit. We are definitely in so no worries about being stuck with the full amount. And of course we are pleased to share our cabin #s.

 

This is our 2nd cruise ... 1st one was in 2008 to the Eastern Carribbean on the Royal Carribbean, which we really enjoyed.

 

Watch out. After a couple of cruises you are hooked. I love cruising and we usually go annually. I think this will be our 14th. We took a S. Carib on Adventure of the Seas in May 08. Loved the ship & itinerary. NCL Jewel is a very nice ship but not as large as the voyager class ships. The free style dining is different. Some love it & others hate it. For us it's just OK. We kind of like the assigned dining & meeting new people at dinner better. The free style sounds better than it really is. You have to make reservations a day ahead for most restaurants and the regular dining room food was only average. It seems there are quite a few families with teens who will be aboard, so I'm sure your kids will have a good time.

Check in on our roll call board for NCL Jewel, 4/3/09 if you get a chance. Most of us are communicating there. Be back in touch before we sail.

Ellen

[endoellen]

I mailed off the deposit today. If for any reason we would have to cancel, it must be 15 days prior or lose the deposit. Catherine also said that the balance would only be accepted in cash the day of our trip.

Counting down the days until we cruise!

Ellen

[chesterians]

Good news! Thank you again. We will have the appropriate amount of cash with us for our day trip ($140 for the 4 of us, right?).

 

We are very much looking forward to the trip ... it is rather cold here ... 10 degrees and snowing at the moment. Hope it is warmer where you are.

[endoellen]

Yes, $140 should be correct.

It is quite cold everywhere right now, but we are a bit more fortunate here in the south. It is 34 this am & is suppose to be about 26 on Fri. am. That is quite cold for us & with our humidity it feels pretty cold. My husband has been in PA this wk for work & it is in the single digits. He will be trying to fly home today.

I'm glad you are excited about the cruise and our excursion.

If you don't mind, send me your cabin# at endoellen@suddenlink.net & I'll send you ours.

I'll get in touch with you as to where & when we'll meet the taxi. Have a great weekend ahead.

Ellen

[chesterians]

Good morning Ellen. Thank you for your note. I'll send you an email from our home email address with our cabin #s.