2travelers

Wow - thanks. We will be three children and 6 adults so I wonder if we will fill the van. I am not sure if the kids will be OK for that tour. They are 4,6 and 7. I think that sounds a lot like the tour we did years ago. It was wonderful and tons of fun (especially after tasting the rum!!)

Thanks. We will have 4, 6, 7 year olds with us plus my adult kids. I am sure they will want to hit the rum factory but I am not sure the kids will have fun there. I hate to wing it, but we may have to. I was hoping to connect with a tour guide to pick us up but it seems that is not happening in Cayman.

Hi - we will be on a Disney cruise in January and will be stopping in the Cayman Islands for the day. I am wondering if anyone has a tour company I can contact to do a tour for a family of 9. We were there years ago and did a tour that included the Turtle Farm, Hell and the Rum Factory, but I don't think the little ones will be happy with anything but the Turtle Farm. Any tour company we use will have to have car seats for the kids so I would want to book in advance rather than fight the crowds when we get off the ship.

Thanks

Yes, thanks. I will post on Port of Call.

Hi. Has anyone used a tour company that does e turtle center, Hell, the rum factory and basically a city tour. We will be traveling with 9 including 3 youngsters (under 7) and I want to reserve a tour company that can meet us at the ship and take us all around. Many years ago we left the ship and just boarded a van with others and did the all the sites. I can't wing it this time with so many people and such young kids. I would love to do a stingray farm, but swimming with the stingrays is out. Since it has been at least 20 years since we have been there, I could really use some direction. Don't want to get off the ship along with 3,000 people and have to fight for a tour van and guide for all of us.

Thanks in advance.

Ronnie

Thanks all. Guess I will find somewhere else to take the kids.

Hi - We will be on the Disney Magic January 20. We are traveling with my three grandchildren ages 4, 6, and 7. I really wanted to book the tour for Sting Ray City on my own but I am reading that they recommend this tour for 10 and over. Now I see a tour company with pricing for under 12 and over 13. So, which is it? I think this would really be fun for the kids. They say that the water is only 3'deep. On the other hand, safety first!

Ronnie

We prefer midship and a bit higher than deck 2. You will hear less engine noise and when you are midship you will feel less movement--especially if it's your first cruise. You will just want to make sure that there is a pull down bunk. The kids will love it!

We are seasoned travelers. Been on about 12 cruises and another 10 walking tours. My kids are not travelers, so we decided to treat them. We have the rooms set up, thanks to all for your input. Now I am wondering what we do with the kids in Grand Cayman Islands. My heart was set on swimming with the stingrays, but seems that they ask that kids be 10 years and up. My grand kids are 7,6, and 4. Many years ago we were booked on that tour but due to bad weather all water tours were canceled. We did a tour of the city that included everything, turtle farm, rum tasting, we even went to Hell! I can't see the little ones sitting through that. I see that the Stingray tour is in about 3' of water, so I am wondering about the age restriction. Any suggestions?

Have you considered a different cruise that has more stateroom availability? I checked the Jan. 20 Magic sailing and there really aren't a lot of good quad rooms left. I, personally, would not spend that much money on staterooms that consistently get bad reviews regarding smell and noise.

Again, thanks for the input. We wound up getting adjoining rooms for my family with young children. This seems to work out best for us. We are now moved back towards mid-ship so I think that should solve most of the problems. There have been mixed reviews regarding the smell and the noise with the majority saying "no problem". It has been a very long time since we have traveled with kids, so I am trying to avoid any pitfalls.

Hi - Thanks for your replies. I know that the rooms are on opposite sides of the ship, but these are my adult kids with their children and with text messaging no one is really out of touch. I am heading back to the TA because we do need to change around some staterooms since my DIL has a problem on ships with balance so shedecided to stay home with the youngest. I have to see what changes we can make. Funny, I didn't see any suites with two queen size beds. Maybe on the upper decks they have them. My main concern was with the smell and Shmoo relieved my concerns about that, so we may just keep Deck 2. My ultimate concern was ease with the children getting on and off the ship without waiting on long lines.

Thanks again

Hi. My husband and I decided to take our kids and grand kids on a Disney Cruise. Did a little research and saw that we needed "quad" rooms and that the best rooms for families with young children (ours range from 7-4) was Deck 2 aft since the elevators were less crowded and it was in close proximity to dining and the theaters. The week everyone could take was Jan 20 and we decided on the Magic 5-day cruise. Since there was only two quad rooms left on that deck, the travel agent suggested we put a hold on them until over the weekend. I agreed. Did some more research last night and somehow came across reviews that said the rooms were noisy, and smelled like gasoline. It seems that I cannot pull up any other quads on-line to compare, regardless of the deck

Has any one stayed in these rooms and/or does anyone have any experience with Deck 2 aft. I see the travel agent tomorrow and will have to make a decision. I don't want to cancel after getting everyone all excited, but I don't want my kids to be sick from the smell of gasoline or the kids cranky for lack of sleep because of noise.

Thanks

I'm with you Lyn. And who do you think gets to drag out all these HUGE brochures to the recycling center :rolleyes:

Ronnie

Keep in mind, the majority of reviews for Gus have been very positive. I just added my review because many individuals on our particular experience with him, felt it was awful. There are a number of other companies that do various tours in that area too.

 

There is a company called Happy Fish. I believe they basically ripped off all of Gus' tours; this was a big reason I went with Gus instead. However, everyone I spoke with who went with Happy Fish were thrilled with their tours.

 

Everyone's experience is different, but our experience with Gus was enough for me not to want to do business with him ever again.

Hi ut_jd. I after reading about the tours, and the posts, I think that the problem starts when they leave a bit too late because they must wait to fill up the boats. So, if they are scheduled to leave at 9:30 but have only a few people in the boat, they are going to wait to fill up the boat. While it makes sense to do that from a financial stand point it doesn't make sense to have to skip parts of the tour or race back to the ship at the 11th hour in order to get everything in.

I know many people have very positive reviews for Go With Gus Tours, but I wanted to share a very negative experience for all of you to consider before booking with him.

 

When traveling to Guatemala in late March, I was looking to these forums to see what would be best for us to do. As I saw a number of very positive reviews of the Livingston Humanitarian Tour from “Go With Gus”, we decided to book that excursion. My initial communication with him was very polite and quick. I submitted full payment and anxiously awaited our cruise.

 

Upon arrival in Guatemala, I was greeted by Gus’ wife. She was extremely friendly and helpful. She explained what would happen on the tour as well as other tours they offer should we ever dock in Guatemala from the west. In fact, a couple showed up who had paid for the excursion, but Gus had them booked on the wrong day. His wife immediately solved the problem for them by switching them to the current day and fitting them for a boat. So far so good. In addition, the Ryndam’s Captain’s wife and two daughters were on our tour, this will come into play later.

 

The first sign of trouble was the departure time. We were scheduled to leave for Livingston between 9:00 and 9:15 on the schedule we were given. However, Gus informed us we would not be leaving until 10:15. This made me uneasy as I wondered how we would get everything done in time. After leaving at 10:15, a group of four was missing. We toured around in an area not included in the tour so Gus could give the other people a chance to arrive. I understand giving people a few minutes, but an extra half hour? By the time we began the scheduled trip, we were running about 90 minutes behind.

 

We traveled over fairly bumpy seas (no fault of Gus, but rather due to the bad weather) until we reached Gus’ hotel, El Delfin, in Livingston. When we got there, we were greeted with four or five local types of fruit, hardly the wonderful spread as described by some on the forums and other sources like Trip Advisor. This stop too far longer than it should have. We were all done going to the restroom and sampling the limited variety of fruit, but were stuck waiting quite a while for Gus. As it turns out, he was handling other business at his hotel instead of tending to us. We left the hotel even further behind.

 

We stopped at a local village where we distributed some supplies to children who approached us in their canoes. We then went up the Rio Dulce a bit and headed for a school that was not in session (no fault of Gus, it is their Holy Week). Despite having school off and it raining, a number of children and parents came out to greet us. They accepted our supplies and sang a song.

 

When we left there, we went to watch a woman make fresh flour tortillas over a wood burning fire. To be fair, these were some of the most delicious flour tortillas I have ever had. The problem was, Gus then spent nearly an hour speaking with and explaining various things to the Captain’s wife and her children. This stop was only scheduled for about a half-hour. At this point, a few of us began to get anxious. It was now 2:30and we had yet to receive lunch, go to the hot springs, or do the Livingston walking tour; our ship left at 4:30.

 

Finally we left for the hot springs. Gus began to realize we were behind schedule and told people we would only be at the hot springs for 15 minutes. The hot springs were dirty and crowded, and the attached bar charged for bathroom use. For once, we actually left right around the time we were promised, about 15 minutes after arrival.

 

When we got back to his restaurant for lunch, after 3:00,the lunch was still not ready forus. When it was finally served, it was room temperature. As lunch went on, we asked Gus how we could possibly get the walking tour and transportation back tothe ship on time. His only response to us was “In seven-and-a-half years, I have never missed a ship. Your ship leaves at 4:30 my time.” Wrong. The ship left at 4:30 our time. Gus thought he had two hours left, when in fact, he only had one. He kept trying to reassure people that it did not matter that we were late because the Captain’s wife and family was with us and the Captain surly wouldn’tl eave without them. Another few groups on the tour began to ask similar questions about the time.

 

Finally, Gus responded by saying we were leaving for the walking tour. It is now one hour until the cruise ship leaves, and we are 35 minutes away from the ship. We all went downstairs thinking we would start the quick tour immediately, but we were wrong again. It was now time for the people who only paid their 50% to “settle up” with him. This easily took another fifteen minutes. We then went on a very brief walk of Livingston and boarded his boat to head back to the ship. By the time his boat left the dock, we had a 35 minute ride and it was 4:05 on the button; our ship left at 4:30.

 

Gus took his navigator from the front of the ship and placed him in the back, we then began to literally race across the water as fast as possible (especially for how wavy it was due to the weather). He had a look of concern on his face that he may be missing his first ship ever. The ride was so rough a little girl looked like she was about to be sick and we were lifting off our seats and slamming back down with every wave. Nobody was enjoying this ride back. When we finally could see the cruise ship, it was a bit past 4:30. We got off Gus’ boat and back onto the cruise ship at 4:35, after the scheduled departure time.

 

It wasn’t until talking to other passengers that we realized the Captain had stated over the PA that they were going to wait a few minutes for his wife and family, but would have to leave if they did not arrive soon. Ultimately, we got back on the ship, albeit late, but it made for a very stressful port day.

 

We shared a taxi ride from Costa Maya to Mahahual the next day, and the couple we had just met told us of a previous cruise in which they used Gus for a ruins tour. They said they paid in advance, then were told by Gus that not enough people signed up sotheir tour would be canceled. They protested, and ultimately he sent them on a tour with someone who was not professionally affiliated with Gus and spoke no English (unlike what they were promised). They too were very upset by their Gus tourand said they would never book with him again.

 

If you set a schedule, you should stick to it. From the start, Gus was running behind and showed little concern for our need to back to the ship on time, rather relying the fact that the Captain’s wife and family was on board. We were supposed to return an hour-and-a-half before departure, instead we arrived five minutes after scheduled departure. I would strongly recommend to anyone visiting Guatemala, not to book with Go with Gus Tours. Perhaps in the future, he should tell people on his tours “In seven-and-a-half years, I have never missed a ship, thanks to the Captain’s wife.”

Hi. I am wondering if there was any response for Gus's tour company. I am in the process of trying to research and book tours for next year's Lima to NYC cruise which includes Guatemala, and I am concerned about booking this particular tour after reading your post. I am also wondering if there are any other tours that folks were taking that did not include taking a boat. Just wondering.......:confused:

Several years ago I was there with a friend who has Parkinson's. He had trouble walking and climbing stairs (he does the latter backwards which is always exciting). I was recovering from an operation and was using a cane and brace. We both enjoyed it, but we took our time -- we hired a private guide so that we could go at our own pace helped by his spouse who led the way shouting things like "bring out your dead" and "inválido" (she insisted on using the singular since her husband wasn't a cripple; he just walked funny) and other helpful phrases.

 

The Alhambra represents the flowering of one of the three great flowering at civilization in the Mediterranean (if one defines civilization as industry, arts and science rather the proficiency at killing people). While the Alcazar is wonderful it is nowhere near in the same league, imho. I urge you to see it.

Hi - Can you tell me what private guide you used? We are headed there and although I got a group of 9 together for what I thought was a "private tour" I now find out that we are on a bus with others and the bus is just a transfer, then we are broken into groups. When I emailed again asking for a "private tour" once again, we were promised one, but again - no commentary, just a transfer to the Palace where we meet a guide. I am considering dropping out of the group since my husband needs a walker to navigate his way around and I think that this will be way too strenuous. Perhaps if we had a real private guide, we might do better. I hear what you are saying about Seville and the Alcazar, but hate to have my husband hurt at the beginning of a trip. If you know of any other guides for Canary Islands, Madeira, or Seville, please let me know. My email is rwcaac at yahoo dot com (please put in the appropriate symbols.

thanks for your help.

Ronnie

If you are traveling with GCT I would do the post trip to Jordan with them.. We stayed at the Crown Plaza Hotel right at the gate of Petra and it's a very nice hotel.. That part of the trip, Jordan, was much more layed back and we enjoyed it tremendously.. As far as going on the baloon ride again, you might be able to find it cheaper, but I would stick with GCT. You have to get up very early in the morning to do it and they will have an early breakfast on the boat, drive you by bus to the boats that take you to the other side of the Nile and bring you to the Baloons.. They then reverse it when done.. I think it is worth the extra money not to get all hassled about how to get there and get back and getting up and stuff like that.. My own personal opinion.. As far as changing money, as i said, the bank in the hotel is open 24hrs per day and you really don't have to get all excited about changing money.. just be shure to bring enough small US bills.. As someone said, the only time you must have Egyptian money is for government entrances.. and if you are traveling with GCT, most of your admissions are paid for.... Don't sweat it, it's a great trip and it's all taken care of for you...

Hi agan AnJ - I guess you can see I just posted another inquiry about ballooning. For some strange reason you rpost and the ones beneath it didn't pop up until after I hit "submit". Thank you for answering me about the balloon trip. My dearest friend is traveling with us and since she has never traveled before, I don't want to stress her out and go looking for a tour company for us. I was thinking that life may be easier if we just go with GCT, pay the extra money, and forget the hassle. If I were by myself, I would have no problem - but she is getting butterfies already, so it's best I keep things calm.

My wife and I went on GCT Egypt and on to Jordan beginning Aug 16, 2008.

We would and most likely go again. It was great , hot but great. A few

comments on some of the posts - We state at the Le Meridian Pyramids

while in Cairo - we we disappointed we didn't stay at in Cairo but not upset

as it was fine. There is a pharmacy left and than a quick left out of the

hotel where we bought Antinal for $1.00 a box of 12 - my wife use it once

and I did once when we thought we might have a problem - no problem but

cheap insurance - also the River Anuket had them for sale but ran out. We

basically watched what we ate and drank.

 

We were able to buy rolls of 1 Egyptian pound coins @ $5.00 in at the Le Meridian hotel exchange/bank in the lobby. These coins would also be good

souvenirs for friends at home as they have King Tut face and golden engraved

on them.

 

My wife bought her cartouches on the River Anuket - she was satisfied and

you can bargain a little.

 

We had some laundry done on the River Anuket about half way thru the

3 week tour (Egypt and Jordan), It was reasonable and got us thru the

rest of the tour. The laundry camd back the next day.

 

On the Jordan trip we had 24 people out of 140 for Egypt. Don't miss Petra.

Hi Colmrs: We leave in two months for the same trip. I am so glad you answered some of my questions. My DH and I are traveling with friends, but we are the oly ones going on the post-tour to Jordan. I was considering getting some private guides for the free days, but after checking GCT said that they had only about 11 folks going on the post tour. Did you take all the optional tours in Jordan and were they worthwhile? Also, GCT wants $160 pp for the optional ballooning. I have read on this board that many passengers were able to get private companies to take them balllooning for less than half that. Did you go ballooning and/or did you notice companies on the dock offering the same tours? As I said in my previous post, I would hate to leave the ship and not find the companies ouside the dock - on the other hand, I would hate to pay GCT and then leave the ship with them only to find a ton of tour companies offering the same at half the price. The posters that mentioned finding other comapnies to take them balloooning were not from GCT - some said that they had the hotel book it. I just hate to miss that.

Thanks for the info on Antinal and the rolls of coins. We are supposed to be staying at the Marriott in Cairo, but who knows :confused:.

Counting down the days -

2Travelers,

 

We were on a small (7 people total!) land trip. Our balloon ride was not included as part of the trip, but our tour director said he could arrange it for us if we were interested. The price was very reasonable. I don't recall now exactly how much, but I think it was about $75 pp.

 

I don't recall people on the dock touting for this, but perhaps they were there. I know you can also arrange through a local hotel or from your cruiser, and there are also travel offices in Luxor where you can make the arrangements yourself and they are probably a bit cheaper.

 

There were certainly many companies all lifting off on the morning we went -- dozens of balloons in the sky over the Nile and Valley of the Kings. It was an awesome sight. Everyone appeared to be taking appropriate safety precautions. One thing to be aware of is that some "baskets" may hold as many as 20 people, while others are smaller. I think a larger basket may be more stable. Ours certainly was and the flight was very calm.

 

Good luck!

Thanks, Cruisemom42. We will be traveling with GCT and they want $160pp for ballooning. You paid about half, which is what I read in another post. I am hoping that there is some information I can get before I give GCT my money only to leave the boat and find other companies for a lot less. On the other hand, I hate to decide to go it alone and then not have access to independent companies on the dock. I may just post and see what other passengers on the GCT tour did. I missed balloooning when we were in Australia due to bad weather - and I am determined not to miss it this time around.

I'm not happy about heights either, and I debated about the balloon trip but in the end I did it (thanks to encouragement from others on our trip). I am SO glad that I did -- and I'm sure you will be too!

Hi cruisemom42 - Did you go on the balloon ride with the tour comapny or did you use one of the other private companies? Someone posted that there were other companies on the dock and that the cost was half of what GCT wanted. I was a bit concerned with safety, but the poster said that they were all safe and that many people bargained for a better price and went privately. Did you happen to notice other companies looking to take passengers ballooning, or did you go with the group from your trip?

tns, Yes, the ship was full, about 140 pass. you are broken into three groups right from the time of your arrival in Egypt.. We were in the Green bus, which were all of the people doing the post trip to Jordan.. We had friends on the Red bus and had also made contact with people on the yellow... Each group has their own Tour Director and leave for sights and trips sepperatly.. If you are traveling with GCT, don't be concerned about the numbers of people.. They know how to work out the logistics..

 

Yesterday i mentioned to bring lots of $1 in our hotel in Cairo there were two banks in the lobby that were open 24 hrs.. and you can get 1 ELB (Egyption pounds) coins or bills to use as tips for doorman or toilets etc... 1 Elb. is about 26 cents US.

HI AnJ - Just a quick question. How many went on the post tour to Jordan? I am debating whether to get a private guide for the days that they have optional tours. If the group is small I will stay put, but if there are a large number of folks, I think it might be easier to do it alone at my own pace. What do you think?

2Travelers; You can tip in USD, but for the bathroom attendents, we used 2 Elbs. about 50 cents.. as far as the doorman, if he gets you a cab, 2 Elbs. $1 for guy delivering yoour luggage.. You'ds do it just like home, but remember the prices are lower.. Now in Jordan it's a whole other story, Jordanian money is worth more than ours, even more than the Euro, and we used USD for everything never changed money in Jordan, just convert or ask for prices in USd. You even get change in USD which I've never had done before.. One USD is worth about .64 JD, like in 60 cents so, 1 JD is $1.40 USD.. if you can understand my logic..

I understand your logic. The Jordanian dollar is higher than the Euro - amazing. Thanks for the heads-up. We are the only ones in our happy little group of travelers going to Jordan.

tns, Yes, the ship was full, about 140 pass. you are broken into three groups right from the time of your arrival in Egypt.. We were in the Green bus, which were all of the people doing the post trip to Jordan.. We had friends on the Red bus and had also made contact with people on the yellow... Each group has their own Tour Director and leave for sights and trips sepperatly.. If you are traveling with GCT, don't be concerned about the numbers of people.. They know how to work out the logistics..

 

Yesterday i mentioned to bring lots of $1 in our hotel in Cairo there were two banks in the lobby that were open 24 hrs.. and you can get 1 ELB (Egyption pounds) coins or bills to use as tips for doorman or toilets etc... 1 Elb. is about 26 cents US.

Hi AnJ - So, do you tip 1 Elb or 1 USD? Because we Americans tend to tip everyone and everywhere, it is hard to think in their currency. I couldn't see tipping someone 1 Elb, but if that is what is done, then ...when in Rome. We once tipped a cab driver in Australia and although we had not spoken a word in his cab, he thanked us and asked us if we were from the US. He said the only people who tip him are from the US. So, do we tip in their exchange or ours and do we tip 4 Elb in place of 1 USD :confused: .

I would think USD are accepted there.

Ronnie

Got back last night from my GCT trip to Egypt and Jordan... Only one word... FANTASTIC!

We felt secure at all times and would recommend it to anyone. If there are any questions about specifics of the GCT trip please feel free to ask..

Hi AnJ - We leave in 99 days and anything you can tell us would be appreciated. I read that it is nice to bring lipstick and nail polish for the wives of the guides. We have private guides for our free time in Egypt and would surely like to bring something for the family. Also - Abu Simbel. How was the bus ride? We are going there, but we were disappointed that we would be on a bus most of the day. What time did you leave and what time did you get back. Someone said there were box lunches handed out and that there was n o refrigeration on the motorcoach -any problems with that? Did you go to the home of a local for dinner and if you did, did you bring the host something? Some of my traveling companions were wondering if you were able to order cartouches on the ship and then have them delivered, or - should they purchase them in Cairo?

I know that you have to get over some jet-lag and do some laundry, so I won't ask anything else right now. Sleep well and then post -we are all waiting :D.

Ronnie

Try Victor Aballai @ victor.aballai@enaturchile.com We went in March 06 so I hope its still the correct address. Good luck. website is www.enaturchile.com

Thanks, Funny I had e-mailed that company about a week ago and never heard from them. Yesterday I posted with this thread and another requesting the names of a company for Santiago and you both came back with the same company. I had the address spelled incorrectly - never came back as Demon Mailer, but who knows....I tried again theis morning. He must have a good company if two people on different threads have the same info - can't beat CC posters for really great info :D

Ronnie

Why not get a private car and do the tour from the pier. Go to Vina del Mar and Renaca and Valparaiso and then include a winery on your way to Santiago; Veremente is one we went to. They can take you to the hotel or give a tour of Santiago as well. Maybe even your ride to the airport whenever you are scheduled to leave. We did it the other way. Was very reasonable and was private. I can give you our operator email if you are interested.

My husband and I are looking to do a day tour in Santiago and then be taken to the airport. If you would be kind enough to give us the name of you contact, we would really appreciate it. We are going to be debarking March 16, and although I have e-mailed several companies, I have not heard from anyone yet.

Thanks,

Ronnie