vossjemi

I’m interested too, but for 15 people.  I’m just finding smaller groups. 

Does anyone have any recommendations of a company that does this?  I’ve been finding catamarans for 8-12 people, but 15 I haven’t seen yet.  Thanks!

Thanks for all of the suggestions.  The party bus thing looks cool!  I'll get quotes from the recommended transport services.  I'm curious.  Do you find independent transport generally cheaper or more expensive than ship transport?

We'll have at approx 16 adults & 5 kids to get from the MCO  to Cape Canaveral the day before our cruise.  We haven't picked a hotel yet either.  Would you recommend multiple vehicle rentals?  A shuttle who will take all of us?  I assume we would be on multiple shuttles?  Any idea of cost?  We would need transport back from cruise to MCO as well. Who would you recommend for a large group like this?

Does that mean children can’t cruise since vaccines have not been approved for them yet?

We spent last Sat at Nachi. Got there about 9:30 am as our ship didn't debark until 9am. Front row of palapas all taken, but it was ok. Carlos was our waiter. Very friendly and attentive.

I will say I was disappointed in the cocktails. I really couldn't taste any alcohol in them. hahaha Tried a margarita on the rocks, a dirty monkey, a pina colada. All ok, but I've had better.

Went up to the pool and noticed many of the people at the swim up bar were doing shots of tequila. Ok, I did one. ;-) hehehe Stuck with beer after that. Dos Equis.

The lunch was ok. We had the guacamole and salsa. I have to say I think the salsa was fabulously hot!! Loved it. The guac ok. We are guac lovers and have had it made pretty awesomely both tableside in restaurants as well as personally making it ourselves, and ours is better. :) I think we also had a mixed seafood cocktail with shrimp, scallops and octopus. It was very sweet. But, super yummy on a chip with some of the hot salsa mixed in!

For my meal, I had fried shrimp. It was butterflied and had some grill flavors on it. Pretty good. Too full for dessert. :)

Overall I did like the beach. It was a nice relaxing day away from the crowds. Only wish we had more time. Had to be back on the ship by 3:30, which just seemed too short. 9:30-3:30. Not enough time Carnival! hahaha

What about in 2 weeks? Is Cozumel same CST as the US now?

I'm a little confused about this time difference stuff. We leave Galveston (central time zone) and arrive in Cozumel on a Saturday (also central, right?) So, it opens at 9am. dot. period. Same as ship time, right?

From my research I'm fairly certain any singular alcoholic beverage that has a menu listed price of less than $10 qualifies, minus certain "specialty coffees". Groups of beverages, such as a bucket of beer, are not available on this program.

So, is there a menu of drinks that we can see online?

Showing prices?

I'd like to know what all is offered.

For specialty kind of drinks, beers, and cocktails, and anything they make.

Is there a menu somewhere of what drinks ARE included in the program?

And, likewise, a list of what drinks ARE NOT included?

Thanks.

Thanks for the info, but we are looking for a 1/2 day sea tour to the Pitons. Someone directed me to Serenity but we are not interested in a 1/2 day land tour. There are 6 people in our party.

I think Spencer Ambrose does the 1/2 day sea tour to the Pitons. Its called the "Jalouise Beach Break".

Ok, just thought I'd post our experience for anyone going to Canada. DH was pulled over for DUI in May 04. We worked out a deal with the prosecutor for an SIS (pleads guilty but gets suspended imposition of sentence) in Sept 04. Basically, no conviction shows of record because if no new incidents occurred during period of 1 year probation, it was to become a closed record. A search of the courthouse records shows no conviction. Basically a public records search shows no conviction, but the driver's license record does show the 30 day license suspension because that is an administrative proceeding as opposed to a criminal proceeding and the license bureau NEVER takes that off. So, the incident itself was just over 5 years ago, but the SIS deal was just under 5 years so we worried that he wouldn't be allowed entry since technically he couldn't even be "deemed rehabilitated" per Canada rules requiring conviction or period of probation being more than 5 years ago.

Went to Niagara Falls this past weekend and stayed on US side. Walked across Rainbow Bridge into Canada twice. They scanned our passports into the computer. They asked a few simple questions...purpose of our visit, no weapons, how much $, but didn't ask anything about arrests/convictions. We were permitted entry into Canada both times no problems. I do not know if all the border patrol had access to was open records since his SIS is a closed record. Or if they did have access to his closed record but chose to ignore it since we were walking instead of driving. It turned out to be no big deal at least with the walking across.

Oh yeah, and do you see any wildlife on the whitewater rafting excursion? Like monkeys, sloths, etc...? While on the road to the river or while on the river (probably too rapid to see much...ha. ha.) Just curious. Thanks.

fishinguspo,

Thanks for the review on whitewater rafting. Sounds like fun. I did get a response back from Mambo Tours. He said:

Hi:

>

>This is Mario Anderson, Mambo Tour mannager. I have receive your email

>where

>you are interested in White Water Rafting. This is what we offer you:

>

>The options are:

>1-) Class II – III . 9 miles . Easy to Moderate .

>2-) Class IV. 18 miles . Moderate to Difficult .

>3-) Class IV. 6 miles plus 9 miles of Reventazón Regular. Difficult

>

>It Includes:

>Transportation

>Lunch

>Equipment

>Specialized Guide

>

>Duration: 7 hours aprox.

>Price: From $ 75 USA per person

>

>We have special prices for big groups.

>You can visit us to our Web Page http://www.*****.com

>Any doubt or question please write us back.

>Thank you for chosen us!

>

>Warms Regards,

>Mario Anderson J.

So, it would appear his company does do this excursion. But, I guess I'm a little nervous to go trapsing 2 hours away from port on a non-ship sponsored excursion. I don't want to get left behind! So, we are thinking about doing it through the ship anyway.

I couldn't find the meaning of the word. Hmmm. On the trip to the River, did you have a guide that provided info on the area? Did they have a little training/instruction? I've never been white water rafting before. Also, how was the lunch? Any good? Were there drinks or anything available on the trip to/from the river? Or should we bring our own?

Thanks!:)

bump to see if anyone has heard of or used these independent companies.:D

I've emailed mambo tours in costa rica at Mambotur@hotmail.com for info re: their white water rafting excursion. I'll let you know if I find out anything. Another company I've discovered but not yet checked out is Greenway Tours: http://www.cruceros.co.cr/ Has anyone used them or heard of them before?

Ok, I checked with Rios Tropicales and they do not handle independent bookings for cruise ship passengers because of their contract with the cruiselines; ie they do the cruise sponsored excursions. So, unless I want to pay $98pp for the cruiseship sponsored trip, I need to find another company. Does anyone have any other suggestions about other companies? And price?

Someone mentioned Rios Tropicales on another message board, but they were in Costa Rica on vacation. Has anyone used this company for their cruise?

If so, did you like it and with whom did you book? Price? How long of a trip? Were there levels (beginner, intermediate, advanced)? Did you see a lot of wildlife? Please share your experience. We will be there in jan 05 and are thinking of doing something like this.