Help With Nicaragua Shore Excursions

I am travelling on the Island Princess with my husband and 2 friends on 12th February through the Panama Canal. This is my first time on posting something. I have been looking at trips as well trying to decide what to do in each of the ports. We are normally adventurous travellers and would do things on our own but this is the first time in this region and people have told us some horror stories about going out on your own.

I can understand your reluctance. I was the same way. Especially when you have children. Are you stopping in Hualtulco? If so...don't bother doing a shore excursion with the ship. We had one booked but for some reason it was cancelled at the last minute, anyway...we got off the ship and found a some tour operators right there on the dock. We had a private snorkel tour with our own boat, we went to the places that the ship went to, except we only paid 70.00 for all of us. compared with 89.00 per person on the ship. We had a great time.

In Guatemala we went to Lake Attitlan with the ship. It was a long trip I was glad we were with the ship there. If you are going to Antigua a private tour or just a cab would be best i think.

Nicaragua-I was very nervous of this port. It was very sketchy outside of the port gates. When our tour guide showed up i felt much better. I never felt nervous the rest of the day. If you like adventure do the hiking up the volcano, or kayaking like we did. You will enjoy yourself more than touring Leon, not much to see there.

Now, Cartagena is one city I wish I would not have taken a ship tour of. A taxi cab to the walled city or fortress would have been so much better. It is a beautiful city and safe. Not a person came up to us to bother us we were not bothered by vendors and not a soul tried to sell us drugs! With the ship tour we were stuck watching street performers(which were probably related to the tour guide) and were made to feel as if we had to tip them all. I was not happy with that at all. Here is a link to our Panama Canal Cruise

http://community.webshots.com/user/gkrue49?vhost=community

Ginger

Tammy,

I still haven't booked our excursion for Nicaragua on our cruise which sails on March 9. Probably will go with Leon and the Bubbling Mud Pots. Thanks for starting this thread. From the information I've gathered, I do think it will be worthwhile for us to see Leon. Your cruise is quickly approaching. Have a great time and please let us know what you did in Nicaragua and what you thought.

Rich

We were on the Island in November, and we did the Mombacho Volcano hike. My husband and I both enjoyed this excursion...although I will say in advance that it is not for someone not in good physical condition. I orginally booked this because I wanted my husband to see some of Central America's volcano's, but it didn't turn out to be the volcano-"watching" tour. However, it was a blast!

Short summary: We took a big air conditioned bus from the port to the base of the volcano. There we get out of the bus, and climb up into the back of a 4 wheel drive ex-miltary truck...the bed was retrofitted with plastic seats. There were also jeeps for those who didn't want to ride outside (or in the bed of the giant truck). We drove part-way up the volcano, and then we stopped at a coffee plantation for about 10 minutes. We weren't sure why until later, but it was because the road the rest of the way up the mountain is only one way, and we had to wait on another jeep to come down. The rest of the trip up is very steep with up to 45 degree inclines. At the top of the volcano is a research station from which we started our hike thru the cloud forest. The guide said is was about a mile, but it seemed much longer and took us a little over an hour to complete. My husband and I lagged behind the rest of the group and had a great time taking in the beautiful scenery. At one point, you come to the edge of the forest and can see the lake as well as some steam vents. After the hike is over, you take the 4 wheel drive vehicles back down the moutain, and stop for lunch. I'm a vegetarian, so I wasn't sure there was going to be anything for me, but the restaurant made me a special dish that was wonderful.

This cruise is actually my third time in Nicaragua. I personally feel safer there then in most major US cities. The people are poor - really, really poor, but there are also wonderfully kind.

What stop in Nicaragua did you make? We will be on the Island Princess February 12th and on our stop in Puerto corinto we made plans to hike the cerro negro volcano.

Hi All, We just got back from our Holiday Panama Canal cruise on the Coral.I felt like i needed to respond to your posts because i remember being in your shoes and not knowing what to expect in this particular port. With that being said....don't be afraid to do a tour on your own. I felt safe in Puerto Corinto. We did a kayak, lunch and Leon tour. We were a family of 6, 4 kids ages13-21. We felt a little nervous when we were waiting for our tour guide to show up. We were the only people out ,all the tour busses had left. and the port is surrounded by a tall fence with locked gates. It felt a little akward but our guide showed up and off we went. We booked with VaPues tours. It is very hot and the air was very smokey from trash burning. We went a kayaking first. saw crocodiles in water and out. Many types of birds. went to the office of Vapues which I guess is a restaurant also. Ate there for lunch and had vegetarian food. We had to rush to see the old church building and the square. We ran out of time and had to leave before we could see more. A note here....schedule your tour for as early as possible. The traffic is bad and it does take a long time to get from the port to the city. We were late getting back to the ship! we were the last people to board. All in all we had a good day. The guide was nice and he spoke good english. My kids loved the whole experience and said it was their best tour. If you have any questions i will try to answer them.

We are going on the Coral March 9. We pulled up a website for VaPues tours, but we could not figure out what trip you took. (ie. the tours were listed from certain cities -they did not mention any from cruise ship pier) Could you give us a little more information on this tour company. Did you pay at the end of the tour or up front?

We booked hiking the cerro negro volcano with them for next week. We are sending a check with the deposit and will pay the remainder when we are there. Just email them with what you are interested in and they will reply.

Tammy,

 

I still haven't booked our excursion for Nicaragua on our cruise which sails on March 9. Probably will go with Leon and the Bubbling Mud Pots. Thanks for starting this thread. From the information I've gathered, I do think it will be worthwhile for us to see Leon. Your cruise is quickly approaching. Have a great time and please let us know what you did in Nicaragua and what you thought.

 

Rich

Hi Rich,

Thanks for the bon voyage! Yes, we get to leave the cold here in Chicago in 6 exactly days! We are still booked with the Princess Leon and Leon Viejo tour. After re-reviewing the options many times, that's the one that sounded the most interesting. I'd prefer something a little more active, but with the distance that we'll be away from the ship, we don't feel comfortable venturing out on our own or with an independent company. Anyway, we're looking forward to it! I will report back on this tour when we return. I'll also keep my ears open for any comments on the Bubbling Mud pots tour.

Tammy

Hi Rich,

Thanks for the bon voyage! Yes, we get to leave the cold here in Chicago in 6 exactly days! We are still booked with the Princess Leon and Leon Viejo tour. After re-reviewing the options many times, that's the one that sounded the most interesting. I'd prefer something a little more active, but with the distance that we'll be away from the ship, we don't feel comfortable venturing out on our own or with an independent company. Anyway, we're looking forward to it! I will report back on this tour when we return. I'll also keep my ears open for any comments on the Bubbling Mud pots tour.

 

Tammy

Look forward to hearing what you think. Still haven't ruled out that tour. Like you, just wondering about that long bus ride.

Have a great cruise.

Rich

We are going on the Coral March 9. We pulled up a website for VaPues tours, but we could not figure out what trip you took. (ie. the tours were listed from certain cities -they did not mention any from cruise ship pier) Could you give us a little more information on this tour company. Did you pay at the end of the tour or up front?

Looks like we'll be on the same sailing. Really looking forward to it.

Rich

Tammy, We will be on the Island next week..feb. 12th sailing....if you change your mind on the excursion, we are going with Vapues to hike the cerro negro volcano. there are 4 of us and room for 2 more. we are in caribe 526. they seem to have a good reputation. We are leaving at 7am and will be back by 2ish. Nancy

Hi Nancy,

Thanks for the offer. I will keep that in mind and jot down your cabin number. BTW, I've seen your screen name on our roll call. Will you be joining the group in Crooners? :)

Tammy

Now that we've returned from our cruise, I just want to provide my 2 cents regarding this port.

We took the Princess Leon and Bubbling Mud Pots excursion.

The view of the volcanoes on the drive was impressive.

The mud pots were interesting. Contrary to some reports, we were not bothered by any of the children at the site.

Leon was also interesting. We walked around the Square and climbed to the top of the cathedral for a great view of the surrounding area.

I'm glad that we took this tour. We enjoyed the scenery and the people were friendly. Nicaragua is a poor country and some of what you see can be heart-breaking, but to miss the experience would have been a mistake for us.

Rich

Just wanted to also say that we went with Vapues tours and hiked a volcano....it was the best excursion I have ever done. It was such a thrill and what a view. We had Ray as our guide. He was wonerful, a really nice guy. It was great doing something no one else was.

Greetings!

I ran across this thread while researching the Coral Princess 10 night PC for April 2011. I'm not yet sure if we will be booking that cruise, but the time frame works well with our schedule. One of the ports is San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. There is certainly a shortage of information available on this port!

That being said, I would like to point out that the last time I was unable to find out a lot about a port was in the Dominican Republic last year on an RCI cruise. We were going to the south side of the island - not Santo Domingo. Because the tour infrastructure did not seem to be in place as you find in more developed ports we also opted for a ship tour. I must say that this was one of the best tours I had ever taken! We saw how the people of the island really lived (yes, it is also a very poor country) but we were able to see the beauty and heart of the people through the eyes of our very proud tour guides. The general attitude on CC was to stay on the ship and people who returned after venturing into the undeveloped port promoted that you should stay on the ship. We would have missed so much had we done so! And just think - there was not a DI in sight the whole day.;)

Yes, we tossed the dice on this tour as we had no reviews available, but I am so glad we did. Pick something that sounds good to you and try it. You really haven't got too much to lose and a whole lot to gain.:)

Greetings!

 

I ran across this thread while researching the Coral Princess 10 night PC for April 2011. I'm not yet sure if we will be booking that cruise, but the time frame works well with our schedule. One of the ports is San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. There is certainly a shortage of information available on this port!

 

That being said, I would like to point out that the last time I was unable to find out a lot about a port was in the Dominican Republic last year on an RCI cruise. We were going to the south side of the island - not Santo Domingo. Because the tour infrastructure did not seem to be in place as you find in more developed ports we also opted for a ship tour. I must say that this was one of the best tours I had ever taken! We saw how the people of the island really lived (yes, it is also a very poor country) but we were able to see the beauty and heart of the people through the eyes of our very proud tour guides. The general attitude on CC was to stay on the ship and people who returned after venturing into the undeveloped port promoted that you should stay on the ship. We would have missed so much had we done so! And just think - there was not a DI in sight the whole day.;)

 

Yes, we tossed the dice on this tour as we had no reviews available, but I am so glad we did. Pick something that sounds good to you and try it. You really haven't got too much to lose and a whole lot to gain.:)

Hi Sunny - We ended up tossing the dice, as you said, and signed up for the ship's tour, Leon Viejo & Colonial Leon With Lunch (A visit to the ruins of León Viejo located near Lake Xolotan and the current colonial city of León for a walking tour, lunch and a visit to the cathedral). Ours was a good tour and, like your experience, we got a great chance to see the countryside, interact with the people a bit, see how they live, and learn about the country. None of which would have happened if we'd stayed on the ship.

Leon Viejo itself wasn't terribly exciting but it was a small part of our tour. Overall the tour was worthwhile and interesting, and I'm so glad we did it.

I'm so glad you had a good tour. It is so fun to explore away from the beaten path at times. Sometimes the ports all tend to look the same - the same stores, the same tours, the same beaches. While I enjoy a bit of familiarity I am trying to choose cruises lately where I can try something new.:)

I'm another advance planner like Ginny and found this thread. We are also looking at one of the 10 day Panama Canal cruises in April 2011 and were wondering what to do in Nicaragua. Our primary interest is bird watching, especially parrots, toucans and the quetzal.

I see the 2011 cruises don't go to Guatemala, the 2010 ones stop in Port Quetzal. Anyone know why?

I'm another advance planner like Ginny and found this thread. We are also looking at one of the 10 day Panama Canal cruises in April 2011 and were wondering what to do in Nicaragua. Our primary interest is bird watching, especially parrots, toucans and the quetzal.

 

I see the 2011 cruises don't go to Guatemala, the 2010 ones stop in Port Quetzal. Anyone know why?

What cruise are you looking at for 2011? We are seriously considering booking the Coral Princess April 24, 2011.

I am also disappointed that the 2011 itineraries will not be going to Guatamala. However, I am sure it will still be a great cruise!:cool:

Ginny, we might be on that one too but won't be able to book and pay for a while yet. Actually, I think it's pretty cool that a cruise goes to Nicaragua at all! I'm kind of consoled by the fact that Tikal would have been too far way even if it did stop in Guatemala anyway and that was my first thought when I was looking at itineraries. I spent hours on GoogleMaps yesterday! I am really pleased this cruise has a lot of nature/wildlife orientated excursions!

Ginny, we might be on that one too but won't be able to book and pay for a while yet. Actually, I think it's pretty cool that a cruise goes to Nicaragua at all! I'm kind of consoled by the fact that Tikal would have been too far way even if it did stop in Guatemala anyway and that was my first thought when I was looking at itineraries. I spent hours on GoogleMaps yesterday! I am really pleased this cruise has a lot of nature/wildlife orientated excursions!

I haven't booked yet, but I think I will. When I do I will start a Roll Call if no one has done it yet. I have a FCC with Princess so that covers our deposit, I believe. I just made a deposit on our Alaska cruise this month, so I am waiting for next month just in case!:eek:

I think the itinerary looks great, too!:D

Thanks so much.

It is my pleaser be part of your forum.

Julio Tours Nicaragua is working hard to creat new adventures

for people that visit our country by ship.

Always nice to know when you guys are coming.:D