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Cruises to Santo Tomas de Castilla


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Which cruise lines offer cruises to Santo Tomas de Castilla, Guatemala? My wife and I went a few years ago and loved it. We are thinking about trying to go again and take our kids. We went on Norwegian last time, but I don't see a cruise that goes there now. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

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Which cruise lines offer cruises to Santo Tomas de Castilla, Guatemala? My wife and I went a few years ago and loved it. We are thinking about trying to go again and take our kids. We went on Norwegian last time, but I don't see a cruise that goes there now. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

 

I know exactly what you mean. When we got there, we hired a driver with a young boy. They took us to the most magificent rainforest with tons of waterfalls. You could go in and swim at every level. I have never seen anything like it. We were surrounded by such beauty. I have also looked to see what cruises go there just to return to that setting.

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Hi. I just got back from Oceania's Mayan Mystique cruise with Marina. I ended up booking a 5 hour tour with "Happy Fish" which took us in a boat across the bay and then down the Rio Dulce River and back. The boat ride across the bay (and back at the end of the tour) was a little fast and rough, so if you're easily scared by that kind of thing, I wouldn't recommend it. We did a leisurely boat ride down the river, seeing hanging gardens, what was described as a cave up top in the walls along the canyon, and a quick visit to thermal springs. I didn't have a bathing suit on and so I can't tell you about the springs. The boat ride was very pretty, but I wouldn't say it was absolutely spectacular. We did, however, see some birds, interesting plants, and some boys fishing in a dugout. We also saw a Mennonite farm and came upon some Mennonite boys fishing in a dugout. We visited a school and saw the buildings there, plus a tortilla demonstration. It is the Ak Tenemet settlement or something like that. You can google Happy Fish if you want more info. Go with Gus does a similar tour, but charges more, I believe. Oceania offered a similar excursion but it was way more, and so I went with Happy Fish. If you email them, they'll send you a detailed itinerary. After visiting the school, we were all getting quite hungry, and lunch at Happy Fish's restaurant in Livingston was included. You get fish (I hear it was good) or chicken or one other entree (sorry, I've forgotten already!!) Of course you get beans and rice, or fries, plus a drink. The town of Livingston is nothing much - a bit shabby, but we are talking about Guatemala, which is a pretty poor country, so if you don't expect a lot, you won't be too terribly disappointed. The tour guide, Freddy, was absolutely fabulous and did what he could to give us a great afternoon for $50. You can pre-book (and pay when you get to Santo Tomas) or just look for the people hawking the tours at the entrance to the terminal. If you go, be prepared for a bumpy, fast ride part of the way, and take a few snacks, as lunch doesn't come until mid to late afternoon.

 

As for Santo Tomas, there isn't much to the little town there, and there isn't much in the terminal, although there ARE some booths offering tours, plus internet access ($3 or $4 for a half hour) and some crafts. I hear there are some vendors outside the terminal, but I never made it out there to look.

 

Oceania offered a number of tours, but quite honestly, I've already forgotten what they were. I know they offered a beach day at the resort called Amatique or something like that, which is across the bay, plus the expensive Ak Tenement tour that Happy Fish offers with (probably) a better lunch than we got. (I'm not saying lunch was bad - just nothing fantastic!!)

 

Be aware that this tour is a bit strenuous, as you're doing a good amount of walking, and that last week it was awfully hot and humid in Santo Tomas. I don't know how it will be in November, though...

 

I believe there is a Catholic church 4 blocks from the terminal. The tourist rep who came on board told us that you walk 3 blocks straight out of the terminal, and then turn left and go one block. I was thinking of going, just to take a peek, but was tired when I got back from the tour, and never made it.

 

I believe you can walk out of the terminal and catch a water taxi across the bay to Livingston, but quite honestly, some people on our ship were a little freaked out by the rough and ready town, so if you're easily turned off by poverty, I'd pass on that. I also don't know if the water taxi accepts U.S. dollars, so that is a consideration.

 

I collected some notes on Santo Tomas, and if you'd like me to send them, just give me your email address. There isn't a whole lot of stuff you can do there on your own, however - might want to choose a ship's excursion or do Happy Fish's tour. The good news, though, is that you dock right up next to the terminal, with minimal walking, so you can at least go check email if you don't want to pay Oceania's high prices for internet usage.

 

When the Marina left that evening, Freddy, our guide, was outside the ship, along with some dancers and drummers, waving and singing goodbye to us. I thought that was cool - really making the visitors feel welcome. He told us that cruise ship visits are really down this year.

 

Santo Tomas isn't the greatest port in the world, but I believe it is where you can take an excursion to Tikal, and perhaps another, closer ruin. Just don't expect to walk off the ship and wander around to find wonderful things - you really need to go away from the port for that.

Edited by roothy123
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Thanks for the report. I will be on the Mayan Mystique cruise in December on the Riviera. I would like to take their tour to Tikal, but Oceania hasn't published Riviera's excursions for this cruise yet. I don't know what they are waiting for.

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Thanks for the report. I will be on the Mayan Mystique cruise in December on the Riviera. I would like to take their tour to Tikal, but Oceania hasn't published Riviera's excursions for this cruise yet. I don't know what they are waiting for.

 

Oceania typically doesn't publish excursions that far in advance, especially not with prices. You can bet, however, that the Tikal trip is going to be an all day, expensive trip. I think it was about $500 in Feb. or whenever it was we went - we just couldn't afford it.

Edited by roothy123
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Sure. Just give me about a half hour or so, as I'm not at my desktop! Then check your inbox (and probably spam box, too). You might also want to look at my cruise photos to give you an idea of stuff in that part of the country. The address is pbase.com/roothy123. I'm working on my galleries this morning, so if you can't get into the site, just try later.

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Well, I've been up the Rio Dulce river twice, and think it is spectacularly beautiful. Our tour included a trip to the indigenous school, and lunch in the Garifuna town of Livingston. Really interesting. Yes, the boat trip to the river and back is fast, furious, bumpy and windy.

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To the people who asked for my notes: Sorry! Apparently I don't get notified of every post, and I'm just now seeing these requests. If you still want my notes from last Feb., just email me directly at howardruthalliejoey@gmail.com and I'll send them. They are geared toward independent travelers.

 

To the person who asked about Oceania: It is more expensive than the lines you mention, but a wonderful cruise line. We love the size of the ships (largest ones hold 1250 pax), the specialty restaurants (no extra charge), the port-intensive itineraries and the casual but dignified feel to the cruises. You may not like them, however, if you're under 50! We have only sailed on Princess and Viking River Cruises, though, so I don't really know how to tell you they compare to Carnival and Norwegian. We also haven't been on Holland, as we think (but can't say for sure) that it's a little bit too formal for our taste.

Edited by roothy123
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We will be on the Ryndam, leaving out of Tampa on March 17th so if anyone comes up with a great plan for Santo Tomas, keep us in the loop.

 

Since this is our first cruise ever, we've gone with excursions organized by the cruise line. I can't remember which one we chose there, though. I'll look it up when I have a chance, if you like.

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We will be on the Ryndam, leaving out of Tampa on March 17th so if anyone comes up with a great plan for Santo Tomas, keep us in the loop.

 

We've booked a tour to lake Isabel, San Felipe fortress, rio dulce, and the waterfalls with tropical discovery tours. Rated A+ by BBB, based out of Miami.

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We booked the excursion to Tikal, very expensive but worth every penny. The Maya ruins in the jungle are simply amazing.

 

It is an all day excursion and can only be done through the ship (MS Riviera) since it involves a bus to go to the airport, a small charter plane to Flores and again a bus to go to Tikal.

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We've booked a tour to lake Isabel, San Felipe fortress, rio dulce, and the waterfalls with tropical discovery tours. Rated A+ by BBB, based out of Miami.

 

I am on Ryndam 3/10 and we would like to go on the same tour. I just emailed TDT for a quote, but I am predicting it will be a little out of my price range. My question is: are there plenty of local tour operators at the dock to negotiate with and arrange a custom afternoon trip? I would prefer giving my $$ to a local guy directly who knows the lay of the land and what our options are within our time constraints VS a company based in the USA who would turn around and contract with the same guy at the dock.

 

Any info will help.

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We were in Santo Tomas on the Ryndam on Feb 14, 2013 and did an outstanding tour with "Go with Gus". We had booked ahead online but he also had a booth in the terminal. This was a great tour. 45 minute boat ride to Livingston with a stop at his Hotel for a bathroom stop and fresh local fruit. Our group was then split up - 2 people went fishing on the river, 2 people went to a beach and the rest of us (about 12 people) got back on the boat and up the river. We stopped at a 2 room school, then a local family home for some local snacks and shopping, cruising the river, hot springs then back to Livingston. Gus then took us on a walking tour of the town, stopped a local resturant for lunch then back on the boat for the return to the ship - great 6 hour trip. Gus is very good about supporting the schools and kids - really a great guy.

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We were there two weeks ago and went on an excursion with Happy Fish. We went, by boat,up the River Dulce and through the canyon and hiked up to a local school. On the way there, we stopped by the Livingstone Dock and watched the fisherman drying and preparing their catch. On the way back, we had a tour of Livingstone and had an included lunch in the restaurant owned by Happy Fish- the catch of the day was delicious. I had booked the tour on line, and for 10% more, was able to make it private, so our group of 10 got off the ship together and started the tour, instead of having to wait around until enough people came to make a departure feasible. The cost of the trip was $50 a person for a public tour and $60 for a private tour, including lunch. Fabulous day.

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