Golden - S Car itinerary help!

[cpayne]

We are sailing Princess Golden in Nov 2005. Looking for suggestions for activities in La Guaira/Caracas. Can anyone help me out????

[pcumberl]

Have you checked out the shore excursions planner from the Princess Site? Here's the link:

 

http://www.princess.com/planner/shorex/index.jsp

 

As an aside, the Golden's Southern Explorer Itinerary that has La Guaira scheduled has been going to Isla Margarita lately (last week they did) due to political unrest in Caracas. I've also read that it sometimes doesn't even do that where passengers were given an additional sea day. I'm taking the same trip in March.

 

~Paul

[cpayne]

I tried looking at the shore excursion information on the Princess website. Prefer to not book our excursions through the ship. Was hoping someone out there had some alternative suggestions.

 

Any ideas for Isla Margarita as well in case that becomes our port of call?

[K D cruiser]

We went to Caracas six years ago on a Panama Canal cruise. We did the colonial museum and the Murano glass factory tour through Princess. It's quite a drive from where the ship docks. I wouldn't feel safe booking a tour on my own. We felt very safe going on the ship's tour with a large group. Good luck.

[cruise182]

Cpayne When are you going in Nov.? We are going on the 19th and 26th.

[jcruise67]

CPayne,

 

Be careful going into unchartered territory. If your not truly familiar with any island, you should always travel in larger groups off the ship. If you feel comfortable on your own than I apologize if I came off crass. Last time I heard that there was some unrest in Venezuela with Americans.

 

John

[busybusybusy]

In August we went to Isla Margarita. We did the "Discover Isla Margarita" tour from the ship. I was afraid to try and do something on my own. It was a great tour - we went on an air conditioned bus and saw a bit of the island.

 

If you don't want to do that, there is a small market right off of the ship that many people went to. They just shopped and hung out on the ship the rest of the time. We didn't because I felt that I needed to see something while in Venezuela. I felt very safe on the tour.

 

Have a great time!:D

[mringenoldus]

We enjoyed just strolling through the marketplace booths and thought the had some of the more interesting craft items we saw on any island. The beach was very nice with water activities. It was a short stop and the time went quickly.

[crisp1]

Cpayne, I'm booked on the Golden explorer route for this April. Princess still has La Guaira listed as the POC, but has been stopping at Isla Margarita since December. I like to book my own excursions also but think that this is one port that I'll definately book thru Princess. As I understand it, there are only four hrs in IM, not much time to really discover this island, and I certainly wouldn't want to have to get myself to Aruba to catch up. If Princess decides to pull another switcharoo, I know that the cost of the excursion will be reimbursed.

[DoreenD]

I would be VERY surprised if you go to Caracas. We were on the Golden for Christmas and although our port was changed from Caracas to Isla Margarita and back again before we sailed, when we got on board we received notification that we would not be going to Caracas. Luckily, I had researched both due to our proposed port changing back and forth. I had read a thread by Cruiseayear who was on the Golden in November (I think). His review of the La Restinga Lagoon Tour in Isla Margarita prompted us to book that tour through Princess. Here is the link http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=96615&page=2 I highly recommend the tour. . .it was a highlight of our cruise!.

[Pam in CA]

Don't forget that Isla Margarita is part of Venezuela so that even though it's a resort island, it's still probably a good idea to go on a Princess tour. When we were there, we took the Island tour. It was OK. I didn't see much there that was interesting or exciting. My impression is that the Govt. of Venezuela is trying to make this an island paradise but it fell very far short, at least from what I could see. There were resorts that had been started but which weren't completed so that they were just left unfinished, uninhabited and deteriorating.

 

A word of caution... when we stopped there, there were two couples who went off on their own to the beach. They didn't make it back. I didn't hear what happened to them but they would have had an awful time getting off the island (there are only one or two flights a day to Venezuela from which you fly elsewhere).

[jcruise67]

Why wouldn't they dock in Caracus?

 

John

[Pam in CA]

Caracas is a major city that's over a mountain and about an hour's drive from the coast. The port of Caracas is La Guiara which is very, very rough and not some place you'd want to be on your own for a minute.

 

As a port, Caracas is not a "beach" port. It's a "go into the city and explore South American history" port.

[DoreenD]

Why wouldn't they dock in Caracus?

 

John

 

When we were on the Golden for Christmas, we received a notice in our room explaining "due to a conflict between the Port Administration and the Harbor Master, we will not be permitted to dock in the port of LaGuaira on Thursday, December 23. As there is no safe, close deep-water anchorage from where we can tender you ashore, we regret that our call to the port of La Guaira has been cancelled. We are please however, to replace this call with Isla Margarita from 7:00 AM to 12:00 PM on Thursday."