La Guaira, Venezuela question

[Boyde8]

We will be in La Guaira on Feb 17 from about 9am until 7pm. We are looking for a tour to take with the family (3adults and 3 kids) and probably will do the Mt Avila lift and Glass factory tour put on by Princess, but I would also like to take the kids into the Capital Caracas for a bit also to see more of the city itself- which leads me to my questions:

1. I know every city has unsafe areas- but is there any good safe area in Caracas to take the kids?

2. If we take the morning tour with princess, how easy would it be to have them drop us off in Caracas instead of taking us to the port, which I understand has very little if anything to do. I don't want to get back to the ship at 1pm and have to either stay on the ship or drive another 45mins each way to Caracas again by cab.

3. If we stay in Caracas, how easy/ cheap is it to get back to the port on our own? With 6 of us, a cab might not work easily unless we take 2.

4. If we go back to the port in the early afternoon instead of staying in Caracas, is there ANYTHING interesting to do near the port to have the kids learn a little about the country or area?

THanks for any info you might have.

[geri]

You should check with your TA about this port being cancelled due to political unrest. Today I heard that there was a major uprising in the area, so frankly I'll be surprised if any ship goes there. I haven't seen Princess go there recently.....instead the ships are heading to Isla Margarita.

 

All that being said I will say I went to this stop about 10 years ago. If the ship does stop it is definitely a place you'd want to take a ship excursion and not go off on your own. When I was there the port area was extremely poor and I saw local people giving the "bird" from the windows of their home towards the ship. Not sure if it was directed towards us or the military guards posted all over place...either way it didn't generate a good feeling. There was also a major cholera outbreak occuring and obviously no one drank the water. That being said I did take a jeep excursion into the mountains and the scenery was phenomenal. The jeep however was very old and broke down, fortunately one of the passengers was an engineer and was able to get it going.

[SWS]

What can you tell me about your visit there? Did Princess actually stop there? It is on our itinerary for next cruise in early 2006

[michigal]

Boyd8 - Have you taken your cruise yet? If so, how was your Venezuela experience?

 

 

SWS - Our Dawn Princess cruise in 2002 stopped at LaGuaira. Twelve of us went on a tour that took us approx. 55 miles along the eastern coastline. While it was very interesting and absolutely gorgeous, it was not without some risk. We were in 2 Land Rovers. Our first stop was at a small grocery so the tour guides could fill coolers with pop and beer for us. While there, were totally surrounded by military soldiers for our safety. One of the soldiers then accompanied us in our vehicle (carrying a sub-machine gun). I don't know if this is the norm, but it scared one of the people in our party to the point of tears. On our return, one of the Land Rovers broke down, which caused half of the party to almost miss the ship.

 

If you are going to take any shore excursions to Venezuela, make sure you book them through the cruiseline. At least then if you are delayed returning, the ship will wait for you. However, given the current political climate there, I'm not sure I would leave the safety of the ship, which is a shame since it is a beautiful place.

[MGilly]

I'm so glad you asked the question! When I called Princess and asked about whether or not we'll be stopping at La Guaira in December, I had the distinct impression that the agent I spoke with really had no idea that ships had NOT been going there and had been going to Isla Margarita instead. I'm really HOPING we go to Isla Margarita! I've heard that it's beautiful, safer than the mainland, and very tourist-friendly. Just in case, though, I have to ask: has anyone actually gone into Caracas from La Guaira? How long does it take to get there ... and back? I've heard that traffic can make the 40 miles or so become a two-hour drive. Anyone know for sure?

[vital1]

It has been about 10 years ago, but I actually went into Caracus. My aunt (married my uncle) is from there and her family rented a bus to take us into the city. I was 23 and very adventerous at the time but actually got scared. We were with about 20 of my family members and were told to keep the blondes close to us as they were considered "good luck" there. Now, I don't know if that was true or not but it made me hypervigilant. We went to a historic site, surrounded by military personnel, and got out of the bus to take pictures. I almost didn't get off b/c of all the people just staring. They took us to a busy square/shopping area that was great! We stuck out like sore thumbs and got a lot of stares, but enjoyed it. We bought some coffee there in a sealed can that was confiscated by the guards back at the boat for no reason at all. I had my first experience with Boula (sp) beer there. It had fruit and Sangria in it, very good. It is like most large cities, poverty stricken with beautiful parts. Remember, we were with people who LIVED there and I was still uneasy at times. I personally wouldn't go there again although I'm glad I did. Also, they were in peaceful political times then, couldn't imagine going there now.

 

Hope this helps. You can ask some questions and I'll try to answer to the best of my ability.

[vital1]

I forgot to tell you the bus ride through the mountains took about an hour and it was the most frightening ride of my life. I live where it is flat and the roads have guard rails. Here, you can literally look out the window and down the side of the mountain! I don't want to paint a discouraging picture of Caracus. It is VERY pretty, just dangerous. Have you seen the movie with Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe where her husband is kidnapped? That reminded me of something that could've happened there.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

I lived in Venezuela eight years and would strongly give this advice..take only a cruise line sanctioned tour. Do not attempt attempt to arrange or negotiate a private tour or taxi.

 

Even if you do tour with an "official" cruiseline tour, be careful what you wear. Do not wear anything expensive...expensive rings, ear rings, watches, necklaces, etc. or carry expensive purses or designer clothing. Do not do anything to call attention to yourself or look like a "tourist."

 

There is political unrest in the country, but it is sporadic. But it is also unpredictable.

 

The country is beautiful with spectacular tropical scenery, still it is not exactly what I call a tourist-friendly environment. Tour with caution. Stay with your tour group. Don't wander off. The country and Caracas are not built up and developed like many of the best known tourist destinations. You might not like everything you see. I don't want to sound harsh or negative, but I feel that Caracas is a tougher place for tourists than many other ports of call.

[harrodsfan]

We were there two years ago on the dawn Princess. it was the dirtiest place I have ever been. (And I have been to India/Nepal, Burma etc...)

Trash everywhere.

We went on a half day trip to the Glass factory (very interesting...glass in the Italian Murano glass fashion but great prices!!!1)

Then we were suppose to go a historic home..It was very interesting too.

Unfortunatly the two planned stops were joined in the middle by a trip to the otp of a hill not on the itinereary.

Traffic was just horrendious.

we ended up back at the ship at 3 pm for a half day trip. We were hot, thirsty and very hungry.

It was 45 to and from Caracus..and then long time around the city.

[klouised]

I live on Isla Margarita, and I work at El Guamache Port. So far, the ship is scheduled to come to our island insteas of Caracas. We were told it's because there were a lot of complaints about theft from the tourists. I'm not sure on that, though. That's just rumours. The Dawn Princess and the Golden Princess have been going to our port for the past several years. We haven't gotten our port schedule, yet, but we heard that we were getting those ships for this season, too. That's not written in stone, either.