Carnival White Water Rafting Excursion

[Steve8]

We just got back from Costa Rica where we did the Carnival White Water Rafting excursion. I almost always book our excursions through independent companies but for this excursion I decided to go through Carnival. My main reason for doing this was most rafting trips are longer and based on this more active type of a trip.

It was my DW(41), myself(44), my DD(15) and her friend (15) and none of has ever white water rafted before. After leaving the ship we went to the end of the pier where they were waiting for us. There were two very nice and very clean buses that transported us to the river. The ride was a little over an hour and our bus guide gave us a very detailed and fun tour the whole way there. I understand the other bus was the same. When we arrived at their location we had time to change and use the restrooms. You could also purchase water shoes if you wanted. They had juice and coffee available for free as well.

We then left on the same buses and drove to the river which was a scenic 10 to 15 minute ride. Then we got our vests, helmets and paddles. It took about 15 minutes to get everyone sorted out and onto their rafts. Then we were given excellent directions on what to do and what commands our guides would be giving us and then we were off.

It starts off pretty exciting with some decent rapids pretty quick. As I said none of us had ever rafted before so I can not compare it to anything. I was worried that since none of us had any experience that it would be difficult. I was also worried about the two 15 year old girls. Neither of these were an issue.

The total rafting time was a little less than an hour and a half which really was about perfect for us. All of us had a great time. My wife is not a big water sports person so she said she was happy we did it but would pass on going again but she did love the tour and the tour company. The rest of us would definitely go again. She would rather go ziplining. I tried that once and I will stay closer to the ground. It’s just a matter of taste and some cases our fears.

After the rafting is done they take you back to their site on the same buses. You left all of you stuff on the bus while you were rafting and they assured us everything would be safe. Back at their site you could change and even get a shower if you like. Their facility was very nice and clean. We had one hour to change, eat lunch, and shop at their little gift shop. The food was EXCELLENT and included in their price. I had very low expectations for the food since the tour wasn’t about food, but we were all very surprised how great it was. There were a lot of choices of native Costa Rican foods and it was buffet style so you could get as much as you like. Juices were also included. They also had a cash bar that included $3 beers.

They also had a photographer along on the rafting trip taking pictures. After your lunch you could order the disc of pictures for $30. They gave you your disc on the bus back to the port. The pictures are amazing and super quality. There were probably about 40 pictures of our raft included on the disc and several hundred in total.

Then we took the bus back to the port. The guide did not talk during the ride back so people could nap if they wanted but he was available for questions. One other thing, none of the guides I was with ever pushed for any tips at all. I hate tours that push for tips. We ended up getting back to port about 15 minutes past the time we were supposed to be back on the ship. It wasn’t a problem since we were with the ship sponsored tour but there was no time for any shopping for those that would be looking for that.

Overall a great trip and I definitely would recommend going with them. They asked everyone to complete a survey on the way back to port. Since we were in the front of the bus I glanced through them when they came back and they had almost all excellent marks on them. The only area I saw some were not impressed with was the food and you already saw how we felt. I know I had difficulty finding information on this tour so I wanted to share our thoughts. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

[Hopefully Lost]

Thanks for sharing! My husband and I are booked for the same excursion in June and I was a little nervous too since we have never been rafting before. Great feedback! :)

[criticalrn2u]

Thanks for the info I am looking at this excursion for our trip on the Freedom in August

[DaDivaMom]

Hey HopefullyLost the ManHo and I are taking this one as well. I think one of the teenagers and maybe the 26 year old daughter's boyfriend will be joining us as well. I'm super excited but a bit worried because I'm not the strongest swimmer so I don't want to fall out!!!!

 

Thanks so much for the review op!