Feb 13, 2012 Ultimate Caribbean Celebrity Equinox

[moosa]

I am booked on this awesome cruise but am having a hard time with a few things and would appreciate any help I can get. I'm already on the roll call but that thread is silent for now. I guess the holidays and all....

 

the cruise leaves Ft. Lauderdale on Feb. 13th but we fly in on the 11th. having never been to FL I have no idea where to stay. since we have a few days to explore on our own I would like to be in walking distance from any attraction but also will need a ride to the cruise terminal from the hotel. what is there to do in FL??? and where should we stay??? :confused:

 

we love Celebrity but their tours are mega expensive. we have been to a couple of places on this itinerary and would love to do city tours, old town and off the beaten path type of thing. we love food, ruins, history and architecture. we are a little scared because we hear it's better to do in numbers in some of these foreign countries. any tour guides you all have used, liked and would recommend? we are in our late 30's and in fair physical shape. we don't, however, like water sports and are somewhat chicken :p

 

here is a list of where we're going:

 

Cartagena- seen La Popa, the Fortress and museums. really want a city tour to see the old buildings.

 

Cozumel - interested in the Mayan Ruins

 

Roatan - never been here

 

Grand Cayman - never been here

 

Panama - would love a city tour, something historic

 

Puerto Limon - never been here

 

thank you so much to anyone responding :D

[CruiserBruce]

Three places you should be looking for this info. One, the Celebrity board, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=28

 

Two, the Florida Departures board, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=495

 

Where lodging and transport are discussed every day.

 

and three, the Caribbean Ports board, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=587

 

Related to this, the Panama board:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=89

 

and the Colombia board, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=500

[Keith1010]

I am booked on this awesome cruise but am having a hard time with a few things and would appreciate any help I can get. I'm already on the roll call but that thread is silent for now. I guess the holidays and all....

 

the cruise leaves Ft. Lauderdale on Feb. 13th but we fly in on the 11th. having never been to FL I have no idea where to stay. since we have a few days to explore on our own I would like to be in walking distance from any attraction but also will need a ride to the cruise terminal from the hotel. what is there to do in FL??? and where should we stay??? :confused:

 

we love Celebrity but their tours are mega expensive. we have been to a couple of places on this itinerary and would love to do city tours, old town and off the beaten path type of thing. we love food, ruins, history and architecture. we are a little scared because we hear it's better to do in numbers in some of these foreign countries. any tour guides you all have used, liked and would recommend? we are in our late 30's and in fair physical shape. we don't, however, like water sports and are somewhat chicken :p

 

here is a list of where we're going:

 

Cartagena- seen La Popa, the Fortress and museums. really want a city tour to see the old buildings.

 

Cozumel - interested in the Mayan Ruins

 

Roatan - never been here

 

Grand Cayman - never been here

 

Panama - would love a city tour, something historic

 

Puerto Limon - never been here

 

thank you so much to anyone responding :D

 

For the hotel a few to consider are the Embassy Suites and the Hyatt Hotel. You could take a water taxi from the Hyatt to get to places. To get to the Port just take a taxi from either hotel and to get to the hotel from the airport also take a taxi.

 

There is a lot of information on the various ports of call boards for the ports you are going to.

 

In Grand Cayman if you like to snorkel you might consider snorkeling with the Stingrays which is one of the highlights for this port.

 

Keith

[moosa]

Three places you should be looking for this info. One, the Celebrity board, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=28

 

Two, the Florida Departures board, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=495

 

Where lodging and transport are discussed every day.

 

and three, the Caribbean Ports board, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=587

 

Related to this, the Panama board:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=89

 

and the Colombia board, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=500

 

 

wow! :D thank you! this is a wealth in information

[kitty9]

In Panama I highly recommend the train tour offered by the ship. You board an antique train that takes you into Panama City. From there, you board a bus for an interesting city tour. It really is a nice, scenic tour.

 

Ft Lauderdale is a huge city, so your choices are limitless. But if you want to stay close to the cruise terminal, there's nothing to see within walking distance of those hotels. The best area for attractions like shopping, museums, dancing and restaurants is Las Olas Boulevard. It's the center of everything, including boat tours, in FLL. Just google Las Olas Blvd and it will give you a list of hotels.

[moosa]

In Panama I highly recommend the train tour offered by the ship. You board an antique train that takes you into Panama City. From there, you board a bus for an interesting city tour. It really is a nice, scenic tour.

 

Ft Lauderdale is a huge city, so your choices are limitless. But if you want to stay close to the cruise terminal, there's nothing to see within walking distance of those hotels. The best area for attractions like shopping, museums, dancing and restaurants is Las Olas Boulevard. It's the center of everything, including boat tours, in FLL. Just google Las Olas Blvd and it will give you a list of hotels.

 

 

Thanks! I will check into FL and the train tour too.

[Peery5]

We were on the same cruise last January. Here is what we did.

 

Cartagena, we toured the old city and the fortress.

Cozumel, we did the Bar Hop.

Roatan, booked an island tour through Cynthia's tours

Grand Cayman, did not leave ship as we had been there before.

Panama, we toured Gatun Lake and then went to the locks.

Puerto Limon, we did the train tour.

 

In Ft. Lauderdale we stayed at the Cambria Suites and took a shuttle to the port.

 

I didn't notice if you had sailed Celebrity before but if not, you are in for a treat. The only thing we did not like about the cruise was that it didn't last long enough.:D

[moosa]

We were on the same cruise last January. Here is what we did.

 

Cartagena, we toured the old city and the fortress.

Cozumel, we did the Bar Hop.

Roatan, booked an island tour through Cynthia's tours

Grand Cayman, did not leave ship as we had been there before.

Panama, we toured Gatun Lake and then went to the locks.

Puerto Limon, we did the train tour.

 

In Ft. Lauderdale we stayed at the Cambria Suites and took a shuttle to the port.

 

I didn't notice if you had sailed Celebrity before but if not, you are in for a treat. The only thing we did not like about the cruise was that it didn't last long enough.:D

 

 

thank you for the info. it's a big help. you're the 3rd person to suggest the train tour so I think we will definitely do it now. I'll look into the hotel in FL too. thanks so much! :D

[TravlGrl]

Probably the BEST tour I've ever experienced was playing with baby monkeys in Roatan. We went with Victor Bodden -- http://www.boddentours.com -- some in our group did the zip line, while some did not. He gets great reviews here on CC as well as TripAdvisor. Victor priced it based on what each person wanted to see/do, but I must say that the monkey experience was unforgettable! Have fun!

[moosa]

Probably the BEST tour I've ever experienced was playing with baby monkeys in Roatan. We went with Victor Bodden -- http://www.boddentours.com -- some in our group did the zip line, while some did not. He gets great reviews here on CC as well as TripAdvisor. Victor priced it based on what each person wanted to see/do, but I must say that the monkey experience was unforgettable! Have fun!

 

 

that sounds good. I will check him out. thank you :D