Puerto Quetzal question

[grmmybtty]

DH and I are booked on the Regatta Miami to Vancover cruise 4/23/15 and I have a question for Panama Canal cruisers regarding the port of Puerto Quetzal. The Regatta will be in port 1pm-8pm. There is no cruise ship excursion to Antigua from this port. Most other cruise ships that have docked there offer a DIY bus to Antigua. A search of the Guatemala forum yielded little to no information specific to the Oceania time schedule.

 

My question is for past Oceania cruisers who made their own arrangements to travel to Antigua. The major concern appears to be the 90 minute one way drive and possibility of break down or missing the ship. Has anyone done this excursion in the 7 hour time frame? Were there any problems? Are there any recommendations for drivers or tour groups? It looks like Happy Fish makes that excursion. If not Antigua, what can you recommend that is unique to the area? A coffee plantation is not of much interest - done that many times all over the world. Any feedback will be appreciated.

[LHT28]

They had tours at the dock & also taxi tours outside the port building

We did the taxi tour ..I cannot remember the trip taking 90 min but we did stop at a church in a small town along the way & also at a spot to look at the volcano

that was a few yrs ago

We were there earlier in the day so not problem getting back before dark

The issue now seems to be security on the route

There were other tours to San Jose which was closer to the port

There are a lots of little shops at the port as well as a restaurant /bar

 

Lyn

[MimsandMarkie]

We had a wonderful day and fabulous experience going to Antigua from Puerto Quetzel last September.

Our guide and our day was one of the best we have ever experienced!

I am happy to share his info if you want to contact me at ngc825atgmaildotcom.

[orchestrapal]

Did this cruise 3 years ago and are doing it again this year. Puerto Quetzal makes for a perfect Sea Day. Walk around the port for a few minutes and back on the ship for a nice quiet day. ;)

[JimandStan]

Did this cruise 3 years ago and are doing it again this year. Puerto Quetzal makes for a perfect Sea Day. Walk around the port for a few minutes and back on the ship for a nice quiet day. ;)

 

+1 it's not worth dragging your clams to Antigua. Enjoy the ship!

[LHT28]

+1 it's not worth dragging your clams to Antigua. Enjoy the ship!

 

It depends on your personal outlook

 

We enjoyed our trip to Antigua

We had lunch in the old convent now a hotel & i got a nice trinket in the jade factory ;)

Other than that we did enjoy the walking tour with our driver who was very knowledgeable about the history there

 

Lyn

[newbie60]

We enjoyed a fabulous day trip to Antigua with MimsandMarkie but our ship did dock first thing in the am. Total length of the day was maybe 7 hours but our return was during rush hour traffic and rain so perhaps coming back later in the evening will speed things up a bit. It was a worthwhile day.

[grmmybtty]

Thank you all for your replies. To Jim and Stan - We will have many sea days to enjoy the ship, but only one opportunity to go to Antigua, so I think we will go ahead with our plans.

 

Mims and Markie - I will send you an email. Thanks for the recommendations.

[Paulchili]

Thank you all for your replies. To Jim and Stan - We will have many sea days to enjoy the ship, but only one opportunity to go to Antigua, so I think we will go ahead with our plans.

 

 

I think that you have the right attitude.

Enjoy your visit to Antigua.

[eholton]

My husband and I are on the same cruise. We were looking at the possibility of booking with Go with Gus for Antigua--found them on the web. Have anyone used them?

[MaryDG]

We were very recently (last month) on the Regatta which stopped in this port. We both felt "warned off " shore excursions by Oceania which sent around a fairly direct warning about safety issues there. We enjoyed the ship during that time; didn't meet anyone who did otherwise. I think conditions in the areas surrounding that port have deteriorated significantly and recently.

[azam71209]

We went to Antigua on a ship/shore shuttle years ago. We were so taken with the country, we have returned almost every year since, on a Rotary Club literacy project.

 

Guatemala is a beautiful country with great challenges. If you do go to Antigua, go with a reputable guide-they know what they are doing and how to keep you safe. Leave valuables, fancy cameras and anything to suggest money in your cabin. Plan to get back to the ship before dark.

 

Large tour buses, full of wealthy travelers, have been tempting to highway robbers in the past, which may be why Oceania is not offering tours.

 

Antigua itself is a beautiful walking city, with amazing ruins from the time of the Spanish Conquest. Cobblestone streets, and f you're lucky, Fuego will be belching smoke and perhaps a bit of lava. The people are friendly, hard-working and delightful. The vendors in the park can get a bit overly enthusiastic but the things they sell are amazingly cheap by our standards. Stores have better quality textiles, also for great prices. You can also buy beautiful jade in the stores. Jade Maya is my favorite. Be sure to visit their factory for a free tour and learn how the jade fields were re-discovered. And, of course, pick up some world famous Antigua coffee.

 

The Mayan women wear the colorful handwoven huipiles, with a different pattern from each village. They are not just showing off for tourists. This is what they wear every day. Look for the women wearing turquoise patterns, they are from Santa Catarina near Lake Atitlan and often are selling things they have made themselves. They changed the pattern of their huipiles in the '60 when turquoise was very popular among the tourists. Go and have a great time.

[MVPinBoynton]

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Antigua in November. We had a great guide on our private tour which made it most enjoyable. With our ship being in port from 7:00AM to 6:00PM, we had more than enough time for the scheduled 7.5 hour tour. It ended up taking 8.5 hours and we got to see so much more than just Antigua. We were able to visit a Macademia nut farm and have lunch in another town at a school for Mayan children. It was a most enjoyable cultural experience. Below are some pics of Antigua from our review.

 

With you being in port for only 7 hours, you probably only have realistically 6 hours at most for your tour. With half of it at best being used for the drive back and forth, you won't be able to enjoy Antigua as much or see as much of Guatemala. If you don't believe that you will ever be back in the area; and you don't mind a rushed visit, go for it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SAS-sy]

Because of the short stay in Puerto Quetzal most of the people on our Roll Call wanted to be taken by Oceania to Antiqua. Before we left O added a bus tour. We were unable to go on the tour, but everyone who went seemed to like it.

[eholton]

Thanks to MVPinBoynton, my husband and I would be most interested in finding a great tour guide for Antigua.

 

grmmybtty are you interested? We're also on that cruise.

[MVPinBoynton]

Thanks to MVPinBoynton, my husband and I would be most interested in finding a great tour guide for Antigua.

 

grmmybtty are you interested? We're also on that cruise.

 

 

eholton,

We used Carlos Mijangos with Guatemalan Guide (www.guatemalanguide.com). You can see lots more photos from our excursion with Carlos in our review on our website. Good luck on booking him, since he does stay busy.

[LHT28]

A few years ago we just picked up a taxi tour from the dock

the driver took us to a small town to the church but it was Sunday so there was a service going on so we did not see inside

then to Antigua

Took us to the Convent Hotel/restaurant which was very good showed us all over the town & to the Jade factory where my DH bought me a a lovely ring :D

There were other tours offered in the building at the port

[grmmybtty]

Thanks to MVPinBoynton, my husband and I would be most interested in finding a great tour guide for Antigua.

 

grmmybtty are you interested? We're also on that cruise.

 

We still want to go to Antigua. I read that there are now shuttle buses from the port to Antigua, where we can meet up with a local guide. A Guatemalan friend told me that most taxis only hold 3 passengers comfortably. Can you post on the roll call for this cruise? Maybe we can get something together.