V. I. Cruiser Posted March 20, 2016 #1 Share Posted March 20, 2016 Hi we are doing the partial Panama in April on the Coral. We are travelling with some family and they would like to do the hop on hop off bus in Cartagena. Has anyone done this and how was it, and also does the bus come into the cruise terminal or do you have to get to the closest stop. Thanks for any info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northender Posted March 20, 2016 #2 Share Posted March 20, 2016 I don't know anything about the Ho Ho bus. But when in April are you going? We have a good roll call going for the April 5th cruise.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Go-Bucks! Posted March 21, 2016 #3 Share Posted March 21, 2016 We took an organized excursion in Cartagena that was excellent, but as we traveled around the city our guide was making sure we all stayed close together as he said that it was not a very safe city. We saw many very poor people and did not feel it would have been a good idea to be doing a DIY day, such as on a HOHO bus. JMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WpgCruise Posted March 21, 2016 #4 Share Posted March 21, 2016 (edited) We did the HoHO bus in February. Double Decker Bus pulled up beside the ship. There are 12 recognized stops. 1 being the cruise port They gave us a map with the stops highlighted. If memory serves there was a bus every 1/2 hour. (Maybe 40 mins) We bought it as an excursion from the ship, can't remember the cost but thought it reasonable. The only caution I would offer is to be aware of the time, and distance from the ship. The route is not flexible, in other words don't get on at Stop # 4 and expect to go direct to the ship, stops 5-12 will be made in order before return to Stop 1, the ship. Actually saw a party of 4 get on at Stop 4 expecting a direct return to the ship. We were not outside of any tourist or downtown commercial areas at any time on the routes and were not uncomfortable re safety. Good narration provided by local guides, would do it again. Edited March 21, 2016 by WpgCruise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul929207 Posted March 21, 2016 #5 Share Posted March 21, 2016 Thanks for the comments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrak Posted March 21, 2016 #6 Share Posted March 21, 2016 I know you asked specifically about the HOHO bus but, should you or your group decide to look into other options, I would suggest checking out Dora at http://cartagenatour.com/ We had a very nice experience with a small group from our roll call. There were 8 of us and Dora took good care of us and kept us from being "buried" under the vendors. If you've ever been to Mexico and thought there were a lot of people trying to sell you stuff on the street you "ain't seen nothing yet"! Cartagena had about a bazillion vendors and some of them were very aggressive. We were happy to be with Dora. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedferg Posted March 21, 2016 #7 Share Posted March 21, 2016 I second Thrack's recommendation of Dora - we used her last year and were delighted. The Old Town is Cartagena's primary tourist spot for cruisers and it is Pedestrian only, so no Ho Ho bus there. If you have not been to Cartagena before I would limit you excursion to the old town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V. I. Cruiser Posted March 21, 2016 Author #8 Share Posted March 21, 2016 Thanks for the all the info. North Ender we're on the April 15th sailing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbubbles Posted March 21, 2016 #9 Share Posted March 21, 2016 Love Cartagena! Check out Tom's Port guides, a Google should find it for you. They are free port guides and he has an excellent one on Cartagena with information on the Ho Ho bus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclue Posted March 21, 2016 #10 Share Posted March 21, 2016 I also highly recommend the tour with Dora - it covered everything and we had time to shop- was very informative - cost was very reasonable. It is a good way to go. Enjoy!! eclue:rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colo Cruiser Posted March 22, 2016 #11 Share Posted March 22, 2016 We used Lee miles in Oct. He is excellent and has been in Cartagena for 35 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RASHOPPER2 Posted March 22, 2016 #12 Share Posted March 22, 2016 I also recommend Dora. She is an excellent guide and very protective of her group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northender Posted March 22, 2016 #13 Share Posted March 22, 2016 Thanks for the good references on Dora. A few of us have her booked for our April 5th cruise.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ar1950 Posted March 22, 2016 #14 Share Posted March 22, 2016 .....................We had a very nice experience with a small group from our roll call. There were 8 of us and Dora took good care of us and kept us from being "buried" under the vendors. If you've ever been to Mexico and thought there were a lot of people trying to sell you stuff on the street you "ain't seen nothing yet"! Cartagena had about a bazillion vendors and some of them were very aggressive. We were happy to be with Dora. :) Glad that we signed up for the Dora tour. The vendor situation sounds a little like Jamaica when we were there 32 years ago (never again). :eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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