NCL Exclusive Cartagena tour - anyone been?

[Firstin87]

Hi,

 

DH and I are going on a Panama Canal cruise in Feb. 2023 that stops in Cartagena, Columbia.  We're researching the large variety of shore excursions that tour the walled city and are curious about one called "Exclusive Cartagena".  It is $189, about 3x as much as the other tours, and we can't tell from the description why it is so much more expensive.  Has anyone been on that tour and can you tell me a bit about it?

 

Thank you,

Cyndy

 

[Turtles06]

Cyndy, we've visited Cartagena twice (both with NCL), and on neither occasion did we take an NCL tour.  For your first visit, I highly recommend doing a private tour (with others on your Roll Call) with Dora De Zubiria (aka Dora the Explorer), who is highly recommended here on CC for good reason.  [Just scroll down this forum, or do a search] She (or one of her colleagues) will take you on an excellent tour that will cover the Old City and its highlights.   We really enjoyed our tour with her, it was a great first visit to Cartagena.

 

http://www.cartagenatour.com/

 

I just looked at the description on NCL's web site of the tour you asked about.  Much of it is what Dora would cover, but not with 40 (?) of your new best friends.  I see that it also includes going to an "exclusive restaurant" where you will "enjoy a delicious Caribbean appetizer with a contemporary touch."  Imho, that's a red flag for a time-waster. 

 

If you are set on an NCL excursion, and haven't done so already, the NCL board would be a good place to ask your question about a specific NCL tour.

 

Good luck, and enjoy your cruise!

Edited September 3, 2022 by Turtles06

[Firstin87]

Thank you very much for your help.  We've heard good things about Dora - always get the best advice on CC.  We also thought the stop at the restaurant was a time waster for us, and we can't figure out why that tour is so much more expensive than all the others.