Casa De Campo Excursions for 1st timers

[irismike]

We are doing EOS Eastern Caribbean on 4-11-08. I went on RCCL excursions and found the Country Safari Adventure CT19 that goes to the cigar factor, sugar cane plantation, Jumbo, etc. However, when I put in the date we are going it said not available that time that we are going? Any input on this? I thought all tours were for all ships? Can we use US money or credit cards in Jumbo? Thanks.

[Trovador]

We are doing EOS Eastern Caribbean on 4-11-08. I went on RCCL excursions and found the Country Safari Adventure CT19 that goes to the cigar factor, sugar cane plantation, Jumbo, etc. However, when I put in the date we are going it said not available that time that we are going? Any input on this? I thought all tours were for all ships? Can we use US money or credit cards in Jumbo? Thanks.

 

As far as I know, tours always vary from time to time and could vary in availability from ship to ship as well. Try contacting your travel agent to see if he can find another option for the same tour. Also, you can also ask "Sunny Az Girl", she mentioned she was doing that exact same tour just a few posts back. About Jumbo, they accept almost all types of credit cards, not a problem. Not sure about paying cash in dollars, sorry.

[sleeples23]

Hi! I've been browsing the Mediterranean forum for some info, but since you recently went there, just a few questions...

 

In Civitavecchia, is it safe to take the train to Rome? or is it better to take a cab? or maybe the cruise transfer?. We're four people and looking for options, we saw that the train is the cheapest option but the lesser reliable and don't know what's the taxi situation. Thanks!.

 

When we were in Civitavecchia, we used a private driver to take us on our tour of Rome, so I can't comment on the various methods of transportation available to you from my personal experience. I can tell you that we did one of our tours with a couple on their honeymoon, who preferred doing their own thing for Rome and used the train and felt it was easy and of course, once in Rome, everything was so accessible. In my wandering around, with my elderly mother, I never felt at risk on our Civitavecchia travels. Of course, standard precautions apply, as in any city, but I would think taking the train will be fine. It is quite a distance, so I don't think I would opt for a cab and the cruise transfers, as well as the excursions, I find to be overpriced and overcrowded.

 

If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate.

[Trovador]

When we were in Civitavecchia, we used a private driver to take us on our tour of Rome, so I can't comment on the various methods of transportation available to you from my personal experience. I can tell you that we did one of our tours with a couple on their honeymoon, who preferred doing their own thing for Rome and used the train and felt it was easy and of course, once in Rome, everything was so accessible. In my wandering around, with my elderly mother, I never felt at risk on our Civitavecchia travels. Of course, standard precautions apply, as in any city, but I would think taking the train will be fine. It is quite a distance, so I don't think I would opt for a cab and the cruise transfers, as well as the excursions, I find to be overpriced and overcrowded.

 

If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate.

 

Thanks. :)

[JSR]

Trovador - Thank you for the wonderful information. It is really helpful.

 

We are interested in going to the beach. There are four of us, 2 adults and 2 children. We are in port in December from 9 am -4 pm, which as you now means we have to be back at the ship by 3. We are also not the first ones up and out in the morning though we could be in we had to be. Which beach do you think is best for us, Minitas or Casa del Mar. Casa Del Mar charges $50 for a day pass including food, drinks and nonmotorized water toys. I do not know if they have a children's price.

 

Thank you for your help.

[Trovador]

Trovador - Thank you for the wonderful information. It is really helpful.

 

We are interested in going to the beach. There are four of us, 2 adults and 2 children. We are in port in December from 9 am -4 pm, which as you now means we have to be back at the ship by 3. We are also not the first ones up and out in the morning though we could be in we had to be. Which beach do you think is best for us, Minitas or Casa del Mar. Casa Del Mar charges $50 for a day pass including food, drinks and nonmotorized water toys. I do not know if they have a children's price.

 

Thank you for your help.

 

I'd say Minitas. It is closer, cheaper ($40 for the day pass) and includes the same things, as posted by another member on this thread one or two pages back.

 

Hmmm, one thing that occurs to me on which Casa del Mar has the edge is the promptness of the food. It is a buffet, so you will only spend as much time eating as you want. On Casa de Campo (as far as I know) you have to order from a menu, making it slower. So consider this when making your choice.

 

At the end, either of them will serve your purpose fine.

[JSR]

Trovador - Thank you for your help!!

[sleeples23]

Trovador,

 

It seems to me that Minitas and Caso de Campo are one and the same. Am I to assume that the resort is Caso de Campo and the name of the beach there is Minitas? This must sound simple and somewhat tedious to you, but I want to attempt to be clear when I pick up a cab at the port and attempt to communicate. I speak no spanish whatsoever, but hopefully, this is where it will be handy to have my two teenagers along. Lets see just how much they've learned over the years!

 

Thanks!

[Trovador]

Trovador,

 

It seems to me that Minitas and Caso de Campo are one and the same. Am I to assume that the resort is Caso de Campo and the name of the beach there is Minitas? This must sound simple and somewhat tedious to you, but I want to attempt to be clear when I pick up a cab at the port and attempt to communicate. I speak no spanish whatsoever, but hopefully, this is where it will be handy to have my two teenagers along. Lets see just how much they've learned over the years!

 

Thanks!

 

You're correct (sorry if I wasn't clear enough). "Playa Minitas" is the beach inside of "Casa de Campo" which is the resort.

 

Oh well, it's time for your teenagers to put all that money spent in their education to good use! LOL

[shirleygr]

We are doing EOS Eastern Caribbean on 4-11-08. I went on RCCL excursions and found the Country Safari Adventure CT19 that goes to the cigar factor, sugar cane plantation, Jumbo, etc. However, when I put in the date we are going it said not available that time that we are going? Any input on this? I thought all tours were for all ships? Can we use US money or credit cards in Jumbo? Thanks.

Hi, it could be that your sailing is too far out. I've noticed when you are 6 months out, or more, not every excursion will show up. As they negotiate the contracts, they release more excursions onto the site. I would keep checking back. If that excursion doesn't show up by final payment, I think you can assume it will not be available. HTH

Trovador--Thank you so much for posting excellent information. I'm hoping you can help me now. ;) We will be visiting Casa de Campo on Explorer in February with our daughters who are 5 and 7. We were interested in visiting the caves, but I'm not fond of ship's excursions. Is there a way we could do this on our own? The ship's price is actually quite reasonable (I think) but I hate the whole "lemmings" feeling when going with these ship tours. TIA

[hazeleyes]

Trovador,

 

What ports did you vist on your Med cruise?

[JSR]

Trovador - are there any public beaches we could go to where we would not have to buy a day pass? We would not mind just paying for chairs and maybe a drink and a snack. We may only want to go to the beach for a couple of hours and then do some shopping.

Thanks,

Jean

[JSR]

Altos de Chavon Artists Village is a vibrant cultural community perched above the Chavon River. Cobblestone paths, coral stone fountains and terra cotta buildings create a magical effect in this village designed by Robert Coppa, an Italian architect who at the time was a Paramount movie set designer. He built it in the late 1970s to emulate a 15th century southern Italy-southern Spain village. Visitors today discover craft workshops, artists' studios, galleries and restaurants. Weddings are frequent at the St. Stanislaus Church, as few places can be more romantic than Altos de Chavon. The performing arts are showcased in the village's 5,000-seat amphitheater, inaugurated in 1982 by Frank Sinatra and is still attracting big name performers. Visit the Regional Museum of Archaeology, a small but wonderful display of the island's rich pre-Columbian heritage. The Art Gallery features contemporary art exhibitions.

 

The above is from a website that Trovador listed. I had said to a friend that Altos de Chevron sounded like the hotels at Universal studios Florida. This sorta confirmed that.

 

Casa del Mar has $25 day passes for those 3-12. I had not seen the children's price posted so I thought I would add it to the information. The concierge also that the cab far is $35 US each way and the drive is 25 minutes from the ship.

[Trovador]

Trovador,

 

What ports did you vist on your Med cruise?

 

My Mediterranean cruise is coming up next week. We travel to Athens on the 21st, the cruise departs on the 24th - Celebrity Galaxy (Ancient Empires). It goes to Athens, Rhodes, Ephesus, Istanbul, Alexandria/Cairo, Rome, Lymmasol, Heraklion and ends in Barcelona. Can't wait!.

 

(Sorry if my English spelling is off in any of those port names).

[Trovador]

Trovador - are there any public beaches we could go to where we would not have to buy a day pass? We would not mind just paying for chairs and maybe a drink and a snack. We may only want to go to the beach for a couple of hours and then do some shopping.

Thanks,

Jean

 

Problem is, besides "Minitas", there's no beach areas in La Romana, at least no nice ones. Bayahibe and Dominicus are a bit far away (about 20-30 minutes). There used to be public beaches in Bayahibe and Dominicus, but now it's so full of hotels that I frankly don't know if there's any public beach areas left (I'm guessing there aren't). Sorry.

[JSR]

Trovador - thanks again for the information.

 

Have a wonderful trip!!

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Trovador - Have a wonderful cruise! Don't worry about your spelling - I wouldn't know if they were right or not!:eek: :D

[sleeples23]

Trovador,

 

I am sure you will have a wonderful cruise. I stayed pre and post cruise in Barcelona and I loved it, particularly the old gothic area, with it's twisting small streets and town square... I absolutely adored it.

 

Enjoy yourself and thanks for the great info!

[shirleygr]

My Mediterranean cruise is coming up next week. We travel to Athens on the 21st, the cruise departs on the 24th - Celebrity Galaxy (Ancient Empires). It goes to Athens, Rhodes, Ephesus, Istanbul, Alexandria/Cairo, Rome, Lymmasol, Heraklion and ends in Barcelona. Can't wait!.

 

(Sorry if my English spelling is off in any of those port names).

Have a wonderful time. :D

[Trovador]

Thanks guys! :)

[Trovador]

Hi, it could be that your sailing is too far out. I've noticed when you are 6 months out, or more, not every excursion will show up. As they negotiate the contracts, they release more excursions onto the site. I would keep checking back. If that excursion doesn't show up by final payment, I think you can assume it will not be available. HTH

Trovador--Thank you so much for posting excellent information. I'm hoping you can help me now. ;) We will be visiting Casa de Campo on Explorer in February with our daughters who are 5 and 7. We were interested in visiting the caves, but I'm not fond of ship's excursions. Is there a way we could do this on our own? The ship's price is actually quite reasonable (I think) but I hate the whole "lemmings" feeling when going with these ship tours. TIA

 

I had missed the question on the last paragraph, sorry. Well, the "Cueva de las Maravillas" caves are about 30 minutes away from La Romana and you can buy a ticket and get in at any time, so I don't see why not. With that said, if the ship's price is reasonable, maybe you're better off doing it with them. If they give you guys a tour of the caves, they will make sure it is in English, which you might not get if you go by yourselves. Also, the price of the cab might make the price equal to the one offered by the ship, and all the people from the cruise going to the caves will be there anyways, so might as well.

[hazeleyes]

I had missed the question on the last paragraph, sorry. Well, the "Cueva de las Maravillas" caves are about 30 minutes away from La Romana and you can buy a ticket and get in at any time, so I don't see why not. With that said, if the ship's price is reasonable, maybe you're better off doing it with them. If they give you guys a tour of the caves, they will make sure it is in English, which you might not get if you go by yourselves. Also, the price of the cab might make the price equal to the one offered by the ship, and all the people from the cruise going to the caves will be there anyways, so might as well.

 

Thanks for all of your posts. Hope you have a wonderful cruise!

[shirleygr]

I had missed the question on the last paragraph, sorry. Well, the "Cueva de las Maravillas" caves are about 30 minutes away from La Romana and you can buy a ticket and get in at any time, so I don't see why not. With that said, if the ship's price is reasonable, maybe you're better off doing it with them. If they give you guys a tour of the caves, they will make sure it is in English, which you might not get if you go by yourselves. Also, the price of the cab might make the price equal to the one offered by the ship, and all the people from the cruise going to the caves will be there anyways, so might as well.

Thanks, Trovador. I talked it over with my dh and we decided this time we'll stick with the ship's tour. The price is very reasonable. And we hadn't considered the tour might not be in English if we went solo.

Have a fabulous time in Europe. Your itinerary sounds just fantastic. Will look for you when you return. :)

[hazeleyes]

Hi everyone! Couldnt find the thread on the boards. Thank goodness someone posted the link so I could find it.

[solly]

Hi everyone! Couldnt find the thread on the boards. Thank goodness someone posted the link so I could find it.

 

 

Thanks for bringing it back up Deb. I hope someone can give us some first hand experience of what it is like for cruisers of the Explorer when they port at Casa De Campo. I'm not sure but I think she was there this past week. SOLLY