Photos from Coral Princess Panama Canal Cruise - Cartagena-14 December 2007

[2552phxcrzr]

Photos from our visit to Cartagena during our Coral Princess cruise vacation are available at

 

Enjoy!

[LuvMyVette]

h2so4:

Your pictures are absolutely gorgeous!!!!! WOW.. I'm truly amazed how beautiful this area is. DH/I will be there in January 2009 on RCI Jewel of the Seas. Did you take a ship tour or a private tour? I would like to know how you spent your day there. Thank you very much for sharing your pictures!! Beautiful!!!

Sea ya!

[2552phxcrzr]

Let's Party:

 

We booked a tour with Christian Martinez and spent several hours with one of his associates, Johnnie, on December 14. Christian called him near the beginning of the tour to touch base with us. Can't say enough about the tour. We customized the standard three-hour city itinerary to add an extra hour and cover the fortress as well. We had been looking forward to Cartagena as a highlight of our cruise itinerary, and everything we saw and experienced exceeded our expectations. We had fantastic weather, by the way -- hot but not a drop of rain. Vendors did approach us, but a polite no was sufficient to send them on their way. We were never hassled to buy anything.

 

Johnnie met us just outside the pax terminal at the pier (still inside the port facilities). From there, we took a taxi to the walled city and walked all around, stopping frequently to take photos, etc. Since this was a custom tour, we were able to set the pace ourselves and go to the places that were of interest to us. We skipped going into the museums due to our limited time, but made sure we had an opportunity to walk on top of the city walls. Last stop was Las Bovedas, the former dungeons that now house a crafts market. Once we were done in the city, we took a cab to the fortress. Spent about 45 minutes there - mostly on the ramparts and outside walls. Fantastic place for a bird's eye view of the surrounding city scape. Afterwards, Johnnie accompanied us back to the port by cab. Due to the way we customized the tour, the cab rides were in addition to the standard fee.

 

A word of warning - this is a WALKING tour. While the terrain is easy - level city streets mostly; the short climb to get inside the fortress might be considered steep - the hot temperature can take a toll. Comfortable shoes and clothes (long sleeves/pants help protect from the brutal sun), a wide-brimmed hat, plenty of sun block and plenty of water are essential. Mid-way in our tour, we stopped at a Juan Valdez Cafe for a break - need local currency if you do this.

 

Christian's website has contact info as well as his prices. (We paid a little more since we customized the standard tour to add an additional hour.)

 

http://www.tourcartagena.info/index.html

 

I found his name from these boards - the posters seemed well satisfied, and since we wanted a walking tour, we went ahead with Christian. Someone recently posted that they weren't very happy because the guide Christian provided did not provide much in the way of explanation about the sights. If you do a search on "Christian Martinez" on the Colombia (or SA Boards), you'll probably find that review. I would agree that there wasn't much in the way of explanation given, but I didn't notice it until this poster pointed it out - I guess our advance research was plenty sufficient that we knew what we were looking at and did not miss the explanations.

 

Have a terrific time in Cartagena; we're hoping to go back for a land-based vacation there.

 

Enjoy Cartagena - it's a wonderful city.

[LuvMyVette]

h2so4:

Thank you very much for the detailed information, it's greatly appreciated! :) DH/I will be going on a Panama Canal cruise next year and due to a few new ports I already started doing my research. Cartegena is rich in history and beautiful. I love taking pictures and this tour seems perfect. Neither one of us speaks Spanish.. would that be an issue?

Thank you again!

Sea ya!

Trish

[LuvMyVette]

h2so4:

Thank you very much for the detailed information, it's greatly appreciated! :) Cartegena is rich in history and beautiful. I love taking pictures and this tour would be perfect. Neither one of us speaks Spanish.. would that be an issue? Is there any shopping near the ship?

Thank you again!

Sea ya!

Trish

[2552phxcrzr]

Trish - Not speaking Spanish would not be an issue - the guides speak English. But learning a few simple phrases will go a long way towards making your experience more pleasant - the vendors react very well to "no, gracias" when you are approached and greeting people in their own language is always a plus, I find.

 

As for shopping near the pier - Cartagena is a working port. There is a gift shop in the pax terminal and a duty free shop (small), but otherwise nothing in the immediate area. (I'm not a shopper, so I did not check out what is available in the pax terminal. Perhaps someone who has will chime in.)

 

Most people go to Las Bovedas, the former dungeons, while they are in the Walled City - lots of crafts type stuff there, and of course there are small boutique stores all over the Walled City. I have read good reviews about Mr Emerald (Lee Miles) re: his jewelry - he also operates guided tours (by car). Do a search on the boards if you are interested.

[LuvMyVette]

h2so4:

Thank you very much for answering my questions, it's greatly appreciated.:)

Sea ya!

[MV Mom]

h2so4,

 

Thanks for the great slide show! Can't wait to see Cartagena in March! :D

[PACURN]

h2so4 Loved the pictures. I am an avid photgraper so I know I will go crazy there. Thanks for sharing. I copied them over to our roll call so others could share the beauty. We are sailing there in 2009. I am looking forward to seeing the city. I looks very much like Old San Jaun. I guess that would be the Spanish influence.

[2552phxcrzr]

Glad you both enjoyed the photos.

 

PACURN - Yes, Cartagena is a photographer's paradise - but going on your own - or as hubby and I did, going with a private guide - is essential as you can set your own pace. I'm glad we customized our tour to include an additional hour for the fortress; wish we could have done the monastery too, but that will have to wait until next time.

[PACURN]

I will arrainge a tour independantly. I never do ship tours cuz they are cattle drives. I like to do what I want when I want. Big tours never let me stop and take pictures.

I hope we will get to see the monestary. We are in town from 9-6 so my plan is to see that along with all you saw. Can't wait.

[PACURN]

I will arrainge a tour independantly. I never do ship tours cuz they are cattle drives. I like to do what I want when I want. Big tours never let me stop and take pictures.

I hope we will get to see the monestary. We are in town from 9-6 so my plan is to see that along with all you saw. Can't wait.