Has anyone recently used JJ tours?

[Loucat]

Earlier, I found information on JJ tours in Costa Rica but cannot find anything recent. Would really appreciate information from anyone who has used JJ tours and what they experienced. Thanks.:)

[ncmomof2]

We have him booked for March 6. I'll be sure to report back afterwards.

[Loucat]

We have him booked for March 6. I'll be sure to report back afterwards.

Thanks and please do as we have him booked in April. I am hoping others may have experience with his tour.

[hottiehottie]

My husband and I used JJ the end of January. We arranged our tour ahead of time, and when we met him outside the dock, he had picked up 6 other cruise passengers, which was fine with us. We went to the fruit stand, he pointed out a lot of the vegetation, and we went to the banana plantation. He is very informative. The only issue we had was that we had planned to go zip-lining at Jungle Breezes (which is a blast) and he got us set up there, even got us to the head of the line in front of a big cruise excursion, but then left us and took the other passengers back to the cruise dock because they were only doing part of the tour. We thought he would be waiting for us since he went to all the hassle of getting us to the front of the line. It took us about an hour to do the zip line, and then he was no where to be found. We waited for almost an hour and a half and he finally showed up. He said there was a garbage strike that was backing traffic up and that he called the owner of the zip line place to tell us that he was on his way, but we never got any message. We ended up skipping lunch and went to the Canals. He got us on a private boat and we saw a good bit of wildlife (crocodile, sloths, lots of birds). We thought that he'd be on the boat with us since he has the Tourism degree and knows about all the plants and animals, but he left us with the boat driver, who did a pretty good job (we also ran into another cruise excursion on the canals but they were crammed onto a bigger boat). Afterwards, we went to Bonita Beach, but didn't stay since it was getting late, went to a high look out point to take pictures of the boat, and then to the supermarket to buy coffee.

 

Overall, we had a great time and got to see a lot. I'd recommend JJ, just make sure you don't get stranded at the zip line place while he takes other passengers back to the cruise port.

[AuntKay]

I just left the Jewel of the Seas on Monday (2/9). I planned a tour with JJ for my group of 6 seniors back in the Fall. He told me that he would take my group in his 14 passenger van and he gave me his recommendations for our private tour. (I have copied from two of his emails to me at the bottom of this). We had some interest in doing the aerial tram and he said that he would take us there if we wanted but that it was not the best way to see the rain forest. Just before leaving I sent him an email asking about a meeting time. I was hoping for 0900 - 0930 since we had Cartagena, Panama and Costa Rico all back-to-back. He advised that we meet him as soon as the boat docked since the wildlife would be better on the river in the morning. We obeyed and were off the ship by 7:30. He had a very nice lady (the van owner) take us to a new 25 passenger bus and told us that he had to wait for more passengers. Since this was not the arrangement that we had made, I discussed with my group and they agreed that having 8 people join us was not a problem. We waited for these additional 8 guests on the bus for 45 minutes before I finally insisted that we start the tour. JJ reluctantly agreed and the tour began without the additional 8 guests. Please note that no money changes hands with JJ prior to the tour. The weather conditions were not ideal and it is likely that the 8 people decided not to get off the ship - nothing lost for them.

The tour was great. We went down the river into the rainforest on a small boat with a top and it poured rain on us. This is not the rainy season but it has continued to rain into the 'dry' season this year. It did rain on us off and on all day but that did not spoil our fun. After the boat ride, we visited the Del Monte banana plantation. JJ has a wealth of knowledgeable about the bananas and about other plants that grow in the area. He made the plantation very interesting. After the plantation, we stopped at a local fruit stand where we were able to sample a fresh pineapple, eat lady finger bananas, sip coconut water and see a fruit that we have never seen before (there is a quiz with an opportunity to 'win' your tour free so I will not spoil. I wanted to see the sloths so JJ took us to the Sloth Sanctuary where we learned much about this interesting animal. We were able to touch but not hold one of the animals. This is a very nice stop and I recommend it if you have any interest at all. This is a great thing about JJ, he is flexible. We were considering the zip line but felt that it would not be enjoyable in the rain. The time was getting late and we had not eaten except for fruit. JJ took us to a seaside 'restaurant' and he ordered in advance for us. We were served a very large platter of fish, shrimp, lobster, calamari, 'salad' and other goodies. It was delicious but expensive ($85 for five of us). Our last stop was at the Mas X Menos (More for Less) to buy coffee and vanilla. My husband picked up 2 pounds of coffee and I picked up 2 bottles of real vanilla. The total was $11.43 - amazing.

The tour with JJ was a highlight for my group but I will caution you that JJ is trying a little too hard. There is another message on this board about him leaving a group at the zip line to take another group back to the ship. He told me that we would have a private tour and then he added 8 people and I think he would have waited til noon for them. He needs to be honest with his guests. He is a talented tour guide but has a few problems 'running his business'.

Here are some excerpts from our email communication:

DEAR FRIEND YOU· ARE GOIN TO ENJOY THE BEST TOU AND GUIDE IN COSTARICA, I WILL SEND YOU THE TOUR IFO SOON, I THIS TOUR GOIN TO BE PRIVATE IN A MINI VAN AIR CONDITIONED AND THE BEST PRICE, AND J.J TOURISM DEGREE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COSTA RICA WILL BE YOU TOUR GUIDE, TAKE CARE ,J.J

OK, THIS GOIN TO BE THE BEST TOUR AND THE BEST GUIDE ON THE CARIBBEAN(PRIVATE, AND THE BEST PR ICES,

THERE IS A LOTS OF THINS THAT YOU CAN DO IN ONE DAY AND THE TRAM IS NOT THE BEST BUT IF YOU WANT I CAN DO ALSO THE TRAM FOR YOU,

[PACURN]

Thanks for posting your reviews. I have a tour booked with him in March. We have a group of 11 going.