Transfers from airport to ship and pre - post cruise. Costa Rica

[way2cynical]

Hi everyone.

I'm looking into taking a Windstar Cruise on the Costa Rica Itinerary. The Cruise cost is one thing, but I'm trying to plan out what the additional costs are for transfers from the airport to the ship are. It's a long way!!! What hotel does the cruise line use for passengers who would like to stay early? Does anybody know the costs? I can't find any of this information on Windstar's website. (I'm kind of wwwDotstoopid sometimes).

[BOMBER1]

I would suggest that you do the same as I did on this trip in Jan. Independantly research hotels in Costa Rica and arrange transfers through the hotel. You will undoubtably save $ as compared to what Windstar would provide. I enjoyed a one night stay at the Hotel Grano de Oro in San Jose. The restaurant at the Grano de Oro is very good and the rooms quite comfortable.

[Tesla]

Hi everyone.

I'm looking into taking a Windstar Cruise on the Costa Rica Itinerary. The Cruise cost is one thing, but I'm trying to plan out what the additional costs are for transfers from the airport to the ship are. It's a long way!!! What hotel does the cruise line use for passengers who would like to stay early? Does anybody know the costs? I can't find any of this information on Windstar's website. (I'm kind of wwwDotstoopid sometimes).

 

Have you contacted a travel agent about possibly arranging all of this for you? Because the costs are going to vary and you would have decide exactly what you are looking for.

[SailorJM]

We are taking Windstar's Costa Rica cruise Jan 9, and we will be taking care of air, transfers and hotel on our own (we plan one night pre and one night after). The hotel that Windstar is using costs $900 a night! That is ridiculous. Go to Travelocity or hotels.com, and you'll see that no hotel costs that much. Many well-rated hotels at just a couple hundred. Windstar's air price is also 3-4x what AA.com is offering for that time and what you can get on Travelocity and Orbitz, etc. We found information here on Cruise Critic about getting around Costa Rica, such as getting a day tour and then being dropped at the ship. Booking a driver thru Coach Costa Rica came highly recommended for that, and we plan to give em a try. Google Coach Costa Rica. Maybe someone who has actually done this will reply. But we just can't see that kind of money thru Windstar.

[lkakers]

When we did the Costa Rica cruise in 2007, we stayed at Hotel Bougainvillea. I HIGHLY recommend it. Beautiful hotel, good food, lovely grounds and exceptional service. The botanical garden (free!!) at the hotel is NOT to be missed.

 

Here is the hotel website: http://www.hb.co.cr/.

 

Happy travels.... if you like nature, you will adore your time in Costa Rica.

[SailorJM]

Thanks for the hotel tip! We have been in CR before and highly agree: a paradise for nature lovers. And a very friendly country. We will check out that hotel for our pre and post cruise stays in January.

[bl413]

We also loved the Grano De Oro and Coach Costa Rica.

They were great. We used them prior to the cruise for full day of touring, then they took us to the ship. When we arrived back they were waiting for us at the pier and we had a fantastic guide who took us up to Arenal. We stayed one night, then back to San Jose area, and the next day to the airport. All with Coach Costa Rica

[lkakers]

OH, and we did use Windstar's transfer/excursion from San Jose to Puerto Caldera and back.

 

We hadn't stayed in Windstar's hotel (obviously... as I mentioned, we stayed at the LOVELY Hotel Bougainvillea), so we just took a taxi over to Windstar's hotel rendezvous point (BTW, their hotel looked very luxurious... just didn't have the native charm & botanical gardens Bougainvillea did).

 

The tour was great. It was in a large, comfy coach (tour bus). There was a guide who gave wonderful commentary on the scenery (we were there in January, and the native "poro poro" trees were in vibrant orange bloom). About halfway, both to and fro, we stopped at a cafe/souvenir stand/rest area/butterfly farm.

[lkakers]

When we did the Costa Rica cruise in 2007, we stayed at Hotel Bougainvillea. I HIGHLY recommend it. Beautiful hotel, good food, lovely grounds and exceptional service. The botanical garden (free!!) at the hotel is NOT to be missed.

 

Here is the hotel website: http://www.hb.co.cr/.

 

Happy travels.... if you like nature, you will adore your time in Costa Rica.

 

Oh, and I had failed to mention... the hotel is a ways out of the city, but they have a couple of shuttles that will take you to town and pick you up (free, though we did tip the driver). And we had arrived 2 days before the cruise, and through the concierge at the hotel we arranged for a 1/2 day city tour that was very enjoyable.

[SailorJM]

Wow! thanks for all the great tips. What is Grano de Oro? So looking forward to this trip in January. Hopefully, all stays well with Windstar!

[bl413]

Wow! thanks for all the great tips. What is Grano de Oro? So looking forward to this trip in January. Hopefully, all stays well with Windstar!

 

Grano De Oro is a hotel in San Jose- google it

[janred]

OH, and we did use Windstar's transfer/excursion from San Jose to Puerto Caldera and back.

 

We hadn't stayed in Windstar's hotel (obviously... as I mentioned, we stayed at the LOVELY Hotel Bougainvillea), so we just took a taxi over to Windstar's hotel rendezvous point (BTW, their hotel looked very luxurious... just didn't have the native charm & botanical gardens Bougainvillea did).

 

The tour was great. It was in a large, comfy coach (tour bus). There was a guide who gave wonderful commentary on the scenery (we were there in January, and the native "poro poro" trees were in vibrant orange bloom). About halfway, both to and fro, we stopped at a cafe/souvenir stand/rest area/butterfly farm.

Thanks for the tip on the ship's transfers. We have just booked this cruise and appreciate all the info. Did you take the shore excursions from the ship or do them on your own? We were wondering about hiring a driver in Nicaragua. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[chicagogal]

Hi everyone.

I'm looking into taking a Windstar Cruise on the Costa Rica Itinerary. The Cruise cost is one thing, but I'm trying to plan out what the additional costs are for transfers from the airport to the ship are. It's a long way!!! What hotel does the cruise line use for passengers who would like to stay early? Does anybody know the costs? I can't find any of this information on Windstar's website. (I'm kind of wwwDotstoopid sometimes).

 

When we did this trip a few years ago, Windstar was using the Intercontinental Hotel. We booked it ourselves for a lower price (like half!) and it was very nice. We enjoyed the hotel internet center and breakfast in the hotel restaurant. We also walked across the street and browsed in a shopping mall and I bought something I had forgotten to bring.

 

We did use the ship's transfer which we thought was pretty reasonable considering that it is about a 2 hour trip to the coast from San Jose. We learned a lot from the guide along the way, too.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[SailorJM]

Thanks for the tip on the ship's transfers. We have just booked this cruise and appreciate all the info. Did you take the shore excursions from the ship or do them on your own? We were wondering about hiring a driver in Nicaragua. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

 

Are you booked for the Jan. 9 CR cruise or another? If you did, we can start an early roll call....!

[whatnot]

We used Coach Costa Rica for transfers to the ship and back and also for day tours before and after the cruise. They were excellent!

 

We did the ship tour in Nicaraugua. It Was probably the best ship tour I've ever done. The guide was outstanding. The lunch included was really great too. It is a very 3rd world country and it can be depressing to see the way the people live. I would be careful where I ate and although I've done private tours in many countries, I think I'd stick to the ship tour here. Really good shopping bargains too on wood items, pottery, and other local handicrafts.

[SailorJM]

Odyssey Tours also has been recommended. Been a while since I was here, due to unforseen events, but thanks for all the good info.

[Pudgesmom]

Coach Costa Rica was a great transfer for our family of four. We had our own 16 passenger shuttle bus and a guide. We requested and got a tour of the University of San Jose (including a professor they contacted) and lunch at a "local cuisine" restaurant we requested they choose. They timed our arrival perfectly at the airport.

 

At the airport, they eased us through a couple of hurdles to speed our embarkation.

 

As we were on a trans-canal cruise, we only used them for the return, and choose the ship's bus to Limon. It was unpleasant to say the least.

 

Hope you enjoy your cruise!

[ckcruise]

We were on the Windstar cruise in Costa Rica last March and did the ship's tour to Nicaragua. I agree with What Not, this tour was excellent. We had a very informative guide, nice lunch and we saw a lot in a day. I think the ship's tour is definitely the way to go - remember that Windstar will have your passport on board and if anything happens and you are delayed back to the ship on your independent tour, you risk being stuck in Nicaragua without a passport. Some guests on our sailing did their own thing but stayed close to the ship only visiting the small town of San Juan del Sur where the ship is docked.

 

We also did the ship's tour of Corcovado National Park. It was a long day and somewhat disappointing as we did not see many animals (not nearly as many as we saw the day before on our private tour of Manuel Antonio National Park). Our guide spoke very good English but was very quiet and hard to hear. The walk to the waterfall was beautiful but fairly challenging for some. One member of our group took a bad fall, but fortunately was not injured. The highlight of the day for us was when we got back to the boat. The swim deck was open and we were able to cool off in the ocean after a long hot day!

 

Hope you enjoy your trip - we certainly had a great time in Costa Rica.

[Drummond Creek]

any recommendations about hiring private transportation between San Jose and the ship? Our flight gets in just before 1pm so we have a tight time line getting to the dock (coming a day early is not an option). Would prefer to have a pre booked driver standing by to get us to the ship.

How long is the trip from San Jose to the coast?

 

All suggestions welcome!

[Pudgesmom]

any recommendations about hiring private transportation between San Jose and the ship? Our flight gets in just before 1pm so we have a tight time line getting to the dock (coming a day early is not an option). Would prefer to have a pre booked driver standing by to get us to the ship.

How long is the trip from San Jose to the coast?

 

All suggestions welcome!

 

As mentioned above in this thread, Coach Costa Rica is an excellent choice for private transportation between San Jose and the ship.

 

To the poster asking about a private driver in Nicaragua, I would also recommend the ship's tour. It is very much a third world country, and the sights are quite far from the port.

[travelovingnurse]

Which ship tour in Nicaragua is recommended? They offer 2 tours. One is Granada, Masaya Volcano & Craft Market which includes lunch and the other is Experience Colorful Granada. Thanks!

[Pudgesmom]

I recommend the all-day tour, the one with lunch. We did just the half day, to Granada, and while it is an interesting and old city, it was a long drive out and back for a rather short time in the city. Those that did the other reported a great meal, the craft fair was ok, but they had more time at each place.

[travelovingnurse]

Thank you for the advice!

[lkakers]

We did the tour to Granada and really enjoyed it. Learned a lot of the history of the city and the area. I will admit that the bus ride to/from was long, but on the way into the city I really enjoyed hearing about the area (the tour guide is describing along the way), and seeing Lake Nicargua, which is a giant and important geographic feature. It's one of those things where I'd never paid much attention to that lake, but after seeing/learning about it, I began to see/hear references to it all the time, and was grateful I'd gotten to see it!

[screen-gem]

We also stayed at Hotel Grano de Oro for a couple nights post-cruise last year. It was great.

 

For shuttles, we arranged pre- and post-cruise transit with Coach Costa Rica. We worked with Patricia there who helped plan 2 days of touring on our return. Rainor, the driver/guide, picked us up at the dock and gave us an excellent tour of the countryside, stopping at various little towns and villages along the way. Don't miss Zoo Ave - a splendid park/zoo full of exotic birds (which you may not have seen on the various cruise excursions).

 

The next day, the driver picked us up and took us all around San Jose, stopping at interesting museums and markets. It was the first time we've splurged on a private driver/guide, and it was well worth it. If you contact Patricia, tell her that her coffee friends from Canada said hi!

 

As for excursions, we took the Windstar's full-day Nicaragua/volcano/craft market tour. It was a long drive, but we got to see a brief glimpse of a part of the world we'll probably not return to. And got to stand on the edge of a bubbling volcano - you can't see the lava through the smoke & fumes but it was worth the trip. The tour guide was well informed and stayed engaged with the group for the entire day. I would recommend it.