More Central America/Western Caribbean questions

"WhansaMi" wrote in message
...
We are trying to decide whether to take a ferry through the Panama Canal,
or a
bus tour that takes you to Gatun locks and you watch from the side. Has
anyone
a preference for one over the other?

Also, I'm interested in visiting the Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica. Has
anyone
done this excursion?

Thanks in advance!

Sheila

Yes, we did the one where we were bussed from Colon to Panama City and took
a ferry through Pedro Miguel and Miraflaores Locks and on up to the edge of
Gatun Lake. I can't remember the name of the village where the tour ended.
Anyway, we really loved the tour and think we got a good "feel" for the
canal. We later talked to some other passengers who took the bus tour and
they wished they had taken the ferry.

As for as tours in Puerto Limon, most of them are pretty sucky, especially
Sloth Sanctuary. Just our opinion, though.
And Dick Goldhaber has a "thing" for Heidi. But that's just our opinion,
too.

"WhansaMi" wrote in message
...
We are trying to decide whether to take a ferry through the Panama Canal,
or a
bus tour that takes you to Gatun locks and you watch from the side. Has
anyone
a preference for one over the other?

Also, I'm interested in visiting the Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica. Has
anyone
done this excursion?

Thanks in advance!

Sheila

Yes, we did the one where we were bussed from Colon to Panama City and took
a ferry through Pedro Miguel and Miraflaores Locks and on up to the edge of
Gatun Lake. I can't remember the name of the village where the tour ended.
Anyway, we really loved the tour and think we got a good "feel" for the
canal. We later talked to some other passengers who took the bus tour and
they wished they had taken the ferry.

As for as tours in Puerto Limon, most of them are pretty sucky, especially
Sloth Sanctuary. Just our opinion, though.
And Dick Goldhaber has a "thing" for Heidi. But that's just our opinion,
too.

WhansaMi wrote:

We are trying to decide whether to take a ferry through the Panama
Canal, or a bus tour that takes you to Gatun locks and you watch from
the side. Has anyone a preference for one over the other?

Also, I'm interested in visiting the Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica.
Has anyone done this excursion?

Sheila, I have done both. First, I took a ferry through the canal, the
ferry was hot and it was so crowded with people, you could barely see
anything. The line to the women's rest room went all around the ferry.
If you take a taxi to the Gatun locks, you can take as much time as
you want to see everything. You can stand next to the gates and watch
them open and close. I enjoyed this experience much more than I did the
ferry.

In Puerto Limon, Costa Rica, I have taken a couple of excursions, the
Aerial Tram in the rain forest and a boat ride on the Tortuguero Canal.

The Aerial Tram gave you a good view of the rain forest, but we did
not see any animals, except for one sloth. The boat ride on the
Tortugero Canal was fun and interesting. I would take this excursion
again. We rode up the canal on a small boat. We saw alligators, a
few iguanas, 5-6 sloths, blue herons, a basilisk lizard (they walk on
water), butterflies and many different birds. We also saw bats, and a
few epiphytes in trees; orchids, vanilla, bromeliads. It was a nice
canal tour. Take your binoculars and your camera. After the canal
tour, the taxi driver took us to a Chiquita banana plantation. He
drove us into town, giving us a tour of the city, then we went to his
house, where we tasted the bananas he grows. They were small, but
very sweet.

This tour was $45.00 pp, but the cruise line sold it for $80.00. We
purchased this tour from an independent operator. They are located
under blue awnings at the pier and near the ship. You will see large,
hand-painted signs offering you different excursions. There is plenty
of shopping at the pier.

Becca -----enjoy your cruise...

Sleazy3 http://www.cruisemaster.com/sleazy3.htm
MOAGC http://www.motherofallgroupcruises.com/
Miracle in May http://www.cruisemaster.com/miracle.htm

We are trying to decide whether to take a ferry through the Panama
Canal, or a bus tour that takes you to Gatun locks and you watch from
the side. Has anyone a preference for one over the other?

Also, I'm interested in visiting the Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica.
Has anyone done this excursion?

Sheila, I have done both. First, I took a ferry through the canal, the
ferry was hot and it was so crowded with people, you could barely see
anything. The line to the women's rest room went all around the ferry.
If you take a taxi to the Gatun locks, you can take as much time as
you want to see everything. You can stand next to the gates and watch
them open and close. I enjoyed this experience much more than I did the
ferry.

Thanks, Becca. This is the first review that I've read that said this. It is
good information. We will be going at the end of March. Will it be very hot
then?


In Puerto Limon, Costa Rica, I have taken a couple of excursions, the
Aerial Tram in the rain forest and a boat ride on the Tortuguero Canal.

The Aerial Tram gave you a good view of the rain forest, but we did
not see any animals, except for one sloth. The boat ride on the
Tortugero Canal was fun and interesting. I would take this excursion
again. We rode up the canal on a small boat. We saw alligators, a
few iguanas, 5-6 sloths, blue herons, a basilisk lizard (they walk on
water), butterflies and many different birds. We also saw bats, and a
few epiphytes in trees; orchids, vanilla, bromeliads. It was a nice
canal tour. Take your binoculars and your camera. After the canal
tour, the taxi driver took us to a Chiquita banana plantation. He
drove us into town, giving us a tour of the city, then we went to his
house, where we tasted the bananas he grows. They were small, but
very sweet.

This tour was $45.00 pp, but the cruise line sold it for $80.00. We
purchased this tour from an independent operator. They are located
under blue awnings at the pier and near the ship. You will see large,
hand-painted signs offering you different excursions. There is plenty
of shopping at the pier.

The tour I am looking at is to the sloth sanctuary
http://www.travel-wise.com/central/sloths/ and
http://www.ogphoto.com/aviarios/foundation.htm

I am an amateur animal behaviorist (at least, I read a whole lot about the
social behavior of different animals!), so I'm always interested in seeing
animal rehab centers and the like.

Thanks for all the info.

Sheila

Becca -----enjoy your cruise...

Sleazy3 http://www.cruisemaster.com/sleazy3.htm
MOAGC http://www.motherofallgroupcruises.com/
Miracle in May http://www.cruisemaster.com/miracle.htm

We are trying to decide whether to take a ferry through the Panama
Canal, or a bus tour that takes you to Gatun locks and you watch from
the side. Has anyone a preference for one over the other?

Also, I'm interested in visiting the Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica.
Has anyone done this excursion?

Sheila, I have done both. First, I took a ferry through the canal, the
ferry was hot and it was so crowded with people, you could barely see
anything. The line to the women's rest room went all around the ferry.
If you take a taxi to the Gatun locks, you can take as much time as
you want to see everything. You can stand next to the gates and watch
them open and close. I enjoyed this experience much more than I did the
ferry.

Thanks, Becca. This is the first review that I've read that said this. It is
good information. We will be going at the end of March. Will it be very hot
then?


In Puerto Limon, Costa Rica, I have taken a couple of excursions, the
Aerial Tram in the rain forest and a boat ride on the Tortuguero Canal.

The Aerial Tram gave you a good view of the rain forest, but we did
not see any animals, except for one sloth. The boat ride on the
Tortugero Canal was fun and interesting. I would take this excursion
again. We rode up the canal on a small boat. We saw alligators, a
few iguanas, 5-6 sloths, blue herons, a basilisk lizard (they walk on
water), butterflies and many different birds. We also saw bats, and a
few epiphytes in trees; orchids, vanilla, bromeliads. It was a nice
canal tour. Take your binoculars and your camera. After the canal
tour, the taxi driver took us to a Chiquita banana plantation. He
drove us into town, giving us a tour of the city, then we went to his
house, where we tasted the bananas he grows. They were small, but
very sweet.

This tour was $45.00 pp, but the cruise line sold it for $80.00. We
purchased this tour from an independent operator. They are located
under blue awnings at the pier and near the ship. You will see large,
hand-painted signs offering you different excursions. There is plenty
of shopping at the pier.

The tour I am looking at is to the sloth sanctuary
http://www.travel-wise.com/central/sloths/ and
http://www.ogphoto.com/aviarios/foundation.htm

I am an amateur animal behaviorist (at least, I read a whole lot about the
social behavior of different animals!), so I'm always interested in seeing
animal rehab centers and the like.

Thanks for all the info.

Sheila

Becca -----enjoy your cruise...

Sleazy3 http://www.cruisemaster.com/sleazy3.htm
MOAGC http://www.motherofallgroupcruises.com/
Miracle in May http://www.cruisemaster.com/miracle.htm

WhansaMi wrote:

Thanks, Becca. This is the first review that I've read that said
this. It is good information. We will be going at the end of March.
Will it be very hot then?

I was there in November and in February. It was fairly hot both times I
was there. When I toured the locks on foot, we were in the shade and
the wind was blowing. Seating was available if you wanted to sit in the
shade and watch a boat go through the locks. When we were on the ferry,
it was packed with people and it was stifling hot. It was difficult to
see anything and this tour took several hours. A couple of people in
our group, Idaho Steve and his wife, stayed inside the ferry near the
air conditioner. I am not sure if they saw much of the canal at all.

Becca -----saw a Celebrity ship in the canal...

Sleazy3 http://www.cruisemaster.com/sleazy3.htm
MOAGC http://www.motherofallgroupcruises.com/
Miracle in May http://www.cruisemaster.com/miracle.htm

WhansaMi wrote:

Thanks, Becca. This is the first review that I've read that said
this. It is good information. We will be going at the end of March.
Will it be very hot then?

I was there in November and in February. It was fairly hot both times I
was there. When I toured the locks on foot, we were in the shade and
the wind was blowing. Seating was available if you wanted to sit in the
shade and watch a boat go through the locks. When we were on the ferry,
it was packed with people and it was stifling hot. It was difficult to
see anything and this tour took several hours. A couple of people in
our group, Idaho Steve and his wife, stayed inside the ferry near the
air conditioner. I am not sure if they saw much of the canal at all.

Becca -----saw a Celebrity ship in the canal...

Sleazy3 http://www.cruisemaster.com/sleazy3.htm
MOAGC http://www.motherofallgroupcruises.com/
Miracle in May http://www.cruisemaster.com/miracle.htm

Puerto Limon - One of our most wonderful shore excursions was to the
rain forest. Unforgetable!


--
Bushwhacker
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Puerto Limon - One of our most wonderful shore excursions was to the
rain forest. Unforgetable!


--
Bushwhacker
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Bushwhacker's Profile: 442
View this thread: 148255