My Guide: What Tours and Off Cruise Adventures Should You Go on or Skip?

The beautiful rocks and famous arch can be seen from the cruise ship. We had arranged a private tour (i.e. not from Celebrity) on a boat called the Risselena. It was an easy water taxi ride from the pier to the boat which you should share with others ($20). Eleven of us were on this beautiful boat which was a comfortable number. The captain was young, friendly and knowledgeable. His wife and another crew were there. The seats were really comfortable. There were two seats in the front on which my husband and I made ourselves comfy.

The water was a bit rough but I always take Bonine. We left at about 12:00 p.m. and relaxed while we had a guided tour of the arch and the beaches we saw. One or two whales put on a nice show. The music on board was terrific; the food was good - chicken, rice, pasta, chips, guacamole, hard and soft drink; and the weather wonderful. We got back at 3:00. $50.00 per person - 5 stars. cabovacations

Acapulco

We arranged Rosie's tour in advance and privately. This was a superb tour for only $30 a person. There were 17 of us on two buses. The only negative was that the other driver wasn't as good a guide as Rosie and we were supposed to switch off which I noticed one couple never did.

We went to a hotel where "The Gang" stayed - Johnny Weissmuller and John Wayne and saw a round house that can be rented for $250 a night.

We went to a chapel and cross which apparently are famous. The view was amazing. We went to see the famous cliff divers and then lunch. If you take this tour do not go back to the ship after lunch. You will miss one of the best parts of the tour- Rosie's parents and their house. They grow coffee; bananas, mangos, flowers - really cool to see an "authentic" Acapulco family. 5 stars acapulcorosiestours

Hualtulco

We didn't take a tour on our day in Hualtulco. There is a beautiful beach and wonderful swimming there. When you disembark head to the left. There will be tables and a restaurant. You can sit at the tables under an umbrella and have a soda or two for the entire day. I love shopping and I love beach vendors who had some great items. You'll also find a market where you can get anything you want. This is supposed to be the up and coming Acapulco and I can understand why.

Puntarenas, Costa Rica

We went to Puntarenas, Costa Rica where we met Charlie Soto. I found him through a wonderful group on www.cruisecritic.com. I highly recommend getting online. You'll learn a lot and perhaps meet some terrific people like we did. We met Charlie at 8:00a.m. after going through security. He didn't do the tour though he sat in the van with a driver and bi-lingual Jason. Jason was good but this was his 2^nd time so Charlie is basically training him. If we think about all we got I guess we weren't ripped off but there were a few misleading things which bothered us and my husband called him on it at the end of the tour. This was the tour:

Water, soda and beer were served in the comfortable van.

We started in someone's backyard. This woman feeds the monkeys so they are wild and adorable. We got to feed them and we tipped her.

Off to a stand to buy fruit although were told on the ship not to eat or drink anything off the ship so we didn't.

Then some of us went on the Crocodile Man boat which was supposed to have a bathroom and didn't. We saw the tour guide who really didn't speak English feed a huge 80 year old crocodile chicken which I think the croc knows he's getting daily and is in the same place waiting. We saw a few more - big deal because....later on we went to a bridge and looked down and saw a whole colony of crocs! My husband and others were more adventurous and went with Charlie to the zip line (a line that you get attached to that runs through the jungle in the air). The bus and zip line cost $98.00. The bus and crocodile tour cost $88.00. What bothered us was that the itinerary said that we'd see macaws and toucans and a waterfall. When my husband mentioned it to Charlie Charlie said there had been a waterfall in the distance on the zip line and the timing was wrong for the birds which we did not believe. We got great recommendations about Charlie but if you aren't doing the zipline I think you might want to find something more fun then seeing crocodiles in a rickety old boat with no bathroom.

We went for lunch. We were afraid to eat the food though others did and were fine. We ended at the supermarket for "native" as Jason said coffee and candy. nanada.com/tours My husband would say 4 stars for him. I would give this tour 2 stars.

The Panama Canal

Some people did get off and took a boat ride but we stayed on to watch us go through each lock. At the end we went through the lake and docked. We got off here which was Cristobel Pier. There was a huge warehouse where vendors - many of whom were indigenous Indians and local residents were selling their wares. I definitely suggest getting off the ship here to shop.

Aruba

We left the ship around 10:a.m. and spent a couple of hours walking around. We had lunch and then went on the Jolly Pirates 2:10 tour. I complained to the desk the next day since we booked this through the ship that we only had 2 short snorkeling stops rather than 3 and that the show on board was lame. The boat was not comfortable. There really wasn't anywhere comfy to sit. You'll get all the spiked punch you can drink and swing on the rope. One of the crew members did some tricks on the rope. (That was the show.) $55.00 www.jolly-pirates.com/

Curacao

We went with another couple to the famous Synagogue in Curacao. It was worth the few dollars for the taxi which then took us to a beautiful beach. We had lunch here and swam in the perfect water.

Puerto Rico

We signed up for this tour on the ship because we realized we would have time in Puerto Rico, our final destination, before we had to get to the airport.

The tour in was ridiculous. The guide on the bus barely spoke English and mostly pointed out the rich, poor and middle class areas. We went to a fort which may have been interesting if we had gotten a pamphlet first and had more time. That was our only stop.

I hope this helps with your trip. Let me know if you have any questions.