spedteacher

We are planning to go on a 10 day Panama Canal cruise on April 3, 2009 (I haven't booked it yet because I am waiting for prices to drop!) and I want to know if the ferry tour would be too boring for my 13 and 14 year olds. Should we do a kayak tour instead, the Indian village or any recommendations for teenagers?

doug_stallings

I think teens would appreciate more active excursions. I'd love the railroad trip along the Canal, but it would bore a teen. Think kayaking over ferries .. opportunities for wildlife viewing, canopy tours and zip lines, that kind of thing. And save at least one day for a non-active beach day (perhaps two). These cruises go to different places, so if you say which cruise you are considering and we know the ports, we might be able to make other recommendations.

spedteacher

I am thinking of the Princess cruiseline's ship Island Princess which will travel from 4/3 to 4/13. The ports are Cartagena, Columbia, Aruba, Panama Canal and Cristobal, Puerto Limon CR(I want to schedule a zipline trip at this stop), and Ocho Rios, Jamaica. The Royal Carribean ship has stops and Montego Bay, Labadee, Haiti, Cartagena,Col., Panama Canal, Puerto Limon, CR. The Princess cruise is about $700 cheaper so we will probably go with that cruise line. Thanks for any advice.

doug_stallings

In Ocho Rios, you can certainly do a wide range of active excursions operated by Chukka Caribbean. I like the ATV tours and the horseback riding; they also have a Zip line, but it's not as good as the ones in Costa Rica, which I recommend.

Cartagena is more about history or, if you want to take a ride, the beach. But history is more the thing there, and horse carriage rides are very popular but expensive.

In Gatun Lake or Cristobal, you'll probably be able to arrange some kind of kayaking tour or a visit to the rain forest, and that's what I recommend over the Indian village visit, but it really depends on your own interests. If your teens are active, I think they'll enjoy kayaking more.

Aruba should be left for beachtime.

I think the Princess itinerary will suit you better, particularly with the Aruba stop for the beautiful beaches, though the Royal Caribbean ship, if it is more expensive, is probably one of their big new ships, which have the most remarkable onboard facilities. Whichever you choose, I think your teens will find plenty to do both on and off the s hip.

spedteacher

How should we go about arranging a zip line tour in Costa Rica? I am amazed at the prices that the cruise line charges for tours and so many postings talk about arranging tours on your own.
I do know that I will do the cruise line tour for the Panama Canal because I am worried about the traffic, etc, and making it back to the cruise ship on time. However, I would probably attempt to arrange a private zip line tour in Costa Rica. Any suggestions?