# 2013 Costa Rica Adventure



## Gonecruisin

Hello ^_^

I sort of got the impression from this forum that Costa Rican ABDs were out of vogue just by the lack of recent thread activity for them. Everyone is excitedly talking about their upcoming trips to Italy, Ireland, Greece, Peru! Costa Rica seemed to be relegated to the "Been there, Done that" dungeon of threads that no one posts in anymore. But appearances, as they say, can be deceiving. 

This past Saturday, I went to my TA to book the Costa Rican ABD for February 2013 only to find out that there is a Wait List!  haha So ... it seems  there are plenty of people out there taking the Costa Rican ABD, they just aren't talking about it! I am very excited about my upcoming adventure and I'd like to think other people are, too. So here's to hoping that those other people will find their way here and find the courage to post in this thread. 

If you are anything like me, you've already bored your family to tears with talk about your upcoming trip  and everyone else is only acting interested to be polite  but I promise that everyone here really does want to hear about your plans  and wants to cheer along with you when that special box from ABD arrives  so consider this your official invitation to join the party.


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## Gonecruisin

I first found out about Adventures by Disney in 2008 when I took my first cruise - a 3 nighter onboard the Disney Wonder -  What an amazing cruise. It really is just like in the picture...






I was soon reading about all the other fabulous vacations Disney has and vowed that some day, I'd go on an adventure. And that day is now 

This will be an account of my adventure to Costa Rica with my daughter (DD - do they still do this? lol), 24. She's a great travel companion, speaks a bit of spanish and fun. Let's call her "Chica", ok? Chica has always wanted to go to Costa Rica. She wanted do a study abroad there her Jr in college but settled for Ireland instead. But Chica has never forgotten her dream of visiting Costa Rica - and I've never forgotten my vow to take an adventure - so now that college is over and pennies have been saved, plans have begun to make the dreams come true.

Welcome to ....


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## Gonecruisin

We originally wanted to take our adventure the first week in Feb 2013 to avoid school vacations but as I said, it was wait listed. So now we'll go in March 2013 -- 16th thru the 22nd. This will be over spring break which we were hoping to avoid. We live in Massachusetts and will have a connecting flight to Costa Rica probably filled with students trying to get away, too. Crowded airports, crowded flights  But we get that not everything will be perfect and are flexible travelers so this is ok

Bad: Won't get to travel on our ideal week outside of school vacation week
Good: Less risk of major snowstorms in mid-March


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## sayhello

So did you end up booking, or just add your name to the Waiting List?

A bit of information about trips that are listed as having a "Waiting List":  Usually, what that means is that a Travel Agent, or some other group, etc, has reserved that departure as an exclusive departure just for them.  ABD gives them a deadline by which to book enough people to maintain the trip as an exclusive departure.  If they do not book enough people by the deadline, then ABD opens up the trip to people on the Waiting List.  So the Waitlist does not _necessarily_ indicate that the trip is booked up. 

You might want to have your TA call ABD & ask the specific nature of the Waitlist for your trip, and see what kind of answer you get.  

(Unless you signed up for a different date, in which case never mind, and Congrats!)  

Also, here's a link to the "Meets" thread for the Costa Rica Trip.  Let me know, so I can add you to the Roll Call for that thread.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2933891

Sayhello


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## Gonecruisin

Thx sayhello! I have actually already posted in that thread. 

We did book for March 16th - 22nd. I really didn't want to wait to see if the February dates opened up because I need to reserve the time off at work and I just prefer to have things settled rather than up in the air. I normally book all our vacations myself. This is the first time I have ever used a TA and I'm a bit nervous -- giving up control is hard for me which is why I take vacations  

Chica and myself also decided that we would arrive one day early and leave one day late. So our trip is actually from March 15th to March 23rd. We figure this way we'll have a cushion of time in case any weather issues effect our plans (like flight delays due to snow storms. I speak from experience. So far, my vacations have featured a hurricane in FLA and a blizzard here in MA). And this way we get the added bonus of more time to explore Costa Rica and enjoy the fabulous hotels that Disney picks for us. 

Have you seen these hotels? :swoon:

Costa Rica Marriot San Jose






Bad: I don't have control over the booking.
Good: I don't have control over the booking. lol Letting other people do the work for me.  Oh and more vacation days


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## Bobo912

Most of the people on ABD's have never heard of the disboards.  If it's not being discussed here, that doesn't mean nobody is booking the trip.  It's a great trip.  Have fun!


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## Gonecruisin

Hi Bobo ! Thx. That's good to know, too. I really thought I was giving myself plenty of time by booking in June for Feb 2013 but Lesson Learned #1 = A year in advance in NOT too far out to book your ABD. Maybe I'll do a recap of the lessons learned at the end?  

In other news, TA is sending me documents via snail mail because they are 27 pages!  I have to return the docs to Disney within 14 days. I think it's mostly the usual travel contract stuff ie: personal info, flight info, disclaimers and all that stuff.   

In some more other news, Chica just informed me that she bought a pair of shorts made out of swimsuit material  online to counter the unflattering things those life jackets on the white water rafting trips do to a girl's derriere. I should probably buy a pair or two.


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## sayhello

Gonecruisin said:


> Thx sayhello! I have actually already posted in that thread.


D'oh!    But, in my defense, you never came back & posted the dates!  



> We did book for March 16th - 22nd. I really didn't want to wait to see if the February dates opened up because I need to reserve the time off at work and I just prefer to have things settled rather than up in the air. I normally book all our vacations myself. This is the first time I have ever used a TA and I'm a bit nervous -- giving up control is hard for me which is why I take vacations
> 
> Chica and myself also decided that we would arrive one day early and leave one day late. So our trip is actually from March 15th to March 23rd. We figure this way we'll have a cushion of time in case any weather issues effect our plans (like flight delays due to snow storms. I speak from experience. So far, my vacations have featured a hurricane in FLA and a blizzard here in MA). And this way we get the added bonus of more time to explore Costa Rica and enjoy the fabulous hotels that Disney picks for us.
> 
> Have you seen these hotels? :swoon:
> 
> Costa Rica Marriot San Jose
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> 
> Bad: I don't have control over the booking.
> Good: I don't have control over the booking. lol Letting other people do the work for me.  Oh and more vacation days


I think arriving at least a day early is the best way to go.  Give you a chance to adjust if there's a time difference, and, as you say, have a buffer if there's flight issues.  I've had a Volcano in Iceland threaten one of my trips, and a hurricane on the East coast threaten another.  I haven't arrived on the day a trip started since my first cruise in 2004.  I've learned a lot since then!

Sayhello


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## Aburns8

I hope you write a TR! I have always wanted to do this trip. It is on my bucket list.


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## Gonecruisin

@sayhello - Lessons learned.  Luckily, we never missed a flight or a cruise but we've had some nail biting experiences that have taught us that Better Safe Than Sorry is pretty good advice. 

@Aburns8 - I will do a trip report!  I wrote one on another board back in 2009 for my Alaska cruise and it was fun to do and well received. I've always wanted to do another.  I find them to be really helpful when I'm planning a trip and updated info is always appreciated. It'll have pictures - all good trip reports do - and I'll try to get as much detail in as possible. I tend to be long winded so expect it to be wordy, too. 


UPDATE: I received the travel documents from the TA this week. 27 pages!  Finally got around to reading and filling them out. They were very thorough and well done. They ask for basic info like names, emergency contacts, Passport numbers and expiration dates, weight - 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 - flight info. Chica is going to drop them off at the TA tomorrow because they have to be back within 14 days of booking.

Is everyone aware that this trip is starts and ends at two different places??
We'll arrive in San Jose, Costa Rica and depart from Liberia, Costa Rica. Our TA and the ABD rep went back and forth about this but the ABD website is very clear that this is the case.  So the trip looks something like this...






I'm even more glad that we are arriving a day early and leaving a day late. Chica wants to explore San Jose and Liberia at least a little and now we'll have the time to do it.


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## sayhello

Gonecruisin said:


> @sayhello - Lessons learned.  Luckily, we never missed a flight or a cruise but we've had some nail biting experiences that have taught us that Better Safe Than Sorry is pretty good advice.


I just hope people can learn from my less than fun experience!  



> Is everyone aware that this trip is starts and ends at two different places??
> We'll arrive in San Jose, Costa Rica and depart from Liberia, Costa Rica. Our TA and the ABD rep went back and forth about this but the ABD website is very clear that this is the case.  So the trip looks something like this...
> 
> I'm even more glad that we are arriving a day early and leaving a day late. Chica wants to explore San Jose and Liberia at least a little and now we'll have the time to do it.


It's pretty common for ABD's to start in one city & end in a totally different one (sometimes in different countries!)  In fact, I think it's rare for an ABD to start & end in the same place.

Sayhello


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## Gonecruisin

I prefer to depart from another city if it allows my trip to encompass as much as possible. But I think this trip used to arrive and depart from San Jose? At least, my TA thought so and was under the impression that this was still the case. We hesitated to book the flights just in case. Turns out the ABD was right and the TA was wrong. But at least she made absolutely sure before committing my money to a flight!  

Chica's swim suit shorts have arrived and got 2 thumbs up. lol I've laid claim to this time at work for vacation -- got some surprised looks and a comment or two. Planning vacations this far out is uncommon at my job. Not anymore though!


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## Bobo912

ABD changed the itinerary for 2013.  In previous years the trip did start and end in San Jose.


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## ragtopday

Gonecruisin said:


> I prefer to depart from another city if it allows my trip to encompass as much as possible. But I think this trip used to arrive and depart from San Jose? At least, my TA thought so and was under the impression that this was still the case. We hesitated to book the flights just in case. Turns out the ABD was right and the TA was wrong. But at least she made absolutely sure before committing my money to a flight!



You mentioned you were in MA - as I'm in southern NH I'd love to know the flight plans you have. This trip is one of 3 I am considering taking my 2 girls on next summer and the flights to Costa Rica are the huge unknown for me!

Thanks - can't wait to hear more about your planning!


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## Gonecruisin

Hi ragtopday! I love talking about travel plans. What other places are you considering?

I was very concerned about the flight situation. I am always nervous about delayed flights in the winter due to storms. And I didn't want to arrive too late on Day One or or get in at midnight back in Boston at the end. And I insisted on only one stop. And then there was the whole depart from San Jose vs Liberia thing. So we ended up spending more time discussing and choosing the flights than anything else. 

To be honest, we went back and forth so much, I think I've blocked out the ones we rejected. But basically, from what I recall, we were choosing between 3 airlines... #1 had lousy flight times and/or too many stops; #2 is in bankruptcy and who knows what their status will be in March 2013 and so we chose # 3 - Delta.

We leave Boston in the early morning, change planes in Atlanta (about 1 hour layover) and then arrive in San Jose, Costa Rica at noon ~ perfect 

Coming home, we leave Liberia in the morning, change planes in Atlanta (about 2 hour layover) and then arrive in Boson at 7 pm ~ not bad.

Another thing that sold us on these flights was school vacation weeks. We wanted to avoid them and avoid traveling to FLA due to them. Since Feb 2013 was wait listed, we changed to mid March which is spring break --  oh no! -- so changing flights in Atl is a better option than say ... Miami. Those spring breakers just make things more crowded and raise the prices on everything. 

For two: $1500.00. I didn't think this was bad considering I rejected cheaper flights because they didn't meet my wishes. At least that's what I keep telling myself.


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## familygoboston

Just catching up on my dis boards and am now seeing your thread- vacation last week ( ya know ya can't be planning vacations ON vacation, right?)

I'm also from ( obviously) Boston area and our family of 4 took the CR Pura Vida ABD in 2007, when there was only one trip, then there were two, now there is one again!

I like this new trip...includes Torteguero, which we added after our ABD on our own and was a highlight of our time in CR- a real " jungle cruise" experience!
We loved our trip, and I think you will love this one. 

San Jose Marriott is lovely, pool and grounds are beautiful! If you take a tour of San Jose during your free day, I recommend seeing the Museo D'Oro ( beautiful pre Columbian gold artifacts) and Teatro Nacionale (National theater, which is beautifully restored, gorgeous colonial architecture and art work and they will guide you- v good English speaking guides.) If you can get a driver or taxi for these two places, much better than a bus tour like we did, as we got stuck going to some gift shop run by the guys brother in law or somehow ! Next time I'd get a private driver/taxi! ( actually we are doing exactly that in Quito for our pre and post days during our Galapagos ABD next month - yeah next month )

So let me know if you have ?s, though it's been a while it's fresh in my memory banks! Also, did you post on the meets thread that Say Hello so wonderfully made for each and every ABD? Sometimes they arent active - as I think BoBo said, not everyone who books and ABD ever finds this wonderful place but that way new people booking the same trip can find you easily.

Have a super time, looking forward to your trip report, wondering if Fico is still guiding? My girls adored him! Didn't hurt that he was willing to play "Pretty pretty princess " with them!


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## Gonecruisin

Hi familygoboston! Wow! thx so much. The trip still seems so far away but as it gets closer, I will definitely have loads of questions. The San Jose Marriott does indeed look beautiful, but I wouldn't expect anything less from ABD (which is a big factor in our choosing it in the first place ) 
 I guess right now I have two basic concerns: weather and hair lol  
1. We are going in March which I think is the tail end of the dry season? What month did you go? What was the weather like?
2. I can't live without my hairdryer. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



Are the hairdryers in the hotels "real" hairdryers? Should I bring my own? Can I bring my own? What's wattage (whatever that is) in CR?

And omg you're doing Galapagos ABD next month!? Now that's a dream adventure! I want to hear all about it!


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## familygoboston

Gonecruisin said:


> Hi familygoboston! Wow! thx so much. The trip still seems so far away but as it gets closer, I will definitely have loads of questions. The San Jose Marriott does indeed look beautiful, but I wouldn't expect anything less from ABD (which is a big factor in our choosing it in the first place )
> I guess right now I have two basic concerns: weather and hair lol
> 1. We are going in March which I think is the tail end of the dry season? What month did you go? What was the weather like?
> We went in June and it was humid humid humid, so I can't really say for March! I'm sure it's never really " dry" in the cloud forest and on the Caribbean coast though. Those Eco systems change little form season to season!
> 2. I can't live without my hairdryer.
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> Are the hairdryers in the hotels "real" hairdryers? Should I bring my own? Can I bring my own? What's wattage (whatever that is) in CR? Again, I'm probably the wrong girl to ask as I am a lifelong flat hair I didn't use the hair dryers much, though everywhere we stayed expect Torteguero had them( we didt stay there with ABD, so our hotel was different. We generally found it so humid ( tho not always hot) that things like bathing suits rarely dried out unless hung inside with AC. If I were you, I'd make some kind of alternate hair plan with your hairdresser. Maybe a simple braid or pony style you could fall back in? The whole trip is pretty active and casual, no one really expects anyone to be perfectly turned out for a hike or rafting excursion
> 
> The hotels were we stayed easily could accommodate a better hair dryer...there was excellent electrical service everywhere and I don't remember needing adapters, but you can check that. There was prohibitions about things not to bring, like there are in cruise lines!
> 
> And omg you're doing Galapagos ABD next month!? Now that's a dream adventure! I want to hear all about it!


Will do a complete review! I can't wait! My package should arrive any day now


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## familygoboston

Just realized that should say that there _*were not prohibitions *_on things, like we've had on cruise ships! Must have auto corrected onme. Sorry bout that! Of course your final docs will spell out what you need and if there is anything you can't bring, but our experience was that the hotels were very much the same standards you'd expect in the US.


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## Gonecruisin

humid humid humid - perfect. I mean ... eww   That's what we're suffering through right now. I'll just pretend this July heat is practice for the adventure. So I guess we can leave the rain coats at home and just bring a poncho? Knowing that it's mostly casual should help pare down the packing. I can do casual easily!  It's the packing light that I usually have a problem with. 


Chica wants to know if there was any foods/drinks you think we should avoid either because they didn't agree with you or just didn't taste good. I've heard the local sodas are very sweet? What was your favorite food/meal of the trip? Was it hard to find a decent place to eat on those days when you're on your own?

We made our first payment.  I love watching the balance go down


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## familygoboston

Gonecruisin said:


> humid humid humid - perfect. I mean ... eww   That's what we're suffering through right now. I'll just pretend this July heat is practice for the adventure. So I guess we can leave the rain coats at home and just bring a poncho? Knowing that it's mostly casual should help pare down the packing. I can do casual easily!  It's the packing light that I usually have a problem with.
> I know this is gonna sound ridiculous, but in June we used both our raincoats and ponchos! most days were misty enough for a raincoat, and if it really poured ( and in Torteguero, it really poured!) just for a short time, we would wear the ABD ponchos. But we don't find the ponchos very comfortable to wear ( breathability  and length ) most of the time. Again, it might be drier when you go, but the " wet" spots, if you check the guidebooks, are always pretty wet!
> 
> Chica wants to know if there was any foods/drinks you think we should avoid either because they didn't agree with you or just didn't taste good. I've heard the local sodas are very sweet? What was your favorite food/meal of the trip? Was it hard to find a decent place to eat on those days when you're on your own?
> With ABD, there will always be familiar food offered for the non adventurous eater ( pizza, white pasta etc) Costa Ricans have pretty simple fare as their traditional cuisine. Rice and beans were served at every meal, including breakfast. Lots of fresh pineapple and mango, fish, beef, and chicken. My girls loved ceviche, which is raw fish marinated in lime all chopped up...youd htink that would be very chancy, but - no problems at all! We had ZERO tummy troubles, and I have a DD who we tease for getting sick in all the best places; she had no trouble.We don't drink soda, but I'm told coca cola is made with real sugar rather than corn syrup in this part of the world, which might make it taste different. My girls loved getting something called a " fresca" which is just some soda and juices- very refreshing! Also tres leeches cake, which is a dessert made of 3 milks, ( cream, milk and condensed milk- now that is sweet...yum!) My girls are pretty adventurous eaters, it's my DH who is more traditional, and he had no trouble finding something yummy!
> 
> We generally ate at the Marriott because we were only there for a day longer in San Jose- and it's a bit of a cab ride to the area where more restaurants would be and the kids were young, so we wanted to eat and get them to bed without a late cab adventure
> 
> We stayed in Torteguero with Costa Rica Expeditions and meals were included. Their food was excellent and again no trouble. We didn't drink tap water anywhere, though in the highlands you could.  We did bottled or filtered, most the better hotels offered filtered, we had no problems with it.
> 
> We made our first payment.  I love watching the balance go down


It will be here before you know it!


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## emesmom

Myself and my DD 11yo, will be on the 3/30/2013 CR trip. I have a question about cellphones and Internet access. I have Verizon service and no 3G/ smartphone etc, just your basic text and call set up. I read on line something about getting a temporary phone for international usage. Does anyone know anything about that for CR?
Is there WiFi available at all the hotels, because if so My DD could Skype with her father from her iPod? I know he is going to want to make sure we are safe and sound on a  regular basis..as I would be if the situation was reversed. I want to make sure I can give him accurate info about how we can keep in touch. Thanks for any guidance.


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## sayhello

emesmom said:


> Myself and my DD 11yo, will be on the 3/30/2013 CR trip. I have a question about cellphones and Internet access. I have Verizon service and no 3G/ smartphone etc, just your basic text and call set up. I read on line something about getting a temporary phone for international usage. Does anyone know anything about that for CR?


I don't know about for CR, but when I went to the Med, and to London/Paris, I was able to borrow a Global phone from Verizon.  All you do is pay like $10 for the postage for them to send it to you.  As long as you return it within 30 days, there's no other charge for getting the phone.  You can also sign up for an international plan (for just a month) that will greatly reduce the cost of calling & texting.  I don't know if this holds true for CR, it depends on the type of network they have there.  Call Verizon's Global group, they can look it up & tell you all about your options.

Sayhello


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## emesmom

Thanks sayhello, for the great info. Does anyone know @ the WiFi access in CR?


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## sayhello

emesmom said:


> Thanks sayhello, for the great info. Does anyone know @ the WiFi access in CR?


One thing to note is that some places will restrict Skype from being used on their WiFi networks, because it is such a bandwidth hog.  (I know DCL does that).  Be sure & check with the actual hotels before counting on using Skype.

Sayhello


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## Gonecruisin

phew It's been a while. We get super busy and so much gets pushed aside which is why we need a fabulous vacation! 

2nd installmt pyt on our trip to Costa Rica has been made. Only one more pyt to go  The closer it gets, the more excited we get. 

I've been reading up on some of the local culture and learned a few tidbits that seem noteworthy:
Pura Vida - a local Costa Rican phrase that means "pure life"  and it is used in a great variety of ways - all positive - when you want to respond to such things as "How was the zip line?", "Did you enjoy the pinapples?" etc. It's sort of a ~good vibrations~ type of thing. Costa Rica's equivelant to island time. 

Tico (a) - is the local term for a native of Costa Rica.

Since Chica and myself are arriving a day early in San Jose, we've been told to check out a place called Spoons for a nice local meal. Rice and beans ... yum


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## Gonecruisin

Heard from Delta that they cancelled my flight home.  Goodbye reasonable arrival time in Boston. 

Instead of coming home via this: leave Liberia in the morning, change planes in Atlanta (about 2 hour layover) and then arrive in Boson at 7 pm. 

Now we leave Liberia at noon, change planes in Atlanta (about 2 hour layover) and then arrive in Boson at midnight.   

Lesson Learned #1 = A year in advance in NOT too far out to book your ABD.
Lesson Learned #2 = Be flexible. Things can and will change.


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## sayhello

Gonecruisin said:


> Heard from Delta that they cancelled my flight home.  Goodbye reasonable arrival time in Boston.
> 
> Instead of coming home via this: leave Liberia in the morning, change planes in Atlanta (about 2 hour layover) and then arrive in Boson at 7 pm.
> 
> Now we leave Liberia at noon, change planes in Atlanta (about 2 hour layover) and then arrive in Boson at midnight.
> 
> Lesson Learned #1 = A year in advance in NOT too far out to book your ABD.
> Lesson Learned #2 = Be flexible. Things can and will change.


Sometimes I really, really hate Delta.  At least they didn't add 2 or three legs to your flight!  Coming back from Hawaii this year, I had a flight from Maui to Los Angeles, then a non-stop from Los Angeles to Columbus.  They changed that to a flight from Los Angeles to Atlanta, then Atlanta to Columbus.  Added over 5 hours to my flight time, including the layover in Atlanta.  I have learned that the flights you buy on Delta are rarely the flights you actually fly.  It really should be illegal.  How many other businesses can sell you one thing, and then deliver something completely different?

Sorry they messed up your plans!

Sayhello


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## Bobo912

This is my worst Delta experience, although it turned out okay in the end, mostly due to the warnings I've seen on this board and my own resulting vigilance.  I booked a flight many months in advance to Budapest with layovers at JFK and Amsterdam.  I carefully picked the flight that had layovers that weren't terribly long, but long enough so we wouldn't feel rushed and would still stand a chance of making our connection if there were a minor delay.  I signed up for Delta's email alerts, but still checked regularly to make sure our flight or seat assignments didn't change.  So one day I check my booking online and my flight has been changed.  Instead of originating in Nashville, my flight was changed to a single leg from Paris to Budapest.  No way at all for me to get from home to Paris.  I called Delta and they changed it, but then I had a layover of a mere 30 minutes at Charles DeGaulle.  So I called again and found a flight through Atlanta that worked and it turned out to be a more expensive flight on a nicer plane than I had originally booked, but if I hadn't been checking regularly, it could have been a disaster.  For the most part, I've had good experiences with Delta (virtual knock on wood), but I keep an eye on them.  

Sorry they messed up your plans, Gonecruisin.  We're flying on Delta to Lima on March 22 with a layover in Atlanta.  We may cross paths.


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## tufbuf

We just booked our CR ABD this August (using DVC points ! Looking forward to trip reports!!!


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## dizneekrazee

Gonecruisin said:
			
		

> Heard from Delta that they cancelled my flight home.  Goodbye reasonable arrival time in Boston.
> 
> Instead of coming home via this: leave Liberia in the morning, change planes in Atlanta (about 2 hour layover) and then arrive in Boson at 7 pm.
> 
> Now we leave Liberia at noon, change planes in Atlanta (about 2 hour layover) and then arrive in Boson at midnight.
> 
> Lesson Learned #1 = A year in advance in NOT too far out to book your ABD.
> Lesson Learned #2 = Be flexible. Things can and will change.



We had a flight change as well on our return flight from Costa Rica. We were flying with Frontier, who a few months after booking, decided they did not fly from SJ, CR on Sundays. We were able to change it, free of charge, to a flight with *I THINK* US Airways. Layover was then in Phoenix, which IMO, was better than Denver in mid-January. I was so worked of snow making us miss our connecting flights!!!

Anyhow, you will LOVE Costa Rica. My favorite international trip so far. (But I haven't been to many lol)


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## Gonecruisin

Bobo: I'll have to keep an eye on Delta now too. Fingers crossed for an event free day of travel on March 22nd! 

tufbuf: your signature has me in a state of wonderous envy. Stay tuned for the trip report!! 

dizneekrazy: I'm sort of obsessed about snow ruining my trip too so I completely understand. That's why we are leaving a day early which turns out to be the Ides of March!   I sure can pick em. 

Update time!

Chica and I are very excited. The trip is getting closer and we really need a vacation. Final payment was made last month. Remaining balance is ~*~zero~*~ my favorite balance. 

Bought some new bathing suits, a water sport type of shirt for the rafting trip, and ... loads of pocket packs of tissues. Why, you ask? Because .... we were told that toilet tissue isn't available with the same ... errr.. frequency (?) ... in CR as it is in the US? Not sure if this is true but since we are arriving a day early and staying a day late and partaking in some non-Disney sponsored activities, we'd be better off prepared then left wanting. 





We were also told to load up on the bug spray. Need to do that next.

I reviewed the itinerary and came up with some ideas on how to spend our extra time in CR. Our Day 1 in CR is really Day 0 for everyone else. We arrive in CR at noon and will most likely spend the day resting and relaxing at the hotel after a weary day of travel. Dinner at the hotel. 

Day 2 (or DDay 1 - Disney Day 1 lol) is when everyone else arrives but we can go explore San Jose. We settled on 3 choices and will let the ABD staff point us in the right direction but I am leaning towards the coffee tour.

1. Tour the Cafe Britt Coffee Plantation - pricey but impressive looking tours 






2. Sarchi Village - seems like a village full of tourist trinkets for sale?






3. Pueblo Antiguo - billed as the Colonial Williamsburg of CR 






Dinner will be at a local place the ABD guides recommend because our Welcome dinner isn't until Day 3 (DDay 2). We won't actually meet our fellow tour groupers until Morning of Day 3 (DDay 2).


Then for our last day in CR - Day 8 (DDay 7) - Playa Hermosa, Guancaste - we are thinking of booking an ATV tour with Tico Tours in the morning and then their snorkel/sunset sail in the evening. Of course, again, we'll let the ABD staff steer us in the right direction but that's what appeals to us the most after some quick research. 








This is going to be an amazing adventure. Unlike anything we've ever done before. And I can't wait!


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## tracyz

I'll be anxiously awaiting your report.  We're booked on the 3/15/14 trip, so exactly a year after you!  Playing around with how much time to spend on our own before and/or after, so I'll be interested to hear what you find.


----------



## Gonecruisin

Another intrepid Ides of March traveller. lol What's vacation without the risk of a few superstitious jinxes, right? Which segues nicely to out next topic - Well sort of...

Here in Boston, the talk of the town is the recent flu outbreak which is rampant I guess? I don't know anyone who has it. But it got me thinking about flu shots which got me thinking about other shots. So I called Dr and told her about upcoming trip to Costa Rica. She looked at my previous vaccinations (warning: I am old) and I now have an appointment to get Hep A (for food and water illnesses), Hep B (for blood stuff like if I get a cut), typhoid (for typhoid) and a flue shot! La Chica too but she doesnt need the Hep B because she had it in high school. Dr doesn't think we need any malaria prevention  

So much depended on my history and which parts of Costa Rica we were visiting so I guess this could be different for each individual. And my Dr is known for being overly cautious so I wouldn't at all be surprised if someone else's Dr has a completely different take on this subject. I'm not promoting anything. I'm simply reporting my pre-trip events. 
phew... get that out of the way so we get back to the fun stuff.


----------



## sayhello

Gonecruisin said:


> Another intrepid Ides of March traveller. lol What's vacation without the risk of a few superstitious jinxes, right? Which segues nicely to out next topic - Well sort of...
> 
> Here in Boston, the talk of the town is the recent flu outbreak which is rampant I guess? I don't know anyone who has it. But it got me thinking about flu shots which got me thinking about other shots. So I called Dr and told her about upcoming trip to Costa Rica. She looked at my previous vaccinations (warning: I am old) and I now have an appointment to get Hep A (for food and water illnesses), Hep B (for blood stuff like if I get a cut), typhoid (for typhoid) and a flue shot! La Chica too but she doesnt need the Hep B because she had it in high school. Dr doesn't think we need any malaria prevention
> 
> So much depended on my history and which parts of Costa Rica we were visiting so I guess this could be different for each individual. And my Dr is known for being overly cautious so I wouldn't at all be surprised if someone else's Dr has a completely different take on this subject. I'm not promoting anything. I'm simply reporting my pre-trip events.
> phew... get that out of the way so we get back to the fun stuff.


Now, see!  I never think of stuff like that when I travel!  Good catch!  

Sayhello


----------



## dizneekrazee

Gonecruisin said:
			
		

> Another intrepid Ides of March traveller. lol What's vacation without the risk of a few superstitious jinxes, right? Which segues nicely to out next topic - Well sort of...
> 
> Here in Boston, the talk of the town is the recent flu outbreak which is rampant I guess? I don't know anyone who has it. But it got me thinking about flu shots which got me thinking about other shots. So I called Dr and told her about upcoming trip to Costa Rica. She looked at my previous vaccinations (warning: I am old) and I now have an appointment to get Hep A (for food and water illnesses), Hep B (for blood stuff like if I get a cut), typhoid (for typhoid) and a flue shot! La Chica too but she doesnt need the Hep B because she had it in high school. Dr doesn't think we need any malaria prevention
> 
> So much depended on my history and which parts of Costa Rica we were visiting so I guess this could be different for each individual. And my Dr is known for being overly cautious so I wouldn't at all be surprised if someone else's Dr has a completely different take on this subject. I'm not promoting anything. I'm simply reporting my pre-trip events.
> phew... get that out of the way so we get back to the fun stuff.



It most certainly depends on where in CR you are going. When we went last Jan., we didn't require any. If I remember right, only a very small area of CR recommends malaria prevention. 

For those asking what to see/do in San Jose, IMO, San Jose is a dump, and isn't worth it extra time. Especially after you had just been through the rest of the beautiful country.


----------



## Gonecruisin

@ sayhello: I thought of it but assumed it was unnecessary because other people either didn't get the shots or were told they didn't need them. Like I said, my Dr can be overly cautious at times but I guess having the shots can't hurt?

@dizneekrazee: Can you expand on what you said about San Jose? I want all info - good and bad so I can make informed choices. thx


----------



## dizneekrazee

Gonecruisin said:
			
		

> @dizneekrazee: Can you expand on what you said about San Jose? I want all info - good and bad so I can make informed choices. thx



Driving through SJ, you can tell it isn't near as safe as the rest of CR. ALL residences had gates around them, which all had some sort of barb wire or spikes on top to prevent people from climbing over. Graffiti everywhere. 
A friend of mine went a year before me, and hated her extra time in SJ, so we only went they day before our flight home. 
Where will you be staying in SJ? We were at Adventure Inn, which we loved. The rooms were HUGE!! Free phone calls, even to the U.S. Free breakfast, and if you are leaving before breakfast time, they will pack you something. It isn't much, but better than nothing. Free airport transfers as well. The restaurant wasn't bad, but I did not care for their burgers.


----------



## familygoboston

I'm going to weigh in on a few things-
Health: we have a regular travel doc who is great, he told us that there is very little malaria in CR, really you'd need to be a researcher camping out to be in the malaria zone on the Caribbean coast. ABD avoid malaria zones generally which is why their Africa trip is in SA.  You would be unlikely to be exposed to Typhus or Hep A on an ABD, however it's good protection for any traveller to developing regions, and will protect you if you are doing she portions of the trip " on your own" and the food may not have been vetted by Disney.  Hep B is blood born (like HIV) so most ABD'ers are unlikely to be exposed ( guess it depends on what you do in your "free time") with one big BUT...if you needed emergency health care, it would be comforting to know you are protected from that virus!  That said CR's health care system is excellent (our cardiologist lives there now and is very impressed!) and there is likely almost no risk to the blood supply there! In conclusion, you could travel to CR with no injections, and be perfectly fine, but if you travel a lot , these are good protections to have anyway! The biggest risk is probably flu- many people from many places, if you were going to get just one jab- get that!

San Jose- while I will agree it is not as nice from a scenic point of view as other Central and South American cities, there are some worthwhile things to see. We enjoyed touring the National Theater, the Gold Museum and (like every CA, SA city has) the Simone Bolivar Square. There is crime and poverty, it's a city, and it's a CA city, but touring in the daytime with a good guide is safe if you take normal city precautions. A half day is plenty! I will tell you what our guide Fico told us about the bars. Bars in homes are there for security, yes, but also for prestige. He told us families put bars on even meager homes to show there is something worthwhile in side. It's a sign of prosperity. Interesting prospective from our local guide ( which is why it's so great to have them on ABDS!) Shortly after my trip I was on a bike ride through one of the most prosperous and safe towns in the US, and a successful local immigrant family was building a large home in the Latin style -bars on every window!

Things I learned along the way...hope it helps!


----------



## sayhello

familygoboston said:


> I will tell you what our guide Fico told us about the bars. Bars in homes are there for security, yes, but also for prestige. He told us families put bars on even meager homes to show there is something worthwhile in side. It's a sign of prosperity. Interesting prospective from our local guide ( which is why it's so great to have them on ABDS!) Shortly after my trip I was on a bike ride through one of the most prosperous and safe towns in the US, and a successful local immigrant family was building a large home in the Latin style -bars on every window!
> 
> Things I learned along the way...hope it helps!


That's really interesting, and makes a ton of sense!    Thanks for sharing that.

The local guides are yet another reason why I *LOVE* ABD!

Sayhello


----------



## Gonecruisin

This is really useful information. Thank you everybody! La Chica said she heard the same thing about San Jose and has decided she is content with doing a quick local thing/museum in the morning and then just enjoying the hotel for the rest of the day. Sounds good to me!  

Got my shots yesterday (Hep A & B, thyphoid and flu). My arm is sore and I feel like I'm battling the flu.    This is why dont usuallly get the flu shot. Have to go back in a month to get Round Two and then final round in 6 months. Life time immunity is worth it though, especially since I don't plan on stopping traveling any time soon. 

I've been reading up on the country and am fascinated by what I've found so far: 
Can't wait to try my first churro - a fried dough type of thing.  
"Sodas" in Costa Rica aren't carbonated beverages but diners! 
How can you not like a place whose president is named  Laura Chinchilla?


----------



## familygoboston

Hope you feel better soon...try a bag of frozen peas on your injection sites! Helps!


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## Gonecruisin

Guess what came!






Our box from Adventures by Disney It was sent to our TA which I thought was odd (it was opened too? ) but no matter. I was expecting it to arrive any day now since our trip is a month away. I won't spoil what's inside for those who want to be surprised when theirs arrives but I will say it's a fun way to get your travel documents 

You know what this means?! It's officially ok to start packing!!!


----------



## sayhello

Gonecruisin said:


> Guess what came!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Our box from Adventures by Disney It was sent to our TA which I thought was odd (it was opened too? ) but no matter. I was expecting it to arrive any day now since our trip is a month away. I won't spoil what's inside for those who want to be surprised when theirs arrives but I will say it's a fun way to get your travel documents
> 
> You know what this means?! It's officially ok to start packing!!!


Congrats!!!   It does make it more real!  When do you leave?

Sayhello


----------



## tufbuf

Gonecruisin said:


> Guess what came!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Our box from Adventures by Disney It was sent to our TA which I thought was odd (it was opened too? ) but no matter. I was expecting it to arrive any day now since our trip is a month away. I won't spoil what's inside for those who want to be surprised when theirs arrives but I will say it's a fun way to get your travel documents
> 
> You know what this means?! It's officially ok to start packing!!!



So... What did you get in the box?!? It's so exciting to receive it since you know the adventure is soon to come!


----------



## Gonecruisin

sayhello: We leave on March 15th!!!

tufbuf: I sent you a PM


----------



## sayhello

Gonecruisin said:


> sayhello: We leave on March 15th!!!
> 
> tufbuf: I sent you a PM


Wowza!    You're almost there!

Sayhello


----------



## Gonecruisin

It really is starting to come up fast! Got my 2nd round of shots on Friday. Time to make sure the shorts still fit before I put them in the suitcase     

We've been battered with snow here in Boston for the last month and it's made me a little jittery about what I might face in March. I checked my horoscope  it seems to suggest I'll be ok. I checked Farmer's Almanac - it says rain for my departure - good - but major coastal storm for my return - extra day in Costa Rica???


----------



## sayhello

Gonecruisin said:


> It really is starting to come up fast! Got my 2nd round of shots on Friday. Time to make sure the shorts still fit before I put them in the suitcase
> 
> We've been battered with snow here in Boston for the last month and it's made me a little jittery about what I might face in March. I checked my horoscope  it seems to suggest I'll be ok. I checked Farmer's Almanac - it says rain for my departure - good - but major coastal storm for my return - extra day in Costa Rica???


If you're going to have a delay, you'd definitely want it on the way back, not on the way there!    I'll keep my fingers & toes crossed for you!

Sayhello


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## familygoboston

Wow, almost time!! How exciting Gonecruisin! Two weeks to go, we saw several people on our flight from Miami to Bos this weekend coming back from CR, made me wish I was going back
No worries, Puxatawny Phil said an early spring this year, it's all good! This weekends slush fest had my non traveling family emailing me while we were in WDW last week, all worried...I said I'm here now, _*I dont care!*_
But alas and alack, the plane took off and landed (ten minutes early!) without incident and we are back in slush-ville!

Have a great trip, cannot wait for your review (and I hope...*pictures!*)


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## Gonecruisin

Early spring?!! Got 18 inches of snow this weekend. I was really concerned about what Mother Nature might have in store for us this week but the reports so far are clear skies and sun, Sun, SUN! Fingers crossed it stays that way. I'm actually anticipating to have zero weather issues and nothing but good luck the entire time :rosecoloredglasses:

La chica and I are all packed, ready to go. Just need Friday to hurry up and get here so we can leave. Up at 3 am, first flight out of Boston, lunch in San Jose 

The weather in Costa Rica??? On Friday - Day 80; night 66 
Extended forecast is for more of the same; maybe even warmer towards Liberia  

I can't wait to come back and tell you all about it!!


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## sayhello

Gonecruisin said:


> Early spring?!! Got 18 inches of snow this weekend. I was really concerned about what Mother Nature might have in store for us this week but the reports so far are clear skies and sun, Sun, SUN! Fingers crossed it stays that way. I'm actually anticipating to have zero weather issues and nothing but good luck the entire time :rosecoloredglasses:
> 
> La chica and I are all packed, ready to go. Just need Friday to hurry up and get here so we can leave. Up at 3 am, first flight out of Boston, lunch in San Jose
> 
> The weather in Costa Rica??? On Friday - Day 80; night 66
> Extended forecast is for more of the same; maybe even warmer towards Liberia
> 
> I can't wait to come back and tell you all about it!!


Yay!     I can't wait to hear about it!

Sayhello


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## familygoboston

Gonecruisin said:


> Early spring?!! Got 18 inches of snow this weekend. I was really concerned about what Mother Nature might have in store for us this week but the reports so far are clear skies and sun, Sun, SUN! Fingers crossed it stays that way. I'm actually anticipating to have zero weather issues and nothing but good luck the entire time :rosecoloredglasses:
> 
> La chica and I are all packed, ready to go. Just need Friday to hurry up and get here so we can leave. Up at 3 am, first flight out of Boston, lunch in San Jose
> 
> The weather in Costa Rica??? On Friday - Day 80; night 66
> Extended forecast is for more of the same; maybe even warmer towards Liberia
> 
> I can't wait to come back and tell you all about it!!


Yeah, it's been a little crazy here in NE this winter! All the more reason to go to CR,. Have a wonderful trip! Looking for a full report to when you return!


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## Gonecruisin

Hola! We're back! 

We had a fabulous time. Costa Rica was beautiful. Our guides were the best. Our tour was adventurous. But not everything was pura vida and this trip report will explain what I mean. Get ready for an honest review (mostly positive so don't worry. The negatives are mostly minor.)

*THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE REALLY REMOTE*


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## Gonecruisin

Our Delta flight left Boston at 6 am. Smooth sailing to Atlanta where we caught our next flight to San Jose CR. On this leg of the flight we met a nice college student named Ted who had spent a summer working in a pizza shop in CR and offered us tips like: American money is accepted just about everywhere, English is spoken just about everywhere, Pilsen beer is better than Imperial though neither are all that great.

Once we landed in SJ and made our way through customs, we spied a friendly face holding a sign with our name on it!! Our local Disney Rep! She instructed us to take our bags to the driver outside who would take us to the van and sure enough ... that's exactly what happened. Once another ABD family arrived from Canada, we were on our way to the beautiful Marriott Hotel


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## Gonecruisin

THE GOOD 

This was my favorite hotel of the trip. It was worth every penny. Open air, spacious, extraordinary service, delicious food, beautiful grounds. Turning every corner brought a new and breathtaking scene.






The rooms were 5 star






We had a tiny balcony overlooking the stunning grounds, opening the door let in a warm breeze






We dropped our bags and went exploring.

Two crystal clear pools, empty now but that wouldn't always be the case.









A fun deck with gas fire tables thingys for cocktails or even dinner.  






So we ordered few appetizers and drinks: (food pictures!!)

Guacamole






shrimp and avocado






scallops with coconut risotto









All delicious. I highly recommend each of these. Even the beer (it wasn't _that_ bad!)


Time to work off those calories.
An Exercise Path 






which seemed to end in a dead end but that was ok because that was where we discovered this guy






the hotel's neighbor (get it?) who was as curious about us as we were about him.

But the day's travels caught up with us and we made our way back to the room for a nap where we were surprised to find ...

cocktails!!!






They were actually non-alcoholic, more of a fruit juice drink but they were soooo good. What a nice unexpected welcome. A simple touch that won me over completely. We slurped them down as we gushed about our good fortune and then took a nap .... for 5 hours


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## familygoboston

Excited to hear about your trip! Sounds like it was a good trip! Can't wait to read the rest!!


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## emesmom

We are leaving on our trip Saturday. Anything in particular we should know about before we head out?


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## Gonecruisin

emesmom said:


> We are leaving on our trip Saturday. Anything in particular we should know about before we head out?



Have fun !! I know you will but still needs to be said. What to know? Let's see.... It's hot. Really hot. Leave the fleece at home, you won't need it. You will need long pants or long shorts for the ziplining and horse back riding but if you don't have them, you can still go, you'll just be less comfortable. 

Bring more sunscreen than you think you need - we ended up buying more because we went through one large and one small bottles. Bring benadryl or something and bug spray (although the guides have this and loads of other stuff in their first aid kits) - La Chica suffered from some sort of allergy when we crossed the Continental Divide where the flora was blooming and complained of noseeums biting her legs. I however was fine on both accounts.  Souvenir shopping was limited so don't be surprised if you come home with less than you thought you would.  

Oh! That "Day Bag" they have you pack to go to Tortuguero is actually an OVERNIGHT Bag. Totally different, right?   I was prepared to pack a bathing suit and change of clothes only to find out I needed pjs and toothbrush etc. We were given a very nice bag - one per family though some families managed to bring more, I'm not sure how. Me & La Chica managed ok but missed the rest of our luggage terribly lol 

What else did I wish I had known??? OH! In Tortuguero, right after second breakfast, you will be taken on a long hot sunny boat tour of the river and see lots and lots of amazing animals but you will melt under the scorching sun. There was no roof on the boat - good for animal viewing but bad for sunburns, of which there were many. I eventually wrapped my legs in my raincoat, hot because it's basically plastic but it kept me from getting burned. La Chica was not as lucky.  Bring a hat, extra sunscreen, water - you'll be glad you did. 

Let me think of more


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## tufbuf

Do they still give away the foldable tote bag? Thanks for the tips! Very helpful!! To the pp, I suggest getting REI or similar shirts and pants/shorts that has some UV protection at the same time keeps you cool.


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## tufbuf

Gonecruisin said:


> Bring a hat, extra sunscreen, water - you'll be glad you did.
> 
> Let me think of more



Bring water, as in the ones ABD give away?


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## sayhello

Gonecruisin, so glad you had a great trip!  Looking forward to seeing more of your Trip Report!  I'm going to have to figure out how to post a link to it on our Trip Reports Sticky!  

Those scallops look yummy!

Sayhello


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## emesmom

Thank you. That is very helpful info! How was the "puddle jumper" flight?


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## Gonecruisin

Each family was given a small duffle bag type of thing about this size





Quick dry clothing was great to bring along too. 
The guides were always handing out water. You should grab a bottle to bring along.

The puddle jumper flight was awe inspiring. I'll get to that very soon hopefully tonight. 

Thx sayhello! It was all yummy


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## Bobo912

tufbuf said:


> Bring water, as in the ones ABD giveaway?



The water bottles are history.


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## tufbuf

Bobo912 said:


> The water bottles are history.



They don't give them away anymore?? Oh no!


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## Bobo912

tufbuf said:


> They don't give them away anymore?? Oh no!



They no longer give away the metal water bottles.  Don't want to make it sound like they let you go thirsty.


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## emesmom

How is the WiFi availability at the different locations? You said it was really hot. Is it cooler at night? One more thing, you said the souvenir shopping was limited, so which location is the best place to do the shopping? Thanks again...gracias!


----------



## Gonecruisin

Oh is that what you meant?  The guides gave out plenty of bottled water but no metal bottles.

Trip report cont'd...

We last left our travelers snoozing in their incredibly comfortable beds. When we woke up it was dark, so we checked out the gift shop and had a light dinner at one of those fun fire tables. La Chica had a beer and I tried a caipirinha - Brazil's national drink of fermented sugar cane juice, sugar and lime lol It was tasty.






What a beautiful night. A bit breezy but compared to Boston, it was just right.

"Dinner" was a basket of beef empanadas and toasts with bean dip. yummy 









And that was pretty much it for our arrival day. The next morning dawned bright and sunny. The Marriott puts on a fabulous breakfast buffet. The servers were all helpful and spoke near perfect english. Since we arrived a day early, we had time to do something on our own while we waited for the other adventurers to arrive. So we made our way to the Reservations Office to book a Coffee Plantation tour. I took pictures along the way because I was in love with this hotel  The old world hacienda style was masterful.









So we booked a pricey (I think it was about $60/pp) coffee plantation tour that included transportation and lunch. Were we taken advantage of? Maybe.  But boy oh boy does Britt coffee have a good thing going in CR. Whoever does their marketing deserves a raise. Their signs and products were all over CR and often took up 1/2 the space in gift shops.

So the van stops at several hotels and delivers guests to the plantation






The place was crowded but they took a page from Disney's book and have become experts in crowd management (and offer a big gift shop ). The guides were entertaining, fun and kept a nice easy pace as they led us through shady trails. I learned more about coffee than I ever wanted to know!






The buffet lunch was very good - a simple fare of beans and rice, veggies and chicken. Dessert was a very good tres leche cake (brush up on your spanish, guys, it will help you know what you are eating! ) Then back to the van and back to the hotel. In total, it was probably about 4 hours. Was it worth it? Yes. We had fun. The tour was like a comedy show. The food was good. Transportation was smooth. A carefree excursion in a foreign country - who could ask for more?

Back at the hotel, there was a voice mail message waiting for us in our rooms (we had to call the front desk to access it for some reason, not sure why). It was our ABD Guides Geraldine and Fico!!! They were in the lobby and wanted us to stop by asap.  

I know from reading the threads here that some of you have already met with Geraldine and Fico. Geraldine is well known for guiding the Montana/Wyoming Adventures and Fico has been a tour guide in CR for 17 years  So we rushed down to the lobby to meet them. I was so excited that I didn't take any pictures but they were friendly and organized and gave us an armload of documents and gifts and lanyards and stuff  

 This is also when we learn that we had to have our bags ready for pick up tomorrow morning at 5:30 am   We'd meet at the same time for a quick continental breakfast and then head to the airport to begin our adventure. I am now very glad we arrived a day early.

La Chica and I decide to make the most of our time in San Jose so we grabbed a taxi to go to the Gold Museum but after an hour of driving we had the driver turn around and take us back to the hotel. Costa Rica was hosting the Pan American games and most of the city roads were closed for a bike race. Traffic was backed up for miles and we were getting nowhere fast. Instead we relaxed by the pool, read, enjoyed delicious complimentary fruit skewers and cool fragrant towels delivered by delightful employees. 







Ahh Heaven


----------



## Gonecruisin

emesmom said:


> How is the WiFi availability at the different locations? You said it was really hot. Is it cooler at night? One more thing, you said the souvenir shopping was limited, so which location is the best place to do the shopping? Thanks again...gracias!



funny you should ask. This actually was an issue that got a lot of discussion with fellow guests (but not adventurers) at our last hotel. All the hotels had free wifi - except the last hotel. I thought this was odd since we even had free wifi in the middle of the rainforest but most people didn't have laptops so it wasn't a huge deal.

Each location had very different weather. San Jose was warm, breezy with a bit of a chill at night but still comfortable. Tortuguero and Arenal were hot humid rainforests day and night. Guancaste was omg hot and dry.

I thought the gift shops all had the same things but in different quantities. My suggestion to you is if you see it and like it, get it just in case the next few places do not have that particular item.


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## soldierbot

Thanks for taking the time to post, Gonecruisin. Like emesmom, our CR adventure is coming up in a few days and your pictures and experiences are appreciated.


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## emesmom

Gonecruisin, thank you so much. Your trip report is great and I appreciate the answers to my questions. You have helped me plan my packing a little better. I want to use our iPods to communicate to home, so I am glad there is good WiFi service. We had Geraldine for our first ABD trip, Southwest Splendors. She and Maura were a great team....actually every single ABD guide we have had has been awesome. I'm nervously exited to head out on our adventure!


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## emesmom

To Soldierbot: my daughter is very happy there will be at least one other girl on the trip. She really likes hanging out with the other kids on these trips. See you soon!


----------



## Gonecruisin

Oh wow I'm so excited for you guys  You're going to have a great time.

Let's see...

I'm starting to forget things like exact times but...

Bright and early (really early) on ABD Day Two, you meet your fellow adventurers in the lobby for a continental breakfast before you board the bus for a short ride to the airport. The other people on your tour really play a large role in how smoothly things run, how enjoyable your experience is and just sort of set the tone for the entire trip. So let me talk a bit about my fellow adventurers, 33 in all. They were a really nice assortment of people from all over the US and Canada ranging in age from 7 to 79. Most had been on a ABD before - these were very experienced travelers and that's a good thing. There was another mother/daughter pair though the DD was about 12, two single ladies, a fun sans children couple, two sets of grandparents/grandsons, and 5 families. The most unique thing about this group was the 7 boys from different families all in the 10-12 age range. They immediately hit it off bonding over video games and silly jokes and were a lot of fun to have around. Their energy really added to our experience.

But on with the trip report.... at a tiny airport, we boarded two small planes 









and had the ride of a lifetime over CR. La Chica said this was her favorite part of the trip. That she could fly over Costa Rica all day long ..... lol






We saw farm land, towns, mountains, and clouds. In about 1/2 hour Tortuguero was in sight.






That sliver of land between the Caribbean Ocean and the river holds the lovely but rustic Laguna Lodge. Upon landing, we were directed to a boat which would bring us to the lodge but what was even more interesting was who was waiting to greet us  - The Costa Rican Coast Guard !! 






From what I was told, they had been in the area when the planes landed and decided to check us out in case we were drug smugglers. We weren't 






I did feel safe though 
One more picture of the Guardacostas. That's the Costa Rican flag on the side for those of you who are wondering.


----------



## tufbuf

Eagerly awaiting the next installment, Gonecruisin!! Thanks for sharing!!


----------



## Gonecruisin

Ok Where was I?

Getting on the boat. Here is Fico explaining things to us on the boat as we head to Laguna Lodge. Fico knows everything about Costa Rica so ask him lots of questions.  There wasn't an animal that he didn't know extensively. 






Note that this is NOT the boat we took on our tour - just to the lodge. Our tour boat didn't have a roof. This figures prominently later.
Up ahead is the lodge. See it off to the left?









That's the dining areas. All open air and really set the mood for a rainforest adventure. We all gathered for proper introductions and Breakfast #2 






Then we went in search of animals.






See how these boats do not have roofs? That's good for spotting birds and sloths in the trees but bad for sunburns and over heating. It was hot at Tortuguero - hot and tropical and humid and hot. It was better in the shade but just a few minutes in the sun and you were hot again. Reapply the sunscreen and dress cool.

How many animals did we see? This many ...

Tiger throated heron





Iguanas





Basilisks





It really was lush & beautiful and fun to be on the lookout for animals.





Animals like - 
Spider Monkeys





Sloth





Cayman





Black Turtle





Cow 




It can be easy to forget that people actually live and work here.


----------



## tufbuf

Wow! The animal sightings are exciting! The only time I saw a sloth was in a zoo! It would be great to spot one in the wild.

You mentioned earlier that your bags have to be out by 5:30. What time did you actually leave San Juan? After breakfast at the Laguna Lodge, did you leave right away or did they show you your rooms for the night?

Also, you took lots of close up photos of the animals. Were you that close or did you have a zoom lens with you?

Sorry for all the questions!


----------



## dizneekrazee

Gonecruisin said:


> Ok Where was I?
> 
> Getting on the boat. Here is Fico explaining things to us on the boat as we head to Laguna Lodge. Fico knows everything about Costa Rica so ask him lots of questions.  There wasn't an animal that he didn't know extensively.
> 
> Note that this is NOT the boat we took on our tour - just to the lodge. Our tour boat didn't have a roof. This figures prominently later.
> Up ahead is the lodge. See it off to the left?
> 
> That's the dining areas. All open air and really set the mood for a rainforest adventure. We all gathered for proper introductions and Breakfast #2
> 
> Then we went in search of animals.
> 
> See how these boats do not have roofs? That's good for spotting birds and sloths in the trees but bad for sunburns and over heating. It was hot at Tortuguero - hot and tropical and humid and hot. It was better in the shade but just a few minutes in the sun and you were hot again. Reapply the sunscreen and dress cool.
> 
> How many animals did we see? This many ...
> 
> Tiger throated heron
> 
> Iguanas
> 
> Basilisks
> 
> It really was lush & beautiful and fun to be on the lookout for animals.
> 
> Animals like -
> Spider Monkeys
> 
> Sloth
> 
> Cayman
> 
> Black Turtle
> 
> Cow
> 
> It can be easy to forget that people actually live and work here.



You're photos are great!! We didn't get to see any spider monkeys, so sad. Maybe next time.


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## sayhello

Wow!  First day, and you've already spotted a ton of wildlife!  Cool!  Your pictures are fabulous!

Sayhello


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## familygoboston

Great shots!!
Fico looks so much more grown up with his beard!!


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## emesmom

I know you will be getting to this....but we are leaving tomorrow 

I really want to do the zip lining, but my daughter is nervous. Do they allow tandem rides, such as, I would be in front and my daughter would be behind me with her legs wrapped around me. 
I also had the same question as tufbuf, do you have time between the meet and greet breakfast and the boat ride, to go back to your room and apply sunscreen again and get a hat etc?


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## Gonecruisin

@tufbuf - We left San Jose by approx 6 am. It was a very early start. At Laguna Lodge, we ate 2nd Breakfast and got back into the boats and were gone looking at animals for several hours. No going to rooms or even seeing your bags so bring hats etc with you.
The animals were in trees etc, so no, they weren't "close". They are wild animals so you don't want to be close  I bought a new smaller camera for the trip and it had a great built in zoom. I'm pleased at how well it did but it was really hard to get good shots because the animals and boat kept moving so I ended up with a lot of bad or missed shots too.

@dizneekrazee - we saw spider monkeys, howler monkeys and white faced monkeys - all 3 kinds that live in the area! I'll probably post pics of all of them eventually.

@sayhello - Thx! We had the most amazing luck when it came to animal sightings.

@familygoboston -  

@emesmom - I'm so sorry this is taking so long. I came back from vacation and have had almost zero free time. Zipline = Age limit of 8+ is strictly enforced. One little girl on our trip was two months shy of her 8th birthday and they wouldn't let her go. Many - and I do mean many - of the younger light weight boys rode tandem but with a zipline employee/guide. You would not be allowed to be her guide.
How it works is like this - there's a 20 min ride to the top via a gondola of sorts which is mellow and scenic. At the top, there are two very short baby trial lines so people can get the hang of it and opt out if they're still nervous. If they decide it's not for them they can take the gondola back down. The third one though is the point of no return - the only way down is down. 
So Fico, the little girl and a mom who changed her mind all rode down in the gondola and went on a nature walk until the group was done. You have plenty of time to make this decision because there were 33 of us and you can only zip line one at a time so it takes a while. But it was very fun and I highly recommend everyone at least try the baby lines - if the height or whatever is still too scary then well at least you made the attempt.


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## Gonecruisin

This sounds so confusing but after the boat tour, we went back to the Lodge and had refreshing coconut drinks - yum 






Then got back on the boats again to go to the Sea Turtle Conservatory. Some families opted to skip this because it was very hot and people were getting tired and the pools looked very inviting! So they stayed at the Lodge to rest and swim. 






In retrospect, this might have been a wise decision because the conservatory was a bit of a let down. It consisted of a video of the history of sea turtle rescue efforts in a hot hut and then a very small and hot display/gift shop hut.  People were literally melting. If you've ever seen a Nat'l Geographic show on sea turtles then you've seen all of this before and might wish you were swimming at the Lodge instead. 

From here we walked along the beach to Tortuguero village.






It was small and hot, just one main road with a few gift shop type of places. We looked around and bought a few trinkets.






But most people were just anxious to get back to the Lodge and so that's what we did. Our cabins ... were open air, no a/c, just a fan, no glass in the windows, only screens. It was very rustic but very charming and the combination of a late night swim and the fans kept me cool all night long. Not the luxury of the Marriott but definitely a real world Costa Rican rainforest experience. It was lovely.














We relaxed, read, swam and chatted with our fellow adventurers and even some of the people from other tours. Me and La Chica explored a little bit - there was another really nice pool (the Family Pool) that was not in use for some reason. We weren't bothered by this but the people from the other tours who were expecting an Adults Only pool made some comments about "our" boys being in "their" pool.    I don't think anyone was really upset though and got along just fine. 
We discovered a Botanical Walk that was longer than we thought but interesting even though it could've used more signage since we had no idea what we were looking at.

After showering, we made our way to dinner along candle lit paths that really set the mood for a meal in the rainforest.  This was our Welcome dinner but we felt like we already had met each other by now so it was relaxed and comfortable.






A Flashlight is handy to have (La Chica brought one ) but you'll be fine without one too. After dinner we went for another swim and read on our porch. It was tranquil and homey. We had to be up early again tomorrow to leave for Arenal so we scheduled a "Wake Up Knock"  for 6 am but were warned that the planes would probably wake us up before that. But it wasn't the planes that woke me up, it was the rain!  About 5:30 am it poured buckets! And then the planes came right over head. lol We never did get that Wake Up Knock but we didnt need it either so no big deal.

That seems like a lot for one day, doesn't it? Well, you ain't seen nothing yet


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## familygoboston

That seems like a lot for one day, doesn't it? Well, you ain't seen nothing yet 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




[/QUOTE]


It's an ABD, itineraries designed for hyperactive 9 yr old boys, everyone else...keep up, now!


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## sayhello

Good Gravy!  I can't believe that's only one day!!! 

Sayhello


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## emesmom

Thank you again! I read your post to my daughter, she is almost 12, and it made her feel better about trying the zip lining...yeah. I really would hate for us to miss that experience, but she will be the ultimate decision maker 
Early start tomorrow, so I need to wrap everything up and get to bed......then off on our Adventure!!!


----------



## sayhello

emesmom said:


> Thank you again! I read your post to my daughter, she is almost 12, and it made her feel better about trying the zip lining...yeah. I really would hate for us to miss that experience, but she will be the ultimate decision maker
> Early start tomorrow, so I need to wrap everything up and get to bed......then off on our Adventure!!!


Have a fabulous trip, emesmom!  I'm looking forward to hearing all about it!  

Sayhello


----------



## soldierbot

Thanks goincruisin for the info on the zip line age requirements. My daughter will be 8 in two months...same scenerio you described. We came down a day early and booked an adventure zip lining tour, at the Marriott tour office, for today. My daughter can participate and she is thrilled. 

The hotel is very nice and the weather is gorgeous but breezy yesterday and today. 

Thanks again for the trip reports.


----------



## sayhello

soldierbot said:


> Thanks goincruisin for the info on the zip line age requirements. My daughter will be 8 in two months...same scenerio you described. We came down a day early and booked an adventure zip lining tour, at the Marriott tour office, for today. My daughter can participate and she is thrilled.
> 
> The hotel is very nice and the weather is gorgeous but breezy yesterday and today.
> 
> Thanks again for the trip reports.


Have a fabulous trip, soldierbot!

Sayhello


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## Gonecruisin

Oh wow This is so exciting! Everyone's off on their adventure! Have fun emesmom & soldierbot! Sounds like you're having the same weather we did in San Jose. Enjoy that breeze while you can  Arriving a day early was worth it from my POV if even because the Marriott was so nice and getting to spend more time there was lovely.

Day Three

Up early. Had a very nice simple breakfast buffet. Then headed to the boats for our two hour  boat ride to the nearest road where we would meet the bus and our incredibly amazing driver Jorge  who could maneuver in between trucks and street signs with the greatest of ease 

Luckily, the boat was covered this time because the day dawned hot and sunny once again.






Before we left, we spied a Rhinoceros beetle on the rafters which kept the kids occupied while people settled their accounts with the Lodge. It was HUGE!






It was a long relaxing ride. I had never really appreciated how remote the Lodge actually was until this moment. We were truly in the middle of nowhere! 2 hours just to reach the road! And then a long approx 1+ hour  bus ride to our next stop. The trip by airplane to the Lodge had deceived me but I soon learned that this was truly an adventure.

Here is the bus. 






Be prepared to spend a lot of time on the bus. Everything is far away, remote and we logged many many hours riding in the bus. It was comfortable but I don't think I realized how much time would be spend driving to places. 

Someone suggested that this portion of the trip would've been better/faster if we were flown out of Tortuguero. I'm not sure if that would've been feasible but I'm all for anything that gives me more vacation time to enjoy. 

We stopped suddenly when Fico spied this






a Jabiru stork. Fico was _very_ excited about this. I guess they are not very common and seeing one is sort of rare. A fellow adventurer then told me about her theory for ABDs that other tours just don't have. She calls it those "Magical Disney Moments"  As someone who had been on a few ABDs, she said she has encountered them on every trip and that this was one of them. Those moments when something could happen but probably wouldn't but Oh Look! because you happen to be on a Disney tour, we just happen to have this rare stork clear as a bell out in the middle of nowhere for your enjoyment. Almost like magic  At the time I wasn't sure if I believed her or not but by the end of the trip I did because this wasn't the only magical moment of the trip.

We passed a banana plantation - I just thought this was cool






And then to Rancho Roberto's for lunch. It was a nice break to the ride and the food was very good.





Out back there was an area for the kids to play after lunch but as you can see from the picture, the kids (and the adults) were more interested in something else ...






Fico had discovered a conga line of leaf cutting ants busy at work and gave us an impromptu lesson on the societal habits of the leaf cutting ant. It was fascinating! lol Each ant has a role to play and we were lucky enough to not only see the ants hard at work but had a highly trained naturalist there to explain it all to us at the same time. This was a unique experience, for sure!  Almost like they planned it....


----------



## tufbuf

familygoboston said:


> Great shots!!
> Fico looks so much more grown up with his beard!!



One guide told us before that facial hair on male guides were not allowed. I wonder if rules changed...


----------



## Gonecruisin

Next stop was the Corsicana Pineapple Plantation which was great. Our guide was entertaining as well as informative and the tour was educational and fun. So far Costa Rica has really impressed me with their level of tourist activities.






We drove through the fields to learn how pineapples are grown and then to the packing plant to see the operations. It was very interesting. Did you know that ripe pineapples float? I didn't either. 











 At the end we were treated to delicious pineapple drinks.






From here we drove to Hotel Arenal Manoa which was very pretty and efficiently run. We each got beautiful rooms facing the volcano but it was soon too dark to see it.






Yes, that's a plant in the bathroom! lol











Everyone was really tired from the long day's activities and most went to their rooms after dinner to relax. La Chica and I decided to check out the resorts hot springs which were a short walk from our rooms. The roads were sort of windy and not well lit but we knew from the map if we kept to the left, that we'd get there just fine and we did. And what a delight! We had all 3 pools to ourselves. There was an older couple there but they weren't swimming. It was heaven especially after a long day. One pool was very shallow - about 6 inches deep - for soaking your feet I guess? One was a very warm hot tub/whirlpool. But the third one was just right  It was like a heated pool and had a swim up bar. I highly recommend visiting the hot springs when you get to Hotel Arenal Manoa. 

The night was still warm and humid and we planned on drying as we walked back to our room. Of course we got lost... missed a turn somewhere. We stopped to ask an employee for directions and he told us to wait one second, radioed for a van to come get us which it did in record time and delivered us safely to our door  This was my 2nd fav hotel of the trip. I only wish we had more "On Our Own Time" to enjoy it.


----------



## dizneekrazee

tufbuf said:


> One guide told us before that facial hair on male guides were not allowed. I wonder if rules changed...



If referring to an ABD guide, it is allowed. It states on the ABD site that they must be well groomed to have them, however. I read all that stuff extensively, as I am considering a transfer to ABD next year. (Although, I don't have to worry about facial hair lol).


----------



## emesmom

Just back from our trip. Wanted to just post a short comment today..I'm tired 

My DD and I went zip lining, and it was AWESOME. I was pretty freaked out when I saw the first "real" run, but my DD had already gone ahead, so I couldn't chicken out. I am so glad I didn't! Quite a thrill for this over 50 lady )


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## sayhello

emesmom said:


> Just back from our trip. Wanted to just post a short comment today..I'm tired
> 
> My DD and I went zip lining, and it was AWESOME. I was pretty freaked out when I saw the first "real" run, but my DD had already gone ahead, so I couldn't chicken out. I am so glad I didn't! Quite a thrill for this over 50 lady )


Welcome back!  So glad you had a great trip!    Can't wait to hear more.  And I felt the same way when I went ziplining in Hawaii!  Once you get past the first run, it's much easier.  Glad you did it!  (From another over 50 lady!)

Sayhello


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## Gonecruisin

Welcome back! Glad you had fun. I was freaked out by the first zip run too but I have a slight height thing and thought it was just me   And tired - yes! It's amazing how much was packed into those few days. Not as much resting as I was counting on.

errggh I feel bad I've been so slow on this. Busy, busy, busy .. booking a cruise 

Speaking of zip lining...

Day 4

Up early  and on the bus to go ziplining in the Arenal rainforest.

This map gives you an idea of what the course looks like. Let me know if it should be bigger.






Like I said earlier: 7 total lines, first two are baby lines and you can still opt out if you want on these but the 3rd is the point of no return.
You ride in open air gondola things to the top - about a 20 min ride, nice and relaxing.










and pretty high up!






This is the third line - the one that really means it.  It was easy. I'm 50 something too and had no problems. A few of the grandparents in our group did it too although one grandparents/grandsons unit stayed back at the hotel to enjoy the pools and get some rest.  But I just say that to point out that you do have options. None of this is mandatory. 






But it did run late. Very late. We rushed back to the hotel to drop off the people who weren't coming to La Fortuna. La Chica, myself and 3 others went to the town with Fico to look around and hopefully take in some local culture. 

It was very small but active. Easy to navigate. The center had a lovely park with some signage.






We ate lunch here based on Fico's recommendations. We enjoyed an excellent casado - a traditional Costa Rican meal of rice, beans, plantains, salad, chicken though I had vegetarian. 






Some quick shopping and we had to get back on the bus, back to the hotel. We stopped in on the Local craft demonstration being given by members of a native tribe whose name escapes me right now. Only the grandparents/grandsons unit that stayed behind during ziplining were there which was too bad because it was a nice demonstration and well presented. But I understand ... it's hard to do everything, especially with kids and the pace had been very hectic.

Back to our rooms to change for the Hidalgo Hot Springs where we soaked in progressively hotter pools while sipping tropical cocktails under the stars  This was a great way to end a very busy day. The kids had so much fun and the adults were able to relax, chat, rest   Despite being together all day long, we really hadn't had time to talk to one another so it was nice to compare notes and enjoy each other's company. Dinner was very good. Definitely a highlight of the trip.


----------



## dizneekrazee

Gonecruisin said:


> Welcome back! Glad you had fun. I was freaked out by the first zip run too but I have a slight height thing and thought it was just me   And tired - yes! It's amazing how much was packed into those few days. Not as much resting as I was counting on.
> 
> errggh I feel bad I've been so slow on this. Busy, busy, busy .. booking a cruise
> 
> Speaking of zip lining...
> 
> Day 4
> 
> Up early  and on the bus to go ziplining in the Arenal rainforest.
> 
> This map gives you an idea of what the course looks like. Let me know if it should be bigger.
> 
> Like I said earlier: 7 total lines, first two are baby lines and you can still opt out if you want on these but the 3rd is the point of no return.
> You ride in open air gondola things to the top - about a 20 min ride, nice and relaxing.
> 
> and pretty high up!
> 
> This is the third line - the one that really means it.  It was easy. I'm 50 something too and had no problems. A few of the grandparents in our group did it too although one grandparents/grandsons unit stayed back at the hotel to enjoy the pools and get some rest.  But I just say that to point out that you do have options. None of this is mandatory.
> 
> But it did run late. Very late. We rushed back to the hotel to drop off the people who weren't coming to La Fortuna. La Chica, myself and 3 others went to the town with Fico to look around and hopefully take in some local culture.
> 
> It was very small but active. Easy to navigate. The center had a lovely park with some signage.
> 
> We ate lunch here based on Fico's recommendations. We enjoyed an excellent casado - a traditional Costa Rican meal of rice, beans, plantains, salad, chicken though I had vegetarian.
> 
> Some quick shopping and we had to get back on the bus, back to the hotel. We stopped in on the Local craft demonstration being given by members of a native tribe whose name escapes me right now. Only the grandparents/grandsons unit that stayed behind during ziplining were there which was too bad because it was a nice demonstration and well presented. But I understand ... it's hard to do everything, especially with kids and the pace had been very hectic.
> 
> Back to our rooms to change for the Hidalgo Hot Springs where we soaked in progressively hotter pools while sipping tropical cocktails under the stars  This was a great way to end a very busy day. The kids had so much fun and the adults were able to relax, chat, rest   Despite being together all day long, we really hadn't had time to talk to one another so it was nice to compare notes and enjoy each other's company. Dinner was very good. Definitely a highlight of the trip.



What was the name of the place you ate lunch? Sorry, the picture is small on my phone & I can't make out the name.

I loved the little central square area. The church with the volcano behind it, is still one of my favorite pictures we took.


----------



## Gonecruisin

Restaurante Bamboo La Casada - it was right off that center park.
Fico had pointed it out as one of the places to grab a bite and it looked promising so we took a chance. We weren't disappointed. It was the perfect lunch spot and Fico and Jorge ended up eating there too so that just confirmed it.

Can you post that picture?


----------



## dizneekrazee

Gonecruisin said:


> Restaurante Bamboo La Casada - it was right off that center park.
> Fico had pointed it out as one of the places to grab a bite and it looked promising so we took a chance. We weren't disappointed. It was the perfect lunch spot and Fico and Jorge ended up eating there too so that just confirmed it.
> 
> Can you post that picture?



The place looks familiar, I'm wondering if we ate pizza there one night. Lol Our favorite restaurant was Soda Viquez.

I'm terrible at posting photos. I've only done it once and it took a few tries. I don't remember how to do it. If you want to PM me your email, I can send it to you.


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## familygoboston

emesmom said:


> Just back from our trip. Wanted to just post a short comment today..I'm tired
> 
> My DD and I went zip lining, and it was AWESOME. I was pretty freaked out when I saw the first "real" run, but my DD had already gone ahead, so I couldn't chicken out. I am so glad I didn't! Quite a thrill for this over 50 lady )



You did it! Woohoo! So glad you enjoyed your trip, hope you can share a review or some photos! 
Welcome home!


----------



## Gonecruisin

We never made it to a traditional Soda  Never had the time. They get rave reviews though.


Day Five

The day dawned bright once again but the volcano was still under a cloak of clouds. It seemed like we were just not destined to get a good view of it. 






I set about taking some pictures of the lovely grounds - this really was a pretty tranquil hotel.






La Chica and I were watching a large flock of white birds descend on the pond area behind our room when we spied this






The clouds around the volcano had dropped and formed what looked like a snow cap but those are clouds. It happened so fast - one minute cloud covered, then next this. We were grateful to get a near perfect, if unusual, view of the volcano and kept an eye on it as we headed off to breakfast.
Breakfast today was heuvo rancheros  spicy goodness. And of course, some rice & beans and plantains. A slice of some sort of local cheese on top. The bowl holds some watery oatmeal - they tend to put brown sugar in it which I found odd and too sweet. The pretty colored glasses held a thin type of yogurt that you drink rather than eat. It was flavored though I forget which flavors, it was good. A side of pineapple and papaya and some good strong local coffee  The breakfast of champions! The food so far has been very good.






Just as La Chica and I were settling in to feast, this appeared and had everyone buzzing.






A picture perfect view of the volcano! Something that hadn't been seen in weeks. That's smoke coming out of the top not clouds. We reveled in our good fortune even if the volcano had mostly been built up to be more than what we encountered. It still had the feel of one of those moments brought to you by magic - sort of like "The volcano hasn't made appearances for weeks now but because you are on a ABD, we have this special treat to eat your beans and rice by." 



But we couldn't linger too long because today was white water rafting day! I was looking forward to being cool if even for a little while. We stopped at the headquarters before heading up to the river. This is also where we would return to eat lunch. Lunch was supposed to happen on the banks of the Tenorio River  I'm not sure why this didn't happen but lunch here was fine too.










It was a nice restaurant and the food was fine. They showed some pictures of our rafting trip while we ate which was entertaining and fun. My camera is not waterproof so I don't have any pictures of the actual trip yet. It was basically a mild but warm river with an occasional smallish rapid. Nothing too scary. The boats held about 4 guests and a guide. They ran out of oars so not everyone had one for example on my boat only the guide and the front two people had oars. The back two people got a free ride  This was the case for most of the boats. Not a big deal, the guide could pretty much manage the boat on his own anyway and we took turns sitting up front but ... I don't know ... shouldn't a white water rafting outfit have enough oars for everyone?  

The rafting itself was fun though. Our guide was hilarious, capable and the best part of the excursion. I wished I had thought to bring some money (in my bathing suit? lol) to tip him but it hadn't occurred to me. We saw many animals along the way - even a cow! - and while the day was very hot once again, the water was nice and I had a great time.

At the end, we met in a small patio area for fruit and drinks. There was a bathroom for people to change into dry clothes but there was no running water to flush toilets or wash  We then had a long l o n g hot drive back to the bus. If people weren't complaining about the change of plans for lunch, lack of oars, the lack of water by now well, they were certainly complaining about this ride. It was hot and dusty and bumpy and the kids were melting and I had never been so happy to see Jorge and our bus!  

We went back for lunch which as I said was pleasant and then settled in for a ride to our next destination - Villas Sol Hotel & Resort. We were running late again. We arrived at the hotel after dark. We were met by the pool with delicious fruit drinks and a lovely view but most people were too tired to enjoy either.











This was Kids dinner and a movie night but I was told the kids all fell asleep as soon as the movie started.  La Chica and I weren't even hungry. We had a cocktail by the deserted pool, a relaxing swim and then headed off to bed.


----------



## dizneekrazee

Gonecruisin said:


> We never made it to a traditional Soda  Never had the time. They get rave reviews though.



Oh no!! They are great little places to eat!! Another one we ate at, which was recommended to us by a cab driver on our last night, was Soda Hormiga (like ants). The staff does not speak English, but the food was very good, fast, and super cheap. The two of us ate for $11, including our drinks (non alcoholic). Lots of locals go there. It is a very small place. Easy to miss.


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## tufbuf

The zip lining looks pretty exciting!!

Sounds like the Arenal volcano is like the Matterhorn, hiding its peak with clouds.


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## familygoboston

Yes, Tuff- mountains have a habit of catching clouds and hiding behind them! if you travel to or talk to people who live in places with large moutnains/volcanos; you will hear they often hide behind the clouds and its a rare moment when they come out. 

We lucked out in Quito- one morning all the volcanoes were out . We got to see Arenal just as we hit the airfield to leave for our small plane trip. The ABD guides stopped the bus so we could all get photos! In Washington, we never got to see Ranier, but we did see Denali/Mckinley. So you just never know and I think that this should be advertised in travel brochures because many people just aren't educated about the eco system where they plan to visit and don't understand before they arrive what the reality of the mountains are.

Also, from your photo it seems like the lodge was on the "bank of the river", Gonecruisin- so maybe that's what was meant?


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## Gonecruisin

A lot of gift shops etc had post cards and other souvenir type things showing the volcano in full eruption with lava flowing down the sides and rocks being tossed in the air.  It was cute how they built it up for promotion. La Chica and I got a big kick out of that. 

You might be right, familygoboston. We all assumed it meant a lunch on the river where we rafted. I just looked at the website and it's been changed to say "Top off your whitewater adventure with an unforgettable lunch in a restaurant overlooking the river." lol That certainly leaves no room for misinterpretation. 

Almost to the end of this! Still loads more stuff to tell you about though.


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## tufbuf

Gonecruisin, will they allow a GoPro attached to a head strap on the helmet?


----------



## Gonecruisin

Oh! They have helmet cams you can purchase. A few people (mostly the boys but an adult or two too) got these and seemed to think it was fun. I'm not sure if they'll allow you to bring your own though.


----------



## tufbuf

Gonecruisin said:


> Oh! They have helmet cams you can purchase. A few people (mostly the boys but an adult or two too) got these and seemed to think it was fun. I'm not sure if they'll allow you to bring your own though.



How much do they cost? Is it good quality? We will bring it anyway, it's a very small equipment, useful for rafting as well. c:


----------



## familygoboston

tufbuf said:


> How much do they cost? Is it good quality? We will bring it anyway, it's a very small equipment, useful for rafting as well. c:



We've noticed in some of these places; as long as you are willing to make the "whole" they will let you use your own equipment for the cost of their rental This matters to DH becasue he wants to use his cameras and gear, even if it costs him!


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## Gonecruisin

I can't remember how much it cost for their helmet cams. I honestly had little interest in it so wasn't paying attention. Afterward, we got a glimpse of one of the boy's videos and it was good quality but again I turned away to check out the gift shop so ....

Day Six

The view from our balcony






pretty sweet. Down below was one of the pools. 






There is another pool on the other side of the resort. Not too far away. You had to keep the doors closed because 1 it was very hot outside and the ac was not very powerful and 2 there were birds right there and someone saw a raccoon climbing from balcony to balcony. 

Today would be another busy day! Sugar Cane Plantation, horseback riding and a boat tour! So we were up early for breakfast and back on the bus! It was suggested to wear pants for the horseback riding. The Hacienda el Viejo was about an hour away and really lovely. It had been completely restored. The buildings and the grounds were one of the prettiest I had seen all week. 
















This is hot dry country and the heat and the sun quickly became oppressive. Dress cool, wear sunscreen, stay hydrated. After stopping at the main house to use the bathrooms we met a guide at an ox pulled press for a sugar cane pressing demonstration. 






Don't let the shade fool you, it was hot. The kids thought this was fun. Sugar canes were pressed and we all got to taste a small cupful of the juice. From here we walked to period house for a hands-on tortilla making demonstration. 






Each kid got to make a tortilla and several of them shared with the grownups  They were very good! This was a fun activity. The commentary was sparse but I'm not sure there's much to say about flattening a tortilla? There were dogs roaming about and chickens and iguanas. We toured the home which was bare bones and simple but interesting. 

On to the horseback riding!






I'm not a confident rider but I think I did very well.  Getting saddled up took a while as they matched horse to rider. My horse was a bit agitated (as a fellow Adventuerer who did know a thing or two about horses told me. His ears were facing backward which means he's either listening to me talk or he's agitated?) The horses were well trained but La Chica's insisted on being at the front and off she went.  Mine also wanted to take the lead but I was able to keep him in line.
The ride was hot and dusty. We really didn't ride along the river - mostly on the road shown above. So the scenery was dull but I still had fun. La Chica didn't enjoy it though and 1/2 hr ride was enough for her.

Next up was a boat tour of local wildlife. 






I loved this! We saw an amazing array of animals. It was well guided and fascinating. The covered boat was shady and comfortable.

white faced monkeys






lots of different types of iguanas. This guy's hot that's why his mouth is open.






lots of crocodiles. This one is hot too. Did I mention that it was hot? 






And best of all - a pair of motmots! National bird of Nicaragua. Sorry the picture isn't great. I was excited.  Get a load of that beautiful tail...








Back to the hacienda for lunch which was very good. Simple but very good. Open air out on the porch where we could catch the breeze and relax. The view was lovely and we finished by storming the gift shop. lol






Another really full day! We headed back to the hotel where we swam, read by the pool for about an hour and then showered and dressed for our Farewell dinner. Fico and Geraldine really did a great job with this. There was a heartwarming slideshow of all the pictures they had taken of us over the course of the week - the kids loved this. We didn't exactly learn how to make mojitos but I did watch the bartender make mine and it was very good.  The music  -- I have to mention the music! Two young men playing guitars and singing so beautifully   I thought they were very good. We were also treated to a delicious meal at a very pretty open air room. 

All too soon people made their way back to their rooms. Some of them had very early flights home the next day. There were bags to pack, kids to put to bed and wake up calls to be arranged. It was at this moment that I treated myself to another mojito as congratulations on having planned to stay an extra day. La Chica and I would be sleeping in tomorrow!!  salud!


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## tufbuf

Wow!! Thanks for the awesome trip report!!  

How early do you meet in the morning/get up? I am no morning person and if you were meeting at 6 every morning I have to psych myself to do so and be prepared.


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## Gonecruisin

Thx  Still have one more day I want to share with everyone.  I think most days we were on the bus by 8-8:30 am, sometimes earlier, and gone for the better part of everyday. It was a hectic pace at times but we saw and did so much.


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## tracyz

Thanks for sharing ~ I've loved reading about your trip!  My big question now is, what is your opinion on pre and post nights?  I'm almost ready to start looking at flights for our trip next March, and not sure what makes sense.  The post night is super expensive, but it looks like we may be looking at a super-early morning either way...6am flight if we want to get home the same day...what was the situation with transportation to the airport in Liberia, and did you do your post-night through ABD?  And maybe I'm asking all these questions prematurely, since you said you still have a day to discuss!!


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## emesmom

We didn't do a pre or post day stay on this trip, but after doing the trip, if I was to choose, I would do a pre-tour day. The hotel in San Jose was very nice, and had the most comfortable beds  I wasn't as impressed with the last location. We did a post day on our previous trip and we actually found it rather depressing to stay when most everyone else was leaving. I will never do an end of trip extra day again, for that reason. We are doing an extra pre-day on our trip to Ireland this summer.
I hope that is helpful.


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## Gonecruisin

Ahhh The pre-stay/post-stay debate.  I definitely have an opinion on this subject too and unfortunately a lot of it concerns the last hotel, the Villa Sol.  Frankly it wasnt that great. Certainly not worth the money and I wouldn't stay there again. What was wrong with the place? Well, our room was directly across from the reception desk and we could hear every word said when we were in our bathroom - I'm being totally serious - The voices were so clear that you'd swear there was some sort of access door there. There wasn't of course but it begged the question of what can they hear?  
The ABD family next door to us had repeated problems with the lock on their door that never seemed to get resolved.
And this was the night that our sleep was interrupted at 2 am by a man screaming at the reception desk that he wanted his ac fixed NOW! This expletive laced rant lasted for at least 20 mins. Remember I said the ac wasnt "powerful" ? I was being kind. I'm from Boston where a lot of places dont even have ac so we did ok but yeah the ac was probably not up to par if you're from, say, Texas.
The food was just ok and both La Chica and I are convinced we got some tummy trouble from it. We had been fine all week long but I was reduced to eating just toast & jam for breakfast rather than risk eating something that I would regret later. 
And lastly we booked a sunset cruise for our last day there and were immediately subjected to an unwanted hard sell time share pitch.  On top of everything else, this was simply a turn off. 

So having said that, let me now say this: 
1. You will not be sorry with a pre-stay. Being able to rest after the flights at the gorgeous Marriott is  the perfect way to begin your vacation & adventure. 
2. And I highly recommend a post-stay too. Surprised? Well, let me finish... at another hotel. La Chica and I really enjoyed our last day in Costa Rica and it was nice to relax after the hectic pace of the tour. But there are other hotels *right on the beach!* that are affordable and pretty nice looking. Sure you forfeit the ABD transfers to the airport if you do this but we're talking the price of a taxi here. Plus, a longer vacation is never a bad thing, right? So if you can, extend your adventure on both ends. You're already there, right? Why rush home? 

So our last day in Costa Rica. We lazed in our rooms, lingered at our balcony breakfast table (eating toast lol) 






and were still able to say goodbye to some of our fellow Adventurers as they boarded the airport shuttle van. We said our farewells as we watched this guy eat the resort's flowers 






Then we spent the day lounging and reading by the pool. Our van for the sunset cruise would be by to pick us up at 3:30 so we had plenty of time and it was soooo relaxing. We managed to find shady seats at both pools and made the most of this time to ourselves.

The sunset cruise - I would absolutely recommend this if you're looking for a fun simple activity. It was pricey - I think it was $60pp (free if you went on a 2 hr tour of the time share deals! )  but I enjoyed it. Dress casual. Wear flip flops. A small group of us boarded this little boat that took us out to that sail boat waaaaaaaay out there.






There she is, the Jessica Anne






On board we had beer, soda, fruit, dips & chips. We sailed way out. It was peaceful and really nice. The husband/wife crew were lovely, funny, informative and our fellow travelers were really interesting to talk to. (These were the people who gave us the tip of considering a beach side hotel instead. As a matter of fact, they were checking out of the Villa Sol the next day and checking into one of the beach hotels for the same reasons I listed above.)

The sunset was really pretty. We made a circle around Monkey Head Rock (see it? lol)







as the sun dipped below the horizon.






It was the perfect way to say goodbye to Costa Rica.


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## Gonecruisin

Wow! That's it! I've finished a trip report!  I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you have a more informed impression of Costa Rica. I hope you found it useful. I do a ton of research before a big trip and read as many trip reports as possible and I always want more information so I hope this helps someone plan their vacation. 
Thanks to everyone who posted a comment/question - it's nice to know I'm not just talking to myself  But even if you didn't, thanks for reading.


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## emesmom

Thanks for a great trip report! I saved some of your pics that were better than ones I took.....we don't have to tell anyone they weren't mine 

 I see we agree on the last hotel. The view was nice, but not the accommodations or food. To be fair the food on this trip was not a highlight. Not a trip for a true foodie, you won't go hungry though. Our dinner at the Marriott on our own, was the best formal meal we had, but I also enjoyed the Arroz con Pollo I had at 2 different small restaurants, lots of cilantro...yum.

I'm not sure why ABD chose this last  hotel, economics probably. Usually the trips end at a great location, kind of like having a great dessert; even if the meal is mediocre, if you end with a great dessert, you remember the whole meal as better than it may have been.
In spite of that, I still remember the trip as great.....great adventure, and great people to share it with. 

My favorite place to stay was Tortuguero. The most rustic location, but because of that, I felt like we were camping in the rainforest. It was exactly the feel I wanted, coming to Costa Rica, and the staff there were incredibly warm and friendly.

Great trip and great memories..once again, thanks to ABD!


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## familygoboston

Thanks for your review! This trip has changed drastically since we did it 5 + years ago! I like that they added Torteguero and the sail looks like a great addition too!


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## carpenta

Thank you Gonecruisin for a great trip report.


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## sayhello

Great Trip Report, Gonecruisin'!  Please be sure and put a link to this wonderful report in the Trip Report Sticky!  

Sayhello


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## tufbuf

familygoboston said:


> Thanks for your review! This trip has changed drastically since we did it 5 + years ago! I like that they added Torteguero and the sail looks like a great addition too!



I believe the sunset sail was done on their own, not with ABD.


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## Gonecruisin

tufbuf said:


> I believe the sunset sail was done on their own, not with ABD.



Yes we booked the sail through the last hotel on our own for our post day stay. I recommend it. The couple who ran it were friendly and funny and professional. They also do scuba tours I guess?

Thanks for all the support everyone. I've decided my next adventure is going to be a cruise of Lake Michigan - it's a slow boat and an older crowd but DH wants to do it and since he had no interest in the Costa Rica trip, I'll be an angel and take him on this. Look for a trip report of Lake Michigan cruise coming this summer on a cruise site near you


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## carpenta

Gonecruisin said:


> Yes we booked the sail through the last hotel on our own for our post day stay. I recommend it. The couple who ran it were friendly and funny and professional. They also do scuba tours I guess?
> 
> Thanks for all the support everyone. I've decided my next adventure is going to be a cruise of Lake Michigan - it's a slow boat and an older crowd but DH wants to do it and since he had no interest in the Costa Rica trip, I'll be an angel and take him on this. Look for a trip report of Lake Michigan cruise coming this summer on a cruise site near you



 We will be waiting.  Thanks.


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## tufbuf

Hey, Gonecruisin!! We received a notice regarding to changes in our upcoming CR trip. They are replacing the hiking, horseback riding and sugar cane plantation tour to an off-shore excursion. We will get on a catamaran look for exciting sea life, and then drop anchor and swim, snorkel or walk on the beach. Lunch will be served as well

What do you think of the change?


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## emesmom

That sounds like a good change! With the heat and humidity in CR, being on the water will be more enjoyable than the other activities. Enjoy!!


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## tufbuf

emesmom said:


> That sounds like a good change! With the heat and humidity in CR, being on the water will be more enjoyable than the other activities. Enjoy!!



That's good to know! Thanks!


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## Bobo912

Gonecruisin, have you received your photo CD yet?  It's been about 2 months for us now.  I haven't called  ABD again to find out the status, since I'll probably be calling them in a couple of days anyway.  The longer the delay, the more worried I get.


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## Gonecruisin

No  La Chica mentioned it the other day, too. I actually forgot about it. I wonder what's up? Budget cuts? I'm pretty sure I remember Fico and Geraldine mentioning it and telling us to expect it in about 3-4 weeks --- It's overdue.


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## ShelleeBell

Looking for advice.  Considering taking my four boys, ages 14 to 10 on a ABD vacation in '14.  Any thoughts on where?  Thinking Costa Rica but open to suggestions.


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## deckes

I don't think you can go wrong with any of the ABD trips for those ages. My daughter was 12 and son 9 when we went on the South Africa trip.  They were 14 and 11 on China.  Will be 15 and 12 on Southeast Asia next month.  They had a blast on both and made so many friends from all over the country.  The guides are amazing with planning activities for all ages and there always seems to be a nice mix of ages when we have gone.   The worse part is the flights.  If they (and you) can handle the long flight, once you get there you honestly don't have to worry about a thing traveling with ABD.


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## Gonecruisin

I think The Costa Rica Adventure is a good choice for boys because it's active - ziplining, horseback riding, rafting - not to mention the rainforests and animals. The pace might wear them out and the extensive bus riding might make them bored. The boys on our trip had those IPad & GameBoy thingys which were a God send imo. Plan on skipping some things like touring villages so you can relax and make use of the fabulous hotel pools - you'll be glad you did.
And let us know what you decide! We want to hear all about your trip!


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## familygoboston

ShelleeBell said:


> Looking for advice.  Considering taking my four boys, ages 14 to 10 on a ABD vacation in '14.  Any thoughts on where?  Thinking Costa Rica but open to suggestions.



I agree with those who say that the AGs have a great way of making kids at all ages feel like they are having a ball!  That said, I'd agree that CR would be a great adventure for boys...the activities are very adventurous!  I found the Galapagos popular with kids who loved animals, but the culture was a little "slow" for some of the boys and on the islands one has to be mindful of where you are on the trail and following the guides; some of the boys found that challenging wanting to just go bushwhacking forward on their own. 
I think some of the US trips sound like a lot of activity too, Europe with its culture maybe less so- though if you want a history and culture trip, ABD I s your best bet

Of course we are all " generalizing " here- some boys could spend hours on culture, some girls get itchy if not going 24/7; only you know your particular kids!


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## dizneekrazee

I visited CR about a year & a half ago (without kids or ABD). Even before leaving CR, we were already planning a return trip with the kids. It is an amazing country. I would highly recommend it for boys of your kids age. (I have 3 boys myself).


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## Bobo912

Gonecruisin said:


> No  La Chica mentioned it the other day, too. I actually forgot about it. I wonder what's up? Budget cuts? I'm pretty sure I remember Fico and Geraldine mentioning it and telling us to expect it in about 3-4 weeks --- It's overdue.



I've been out of town and didn't see your post.  I received my photo CD on the 5/21.  This was by far the longest it's ever taken for any of our ABDs.  Apparently there was some delay, although I never found out exactly what it was, but I know it affected more than just our trip.  I hope you've gotten your photos by now.


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## Gonecruisin

Nope. Still waiting.


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## Bobo912

Gonecruisin said:


> Nope. Still waiting.



Might be a good idea to call ABD.  Your trip was the week before ours, so you should have gotten your photos by now.


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## tchrrx

We booked Costa Rica for July 2014 while we were on the Fantasy this week.  We received a 5% discount for booking onboard.


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## tufbuf

Did anyone who went on this ABD bring local currency or is USD fine? Thanks.


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## Bobo912

tufbuf said:


> Did anyone who went on this ABD bring local currency or is USD fine? Thanks.



I got a small amount of local currency from an ATM in San Jose on the first day of the trip, but I didn't really need it.  US currency worked just as well.


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## tufbuf

Bobo912 said:


> I got a small amount of local currency from an ATM in San Jose on the first day of the trip, but I didn't really need it.  US currency worked just as well.



Thanks!!


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## familygoboston

tufbuf said:


> Did anyone who went on this ABD bring local currency or is USD fine? Thanks.



Same here- usually we always get some local currency, but simply didn't need it in CR. Everything in most of the shops we were near was priced in USD.


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## Gonecruisin

No need to exchange US dollars. They are accepted everywhere and prices are usually listed in US dollars. Rural places may be the exception. However if you want the full experience then by all means, exchange for colons. We did this both coming and going at the airport. It was convenient and not too pricey. I think the best deal is at an ATM. The local currency is very pretty. The kids might get a kick out them. It's also fun to pay thousands of colons for something.


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## tufbuf

We just arrived from our Costa Rica trip and it was AMAZING!!! It was exhilarating, fun, wet and itchy! I'll post a few add ons (tip wise) and maybe photos on Gonecruisin's post once I'm all settled. It's the rainy/wet season there and did not catch a glimpse of Arenal cloud-free.


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## tchrrx

tufbuf said:


> We just arrived from our Costa Rica trip and it was AMAZING!!! It was exhilarating, fun, wet and itchy! I'll post a few add ons (tip wise) and maybe photos on Gonecruisin's post once I'm all settled. It's the rainy/wet season there and did not catch a glimpse of Arenal cloud-free.



Yay!  Thanks so much for sharing the picture.  I can't wait to read any hints and tips that you have.


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## familygoboston

tufbuf said:


> We just arrived from our Costa Rica trip and it was AMAZING!!! It was exhilarating, fun, wet and itchy! I'll post a few add ons (tip wise) and maybe photos on Gonecruisin's post once I'm all settled. It's the rainy/wet season there and did not catch a glimpse of Arenal cloud-free.



Welcome back! Can't wait to see your pics and review! Based on this Arenal pic- It looked amazing! I think seeing the rain forest in rainy season was a highlight for me and the mood of this photo and the landscape in the foreground  really shows that magical quality! Even if you missed the peak- that's still a lot of mountain, and it's beautiful 

Thanks for sharing!


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## sayhello

tufbuf said:


> We just arrived from our Costa Rica trip and it was AMAZING!!! It was exhilarating, fun, wet and itchy! I'll post a few add ons (tip wise) and maybe photos on Gonecruisin's post once I'm all settled. It's the rainy/wet season there and did not catch a glimpse of Arenal cloud-free.


Wow!  What a fabulous, moody, intriguing picture!  I, too, am really looking forward to your report and pictures!  

Sayhello


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## tufbuf

Thank you all! Unfortunately, that's probably the best photo I took on this trip.  The conditions won't allow it and we were always on the move, most of the things we saw and did were stamped into memory. I usually end up taking a thousand photos on these trips but I only took a few hundred. Plus I used my waterproof point and shoot most of the time because of the rain and water activities.

Our trip was during the wet season which made it different from Gonecruisin's experience. First of all, I didn't think it was terribly hot. It was hot and very humid but I thought it was tolerable. We did get rain every single day and it's funny how the kids were fascinated by the fact that it rained every day. We were lucky since when it did pour, we were already safe in our hotel rooms or on the coach.

The trip is hectic due to the numerous hotel change. We arrived on the trip's day one which is simply arrival day. We did not have the regular welcome dinner in other ABD trips and just had time on our own. Since we took a red eye flight, we took it easy and just stayed in the hotel grounds the rest of the afternoon and made sure we got enough rest and prepared well for the one day stay in Tortuguero.

It was a promising morning the day we left for Tortuguero. We had bright sunshine and blue skies. It was also a smooth uneventful 45 minute flight.

We could see the strip of land where Laguna Lodge is located before landing.




This is the beach where turtle nesting takes place. You can even see their tracks from the plane!




Once we arrived, we had our second breakfast. We had a light breakfast before leaving the Marriott earlier. And since we were going to have a long morning, it was great to have the extra meal. After breakfast, we checked our rooms and met again for a boat ride to town. Gonecruisin walked to town (I thought that is quite a long walk from the lodge). A local guide Luis showed us around and told us how things changed in Tortuguero since 40 years ago. They are big on turtle conservation and this is where the biggest rookery is in the western hemisphere.

It started raining while we were in town. We also saw the video on sea turtle conservancy as Gonecruisin and you have the option to adopt a turtle with a donation. We walked a few minutes in the beach area where the turtles nest. Here is a photo of a turtle track.



We saw several of the broken egg shells on the beach.




Afterwards, we got ready for our nature boat ride. By this time, the rain was pouring. I had my raincoat but opted to use the poncho they were handing out since I didn't want to get soaked. So out with my DSLR and got my P&S to work.

According to our amazing ABD guide, Fico, we should see more animals since they love the rain and choose to come out as opposed to sunny days to avoid dehydration. I thought he was being optimistic.  Well, Gonecruisin saw more than we did. There was one boy who loves sloth and was on a mission to see one. We never did on this trip.  I wanted to see one too! Anyway, it was still quite an experience. Most of us didn't mind the rain at all. Besides we were in a _rain_ forest!

Here is Fico's group. We were divided into two boats since we were a maximum 35 all in all. 




We saw a number of basilisk also referred to as a Jesus Christ lizard due to its ability to walk on water. It's almost like a game of where is Waldo...




An iguana




A cayman, this one was about 4 feet long.




Another basilisk. This one we saw it catch a grasshopper near by.




A snake bird drying its wings. These birds dive in the water to catch fish.







A northern jacana, a family of waders. It's a small bird about 8 inches in height. We got really close to this bird and did not spook it. 




A toucan




A white almond tree with typical buttress roots seen in swampy areas.




The river was very lush and full of life. It's a place I have never seen before!




We also saw spider monkeys but they were too far up on the trees swinging from branch to branch, it was quite difficult to photograph with my limited equipment. The rain eventually stopped on the way back to the lodge. Fico thought this activity should be done in two days which will give more opportunities to spot animals.

The rest of the afternoon was on our own. A number of kids spent it on the pool and they bonded really well. From that time on, we only saw our DD at bedtime! We had a wonderful group and all the kids (which comprised half the group!) were all really good and funny.

There was a tree frog garden in the lodge. We found this one hanging out...


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## tufbuf

I had to post the previous one already since I accidentally erased the first one I was working on. ;( Anyway, some additional tips.

Bug spray - I don't know if they work but I ended up with lots of bug bites. If you are prone to bug bites, be prepared. When we went through the frog garden, our DD came out with numerous mosquito bites. Since the mosquitoes were biting me the whole afternoon, DH had hydrocortisone cream handy wherever we go. It works! DD's bites didn't get any worse the next day and mine were almost all gone by the end of the trip.

That evening, we were scheduled to go on a hike to go see the turtles hatching their eggs. I love animals and watch a lot of animal documentary shows and I thought this experience is priceless. There were other people who were doing this activity and we were told earlier that we will know if we will be in the 8-10 pm group or 10-12 mn group. Everyone was hoping we could end up in the earlier walk and somehow, the guides manage to get us all on the earlier schedule!

For the walk - we like moving around in sandals. For this trip, we made sure we had closed toe sandals but did not bring sneakers or closed walking shoes.  It would be nice if you had a pair with you with socks just to avoid being bit by leaf cutter ants during the walk to the beach to see the turtle. We had a reminder call from ABD a couple of days before we left to let us know to bring flashlights. That is a must since it's pitch dark plus it helped me see the ants. I didn't get bit, thank goodness, but DH did. I just jump over the ant trail and they are quite easy to spot since they carry bits of leaves around.

The turtle nesting is a very slow process. You see them laying the eggs, covering them with dirt and walk back to the sea. Our turtle dug a really deep nesting hole and took her a while to cover it up and had a difficult time getting out. You can't rush nature so just be aware. Our group (we were 9) were the last to finish and was all settled in our room before midnight. It was an amazing and priceless experience though!


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## tufbuf

The next day, we got ready for our transfer to the next hotel in Arenal. You don't need a wake up call as the planes flying overhead is enough to wake you up. Three planes flew over and still did not wake our DD up though! 

The transfer involved a boat ride to get to the bus stop. Gonecruisin had a 2-hour boat ride and ours was just an hour (they said 45 minutes) since we had more rain. So the shortcut is dependent on the amount of rain the previous days, but we still encountered areas where the water was really shallow. The boat driver is very experienced and made it look easy going through the shallow canals and not getting us beached in the middle of nowhere. Again, the day started out sunny and nice!  

Here is a sculpture on the river on the way to the bus stop. 




This was where we met the same bus we took the first day and our toilet stop. When they said deluxe, they weren't kidding.





These were the women's restroom stalls and they were quite clean!




After a long coach ride, we stopped for lunch. The food here was delicious!




We arrived at the Dole plantation in the early afternoon and spent a couple of hours there. Here is a picture of an ornamental pineapple, no bigger than a golf ball.




This is Michael, the plantation tour guide who is hilarious!!! You have to be there to understand why. We all enjoyed his presentation on pineapple facts.




Pineapple harvesters




Pineapples everywhere!!!




Fico handing out fresh pineapple slices. I have eaten pineapples all my life but I never tasted them as sweet and juicy as these.They were just delicious!! Some of the kids ended up gnawing on what remained of the fruit Fico was holding.




The sorting area separating the good from bad...




And the stocking area, getting the pineapples ready for export








As a parting refreshment, we had fresh pineapple drinks before heading to our next hotel.




By the time we reached Hotel Arenal Manoa, the rain was pouring. We made a quick stop to our rooms and headed out for dinner. This day was pretty slow and it was great since I did not get to sleep the night before. The long bus ride was a good time to rest. It's a fun and exhilarating ziplining day the next day, so we got some decent shut eye and got ready for an exciting day!!!


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## tchrrx

I am loving your report!

Here's my packing list so far:
-  bug spray
-  tennis shoes 
-  ponchos & rain jackets
-  waterproof camera
-  hydrocortisone cream
-  flashlights

What type of clothing did you wear?  It seems that tennis shoes would be best most days, but I don't know if they're going to be wet all the time.  (Our trip is in July)


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## tufbuf

tchrrx said:


> I am loving your report!
> 
> Here's my packing list so far:
> -  bug spray
> -  tennis shoes
> -  ponchos & rain jackets
> -  waterproof camera
> -  hydrocortisone cream
> -  flashlights
> 
> What type of clothing did you wear?  It seems that tennis shoes would be best most days, but I don't know if they're going to be wet all the time.  (Our trip is in July)



July is still rainy season. Your list is pretty good so far. Another thing, which I meant to mention later is bring an extra dry shoe/beach sandal. It would have been nice to change to a dry pair after the nature boat ride. Your feet and shoes will get soaking wet during the white water rafting as well. And since the area is very humid, it takes a while for wet things to dry up. You can just borrow the ponchos in Tortuguero. This is one trip where traveling light would be essential.

We wore REI shirts or similar (Columbia, Kuhl,etc.,) for the activities. They are cool, has UV protection and easy to dry. We know we were doing the right thing since Fico was wearing the exact same outfits! We also wore REI shorts or pants.

One other thing you might want to add to your list is the sunscreen.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards


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## tufbuf

We are up for a really exciting and thrilling day today! The ziplining place was not far from the hotel. The picture I posted earlier of Arenal was taken when I got up for breakfast. I believe it was around 6 am. By the time we left for breakfast, this was how the volcano looked.





Each of our rooms have a huge sliding door which faces the volcano. It's an awesome view to wake up in the morning. The volcano ceased its pyroclastic flow in 2010.





This is the entrance to the ziplining place.




There are 8 ziplines we go through here and this is the map of the lines.




I asked about the GoPro deal with ziplining and here is the info for those interested in future trips. You may bring your own and attach it to your helmet. Clips are already ready on each helmet to attach a GoPro with a helmet strap, which you need to provide yourself if you were to bring your own GoPro. You may rent a GoPro unit for $45. At the end of the activity, you may view the microSD card (if you rented one) in their computer.

We let the kids go ahead. Here they are all loaded on cable cars to take them up the ziplining platform. It's about a 15 minute ascent to where the ziplining starts.




Off they go!....




The rest of the group chatted while waiting and a few tried to settle their nerves.

Here's a view from the cable cars.




We had a wonderful day ziplining! I believe we would have gone even if it rained though. Again, you can see how thick the forest is and it's an area where most of us got more bug bites. DD and I wore long pants to avoid getting more but they still went between my sandal straps and arms.  They itch like crazy! We did frequent application of hydrocortisone cream and it really helped.

This is one of two trial ziplining lines. It is nowhere near the magnitude of the real lines ahead!





Gonecruisin' has a similar photo as the one below. I couldn't orient myself until I got there though, of course. Anyway, this was taken from the platform above where we got off our cable cars. Two trial lines get you to the platform in the photo. If you look closely, you can see a line which the guide is holding at the bottom of the photo all the way through the thickness of the forest. This is the point of no return so people decide if they wish to continue or descend the platform. Once you go through the lines, that is the only wait to exit the area. This particular line is the highest, 700+ feet above sea level! You cannot appreciate it in the beginning but once you're in the middle of the line, you will see how high up you are. It's quite fast too and it's great to feel the wind on your face.




Only one child backed out on ziplining. A couple of adults went with a guide to go through the first one but did it on their own afterwards. The smaller kids had to go with a guide each time since they don't make it all the way to the other platform.

More ziplining photos... This is my DD ziplining, as I held my breath!....









And DH coming in. 





The 7th line is the longest at 2060 feet. You zipline for 45 seconds! I forgot which one is the fastest but you zipline at 40 mph!!

I don't think anyone else took photos during the ziplining. Fico and one of the ziplining guides will take your photo on the last short zipline and you have the option to purchase it later (the ones the guide took, not the ones Fico took).

We headed to La Fortuna for lunch. It's a small town not far from where we were. Fico gave suggestions for lunch and we opted for faster service since we wanted to check out the stores for souvenirs. 

Fico referred to this park as Central Park. There are stores and restaurants on the left and right side of the photo. The Arenal volcano is behind the church and you can see a glimpse of our bus at the bottom of the church.





We had lunch at that restaurant, which I guess is considered fast food. The dish I ordered though was so yummy! I believe they call it carne salsa. Yum!!









This would be the best place to buy local products and souvenirs. Most of us like the wooden folding table mats they used at the Hotel Manoa and saw many of us buy it. Gonecruisin has a photo of it in his post.  It is simply heavy since it's made of wood. Costa Rica is known for its coffee as well. It's not the top industry though this time but it used to be the main economic resource for the country. This is also the best place to buy coffee bags for souvenirs or for your own use.

When we arrived back to the hotel, we had the option to attend the Maleku art presentation. The Maleku is an ancient Costa Rican tribe and only 600 of them remain. They try to continue living their traditions and they have particular type of art made from gourds and wood. I forgot to take a photo of their work which you could see at the table behind. I did purchase a few products which I will photograph later and post. Here is Fico with three Malekus explaining some of their language and art. The woman is wearing their traditional costume.





This was just a busy day and I guess I had the hot springs in mind and how to do my art work and forgot to take photos of the Maleku art. Anyway, right after the are presentation, we got ready for the hot springs. We met at 5 pm and headed to the Hidalgo Hot Springs. It was about a 20 minute drive from the hotel. Our hotel as well had hot springs, mostly fed from the nearby volcanoes.

Once you reach the reception area of the hot springs, it is about a hundred feet from the reception to get to the pools. Here is my first glimpse of the hot springs. Since this pool is closest to the source, it is the hottest among all the three pools.





As you go from left to right, the water gets cooler - but still warm. It also started to rain by the time we got in the water.





Our other guide, Lucy advised us not to stay in the hot springs too long and to dip in the small cold pool once in a while. Some got carried away in conversation and actually felt a little woozy after staying too long in the hottest pool. 

This is the waterfall which feeds the pools.




We spent about an hour in the hot springs and we had dinner at the Hidalgo Hot Springs afterwards. This was a really great day!


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## sayhello

Wow!  This really does seem to be a jam-packed trip!  

Those zip-lines seem really scary to me, though!   My only time zip-lining was a "family" (ie, baby) zipline, and that was just about my tolerance level!  

Looking forward to more!

Sayhello


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## tufbuf

Yes, the ziplines can be a bit daunting. It's really fun though and a great ice breaker!

So on we go! We leave Arenal early morning for a long drive to Tenorio River where we will go for our white water rafting. The Hotel Manoa is our favorite hotel. DD describes it like a little village. It's very cozy and quiet. We got a lot of millipedes crawling on the floor and DD got a kick out of kicking them out the door. She says they are like elongated roly poly pillbugs! 

First thing I did when I woke up was check the Arenal volcano. It was even covered with heavier clouds so no chance of seeing the peak in this trip.

We had the option to go floating and rafting. Floating is a mild activity, you still go on an inflated raft but you go through calm waters the whole time. Those who are physically challenged may do so. The group looked for wild life and went to the wild cat conservatory where they had mountain lions and ocelots in captivity. Most of the group went rafting. We first separated in floating and rafting groups in a restaurant where we also made a quick potty break. Our guides gave us snacks on the bus since the rafting is 2 hours long and lunch won't be till 230 pm. It was another 20 minute drive to the spot where we got on a truck to take us near the river.





We got on the truck and we drove another 20 minutes near the river. Once we reached this spot, we geared up and walked about 3 minutes to the river bank.





Whew! Finally we got on our respective rafts and paddled away. I believe Gonecruisin mentioned about lacking oars. All of us were provided oars, even the youngest children.

This was so much fun!! I got super wet mostly from other people splashing water. I had no intention to get in the river, although some did and the rapids had major splash areas. I saw one boat topple over and our guide tried really hard to get us fall in the water. We managed to stay upright. There were a few minor mishaps but no major injury. It was really fun and we had lots of laughs!!!





























These were just the photos I managed to take in between paddling. The company who provided the rafting activity had a photographer who took photos in strategic spots. The photos were awesome!! The photographer had a better camera than I did and he was facing us. The guides bought the photos and included them with the photos they took so we should get them online as well. 

There were a couple of areas that were too narrow and steep to go through so we had to get off the boat and walk past the area.









After the rafting, we had to climb a flight of stairs to get to the snack area. Our truck was waiting and it was a 40 minute bumpy ride to get back to our bus - which drove us back to the restaurant where we dropped off the floaters. We had lunch and headed our way to the next hotel.

This was really a fun and exciting activity!! We thought the white water rafting in CR is better than the one in Southwest Splendors and Peru. The river water is also very clean and the temperature perfect.

Of course, it was pouring on the way to Guanacaste. The rain is in patches though and by the time we got to Villas Sol, the rain has stopped. Lucy wanted to get there before sunset. Since I had to take care of our things, unpack the necessary items, I missed out on the sunset photo.  My DD managed to take one with her iPhone...





I told myself, I'll take a photo the next day. I guess I was just too busy thinking of the next thing and really missed out on a number of photo ops.


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## tufbuf

Our last day...the beach was a shuttle away from our hotel so it wasn't an early get up day. Once on the beach, we boarded a skiff which took us to our private catamaran. As you can see, it was a nice sunny day. We were already on the Pacific side of CR and this area is drier, but still gets rainfall in the wet season.





The skiff is off to pick up the rest of the group on the beach.





We saw more wildlife. These are two olive ridley turtles mating. The olive ridley is the smallest green sea turtle.





We also saw a couple of humpback whales!!!









We got really close to these whales! Unlike in Hawaii where they maintain a minimum distance to view the whales, we just went as close as possible. One whale dove and we saw its fluke. That made Fico so excited and started jumping up and down as he stood by the sail!

We continued on to our snorkeling spot. It was about 3 miles from shore.





One of the crew threw a line and caught a small tuna (!) and was later released.





The water temperature was perfect! Here is a puffer fish.




There were lots of fish!


 






DD saw an eel and one guest saw an octopus. The water was very rich with marine life.

There were also spotted dolphins and they approached our boats. They swam right in front of our boats which was an amazing sight!!

Afternoon was on our own. The kids played and swam in the pool. We didn't like this hotel so much. It's an all-inclusive resort and it attracts a certain kind of crowd. I'll be a little wary if they hold contests called Macho Man as the men do squats while carrying their wives. 

All ABD guests had rooms facing the ocean. 





This is a sticker on our balcony door and you can see the view from our room.




More spectacular views. The roofed area on the left of the photo is the restaurant where we had our meals.




I mentioned I was going to catch the sunset this day, right? Well, it rained so no spectacular sunset photo for me.  It really poured just before our farewell dinner but it let up by the time we walked to dinner.

So that's my trip report. Hope it'll help future CR ABD goers!! Over all, it was a really fun trip. The families we were with were all wonderful and game. Highly recommended!!!


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## sayhello

tufbuf said:


> So that's my trip report. Hope it'll help future CR ABD goers!! Over all, it was a really fun trip. The families we were with were all wonderful and game. Highly recommended!!!


Thanks for posting your great Trip Report, tufbuf!  I know you posted on Gonecruisin's thread, but if you could please post a link in the Trip Report Sticky to the part that's your report, that would be great.  You could do something like post a link to Page 10 of this thread, and that your Report starts in Post #143.  

The snorkeling sounds great!  Especially the unexpected whales!  

Sayhello


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## tufbuf

sayhello said:


> Thanks for posting your great Trip Report, tufbuf!  I know you posted on Gonecruisin's thread, but if you could please post a link in the Trip Report Sticky to the part that's your report, that would be great.  You could do something like post a link to Page 10 of this thread, and that your Report starts in Post #143.
> 
> The snorkeling sounds great!  Especially the unexpected whales!
> 
> Sayhello



Thanks sayhello! Was it a problem adding on to Gonecruisin's report? I didn't want to start a new thread and thought adding it was still a 2013 Costa Rica adventure. Sorry if so. I'll add the sticky... Let me first figure it out... 

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## sayhello

tufbuf said:


> Thanks sayhello! Was it a problem adding on to Gonecruisin's report? I didn't want to start a new thread and thought adding it was still a 2013 Costa Rica adventure. Sorry if so. I'll add the sticky... Let me first figure it out...
> 
> Sent from my iPad using DISBoards


Not a problem at all!  I just want to make sure that people searching for a Trip Report on Costa Rica realize that there are *2* current Trip Reports.  I want to be sure they read both of them, because they are both great. 

Sayhello


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## mmrunsdisney

tufbuf said:


> July is still rainy season. Your list is pretty good so far. Another thing, which I meant to mention later is bring an extra dry shoe/beach sandal. It would have been nice to change to a dry pair after the nature boat ride. Your feet and shoes will get soaking wet during the white water rafting as well. And since the area is very humid, it takes a while for wet things to dry up. You can just borrow the ponchos in Tortuguero. This is one trip where traveling light would be essential.
> 
> We wore REI shirts or similar (Columbia, Kuhl,etc.,) for the activities. They are cool, has UV protection and easy to dry. We know we were doing the right thing since Fico was wearing the exact same outfits! We also wore REI shorts or pants.
> 
> One other thing you might want to add to your list is the sunscreen.
> 
> Sent from my iPad using DISBoards



We went at the beginning of July.  With respect to bug spray, I was given the heads up that you need stronger (more deet) bug spray.  I live by a LL Bean retail store, but any other outdoor store will have it.  We got 100% Deet and put extremely small amounts around our neck, wrists and ankles on the advice of the person at LL Bean (especially when we told him we were going to Costa Rica).  We didn't have a problem with bugs - and my daughter is usually an attractive target for all bugs that bite.  We didn't let either of our kids touch the bug spray/deet - just something to consider for anyone else going on this trip (which was awesome).


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## Bobo912

When we took the ABD in 2008, Arenal erupted everyday and we took a night time bus ride to a spot where we could see the glowing red lava flow.  We were there at the end of July.  I brought bug spray and never needed to use it. The rafting is on a different river now and it looks like you had better rapids.  We didn't see the turtles or have the catamaran excursion.  Those look like great improvements over the old itinerary.  

Great trip report, tufbuf!


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## tufbuf

Bobo912 said:


> When we took the ABD in 2008, Arenal erupted everyday and we took a night time bus ride to a spot where we could see the glowing red lava flow.  We were there at the end of July.  I brought bug spray and never needed to use it. The rafting is on a different river now and it looks like you had better rapids.  We didn't see the turtles or have the catamaran excursion.  Those look like great improvements over the old itinerary.
> 
> Great trip report, tufbuf!



Oh my gosh, Bobo!!! That must have been an awesome sight!! Our guide Fico did say the volcano flowing with lava was great for tourism. It stopped in 2010. Do you have any photos? And thank you!

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## Bobo912

tufbuf said:


> Oh my gosh, Bobo!!! That must have been an awesome sight!! Our guide Fico did say the volcano flowing with lava was great for tourism. It stopped in 2010. Do you have any photos? And thank you!
> 
> Sent from my iPad using DISBoards



Unfortunately, I'm not a good enough photographer to take a photo of the lava flow.  I tried, but all I got was darkness.  The lava was on the opposite side from the hotel, so we only saw it that one night.  But at the hotel we could hear the explosions and see the big plumes of ash.  It was very cool.


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## familygoboston

Love, love your report!
A few thoughts:

I'm enjoying your report of the "new trip"...we did a night in Torteguero on our own, and it was a highlight, glad it's been added to the ABD. 

I see you met Michael the "pineapple slayer" as we jokingly called  him on our trip!

I think the addition of a "tamer" raft ride is a great one, as is the sailboat trip- wow! You were on top of that marine life...just beautiful!

We also encountered the situation like you did where it mostly rained while we were in buses or inside- but it was very very damp! But that's what made it amazing! We has no bug issues though. Maybe in June it's still to early for so many to have hatched yet ???

For those who are going in rainy season- I recommend quick dry EVERYTHING! we had quick dry socks and underwear, tees and pants. We brought 0 cotton- it simply will NOT dry! Even our sandals were quick dry amphibious sandels! Happy packing! ( at least it's all lightweight!)

Great report photos and details! Makes me want to go back soon!


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## tchrrx

familygoboston said:


> For those who are going in rainy season- I recommend quick dry EVERYTHING! we had quick dry socks and underwear, tees and pants. We brought 0 cotton- it simply will NOT dry! Even our sandals were quick dry amphibious sandels! Happy packing! ( at least it's all lightweight!)
> 
> Great report photos and details! Makes me want to go back soon!



Any recommendations for clothing brands and stores?  I saw some things I liked at Dick's Sporting Goods, but they were fairly expensive.  Is there ever time to wash clothes (even if by hand)?  Would they have time to dry if we washed them in the sink?  It seems like we will be packing and moving frequently.


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## tufbuf

tchrrx said:


> Any recommendations for clothing brands and stores?  I saw some things I liked at Dick's Sporting Goods, but they were fairly expensive.  Is there ever time to wash clothes (even if by hand)?  Would they have time to dry if we washed them in the sink?  It seems like we will be packing and moving frequently.



You can check REI and Magellan for quick dry clothes. The humidity won't allow clothes to dry easily (especially cotton) unless you face a fan or use a blow dryer. It's a short trip, if you look at it, you need 5 pieces of clothing/outfits and a couple of change of clothes after the hot springs and white water rafting. We don't even unpack since we are constantly on the move. The most free time we had was in Tortuguero at the Laguna Lodge and that was the first day, so not a whole lot of dirty clothes then. Hope that helped. 

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## familygoboston

tchrrx said:


> Any recommendations for clothing brands and stores?  I saw some things I liked at Dick's Sporting Goods, but they were fairly expensive.  Is there ever time to wash clothes (even if by hand)?  Would they have time to dry if we washed them in the sink?  It seems like we will be packing and moving frequently.



Also LLBean, but you may find them as expensive as REI and the other upscale retailers. We did find some cheaper stuff at Bass pro shops. One thing we did to keep costs down, was only bought 3-4 prs of pants and shirts and re wore them 2 days. The tees can be any poly blend which will dry quick and it's easier to find those cheaply. The idea is to buy non cotton- not all of it has to be pricey- but just that it will dry fast. You will get wet, and cottons just don't dry out. The qd stuff does so you don't mind putting it on another day as much!

We did do laundry at the hotel in MA, which is not on the itinerary,but you can Check the itinerary hotels for guest laundry, or laundry service. We do laundry on most trips...it's so much easier than carrying around tons of luggage!


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## tufbuf

So, we got our photos online today (yey!!) and the guides took some awesome shots! Anyway, I just want to show a few add-ons to the initial report I wrote.

Just want to show how much rain we had while doing the nature watch in Tortuguero. It poured for over an hour and I was just glad it actually stopped. This photo showed how rainy it was.





This is the sunset in Tortuguero. Lucy took this photo with a point and shoot and just hitting myself for not having the opportunity to take it.  This was just before our dinner and we were supposed to go straight to the turtle watch right after and photographs were not allowed during that activity. You watch the turtles in total darkness and the guides have a special red light to look at the turtles laying their eggs. So, I left my camera in the room and did not get the chance to take a photo of this gorgeous sunset.





Here are some of the photos the company took of our group white water rafting in the rapids. They were really great! Our smiles look all genuinely thrilled and the expressions on our faces were priceless!









I have to include the next three photos. Capturing the guide losing his balance with his legs up in the air is just impressive!!













He was okay and swam right back to his boat.

I also mentioned there were a few who went floating instead of rafting. These were the animals they saw...





A crocodile!




Macaws




A beautiful toucan




An ocelot




A jaguar




Here is the table of Maleku art I mentioned earlier. The guides of course had the presence of mind to take a photo of it. Many of the boys got the cylindrical tube called a rainmaker. It makes a sound when you shake it, like the sound of beans being shaken. 





And this is the beautiful sunset in Guanacaste...





Looks like the online photo system improved since it began earlier this year. It also looks like we got all the photos and no missing ones.


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## sayhello

tufbuf, glad ABD seemd to be improving with their cloud system, and that your online photo experience has been good so far.  

I think the idea of the rainmaker is, if you turn it upside down, the beans sliding from one end to the other sounds like falling rain...  

Sayhello


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## tufbuf

sayhello said:


> tufbuf, glad ABD seemd to be improving with their cloud system, and that your online photo experience has been good so far.
> 
> I think the idea of the rainmaker is, if you turn it upside down, the beans sliding from one end to the other sounds like falling rain...
> 
> Sayhello



Yes! I am really glad!! I was hoping they improve it by now since I heard of reports of missing photos and all. Particularly this trip, it is sometimes a challenge to have a camera for all the activities. In fact, with my own camera, I only had one shot of myself and no family photos.

I guess that's how the rainmaker is used. I didn't really ask but the kids love it!!

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## Bobo912

tufbuf said:


> Yes! I am really glad!! I was hoping they improve it by now since I heard of reports of missing photos and all. Particularly this trip, it is sometimes a challenge to have a camera for all the activities. In fact, with my own camera, I only had one shot of myself and no family photos.
> 
> I guess that's how the rainmaker is used. I didn't really ask but the kids love it!!
> 
> Sent from my iPad using DISBoards



I don't think the missing pictures were related to the photos being online.  Our trip was in March, and we got the photos (very late) in May on a DVD and a lot of them were missing.  I asked ABD to upload them to the new website hoping that the DVD was the issue and they really had more somewhere, but there were no additional photos.  They said they would check with the guides and see if there were more photos and get back to me.  That was over a month ago and I haven't heard anything.  With the amount of time that had passed, I don't think the guides would have them anymore anyway.  But my impression is that the problem was getting the photos from the guides in the first place.  Not sure why that was an issue this year.  I never experienced it or heard of anybody having that problem in the past.  I'm glad all of your photos were there.


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## familygoboston

This should be another item for the "worth it" thread
The pictures the guides get and the rest of us don't. My DH takes some amazing photos, but we never never get 1- photos of him and 2- photos where the whole family " poses" ( he hates those!) For others it will be "watery" photos because they don't have a waterproof camera, yet others the wildlife photos because they don't have a big enough zoom or spot things "fast" enough to catch it. So with ABD, getting all these pics really gives every family something special! 

In our case for our CR trip, we lost our water camera after packing it with all the other wet "water stuff" in a checked bag (really stupid mistake- we should have at least taken the card out!) When it passed through customs/security, and we retrieved the bag, the camera was not in the bag, and we were heartbroken! Luckily, we had the ABD pics, and were so thankful! The story ends well though, a year later we dug out that bag for another trip and found the camera in a pocket we never use! The inspector must have pulled the camera out since it looked suspicious and electronic wrapped in wet bathing suits, but then just chucked it into the nearest pocket rather than put it back with all our other stuff in the main pocket! 

Those sunsets pics are beautiful, tuf- and I love the guide falling during rafting- everyone else in the raft is oblivious that they are now guide less in crocodile infested waters


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## Gonecruisin

I just saw that this has been added too!  Looks like a great trip tufbuf! I skimmed it quickly and will come back to really read it but wow! you had a different trip than I did. The rain and bugs bites were not a part of my trip and Oh! I wish we had gone snorkeling instead of horseback riding too. Next time!


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## Gonecruisin

Thx so much for adding the rafting and hot springs pics. Next time I bring a waterproof camera.  Really great report on what the trip is like during rainy season. DD says she wants to go in August now to get that experience too


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## tufbuf

Gonecruisin said:


> Thx so much for adding the rafting and hot springs pics. Next time I bring a waterproof camera.  Really great report on what the trip is like during rainy season. DD says she wants to go in August now to get that experience too



My pleasure! I was the only one who had a camera on hand during those two activities, and Lucy, our other guide. I was only able to take photos of the rafting during the calm areas. The action shots taken by the company, I think were great! It was also nice the guides bought our photos from them and include in our online photos.

It is a very different experience from yours. I was bracing myself from the heat based on your report and repeatedly "warned" my heat intolerant DD about the heat. I think this Is the one time we are glad to be "disappointed".


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## AZlady

I just read all 12 pages... And I'm getting excited and nervous for my first ABD trip. 
I'm worried about bug bits (as bugs love my family) humidity ( as I live in a state w/ no humidity ) and getting motion sick on the bus. 
Would it be odd if I asked to sit up front ( and my family can sit elsewhere on the bus?
Can I pack some of my own snacks? 
While rafting do they really try up dump the raft? ( did I read that correct?)
Thank you for your guidance!!


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## Bobo912

If you tell the guides you have motion sickness they will save a seat in the front for you.  It's not strange.  People do it all the time.  I took bug spray along, but never needed it.  I was there the last week of July, if that makes any difference.  The guides carry bug spray too.


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## AZlady

Gonecruisin said:


> Oh! That "Day Bag" they have you pack to go to Tortuguero is actually an OVERNIGHT Bag. Totally different, right?   I was prepared to pack a bathing suit and change of clothes only to find out I needed pjs and toothbrush etc. We were given a very nice bag - one per family though some families managed to bring more, I'm not sure how. Me & La Chica managed ok but missed the rest of our luggage terribly lol



Please explain....so when you leave the Marriott the first morning....you get a "day bag"?  When do you get your real luggage back?
So extra clothes? bathroom items? itch cream!!

Help a new gal out


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