Cartagena, Colombia

[Robin"D"]

Has anyone been to this port of call yet?
If so, how are the leather goods?
Prices/ Types/ variety of goods(bags/luggage/coats...).

Thanks

Robin& Angel "D".

 

[lbgraves]

This port is beautiful and one of my family's favorites. We were on the first DCL cruise that stopped there in 2008 and found the prices to be higher than other ports. The vendors were not willing to negotiate at all.

 

[wildel1021]

DH and I were on the EBPC in 2008 that stopped there. We took the Mangrove excursion and it was the worst excursion we did. There was garbage such asTV's pampers and lots of other things floating in the water. We did very little shopping and what we did do they would not budge on the price.

 

[lbgraves]

Goodness that is horrible! We did a tour of the city and some of the historical locations. What we did see was beautiful.

 

[geffric]

Goodness that is horrible! We did a tour of the city and some of the historical locations. What we did see was beautiful.

Yep.. we loved this port! Found the city to be clean and the tour to be topnotch..but it is still 3rd world.

 

[spiiffy]

We just stopped here on our EBPC last week. We did not enjoy it nor did we feel very safe. We did a Disney excursion to a resort but were not offered what we paid for once we got to the resort and we were very much taken advantage of. Disney actually refunded part of our excursion costs on our return. We had friends who did the mangrove tour and they HATED it. Very unsafe boats and no life jackets were available (even for kids). They also got a refund.

From what we heard from others on our ship, the city is beautiful but the vendors are pushy and the taxi drivers really take advantage of tourists.

If we stopped here again we would walk to the little visitor center at the exit of the port (they have a store and some animals like monkeys) and then turn right around and get back on the boat.

I do know one group on our boat booked a private tour with a different tour group (not through Disney) and had a great time (minus a bus accident).

 

[woody73]

We just stopped here on our EBPC last week. We did not enjoy it nor did we feel very safe. . .

We've been to Cartagena a couple of times, and enjoyed our visits.

It's interesting to hear how things have changed.

Woody

 

[spiiffy]

I hope my first post did not sound too negative but this was the first time we truly did not enjoy a port. Also, we have traveled to many other South American countries (Ecuador, chile and Argentina) so our opinion is not without knowledge of how South America is. We just truly did not feel like this port was a good choice for a Disney cruise. We also spoke with many CM's (most got to leave the ship for the port) and their general consensus was also negative. Many of them also got taken advantage of by the taxi drivers.

 

[woody73]

I hope my first post did not sound too negative . . .

Not at all! I, for one, value honest port reviews.

Woody

 

[DindelsPA]

We were in Cartagena on the Wonder this last PC trip and it was one of our all time favorite ports. We chose the DCL sponsored Horse Drawn Carriage ride through the Old City. Interestingly so did some of our table mates (later tour time) and they would report a totally different experience.

Our guide's name was Elkin and he was a little hung on himself but otherwise very informative, funny and helpful. His English was spot on. We wore headsets which worked perfectly even through the Old City (one of our friend's biggest complaints was theirs did not work). The street vendors were VERY aggressive and pushy about selling their wares but never once did we feel unsafe or threatened, not even my 13 yr old DD. And unlike the 2008 reports, the stuff was not expensive at all. For example, 5 t-shirts for $20. We also found the residents BEYOND helpful and friendly as we waked through both the Walled Old City and the "Dungeons" flea market. I'd go back there in a heartbeat.

We did notice lots and lots of garbage thrown all about the city, both new and old. Very sad, but didn't seem to bother the residents in the slightest. I cannot speak to taxi drivers as we did not need to hire any, but other comments I heard onboard were mixed as well....pretty much a 50/50 split between love and hate.

 

[DindelsPA]

Has anyone been to this port of call yet?
If so, how are the leather goods?
Prices/ Types/ variety of goods(bags/luggage/coats...).

Thanks

Robin& Angel "D".

A few CM onboard were from Cartagena (Jesus in Diversions and ??? from Shutters...can you tell where my priorities were ) and they offered some tips and suggestions for things to buy that included emeralds, coffee and leather products. That being said, there is a TINY shop a the port that offered perfume, limited booze and cigarettes. Everything else you needed to venture off to see. The Dungeons had probably 20 different "shops" that showcased all things including handmade purses, local crafts, coffee and emeralds. I am sure there are other places to shop as well.

 

[Robin"D"]

A few CM onboard were from Cartagena (Jesus in Diversions and ??? from Shutters...can you tell where my priorities were ) and they offered some tips and suggestions for things to buy that included emeralds, coffee and leather products. That being said, there is a TINY shop a the port that offered perfume, limited booze and cigarettes. Everything else you needed to venture off to see. The Dungeons had probably 20 different "shops" that showcased all things including handmade purses, local crafts, coffee and emeralds. I am sure there are other places to shop as well.

Thank you very much for the information.....
This is what we were asking for....

We hope we have the same experience
that you did!

Robin & Angel "D"

 

[Robin"D"]

So are the leather goods @ Catagena worth it?
or is it hit & miss


Robin & Angel "D"

 

[CarolAnnC]

We just stopped here on our EBPC last week. We did not enjoy it nor did we feel very safe. We did a Disney excursion to a resort but were not offered what we paid for once we got to the resort and we were very much taken advantage of. Disney actually refunded part of our excursion costs on our return. We had friends who did the mangrove tour and they HATED it. Very unsafe boats and no life jackets were available (even for kids). They also got a refund.

From what we heard from others on our ship, the city is beautiful but the vendors are pushy and the taxi drivers really take advantage of tourists.

If we stopped here again we would walk to the little visitor center at the exit of the port (they have a store and some animals like monkeys) and then turn right around and get back on the boat.

I do know one group on our boat booked a private tour with a different tour group (not through Disney) and had a great time (minus a bus accident).

Thank you for reporting on your experience. We were considering the resort excursion here on the WBPC in May, but will reconsider now. What was not offered - was it the food or drink? Or the beach and/or pool accommodations?

 

[ludari]

I appreciate all the reviews since I will be travelling to Cartagena this year on the Wonder. Although I am not interested in purchasing any goods (at the moment) I am curious about more of the various port adventures offered by Disney and peoples experiences.

 

[BethC1952]

We were also on the recent PC cruise, and loved Cartagena. We are an older couple who have lived in major urban areas, and we took the Historical City tour through DCL, and we loved every minute of it. We walked for a long time, and it was very hot, but we thought the city to be very clean, and the people were friendly. The vendors are a bit pushy, but a simple "No", and walking away, worked just fine. We never felt unsafe, but we were on a guided tour, and I'm sure they think carefully about where to take tourists!

The prices did seem to be a bit higher here than in other places, and there didn't seem to be any room for haggling. I bought a nice leather wallet for a friend. I thought the price was a little high, but it was what I was within the range I wanted to spend, which wasn't very much ($25 - $40). I didn't look at anything like emeralds or gold.

Beth