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Central America Cruise Reviews: Costa Rica

I took a seven day cruise to Costa Rica with Cruise West. I had so many amazing memories, and if I had the chance to do it again I would. A few of my favorite memories were the people I met, the beautiful beaches and places we visited, and the many activities on and off the ship.

The people on the ship were all friendly. My younger sister and I made so many friends and got to know almost everyone onboard. Everyone was so friendly, and there were lots of kids my age. The ship only holds about 100 people, but everyone seemed to mix really well. The great thing was that everything you did, you could do it with lots of different people. For the kids and adults, there were special hikes and activities each day. One of my favorite was a sandcastle making contest. I still email and keep in touch with some of the closest friends I made on that trip. The Costa Rican people were really nice also.

The places we stopped were all relatively small beaches and islands, but that did not limit the excitement of the activities. The activities ranged from bird-watching and zip-lining, to hiking and seeing monkeys and sloths. We took banana boat rides and tried snorkeling. The beaches were beautiful and the hikes into the rain forest were great. One of my favorite hikes was visiting a one room school-house and playing soccer with the kids who had to walk or ride a donkey miles just to get to school, yet they do it every day. The experiences I had were unforgettable, and I know many of these experiences can only be experienced in Costa Rica.

The ship was the perfect size for this trip. It held only about 100 people and that was just the right amount. Small ships are easy to explore and our parents didn’t constantly have to be with us or worry about us getting lost. Most rooms slept two people and they had a nice window that opened all the way, to accommodate the hot and humid weather of Costa Rica. The crew was also very nice and helpful!

My family and I talk about going back to Costa Rica a lot, and if we do, it will be on the Pacific Explorer with Cruise West! Hopefully some day we will get to go again!

Signed Bridger 10 when I took the trip, 12 when I wrote about it