Frequently Asked Questions

Reservations and Payment
Airfare
Airport Transportation in Costa Rica
Itinerary, Mass and Weather
Meals and Drinks
Exit Tax
Before You Go
Final Notes

RESERVATIONS AND PAYMENT

1) For deposit and payments, to whom do I make checks payable?

Checks should be made to Mount St. Mary’s University. Please include on your check "Costa Rica” and the month you will travel (for example, “Costa Rica/May”).

Send deposits along with your application and Assumption and Risk Release form to:

Dr. Diana Rodríguez-Lozano
COSTA RICA TRIPS
Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures
Mount St. Mary’s University
Emmitsburg, MD  21727

Please be sure to address all correspondence specifically to Dr. Rodríguez-Lozano/COSTA RICA TRIPS, rather than to the Mount in general, to ensure your payments and forms are received in a timely manner and recorded. Space is limited, and reservations will be accepted on a first come, first served basis.

Forms cannot be accepted as email attachments since your signature must be on the required documents.

2) Since space is limited, how do I guarantee a place for the trip?

By sending your 1) completed application; 2) Mount assumption of risk and release form; and 3) deposit as soon as possible before this summer's deadline of January 15, 2008 with payment of $950 for double/triple rooms or $1,150 for single rooms.   Participants will be accepted on a first come, first served basis by the date posted on the mailing envelope.

For those dropping off forms and deposits at the Foreign Languages and Literatures Department, the secretary will write the date on the envelope the day it was received.

3) Can we pay the $250 deposit with our application before November 2, 2007 to guarantee a space?

Yes.  In which case, your schedule of payment will be as follows:

By November 2:

• $700 for double/triple rooms per person
• $900 for single rooms

By March (balance):

• $350 for double/triple rooms per person
• $500 for single rooms

4) Can we pay with a credit card for the trip?

Yes. If paying with a credit card, you must pay in one lump sum amount by January 15, 2008 ($1,300 for double/triple rooms, $1,650 for single rooms).
Please print out the Credit Card Authorization form giving the Mount permission to charge your credit card and mail it along with your application.

5) What money can we get back if we cancel?

• The $250 deposit is non refundable.
• More than 60 days prior arrival, no penalty.
• Between 45 and 59 days prior arrival, there is a 50% penalty of the total reservation.
• Between 31 and 44 days prior arrival, there is a 75% penalty of the total reservation.
• Less than 30 days prior arrival, total payment will be charged (100%).

Yes. All activities have been planned for adults (18 or older).

7) Who may join these Costa Rica Bicentennial Trips?

Students, alumni, Mount employees and retirees, Social Club members, friends and family members are all welcome!

AIRFARE

(See special note under "Airport Transportation for those arranging their own airfaire).

8) If flying with the Mount group, how do we pay for airfare?

An additional deposit of $100 per person must be sent by check (payable to Mount St. Mary’s University) along with your application. Please note on your application that you wish to purchase airfare with the group.

The complete airfare must be paid in full the first week of December 2007. The airfare for the group will be bought at this time. It is non refundable.

If you are paying with a credit card, please note this on the credit card form.

Please note: airlines only guarantee the base fare for groups. Any taxes could go up by the time we pay in full for the tickets. You will be notified of any tax increases as soon as we find out.

9) Is the Mount group leaving only from BWI?

Yes. If requested, all participants will be informed of the flights the Mount group is taking.

10) Can I arrange for my own airfare?

Definitely. It might be convenient for you to use free mileage or get a cheaper airfare on the Internet. 

11) At what time does the Mount group plan to leave from BWI?

At this moment the plan is to take a flight leaving BWI around 6 a.m. With this early flight we could arrive in Costa Rica before noon, giving us time to rest and be on time for the afternoon excursion/Mass.

The May Mount trip is departing BWI on May 24:

CO 527 leaving BWI at 6:00 a.m. connecting in Houston
CO 1528 leaving Houston at 9:15 a.m. arriving in Costa Rica at 11:55 a.m.

Returning flights on June 3:

CO 1490 leaving San Jose, Costa Rica at 12:45 p.m. connecting in Houston
CO 426 leaving Houston at 6:45 p.m. arriving at BWI at 10:49 p.m.

Strongly recommended: Stay the night before in one of the hotels at the airport. Many of them have “park and fly” for up to 10 days (Best Western, Sleep Inn); others for up to seven days, with the rest at $5 per night (Four Points by Sheraton). The night before will be a Friday, and you will receive the “weekend rate”. The hotel shuttle service will take you to and from the airport.

AIRPORT TRANSPORTATION IN COSTA RICA 

12) Will transportation to our hotel be provided after arriving in San José, Costa Rica?

Yes, for those leaving BWI as part of the Mount group. The cost of this transportation will be added to the airfare and divided among those traveling with the Mount group. It might be around $5 per person each way. Price depends on the number of people.

13) If I get my own airfare but take the same flights as the Mount group, can I take the same hotel transportation?

Yes as long as you inform us by March 1st (our deadline to arrange the transfer in Costa Rica depends on the number of persons using it).

Please Note:  the transportation with the Mount group would be provided only if arriving on the same flights as the Mount group.  Arriving with the same airline or an other with a difference of only minutes will not be accepted since flights can be delayed and the transportation with the group can not wait for any other flights.

14) What other ways of transportation could we find if arriving on our own?

Courtyard by Marriott was selected for our first weekend in San José because it offers courtesy shuttle service between the airport and the hotel. (There are also four wonderful restaurants nearby.)

About two or three weeks before your arrival date, contact the hotel via fax and inform them of your arrival time and airline information. Ask for a confirmation. The shuttle service of Courtyard by Marriott only goes to the airport if they have someone who has requested the service. Their contact information can be found in the general Marriott/Courtyard web site. It is the only Courtyard by Marriott in San José, Costa Rica.

Another possibility is taking a taxi from the airport to the Courtyard. The cost is approximately $20.

FYI: The Mount group will not be using this shuttle service by Marriott since they do not provide this service for groups.  We will be using a private transportation company.

15) And the transportation for our return to the airport?

For the return, we will be staying at a hotel in the downtown area. The taxi fare could be about $25 to $30 back to the airport.

ITINERARY, MASS AND WEATHER

16) Can we find out more details about the itinerary?

The places we are visiting are listed here. Any other information about hotels, etc, will be in the orientation package sent out one month before departure.

17) We are spending two weekends in Costa Rica. What about Mass on Sundays or Saturdays?

First weekend:
The only opportunity for Mass will be on Saturday, the day of our arrival. That afternoon the group will be taken to the Basílica de la Señora de los Angeles in Cartago (the first capital city of Costa Rica). Cartago is about one hour from the Courtyard in San José. The group will depart at 3:30 p.m. for the 5 p.m. Mass.

If you plan to be in this excursion or go to Mass, be sure to take a flight that arrives in San José before 1 p.m. since going through immigration and customs can take up to two hours. 

For Sunday too many activities are planned: coffee tour, the town of Sarchí and the Waterfall Park, plus a group dinner in the evening.

Second weekend:
We will be in an all-inclusive resort. The travel agency will inform us about Mass in that town or if there is a priest in the area for that weekend (some places are visited only once or twice a month by priests for Mass celebration).

18) What is the weather like during the months of May, June and July?

It is winter, or as Costa Ricans prefer to call it, “the green season.” The rainy season begins in May. The morning will be sunny and very pleasant; in the afternoon it will rain and sometimes, literally, downpour. This afternoon rain cools the temperature in the evenings and you might need some long sleeves or even a light sweater (but never wool).

Bring an umbrella (and carry it with you at all times). Like any tropical region, rain could start suddenly and unexpectedly.

In the humid forest of Tortuguero and at the active Volcán Arenal, it will be VERY humid and hot.

MEALS AND DRINKS

19) All meals are included except the first and last dinner, but what about drinks?

Drinks are not included, except natural fruit drinks.

For the first night’s dinner, the Courtyard is located where there are several restaurants a few meters from their main entrance (Peruvian, Cuban, Japanese, Italian, among others). 

For our last night in San José, we may go to the El Pueblo Mall (transportation may cost $5-$10), where you can visit arts and crafts stores and eat in one of the restaurants. Since our hotel is centrally located there will be several restaurants nearby or you may prefer to stay at the hotel and have your dinner there.

FYI: There is no need to tip in restaurants. The tip is already included in the bill under  “servicio,” which is 10% of the total bill.

Since all the meals are included (except the ones indicated above), it is recommended not to exchange more than $50 per person. All stores and restaurants accept credit cards. 

EXIT TAX

20) What is the “exit tax”?

This exit tax (not covered in the price of the trip) is the tax paid by anyone who leaves the visited country. The United States exit tax is higher than the one in Costa Rica, but it is already included in the price of the airfare ticket. You must pay the exit tax in cash before checking in for your flight.

As of March 2007, the exit tax was $26. In the orientation package, this information will be updated. You can always call the Costa Rican embassy for an update as well.

21) How do we pay for this tax?

We have already arranged with our travel agency in Costa Rica to pay the exit tax in advance in order to avoid standing in line at the airport. However, they will need the exact amount in cash (in good condition) and a photocopy of your passport. In the middle of our itinerary, we will be collecting the passport photocopies and money from you. Dr. Rodríguez-Lozano will count the money in front of you and check that it is indeed in good condition. A person from the travel agency will deliver the exit tax receipts on Monday before our departure day.

We will ask that each person/family gives Dr. Rodríguez-Lozano the money and photocopies in one unsealed envelope with their name written on it. If anyone is concerned about leaving a photocopy of his or her passport behind, simply pay the exit tax with your original passport at the airport.

22) What if I do not have the exact amount or forgot to make a photocopy of my passport?

Hotels will not make photocopies of passports, and the travel agency will not keep track of change due, so you would need to take care of the tax at the airport.

BEFORE YOU GO

23) Do we need a visa or shots for the trip?

No shots are needed. Visas are not required for American citizens. Persons of other nationalities should check with the Costa Rican embassy.

24) What should I know way in advance?

If bringing cash, start saving bills in good condition. No bank will exchange bills too old, torn or with something written on them.

Do not bring $100 bills. You will not be able to exchange them or pay with them (they are the preferred bill for counterfeiting).

We recommend NOT bringing travelers' checks. Costa Rica has become very difficult about changing them. If your signature does not match exactly, they will not exchange them. 

Debit and credit cards are widely accepted. More information on this will be in the orientation package.

FINAL NOTES

25) Any other advice?

Check your email often for new information or changes.

Please make sure to update Dr. Rodríguez-Lozano with any changes in your email address, phone number or mailing address.