jerseygirldawn

We are sailing on the Mardi Gras in October to celebrate our daughters bday. I was looking at the decorated state room option. They’re like $50-$60. It hasmagnetic danglers and one magnetic hanging banner,”. My question is: does anyone know is those magnet decorations can double as my stateroom door decor? It’s be ideal to kill two birds with one stone. 

Hi,

i will be staying at this hotel next month. I’d love to be able to correspond with the concierge as I have a few questions. The thread that previously provided the email address Is not closed and the email no longer in service :( 

anyone have an updated email for this hotel?

thanks in advance! 

On 1/31/2019 at 4:21 AM, LovetheSea said:

I just posted my video of our tour to Las Caletas in Puerto Vallarta. We were on the Grand Princess Jan 17-27 2019 cruise. It was a great tour . Not so great...I got a lot of bug bites that itched for days. So take bug repellent if you go. Lot of steep trails and a long quick paced walk to the Catamaran. With no resting. It was a challenge for me with my arthritis. But I would do this tour again in a minute. Great lunch and drinks too. I loved all the birds and animals!

 

 

I’m going to PV in March with my mom, husband and two kids (14 & 5). We were going to take this tour. It’s $145 from the ship and free for my 5 year old. They say the slide is currently closed but might reopen by March 6th. 

We don’t drink alcohol. We like zip lines and adrenaline fun as well as animals. My daughter loves a beach too. I thought this excursion sounded perfect for us.... possibly. Would you say this excursion had that wow factor or should I take a atv/zipline tours offered other places? 

Thanks in advance and great video 

On 1/23/2019 at 4:51 AM, HellooKitty said:

Thank you!  We booked a pirate ship snorkel thru Princess and was getting discouraged until I read your post.  

Pirate ship snorkel? Through whom? 

13 hours ago, MSN-Travelers said:

A subjective answer about excursion "worth" is a tough one. Almost as difficult as asking if it is safe to get off the ship.

 

The size and age diversity of your party will have a huge impact on your "price vs. value received" experience.

 

We have been to Las Caletas about a dozen times over the last 2 decades. We have watched it evolve and expand over the years to offer activities that appeal to all age groups.  Value for the money? If you want a beach day that includes national drinks, a tasty buffet meal, organized water activities, a variety of optional for-fee activities and no beach vendors in your face . . . then it might be worth the cost.  If you have kids, then the value goes up.  The ride to Las Caletas is informative and offers breakfast snacks. The return trip is all entertainment and open bar. The adult beverages are national drinks. Don't expect Heineken beer or chocolate martinis.

 

My current cost, booking online, is $118 USD. We are in our 60's and only go if we happen to have guests with us. Don't drive yourself crazy trying to understand cruise ship pricing. Cruise ship pricing was much higher than direct booked pricing for many years. Then the cruise ships were charging less than direct booked pricing for a couple years. Now it appears that, at least for Carnival, they are charging more again. 

 

If you are going to evaluate "value" based solely on the price paid, then you will likely be disappointed. If you want a beach day that is vendor-free and has a variety of activities that you can participate in without having to worry about food or restrooms . . .  then this is a great excursion.

 

Enjoy!

 

Thanks msn. Yes we do have two kids with us (14&5). We don’t just like to lay around although a degree of lounging would be nice. We want to be active. We don’t drink alcohol. The website price I see is $139 for an adult. Maybe it went up? 

I guess my question is subjective. Just wanted to get opinions. Like in the Bahamas when we stayed at Atlantis, the tour with the snorkeling and iguana feeding was not to be missed (IMO). It was by far my favorite thing we’ve done there. In Costa Rica the standout was the horse ride with zipline tour.... 

i was wondering if las caletas was that to anyone or should I keep looking? 

Hey,

so we are taking a carnival cruise March 2. It stops one day from 9-9 in PV. This las caletas sounds like a fun option.

It’s $145pp now. Others are saying it’s $109 or $104. Why is my carnival excursion coming up $145? Has anyone else paid that much? 

Does this excursion ever sell out? Do I have to book it in advance or is it one of those activities that I can book once I’m on the ship and they start giving out excursion discounts?

I would have booked this activity through the company itself but ended up having to go through the ship because we dock at 9 but the tour leaves at 8:30. The cruise itinerary is custom for our cruise. 😞 For those that have been on this excursion is it worth $145pp? 

I was told the slide life is closed for repairs. Does anyone know when it’s supposed to reopen? 

I’m traveling on carnival and have to book through the cruise because if I book direct with the company they leave 1/2 hour before we dock. So through the cruise is our only option. The real kicker is it’s $145 instead of $99 like the other cruises offer 😞

Hey,

so we are taking a carnival cruise March 2. It stops one day from 9-9 in PV. This las caletas sounds like a fun option.

It’s $145pp now. Others are saying it’s $109 or $104. Why is my carnival excursion coming up $145? Has anyone else paid that much? 

Does this excursion ever sell out? Do I have to book it in advance or is it one of those activities that I can book once I’m on the ship and they start giving out excursion discounts?

I would have booked this activity through the company itself but ended up having to go through the ship because we dock at 9 but the tour leaves at 8:30. The cruise itinerary is custom for our cruise. 😞 For those that have been on this excursion is it worth $145pp? 

1 hour ago, CA_Cruzing said:

Cabo overnights require the cruise ship to leave the Sea of Cortez and sail out to the ocean. So it’s not a true overnight but rather two port days in Cabo. 

 

Having done the MR 3x now and about to do the 4th, 9Mar2019, we prefer the three port itinerary of Cabo, Mazatlan and PV. 

 

PV is a fun and culturally traditional town (Old Town) with lots to see and explore. The foods in PV are great. The beaches are okay, as not Caribbean quality, but still nice. 

 

On our our upcoming PV stop DW and I will be spending the day at Secrets Resort, os a similar resort. We’re doing this because we want to relax, eat, drink, pool and ocean all in the same place and really just unwind.  We’ve done the touristy stuff in PV so this is our choice this time around. 

 

Cabo is basically like California but in Mexico.  Prices are the same as California so the deals aren’t that great but the tequila shopping is worth it, you’re also in whale watching season on this trip and Cabo has the BEST whale watching from all my research. And we’ve booked a whale watch excursion this trip.

 

were booked in a Spa cabin and the Slendor has a great spa.  This was THE reason we booked MR again and chose a spa cabin.  It’s money and time well spent for us. 

 

I doubt your kids will want to use the spa unless that’s their thing. It’s usually very adulty in the spa.  Check the prices for a single person pass for the weeks spa access. It might be around $119. 

 

Hipe this info info helps you in making your decision.

Thanks a lot of great info. It says the spa doesn’t allow kids under 18 at all. So booking the spa suit would cost us about $350 more but it would be an inside instead of an ocean view. Also there would be only 3 people able to utilize the spa. I doubt we will be in the spa port days so I guess I’ll just get a day pass or two (if available). 

We dont get our insurance forms to fill out until tomrw. We booked thru Costco the first time round and purchased insurance. Hoping we can Get money back quickly so we can rebook quickly. Any advice on agencies? Am I best to book directly with carnival or do the Costco thing again? 

Thanks again 

So we were booked on the 2/2 sailing with overnight in PV. On 2/1 our baby was burning up with a fever and tested positive for flu a. Naturally we had to cancel. We are wanting to rebook and have a few questions:

looking at going March 2. It has an overnight in Cabo. Cabo I hear is a tender port. Was trying to figure out what activities to book on viator. They have a lot of group tours tho so I needed to know what an overnight in port there is like? Can we just catch a tender at any time? Is there anything not to be missed. Traveling with a 5 and 14 year old that love beaches and adventure.

Is PV awesome? Any activity you guys would recommend? We are there from 9am-9pm. I’m a former “jerseygirl” but have been living in Az for years. Want to do fun beach stuff. 

I hear great things about the spa. Was going to get a spa suite so my husband and I would have access to the spa. However my mom and daughter is in one cabin and my husband, me and my son are in the second cabin. We wanted to be in the same area. So we would have to get two spa cabins yet only one person in the second cabin can even utilize the spa. It’s $70pp more. I’m thinking maybe I should buy day passes on Sea days?  Any thoughts guys? 

Are they still doing clue games and scavenger hunts? I promised my son they were and I’m scared he’s gonna hold me to it. 

Sorry for all the questions and thanks in advance for answers. You guys rock! Xoxo 

Since you had 3 stops you may not know the answer to this but:

we are going on the Mexican riviera March 2 and it has an overnight in Cabo. Since it’s a tender port do the tenders run 24/7? If not are we able to take a water taxi back to the boat or do they close boarding at a certain time? I’m looking on viator to try and plan some activities. 

When you took the water taxi to the rays and arch did you also go by a beach or was get in the water anywhere? I have a 5 and 14 year old that want to do water stuff. We live in the desert these days so I’m with them on this. Lol. 

Thanks in advance! 

Seems that many of you have taken this cruise already. I’m also planning my own excursions from viator. They usually are group excursions so not private tours which will wait for me. 

We will be staying in Cabo overnight and then heading to PV afterwards. this thread helped me with figuring out local time vs ship time. Now I’m needing to know about the Cabo tenders. Can I come and go as we please? Like will there be tenders as late or early as I want? Was thinking about nightlife as well as game fishing. Tryin to figure out my options and make some decisions as we are to leave in less than a month! 

Thanks in advance

Cruising from Tokyo to shanghai in October. Want to squeeze as much in As possible since this is our first Andy possibly last trip to this area (we don't get out much).

We were going to add a couple of days in Tokyo prior to getting on the cruise. So can we do the bullet train to Kyoto and Hiroshima and back to Tokyo in one day or no? If I can only do one, which one would you recommend? Would love to experience the bullet train while we are there anyway.

We are traveling with our two kids.

Thanks in advance for the help

Some additional tips, you will need to purchase the JR rail pass before you arrive in Japan and then make reservations on the Shinkansen once you get to Japan. Space for luggage is limited on the Shinkansen, you might want to consider having some of your luggage shipped to your hotel in Kyoto or Hiroshima, see another thread on shipping your luggage further down.

Thanks. The rental agency is at the train station. Good to know there are taxis at the pier.

We are going to be at shimizu in October. Also wanted to see Mt Fuji. Was considering taking the bullet train day tour from Tokyo to see Mt Fuji. However if we can get there easier from shimizu I'd rather not waste any of my Tokyo days.

What did you end up doing? Any advice would be appreciated.