Okay, so I'm going to be the guy who encourages you to book off ship.
I have been on five cruises now, and am leaving for my sixth in a little less than three weeks. I have never booked through the ship save for once, and it was the worst experience of all of them.
Some people say that the ship will get rid of bad excursions and will guarantee the trips, but I find that generally not to be the case. I have seen on more than one occasion a ships excursion miss a boat. In reality, the ship rarely leaves when it's scheduled. They always schedule way more time than is needed to get to the next port. I've even seen a harbor master run a group of stranded passengers out to a boat an hour after it cast off. So I would probably worry less about that. These people have been doing this for a really long time in most cases.
They know what is at stake if they don't get you back in time. They know with the age of the internet they would lose their livelihood if they messed up like that. Frankly the closest I've ever been is 30 minutes before setting sail. We went halfway across an island by car and were taking a boat back. They guy kept on futzing around. He stopped at a couple of docks to pick up a small boat and some friends. We kept on worrying about getting back on time and he said not to. All of the sudden six cats come racing around a point behind us. He sees them and steps on it. He told us that those were the ships boats and he just made sure to beat them.
That all being said. There are lots of reliable tour operators in the Mexican Riviera. One of the most prolific is Johann and Sandra. Google them. They have a web page for every port they run tours in. They do a good job at a reasonable price. If you want boat tours in Cabo, I go with Pez Gato. They have anything from whale watching to booze cruises. In Mazatlan, I like Randi's Happy Horses. I first used her a decade ago.... wow tomorrow. She does a good horse back ride at a good price. I'm hopefully getting in with her in a few weeks. Mazatlan Frank is good as well. He has a good organized tour. Vallarta Adventures is a big group out of Puerto Vallarta. I've heard people booking the day of, but it's always a risk. They are american owned if I remember correctly. They all speak good English.
If you want a tour around the city, you can usually find something outside the port. I generally am not afraid of any of this as I have always spoken the language. If you know Spanish, you're in luck. Also, for any Caribbean cruises in the future, French is way useful. When I do that, if I'm in a small group, I get with some people, usually the people at the dinning table with me, and we agree to do something together. Then you can go and negotiate a price for them over the whole day, and not per person. Usually saves everyone about %25.
Trip Adviser will also give you a lot of suggestions.
Have fun. Don't hurt yourself. Local food is usually safe. Don't be afraid, as long as you don't go looking for trouble, it usually won't come looking for you. Also, for the love of all that is Holy. Don't buy anything at Diamonds International or anything like that. They are scam artists. Junk is fine, just remember to negotiate.
Shore Excursions Group - anyone ever use them?
in Mexican Riviera
Posted
Okay, so I'm going to be the guy who encourages you to book off ship.
I have been on five cruises now, and am leaving for my sixth in a little less than three weeks. I have never booked through the ship save for once, and it was the worst experience of all of them.
Some people say that the ship will get rid of bad excursions and will guarantee the trips, but I find that generally not to be the case. I have seen on more than one occasion a ships excursion miss a boat. In reality, the ship rarely leaves when it's scheduled. They always schedule way more time than is needed to get to the next port. I've even seen a harbor master run a group of stranded passengers out to a boat an hour after it cast off. So I would probably worry less about that. These people have been doing this for a really long time in most cases.
They know what is at stake if they don't get you back in time. They know with the age of the internet they would lose their livelihood if they messed up like that. Frankly the closest I've ever been is 30 minutes before setting sail. We went halfway across an island by car and were taking a boat back. They guy kept on futzing around. He stopped at a couple of docks to pick up a small boat and some friends. We kept on worrying about getting back on time and he said not to. All of the sudden six cats come racing around a point behind us. He sees them and steps on it. He told us that those were the ships boats and he just made sure to beat them.
That all being said. There are lots of reliable tour operators in the Mexican Riviera. One of the most prolific is Johann and Sandra. Google them. They have a web page for every port they run tours in. They do a good job at a reasonable price. If you want boat tours in Cabo, I go with Pez Gato. They have anything from whale watching to booze cruises. In Mazatlan, I like Randi's Happy Horses. I first used her a decade ago.... wow tomorrow. She does a good horse back ride at a good price. I'm hopefully getting in with her in a few weeks. Mazatlan Frank is good as well. He has a good organized tour. Vallarta Adventures is a big group out of Puerto Vallarta. I've heard people booking the day of, but it's always a risk. They are american owned if I remember correctly. They all speak good English.
If you want a tour around the city, you can usually find something outside the port. I generally am not afraid of any of this as I have always spoken the language. If you know Spanish, you're in luck. Also, for any Caribbean cruises in the future, French is way useful. When I do that, if I'm in a small group, I get with some people, usually the people at the dinning table with me, and we agree to do something together. Then you can go and negotiate a price for them over the whole day, and not per person. Usually saves everyone about %25.
Trip Adviser will also give you a lot of suggestions.
Have fun. Don't hurt yourself. Local food is usually safe. Don't be afraid, as long as you don't go looking for trouble, it usually won't come looking for you. Also, for the love of all that is Holy. Don't buy anything at Diamonds International or anything like that. They are scam artists. Junk is fine, just remember to negotiate.