PV - Anyone been to Marival lately? Help!

Hi. I am interested in going to Marival for the "Lunch Pass" - 12-5 at $25 USD. Has anyone been there recently that wants to provide a review?

A few questions that I have.

* Is 12-5 PV time? I believe Carnival is one hour is one hour behind.

* At the pool and beach are the loungers under umbrellas?

* Is the ocean swimable? Is the beach nice?

* For the price, does it include all drinks/food too?

* What types of activities are included in the fare - all non-motorized water activities?

Lastly, is there anything to see in the area. Meaning, would we want to walk down the beach or street to any shops and things?

Thanks in advance everyone!

never been to Marival. way to much to do in PV, no time. But here it is

after the Marival, drop by the Grand Mayan on the way back for a 15 min walking tour. You will never forget the foyer'... UNBELIEVABLE!

Thanks. Are those pool pictures of the Grand Mayan? Do they do all-inclusive day rates for cruise passengers? Or even a smaller fee to use the pool/loungers/etc with food/drinks costing additional? Where is the Grand Mayan in relation to the cruise terminal (Carnival)?

Thanks.

The Grand Mayan is left of the red arrow tip in the upper area (Nuevo Vallarata) area of the pic below. The Marival is right about at the edge of the pic north of there (top of pic)

Hi. I am interested in going to Marival for the "Lunch Pass" - 12-5 at $25 USD. Has anyone been there recently that wants to provide a review?

 

A few questions that I have.

* Is 12-5 PV time? I believe Carnival is one hour is one hour behind.

* At the pool and beach are the loungers under umbrellas?

* Is the ocean swimable? Is the beach nice?

* For the price, does it include all drinks/food too?

* What types of activities are included in the fare - all non-motorized water activities?

 

Lastly, is there anything to see in the area. Meaning, would we want to walk down the beach or street to any shops and things?

 

Thanks in advance everyone!

We went to Marival earlier this month. Arrived about noon with the same intent to purchase the "Lunch Pass" and stay until 5pm. The desk clerk had no idea what I was talking about - she never heard of a "lunch pass". I then produced a copy of the email sent by the concierge clearly showing the 12-5 Lunch Pass for $25. The desk clerk disappeared for a while and then returned to explain that the Lunch Pass was only for lunch at any one of the restaurants and did not include drinks or anything else. The only all-inclusive (drinks, food, towels, etc) day pass they offered was the $45 all day pass. We had already invested in the taxi ride and didn't feel like going somewhere else, so paid the $45 and went in.

To answer your questions:

1. Yes it is 12-5 PV time. The ship adjusts it's time accordingly for PV so local and ship time are the same.

2. Yes there are loungers and umbrellas by the pool and palapas and loungers on the beach.

3. Yes the ocean is swimmable. I guess you could say the beach is nice. Not Caribbean quality...

4. See above for the all-inclusive question.

5. Not really sure about the activities - we just primarily eat, drink and lounge.

The place is pretty far out in what's called the hotel zone. There doesn't appear to be anything else (except hotels) to do around there, but honestly I wasn't looking. T

The place was packed when we arrived - had a difficult time finding a place to lounge. It did seem to clear out some around 2pm. Apparently this is a popular place with the locals to vacation. We had fun using our rudimentary Spanish with other guests and staff. The food was OK - about Lido deck quality, maybe less. I am a pina colada fan, and I must say Marival's was lacking. Had to switch to rum & coke. You could ask for any of the premium liquors they had on hand. The staff was generally very friendly. Vendors plague the beach area but aren't as aggressive as on Los Muertos beach.

In general, we had fun but I wouldn't go back for either a day pass or extended stay. I'd be glad to answer any other question about it you might have.