Ecstasy going to VeraCruz?

[tjwcs]

HI,

A friend of mine is on the Ecstasy right now. She is saying they are going to Vera Cruz. Anyone been there? I wasn't aware there was a port there.

 

Thanks,

Teena:eek:

[Stircrzy]

They used to go to Vera Cruz, I don't know when they stopped.

 

I went there once. Vera Cruz made us quite welcome, everyone was very nice at the little shops right off of the pier. When we got ready to leave a Mexican band played on the pier and they shot off fireworks.

 

From another website:

 

The City Veracruz is Mexico’s safest city. Founded over 400 years ago, the heart and soul of old, traditional Mexican culture surrounds you and traditional architecture is everywhere. In the zocalo, the main city square, dining, music, and dancing last until 4:00 in the morning. The malecon, the walkway along the ocean is only minutes from the zocalo and continues uninterrupted for ten miles. Bus service, in town and out, can take you anywhere you want to go. Taxis are inexpensive and plentiful.

The city is a tourist centers for Mexican tourists. Small shops and restaurants line the in-town beaches. Museums, the aquarium (said to be the finest in Latin America), boat rides, and old wooden sightseeing buses, walking out the seawall to the mouth of the harbor--there are more “tourist activities” than one has time. No matter where one goes in the city, close to the shore or back in the old residential areas, the locals invite you to join in their lives and culture.

Incredibly safe, especially friendly, and old, traditional culture—coming to Veracruz is truly coming to Mexico.

 

http://www.go2veracruz.com/general_information.php

 

What to do in Vera Cruz:

http://www.johntoddjr.com/138%20Wilma/wilma.htm

 

I don't know how things are there now, since Hurricane Karl hit near there on Sept 17.

[tjwcs]

Thanks for the reply. I am sure she will have a good time! Thanks to Hurricane Paula!

[dominichunter]

HI,

A friend of mine is on the Ecstasy right now. She is saying they are going to Vera Cruz. Anyone been there? I wasn't aware there was a port there.

 

Thanks,

Teena:eek:

 

Never been.

Huge industrial port. HAL goes there on the Panama canal cruise.

[Stircrzy]

Thanks for the reply. I am sure she will have a good time! Thanks to Hurricane Paula!

 

Tell her to leave things tidy and take the Hurricane home with her...I board next Thursday! :)

[BallFour4]

The Ecstasy called on Veracruz on two sailings, we were on one of them. Weather forced us there, as Ivan wrecked havoc on Cozumel.

 

The port is downtown, it's clean, the locals are very friendly and perhaps astounded to see a passenger ship in a container port.

 

Water in the port and beaches is still cloudy from silt as you are not past the Yucatan Peninsula yet, so don't expect snorkeling or diving excursions.

 

Things to do: most are cultural, with much history and a beautiful church to tour.

 

Also, a decent aquarium is a cab ride from the port and we walked to a small shopping mall next door.

 

The entire experience is like a "make lemonade" proposition, so send them a message about having a good time. We did...

 

 

.

[tjwcs]

Thanks! I will let her know!

[dane225]

We were re-routed to Veracruz after a hurricane hit cozumel and we really enjoyed the port. We went to the aquarium and took a tour of the city. We also ate at a local restaurant and the food was wonderful. They had a band with dancers on the pier to send us off. I think everyone in that city came to see our ship leave it was really neat. My husband spoke to a few locals and they told him that Veracruz is a vacation destination for many mexicans.

[toad455]

if it's such a nice port, why don't ships stop there on a regular basis?? Granted you can't go to the beach, but it would be nice to go some place different.

[JohnWilliamson062]

Does anyone on this cruise have any feedback? I would greatly appreciate any info positive or negative. By PM if you prefer.

[crewsweeper]

if it's such a nice port, why don't ships stop there on a regular basis?? Granted you can't go to the beach, but it would be nice to go some place different.

It's primarily a working port for fishing and commercial ship traffic. And for cruisers, you answered your own question...no beaches! Just look at all the brouhaha that gets thrown up at Belize because there are no mainland beaches and you have to tender and there's no Senor Frogs or faux designer label shops hustling for your $$.

 

personally, I wouldn't mind a stop here. There are some wonderful historic sites and excellent restaurants.

[basser]

We went to Vera Cruz instead of Cozumel on the Ecdstacy during Ike. It's a very Historic old city. It's where Cortez landed in 1519 to conquor the Aztecs. We loved it, but we are not beach people.

[lambs2]

Many years ago we stopped on a cruise in VeraCruz (I was a teenager with my folks at that time). I think we took an excursion from there where we climbed up some old Mayan pyramids - the name of that site completely escapes me. I doubt they let folks climb them anymore, but I remember that experience to this day because my mom had no problem climbing UP ... but the coming down was a BIG problem for her!!:eek: She did eventually make it, though, and she is a feisty almost 85 year old now!

[MagnoliaBlossom]

We were on the NCL Sun when Hurricane Wilma hit Cozumel. We were the last ship out - a very surreal experience - but they put us in to VC the next day. We were told we were only the second cruise ship to call there, Carnival had sheltered there a month or two before, and wow - what a reception! The Corona people set up huge white tents with tables, chairs and horse troughs of iced beer. There were strolling guitarists who sang to you and several beautiful young women in white dresses with banners reading "Ms. Corona" strolled about. To tell you un-touristy they were at the time - beer was $1 :eek: We strolled about town, ducked in to some very historic old churches, looked through some shops and had a delightful day as vendors set up continulously along the dock.

 

Silly as this sounds - there is a school for commerial fishing in VC and that day the students were learning how to dive off a boat, circle up and survive in the water and how to dlimb back in to a boat. We sat drinking beer and watching this kids jump in the water all afternoon. Sounds ridiculous but it was very entertaining.

 

I've often wondered why VC hasn't been developed as a destination. Yes, there are no beaches, but there are accessible ruins and as you know, if the crowds will come, they will build you something to do (reverse of: if you build it they willcome)

[lambs2]

We were on the NCL Sun when Hurricane Wilma hit Cozumel. We were the last ship out - a very surreal experience - but they put us in to VC the next day. We were told we were only the second cruise ship to call there, Carnival had sheltered there a month or two before, and wow - what a reception! The Corona people set up huge white tents with tables, chairs and horse troughs of iced beer. There were strolling guitarists who sang to you and several beautiful young women in white dresses with banners reading "Ms. Corona" strolled about. To tell you un-touristy they were at the time - beer was $1 :eek: We strolled about town, ducked in to some very historic old churches, looked through some shops and had a delightful day as vendors set up continulously along the dock.

 

Silly as this sounds - there is a school for commerial fishing in VC and that day the students were learning how to dive off a boat, circle up and survive in the water and how to dlimb back in to a boat. We sat drinking beer and watching this kids jump in the water all afternoon. Sounds ridiculous but it was very entertaining.

 

I've often wondered why VC hasn't been developed as a destination. Yes, there are no beaches, but there are accessible ruins and as you know, if the crowds will come, they will build you something to do (reverse of: if you build it they willcome)

 

Interesting! We ported (or perhaps tendered, I can't recall which) in Vera Cruz in 1973 on the MS Bolero.

[WestTxCruiser]

Does anyone on this cruise have any feedback? I would greatly appreciate any info positive or negative. By PM if you prefer.

One of our Crazies friends is on this cruise. She sent a text when they were in Veracruz and said nobody there would take American Dollars. They could not find a place to get Peso's so they spent a little time at a beach then got back on the ship.

They return back to Galveston tomorrow, so I'm sure we will be hearing more.

[jetskier]

We were on the NCL Sun when Hurricane Wilma hit Cozumel. We were the last ship out - a very surreal experience - but they put us in to VC the next day.

 

We must have been on the Sun (Oct 23, 2005) right behind you as we had 15" seas heading to Cozumel as Wilma made its right turn to head to Florida. Cozumel and Cancun was cancelled but we were able to make Belize and Roatan before Hurricane Beta chased us out.

 

Dave

[JohnWilliamson062]

"One of our Crazies friends is on this cruise. She sent a text when they were in Veracruz and said nobody there would take American Dollars."

When HAL makes scheduled stops an exchange is set up on the pier. Since this was a last minute/emergency stop that very important service was not available. Most tourists to Veracruz are Mexican so they do not need to convert money. There are limited locations to do so in the city. There is one close to the pier, but not within sight. I converted some dollars myself for some people that were having trouble, but I did not have that much money on my person at the time.

 

When ever possible this service is offered when a cruise ship makes a call. Obviously permanent locations would be developed if cruises were normal occurences.

 

Also, I do not believe the pyramids were Myan, although that is a common misconception. A different culture inhabited Veracruz, although they were subjects.

[lambs2]

 

Also, I do not believe the pyramids were Myan, although that is a common misconception. A different culture inhabited Veracruz, although they were subjects.

 

Interesting. I was about 18 so I honestly did not remember that fact about the pyramids. Must have heard it at the time but it did not sink in!

[JohnWilliamson062]

I would not be surprised if your tour guide was misinformed or didn't know how to translate it. It happens. You can't "look it up and get back to you" as a tour guide, so some take the easy way out. I can't remember who actually built them, just that it is not Mayan or Aztec(I am not a tour guide though).

 

Also, there is a nice sand bar called "Cancuncita" Transport is currently offered for 25 pesos($2). Prices might go up with cruises though. You have to be careful of sea urchins, but the area is also alright for snorkeling. It is clear with very light sand when the sea is calm. When the sea is rough, such as when a hurricane or tropical storm is in the area, it is very cloudy.

[triplee]

I spent 6 1/2 years growing up in Tampico, which is right on the dividing line separating the states of Tamaulipas and Veracruz.

 

It would really be interesting for me to see Carnival make the City of Veracruz a regularly scheduled port of call. Veracruz may not offer all of the activities and the shopping that tourists are acustomed to seeing, but it is a genuine Mexican city and you will see more of what Mexico is really like.

 

As far as the pyramids are concerned, they may have been built by Totonac, Olmec or Huasteca tribes. Olmecs may have been much closer to the Mayans and they gave the Aztecs a lot of headaches because they rebelled often under Aztec rule. The Totonac people were easier subjects for the Aztecs to rule.

 

Someone mentioned that HAL stops in Veracruz on their voyages to the Panama Canal. Thanks for the heads up, I will check that out! I would really love to return to that part of Mexico!

 

Lee

[normandes]

the people you are thinking of are called the Olmecs, they predate the Mayans and Aztecs.

[JohnWilliamson062]

HAL stopped coming to Veracruz last year due to Avian flu. They have not yet re-started service. Everyone in Veracruz would obviously greatly appreciate anyone calling their favorite cruise line and inquiring about a stop in Veracruz. The history of Veracruz includes all that was said above and more.

 

I also did some further checking on the details of the currency exchange on the pier. With so little warning the port authority did not want one set up. The concern was basically security. An exchange house on the pier would be holding a lot of cash in a tent-like structure or possibly an armored car. With more warning proper security could have been arranged, but there were concerns about rushing it.

 

For future reference there is an exchange located very close to this location:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=19.19959,-96.13607&daddr=&hl=en&geocode=&mra=mift&mrsp=0&sz=17&sll=19.199505,-96.134641&sspn=0.00461,0.010568&ie=UTF8&z=17

[Shooting Star Cruisers]

We returned from the Ecstasy and Veracruz this morning. We took a doble-decker bus tour around the city but there wasn't a guide... only a recording about the sites (in Spanish). We also shopped in a "mercado" and ate at a restaurant that were within walking distance from the port. We used US dollars for everything... bus tour, shopping (at 2 vendors) and eating.

 

Everyone on the ship was VERY disappointed about the change in iteinerary... especially the first time cruisers. We decided to be positive and look at it as experiencing a new port but really wished we could have gone to Cozumel. Carnival did give everyone 20 percent off for a future cruise which we are already planning.

[JohnWilliamson062]

I understand how frustrating the Spanish tour must have been. I have many friends in the tourism industry here and they can get me good deals on the tours, but I have only been here a few months and my Spanish is not very good so I don't take them up on the offer. Paying an English speaking guide by myself would be costly.

 

The shore excursions through Carnival did offer english speaking guides that were certified. I spoke to some of them and their english was very understandable and their knowledge more than satisfactory. I know many on this site do not like the shore excursions, but maybe on an emergency stop they offer a better value.

 

If Veracruz was a regular stop the tour company would develop an English tape at the least or arrange a translator/guide for days with cruises. I doubt they can be convinced to do so with one or two emergency stops a year and arranging guides was difficult in the timeframe given. Every English speaking taxi driver was pulled in from the surrounding areas(it seems going to the US to roof for 5 years or such, then coming back and buying a taxi is quite common).

 

I am sorry to hear you just stayed in the area around the port. There are some restaurants and such there but there are many more South of the downtown area heading toward Boca Del Rio. Even a super wal-mart with a wide array of liquor for those looking to refill "rum runners." San Juan de Ullua also requires a taxi to reach, although a boat runs across the bay whenever the city is busy.