Sailing on the Miracle in February...Have some questions.

[rnoli32]

Hello Everyone! First let me say it's awesome to have a site to ask these questions to help me be prepared. Thank you in advance for any answers you can give me :) This will be our 10 year anniversary trip going to PV,Mazatlan and Cabo. Have cruised to Cabo before and loved it but not the other two places.

 

What is the weather like in February?

 

If anyone has sailed on Miracle in February is the ship crowded or is their less people since school is still in session ?

 

Any suggestions on excursions ?

[pulledporky]

I don't think it's ever more crowded or less crowded - it normally sails full. What you will notice seasonally is the number of kids on board. Late Feb might be peaking at spring break.

 

PV we like to take the bus to old town, walk around, find a good place on or near the Malecon for food and brews.

 

Mazatlan this year we walked the blue line into town, then water taxi out to Stone Island. Go to Lety's for lunch if you can.

 

All three ports offer the standard beach breaks, zip lines, para-sailing, horse rides, atv's, jeeps, etc. Depends if you need action, or want culture.

 

We were there this past February, weather was fantastic, saw many whales from the ship. We've sailed this route every month from September thru March and now stick to either January or February, best weather for us.

 

In Mazatlan they were celebrating the last day of Carnivale. Part of the parade route is adjacent to the port and as we were preparing to leave there were several floats getting fired up to get the party started.

[rnoli32]

I don't think it's ever more crowded or less crowded - it normally sails full. What you will notice seasonally is the number of kids on board. Late Feb might be peaking at spring break.

 

PV we like to take the bus to old town, walk around, find a good place on or near the Malecon for food and brews.

 

Mazatlan this year we walked the blue line into town, then water taxi out to Stone Island. Go to Lety's for lunch if you can.

 

All three ports offer the standard beach breaks, zip lines, para-sailing, horse rides, atv's, jeeps, etc. Depends if you need action, or want culture.

 

We were there this past February, weather was fantastic, saw many whales from the ship. We've sailed this route every month from September thru March and now stick to either January or February, best weather for us.

 

In Mazatlan they were celebrating the last day of Carnivale. Part of the parade route is adjacent to the port and as we were preparing to leave there were several floats getting fired up to get the party started.

 

Thank you so much that is some great info! After doing a little research i thought Jan or Feb might be a good time to go now im glad i booked the trip during that time period :)

[riffatsea]

We have been on the Miracle many times but usually in March or April. They do a great job of keeping the children occupied so having many on board has never disturbed us! February may have fewer families but the ship will be full.

We like Puerto Vallarta best but we also enjoy Mazatlan.

What you choose to do will depend on if you want sun/sand,action, or culture . Perhaps a mix of all???

In Mazatlan there is an actual blue line painted on the road to show you how to walk into the main part of town to the square, indoor marketplace etc.

There are open air taxis called pulmonia whose drivers will take you on little nearby tours if you like.

 

Puerto Vallarta has a lovely walkway in front of the ocean called the malecon(boardwalk) There are shops,restaurants, pretty statues and if you walk all the way over the bridget there is beach a pretty pier etc.

You can do all this on your own by walking outside the port area to the bus stop by the gas station OR to take one of the white taxis with whom you can bargain.

Again taxi drivers will take you on small tours if you don't want to do a ship's excursion. We have done one excursion there into the countryside because we've spend many days already in the city . You may just want to stay in town to see it on this trip.

[rnoli32]

We have been on the Miracle many times but usually in March or April. They do a great job of keeping the children occupied so having many on board has never disturbed us! February may have fewer families but the ship will be full.

We like Puerto Vallarta best but we also enjoy Mazatlan.

What you choose to do will depend on if you want sun/sand,action, or culture . Perhaps a mix of all???

In Mazatlan there is an actual blue line painted on the road to show you how to walk into the main part of town to the square, indoor marketplace etc.

There are open air taxis called pulmonia whose drivers will take you on little nearby tours if you like.

 

Puerto Vallarta has a lovely walkway in front of the ocean called the malecon(boardwalk) There are shops,restaurants, pretty statues and if you walk all the way over the bridget there is beach a pretty pier etc.

You can do all this on your own by walking outside the port area to the bus stop by the gas station OR to take one of the white taxis with whom you can bargain.

Again taxi drivers will take you on small tours if you don't want to do a ship's excursion. We have done one excursion there into the countryside because we've spend many days already in the city . You may just want to stay in town to see it on this trip.

 

I am really looking forward to seeing PV. I love old churches and i believe they have one their.

Great idea to enjoy downtown ! I love sightseeing .

[welldone60]

Which cruise are you on? We are on the 2/27/14 sailing. Have done the MR several times in February. The weather will be great unless a storm happens along. Low to mid 80's in all three ports.

 

If you want to do a whale watching tour, Cabo is great that time of year.

 

We have toured around Mazatlan in one of the open air taxis and just did our own walking tour.

 

My wife has found a spa in Cabo that she loves. $25 for 50 to 60 min massage.

 

PV we have done the swim with the Dolphins and once hired a taxi to take us into the country side to visit a few small villages. It was a great day.

[rnoli32]

Which cruise are you on? We are on the 2/27/14 sailing. Have done the MR several times in February. The weather will be great unless a storm happens along. Low to mid 80's in all three ports.

 

If you want to do a whale watching tour, Cabo is great that time of year.

 

We have toured around Mazatlan in one of the open air taxis and just did our own walking tour.

 

My wife has found a spa in Cabo that she loves. $25 for 50 to 60 min massage.

 

PV we have done the swim with the Dolphins and once hired a taxi to take us into the country side to visit a few small villages. It was a great day.

 

We are on the 2/20/16 sailing. Awesome price for a massage, putting that down as an option on my list :) Thank you for all the suggestions!

[jazm2011]

i agree with the others. Jan/Feb is an awesome time to go weather-wise. Our experience has been that spring break doesn't kick in until March-April, so anything prior should have a lot less kids.

 

We've done MR several times and have done lots of different excursions. One of our favorites to date (on any cruise, not just MR) is the zipline in PV!!

[MrEd1970]

Which cruise are you on? We are on the 2/27/14 sailing. Have done the MR several times in February. The weather will be great unless a storm happens along. Low to mid 80's in all three ports.

 

If you want to do a whale watching tour, Cabo is great that time of year.

 

We have toured around Mazatlan in one of the open air taxis and just did our own walking tour.

 

My wife has found a spa in Cabo that she loves. $25 for 50 to 60 min massage.

 

PV we have done the swim with the Dolphins and once hired a taxi to take us into the country side to visit a few small villages. It was a great day.

 

Wife and I are on this same 2/27 sailing :D Our 2nd MR cruise and 4th overall. We are celebrating her Birthday, our 20th/21st wedding anniversary and the fact that she beat cancer twice! :D Really looking forward to this cruise - very much needed vacation!

[rnoli32]

i agree with the others. Jan/Feb is an awesome time to go weather-wise. Our experience has been that spring break doesn't kick in until March-April, so anything prior should have a lot less kids.

 

We've done MR several times and have done lots of different excursions. One of our favorites to date (on any cruise, not just MR) is the zipline in PV!!

 

Thank you for the suggestion :)

[jazm2011]

Wife and I are on this same 2/27 sailing :D Our 2nd MR cruise and 4th overall. We are celebrating her Birthday, our 20th/21st wedding anniversary and the fact that she beat cancer twice! :D Really looking forward to this cruise - very much needed vacation!

 

You have much to celebrate, the most important of which is your DW's health. Congratulations!!

 

Come join our Miracle 2/27 roll call. :) We are kind of short on participants lol.

[LuvCruiSun]

We've cruised the MR several times and the weather's always great once you get down there, but first and last days likely very cool. We saw many whales from the ship as were sailing in to Cabo last Januaray. We really loved the Las Caletas excursion in PV. Miracle is one of my favorite ships!

[rnoli32]

We've cruised the MR several times and the weather's always great once you get down there, but first and last days likely very cool. We saw many whales from the ship as were sailing in to Cabo last Januaray. We really loved the Las Caletas excursion in PV. Miracle is one of my favorite ships!

 

Did you book that thru Carnival or on your own? What is Las Caletas?

[LuvCruiSun]

Yes, it is a Carnival excursion. Here's is the description from the website:

 

Discover the secluded tropical paradise of Las Caletas, only accessible by sea.

 

You’ll take a boat ride to this lovely beach hideaway. Explore the surrounding tropical vegetation, relax in a hammock on the golden beach, or discover the wonders of the bay while kayaking or snorkeling.

 

Your day includes a buffet lunch, all inclusive beverages, guided snorkeling and kayaking tours, parrot encounters, nature walks and yoga. Also, younger explorers will enjoy the Kid’s Adventure Park which features hanging bridges, zip lines, a climbing net, a donkey ride and monkey encounters.

 

If you wish to indulge in a therapeutic massage or facial, these services are available at the hilltop spa center for an additional cost.

 

Famed film director John Huston lived here for many years, now you too can experience this exclusive beach hideaway.

[MrEd1970]

You have much to celebrate, the most important of which is your DW's health. Congratulations!!

 

Come join our Miracle 2/27 roll call. :) We are kind of short on participants lol.

 

All signed up for the 2/27 roll call...thanks for letting me know :)

[BJzink]

We are on the Miracle Mexican Pacific coast cruise leaving Jan. 31, 2016. Have visited most of the ports many times over the years, but La Paz is a first for us, also only once to Ixtapa/Zhiu. The ship website has no excursions for either of these stops. Would like ideas of things to do (on our own, apparently), need to be easy ones. Is there a free shuttle to town at La Paz? Thanks.

[californiatripman]

We are on the Miracle Mexican Pacific coast cruise leaving Jan. 31, 2016. Have visited most of the ports many times over the years, but La Paz is a first for us, also only once to Ixtapa/Zhiu. The ship website has no excursions for either of these stops. Would like ideas of things to do (on our own, apparently), need to be easy ones. Is there a free shuttle to town at La Paz? Thanks.

 

Many more excursions will be added to all ports as it gets closer to sailing date.

[riffatsea]

Yes, There are free buses into the city of La Paz from the port. My husband enjoyed wandering around the town.

I enjoyed an easy kayak tour that I booked through the ship. It was my first sea kayak experience and it was very nice.

Ixtapa is a tender port. It is just gorgeous!!

[SadieN]

We are on the Miracle Mexican Pacific coast cruise leaving Jan. 31, 2016. Have visited most of the ports many times over the years, but La Paz is a first for us, also only once to Ixtapa/Zhiu. The ship website has no excursions for either of these stops. Would like ideas of things to do (on our own, apparently), need to be easy ones. Is there a free shuttle to town at La Paz? Thanks.

 

Come join the Roll Call.

 

La Paz has a free shuttle that makes two stops. First at a beach with a huge water slide then into town.

Eventually excursions will pop up. We've done the city tour going to a glass blowers, weavers, and ceramic shops. One cruise Sis and I swam with whale sharks and Mom walked up to the Plaza to see the church and museum.

Edited July 18, 2015 by SadieN

[Taters]

We are on the Miracle Mexican Pacific coast cruise leaving Jan. 31, 2016. Have visited most of the ports many times over the years, but La Paz is a first for us, also only once to Ixtapa/Zhiu. The ship website has no excursions for either of these stops. Would like ideas of things to do (on our own, apparently), need to be easy ones. Is there a free shuttle to town at La Paz? Thanks.

 

The excursions for La Paz have been listed for a few weeks now. Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo is still not showing, though.

 

Cheers,

 

Taters

[Taters]

 

My wife has found a spa in Cabo that she loves. $25 for 50 to 60 min massage.

 

Can you please name the spa? I would be very interested in this!

 

Thanks so much,

 

Taters

[BK512]

I sailed the Miracle this past February. It was mid winter break for my son, and there a good many families on board.

 

We hit a 'finally' week. The weather had been chilly, but warmed up that week, so it was around 80 each day.

 

The ship was full, but never felt crowded. Seating at the shows was not really an issue. On sea days, as usual, getting a seat on Lido or Serenity was sometimes challenging.

 

As for excursions, and this was just my experience, I did NOT enjoy my snorkeling experience in Cabo. The snorkeling area is very small, there are many boats on the perimeter, and a wicked current that didn't work in my favor. I was a competitive swimmer in my youth, and I struggled mightily against that. Plus they dropped us off outside the roped off area, and another boat nearly ran over my husband!

 

One I can whole-heartedly recommend is the Rhythms of the Night in Puerto Vallarta. The boat ride over is fun, the setting is stunning, good food, and a wonderful show, then a great boat ride back. (So long as you don't do what the lady in front of me at the show did, and complain that it wasn't in all English...after all, you're in Mexico. Most of it was in English, the lyrics of the songs were in Spanish. She was bitter.)

 

Also, if you have a balcony, take binoculars. Or even if not, just head to a railing. We saw whales all over the place once we got south of Ensenada. A spectacular show right outside your door!

 

Also, if you're buying liquor to bring back, there is a Walmart in PVR that has the best prices.

 

Have a great time!

[rnoli32]

I sailed the Miracle this past February. It was mid winter break for my son, and there a good many families on board.

 

We hit a 'finally' week. The weather had been chilly, but warmed up that week, so it was around 80 each day.

 

The ship was full, but never felt crowded. Seating at the shows was not really an issue. On sea days, as usual, getting a seat on Lido or Serenity was sometimes challenging.

 

As for excursions, and this was just my experience, I did NOT enjoy my snorkeling experience in Cabo. The snorkeling area is very small, there are many boats on the perimeter, and a wicked current that didn't work in my favor. I was a competitive swimmer in my youth, and I struggled mightily against that. Plus they dropped us off outside the roped off area, and another boat nearly ran over my husband!

 

One I can whole-heartedly recommend is the Rhythms of the Night in Puerto Vallarta. The boat ride over is fun, the setting is stunning, good food, and a wonderful show, then a great boat ride back. (So long as you don't do what the lady in front of me at the show did, and complain that it wasn't in all English...after all, you're in Mexico. Most of it was in English, the lyrics of the songs were in Spanish. She was bitter.)

 

Also, if you have a balcony, take binoculars. Or even if not, just head to a railing. We saw whales all over the place once we got south of Ensenada. A spectacular show right outside your door!

 

Also, if you're buying liquor to bring back, there is a Walmart in PVR that has the best prices.

 

Have a great time!

 

Thank you for those suggestions! Glad to hear you had a good experience with Rhythms of the Night in PV we are highly considering doing that.

 

Question...If you buy liquor like at Walmart in a port do they hold it till you debark at long beach or can you take it up to you room?

[BK512]

Thank you for those suggestions! Glad to hear you had a good experience with Rhythms of the Night in PV we are highly considering doing that.

 

Question...If you buy liquor like at Walmart in a port do they hold it till you debark at long beach or can you take it up to you room?

 

When we returned to the ship, they collected it, tagged it, and gave it to us the last night. I understand they might have a slightly different policy now, where you go retrieve it.

[Taters]

I also have not had good experiences snorkeling in Cabo. The water was murky and I wasn't able to see anything.