Shore excursions for Mex. Rev.

[Canadiankaratemom]

Suggestions for Mex. Rev. required please. Party of 7.. 4 adults, 3 kids from March 11th to March 18th..

[cruzrmomma]

We've done this twice with our kids and were happy:

 

PVR we did the canopy tour with canopy tours vallarta. Fabulous, youngest was 7. They also loved the swimming afterwards at the resort you launch from.

 

Mazatlan-went to El Cid, took the time share tour while the kids played in the pool. About 60 minutes, no hassles. Ate and drank for free and the kids loved the pool. Went bannana boating in front of the hotel.

 

Our neighbors did the sierra madre tour and really enjoyed that also.

 

Cabo-Went to Medano beach and rented jet ski's from JT tours-expensive but fun!! then shopped at the pier. Quick day.

 

Have fun!

[MSN-Travelers]

Suggestions for Mex. Rev. required please. Party of 7.. 4 adults, 3 kids from March 11th to March 18th..

 

You'll much better luck over on the Mexican Riviera port-o-call board.

 

Enjoy!

[Canadiankaratemom]

Thank you for telling me where to get information.. Cheers..

[poajj08]

We will also be on the Sapphire from Mar 11 - Mar 18th - party of 7 as well - 2 adults and 5 kids ages from 12-18. We have already booked 7 horses with Randi in PV and we are booking the Zodiac whale watch tour in Cabo. Still trying to decide on what to do in Mazatlan. See you on board

[CarolynB]

Canandiankaratemom and poajj08, we have a Sapphire roll call going. It is slow, but we have one. Why not not join us there. We have about 30 cruisers listed.

[snie]

We will also be on the Sapphire from Mar 11 - Mar 18th - party of 7 as well - 2 adults and 5 kids ages from 12-18. We have already booked 7 horses with Randi in PV and we are booking the Zodiac whale watch tour in Cabo. Still trying to decide on what to do in Mazatlan. See you on board

 

Horses with Randi is in Matzatlan, isn't she???:confused:

[ml64]

We did the Kids Dolphin Encounter in PV (DS is 5) and then went to El Cid in Matzatlan. We did not do the condo tour. We ordered food and drinks and had a wonderful day there. The pool was ideal for my son.

[Love Boat Dream]

Hi,

What did you think of the kids dolphin excurtsion in PV? I jsut prereserved it for march. My son is 6.5

 

Thanks

Susan

[Canadiankaratemom]

Am thinking of either renting Pulmonias(open air - jeeps) in Mazatlan for $5 to $6 US.. and heading to the Golden Zone, old Mazatlan and the Diver area.. or going with a one day tour with Frank from Mazatlan..

 

Have not decided about Cabo San Lucas and PV.. .what do you do with the horses in PV.. ride along the beach with Randi or is Randi in Mazatlan.?

 

I will check out Sapphire roll call.. see you there...

[tequilasunrise]

Horses with Randi are on Stone Island in Mazatlan. Not recommending, haven't used her and heard wildly different reviews, but that's where she is.

 

If you want to rent pulmonias in Mazatlan instead, go outside the main gates (avoiding the white ones) and they will be cheaper. The company with the white ones has a contract to go inside, the others wait outside the gates. Barter a price before you get in. The Golden Zone has tourist shopping and beaches. Downtown has a fairly authentic market (read wear closed toed shoes) and a pretty old cathedral. You can get a tour of both if you wish, many drivers doing this will include a stop to look at cliff diving. Pulmonias are fun, but very dangerous so be warned. If you wreck it wouldn't be pretty---no seat belts and they zoom in and out of narrow streets with no stop signs at 50 plus mph in these modified golf carts, dodging people, animals, real cars and other pulmonias.

 

PV has lots of fun options---swim with dolphins, a pirate ship day tour (it looked great, didnt go on it), the canopy tour. Los Caletas is a lot of fun (private island with snorkelling, kayaking, etc). If your kids are young I'd look seriously at that pirate ship or dolphins.

 

Cabo we just went shopping so dont know what to recommend there.

[Canadiankaratemom]

Thank you Tequilasunrise... I think Mazatlan is okay. .choice of horses with Randi, the Pulmonias or city/beach tour with Frank.. Will work on PV and Cabo San Lucas next.. PV private island and snorkeling sounds fun.. We have never tried snorkeling before,, so would be a good choice. Our kids are 14 and 17.. and the other party has a 15 year old girl.

 

:o

[SeaYa52]

We took Randi's tour two years ago ( on a cruise in July). It was fantasitc - there were several children in the group and everone had a great time. Randi will meet you at the docks - then it's off by truck, and water taxi until you arrive at Stone Island (at this point - members of my group weren't quite sure what I had gotten them into.....but once we saddled up - and saw the beach - everyone was thrilled. ) It was the best beach ride we''ve ever done (and we ride frequently). One of my favorite tours ever. Victors was nice at the end - great shrimp - and the kids can enjoy the beach....lots of vendors stop by to peddle their stuff....our group of four loved this tour and we have our group photo displayed in our den. (make sure you take a camera). I would book this tour again in a heartbeat.

Sandy

Charlotte, NC

[SeaYa52]

In Cabo we enjoyed visiting Cabo Wabo and trying a Waborita, but we were there during the day - so things were quite slow. We took the water taxi to "Lovers Beach" out by the Arches - I would NOT do this again. It was really hard and scarey getting out of - and back into the water taxi's - the water was really rough the day we visited. The guys who were "working" - helped you in and out of the boat ( for tips of course) even if you didn't want their help - they pretty much tossed you out - or tossed you in - then waited for their tip. I am a lifeguard instructor and I wouldn't take kids there - nor would I go back- it was just too rough to enjoy. Of course - I guess some days the water is calm.

[Canadiankaratemom]

Slsmartin.. what is a Waborita?

 

How do you get to the place you mentioned.. just wait till we get off the ship and look for local tour guides?

 

Has any one tried the Sea of Cortez Eco Snorkel Tour - Santa Maria Cove and Pelican Rock

 

What about PV.. Is there any one like Randi in Mazatlan with Horses?

 

What will weather be like mid March??

[SeaYa52]

A Waborita is a drink - like a margarita - made at Sammy Hagar's Bar in Cabo - called CaboWabo. It's one of those things you go and do - just to say - been there - did that. It was fun. Our friend was a big Sammy Hagar fan and posed on stage using a broom as an air guitar. It was a really big for him - the rest of us just had fun. Here's a link -

 

http://www.cabowabo.com/cwa/info.php?

 

Easy to walk to from ship - you can see the lighthouse on top.

Sandy

[SeaYa52]

We've sailed the Western Caribbean in March - and the weather was beautiful - and hot - however, the Pacific side water is colder - alot colder than I expected (that was in July). Not sure what you can expect in March. I found Randi through these boards - and keep looking for someone like her in other ports.....so far - no luck. We're headed to HAwaii & Tahiti this summer - and wish I could find someone like here there. Check on the "port" boards - folks are really helpful.

:-)

Sandy

[jimbug]

We were on the Diamond Princess to the Mexican Riviera last March during the week someone mentioned above. We loved it! Here is what we did in the ports:

 

- Puerto Vallarta - we did the ship's 'Puerto Vallarta Beach Break' shore excursion. It was fairly inexpensive (under $30/pp), and fabulous. We were taken by air-conditioned coach to the Paradise Village resort complex, which consists of a traditional resort, several time-share high-rises, and a golf club. We had full reign of the resort property, including free chairs, palapas, use of many gorgeous pools, restrooms, water slides, etc. The beach was gorgeous even if we did have slightly crummy weather (we swam anyway). The price included 2 alcoholic (or non-, if you prefer) beverages plus a full Mexican buffet lunch, which was very good. The grounds of the resort were just beautiful, and it was a great beach day. I think we had probably 5 hours there total, which was adequate.

 

Mazatlan - what an adventure! haha I had read on CC where if you do one of those time-share tours, then one of the resorts will "hook you up" with free facility use, food & drink all day long. We thought it was worth it, so we went with the Inn at Mazatlan group and were treated like royalty (free taxi to the resort, bottled water, etc.). Once we got there, we were asked to wait in the lobby for our tour guide (salesperson). While waiting, we met a couple we knew from our ship who had just finished the tour. They were furious because the tour was much longer than advertised (1.5 hrs as opposed to 20 mins advertised), the timeshare guide was incredibly rude, and wouldn't take no for an answer when they were asked to purchase a $30,000 timeshare on the spot. LOL

 

So, we decided to get the heck out of dodge and walked down the street to the El Cid Resort. We declined the timeshare tour for free food & drinks, but were still allowed to use the beach & chairs, etc. It was wonderful, and the beach/water was the best on the entire trip! We paid to eat in one of the restaurants, La Concha...yum, yum! (Less than $33USD for 1 appetizer, 2 full meals, 2 margaritas, and 2 bottled waters). We did meet someone on the beach there who said they did the timeshare tour with El Cid and it was worth it--only 20-25 mins, and no pressure. We'll keep that in mind for next time. When we were ready to leave, the hotel concierge gladly hailed us a taxi, and I think it was about $12 for the 3 of us to return to the shopping area at the pier. It was a wonderful day! (plus, there's some halfway decent shopping right at the pier in Maz!)

 

Cabo San Lucas - we did another ship excursion here - the Chileno Bay Snorkeling. We had never snorkeled before, and had an absolute blast. We were taken out on a gorgeous brand-new catamaran, the Tropicat. The crew was awesome and kept things lively with great music, etc. Snacks and bottled water or sodas were provided on the way out to the snorkel site. Once we were there, the guides were more than willing to assist those who didn't know what they were doing...but the snorkeling was awesome! Water was very cold in March...like a cold bath...but tolerable. We had a great time there...and on the way back, the open bar started flowing freely, and the party got started! We saw some whales, and they even stopped by Los Arcos/Lover's Beach so we could see the scenery up close. Definitely recommend!

[Canadiankaratemom]

Thanks Sandy and Jimbug... I was looking at the PV beach break shore excursion on the Princess website.. and thought it looked reasonable..

Snorkelling sounds fun and we would love to give it a try despite the cold waters as you experienced. I love margaritas, so will definitely try at Waborita.. sounds fun... what is the legal drinking age in Mexico.. Will my 17 year old who looks 20 be able to try a beer or two? Will they ask for ID?

 

Counting down.. can hardly wait..

[NoDayButToday]

If you can see over the bar in Mexico there's a good chance they'll serve you. I took my sister for a drink the last 2 years (she was 16 the first year), no one even batted an eye-even at the American chains (Senor Frog's owned chain). I think I read the drinking age is officially 18, but no one pays attention.

[SeaYa52]

They served my 12 year old a few years ago (till I took it away from him) - on a snorkle tour. I agree with NoDayButToday.....he will probably be able to order what ever you will let him.

 

HAve a GREAT cruise!

:-)

Sandy

[Canadiankaratemom]

Thanks Sandy... you are a seasoned cruiser.. we are only just beginning. Just wish we had more holidays. .. If junior is going to try different drinks, he might as well do it with us while we are in Mexico.... 60 days to go.. can hardly wait.. :p

[california mike]

Mazatlan

 

El Cid is a great place to spend some time. We did not do any tour. Just bought some drinks and got no hassle. Pool area is delux. Beach is interesting too.