Mexican Rivera - are excursions a must?

[kolas]

Doing my first ever cruise with my mom celebrating her 75h B-day (her first cruise also).  We are doing the 7 day Mexican Rivera with planned stops in Cabo, Mazatlan and PV.  Are excursions in each a must or can we just do our own thing?  If we want to just disembark and do a day at the beach are the beaches within walking distance of these ports? 

 

Any recommendations on what to do/see would be welcome, we're not opposed to excursions but seeing she's 75 and not super adventurous it rules out things like bungee jumping hehe. 

 

Thanks in advance for your suggestions! 

[wheezedr]

You do not need excursions at all in these ports.  On the other hand you might want to look at what is available on these boards as well as other tourist sites to do some advance planning.

 

For PV in particular  I would just grab a cab and head to the Malecon. That is the beach front walkway.  It is nicely developed.  It is a flat and easy walk, there are shops, galleries, restaurants etc. and it would allow you to see the real part of a Mexican City.  

 

Cabo has beaches I have walked to, but for your mom taking the local water taxi may be easier.

 

We have picked up tours of Mazatlan at the port on our own but our current go to there is Stone Island which is a brief ferry ride away.  There we can sit at a beach front bar, relax on the beach and if interested go horseback riding or other available activities.

[riffatsea]

Nothing is ever a "must" but sometimes taking an excursion makes the cruise more interesting.

You don't always have to use the ship's excursions. You can do some on your own.

IF all you want to do is lie on a beach then you can take a taxi in Puerto Vallarto to the waterfront walkway(malecon-mah-leh-cone) and go to a beach after a nice little walk past shops and restaurants.

In Mazatlan you can walk to the left from the port exit(ask one of the Canadian/American volunteers to point the way) to the water taxi landing and go to Stone Island for beach and food.

Sometimes since Cabo is a tender port(you take a small boat from the ship to the shore) it is easier to get off the ship if you buy a ship excursion. Otherwise , here too you could get to a beach easily.

You might want to experience other things that Mexico has to offer so I'd read the excursion list and see if any of them is interesting to Mom!!

[CruiserBruce]

Agree with the above posters. First, excursions are not a "must" at any time,  and can be easy be replaced by doing it yourself, or private tours in 99% of all ports. Just takes research.

[Mike45LC]

Here are my recommendations.  No need for a packaged excursion (since Mom doesn't need ziplining!).

 

Cabo:  Take the tender to shore.  Then, take a glass-bottom boat to Los Arcos.  There will be a mob of locals selling these trips as soon as you get off the tender pier.  After the boat ride, wander around the immediate area of the pier until you want to go back to the ship.

 

Mazatlán:  Walk -- about 10 minute walk -- to the water taxi stop to Stone Island.  Relax on the beach at Stone Island, eat, drink.  Take the water taxi back and walk back to the ship.  Or, take a taxi (a golf cart) to the historic downtown area, check out the Cathedral and the public market.  Then, take another golf cart to "Zonada Dorado", the tourist area -- beach front resorts, jewelry stores, …  Then, a third golf cart back to the ship.

 

PV:  Take a taxi/minivan to El Mercado, and walk around there.  Take another taxi back to the ship.

 

[CWcruisers]

Someone mentioned taking a water taxi to Medano Beach.  Heads up that when you dismount the taxi, the water could be knee deep.  There are usually people there to help, but if your mom has mobility issues, something to consider.  If you take a glass bottom boat to Los Arcos, they will drop you at Medano Beach at the end of the tour if you wish.

 

Otherwise you can take a land taxi or a pedicab to the beach.  Pedicab is fun because he takes you through town and gives you a little tour.

[Mike45LC]

59 minutes ago, CWcruisers said:

Otherwise you can take a land taxi or a pedicab to the beach.  Pedicab is fun because he takes you through town and gives you a little tour.

 

I've never taken the land route, always the water taxi. 

 

We always take the pedicab to Tres Hermanos shoe store instead.

[CWcruisers]

On 2/4/2019 at 4:30 PM, Mike45LC said:

 

I've never taken the land route, always the water taxi. 

 

We always take the pedicab to Tres Hermanos shoe store instead.

 If you have lots of time and want some exercise, you can walk to the beach from the tender pier.  It's a pleasant walk along the marina, takes 30-45 minutes depending on your walking speed.

[goober87]

Cabo:  You can walk to a nice locals  public beach called Playa Coral Negro to the left of the tender pier. 10 minutes. There are no bars or services—which makes it much quieter than Medano Beach.  You can relax and watch the comings and goings of the port. After a couple of hours walk into town along the Marina,  nose in a few shops, stop for Cervezas and guac at any bar. Our favorite is Karlitos Cantina around the bend after the Ampitheatre. 

 

Mazatlan:  For beach time, head to Stone Island. For culture time, walk the blue line into downtown or take a open air car/truck tour. 

 

PV:  Our favorite thing is a Vallarta Food Tour. Deelish. Arrange on line in advance. A Malecon wall is very good too. Lots a great public art. 

[KroozNut]

On 2/3/2019 at 9:32 PM, wheezedr said:

You do not need excursions at all in these ports.  On the other hand you might want to look at what is available on these boards as well as other tourist sites to do some advance planning.

 

For PV in particular  I would just grab a cab and head to the Malecon. That is the beach front walkway.  It is nicely developed.  It is a flat and easy walk, there are shops, galleries, restaurants etc. and it would allow you to see the real part of a Mexican City.  

 

Cabo has beaches I have walked to, but for your mom taking the local water taxi may be easier.

 

We have picked up tours of Mazatlan at the port on our own but our current go to there is Stone Island which is a brief ferry ride away.  There we can sit at a beach front bar, relax on the beach and if interested go horseback riding or other available activities.

 

Agree with all of these recommendations, except I might caution against taking a water taxi to Medano Beach in Cabo for an elderly person or someone with any mobility issues, as they drop you off in nearly waist deep water which can be challenging (OP mentioned that their mom will be 75).

I'm in my mid 60's and consider myself relatively fit for my age, and I had a difficult time disembarking the boat and getting to the beach (and I hadn't even started drinking yet)!

[kolas]

On 3/9/2019 at 2:28 PM, KroozNut said:

 

Agree with all of these recommendations, except I might caution against taking a water taxi to Medano Beach in Cabo for an elderly person or someone with any mobility issues, as they drop you off in nearly waist deep water which can be challenging (OP mentioned that their mom will be 75).

I'm in my mid 60's and consider myself relatively fit for my age, and I had a difficult time disembarking the boat and getting to the beach (and I hadn't even started drinking yet)!

Thank you for the tip; we will find an alternative in Cabo in this case 🙂 

[kolas]

On 2/4/2019 at 1:33 PM, Mike45LC said:

Here are my recommendations.  No need for a packaged excursion (since Mom doesn't need ziplining!).

 

Cabo:  Take the tender to shore.  Then, take a glass-bottom boat to Los Arcos.  There will be a mob of locals selling these trips as soon as you get off the tender pier.  After the boat ride, wander around the immediate area of the pier until you want to go back to the ship.

 

Mazatlán:  Walk -- about 10 minute walk -- to the water taxi stop to Stone Island.  Relax on the beach at Stone Island, eat, drink.  Take the water taxi back and walk back to the ship.  Or, take a taxi (a golf cart) to the historic downtown area, check out the Cathedral and the public market.  Then, take another golf cart to "Zonada Dorado", the tourist area -- beach front resorts, jewelry stores, …  Then, a third golf cart back to the ship.

 

PV:  Take a taxi/minivan to El Mercado, and walk around there.  Take another taxi back to the ship.

 

Thanks for the detailed recommendations.  Is it fair to assume taxi's are a safe way to go for two females travelling alone?  I know things can happen anywhere but wondering in general if this is safe. 

[CWcruisers]

On 3/10/2019 at 7:15 PM, kolas said:

Thanks for the detailed recommendations.  Is it fair to assume taxi's are a safe way to go for two females travelling alone?  I know things can happen anywhere but wondering in general if this is safe. 

 

No problem.  I took a taxi by myself in Puerta Vallarta in October because I wanted to buy boots.  They took me straight to the store and then I got another taxi back to the port.  I walk the streets of Cabo San Lucas by myself all the time.  The cruise ships would not be stopping at these ports if there were issues.

[Ine]

On 3/10/2019 at 8:15 PM, kolas said:

Thanks for the detailed recommendations.  Is it fair to assume taxi's are a safe way to go for two females travelling alone?  I know things can happen anywhere but wondering in general if this is safe. 

Yes it is safe. However always check the price before entering. You can note the cab sitio number and cabnumber to be sure in case you e.g. loose anything.

Another option is Uber. Not directly from toe cruiseterminal but going back.