Puerta Vallarta Excursion Timing

[80sGal]

We will be docked until well into the evening.   Planning to do an excursion marked as a five hour tour that begins at 9.  Anyone who has been to PV and can comment on efficiency of schedule?  I'd also like to do the Rhythms of the Night but it starts at 315 as posted time.   Technically one should be back by 2 to start the next one at 315.   But is that "do-able""?  We've done dual tours in other ports but Idk how well the excursions function in PV.   Would it be too tight?  Does 9 a.m. start really mean 9 a.m. and 5 hours really mean 5 hours ...

 Or is it like the Southern saying "fixin' to get ready" at 9 am and ending is the "whenever we're done" time?  😀 Alternatively how is the public beach in the Hotel Zone near the cruise port for evening entertainment?  

[nwcruiselover]

It does seem a bit tight, but I don’t know from personal experience whether the excursions in PV start and end on time.  In theory you should be able to do both.  The main reason I’m posting is to let you know that Rhythms of the Night was one of the best excursions I have ever done.  It was a thoroughly delightful evening of entertainment and excellent food.  If you have to choose between your five hour morning tour and Rhythms of the Night, I would choose Rhythms of the night for sure.

[sanger727]

Start at 9 should mean that you meet for the excursion at 9. Whether that is on or off the boat. But 5 hours means that you should be at the drop off point 2. You should be able to do both as long as you don’t expect a long break in between. You may be dropped off at the port at 2 but have to get back on and to the meeting point by 3:15.

[Mike45LC]

I would consider the nature of the morning excursion.  If it is some kind of boat ride or adventure tour, you are stuck with the tour operator and if the tour operator is running late, you are out of luck.  If it is a city drive tour, you can always bag out at 1:30 if it seems to be running late, and grab a taxi back to the port for the Rhythms excursion.   

[MSN-Travelers]

80sGal . . . 

 

If these are both ship's excursions, you should be able to do both.  The devil is in the details determined by what you plan to do between excursions.

 

I haven't been a cruise ship tourist in Vallarta since the "new" terminal was built so I am a little fuzzy on how cruise passengers return from off-property. The cruise terminal is like an airport terminal.  The main building has restaurant and shopping opportunities open to the public.  The area where the ships and tour excursion boats are found is on the other side of an airport-style security checkpoint. (complete with drug sniffing dogs).  I bring this up because I don't know if your first excursion returns you to a point inside or outside the security checkpoint. I don't know if you plan to go back on the ship to freshen up between excursions. (putting you inside the security zone already)

 

Enjoy!

 

 

[gomba13]

I'm actually having a similar dilemma as well.  We are looking at doing a zip lining tour in PV. We have 2 options of 8:45am and 10:45am.  According to Carnival we are getting in at 9am, but I think the time changes when we get to PV from CA.  Its been a hot minute since I have done this route.  Anyone have any advice on what happens to ship time?  Also anyone done the Los Veranos Canopy Tour?  Thanks in advance! 

[Mike45LC]

Gomba, I've done the Mex Riv cruise many times (on each of Princess, Celebrity and Carnival), and as far as I can recall, the ship always adjusts to PV time.  But if the ship is scheduled to arrive in PV at 9:00, then that will be ship's time = local time, and you won't make the 8:45 tour.

[Mike45LC]

MSN, I've been to the new terminal several times.  The excursions drop passengers off outside the terminal, leaving them to walk past/through all of the shops.  And most of the time, I see the departing tour groups congregating outside the security screening area, so a double-booked tourist doesn't need to do security screening before joining the new tour.