NCL Jeep Safari Adventure in Puerto Vallarta

[Ghost422]

Great NCL Bliss experience overall - too many things to list, actually.

 

But I want others to know to stay away from the Jeep Safari Adventure excursion in Puerto Vallarta offered by NCL.   Basically the entire description NCL provides is completely misleading.

 

First, the Jeeps are MANUAL transmission.  I knew that and booked with that info but others in the group apparently did not.  If you don't know how to proficiently drive a stick, I would recommend you not book this excursion.

 

The excursion itself was pretty much awful.  Jeeps were easily 30 years old (mine had a cassette tape deck) and most did not run well.  Some burned oil at a rate that I would imagine would single-handedly keep refineries open.  If part of the excursion "fun" was mostly obscured driving through the thick oil smoke while simultaneously inhaling it via the open air Jeep, then goal achieved!  They were rickety, brake lights didn't work, and I think airline seats are Lay Z Boy compared to the Jeep seats.

 

Also, apparently I was not aware that we'd be driving through heavy Puerto traffic on our way outside the city.  But, again, I suppose dodging crazy drivers cutting in, pedestrians, animals (lots of dogs), and mopeds/motorcycles lane splitting all while trying to understand PV's traffic lights and signs was all part of the "fun" excursion.  They screamed on the walkies not to run red lights (makes sense) but also getting cut off from the group and trying to catch up in a foreign land sure incentivized doing just that.  In total, I’ll bet we spent at least an hour of the awesome Jeep Adventure stuck in and battling traffic.  Rather, we should have been bused to a remote area where we could drive on private roads with no traffic or massive risk of arrest, injury or death.

 

Here's more fun...

Instructions from guides were minimal and extremely lacking.  Always nice when the event starts with "if you get pulled over by the police, you can always pay them off" by the guide.  No, I am not joking….

All Jeeps had a walkie for communications listening only.  They were very difficult to understand given the accents and very unclear with the Spanish and English back and forth.

Do not go on this excursion if you have neck/back issues or have difficulty walking.  The roads are very rough (there are no words to explain) and this will only add to your poor decision headache.

If you like eating dirt and blowing mud out your nose, then fine.  Otherwise you definitely need a mask.

No water is provided so you'll be dying of thirst by your first stop, which is at the 2 hour point.  Also you'll need to wash the dirt out of your mouth.

 

Edited February 27 by Ghost422

[TwinMamainMN]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

We will be doing this excursion a week from now and are looking forward to it. Sounds like our kind of adventure. The description of the excursion indicates the vehicles are manual transmission and that one should not attempt the excursion if they have neck or back injuries. That information is not hidden in any way, one just needs to read the full description of the excursion.

[Ghost422]

We thought the same thing.  This was the ONE excursion we were most looking forward to and it really disappointed.  You may have a different experience but I at least wanted to share ours.

 

Yes - the description says manual and neck/back restrictions.  However, folks on our trip apparently had not seen that info because they were complaining both before and after.  Also, if neck/back probs weren't there before, they might be after!  I expected rough roads and bumps because, after all, it is an off road experience.  But I cannot possibly describe what it actually was.

 

Good luck with your adventure!  I'd like to hear your thoughts when you get back.

[TwinMamainMN]

Reporting back after we did this excursion in PV on 3/6/24. Yes, the jeeps were old. It didn't bother us. I didn't think the rough road was that rough, personally. Was it bumpy in spots, yes absolutely. Also, riding in an old jeep with likely very little shock absorption didn't help. I thought that was just part of the fun. We drove for around an hour, stopped at Dona Engracia to learn how tequila is made and do a tasting (if interested) and have 2 tacos and a margarita. The tacos and a welcome drink were included, the margaritas we not. Then a short 10 minute drive to the lovely resort where we had an hour to swim and relax before a 1 hour drive back to PV where we started.

 

We sat in the back open seat of the jeep and in the front. It was dustier in the back because we didn't have the windshield to protect us and because we got some dust from the back of the jeep. Yes, we were dusty. No, we did not need a mask or bandana over the face. We brought water with us from the ship the same way we would for any day in port.

 

Overall, it was a fun excursion and a great way to see real PV and how the locals actually live. It was adventurous and we met some nice people both on the tour, the tour guide, and the person giving the tour at the tequila factory. It was fun to do once, but not an excursion would we repeat if back in PV.