Puerto Vallarta Info

[Correia_Cruiser]

Hi Pam!

 

Do you have any info on the "Pirates of the Bay" tour by Marigalante Cruises? There seems to be some confusion on whether they are the company that Carnival books with or not. I emailed them directly, but they only mentioned that they book with Norwegian. Their website says they get back at 11 PM, which is too late to do with Carnival Pride leaving at 10 PM. If you have any info on this, especially if you know which "Pirate" cruise Pride uses to book their tours through (I'm looking to book directly with the company), would you let me know? I leave on Friday, Apr. 29 (we sail on May 1). Thank you so much!!!

Laura C.

[seabreezer]

There are at least 2 other canopy tours. El Eden and the one through Vallarta Adventures. Neither one has gotten as good reviews as Los Veranos. Eden is a little closer than Los Veranos but not by much and I think the Vallarta Adventure one is in the opposite direction - not sure if it's closer. It could be. I think you could do los Veranos later in the day and make it back to the ship by 10 PM.

[pvpam]

Hola from PV - I am not sure which cruise ships book with Marigalante - some do and some don't. You definitely won't get back in time if you do the night cruise. They do have a good day cruise - pirates and all. You can walk to their booth and book tickets - when you exit your ship, don't exit the marina but continue over to the big area where there are ticket booths. You will see the one that says Marigalante. You can book there.

[sunshine022]

PVPam,

Thanks for all of the advice on this thread. My boyfriend and I will be traveling on the Vision of the Seas Oct. 23-30th with a stop in PV on Oct 27th. We have decided not to book a tour thru the ship, but are looking to experience PV on our own. What would you recommend as "can't miss" in PV... neither of us have ever been to PV. We are in port from 8am to 10pm. Also, what is the weather like that time of year?

[nhcruiser]

Sunshine,

 

In case Pam does not get back to you, I would recommend that you catch a cab over to the Malecon (about $200 pesos or $2 US). The Malecon is a walkway that runs along the beach on one side with restaurants, shops & bars on the other side of the main street in town. Along the way are sculptures and some sidewalk vendors. The Malecon starts about 2 miles south of the cruise ship terminal and continues to the bridge to old town. Look for the big cathedral and the square where you can get a very good flavor for old Mexico. Continuing on South to Old Town is a very lively flea market where good prices can be had on gifts and such. I recommend that you take at least some time to explore the older part of Puerto Valletta it will take you back twenty years as you walk through the streets and shops. Any of the beaches are good along the Malecon but I think that the best ones are in old town. If you are up to it, take a city bus back to the pier for about 25 cents US.

 

Since you only have a day it will be hard to scratch the surface of the culture and flavor of this Mexican gem.

 

Hope that this helps!

 

Rod

 

[sunshine022]

Rod, Thanks for the advice. It's nice to have some idea of what to expect!

[BenLynn]

We will be in PV in October on Celebrity Summit. Are there any art tours? Can anyone recommend some good art galleries,where they are located,and how to get there from the ship.

[pvpam]

BENLYNN - There are so many wonderful galleries here in Puerto Vallarta. You can take a bus or a taxi to the downtown and just wander up and down the side-streets and you will run into numerous galleries. The "original" gallery in Vallarta would be Galeria Uno, which is located on Corona Street, one block up from the Malecon. If you go there, they will have some pamphlets from the Art Walks in Puerto Vallarta. Even though you will not be here at the day-time they are running, no problem. You can follow the map on the pamphlet in that area and see quite a few.

SUNSHINE - There are so many things to see-do here, it would be impossible to do it one day. (Sometimes not even in a week!). You can take the bus from the Terminal Marina where you will be docked to the downtown, but I suggest staying on the bus, pass the downtown, go over the bridge into Old Vallarta. Here you will be able to wander the side streets and see numerous unique shops-crafts. Go to the Main Plaza which is in front of the large cathedral to take a break, sit and watch the world go by. Check out the cathedral. In this same area, you will see the Municipal Offices. Go up the steps into the building and you will find a wonderful, huge mural done by Manuel Lepe - the artist from Vallarta who created the "naif" drawings (like little cherubs with wings flying around Vallarta). Stroll the Malecon (boardwalk). Stop at a beachside restaurant for a margarita. You could wander for days!

[BenLynn]

PVPam, thanks for your reply on the Artr Galleries. Is Galeria Uno located in old town? We visited PV 15 years ago and visited art galleries in what must have been old town. We took a bus from the ship and then a cab back to the ship. We look forward to visiting the old and the new.

[onefunnygirl]

I would like to know what you think about the Safty of the Canapy Tour some call it Swinging through the trees. I have 12 year old that wants to do this.

[LKlitsch]

We did the Los Veranos Canopy tour during our Carnival Pride cruise 6/26-7/3. I am scared of heights, but after the first climb and zip it was fantastic. My youngest, 14 thought it was great. They have you harnessed and a second safety attachment. I felt perfectly safe. The guides were wonderful, courteous and fun.

 

If you book, do take their advice on the cabs. We talked to people who have vacationed for years in PV and took their advice about taking the blue city bus back to the pier. It was $0.50 per person and took abou 15-20 minutes. The people at Los Veranos told us which bus to catch and where to catch it at. It was about 2 blocks away

[onefunnygirl]

Thank you for the advice on the Canopy tour and bus.

Was this the Bus you were on? http://www.canopytours-vallarta.com./tour.htm They say I can book this in advance instead of through the cruise line. Would you suggest that?

[L11]

BenLynn, are you on the 10/10 Summit cruise? If so, please come join our roll call at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=172653.

 

Linda

[BenLynn]

BenLynn, are you on the 10/10 Summit cruise? If so, please come join our roll call at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=172653.

 

Linda

We are on the cruise and signed up for the Celebrity get together. We were in PV 15 years ago on a Princess cruise and walked around town and art stores. I think most of the items on the role call would have been better left to private e-mails and that's why I haven't joined.. We were on the Infinity to Alaska from SF in May and are booked on the Brilliance in May 2006 to Med. We will see you on the cruise and I'll respond on the roll call to anything that I can add something to. We're live in P.V,Ca and are celebrating our 30th anniversary on the cruise. We will be going fishing out of Cabo and may ask 2 others to join us as long as we can get the first two fish. The cruise will be fun for all. See you there.

[L11]

Benlynn, you are welcome anytime! We will see you there on the rollcall or at the CC party.

 

Linda

[pvpam]

Benlynn - Yes - Galeria Uno is in the downtown, one block up (east) from the Malecon on Morelos and Corona Street. A lovely gallery and the first in Puerto Vallarta.

Onefunnygirl - Canopy Tours Los Veranos is VERY safety oriented!

[onefunnygirl]

Canopy Tours Los Veranos looked like alot of fun. I will have to make reservations there. They said they will pick us up from the ship. I just hope they don't want us to get there too early *laughing*

[MSN-Travelers]

Pam ...

 

How is the southern Malecon extension project coming along?

Have they made the connection from Hooters to the pedestrian bridge?

Have they completed the section from the pedestrian bridge to Olas Atlas at Plaza Cardenas?

[WHYTSHLDRZ]

Hi, Pam~

 

I have been all over the net trying to find you, so hope that this works! Can you please send me a copy of your guide to P.V.????

 

I took your suggestion and ate at the Blue Shrimp and the meal was wonderful. Very cute place and the people were so nice!!!

 

I need your info, my computer crashed, and all was lost. I am coming to P.V. again in Nov. and need that info!!!

 

Thanks,

Maric/a911 Chick

whytshldrz@aol.com

[patnrick]

Hi Pam,

This is the first time my wife and I will be in PV and since we are redecorating our home, she was interested in the tour of a tile factory that is in our shore excursion book. However, we would like to do it alone instead of in a group.

Do you know what factory they might be talking about, where it is, and do they give individual tours?

Thanks for your help

Rick

[BenLynn]

We recently bought a piece of art form Gallery Uno in PV. They told us the price was $500 U. S. and we could get a 10% discount for cash. They offered to take us to the ship to get the cash. We said that we would buy the piece of art but were going to another art gallery . At the other art gallery we called Gallery Uno and todl them that we would pay by credit card and would stop by on our waythe ship to pick it up. Whiole I waited in a cab my wife went in and picked up the art and signed for it. When we got on the ship and reviewed the invoice ,we discovered that they had charged us more than the agreed upon $500. We emailed them and asked them to correct the amount by received no reply. We just received our chage card bill and are contesting the charge. Is their any gov"t agency in PV to contact about this problem? I hope that it just an honest mistake as I bought another piece of art form them 15 years ago without a problem. Can someone offer any advise beofe I take this to the next level?

Thanks. You can email me at bgoldman@ssd.com

[BenLynn]

BENLYNN - There are so many wonderful galleries here in Puerto Vallarta. You can take a bus or a taxi to the downtown and just wander up and down the side-streets and you will run into numerous galleries. The "original" gallery in Vallarta would be Galeria Uno, which is located on Corona Street, one block up from the Malecon. If you go there, they will have some pamphlets from the Art Walks in Puerto Vallarta. Even though you will not be here at the day-time they are running, no problem. You can follow the map on the pamphlet in that area and see quite a few.

SUNSHINE - There are so many things to see-do here, it would be impossible to do it one day. (Sometimes not even in a week!). You can take the bus from the Terminal Marina where you will be docked to the downtown, but I suggest staying on the bus, pass the downtown, go over the bridge into Old Vallarta. Here you will be able to wander the side streets and see numerous unique shops-crafts. Go to the Main Plaza which is in front of the large cathedral to take a break, sit and watch the world go by. Check out the cathedral. In this same area, you will see the Municipal Offices. Go up the steps into the building and you will find a wonderful, huge mural done by Manuel Lepe - the artist from Vallarta who created the "naif" drawings (like little cherubs with wings flying around Vallarta). Stroll the Malecon (boardwalk). Stop at a beachside restaurant for a margarita. You could wander for days!

We had a great time in PV but see my request about GalleryUno's incorrect chage for a painting that I bought from them. Any help appreciated. you can email me at bgoldman@ssd.com

[jjanous]

Hola Pam,

I hope you still read this thread and will respond to my question. We will be PV in March 2006 and wanted to do the Jungle Tour. We found a website puertovallartatours.net. Do you know about this company? The cruise ship offers this same tour for a hour less and more money and we wanted the best experience. Thank you in advance for your assistance.

[fun2travel]

PVPam

Do you know anything about the diving in PV in the month of March?

 

Thanks!!!

[cc cruiser]

Hi PV Pam,

 

Do you have any suggestions for excursions or activities for children, ages 3,5,6 & 8. They would love the pirate boat, but is there a minimum age? We are a party of 13 so we are able to split into age appropriate activities. Your help is greatly appreciated!