"Outdoor Adventure" in PV?

[firstimer2]

I've just found this tour and am starting to research it. It sounds very interesting. Does anyone know if there is a "transport only" rate so if some of our group isn't physically able to do the rapelling/ziplining (we have 2 elderly people & 2 small children), they could ride along and wait at the base camp for us? It sounds like there are light refreshments available and maybe the swimming place is close enough the kids could do that? Or maybe it's not feasible at all?

 

I wouldn't recommend anyone going along unless they are going on the adventure. It is a fast speed boat ride, then a really bumpy army type truck ride to base camp. Elderly or small children, if they survive, will not enjoy themselves at base camp. There is nothing to do and it would be a long wait for you to get done. Don't get me wrong, we loved this excursion, but it is really only for the healthy and over 12 years old or so. Have them do something different, like go to a beach for the day or shopping. They will be happier. :)

[2moody]

Hey, my brother in law is doing this with us in September he weighs about 245. I have seen both 220 and 250 weight limit so we are going with the

250 limit that the place we booked with had. I will let you all know if we had any problems. Thanks for the price on the pictures we have a big group so bringing cash maybe the way to go for us and just get picture cd there.

[deevmo]

Are all the pictures still shots or is there a dvd or you actually on the zipline?

If there is a dvd - is it just of you or of the whole group you are with?

Thanks again!

[scotte]

So I sent emails to two of the tour resellers listed in this thread, and they said all of the tours had been sold out until 2:00 pm. I thought it was okay to mention to them that I was coming in on a cruise, but now I wonder if I should have withheld that piece of information. Are they really sold out or are they just contractually obligated to tell cruise passengers that they are? Now I'll have to try booking it online . . . I'd really like to get in cheaper than the $129 offered by the cruise line.

 

I also wanted to make sure on the weight limit, so I called vallarta adventures and they said it is in fact 250, but that people consistently underestimate their weight so they put 220 in the cruise line brochures so they don't end up having to turn people away.

 

Thanks,

Scott

[Eeyoregon]

Are they really sold out or are they just contractually obligated to tell cruise passengers that they are? Now I'll have to try booking it online . . . I'd really like to get in cheaper than the $129 offered by the cruise line.

 

Hmmm. You may be right. I booked directly online and emailed back and forth with an employee with all of my questions, etc.

 

You might check directly online and see what is available.

 

To the poster who asked about time/length. I believe it was about 5 hours from start (meeting place) to finish...maybe a tiny bit longer.

[2moody]

Okay so here is the update. I booked with vallarta adventures for the outdoor adventures got a great deal there are 13 of us and we paid our time slot was 1pm. I just got a email from them saying that there was a problem with our reservation and the cruise ship had booked everything up. So yeah my great price is gone. I am still talking to them but right now even with a group of 13 they say they can't do anything about it. That the 1pm time slot was a mistake and they could get us on 9 am, but the boat gets in at 9 am so no go. I really want to do this but now the thought of paying double the cost through the ship is not a happy one.

[firstimer2]

Okay so here is the update. I booked with vallarta adventures for the outdoor adventures got a great deal there are 13 of us and we paid our time slot was 1pm. I just got a email from them saying that there was a problem with our reservation and the cruise ship had booked everything up. So yeah my great price is gone. I am still talking to them but right now even with a group of 13 they say they can't do anything about it. That the 1pm time slot was a mistake and they could get us on 9 am, but the boat gets in at 9 am so no go. I really want to do this but now the thought of paying double the cost through the ship is not a happy one.

 

I say book with the cruise line. You won't be sorry. No worries and you will have a blast. We had to buy 4 tickets and I still don't regret the price.

[Eeyoregon]

That the 1pm time slot was a mistake and they could get us on 9 am, but the boat gets in at 9 am so no go. I really want to do this but now the thought of paying double the cost through the ship is not a happy one.

 

I would honestly call and talk to them and tell them exactly what time the ship docks and see if they will adjust that tour to 9:30. I think you could totally make it as you don't have to tender and can walk right off the ship and onto the zodiac boat that is right there. Plus, with a group of 13 ( I think the biggest group they take is 20 at a time) I bet they would really like the business and that is a nice sized group.

 

Good luck...let us know what happens!

 

Gina

[2moody]

Yeah they the cruise ship bought up all the slots and won't release them until that day. They have a 9 am and they said they wouldn't wait for us.We my try to buy the tickets that morning after they are released. I called the cruise line and found only 18 out of 120 slots have been filled and the cruise is a week and a half away.

[cwtc]

I was reading on Trip Advisor that, among other things, sunglasses cannot be worn. If you aren't able to wear sunglasses (I'm assuming because they may fall off) what about somebody who has to wear glasses. Does anybody have any experience doing this excursion while wearing glasses?

[MSN-Travelers]

Yeah they the cruise ship bought up all the slots and won't release them until that day. They have a 9 am and they said they wouldn't wait for us.We my try to buy the tickets that morning after they are released. I called the cruise line and found only 18 out of 120 slots have been filled and the cruise is a week and a half away.

 

Vallarta Adventures is under contract, by a number of cruise lines, to provide a variety of excursions in Vallarta. Under the terms of that contract, they are not supposed to sell directly to cruise ship passengers if the ship they arrive on also offers that tour. They are giving you the very same answer they give to all cruisers.

 

You might consider booking this excursion through one of the third-party tour brokers like PuertoVallartaTours or VallartaOnline. Both brokers offer this activity and may be able to book this excursion at a time that works better for you vs. hoping slots will be available upon your arrival.

 

Enjoy!

[sadajo]

I was reading on Trip Advisor that, among other things, sunglasses cannot be worn. If you aren't able to wear sunglasses (I'm assuming because they may fall off) what about somebody who has to wear glasses. Does anybody have any experience doing this excursion while wearing glasses?

 

We did the Outdoor Adventure in July and they did let me keep on my prescription sunglasses (although they tried to talk me out of it - nicely). I had the glasses on a "leash" and never worried about losing them, but they did get wet and dirty because you get fully drenched several times. I just wiped them off the best I could on my wet clothes and carried on. It was an awesome excursion! :)

[Eeyoregon]

I was reading on Trip Advisor that, among other things, sunglasses cannot be worn. If you aren't able to wear sunglasses (I'm assuming because they may fall off) what about somebody who has to wear glasses. Does anybody have any experience doing this excursion while wearing glasses?

 

The biggest problem area would be the zip-line that ends in the waterfall pool. I was going soooooo fast and hit the water soooooo hard (went completely underwater) that my helmet actually came off. If you can somehow break hard enough to keep from being submerged, then you should be fine.

 

To the cruise passengers trying to book privately, this is who I booked thru and had great success http://vallarta-info.com/tours.html They knew I was a cruise passenger, as was almost everyone in our tour group and were happy to accomodate us.

[scotte]

The biggest problem area would be the zip-line that ends in the waterfall pool. I was going soooooo fast and hit the water soooooo hard (went completely underwater) that my helmet actually came off. If you can somehow break hard enough to keep from being submerged, then you should be fine.

 

To the cruise passengers trying to book privately, this is who I booked thru and had great success http://vallarta-info.com/tours.html They knew I was a cruise passenger, as was almost everyone in our tour group and were happy to accomodate us.

 

That's a little scary that you hit the water so hard your helmet came off! Any tips on braking?

 

We tried vallarta-info.com/tours for the booking, but they told us that Royal Caribbean had actually reserved every available slot before 2:00 pm on the day we're there. We're booked through the cruise line, but I'm wondering if RCCL will release the unbooked slots at some point so we can cancel and re-book directly. Anyone have any experience with this?

 

Thanks!

Scott

[2moody]

Vallarta adventures told me the cruise line doesn't release the spots until that morning. We are just going to try to book that morning. I called the cruise and only about %15 percent of the slots have been booked and we are a week out so our chance are pretty good. We have a big group and are taking kids so the $140 price tag is too high. We are going to try to bargain with them that morning. Wish us luck I will let you know what happens.

[abqnoble]

We are considering the Outdoor Adventure in June. The only times available are 2pm from Marina Vallarta and 3pm from Nuevo Vallarta. From the website and the reviews it appears that the tour is between 5 and 6 hours long. How does that work with a trip leaving at 3pm? Doesn't it get dark by 7pm? Also, what is the difference between leaving from Marina Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta. We are currently thinking that we may be at Nuevo Vallarta already for a dolphin excursion, so we were inclined to go with that one. But I don't want to rappel in the dark!

 

Thanks in advance.

[Snippy123]

Has anyone done the "Outdoor Adventure" in Puerto Vallarta? It is offered through the cruiseship and described as:

 

"The adventure begins with a thrilling speed boat ride across the bay to a secluded beach. Once on land you will board a Unimog 4x4 and drive into the heart of the tropical forests where you'll learn a variety of wilderness techniques, ride mules, splash through streams, rappel through waterfalls into natural river pools, and soar 200 feet above the ground over the jungle foliage on a series of incredible zip lines."

 

I have done the "Los Veranos Canopy Tour" and loved it, so when I saw this one I thought it sounded awesome. I was just wondering if anyone has actually done this particular (Outdoor Adventure) Canopy Tour and was wondering what you thought of it? Also, I found the website for the company who offers this "Outdoor adventure" (the same one the ship uses) and the price is considerably less (like $40 a person) so I was wondering if anyone has booked this on their own, outside of the cruiseline, and if so how did it work out? Any problems? Any info would be appreciated :p Thanks!

 

We just took this tour last Thursday and it was incredible! I would highly recommend it. $40.00 a person if considerably cheaper than we paid through the cruise line, but booking through the cruise line you are guaranteed that the ship will wait for you if you are delayed and "Outdoor Adventure" is quite a ways away. There was even a tequila tasting stop added at the end, yum.

[toezinthesand]

Snippy, who did you go through for $40pp? Were you concerned about getting back to the ship ontime?

[MSN-Travelers]

Snippy, who did you go through for $40pp? Were you concerned about getting back to the ship ontime?

 

Snippy was making a comment on Krazeniq posting. I think the actual message in Krazeniq quote was they had found out they would save $40 per person by booking direct with the tour operator vs. the ship's price.

 

A resort guest, booking online, would pay roughly $40 less that the $120+ that the ship charges. $98 regular cost - 15% if booked online at least 72 hrs in advance = $83.30

 

Some third party tour brokers may be able to book this excursion independently but that is where you have to do the detective work to find one.

 

Good Luck & Enjoy!

[bzy1]

In June, it doesn't get dark here until around 9:30 PM.

Also, just a heads up, when you book tours independently, you do run the risk of missing the tour or missing the boat *pun intended*...

I see every week people who did not realize that ship time and port time are often two different things, so they assumed docking in Vallarta at 9:00 AM meant 9:00 AM Vallarta time. So, make sure you know the PORT time.

Also know that ships do dock late sometimes, or switch schedules/ports, and that usually people who book tours through the ship have priority disembarking, so do not think you will be off the ship right at a specific time.

 

Tour companies know that each ship brings them many customers so of course they will give priority to the cruise ships and schedule tours tailored to the cruise ship's time in port.

So, why is the cost higher?

 

Mainly because cruise ships have incredibly cheap deals on trips and to make up the money they lose they have lots of add-ons that get them out of the "loss leader" red and into the black, such as bar drinks, gift shops, internet, casinos, photos, art shows and of course tours.

 

The price of the tours goes up because the cruise ship eats the loss for their allotments if the ship is late or changes schedule. The cruise ship has to have a a secondary insurance policy for the tours and that is one reason why the cruise ships are very selective about what tour companies they use, the cruise ship often includes transportation/pick-up right at the dock for some tours that if you were not booked through the cruise ship, you would have to arrange and pay for yourself and some include lunch that is not normally provided, depending on the tour or tour company. But the main thing is the 100% Refund policy the ships have if for some reason they cannot get you to the tour on time or if something should happen to the tour *like transport breaks down* that you get a refund or the ship waits, etc.

 

I've booked both ways but once after almost missing the boat in St. Lucia after getting caught on the wrong side of a landslide, I think I will just bite the bullet and buy through the ship in the future.

[belkin]

Hi,

 

We really want to book this trip on our own because it will save us a lot of $$$.

We are on the Carnival Splendor and the price for the trip is $140. I went to Vallarta Adventures to book online and they have put in their terms and conditions (and a couple other places) that if you are a cruise ship passenger you must book thru the ship. I then called Puerto Vallarta Tours which was mentioned in this thread and was told if I was on the ship I needed to book thru Carnival. Next I went to Vallarta Info and their reservation page has a spot where you have to list your motel and the name that the room is booked under.

 

Has anyone out there that was on a Carnival ship booked this tour on their own recently? Do I dare accept the terms and conditions even though we are on a ship? Any thoughts/ideas would be appreciated :)

[belkin]

I posted this under the outdoor adventure thread but havent had any response.

 

We really want to book this trip on our own because it will save us a lot of $$$.

We are on the Carnival Splendor and the price for the trip is $140. I went to Vallarta Adventures to book online and they have put in their terms and conditions (and a couple other places) that if you are a cruise ship passenger you must book thru the ship. I then called Puerto Vallarta Tours which was mentioned in this thread and was told if I was on the ship I needed to book thru Carnival. Next I went to Vallarta Info and their reservation page has a spot where you have to list your motel and the name that the room is booked under.

 

Has anyone out there that was on a Carnival ship booked this tour on their own recently? Do I dare accept the terms and conditions even though we are on a ship? Any thoughts/ideas would be appreciated

[belkin]

oooops

[lintman]

We are going to book this excursion and I have a question. My wife was wondering what kind of shorts people that have gone on it wore since you get wet?

 

Thanks for any help you can give.

[firstimer2]

I wore a bathing suit bottom with board shorts over it. You can wear pretty much anything, but you will get soaked! The straps go around and through your bottom, so keep that in mind. Have fun. :)

 

I see you are going on the Mariner. We did too. It was great!