Mexico Riveria

Would you be able to give me some assistance please in booking tours. I have booked the 10 day Mexico - Riviera cruise on Crown Princess, 23 September 2015. I have never been to this area so are asking some advice on tours. Happy to book ship excurisions as I'm travelling solo and my roll call is not busy, like it is with transatlantics.

I don't mind snorkelling, sailing, walking around visting the sites but I've no idea which excurions are worth considering.

This is the itinerary.

San Diego, California

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

La Paz, Mexico

Loreto, Mexico

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Any advice much appreciated. Thanks, Sarah

Greetings.

For San Diego, I'd say go to the Zoo (if you like that sort of thing!). It's very easy to do on your own, that is, take a taxi (under $20 USD) and pay the entrance fee. You don't need a ship tour for this one. Taxis are readily available at the pier and at the Zoo for the return.

Cheers.

Greetings.

 

For San Diego, I'd say go to the Zoo (if you like that sort of thing!). It's very easy to do on your own, that is, take a taxi (under $20 USD) and pay the entrance fee. You don't need a ship tour for this one. Taxis are readily available at the pier and at the Zoo for the return.

 

Cheers.

Thanks very much for the suggestion. I hadn't even thought of the Zoo.

Would you be able to give me some assistance please in booking tours. I have booked the 10 day Mexico - Riviera cruise on Crown Princess, 23 September 2015. I have never been to this area so are asking some advice on tours. Happy to book ship excurisions as I'm travelling solo and my roll call is not busy, like it is with transatlantics.

I don't mind snorkelling, sailing, walking around visting the sites but I've no idea which excurions are worth considering.

This is the itinerary.

 

San Diego, California

You dock right downtown, next to the USS Midway museum aircraft carrier. Just a short walk south is Seaport Village shopping. A short walk north is the Maritime museum. You can also walk over to the Santa Fe Terminal and take the trolly to Old Town. We have been to the zoo in the past, but didn't go there on this trip. It's one of the best zoos in the U.S. You will need transportation to get to the zoo. We also noticed harbor cruises right near the cruise pier.

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

This is a tender port. The tender stops at the Marina and there are lots of shops and restaurants in the marina area. There are also hotels close by where you can spend the day at the beach. If you like the beach you can further research these hotels.

La Paz, Mexico

We were only at LaPaz for a half day. The ship docks about 1/2 hour from town at a commercial port, and there is a shuttle. Since we were there for only a short time we just browsed around at the vendors that were set up on the pier. I can't comment on the city itself.

Loreto, Mexico

A very nice port that is not spoiled by too many cruise ships. We walked into the old area where the original mission is located. The street is for walkers only. Not many cruise ships visit at Loreto and the people were happy to see us. This is a tender port.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

We took a taxi from the pier down to the Malecon beachwalk area. It's a nice place to stroll and shop. You can't really walk there from the pier, it's too far along busy streets, plus the route may or may not be safe.

Any advice much appreciated. Thanks, Sarah

We just did this itinerary. Just to give you an idea here are some low cost things we did in the ports.

Or SeaWorld in SD.

We just did this trip on the Golden.

In San Diego we bought tickets online and walked to the USS Midway for a tour. I thought it was very interesting and there were a lot of docents to give you a historical perspective. The last time we were in San Diego we did the Old Town Trolley which will let you off in several places including Balboa Park where you can go to the zoo.

In Puerto Vallarta I really recommend the Las Caletas tour through Princess. You can't book this one directly since they have a contract with the cruise line. It was a very enjoyable day that includes food and drinks.

La Paz is the capital of Baja California and is pretty but not really special. We walked around there and had lunch. The big draw is swimming with whale sharks which I heard good things about.

Loreto is a really cute town with a charming street where only foot traffic is allowed. Lots of shops and good places to eat.

i will second the Las Caletas Hideway tour in Puerto Vallarta.. An excellent day. We look forward to doing it again next time in PV.

One thing you can do to research is to 1) get a guide book (public libraries have them and if there's one you like and want to take with you on the cruise, you can get the latest edition on Amazon) and 2) google each port as there will be a ton of tourism sites.

That way, you'll be able to see what interests you and then if you want to do an excursion, you can look for one that goes to those sites or do those things. Rather than wait for people here to suggest ones that have interested them.

Would you be able to give me some assistance please in booking tours. I have booked the 10 day Mexico - Riviera cruise on Crown Princess, 23 September 2015. I have never been to this area so are asking some advice on tours. Happy to book ship excurisions as I'm travelling solo and my roll call is not busy, like it is with transatlantics.

 

Just a bit of advice- you are going during hurricane season which is not so much a danger (the ships avoid the problem areas) but therein lays the problem. You may miss a port or two and so forth. You need to be flexible and adjust as you go. Ship tours will be easier to cancel than private ones.

 

We have done this 10 day cruise twice and loved it each time.

 

Redwood

i will second the Las Caletas Hideway tour in Puerto Vallarta.. An excellent day. We look forward to doing it again next time in PV.

Yes! We enjoyed that excursion too. :D

In Loreto, we have twice enjoyed the music in the plaza by the city hall. There is a group of four men who sing and play guitars, and a group of dancers at about 11:00 that do a variety of dances. No charge, but they do accept tips. And there are chairs available.

I third the suggestion for Las Caletas in Puerto Vallarta. It is a top notch excursion. We have done it twice and would definitely do it again!

Best tour was San Javier mission tour in Loreto. Not that impressed with the beach at Las Calettas. Very rocky and rough water. Snorkling equipment was not very good.

We've done the 9 & 10 day version of this cruise on Princess.

Another idea for San Diego is the Maritime Museum. To the left of the ship. There are about 8 ships and boats, including replicas done for the movies. You can take a 45 minute harbor tour on a 100yo pilot boat as an add on.

La Paz is a wonderful, friendly town. From the bus station we walked up to the Plaza. The church and museum are at opposite ends. Across the street from the museum is a Michoacana, an ice cream store. I really like the pineapple paleta (popsicle). Last time we found a restaurant attached to one of the markets. But traveling alone and not being familiar with the area I'm not going to suggest it. If there is a whale shark excursion available, take it. It's amazing.

Cabo was built up for the American tourist. Taco Loco is very good. It's in front of Cabo Wabo.

We just walk around Loreto. El Taco Rey is very good.

In Puerto Vallarta we've taken the bus into town for 7.50 pesos.

The church is pretty. The River Cuale is an interesting art walk.

One tour to consider is to the town of Bucerias.

****

Restaurants use filtered water and ice. Never been sick eating in Mexico though I do avoid most street carts.

Bathroom etiquette --- plumbing in Mexico is interesting. It's best to throw all paper into the trash can.

***

Look on the California Coastal, West Coast Departure and Mexican Riviera boards for more info.

Many thanks for the time people have taken to put suggestions forward. I will go through them this afternoon and make some bookings.

I do have a Eyewitness guide book on Mexico so I take all the suggestions and continue to read up about the area.

Also, thanks for the tip about it being hurricane season. I had no idea. I shall keep that in mind.

Sarah

If there is a whale shark excursion available, take it. It's amazing.

 

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There is an excurison. Quite a few places have gone already. So I booked this one straight away. Can always alter things later on. Thanks for the suggestion. Though coming from Australia and the word shark. One tends to get a little bit freaked.

They're only dangerous if you swim in front of them. Might get sucked in. They're plankton eaters.

Thanks very much for the suggestion. I hadn't even thought of the Zoo.

No need for a Taxi to get to the zoo. Do a search on San Diego public transit and you will find a city bus that picks you up on Broadway, a short walk from the cruise terminal, and the bus lets you off right in front of the zoo walkway. It's also easy to get back too. I used SD Transit and saved my money for other things. At the zoo take the zoo train the goes around the zoo so you can see many things and you can get off anywhere it stops and reboard it again. There is a bus that comes from the airport that stops near the cruise terminal that goes on Broadway but when I checked the schedule it was easier to walk to Broadway to catch the bus to the zoo. The cruise ship also has tours to the zoo but on your own you can come and go when you want.

Yes it is a great zoo.

Tom:)

Couldn't disagree more with the above post. You're only in port for a few hours -- no savings is worth wasting your precious limited time on a public bus; it'll take forever to get where you're going. Just grab a cab; it's not like the cab ride is some huge extravagance, for pete's sake. My time is more valuable than a few dollars saved.

i will second the Las Caletas Hideway tour in Puerto Vallarta.. An excellent day. We look forward to doing it again next time in PV.

I have done this tour several times and have had a wonderful, relaxing day. I would highly recommend it too.

On a Princess cruise to Mexico in November, my husband and I did two excellent ship excursions in Loreto and La Paz that were the highlights of the cruise for us.

In Loreto, our group traveled in small boats to Coronado Island, where we snorkeled, lunched and hiked around the island. Our group had the place to ourselves.

In La Paz, we took the sea kayaking excursion with a small group and a guide. Incredible! We paddled around Banderas Bay, stopping at a beach for a swim, again, all to ourselves.

I have two suggestions that I don't think have been made. One, go to the port section of this boards. There is a lot of discussion about excursions there. I have been on this itinerary twice and still check it out.

There is also a thread now about the best and worst excursions going right now. I would read that thread. I enjoy it very much. It is not just about this cruise but and tours anywhere.

Best and Worse Princess Tours you have done.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2201423

On a Princess cruise to Mexico in November, my husband and I did two excellent ship excursions in Loreto and La Paz that were the highlights of the cruise for us.

 

In Loreto, our group traveled in small boats to Coronado Island, where we snorkeled, lunched and hiked around the island. Our group had the place to ourselves.

 

In La Paz, we took the sea kayaking excursion with a small group and a guide. Incredible! We paddled around Banderas Bay, stopping at a beach for a swim, again, all to ourselves.

I think you have mixed up the name of the port or the bay.

Banderas Bay is at Puerto Vallarta.

I think you have mixed up the name of the port or the bay.

 

Banderas Bay is at Puerto Vallarta.

Yep, it was Balandra Bay.

We just got off a similar itinerary on the Star Princess out of San Francisco.

We got off in only two ports:

Loreto - I arranged an ATV tour, independent of Princess with Vive Loreto Tours. We were VERY happy with the end result - the company picked us up at the port, we did a couple of hours+ on the ATV and then they returned us to town at the top of the old town walking avenue that others have mentioned. My wife and son really enjoyed the ATVs - given you are solo - perhaps consider getting some others together via CC to do it with you if you are interested. We were a group of 3 and it worked very well.

If that is too adventurous, the old town area is worth a visit. My son loved a store there where the seller made art (in his case, dinosaurs) with sea shells. He picked up a souvenir there.

The other port we left the ship for was Puerto Vallarta - we had no organised tour, we jumped in a taxi van at the pier that took us to the Malecon in the old part of town ($4/person), where we walked down the waterfront (now closed to traffic) until we came upon Bar Océano where we had a most delicious lunch and margaritas. They also have free wifi - so it's great for catching up with home if you need to. We then stopped in the Opal Mine store, where I got some nice jewelry for the wife. The store is themed as if you were in a mine and they provide bottled water. We wondered back along the Malecon and ended up getting a Yellow taxi back to the ship for $4/person. Near where the ship is docked, there was a parrot enclosure that we checked out before re-boarding the ship. My wife and son had fun interacting with the parrots.