Excursions

Most of the threads on excursions are about a year old so that is why this is probably a repeat question.

Can you walk off the ship, Princess, and get a shore excursion from a vendor? Mainly talking about the whale watching ones...possibly on a zodiac. If so, do you know approximate price?

Thank you.

Most of the threads on excursions are about a year old so that is why this is probably a repeat question.

 

Can you walk off the ship, Princess, and get a shore excursion from a vendor? Mainly talking about the whale watching ones...possibly on a zodiac. If so, do you know approximate price?

 

Thank you.

In Cabo which is a tender port, there are lots of vendors just off the dock selling all types of tours and boat rides. The price varies greatly depending on what you want and who you deal with. It is best to start walking away to see if the price drops. It usually will.

Yes, you can book tours & excursions once you get off the ship. However, a number of top tier excursions/activities can only be booked aboard/through the ship.

You might check out http://puertovallartatours.net to get an idea what activities are available in Vallarta and typical pricing. The referenced web site is a third-party tour broker, they don't actually operate any excursions.

Know that any excursions where Vallarta Adventures is the operator must be purchased through the ship. It's a contract thing.

Enjoy!

Yes, you can book tours & excursions once you get off the ship. However, a number of top tier excursions/activities can only be booked aboard/through the ship.

 

You might check out http://puertovallartatours.net to get an idea what activities are available in Vallarta and typical pricing. The referenced web site is a third-party tour broker, they don't actually operate any excursions.

 

Know that any excursions where Vallarta Adventures is the operator must be purchased through the ship. It's a contract thing.

 

Enjoy!

Thank you. This is what I have been trying to find out!

Also check mazatlantours.org. Same kind of offerings. Cabo has a similar site. Just start Googling tours in each port.

Jim

Can someone please tell me how much it costs for a taxi from the Cruise port in Puerto Vallarta to Old Town? Can you find one that will hold 5 adults?

Just there last week. A shared taxi for 8 was $6 a person.

Thanks you mel8kri for the info on the taxi's!!!

Just there last week. A shared taxi for 8 was $6 a person.

OMG.....they really took advantage. A yellow taxi from the port area to Centro (downtown) would be around 120 Pesos (which is about $6.50...and that would be for the entire taxi which can carry at least 3 persons and often 4.. Since we love PV (and live here in the winter) we really are unhappy when we hear about taxis taking advantage of anyone.

One problem is that the taxis that work inside the Marina are permitted to charge a higher fare. Simply walk out to the main road and grab a yellow taxi. And if you want to save even more, just get on any bus with "Centro" in the window and pay 7.5 Pesos (less than 50 cents).

Hank

One of our favorite shore excursions on the Mexican Riviera was with Juan Bernardo Pena. We call hm “The Juan and Only”, but he actually goes by the name Berny. We found him to be so charming, entertaining and knowledgeable that we have toured with him 3 different times over the past 10 years. We had a great time every time, felt totally safe and highly recommend his services. He is really charming and you can meet him and learn more about his company on his web site is http://www.mytoursvallarta.com

He offers several tours including a Canopy Tour and he will customize a tour to meet your specific needs and interests. We usually do his basic City & Tropical Tour which includes visits to Malecon downtown, a drive through the residential area, numerous scenic stops for photos, tequila tasting, shopping stops and a delightful lunch at a Mexican restaurant situated just above the river cascades in the rain forest. The tour lasted about 5 hours and cost about $25-30 pp.

He is really charming and his email is: juan_onlyjr@hotmail.com

Bon Voyage!

Madonna

PS *Oh & he is so, so very charming...Or did I say that already? ;)

Be sure to tell him the "Princesses recommended him".

OMG.....they really took advantage. A yellow taxi from the port area to Centro (downtown) would be around 120 Pesos (which is about $6.50...and that would be for the entire taxi which can carry at least 3 persons and often 4.. Since we love PV (and live here in the winter) we really are unhappy when we hear about taxis taking advantage of anyone.

 

One problem is that the taxis that work inside the Marina are permitted to charge a higher fare. Simply walk out to the main road and grab a yellow taxi. And if you want to save even more, just get on any bus with "Centro" in the window and pay 7.5 Pesos (less than 50 cents).

 

Hank

For the 3 of us to go to Old Town, we paid $8 for a yellow taxi at the gas station.

Here are the current rates for the taxis at the port. Zone 3 is for old town.

For the 3 of us to go to Old Town, we paid $8 for a yellow taxi at the gas station.

 

Here are the current rates for the taxis at the port. Zone 3 is for old town.

At the risk of boring everyone I will try to explain a few taxi things. We have two kinds of taxis in the PV area, the regular yellow taxis (a few are white) and the so-called Federal Taxis (usually white or off-white)....which is what your rate sheet is about. Those Federally licensed taxis charge more then the much more common yellow taxis, and they only are allowed to pick-up passengers at the Cruise Port and Airport. Because of their restricted taxi license they are not permitted to pick up folks anywhere else in PV...so must go back from town empty. Their fares, are actually set by the government in Pesos..although you can find rate sheets converted to dollars (at a lousy exchange rate).

The regular Yellow taxis are not permitted to pick up passengers inside the cruise port area or at the airport. In fact, many travelers who fly into our airport will take the pedestrian bridge over the highway so they can get to the other side of the road where there are yellow taxis who charge less money then the airport/federal taxis.

We normally suggest that independent cruisers who want a taxi simply walk out of the port and up to the main road (SAms and Walmart are across that road) where you can find the less expensive Yellow taxis or the even cheaper local buses (only 7.5 Pesos per ride).

We also advise that some taxi drivers will try to overcharge folks (especially uninformed cruisers) so one should always ask the fare before you get in a taxi. There is also no need to tip taxi drivers here, but we usually do tip about 10 Pesos (60 cents) for a nice driver.

Hank