Advice on ports... with toddlers

[poppan]

We are going on a full transit cruise in November with my parents and our two children aged 2.5 years. Ports are:

 

Cartagena

Puntarenas

Huatulco

Acapulco

Cabo San Lucas

 

I was planning on doing all the ports on our own so I don't have to worry about schlepping car seats along or child care while I'm on a zip line. My ideal would be to get off the boat, walk to a beach or go window/real shopping or have a cup of coffee at a cafe and people watch. Is this possible for the above ports? I started reading here and saw that Acapulco seems to be walkable to the cliff divers, and I'm assuming we can walk to a beach in Huatulco and Cabo (but perhaps I should not assume anything). Cartagena sounds a bit forbidding -- with people saying join a ship's tour or don't get off the boat -- is it really all that dangerous? And is there really truly absolutely nothing to do in Puntarenas unless we do a tour some way somehow?

[BillB48]

When we did the cliff divers in Accapulco, it seemed like the ride was a little longer than you would really want to walk from where the ship docked. Where it may be possible, just not too sure as to how far it is.

 

Huatulco, walking to the beach is certainly an option, beach, there's a beach at the foot of the pier. As far as Cabo, I did not really notice where the acess to the beach was, I don't think it would be too far away, however there are lots of shops etc in the area you get off the tender.

 

Cartagena, probably the worst is the very agressive street vendors. They do take no for an answer but there is always another one to take his place! If you don't have the name of an independent tour operator, I think you would be better off on a ship's tour. Ver interesting city.

 

Not a whole lot in Punta Arenas proper. There is a back sand beach right near the pier, lots of locals were enjoying it.

[poppan]

Thank you for the excellent information! Just what I was looking for. I will look into Cartagena more, although if the worst is that you are accosted by aggressive street vendors, I don't mind that so much.

[BillB48]

Your welcome, I went back and re-read my post, about the street vendors in Cartagena, aggressive might convey the wrong image. They just are very persistent, but do take no for an answer. In Punta Arenas, that should be black sand beach. Guess I needed more coffee and a proofreader;).