Cruise line Snorkel/Beach excursion questions Mex Riv

[jbobst]

We are doing the 10 day Radiance in March, and I was hoping someone could offer some advice on the excursion options. I am specifically looking at a couple of different ones:

 

First, the "Captain's Choice" Snorkel Adventure in Acapulco. Anyone done this before? Is it worth the cost? I have a 9 year old and 12 year old who are excellent swimmers and like to snorkel. Is the boat they take you on nice or pretty dumpy?

 

Second, has anyone done the "Picante Catamaran Sail and Snorkel" in Ixtapa/Zih? I like to just go to the beach in Zihuatanejo, but the Catamaran snorkel excursion looks good...but slightly costly (at least compared with getting a taxi to the beach).

 

Finally, in Cabo, there is a Chileno Bay Snorkel trip offered on the "Tropicat" catamaran. Can anyone recommend this excursion or offer advice on whether or not it's worth the cost?

 

Pictures would be great too if anyone has them!

 

Thanks!

Jeff

[RCS2cruise]

We've just booked for the Carnival Spirit MR cruise next February and were also interested in the Picante Catamaran Sail & Snorkel in Zihua/Ixtapa. If anyone has taken this tour, we'd love to hear your comments. We're not strong swimmers, and not too comfortable in deep water, so if you have any other suggestions for places with beach side snorkelling, we'd love to hear those suggestions too.

 

Also, how cold is the water for snorkelling in February?

 

Mary Anne

[Kjjd4]

We'll be joining you on that cruise!

 

Joyce and I love to snorkle as well, so I've been doing some research.

 

In CABO:

 

The Eco-cat (caboecotours.com) seems to be a great snorkling tour, and prices are a fair bit below RC's tours (39.00 per adult), but it has no availabily on Sunday the 14th - not sure why.

 

The other recommended tour is the Pezgato (pezgato.com) - but there is some question as to whether they run their 2nd tour on that day. They have one at 10am - too early for our ship, and a 2nd one at noon, but on one of their web pages it said the 2nd tour was during the summer only. They are 45.00 per adult. Kids are cheaper on both.

 

I'll do some calling and get back to you on what I find.

 

In Acapulco, a lot of people recommend taking one of the water taxis (about 3.50) or a glass bottom boat (7.00) to La Roqueta Island (in the bay). Has nice hiking trails, a light house on the summit, and a nice beach with restaurants. You can rent snorkle gear there, and it is supposed to be half decent.

 

All of these are excursions you book on your own - outside of RC's tours. You definately save $$$ that way, but I know some people get nervous about missing the boat, etc. It really depends on what you are comfortable with.

 

Joyce and I have done ship tours and private ones we've booked on the internet, and both have been great. Often the private tours give you more personal service and don't herd you like lemmings.

 

Look forward to meeting you if we get the chance.

 

Kirk & Joyce Brantner

[jbobst]

Thanks for the information Kirk. It could be that the eco cat is booked up because they might be doing the cruise line excursion? I have heard that snorkelling in March could be pretty cold in Cabo, so I think we might just stay on the ship that day (we love port days and staying on board the half empty ship). However, in Acapulco, I was thinking about going out to the La Roqueta island. The Tour on RCCL says that kids under 12 aren't allowed, and my son is 9. So, we may just find a water taxi over to the island for a couple of hours.

 

Feel free to post more information if you get it, or what you and Joyce decide to do! Looking forward to meeting you too possibly!

[mcmarya]

You can easily get to La Roqueta island on your own. You can take a cab--get away from the immediate port area and the aggressive drivers, should only be a few dollars--or the bus, should be around 50 cents each for adults (cross the street, catch one that says La Caleta) to Caleta beach. It's not far and is helpful to tell the driver where you want to get off. Walk between the two beaches to a dock area where you can catch a water taxi to the island. When we were there in Nov. I think it was $4 each round trip. If you want a little tour going to the island I think it is $7. The boats run about every 30 min.

 

When you get to the island, you may be approached by one of the "guides" who will want to take care of you for the day. They don't have a set price, you pay them what you think is fair. It's hard to go hiking around the island on your own as the trails are not well marked and there appear to be some wild dogs near the lighthouse. It is a great view so worth paying a guide to get there if necessary. To snorkel, there are some fish to the left as you face the island. Visibility is not super and you need to watch out for the boats. When I was out, a boat came along to feed the fish and a really big puffer fish came out. Anyway, if you don't want a guide, just say so and they will probably leave you alone.

 

In Zihuatanejo, I highly recommend Playa Las Gatas. You can catch a water taxi at the tender dock for $5 or $6 per person round trip. Again, the boats run fairly often. There is decent snorkeling in the rocks in the middle of the bay in front of the beach. Apparently the chair/umbrella/food vendors can be kind of aggressive but can't tell you from personal experience because we snorkeled from the dock area and never got to the beach. You have to watch for boats going out to the rocks, but once there, it is pretty shallow so the boats won't go there. We talked to some people who took the ship's tour here and the snorkeling tour that day wasn't great as they didn't see any fish. In November, the water was amazingly warm at this beach as well as at La Roqueta island.