NCL-Star Mexican Riv. shore excursion help

[Barbelle]

Going on the April 6 NCL Mexican Riviera cruise (mom with two teenage boys). Has anyone done this cruise????

I am having a difficult time deciding which shore excursions would be the best for the money and which ports we can safely do on our own.

This is my second cruise and the last one I did was RCCL to Europe and found some of the shore excursions were a yawn (possibly because of the age group on a 14 day European trip). My husband and I did most of the ports on our own - but I was traveling with him and felt safer since he speaks a little Spanish, Italian and French so I never felt like we'd have any problems.

I am concerned about doing things on our own in Mexico because of the obvious reasons but I also don't want to waste money on paid excursions that we can easily and comfortably do on our own.

Has anyone gone on the Star to Mexico and have any recommendations. I am looking at two zip line adventures and not sure which to choose (PV or Ixtapa). Mostly, I am not sure if I need to do an excursion in Accapulco or not. We definately want to see the night divers - which is a paid excursion...is it worth it? PV has horseback riding which I think will be cool. The excursion costs can sure add up fast!

Ixtapa has a beach excursion - how difficult to get to the beach on our own?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Also any commentary on the Star to Mexico would be greatly appreciated as well.

Thanks so much....

Belle:confused: :o

[cliffd64]

Going on the April 6 NCL Mexican Riviera cruise (mom with two teenage boys). Has anyone done this cruise????

I am having a difficult time deciding which shore excursions would be the best for the money and which ports we can safely do on our own.

This is my second cruise and the last one I did was RCCL to Europe and found some of the shore excursions were a yawn (possibly because of the age group on a 14 day European trip). My husband and I did most of the ports on our own - but I was traveling with him and felt safer since he speaks a little Spanish, Italian and French so I never felt like we'd have any problems.

I am concerned about doing things on our own in Mexico because of the obvious reasons but I also don't want to waste money on paid excursions that we can easily and comfortably do on our own.

Has anyone gone on the Star to Mexico and have any recommendations. I am looking at two zip line adventures and not sure which to choose (PV or Ixtapa). Mostly, I am not sure if I need to do an excursion in Accapulco or not. We definately want to see the night divers - which is a paid excursion...is it worth it? PV has horseback riding which I think will be cool. The excursion costs can sure add up fast!

Ixtapa has a beach excursion - how difficult to get to the beach on our own?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Also any commentary on the Star to Mexico would be greatly appreciated as well.

Thanks so much....

Belle:confused: :o

 

OK... we just got back from this cruise, and here is our opinion.

 

Acapulco: If you want to see the cliff divers at night... grab a cab right outside the pier where you dock. Trust me, you won't have any trouble finding one. We learned some new Spanish our infornt of the pier... apparently "NO THANKS" means ask me if I want a cab again in 2 minutes :)

 

You can do much better than the ship by taking a cab to the cliff divers. Be sure to negotiate the best price, and they DO understand english :)

 

Xihuatenjo (you don't really go to Ixtapa... you anchor at Xihuatenjo) has several pristine beaches .... you can't go wrong either way by yourself or by using the ship... Las Gatos beach is really nice but will require a boat to get across the bay from where the tender drops you off, so I would recommend the ship's excursion.

 

If you want to do the zip lines, the PV ones were better most people said. Stick with the ship's tour so you don't have to worry about time. Horseback riding is ok... but I think you will be better off sticking to the ship's excursion to ensure you are back on time.

 

In Cabo, the beaches are easy to reach via cabs and water taxi once you get to the marina where the tenders dock. There are also water taxis and tour boats to Lover's Beach, which is really nice out on Land's End! You can save some bucks by booking onshore in Cabo.

 

I posted a review of our trip on the Star at the following link:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=150680

 

Enjoy your cxruise!!! We did!

[dd4iu]

Cliff, were you on the Mar. 13 sailing? I agree with everything except the zipline advice. We did it on our own and it isn't a problem and is cheaper. If you book ahead of time (Los Veranos or Empire) and they have websites, you'll be ok. Just make sure they know what time you have to be back. We shopped for awhile on our own and then did the zipline. I heard that Puerto Vallarta was better for that also and we had a great time! In Cabo, get a smaller boat for whale watching, so you can get closer. Our boat was all you can eat and drink, whale watching, and snorkeling, for $40 and we were out for about 4 hours and had a ball. As Cliff said, you can easily get those right as you get off the boat. I really don't think there are too many reasons to stick with the boat excursions. One other hint...walk a couple blocks away from the boat to get a taxi and you'll get a better price. Definitely go on your own to see the cliff divers. There is a restaurant called la Perla right there, so you might want to plan to eat dinner on the balcony and watch.

[cliffd64]

Cliff, were you on the Mar. 13 sailing? I agree with everything except the zipline advice. We did it on our own and it isn't a problem and is cheaper. If you book ahead of time (Los Veranos or Empire) and they have websites, you'll be ok. Just make sure they know what time you have to be back. We shopped for awhile on our own and then did the zipline. I heard that Puerto Vallarta was better for that also and we had a great time! In Cabo, get a smaller boat for whale watching, so you can get closer. Our boat was all you can eat and drink, whale watching, and snorkeling, for $40 and we were out for about 4 hours and had a ball. As Cliff said, you can easily get those right as you get off the boat. I really don't think there are too many reasons to stick with the boat excursions. One other hint...walk a couple blocks away from the boat to get a taxi and you'll get a better price. Definitely go on your own to see the cliff divers. There is a restaurant called la Perla right there, so you might want to plan to eat dinner on the balcony and watch.

 

I was on the March 5th sailing... just before yours :)

[Barbelle]

Thank you for your help and the awesome review!

 

 

Here are a couple of additional questions if someone has a minute....

 

1. Acapulco....we're there overnight. We won't be diving so I am wondering what to do during the day time once off the tenders - is there a specific place to go to shop (flea market)? Should we get a taxi to give us a tour? Is that safe? Any price structure to the taxi's so we don't get ripped off? (Myself with 13/15 y.o. boys). Has anyone done the enigma rally? That sounded like a good teenager adventure and a way to see everything along the way.

 

What time to the tenders run to and from in Acapulco? Pretty late?

 

If night divers begins at dark (duh) - do we need to make a reservation for the restaurant there? Or...do you recommend a time to arrive to have dinner at LaPerlata and see the night divers? Will that encompass the fort light show they advertise on the shore excursion guide?

 

Sorry if this is a dumb question - I've been to all the other places previously except Acapulco and we're stopped there the longest so I'm trying to get a handle on it.:confused:

 

You can win a cruise singing in the Karaoke contest? Hmmmmmmm.:rolleyes:

 

Did any of the shore excursions sell out?

 

So I think the game plan is....

 

wing it in Acapulco.

 

Do the zipline in PV and have time to shop and eat.

 

Ixtapa/Zh. beach it easily.

 

Cabo - take boat (taxi boat) to Lover's beach snorkel back to land and shop.

 

Sound like a plan?

 

Oh.....one more....are there 2 formal nights? Are there theme nights?

 

We are on the 4/6 departure - any other teenagers in my boy's age group?

 

Thanks a bunch - you folks are wonderful - I will certainly repay the help as I become a more experienced cruiser!

 

Belle

[johnql]

What time to the tenders run to and from in Acapulco? Pretty late?

 

Oh.....one more....are there 2 formal nights? Are there theme nights?

Acapulco is not a tender port. We were docked at the pier.

 

One optional formal night and one "resort elegant" night. Not exactly sure how "resort elegant" is defined. All other nights were "resort casual".

[cliffd64]

Thank you for your help and the awesome review!

 

 

Here are a couple of additional questions if someone has a minute....

 

1. Acapulco....we're there overnight. We won't be diving so I am wondering what to do during the day time once off the tenders - is there a specific place to go to shop (flea market)? Should we get a taxi to give us a tour? Is that safe? Any price structure to the taxi's so we don't get ripped off? (Myself with 13/15 y.o. boys). Has anyone done the enigma rally? That sounded like a good teenager adventure and a way to see everything along the way.

 

What time to the tenders run to and from in Acapulco? Pretty late?

 

If night divers begins at dark (duh) - do we need to make a reservation for the restaurant there? Or...do you recommend a time to arrive to have dinner at LaPerlata and see the night divers? Will that encompass the fort light show they advertise on the shore excursion guide?

 

Sorry if this is a dumb question - I've been to all the other places previously except Acapulco and we're stopped there the longest so I'm trying to get a handle on it.:confused:

 

You can win a cruise singing in the Karaoke contest? Hmmmmmmm.:rolleyes:

 

Did any of the shore excursions sell out?

 

So I think the game plan is....

 

wing it in Acapulco.

 

Do the zipline in PV and have time to shop and eat.

 

Ixtapa/Zh. beach it easily.

 

Cabo - take boat (taxi boat) to Lover's beach snorkel back to land and shop.

 

Sound like a plan?

 

Oh.....one more....are there 2 formal nights? Are there theme nights?

 

We are on the 4/6 departure - any other teenagers in my boy's age group?

 

Thanks a bunch - you folks are wonderful - I will certainly repay the help as I become a more experienced cruiser!

 

Belle

 

OK.. first off, Acapulco is a DOCKING port, which means you don't have to tender.. you walk right off onto the pier.

 

Yes, some of the excursions sell out. It varies from week to week though...

 

We did most of our own off the ship.

 

Acapulco is a big city... you can shop all over the place. Just ask your taxi driver to take you to the best place for shopping... and you'll do fine. ask two or three of them for the same thing and play them against eachother and you will get the best price. The price is for the whole cab, not per person.

 

You dont have to make reservations for the restaurant. You can just show up. I wouldn't eat there however, I would just go to the cliff divers after eating on the ship (or eat afterwards). There are plenty of places to stand and watch the divers all along the cliffs... It's quite simple actually. The divers work for tips... so bring small bills for tips. The divers immediately run up the stairs after getting out of the water and wait for you to give them tips.

 

Not certain about the light show... but if it is at the fort, you can book it yourself just as well... no advantage to taking the ships tour.

 

As for the Star Seekers show... it is a talent showcase... karaoke is not allowed. About 15 or more acts had to audition to be selected for the show. Only 10 are selected. As I happen to be a singer, so I provided the band with sheet music and they played my song and I sang :) Other acts selected included some other singers, a dancer, an elderly gentleman who played a fantastic harmonica with the band, and some stand-up comedy acts. I was very fortunate to be lucky enough to win that evening. The Star seeker show is usually one of the most entertaining all week. Look for it on the last night at sea.

 

Yes... you MAY win a cruise if the home office approves of your performance. (Absolutely no guarantee.) Winners from all ships are selected to win a cruise, and perform while on ship, and if it goes over well, it may be possible that NCL will offer you a contract as an entertainer. (Kind of a silly thing to offer in the long run, as most of us earn more at home )

 

Theme nights? Well, yes, there are two "optional" formal nights. There is a caribbean night, a 70's disco night, a 50's night (with Elvis of course)... but these mainly revolve around the sail-away activities on deck and in the Spinnaker lounge.

 

Enjoy your cxruise... and don't stress about Acapulco... you will have no problem getting around. Be adventurous :)

[NitaBcruising]

This link on the Floataway Lounge may help you in Acapulco!

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=46156

 

We are going 3/29 and getting off when you get on! We have arranged a fluent speaking taxi driver to take us on a tour, then to the Hyatt for the beach.

 

The waterpark may be great for the kids!

[giraffenana]

We just did the Mexican Riviera cruise, although it was on the Celebrity Mercury. We had all of the same ports plus Mazatlan.

 

Puerto Vallarta is great for the Canopy zip-line tour. You can book it online and it is the same tour, only cheaper.

 

I think it will be too late for whale watching in April in Cabo. We did see a few from the ship coming and going near Cabo.

 

You can get your own van tour in Acapulco and other ports. In Acapulco we had 8 people in an air conditioned van and the cost was $20 per person for a 5 hour tour, which included taking us to see the cliff divers, the market, the Princess Hotel and many other places.

 

In Zihuatanejo we tendered in and just wandered around and ate at a small place on the beach. I think there are some good beaches at Ixtapa.

 

Can't remember if you said you would be going to Manzanillo. We went there also.

[TamaLee]

Hello -

 

I was also on the cruise with Cliff! In Acapulco we rented a cab and saw the sights. Just make sure you agree on exactly what you want to see before you drive off. Our driver kept trying to take us to hotels. Not sure what that was all about. Maybe they give the driver some kind of spiff money to take the tourist there hoping they'll stay a while or come back some day. Anyway we didn't get a chance to see all the things I had written down...amazingly enough the driver "lost" my list.

 

If you need to pick up a few things just stop by the Wal-Mart. It's huge and on the way back to the pier. The driver waited for us while we shopped.

 

In Zihua we went to Las Gatos Beach. This was my favorite day! We took the water taxi over. You buy your ticket right at the pier - $3 per person round trip plus $1 tip. It was very easy. We spent the day at El Arrecife "The Reef". Guillermo took very good care of us. I would recommend you spending your day at his restaurant.

 

In P.V. we did the Canopy tour with Los Veranos. Great company and I highly recommend this tour! It was one of the best things I have ever done. Make sure to stay and have drinks and lunch when you are done. It was very good. If you like hot sauce..and I mean hot...make sure you ask for the green salsa! WOW!

 

In Cabo we just went to Cabo Wabo and had lunch and drinks and then wandered around town.

[natesfirewife]

We also did the Canopy Tour with Los Veranos and it was the best. I am putting together a group tour with this company when we go on the NCL Star 04/02/06 with the Cruise Critic Group Cruise. Information on this cruise is coming soon, email me if you are interested.

 

Misty