Shore excursion from Carnival Splendor in Puerto Vallarta - BEWARE!!

[edmusic]

We took a Carnival sponsored excursion that left a bad taste in our mouth. It was a van tour called 'Best of Puerto Vallarta and Shopping'. Everywhere we stopped, we were pressured by store and street vendors to buy things. And, I think the van driver is somehow connected to them and gets some sort of kickback. First stop was billed as a restroom break and the restroom was 'conveniently located' in a jewelry store called 'Jimmy's' located in the Malecon beach area. We were ushered in then the door was shut behind us and we were constantly bombarded with sales pitch after sales pitch even when we told them we weren't interested in buying any high priced unmarked jewelry. Next stop was at the top of an exclusive residential housing area where there just happened to by street vendors set up under their umbrellas hounding us to buy cheap trinkets and souvenirs. Hard to enjoy the beautiful view when everywhere you walk you getting accosted to buy something. Next stop was at a lookout overlooking the bay where Night of the Iguana was filmed. As soon as we got out of the van, two guys approached us with an iguana and some cheap bracelets. Without even asking, he propped a three foot iguana on my shoulder and when my wife snapped a photo, he firmly asked for $5 because he 'allowed' us to take a photo of a creature he voluntarily placed on me. I gave him $2 to get rid of him and shut him up. The other guy wouldn't let my wife go until she bought some of the bracelets he put on her wrist without even asking permission. The next stop was at some back woods Tequila distillery located on some dirt road off the beaten path. I have to admit, this stop was informative even though I don't drink liquor. But after the education on how tequila is made, you're hounded to buy some bottles to take back with you. Once they realize you're not gonna buy anything, their demeanor changes and they want you to leave. The final stop was at a beautiful restaurant overlooking the ocean called 'El Set'. We were ushered in and seated at a table and menus were placed in our hands. It just happened to be lunch time so we decided to eat lunch there. It was delicious, enjoyable, and fairly affordable. It was the only redeeming stop on the entire four hour tour. The driver, who has lived his whole life in PV, was very informative, but somehow he's in cahoots with all the townspeople we came in contact with. While it was nice to see a lot of PV, the aspect of being hustled the whole time ruined most of it. I will never take another excursion like this.

[momof3cruisers]

Oh that's a bummer. Went there a few years ago and hired a cab to drive us around for a couple of hours. We had the same situation with the popular viewing areas with the stands etc, so at least be assured that it wasn't your driver for those spots. I think they set up there because those are the areas most folks want to see. We were lucky in that our driver asked us if we wanted to buy anything and since we said no, he told the vendors to leave us alone and they did.

 

I'm sorry you weren't able to enjoy it.:( I have had bad experiences at some ports of call too and it leaves a bad impression.

[cruisinJenF]

I'm sorry but- you took a SHOPPING excursion and your warning people to BEWARE that they took you places where people were SELLING things???? It's Mexico- of course the vendors are going to pressure you to buy things.

 

Sorry you hated your excursion- in the future avoid any excursion that has the word shopping in it- because that's exactly what will happen.

[pjtulsa]

WELCOME TO MEXICO !!! :p

 

So true,, if you take a Shopping Tour be prepared for sales people tying to sell you something.. Especially in Mexico where they are trying hard to feed their families on the income from American Tourists.

 

 

[KPGirl]

Sounds like the Mexico I know, it would have happened everywhere, I'm sure most ladies have had jewelery put on them, creatures on our shoulders while we try to sneak a picture !!!

[NCTribeFan]

Shopping, where someone strolls leisurely through a local shop admiring the touristy junk, is way different from someone using the type of tactics reported here.

 

Oh, so it depends on how you define shopping?

 

That may be how it is at an American mall, but that isn't how it is in other places.

 

This has been my experience on every tour I've ever taken that included a "shopping" stop.

 

If you only wanted the tour portion, then you simply could've stayed out of the shops! You don't have to purchase anything, anywhere!

 

Did you think that the person with the ignuana was just there for your entertainment? Just simply say "No, Thank You."

 

Sheesh, people. Don't be so naive!

 

To the locals, we're all filty rich Americans who invade their beautiful islands/countries on the big ships. Yet they're not supposed to dare to try to make a buck or two off the tourists? :rolleyes:

[momof4boys]

I appreciate your warning.

 

I have experienced the same behavior in many places I have visited....Mexico and Jamaica for sure.

 

However, if one are not given the opportunity to hear about this behavior, this behavior will make a newbie uncomfortable and that person will not know how to deal with this.

 

Instead of criticizing the OP....just explain that in many countries this behavior is common and tell OP how to say no.

 

Good grief!

[TerReuv]

We found this in Nassua too. They put the bracelets on your arm or necklaces around your neck - tell you it was a gift and ask for a "donation." My Mom and I knew better and gave them right back. My DH and Father both paid for the ones put on them (not while they were with us). They did not know how to say no. I even remember back when I was a kid (am 50 now) and we went to Mexico, the used to do that. They also used to start hollering out cheaper prices if you said no and walked away! No surprise.

 

Use your will power - not a big deal.

[momof4boys]

Just reminded me of La Romana. We g0t off a speed boat returning from Saona Island (beautiful!!) and these young boys came running with 2-liter bottles filled with water & poured them on your feet to get the sand off.....then asked for money! :D

 

They were harmless and a "No thank you." worked, then the tour operator yelled at them and told them to go away....!

[cardqb]

People just need to stand up for themselves. Nobody would be allowed to put a giant lizard on either my wife or myself. Not going to happen.

 

And sure as heck wouldn't allow them to touch us to put on jewelry! They might end up with a broken hand. Your personal space is just that, your space. If it's violated.. don't just let them do it.

 

Ushered into a shop and door closed behind? Then leave. You're never forced to put up with things like that.

 

Come on, just stand your ground, be strong and secure and they'll back off. If you're meek, you're just asking for them to take advantage of you. And too many people are meek, which makes the vendors think Americans are too dumb and naive to stop them.

[edmusic]

For all those supporting me, thank you. For those flaming me and calling me naive and meek, here is my response:

 

Maybe I was naive in thinking that Carnival, with a boatload of American tourists, would cater the tour to shopping like we're used to - being dropped off at a mall or shopping area where we can browse the stores at our leisure and decide what we want to buy and what not to. Not being corralled and herded like cattle headed to the slaughter house.

 

Is that too much to ask?

[Laurie S.]

A shoppng mall? Are you kidding? LOL!

[momof4boys]

For all those supporting me, thank you. For those flaming me and calling me naive and meek, here is my response:

 

Maybe I was naive in thinking that Carnival, with a boatload of American tourists, would cater the tour to shopping like we're used to - being dropped off at a mall or shopping area where we can browse the stores at our leisure and decide what we want to buy and what not to. Not being corralled and herded like cattle headed to the slaughter house.

 

Is that too much to ask?

 

Aruba and Curacao in the Southern Caribbean have excellent shops to visit!! Lovely ports also!!

[Redsfan]

not a Cruise Vet at all but noticed very pushy Vendors at times in Nassau and Cozumel. We were nice enough and just kept walking and ignoring if we were not interested.

 

You have to understand the poverty these people live in to understand...of course we all do, but that is what they need to do. Yes we shouldn't have to put up with it on Holidays but travel to the Islands will have this obstacle...

[Laurie S.]

Oh, look. Another helpful post.

 

Just as much as yours.

[klfhngr]

We took a Carnival sponsored excursion that left a bad taste in our mouth. It was a van tour called 'Best of Puerto Vallarta and Shopping'. Everywhere we stopped, we were pressured by store and street vendors to buy things. And, I think the van driver is somehow connected to them and gets some sort of kickback. First stop was billed as a restroom break and the restroom was 'conveniently located' in a jewelry store called 'Jimmy's' located in the Malecon beach area. We were ushered in then the door was shut behind us and we were constantly bombarded with sales pitch after sales pitch even when we told them we weren't interested in buying any high priced unmarked jewelry. Next stop was at the top of an exclusive residential housing area where there just happened to by street vendors set up under their umbrellas hounding us to buy cheap trinkets and souvenirs. Hard to enjoy the beautiful view when everywhere you walk you getting accosted to buy something. Next stop was at a lookout overlooking the bay where Night of the Iguana was filmed. As soon as we got out of the van, two guys approached us with an iguana and some cheap bracelets. Without even asking, he propped a three foot iguana on my shoulder and when my wife snapped a photo, he firmly asked for $5 because he 'allowed' us to take a photo of a creature he voluntarily placed on me. I gave him $2 to get rid of him and shut him up. The other guy wouldn't let my wife go until she bought some of the bracelets he put on her wrist without even asking permission. The next stop was at some back woods Tequila distillery located on some dirt road off the beaten path. I have to admit, this stop was informative even though I don't drink liquor. But after the education on how tequila is made, you're hounded to buy some bottles to take back with hands. It just happened to be lunch time so we decided to eat lunch there. It was you. Once they realize you're not gonna buy anything, their demeanor changes and they want you to leave. The final stop was at a beautiful restaurant overlooking the ocean called 'El Set'. We were ushered in and seated at a table and menus were placed in our delicious, enjoyable, and fairly affordable. It was the only redeeming stop on the entire four hour tour. The driver, who has lived his whole life in PV, was very informative, but somehow he's in cahoots with all the townspeople we came in contact with. While it was nice to see a lot of PV, the aspect of being hustled the whole time ruined most of it. I will never take another excursion like this.

 

It's called 'networking'! ;)

[cambio]

Thank you to the original poster for starting this thread.

 

Our experiences in Puerto Vallarta tours a couple of years ago were similar to yours. It seemed to us that we were paying to go to the "kickback" or "mordida" establishments.

 

We did complain to the excursions desk and tried to get refunded for the tour, but obviously nothing has changed. Since then, we take a taxi to the Malecon shops and are much happier with our own tour.

 

When we were in St. Lucia, our cruise tour lunch cost $5 USD each and included a rum punch. In Barbados we had to pay twice that ($10 USD). In Mexico, the cruise sponsored lunch probably would have been about $30 USD each for the same thing.

 

No wonder the Mexican Riviera is no longer a destination for more and more cruises.

[edmusic]

Thank you to the original poster for starting this thread.

 

Our experiences in Puerto Vallarta tours a couple of years ago were similar to yours. It seemed to us that we were paying to go to the "kickback" or "mordida" establishments.

 

We did complain to the excursions desk and tried to get refunded for the tour, but obviously nothing has changed. Since then, we take a taxi to the Malecon shops and are much happier with our own tour.

 

When we were in St. Lucia, our cruise tour lunch cost $5 USD each and included a rum punch. In Barbados we had to pay twice that ($10 USD). In Mexico, the cruise sponsored lunch probably would have been about $30 USD each for the same thing.

 

No wonder the Mexican Riviera is no longer a destination for more and more cruises.

 

Thanks for having my back. I appreciate it.

[suzinva]

While on an RC cruise, we were at their private island (forget the name), they had a little straw market and my son was looking for a mask as a souvenir. He found one he liked and I turned my back on him for all of 30 seconds to ask the price when I heard a muffled "Moooooooooooom." Turn around and there's my son, surrounded by local vendors who are piling him with t-shirts, hats, necklaces, etc. I could barely see him. I proceeded to take everything off him (no mean feat!) and tried handing back everything. The vendors refused to take it so I just dropped it all on the floor (dirt), picked up my then 11 year old and carried him away. I just didn't know what else to do.

 

First time it happens, you're kind of stunned. You try to be polite but you figure out pretty quick, sometimes politeness is way over-rated. I'm sure next time you take an excursion and something like this happens, you'll do much better! It is simply a very off-putting experience! I have learned to love shopping in these ports, though. While the aggressiveness is not something we as Americans are used to, when you find something you want, bargaining is a lot of fun! And next time you know, a VERY firm no usually works wonders. Just look at this time as an adventure gone a little awry! I can relate a nightmare story about a similar shopping expedition in Jamaica, where things really DID go awry :D.

 

Hope you have a better experience on your next adventure.:)

[waldocruiser1]

Just reminded me of La Romana. We g0t off a speed boat returning from Saona Island (beautiful!!) and these young boys came running with 2-liter bottles filled with water & poured them on your feet to get the sand off.....then asked for money! :D

 

They were harmless and a "No thank you." worked, then the tour operator yelled at them and told them to go away....!

 

Reminds me of when we went to Roatan, and the driver took us all over, at one point we went up on a hill to see the port (old port 10 years ago) and some kids came up begging for money, I gave them the change I had and at the end a few more came up, I gave them the end of the change, and the last one a dollar, the cab driver took it back and gave him a quarter. He gave me the dollar back and said he would not have made it home with it, the others would have taken it away from him. he did not exactly say it, but I took it that it would have been very bad for the kid.

 

they were real bad at trying to sell things in Jamaca also in January, trying to split you up, and kept lowering the prices,

[waldocruiser1]

People just need to stand up for themselves. Nobody would be allowed to put a giant lizard on either my wife or myself. Not going to happen.

 

And sure as heck wouldn't allow them to touch us to put on jewelry! They might end up with a broken hand. Your personal space is just that, your space. If it's violated.. don't just let them do it.

 

Ushered into a shop and door closed behind? Then leave. You're never forced to put up with things like that.

 

Come on, just stand your ground, be strong and secure and they'll back off. If you're meek, you're just asking for them to take advantage of you. And too many people are meek, which makes the vendors think Americans are too dumb and naive to stop them.

 

I find if you take the gun you smuggled on in your "gun runner" pouch you will be fine,

[twindaddy]

People just need to stand up for themselves. Nobody would be allowed to put a giant lizard on either my wife or myself. Not going to happen.

 

And sure as heck wouldn't allow them to touch us to put on jewelry! They might end up with a broken hand. Your personal space is just that, your space. If it's violated.. don't just let them do it.

 

Ushered into a shop and door closed behind? Then leave. You're never forced to put up with things like that.

 

Come on, just stand your ground, be strong and secure and they'll back off. If you're meek, you're just asking for them to take advantage of you. And too many people are meek, which makes the vendors think Americans are too dumb and naive to stop them.

 

While on an RC cruise, we were at their private island (forget the name), they had a little straw market and my son was looking for a mask as a souvenir. He found one he liked and I turned my back on him for all of 30 seconds to ask the price when I heard a muffled "Moooooooooooom." Turn around and there's my son, surrounded by local vendors who are piling him with t-shirts, hats, necklaces, etc. I could barely see him. I proceeded to take everything off him (no mean feat!) and tried handing back everything. The vendors refused to take it so I just dropped it all on the floor (dirt), picked up my then 11 year old and carried him away. I just didn't know what else to do.

 

First time it happens, you're kind of stunned. You try to be polite but you figure out pretty quick, sometimes politeness is way over-rated. I'm sure next time you take an excursion and something like this happens, you'll do much better! It is simply a very off-putting experience! I have learned to love shopping in these ports, though. While the aggressiveness is not something we as Americans are used to, when you find something you want, bargaining is a lot of fun! And next time you know, a VERY firm no usually works wonders. Just look at this time as an adventure gone a little awry! I can relate a nightmare story about a similar shopping expedition in Jamaica, where things really DID go awry :D.

 

Hope you have a better experience on your next adventure.:)

 

Dont tease us, tell the Jaimaca story!!!!

[suzinva]

Dont tease us, tell the Jaimaca story!!!!

 

 

Haha, well, basically, they told us not to go to the flea market as it was considered unsafe. I, being the rule-abiding person I am :rolleyes:, decided they just wanted us to shop at the pier shops and proceeded to take a taxi over to the market. I was looking for blue mountain coffee and the prices at the port were really high! Anyway, we get there and were trying to get our bearings when a Jamaican gentlemen asked if we needed some help. I said that we were looking for coffee. He, of course, has a sister who has a table there and leads us over. She had some really great coffee, at a really great price. So I bought some. Ex-hubby and ex-MIL were browsing at some of the other stalls. Mr. Jamaica kindly :rolleyes: offers to hold my coffee purchase while I also browsed (yes, naive, I know;)). So, we made some purchases and decide it's time to go. (This, BTW, took a max of about 10 minutes). Mr. Jamaica, who towers over me and ex-hubby by at least a foot and outweighs us both together and looks pretty darn solid, says that I can't have my stuff back until I pay him $200 for "guard" services. I laughed, until I saw his face and until he grabbed my arm. At that moment, I realized that (a) there was no one else around, (b) him holding my arm HURT and © I really had no option but to pay him something. I offered him $20, he countered at $100, we settled at around $40. We hightailed our butts back to the main street, with him following still, and got in the nearest cab. We got about 1/2 block, when I realized our driver was "partaking of the local tobacco" and was stoned out of his mind. How we got back to the port in one piece, to this day, I do not know. I headed to the nearest place that had alcohol, had my first Red Stripe at the Margaritaville (highly overrated beer, BTW IMO), got back on the ship and stayed there until we left port, haven't been back to Jamaica since. :D

 

My fault, absofreakinglutely. Lesson learned. It was scary, a little pricey and thankfully turned out ok. Fun story to tell but I don't want to relive it. Next time, I plan on listening a little better and not assuming I know everything about everything lol The U.S. is like Glinda the Good Witch in her bubble, comparatively speaking to many places in the world.

[Chirpbird]

I went on a tour only...no shoppee. I was constantly bombarded to tip, buy trinkets and even offered several massages with happy endings. Creeped me out so much, I didn't want to browse the market when we returned to port.

 

Sent from my SGH-T859 using Tapatalk 2

[Markmom18]

Oh that's a bummer. Went there a few years ago and hired a cab to drive us around for a couple of hours. We had the same situation with the popular viewing areas with the stands etc, so at least be assured that it wasn't your driver for those spots. I think they set up there because those are the areas most folks want to see. We were lucky in that our driver asked us if we wanted to buy anything and since we said no, he told the vendors to leave us alone and they did.

 

We had our hotel, Westin Regina, connect us with a personal driver. Since we've vacationed in PV numerous times, and know the 'tourist' spots...we thought hiring a local he would take us to off the beaten path spots. WRONG. My gosh, if he just didn't go to the Malecon, up the hills where the beautiful homes are...round the bend, and gee whiz there's a bunch of vendors :-D. We also told him we weren't interested and the vendors just kept talking to each other. Tequila Tour? No gracias. I agree with you, maybe all the tour operators, companies & individuals just figure the tourists want to see the same things. :o