Zip line In PV

[dancecj]

My family and I are cruising the Miracle with Carnival the first week of January. Through my research, I have found that Carnival uses Vallarta for the Zip line. I am thinking about booking through Los Veranos and save quite a bit for the 3 of us. I would love some feedback as to whether or not that is a good idea. Our port time is 9-9.

Thanks,

Candy

[MSN-Travelers]

Los Veranos is a good outfit and very popular with cruisers and resort vacationers alike.

 

The cruise ship contracts with Vallarta Adventures for their zipline excursion. Los Veranos is the leader amongst the independents.

 

We have used Los Veranos three times (in recent years) and Vallarta Adventures once (nearly a decade ago).

 

Enjoy!

[dancecj]

Good to know. Thank you!

 

Candy

[TeacherStacy]

I loved Los Veranos!!! If you have a chance do an earlier tour so you have time to hang out afterwards - I wished I had brought a swimsuit as it was a warm day and the river looked inviting.

 

Our guides had me laughing the whole time. If they give you the choice to go backwards or hands free- do it!

 

While the ziplining wasn't expensive, the photos/video were. Haven't watched the video since so I'd just spring for the photo. Can always buy a hand strap for your phone; I think I used a strap to attach my flip handheld video to my harness so it was easy to access but safe.

 

Went ziplining here in the states and it wasn't nearly as wonderful.

[dancecj]

Ooh, it really sounds great! I think Los Veranos is the way to go. I checked the website and was a little uncertain as to where and what time to register us.

[MSN-Travelers]

Ooh, it really sounds great! I think Los Veranos is the way to go. I checked the website and was a little uncertain as to where and what time to register us.

 

Carnival likes to complicate your life on the Mexican Riviera route. The time aboard ship (ship's time) typically doesn't match "local time" when you arrive in port. This can make it a little confusing when you try to book an independent excursion. I believe it is the norm for Miracle to have ship's time one hour behind Vallarta local time.

 

Los Veranos has one tour that leaves its southside office at 9:45 AM and another leaves that office at 11:45.

 

I would suggest you post a question on the Carnival forum and ask past passengers if Miracle actually arrives in Vallarta at 9 AM local time or at 10 AM local time (ie: 9 AM ship's time). This may help you better select which tour to book.

[dancecj]

Thanks! I will look into the the ship/local time issue. that could definitiely be an issue. We should book out of the southside office then?

[MSN-Travelers]

Thanks! I will look into the the ship/local time issue. that could definitiely be an issue. We should book out of the southside office then?

 

Los Veranos runs a "free" shuttle from the hotel zones north of the city, to the marina area, past the port, to the hotel zone south off the port, to their office and then on south past the hotel zone south of the city. The actual excursion site is roughly 45-60 minutes south of the city. None of the pickup points are within easy walking distance of the port.

 

My theory is . . . If you're going to take a taxi to a pickup point north of the port (Collage Disco), why not take that taxi south instead to the tour office and get on the shuttle there? They have bathrooms at the office and you can take of business before the ride south of the city to the excursion site.

 

Enjoy!

[Burlington Liberal]

We were on the Norwegian Pearl last year and docked in PV after the Los Veranos bus had left the office for the venue. Four of us took a taxi from the port (one of the yellow taxis) to the Los Veranos office and where we purchased our tickets. We did not want to purchase in advance as we were fairly sure we were going to be late. After purchasing our tickets at the office, the taxi took us directly to the venue (about a 45 minute ride). We paid a total of $30 for the two taxi rides.

 

We arrived at the venue just as they were starting the safety briefing with the group that had arrived on their bus. I have to say the staff at the office and the venue were outstanding and went out of their way to accommodate our lateness.

 

We had a wonderful time. The crew was fantastic and very entertaining. After completing all the zip lines, we ate, drank and took a quick dip in the river.

 

At the conclusion, the Los Veranos bus took us and the other guests back to the city. We were dropped off right in front of the Port with plenty of time to shop in and around the Port.

 

I can't say enough positive things about the Los Veranos folks and how they accommodated us...

[dancecj]

Thanks for the great post. What time was the pickup scheduled for that you missed? So there is a bus that picks up right at the port? I have emailed them with questions, but haven't received any response.

[MSN-Travelers]

Thanks for the great post. What time was the pickup scheduled for that you missed? So there is a bus that picks up right at the port? I have emailed them with questions, but haven't received any response.

 

The taxi union is very powerful in Vallarta. They ensure tour independent tour companies do not pickup passengers at the Marine Terminal (Cruise Port). Los Veranos designated a number of locations that are in the general area of resort clusters. The closest pickup point to the port is Collage Disco (north of the port) or the Sports Complex across the street from the Sheraton (south of the port).

 

Collage Disco pickup times are: 9:15AM & 11:15AM. Sports Complex times are 9:30AM & 11:30AM. Both locations are not within easy walking distance of the port. Tour office departure times are: 9:45AM, 11:45AM & 1:45PM. Travel time from the tour office to the excursion site is roughly 45 minutes.

 

I suggest you go to their web site: http://www.canopytours-vallarta.com/ Click on "book now" at the bottom of the page, feed any information you want on that screen and then the site will display a calendar page that shows pickup points and availability for any given date.

 

It has been our experience that the return shuttle can, and will, drop passengers at just about any location you ask. It is quite common to get dropped off downtown, shop, play tourist and then city bus or taxi it back to the port.

 

Enjoy!

[Burlington Liberal]

As I previously mentioned we knew we were in all probability going to miss the Los Veranos bus from one of the nearby port bus stops. We had planned to catch the bus at the Los Veranos office at 1145. We docked a little after 11:00. Even with priority debarkation, we didn't get off the ship until 1120. We knew we had to hustle to get to the Los Veranos office before 1145. I purposely didn't purchase tickets prior because of the tight timeline.

 

We literally ran to the main street and found a yellow taxi. I did some quick negotiation with the driver just to go the Los Veranos office. I didn't let him know that we were in a big hurry otherwise I think the price would have been higher. While enroute, I engaged the driver in some chit chat with my very limited Spanish regarding how much would he charge if he had to take someone the venue. Because of the traffic, I soon realized we weren't going to make it to the office by 1145. I was able to lock the taxi driver into a reasonable price without really committing him to take us there. As it turned out, we missed the 1145 bus from the Los Veranos office by about 10-15 mins.

 

At the office, they told us we could still make the tour, so we purchased our tickets. The office staff called the venue and advised them we were enroute via taxi and were going to be about 15 minutes late. The Los Veranos staff told the taxi driver (in Spanish) to drive quickly to get us to the venue (I figured that out with my limited Spanish). Even with the terrible roads, he drove his butt off and got there as quickly as he could (I tipped him nicely for his efforts).

 

As the venue is some distance from the port, I was really paranoid about getting back to the port on time. If they weren't going to let us go with the 11:45 group, I didn't want to chance 1:45 bus because of wanting to be back to the port in plenty of time to not be late for the ship. As it turned out, they didn't have a 1:45 tour that day because of the lack of participation. In all likelihood, with 9:00 arrival, you should have no problem making the 11:45 tour.

 

I apologize for the long-winded answer. I wanted to give you a flavor of how you can make the 1145 tour if you arrive later.

[dancecj]

I apologize for the long-winded answer. I wanted to give you a flavor of how you can make the 1145 tour if you arrive later.

 

I appreciate all the shared info! I am trying to find out if our arrival time is posted as local time, or ship time. They are different sometimes. That will also make a difference.

 

Candy

[Litewait]

Unfortunately carnival books all the slots with Vallarta Adventures:( and they charge much more. I've don't the Extreme thru Carnival and Los Veranos on out own. There is no comparison.. Vallarta Adventure is by far a better experience all the way around. After doing that one first and then Los Veranos I was so disappointed.. If you have the money do the Vallarta Adventures extreme ziplining. You will have an amazing day~

 

Just a side note~ I book almost everything independently, I hate paying the cruise line markup. But I would for that excursion.:)

 

Hey dancecj are you doing the New Years cruise??

[dancecj]

We are cruising Jan. 5th - 12th. I already booked with Los Veranos. I had read such great things about them, and nothing negative. I am a bit concerned that you said the other was so much better. Why did you like Vallarta's so much more? The savings was $100.

Thanks

Candy

[Litewait]

Wish you were with us. To be honest I had never ziplined. So those are the only two I have now done. One in August 2012 and one Dec 2012 ( New Years)

 

The ziplines were better in my opinion were better and longer. We got to repell into a waterfall, ride donkeys to the top of the mountain. And the pictures they took were fantastic. Like I said if its an issue of cost the LV isn't bad it was just a let down to me after VA.

 

I'm sorry to make you second guess..:(

[dancecj]

Donna, I appreciate you taking the time to post. It is our first time zip lining, and I am sure we will have. Wonderful time either way!

 

Candy

[MSN-Travelers]

Unfortunately carnival books all the slots with Vallarta Adventures:( and they charge much more. I've don't the Extreme thru Carnival and Los Veranos on out own. There is no comparison.. Vallarta Adventure is by far a better experience all the way around. After doing that one first and then Los Veranos I was so disappointed.. If you have the money do the Vallarta Adventures extreme ziplining. You will have an amazing day~

 

Just a side note~ I book almost everything independently, I hate paying the cruise line markup. But I would for that excursion.:)

 

Hey dancecj are you doing the New Years cruise??

 

We are cruising Jan. 5th - 12th. I already booked with Los Veranos. I had read such great things about them, and nothing negative. I am a bit concerned that you said the other was so much better. Why did you like Vallarta's so much more? The savings was $100.

Thanks

Candy

 

Litewait is correct . . . there is no comparison because they are, by design, totally different experiences.

 

Vallarta Adventures operates two types of “canopy” adventures.

 

They were the first operation in the area and their canopy adventure follows the original tree-top-to-tree-top design. You spend almost all your time 75-90 feet in the air. Fun, but tough on people who have a fear of heights. (Carnival sells this excursion as “Canopy Adventure” while Vallarta Adventures sells this to resort tourists as “Extreme Zip Line Adventure”.) Excursion description can be found at: http://www.vallarta-adventures.com/tours/extreme-zip-line-canopy-adventure

 

Vallarta Adventures does a multi-faceted experience that involves a boat ride, zip lines, waterfall rappel and more. (Carnival sells this as “Extreme Canopy” while Vallarta Adventures sells this to the public as “Outdoor Adventure”.) Excursion description can be found at: http://www.vallarta-adventures.com/tours/outdoor-adventure

 

Los Veranos is a true zip-line adventure. Lines tend to be longer and higher. Lines span a river valley and start/finish on solid ground. Excursion description can be found at: http://www.canopytours-vallarta.com/

 

All three excursions take place in the mountains on the south side of the bay. And all three are totally different experiences. While it is possible to say you enjoyed one experience more than another, it isn’t possible to tell somebody who hasn’t done any that one is “better” than the other.

 

Enjoy!

[dancecj]

So, even after I had looked into it, I just found out that ship time and local time are diferent by 2 hours. Therefore, we cannot make it to the tour we booked. Los Veranos offered to move us to the afternoon tour, but that gets us back later than we would like. So after all that, we are cancelling and going to bite the bullet and rebook with Carnival.