Are excursions on the Mexican Riviera worth the money?

[rgelb1]

We are going on the Norwegian Star in April 13th from LA with stops in Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta.

 

There are excursions - they seem pricey. Are they worth the money? Are some of them worth the money but not others (which ones???). Should I explore any alternatives?

 

Thanks.

[CruiserBruce]

That is a really broad question. Do you wish us to comment on each of the 30-50 excursions that might be available to you?

 

Some reading around the boards would reveal that private tours are usually (but not always) a better deal, cost wise, and for best use of your time. Some research on the Ports boards, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=203

 

would help a lot with different ways to explore each port. Most importantly, there is always the possibility to tour on your own (DIY, for short), just by using public transit, taxis, or perhaps even walking.

 

You should also find your roll call on this list:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=355

 

join in, and see what others are doing on your cruise. That can save you some money as well.

Edited March 17, 2014 by CruiserBruce

[Starlight Durban Cruising]

I have been to Cabo and Puerto Vallarta.

I really enjoyed the Puerto Vallarta tour out to the Marietas Islands. It included snorkeling, beach time, kayaking, but it is a longer tour at 6 - 8 hours. It takes an hour there, and an hour back on the boat. The tour I did also included lunch and refreshments - the lunch was really good. Not too sure which organization did the tour as it was arranged through the cruise line, but really worthwhile at the price.

[paul929207]

I think you find with every excursion, some people think they are great and well worth the cost. Others will not be as happy with it.

[Hlitner]

My goodness, what a great question. As one who cruises and travels all over the world (6 continents)....we seldom book cruise line excursions and rarely even private excursions since we prefer to our own thing. Not only do we save a lot of money but this allows us to do what we want, when we want with whom we want.

 

But when you talk about those particular ports, there might actually be at least one exception to my own rule. We live in Puerto Vallarta a couple of months a year and are very familiar with that city and region. There is one particular tour offered on nearly all cruises call Las Celatas...and that excursion might be worth the money for many folks. The tour company, who actually owns Las Caletas, is the only way you can go to that place. And they do not sell tours directly to cruisers (although PV residents can purchase their tours directly...and at lower cost). For cruisers looking at a quality excursion that takes them to a beautiful beach setting...this is a good tour. So is their evening tour (to the same location) called Rhythms of the Night. However, if you just want to spend your day seeing Puerto Vallarta, walking around the town, shopping, eating, etc...then an excursion is a horrible waste of your money.

 

Hank

[George C]

I like doing ship excursion when I not fimiliar with the port, after being there once or twice we normaly do something on our own. Ship will not wait for you if you are late.

[cadien]

We're taking that same cruise on a different date (it will be our first) and one piece of advice I've been seeing in the other forums is that sometimes (always?) people on the official excursions get off the boat first. And the difference can be a couple hours. In cases where we'd be doing the same activity either way, trading money for time can be worth it.

 

As a side thing, I've discovered that the excursions section of Carnival's website has much more detail on the Mexican Riviera excursions. The same activities with the same companies, but they have many more photos etc. In the case of the Cabo semi-sub, for example, Carnival even had better/more photos than the company's own website. We're definitely taking NCL but I'll take my data anywhere I can get it.

Edited March 19, 2014 by cadien

[CruiserBruce]

We're taking that same cruise on a different date (it will be our first) and one piece of advice I've been seeing in the other forums is that sometimes (always?) people on the official excursions get off the boat first. And the difference can be a couple hours. In cases where we'd be doing the same activity either way, trading money for time can be worth it.

 

As a side thing, I've discovered that the excursions section of Carnival's website has much more detail on the Mexican Riviera excursions. The same activities with the same companies, but they have many more photos etc. In the case of the Cabo semi-sub, for example, Carnival even had better/more photos than the company's own website. We're definitely taking NCL but I'll take my data anywhere I can get it.

 

This is really only an issue if the ship is tendering. Not if docked. You can easily empty a ship in far less than an hour if docked.

 

Only Cabo is a tendering operation, normally.

[cadien]

This is really only an issue if the ship is tendering. Not if docked. You can easily empty a ship in far less than an hour if docked.

 

Only Cabo is a tendering operation, normally.

 

That is so helpful. And will make a difference in our planning.

 

I've seen so many comments about tendering nightmares that I didn't know yet that it doesn't apply to all ports. Again, we've never actually done this.

[paul929207]

That is so helpful. And will make a difference in our planning.

 

I've seen so many comments about tendering nightmares that I didn't know yet that it doesn't apply to all ports. Again, we've never actually done this.

If you are not on a ship excursion in a tender port, you would need to go to a lounge, get a ticket and wait for your number to be called. First to get tickets usually get off quickly. End of the line could be 60 to 90 minutes