Ideas for teens in Mexican Riviera

[Nevada Jen]

We have a Christmas Cruise planned this year for me and my 14 year old son.  Ports are PV, Cabo and Mazatlan.  Long day in PV.  Looking for ideas that might appeal to my kiddo.  We are adventurous in terms of physical activities but I do worry about personal safety (from the criminal element).  I know he would like to actually drive an ATV but not sure where that would be allowed.  Relatively safe cliff diving would be a huge plus.  Also, I really like the beach.  We are not at all into history and sight seeing or walking around town shopping.  I see lots of posts about what to do with younger kids and obviously, the drinking is an awesome activity if you are old enough but I am not seeing much that caters to teens.  Ideas?

[Ine]

Donot worry about personal safety in Puerto Vallarta. Thousands and thousands of tourists and snowbirds will be there and having a great time. Keep valubles on board and do what you would do in your home town.

Have a look at the ziplines in Puerto Vallarta. Various options. Great adventures for all of you.

No cliff diving here plus it might be dangerous depending the tide and currents in the ocean.

I donot think your 14 year old can drive an ATM himself in Mexico.

[Nevada Jen]

I should have said adventurous but not willing to do zip lines!  I can't even swing on a child's swing without getting sick.  Good to hear about the safety stuff. We live in AZ so we hear some pretty scary stories about Mexico from our community (admittedly, a different part of Mexico).  I am hoping others have ideas.  I want him to have a fun trip.  Our last cruise was panama canal and the stops were the best part for him.

[Mike45LC]

Adventurous, but no ziplines?  Consider zodiac boat tours?  Pirate ships?  Scuba certification class?  ATV tour -- the kid will not be allowed to drive, though.  Horseback riding on the beach?  Lots of choices!!

 

[TMR2]

How about UTV or ATV tours? https://cabosanlucascruiseexcursions.com/excursions/cabo-baja-desert-beach-offroad-tour/

[Nevada Jen]

All good ideas.  Are any of the horse back rides in any of those three places more exciting than others?  I have been on some great trial rides and some that were so boring I wanted to take out a book and read as we walked.  Where would be the best place to ride.  And yeah, that swooping down motion of zip lines does me in for the entire day.  I swear it is an ear thing and not an old lady thing!

[mkcurran]

Do you snorkel? 

In Cabo you can take water taxi for a quick tour of the arch--I've heard those rides can be quite thrilling. They'll drop you off on Medano Beach where you can relax or even rent jet-skis. 

In Mazatlan you can ride horses on the beach on Stone Island. I booked a private excursion that included a catamaran tour, lunch, drinks, and two beach activities--horseback riding, kayaking, banana boat--you're kid would probably love this one, and snorkeling. Best $40 per person spent ever.

In PV I've still walk the Malecon. The pole dancers are amazing to watch. Continue over the bridge, you'll find plenty of beaches and parasailing. I'm sure there's more down there, but the day we went the skies started looking ugly, so we cut it short.

[Nevada Jen]

Ooo.  Who did you use for the private excursion mazatlan?  That sounds perfect!

[mkcurran]

On 4/5/2019 at 11:28 PM, Nevada Jen said:

Ooo.  Who did you use for the private excursion mazatlan?  That sounds perfect!

https://www.mazatlantours.org/

 

I thought it was a real bargain. If you like to drink tip the bar tender early. I started out with a weak margarita. My ever helpful friend told him I liked my drinks strong. So my second was stronger. I tipped on my final and third drink, I really did not need another drink after that one. Thankfully the guides are really good about rounding everybody up for the ride back. Also if you are not adventurous yourself, you can give your activity tickets to the kid to use.

[Nevada Jen]

Thank you.  So glad I clicked through.  They actually have an ATV tour they will let kids drive on.  That was very high on my son's list.  Now I just need to figure out the other ports!

[KurtMo]

Mazatlan - ride horses on the beach with Maria's Happy Horses.  $35pp includes transportation from cruise terminal, riding, and and a drink at a beach club (was Victor's or Lety's for us).  Great value, nice day.

Puerto Vallarta - try a walking food tour with Vallarta Food Tours.  We've done both the downtown tour and the Pitiyall tour and both were terrific.  You walk around parts of town you wouldn't otherwise get to, try a lot of new and interesting foods (of course, pork, beef, shrimp, fish, but also octopus, goat, and even my first toasted cricket!).  I think was $50 pp.

Cabo - ride camels with Cabo Adventures.  You get transportation, a 4x4 ride through more rugged terrain, short hike, camel knowledge and ride on beach, and an awesome lunch.  I think was $110 pp.  We've also done a half-day "luxury sail" with same company which included great food, snorkeling and paddle boarding, nice sailing, etc. - I think it was similarly priced.

 

Have a great time!

[KeepCalmBearOn]

I don't get why people keep saying a teen couldn't drive an ATV in Mexico, they absolutely can. In Puerto Vallarta Google Rio Cuale ATV Tours.

 

In Manzanillo, not an "adventure", but we got a day pass to the Hotel Barcelo Karmina and it was awesome. It has a great pool, so nice after the tiny ship pools, and a really great protected lagoon for swimming.

 

Shoot, I just reread your post and you said Mazatlan, not Manzanillo. I leave the above info there for others, but the same principal applies; consider a day pass at a 5* resort like the Pueblo Bonito Emerald Bay Resort or Hotel Playa Mazatlan.

 

In Cabo, I'd consider a snorkel tour.

[kimba9615]

We are doing the Mexican Rivera at Christmas too, we have a 14 year old daughter. What cruise line are you taking? We did this cruise 2 years ago and in Cabo we booked an excursion thru Cactus ATV and they had mini Razor dune buggies that our daughter could drive by herself. The guide was very good with her staying right near her at all times. 

 

In Puerto Vallarta we did a Carnival Excursion called Sea Safari. It was amazing! You got on a speed boat and rode to a village, got on horses for a ride through the jungle to a waterfall. You got to swim at the waterfall for a little while. Then you got back on the horses and rode back to where you started got back on the speed boat to a snorkeling site. When done with the snorkeling they took you to a beach for a BBQ. At that beach they had paddle boards and kayaks that you could use and banana boat rides, which was all included. 

 

Have fun planning!

 

[Nevada Jen]

We are on the Carnival Panorama leaving December 21.  Christmas Day is PV, so I want to make sure I have something planned that day.  I am all for a nice hotel for the day but it seems like unless you book through the ship you can only "book" a couple of days in advance at most and that is only if the hotel is not full.  I feel like the hotels will likely be full at Christmas. Plus, we are staying in the Havana area on the cruise, so I feel like we will get plenty to pool/relaxation time. 

[kimba9615]

We are doing the same Panorama cruise on 12/21! My daughter really wants to do the Sea Safari again in PV so we will probably do that. We have not figured out any of our other excursions yet. It is going to be so fun to be on a cruise at Christmas. Have you checked in on the roll call for our sailing yet? There is also a page on that social media site that must not be named, lol! 

[Nevada Jen]

I couldn't find the page on site that shant be named site.  But I checked in on the roll call.  I am booking the sea safari right now.  That looks perfect.  Stupid question, but how do you get on the horses?  I have a leg that doesn't have nerves in the thigh that I honestly completely forget about.  You can only tell when I run.  However, the last time I tried to get on a horse, I was shocked to find there was no way I could make those muscles work to get me up.  I am going to work specfically on that leg but is there like a platform or assistance if I can't pull it off?  I will find you over on the roll call.

[kimba9615]

You are going to love the Sea Safari! We will probably be there with you actually. The guides who match you with the horses help you up. If you just tell the guide right at the beginning he will make sure to communicate that to the horse people. On the site that must not be named the page is called Carnival Panorama December 21, 2019. 

 

[katstoy]

I've done this itinerary many times, all with my DD when she was a young teen.  Now she's 23 and we're going again on one of the last Miracle trips before the Panorama comes home to port in Long Beach.

 

In Cabo we usually have just gotten off the ship to walk around town and shop and have some lunch.  However, in the other two ports I can make some recommendations,.

 

In Mazatlan we did an ATV tour through King David Tours, and it was a blast.  They take you by boat over to Stone Island and you have about 1-2 hours on an ATV riding along the beach.  After the ATV tour you have lunch at a restaurant on the beach.  My daughter was only 13 and they let her drive her own ATV.  There was also another girl with us who was 13 and she drove her own as well.  They are automatic and very easy to drive.  The only thing they ask is that you do not drive in the surf or get the ATVs wet.

 

I've done tours through King David twice in Mazatlan and have had no problems.  Picked you up at the pier and timely brought you back.

 

In PV I'd suggest the Las Caletas tour.  We've done this about 6-8 times (both through cruise line and on land vacations) and have enjoyed it every time.   It is a full day excursion.  You board at boat at the pier for about a 45 ride along the coast with a continental breakfast.  Las Caletas is a private beach area that is only accessible by boat.  Included is open bar, buffet lunch, snorkeling gear, kayaking, and paddle boards.  

 

They have expanded the beach to include a teen "adventure" area with water slides and the like.  We were last there in 2015 and that part was still under construction.  I do not know if that area is an extra cost or not.  The tour provider is Vallarta Adventures and you can find out more on their site.  Their charge for the tour is the same as CCL.

 

The last few times we went you could purchase other items on the boat on the way down to the beach.  These included massages and a sea lion swim.   

Hope this helps!  If you have any questions just ask.

[KroozNut]

You don't need an organized excursion for Stone Island in Mazatlan, it can be very easily done on your own.

 

Highly recommended! 😎