Question about Mazatlan

[Ajat0921]

So we are doing the Mexican Rivera (PV, Mazatlán, and Cabo) Oct 6 with the NCL Bliss. We plan to make this a eating vacation, so no excursions are planned. In Mazatlán, is it feasible to spend the morning on Stone island, then around noon come back and take a cab to the Malecon and cliff divers, before ship leaves at 5? Also how long is the car ride from port to the Malecon? Thanks

[AZ Ocean Lover]

Not a problem at all.  It’s about a 10 minute ride to the Malecon.  We hired one of the open air cabs and had him drive us around to give us the lay of the land.  Very easy and inexpensive.

[KroozNut]

Very doable depending on what time your ship arrives in port. If you do Stone Island on your own, it can take a little while to get to and from the beach there (walking and water taxi involved), plus you'll probably want to spend at least a couple hours there once you arrive.

[GTVCRUISER]

I <3 Stone Island

[Schoifmom]

On 6/5/2019 at 5:31 PM, GTVCRUISER said:

I ❤️ Stone Island

 

Not to hijack this post, but if we were to take a water taxi to Stone Island, then what?  Do we grab transportation to a specific restaurant/bar?  If so, what is your favorite?

 

[GTVCRUISER]

3 hours ago, Schoifmom said:

 

Not to hijack this post, but if we were to take a water taxi to Stone Island, then what?  Do we grab transportation to a specific restaurant/bar?  If so, what is your favorite?

 

The water taxi takes you to this little pier , then you can walk to the many restaurants

[GTVCRUISER]

Stone Island Beach

[GTVCRUISER]

My favorite restaurant is Molokay on Stone Island Beach

[KroozNut]

10 hours ago, GTVCRUISER said:

My favorite restaurant is Molokay on Stone Island Beach

 

Our favorite as well. Great vibe, food and service! 😎

[USERBOYD66]

Are there any other suggestions to do on our own when at Mazatlan??

[Mike45LC]

21 hours ago, USERBOYD66 said:

Are there any other suggestions to do on our own when at Mazatlan??

Take golf cart from the ship terminal to downtown -- Cathedral and Grand Market, Theater, etc.  [You can walk instead, just follow the yellow brick road -- sorry, just follow the blue painted line on the roadway.  Lots of English-speaking expat volunteers along the route, willing to help you and keep you pointed in the right direction.  When I am tired of waiting for my wife to get ready, I will walk into town and meet her downtown.]

 

Spend an hour or two downtown, and then take another golf cart to the Golden Zone.   Spend a couple of hours there, check out the shops and beach, take a parasail trip, have a few drinks, and then take another golf cart back to the ship.

 

LOTS and LOTS of golf carts everywhere, ready to take you and your group.  Overly aggressive, really, but a smile and "not now" [repeated to 100 different drivers] works.

 

[Rosefloater]

On 6/19/2019 at 4:56 PM, Mike45LC said:

Take golf cart from the ship terminal to downtown -- Cathedral and Grand Market, Theater, etc.  [You can walk instead, just follow the yellow brick road -- sorry, just follow the blue painted line on the roadway.  Lots of English-speaking expat volunteers along the route, willing to help you and keep you pointed in the right direction.  When I am tired of waiting for my wife to get ready, I will walk into town and meet her downtown.]

 

Spend an hour or two downtown, and then take another golf cart to the Golden Zone.   Spend a couple of hours there, check out the shops and beach, take a parasail trip, have a few drinks, and then take another golf cart back to the ship.

 

LOTS and LOTS of golf carts everywhere, ready to take you and your group.  Overly aggressive, really, but a smile and "not now" [repeated to 100 different drivers] works.

 

We pay $5/$6 to go to the mercado in either a taxi or pulmonia (golf cart).

 

The Blue line (painted in middle of Carnaval Street and a few streets near the port) doesn't go to the Cathdral. Basically you are on Carnaval street. It stops at Plazuela Machado. From there you need to walk up another 2 or 3 blocks and to the right another 2 or 3 blocks to get to the Cathedral. The mercado is another 2 blocks past the Cathedral. Check google maps for the locations I mentioned. We usually grab a ride to the mercado and follow the Blue Line back.

 

We like to get a few tamales and an agua fresca in the mercado, then walk over to the plaza in front of the Cathedral and soak up the local scenery. We also like to get a raspado (snow cone) from the cart in front of the Cathedral. There are bees there, but they are more interested in the syrup than you. 

 

At the port, look for older people wearing light blue shirts. They are expats. They will tell you how to get to the beginning of the the Blue Line from the ship. The taco stand in the port has good food at reasonable prices.

 

You can also hire a pulmonia for a 1 hour tour for about $25. They take you to the lighthouse, cliff diver, Cathedral and mercado. For a 2 hour tour, they usually add the Gold Zone (where the all inclusives are). When we did a 1 hour tour, we told the driver to drop us off at the mercado.

 

In my opinion, the Gold Zone is similar to the Marina area in Cabo in that it is geared more towards tourists instead of the locals. We like the area around the Cathedral and mercado because we like to be where the locals eat and shop.

Edited June 21, 2019 by Rosefloater

[karatemom2]

We enjoyed a visit to the Mazatlan Aquarium on one of our visits.

 

http://acuariomazatlan.com/?l=en

[DHSDragons]

I'm happy to find this post.  My husband and I will be in Mazatlan in November.  I know you can walk from the terminal to the water taxi to Stone Island.  I like the sound of all the golf carts everywhere.  How close to the ship can you catch a golf cart and will they take you to the Stone Island water taxi?  My husband is unable to walk very far without pain and the walk from the ship to the water taxi is more than he can do.

 

Thanks for your help!

[KroozNut]

3 hours ago, DHSDragons said:

I'm happy to find this post.  My husband and I will be in Mazatlan in November.  I know you can walk from the terminal to the water taxi to Stone Island.  I like the sound of all the golf carts everywhere.  How close to the ship can you catch a golf cart and will they take you to the Stone Island water taxi?  My husband is unable to walk very far without pain and the walk from the ship to the water taxi is more than he can do.

 

Thanks for your help!

 

They'll be right outside the terminal area as you pass through the shops area, no problem. However, if your husband has mobility issues, you may want to reconsider doing Stone Island on your own. Because when you exit the water taxi at Stone Island, there is still a good 3-400 yard walk down the beach from there to get where you want to be, and that may be a bit much for hubby. Plus, the same walk going back to where you catch the water taxi back to the mainland.

[LBumb]

great info

[SAPMAN]

GTV   Any chance you are on the HAL Mexican trip leaving 2 Nov.   Was with you a year ago.

[big al]

I see the Stone Island excursion on the NCL Joy next April is $79 pp for 6 hours..what is the cost if we just go and take a water taxi? Is there a fee for entry to the beach area? Thanks!!

 

Big Al

[KroozNut]

6 hours ago, big al said:

I see the Stone Island excursion on the NCL Joy next April is $79 pp for 6 hours..what is the cost if we just go and take a water taxi? Is there a fee for entry to the beach area? Thanks!!

 

Big Al

 

The cost is WAY less than that if you do it on your own. Your only actual costs for a DIY trip to Stone would include a round trip water taxi fare (about $2pp last Dec), and any food/drink you choose to enjoy once you get there. No fees for entry to the beach area, but there are costs for beach activities such as ATV riding, horseback riding, renting beach toys, etc. if you're so inclined...   that's it!

[big al]

7 hours ago, KroozNut said:

 

The cost is WAY less than that if you do it on your own. Your only actual costs for a DIY trip to Stone would include a round trip water taxi fare (about $2pp last Dec), and any food/drink you choose to enjoy once you get there. No fees for entry to the beach area, but there are costs for beach activities such as ATV riding, horseback riding, renting beach toys, etc. if you're so inclined...   that's it!

 

I figured so..thanks!!