Puerto Vallarta taxi questions

[Leejnd4]

Hello! We have friends whom we are meeting for lunch in Puerto Vallarta when they are there for a day while on a cruise. They are both mobility challenged, but can walk with a cane. I'd like to be able to tell them exactly how to get a cab and meet us at a restaurant on the Malecon. I've read that there are two kinds of cabs that you can get at the PV port: "federal" cabs that will be inside the port gates, closer to the ship, or yellow "city" cabs that will be less expensive, but outside the port gates.

 

My two questions:

 

1. How far will they have to walk, for either of those two types of taxis?

2. What is the price of the "federal" taxis? I know the city taxis should be about $10 US to get to the Malecon from the port, but it may be worth the extra money for the shorter walk to take the federal taxi.

Thanks for any insight!

[Mike45LC]

Thanks to the new Cruise Ship Terminal Building, the walk to the federal taxis is too darn long.  And too confusing.  And I think they deliberately made it harder to walk to the non-federal taxis.  My recommendation is for them to grab the first taxi they see (after negotiating the price), and if it costs $5US too much, it is nothing compared to the cost of the cruise.

[Hlitner]

Nothing simple.  There are three different piers (only Pier 1 is at the terminal) and the walking distance is different at each pier.  The "federal taxis" inside the port will be the closest and they charge a fixed fare per person (the fare varies depending on where you go).  There is no negotiation with those federal taxis (the one inside the port).  The regular taxis (outside the port) charge fares based on zones, but many of the taxi drivers will inflate the fares (especially for cruisers).  You should always ascertain the fare before you get in a regular taxi (make sure to make it clear if you are paying in Pesos or Dollars).  If you pay in dollars you will generally get screwed on the exchange rate.

 

Speaking of prices, if the federal taxis are still charging $5 per person to take folks into Centro, this is actually pretty reasonable.  Taxi and Uber fares have increased this year and the exchange rate (peso to US dollar) has really dropped (it is now less than 18:1) so that $5 fixed fare is now good when compared to what 2 persons would pay in a regular taxi.  A regular taxi from outside the terminal will likely ask a cruiser for $200 (Pesos) and you can try to bargain them down to $150 (Pesos).  In fairness to our local taxis, the cost of gas in Mexico is high (about 23 Pesos per liter).

 

Hank

Edited March 10, 2023 by Hlitner

[Ashland]

4 hours ago, Mike45LC said:

Thanks to the new Cruise Ship Terminal Building, the walk to the federal taxis is too darn long.  And too confusing.  And I think they deliberately made it harder to walk to the non-federal taxis.  My recommendation is for them to grab the first taxi they see (after negotiating the price), and if it costs $5US too much, it is nothing compared to the cost of the cruise.

I agree. We docked at the new terminal last October (very disappointed in this) during our Panama Canal itinerary. This past January on our Mexican Riviera itinerary we docked next door to it. From the new terminal we used the shuttle bus. From the old terminal we walked out to the street and easily got a (non-federal) taxi $5.00pp but he took us (our request) the back streets to the end of the Malecon near the bridge. This worked out perfect for us. On the way back our taxi automatically took us to the new terminal but there was a shuttle over to where we docked.

 

Personally...I don't care for this new terminal at all.

[Leejnd4]

Thanks for the responses! They will be on the Norwegian Bliss, so I'm not sure which pier they will be on...I'm hoping the one closest to the terminal. 

 

I will let them know that there will probably be a hike to get to the taxis. The federal taxis are likely going to be their best bet, even if they are a few dollars more than they would pay for the city cabs. A few bucks for convenience is often worth it.

[lax19]

On 3/11/2023 at 7:43 AM, Leejnd4 said:

Thanks for the responses! They will be on the Norwegian Bliss, so I'm not sure which pier they will be on...I'm hoping the one closest to the terminal. 

 

Pier position depends on arrival time I think. First ship in gets the furthest pier. 

[Ashland]

39 minutes ago, lax19 said:

Pier position depends on arrival time I think. First ship in gets the furthest pier. 

No...That has nothing to do with it. Scheduled berth positions are done very far in advance.

[Hlitner]

6 hours ago, lax19 said:

Pier position depends on arrival time I think. First ship in gets the furthest pier. 

Not true in PV.  In fact, pier position will often have to do with some other small vessels (a few that are local tourist boats) and some superyachts that might take up space.  We have also had our share of U.S Coast Guard Cutters that will sometimes visit for a few days and occupy one of the 3 berths (usually #2 or #3).   In fact, for a few weeks there has been one Superyacht that has often been berthed at pier 2.  

 

The Captain of the Port will order local vessels and the yachts out of the Marina, if they need the space for cruise ships.  We will sometimes see one of those vessels anchored in the Bay (I guess you could say they are temporarily homeless.  Pier 2 is also routinely used to bunker (refuel) smaller local vessels since that pier is easily accessed by tanker trucks.

 

  

 

Hank

[Ine]

8 hours ago, lax19 said:

Pier position depends on arrival time I think. First ship in gets the furthest pier. 

No that is not true. It depends also in the frequency a ship comes and its size. Even when planned to dock on a certain pier the captain might ask for another one depending e.g. maintenance. It can be planned on pier 1 but might end at pier 3. 

Edited March 13, 2023 by Ine

[lax19]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Not true in PV.  ….

Thank you for the additional insight. 
My comment was based on an observation from my last two cruises. Last Nov we were on the Panorama parked furthest away from the cruise center. Later in the day the Bliss came in and parked next to the cruise terminal bldg. They also left before us.

In Jan we were on the Bliss parked at the furthest pier. A smaller Holland ship came in and parked next to us and then the Discovery Princess came in and parked next to the cruise terminal bldg. Because of the Discovery Princess’s size, we had to wait for her to leave before we could leave in the Bliss. I would have been a tight squeeze for the Bliss

 

 

[Hlitner]

We have never understood how or why the Port Captain assigns ships to the 3 different piers.  My own observation (watching ships come and go a few months every year) is that the large mega ships are usually docked at Piers 1 and 2. 

 

Hank

[Ine]

Carnival Panorama seems to dock on Pier 3 all the time. Navigator of the seas the same but on pier 2. Bliss indeed docks often at 1 or 3.

Recently Zaandam was supposed to dock on 1, but ended being on 3. This because the captain decided for that dock because of an repair which would be easier from dock 3 then 1.

Also the luxury yacht Atessa V - a regular guest- docks at 2, but if cruise ships need to dock there it sails out into sea. 

So you never know.

Edited March 13, 2023 by Ine