Mazatlan & Manzanillo Port suggestions

[MEacret]

We are going on a Mexican Riviera Cruise for the first time (it’s also only our 2nd cruise) in April. We have a couple questions regarding two ports of call. 

 

Mazatlan, Mexico (8am-6pm) - If we walk along the blue line (no booked excursion) to do some shopping is it very far to walk where they do the cliff diving and near a beach (not to swim, just to walk along). Is this a safe walk? Are the shops there worth walking to or just the same as other Mexican ports?

 

Manzanillo, Mexico (7am-4pm) - We didn’t care for any of the Princess excursions. Is there much to do/see there?  Is there a beach that is easy to get to and swim at?  Safe?
 

Thank you for any helpful suggestions!

[jmac99]

mazatlan - it is a 30min walk according to google and on the other side of town.  We did the Mazatlan City and Beach Combo though venture ashore and enjoyed it.

 

 

Edited July 16, 2023 by jmac99

[canadjineh]

We just took the buses everywhere for 13 pesos each.  Same cost all the way from one end of town to the other ie we were by the Marina in the North end just past the Golden Zone, closer to the airport and we went all the way to El Faro and Observatorio in the south end by the cruise port on one fare.  No transfers though, as all the buses are privately owned and run by their drivers who pay the union to get their routes.  Sabalo-Centro bus route will take you from the Port area thru the center of town to the Cathedral and bandshell and historical centre then join the Malecon frontage road all the way thru the golden zone and on up to the northern marina.  This route has all new, modern, air con, long distance style buses.  Easy to use - flag the bus down anywhere along the road or sit at a bus stop, your choice.  It's easy to take a lovely ride to the historical center of town, walk around there a bit or sit in the park with an ice cream,  walk oceanward a couple blocks and you get to the Malecon for a lovely walk along the shore until you get tired, then hop on a bus back to the cruise port area.

[Ashland]

Just outside the gate at Mazatlan are taxi's. We always take one into town and have them drop us off at the Mercado for some shopping. We then cross the street around the corner and eat at the Panama Bakery (ask any locals and they'll point you in the right direction). Also easy to then hail a taxi to take you back to the port.

 

Yes, you could walk the blueline into town but we prefer not to.

[SelectSys]

On 7/15/2023 at 6:50 PM, MEacret said:

Is this a safe walk?

I believe it's a safe walk during the day. 

 

On 7/15/2023 at 6:50 PM, MEacret said:

Are the shops there worth walking to or just the same as other Mexican ports?

I don't think so.  However, Mazatlan's popular baseball team has a shop along the Malecon if you like baseball and want something truly unique to the city.  

 

Edited July 17, 2023 by SelectSys

[Mike45LC]

For my wife, part of "vacation" means sleeping late and then having a slow/long breakfast.  I am impatient to get going.  So when it is logistically convenient, I go out into town for a couple of hours and then board the ship to join my wife for breakfast.  In Mazatlan, I often walk the first part of the Blue Line but then head to the beach instead of continuing along the Blue Line to the Plaza Machado (?).  

 

My purpose is to stretch my legs, get some walking in, and NOT sit around impatiently waiting for my wife.  

 

So I walk to Blue Line, but when we are ready to be tourists, we take a pulmonia to the Church or Market or Observatory or ....

 

[squierjosh]

When you say "into town," what part of the peninsula is the town? It's all built up. 

[SelectSys]

6 hours ago, squierjosh said:

"into town,

The "linea zaul" leads one toward the historical center of town - "el centro historico."  You can walk a bit further to see the cathedral and the market.   I have never walked the "blue line," but it really isn't all that far from the port to the center of town.  The blue line will not lead you to the "golden zone" or a beach.

 

[darkhorizon]

On 7/17/2023 at 2:23 AM, Ashland said:

Just outside the gate at Mazatlan are taxi's. We always take one into town and have them drop us off at the Mercado for some shopping. We then cross the street around the corner and eat at the Panama Bakery (ask any locals and they'll point you in the right direction). Also easy to then hail a taxi to take you back to the port.

 

Yes, you could walk the blueline into town but we prefer not to.

Do the taxi's fare by meter or you have to haggle?

[Mike45LC]

5 hours ago, darkhorizon said:

Do the taxi's fare by meter or you have to haggle?

Haggle.  And the "taxis" for the most part are golf carts.

 

If you look at the map that SelectSys posted above, the Blue Line is marked out.  A little bit northeast from the end point (Plaza Machado) is the Cathedral and the Mercado.