Mexican Riviera Shore Excursions..

[tracie]

Hi

We are going on the Pride 10/10 for our first cruise. Can anyone recommend some shore excursions. We are looking for both family type excursions, and ones for just two. Also, if you do not book the excursions through Carnival, then who do you book them through? We are going to PV, Mazatlan, and Cabo. Thanks for the help.

Tracie

[sbnuggie]

Hello,

We just took our first cruise back in May, you will have a blast. Some thoughts on Excursions but you should also check out other peoples reviews and the Ports of Call boards as well.

Don't book any excursion through the ship, too expensive and too many people.

1. Puerto Vallarta: We had previously spent a week here so we knew our way around. We simply rented a jeep and drove around the area. However, people rave about the various canopy tours in PV. Book online as will be cheaper.

2. Mazatlan: Everybody raves about Randi's Happy Horses. We reserved with her but couldn't go due to a medical issue that came up. The website is:
[url]http://www.mazinfo.com/horsebackride/index.htm[/url]. Again, everyone loves this tour.

3. Cabo: don't book any excursions through carnival. Wait to get off tender at the end of the pier are dozens of vendors who you can negotiate tours through.

Look through the ports of call area and there is lots of information regarding excursion other then Carnival sponsored trips which are pricey.

[shookdm]

We spent a week in PV last Feb, so there are a few things we can recommend:

1. Canopy Tours - Had a blast! You don't need to be in great shape, but you do have to be able to walk up a hill or to, or climb stairs. My S.O. was able to enjoy the tour despite his recent neck/back surgery (2 weeks prior to the trip), so enjoy! They start you off on the small runs, and u work up to the larger ones, so u bulid confindence. They do have a weight limit of 250lbs.

2. Swim with Dolphins - This is offered several places, not just PV. Enjoyed it very much. Even splurged for the video. Word of caution, if you have small children (entering grade school), you may want the encounter instead. One little guy was too scared to even get in the water with the dolphins - they are a lot larger than you orignially think. The encounter just lets you pet them, instead of swimming with them.

3. Los Caletas - very nice. Had a massage in the grass hut on the hill, listening to the ocean. The dinner and evening show is OK, but if you don't like modern dance or are expecting a mexican fiesta, this isn't it. Seating is on wooden benches for the show, which is difficult for back problems. They have the intro to scuba thing, but from what I could see, it didn't look like the best place to do it. There were plenty of chairs. The macaw parrots were generally friendly, except for the one who had a prefernce for nibbling people's toes. Plenty of shade if you need to stay out of the sun.

4. Marigalante - skip it, do Los Caletas. The purpose of the sailing is to get everybody drunk, but then dinner is served below deck in a crowded, unairconditioned space. Anyone prone to sea sickness is going to have a problem.

5. Flea market - good prices if you bargain, esp if you walk start away to another booth. Ceramic sinks, serapes, etc.

6. Fiestas - We did the one at the Krstal. Very enjoyable.

[marklodi]

We enjoyed the Countryside Adventure in Puerto Vallarta. You visit a small farming village called La Desembocada, then stop at a roadside restaurant for lunch (your expense, but a very filling meal for two only cost us $8 U.S.) You then visit a town called Las Palmas. I HIGHLY recommend asking where the tortillaria (sp?) is located and buy some fresh-from-the-over tortillas! A stack of about 30 only cost us 50 cents. We shared with several other people and they were great! You also will stop at Plaza Genovesa for some brief shopping. The stores are "Carnival Approved" so your purchases should be safe, but they tend not to negotiate much because of this.

In Mazatlan, you HAVE to take Randi's Happy Horses. Randi is a phenomenal host and her horses are the best. You'll have a great time riding through coconut and mango groves, then out onto the beach, finally arriving at Victor's for some good food. I highly recommend the garlis shrimp platter. Plenty for two - one if you're REALLY hungry.

Have a great cruise! :)

[CruiseCATnMACK]

[size=3][font=Comic Sans MS][color=purple]We were on the Pride in December with two of husband's children; ages 16 and 9. It was a very different cruise for us as this was the first with the children. Here is what we did in each port.[/color][/font][/size]

[size=3][font=Comic Sans MS][color=purple][color=red]Puerto Vallarta[/color] – Canopy Tour (Vallarta Adventures/Carnival)[/color][/font][/size]
[size=3][font=Comic Sans MS][color=purple]We usually do not take the ship-sponsored tours but because of the logistics on this one we felt it would be best. Although the price was twice what we would have paid on our own we did not regret our choice. The entire staff was TOP NOTCH and the tour was excellent. This excursion is the “Original” Canopy Tour or Vallarta Adventures you will find on the internet and is closed to outsiders when the Pride is in port. Carnival’s minimum age requirement for this tour is 12 but because the Canopy Tour states 8 and I worked closely with the Tour Operation Department I was able to have the age requirement waived for Nick (age 9 almost 10). I have sent a letter to Carnival and hope that I can persuade them to reconsider and lower the age to 8; the age the Canopy Tour folks require. I’ll say it again this is an awesome tour and one that should not be limited to those over the age of 12. Cost of this tour was $109 per person.[/color][/font][/size]


[size=3][font=Comic Sans MS][color=purple][color=red]Mazatlan[/color] – King David’s Stone Island Tour[/color][/font][/size]

[size=3][font=Comic Sans MS][color=purple]We booked this one on our own; [url="http://www.mazinfo.com/jungletour/index.htm"]http://www.mazinfo.com/jungletour/index.htm[/url][/color][/font][/size]

[size=3][font=Comic Sans MS][color=purple]Excellent tour, Hugo will take very good care of you. Included in this tour was all transportation, open bar, lunch, and two activities, we did the twenty minute horseback ride and the banana boat. The cost for this tour was $120 for the four of us, $35 for adults and $25 for children.[/color][/font][/size]

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[font=Times New Roman][font=Comic Sans MS][color=purple][size=3][color=red]Cabo San Lucas[/color] – Shopping and Water Taxi to see the sites. Not sure if we could have gotten a better deal on the water taxi as the rates changed with each step you took away from the vendor. We ended up paying $24 for all four of us. Not bad considering when we first got off the ship we were quoted a price of $12 each. I loved the shopping that was just behind the marina but was not happy with the malls. I hate shopping malls in the states and I really hate to see ports “Americanized”. Even with much of Cabo being so commercial at some point we will return for a land vacation.[/size][/color][/font][/font]
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[font=Times New Roman][font=Comic Sans MS][size=3][color=#800080]Check out our Pride pictures at the WebShots link listed below.[/color][/size][/font][/font]