Mexican Riviera Ports

[manclad]

I have a question I am sure some of you will be able to answer.

 

We shall be taking a Mexican Riviera Cruise on the NCL Star in October with our (will be 2 yr old son) and his grandparents who are coming over from England (we live in LA).

 

I really don't want to take the car seat with us (big and bulky) but I am wondering in each of the ports are you able to walk from where you get dropped off to "the stuff to do" i.e. Beaches / shops / look arounf the town etc. OR in any ports do you really HAVE TO take a cab?

[Cruisin' Chick]

I remember that PV you would need to take a cab from the pier to get into town. There's beaches once you get there. In Matzalan, I think there's places nearby (a mercado, for instance). You may be tendering into Cabo.

[merela]

I have a question I am sure some of you will be able to answer.

 

We shall be taking a Mexican Riviera Cruise on the NCL Star in October with our (will be 2 yr old son) and his grandparents who are coming over from England (we live in LA).

 

I really don't want to take the car seat with us (big and bulky) but I am wondering in each of the ports are you able to walk from where you get dropped off to "the stuff to do" i.e. Beaches / shops / look arounf the town etc. OR in any ports do you really HAVE TO take a cab?

 

In Puerto Vallarta, I would suggest going to Krystal Hotel (about 8-10 minute walk from the ship) and hang out at the pool there if you have small children. You can walk into downtown Puerto Vallarta and it'll likely take you 40 minutes with a stroller because the streets in Puerto Vallarta have cobble stones and uneven sidewalks, so it's not a pleasant walk if you have a stroller and if it is over 75 degrees.

 

Although Puerto Vallarta is picturesque (it looks great in photos), but I didn't think it was worth it lugging the young kids along to see old churches and its downtown. Our kids and the adults alike enjoyed the Krystal Hotel's pools much better than walking to downtown Puerto Vallarta. Also, the hotel is close enough to the ship that you can take your child back to the ship for a nap or for lunch.

 

If you live in LA, you'll be able to find deals to go back to Mexico again to do real sightseeing when your child is older and can appreciate sightseeing.

 

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Mazatlan

 

Downtown Mazatlan is quite far away from port (an industrial/container port), so you'll need to take a taxi into town. There are 2 types of taxis in Mexico--ones that look like golf carts (carseats won't fit) or small cars (there are no seat belts in the back for you to secure the carseat anyway). We didn't do any sightseeing. The first time we went to Mazatlan, we simply too the open-air shuttle bus from the ship to the exit of the port and back. My kids were 2 and 4 at the time and they were so sweaty in that 10 minute ride that I thought it best to get back to the ship and have a cold drink. There were shops at the entrance of the port and there are plenty to see there already. If shopping is not a big thing with you and you want to save some money on taxi and lunch/food, you can join one of those timeshare presentations that are giving out coupons at the entrance of the port. They'll take you to the hotels and feed you lunch, but you'll have to hear a 2-hour presentation (I think). Go on the message boards and check out which ones are reliable timeshare organizers.

 

We ended up taking a taxi to one of the timeshare hotels ($10 cab ride for 4) and just hang out at the pool and bought drinks and food poolside. Then we took another taxi back to the ship and that taxi driver took us on a scenic route so we saw all the major tour sites along the beach area. Always agree on a taxi fare before you get on the taxi.

 

Cabo San Lucas

 

There are so many things to see at the port. But we took a water taxi on our own and went over to one of the posh hotels across the water way. These water taxis are just boats that ferry the passengers from the dock to the beach, so you'll have to wear beach shoes so when you get to the posh hotels, you'll need to jump ship, right onto the beach (with at least 1 feet of water). Some hires water taxis to go around the famous rocks of Cabo San Lucas. We chose not to do so because I thought it was too much time spent on a boat that lacks safety precautions (no floatation devices). We got a boat to take us for $15 (for 3 adults and 2 kids) one way from port to hotel (no sightseeing), but some couples were getting the drivers to take them for $1 each person. So bargain and find a boat that will take you for a reasonable price.

 

Then we hung out at the posh hotel's pools and had drinks and enjoyed the sun. My kids love pool of any kind, so it was a huge treat.

 

We live by the beach in LA, so finding sandy beaches wasn't our priority. We were looking for mostly resort hotel pools to spend a nice day.

 

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I think since your parents are visiting from England, go to the ports of call board here for Mexican Riviera and sign them up for tours that others recommend. It'll be cheaper than the ship's tours. But they can very easily see these 3 towns by themselves without tour operators if they do some research on where and what to see. But if you worry about their safety because they are not seasoned travellers, sign them up for ship's tours. It'll be hard to take a 2YO on an organized tour, but it's not impossible to do.

 

At 2, your child wouldn't be allowed into the ship's pools unless he/she is potty-trained, so finding nice pools at ports of call might be the thing to do.

 

Bring your own sand toys if you can.

[Kerry's Girls]

Ditto all of the above. The Krystal is a dream for a toddler. They have a playground with swings and climbing structures (go there first before it gets to hot), then a wonderful childrens pool and beach area with shade. You can walk from the port (follow the very easy directions you can find on the ports of call board). I'm a woman cruising alone with twins, and never felt unsafe or had a problem getting my double stroller there. You'll pay $20 per adult for a day pass, which then is applicable toward food and beverage purchase and is well worth it. Bring a blow up ball or other pool toys - the kids who are staying there have toys and if you have something to share, it's easier for everyone to play together.

 

After three trips to Mazatlan, I still haven't found anything that suits us to do. There's a shuttle at the port (which will let you roll your stroller onto the part where wheelchairs go) that will take you to the little mercado at the entrance of the port. I haven't been thrilled with any of the resorts we've been to, so our next trip, we may make a ship day with our own blow up pool.

 

In Cabo, we took the ship's excursion because it was on a bus where no car seats were needed, but it took us to a beach - not a resort - which wasn't thrilling. (FYI - I take my stroller onto the tenders, with my twins in floatie bathing suits, just for peace of mind - but my husband was lifted onto tenders in a wheelchair many times, so I knew a stroller would be do-able.) My toddlers LOVED the Lands End boat tour. It's completely enclosed and takes you to see the seals, etc.

 

I think one of the joys of cruising out of L.A. is no car seats for an entire week, but cruisinmama found the Eddie Bauer portable car seats and I just ordered two for our next cruise so we'll have more options. On ships excursions that use busses, you don't need a car seat (in fact your child will go free if on your lap). There has been a lot of debate on how safe this is - but I've been comfortable with it. In Mazatlan though, the ship's excursions we've been on use local taxis, so you need to make sure you know what kind of transport is being used.

 

Have a great time. I've said it before - some of our best days have been at that Krystal resort, and the rest have been at sea.

 

Best,

Mia