Shore Excursions Review

[Passatlvr2002]

Hi all! My husband has surprised me with a cruise, our first, to the Mexican Riviera for our 15th wedding anniversary.:D

 

I have been doing alot of research for Tours and have across the Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, Cabo San Lucas, Tours by Johann and Sandra. They seem to be reputable but I would love to hear from some of the cruise veterans here on the boards.

 

As this our first cruise and our first trip south of Tijuana, we are both leery of getting off the ship and fending for ourselves. We would prefer to book a few excursions ahead of time.

 

Can I please get some reviews, good or bad, on the tour company.

 

Thanks!!

[Passatlvr2002]

My bad....I should have read the rules about asking for reviews....Rookie mistake. I was wondering why I wasn't getting any responses.

 

It really is my first cruise. I will try to get informationanother way.

[Family Man]

What kinds of things do you like to do? Are you adventurous, do you want to shop, tour.....?

[MSN-Travelers]

Hi all! My husband has surprised me with a cruise, our first, to the Mexican Riviera for our 15th wedding anniversary.:D

 

I have been doing alot of research for Tours and have across the Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, Cabo San Lucas, Tours by Johann and Sandra. They seem to be reputable but I would love to hear from some of the cruise veterans here on the boards.

 

As this our first cruise and our first trip south of Tijuana, we are both leery of getting off the ship and fending for ourselves. We would prefer to book a few excursions ahead of time.

 

Can I please get some reviews, good or bad, on the tour company.

 

Thanks!!

 

... this is just a slow time of day (and we're supposed to "working" at work ;) ).

 

Johann & Sandra don't actually run any excursions. They are third-party tour brokers. They hook you up with the people (companies) that run the excursions. They are popular with cruisers because they offer a "no port - no pay" policy.

 

They have a good reputation and perform the same function as VallartaOnline http://www.vallartaonline.com/tours/ in Vallarta. I happen to like VallartaOnline because it's easy to identify who the tour operator is.

 

Enjoy!

[lovevacadays]

In Mazatlan, you might try to book with Mazatlan Frank. If you google him you can see alot of great comments from others who have toured with him. We have him booked for December. He was very responsive to emails and really has great prices. He will let you know if he has any tours available the day you are there and what the tour might be. His email is frank@mazatlan-frank.com.

 

If you don't end up booking a tour in Cabo, don't worry, it is a pretty compact area and easy to get around. There are tour operators when you get off the tenders that can take you out to Land's End for a boat ride, you can go over to Medano Beach if you like lounging on the beach or any type of beach activities like kayaking, parasailing, etc. You can walk around town(again just start walking when you get off the tender) in town you can shop, eat, drink.

 

Hope you have a great cruise

[afcj1]

Thanks Kristy. I wish everyone would write a brief review like this:D

It's sounds like a great time, except for getting FP. UGH!

 

How was your weather?

[Ron & Kristy]

Thanks Kristy. I wish everyone would write a brief review like this:D

It's sounds like a great time, except for getting FP. UGH!

 

How was your weather?

 

The weather was....to put it in a word.....HOT! :D The humidity was very high which contributed to the hot. We got a little rain and one night the most awesome thunder and lightning storm. It rained for about 5 minutes the day we went to Zihuatanejo but by then we were sitting in the restaurant so it didn't bother us. I found out after the fact that September is not the best time to go due to the extremely hot/humid weather conditions and the rain. Overall it was fine but I think middle to late October would be a better time to go.

 

Kristy

[hana24]

This is what I did on my cruise to MR:

 

Puerto Vallarta - zipline tour through los veranos canopy. We got to drive through the jungle and had an awesome time going on the ziplines. The ziplines go over a river so the view was beautiful. Only downside is you have to take a cab on your own to the office and a cab back to the cruise terminal. We also had a massage booked at Krystal, but due to a miscommunication we didn't get a massage :( Also humidity at this port almost killed us :p

 

Mazatlan - booked a stone island tour with king david. My bf and I loved this tour. We got a free city tour since we arrived at our meeting place early due to a typo. They pick you up at the cruise terminal and they drop you off at the cruise terminal. They take care of all transportation, food, and drinks (beer and mixed drinks included :D ). You get to pick two activities (we choose horseback riding and banana boat). All the guides were courteous and stone island was such a nice place to have a leisurely day at the beach. Of course stone island isn't some 5 star resort...it's very laid back and not developed which my bf and I love. My bf loved this tour so much he gave them a 50% tip :eek:

 

Cabo - booked through johann and sandra the 2 bays snorkeling. The divers that were supposed to be with us on the boat cancelled so we ended up being the only ones. The captain of our small boat took us over to the arch, etc to take pictures before we headed out to chileno bay and santa maria bay. The snorkeling here wasn't as clear as we had hoped. The visibility at chileno bay wasn't great so it was hard to see anything...we couldn't see a rock unless if we were 5 ft away from it. Santa Maria bay was a lot clearer although more crowded when we arrived. We saw a lot of fish in Santa Maria (angel fish, parrot fish, etc) and the beach there is gorgeous. Since we were the only ones on the boat we got to decide when to leave.

Also Cabo is the most expensive out of the 3 ports I believe since the amount we paid for the tour was on par with how much the cruise ship was charging. However talking with our friends who booked through the cruise ship, their boat didn't have an awning to provide shade while ours did.

 

Hope this helps :)

[Ron & Kristy]

Look what I found !!! happy memories - bad Hair Day... hhehehe ... Can you say 0 to 50 in no seconds?? This is a classic!

 

 

It was a great day.....we had tons of fun....would have preferred that you hadn't posted this picture though. :( Certainly not my best.

[Semi Retired]

Aw...thats a great picture! Thats what a cruise vacation is all about! Have fun and who cares what you look like. Have you noticed the speedo's on pool deck??? Some have outgrown those days, but who cares....we're all having fun! :D

 

Oh, and to get back on topic...I have done some research for our upcoming mexico cruise. We're snorkeling in PV due to clearer waters and more reef/caves & includes visiting a fishing village only accessable by boat. Very charming with cobblestone streets and lots of crafts to buy. In Mazatlan, its a short walk to the ferry to Stone Island , so will be doing that on our own. Been to Cabo before and found its easy to grab an excursion on shore and is a great walking place..very easy to get around.

 

Lots of googling is essential to pre-cruise organization.

[Semi Retired]

Here's our "fast boat" excursion. Taking it easy...Not realizing in a few momments "we'd better hang on". WOW...what a ride! I agree...try this!

 

 

[Ironsline]

These are two good lookin people. Must be "COWBOY" fans. "go pokes" :-)

[NMCruzzin]

 

 

4. Cabo - I had booked prior to leaving home with www.cabosail.com. We booked the public sail on the Yael. If you go to their website you will see that they have two sailboats, one is the Yael Chica and is for private tours and the other is the 44 ft Yael which is used for public snorkel and sail excursions. It must have been our lucky day as it turned out we were the only passengers that day! We had the whole boat to ourselves and it was an awesome experience. Our captain was Peter and his deckhand was Jaime. They treated us very well and made the day very special for us. We dropped anchor out near the arch to snorkel and I have to say we were pleasantly surprised at the amount of fish and the clarity of the water. The snorkeling far surpassed our expectations. After snorkeling we set out towards open ocean to sail. I have never done this before as I have a tendancy to get seasick. I was wearing my "patch" and was completely fine. It was so peaceful and so beautiful, it's hard to describe. We were served a light lunch, sandwiches, chips and salsa, and desert. There was an open bar. The cost of this excursion was $57 per person and worth every penny. I have to say that Cabo was our absolute favorite excursion as well as our favorite port.

 

If anyone has specific questions please feel free to ask away.

 

Kristy

 

Hi Kristy,

Thanks so much for posting your review...we are booked to do this 2 weeks from tomorrow - can't wait!!

[Semi Retired]

For excursions in PV we used Vallarta Discovery (no port no pay policy), we found them on the trip advisor list of tours and in the forums. In Cabo we use Johan and Sandra, they also have a great no port no pay policy.

I had emailed Vallata Adventures to ask if they pick up at ship pier and they said yes, book it through my ship. So thal tells me this is who the ship uses. I wonder if I can still book on thier site like any 'joe' and then I will get it for $20 cheaper per person.

[pkrchkr]

I had emailed Vallata Adventures to ask if they pick up at ship pier and they said yes, book it through my ship. So thal tells me this is who the ship uses. I wonder if I can still book on thier site like any 'joe' and then I will get it for $20 cheaper per person.

we were wanting to use them too. Book it thru the ship...Does that me at the shore excursions desk?

[MSN-Travelers]

I had emailed Vallata Adventures to ask if they pick up at ship pier and they said yes, book it through my ship. So thal tells me this is who the ship uses. I wonder if I can still book on thier site like any 'joe' and then I will get it for $20 cheaper per person.

 

The cruise ship industry contracts with Vallarta Adventures for a good number of their excursions. Under the terms of the contract, Vallarta Adventures is not supposed to sell direct to cruise ship passengers if you are attempting to buy a tour that the ship is also selling.

 

If you attempt to buy a tour direct from Vallarta Adventures, they will ask what hotel you are staying at, date of arrival and date of departure. Do they actually check with "a hotel" to verify you a have a reservation? ... Who knows.

 

Vallarta Adventures will sometimes run a tour, at a time not listed on their web site, just for the cruise ship. As an example, Vallarta Adventures run an early version of their "Rhythms of the Night" that is booked by and for cruise ship passengers. Book this tour at the regular time listed on their web site and you will miss you ship.

 

There are a number of third-party tour brokers that will be able to get Vallarta Adventures tours at less-than-ship prices. You have to make your own way to the excursion departure point, make sure that you will be in port when the tour starts and will be back to the dock before your ship leaves.

 

Do you have a specific excursion that you are looking at?

[pkrchkr]

We are looking at the Pirate ship adventure for all the kids that are with our group.

I still am not sure about giving them my credit card number.Mexico has a real bad reputation up here for charging things you didn't buy on credit cards

[MSN-Travelers]

We are looking at the Pirate ship adventure for all the kids that are with our group.

I still am not sure about giving them my credit card number.Mexico has a real bad reputation up here for charging things you didn't buy on credit cards

 

I would suggest you consider looking at one of these third-party tour brokers if you aren't comfortable booking direct with Marigalante -

 

PuertoVallartaTours.net (they advertise here) http://www.puertovallartatours.net/marigalante-pirate-ship.htm

 

or VallartaOnline.com http://www.vallartaonline.com/tours/marigalante/

 

Both have a great reps as honest & reliable businesses. Check out the no-port, no-pay policy from PVTours.net.

 

This excursion leaves from & returns to the cruise ship terminal. Once off the ship, you will have about a 150-200 yard walk to the excursion boat dock. (just off Pride's stern).

 

Enjoy!

[Nancyquilts]

For massage in PV, the Krystal Hotel near the pier has been recommended - haven't tried it yet, but looking forward to it. Nancy

[Ms.Nice]

Several from our Roll Call are attending this excursion. Did you get very wet? Should I take a towel?

[Ron & Kristy]

Several from our Roll Call are attending this excursion. Did you get very wet? Should I take a towel?

 

My DH was sitting on the outside and he got the wettest, but he didn't need a towel. It was so hot the day we were there that you dried almost instantly anyway. LOL I was sitting next to him and got almost no water on me. I really don't think you need to take a towel but if you want to just in case you can leave it in the Intersol van and get it if you need it.

 

Kristy

[Ironsline]

My DH was sitting on the outside and he got the wettest, but he didn't need a towel. It was so hot the day we were there that you dried almost instantly anyway. LOL I was sitting next to him and got almost no water on me. I really don't think you need to take a towel but if you want to just in case you can leave it in the Intersol van and get it if you need it.

 

Kristy

Boy I love the picture that you all put up. Seems like I remember when you took the picture :D John

[Ron & Kristy]

Boy I love the picture that you all put up. Seems like I remember when you took the picture :D John

 

 

Gee...if my memory serves me right....I think you might have been standing there! LOL Boy I sure do miss you guys. We're going to have to plan some kind of get together sometime. This isn't fair! hehe

 

Hugs,

Kristy

[ioneroy]

.....Was alot of fun, very professional. Lots of interesting things to see . . . and do. . . . I was very nervous but it was good. Just alittle wet, of course, but our driver was very concerned and always watching us to make sure everything was good. So I feel all ages and types, (maybe not PG) could go see and do this adventure. It was fun and my husband loved it. They take pictures of you and offer a CD, so thats great too.

 

Go and enjoy....

[jlp20]

...Mazatlan - booked a stone island tour with king david.... You get to pick two activities (we choose horseback riding and banana boat)....

 

hana, how does the "activities" work. Do you tell them at pickup, do they give you some type of ticket? Other tour companies list the same activities, are all the people from all the different "restaurants" lining up in one place?