Mexican Riviera Shore Excursions

Lisa63 · October 7, 2004

I'm narrowing down shore excursions for our upcoming Diamond P cruise. Our ports of call are Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta. We've decided on a tour for Cabo (Los Arcos + beach), and we're still seeking advice on what to do in the other ports. We'd rather stick with ship tours, and our 11-year-old will be with us. Any favorite excursions or feedback on the following?

Mazatlan - Mazatlan Highlights (bus tour) w/Papantla Flyers, Sierra Madre bus tour, or Colonial Villages w/Papantla Flyers

PV - City and Coastal Drive, or Tropical Jungle Paradise ("fun, sun and swimming in a jungle paradise)

sailingrose · October 7, 2004

Lisa I loved the close up view of Los Arcos. I didn't do the beach part, just the cruise out there and loved it. Pictures will be posted soon as we just returned on Sunday.

hazelson · October 7, 2004

We've booked Randis Happy Horses in Mazatlan - she's a hoot - the e-mails have been fast and furious - she has a great sense of humor. Can't wait until March - TTFN Jennifer

sailinglisa · October 7, 2004

Lisa - friends of mine did the Sierra Madre tour in Mazatlan....and they loved it, but it is a long excursion. I don't know how well your son would do on that one, but it is a wonderful excursion. I didn't go, so now I think I will be doing it next April.

In PV - we just hired a taxi and did a tour - we had a blast, but I'm sorry I can't recommend any ships tour at that port.

I did a whale watch in Cabo, but that was in January and April is a little late for that down there.

What ship are you going on??

hazelson · October 8, 2004

sailinglisa - who did you do the whale watch in Cabo with - we are thinking of that one for March as well - was it worth it? - what did you see? - thanks for any info - TTFN Jennifer

sailinglisa · October 8, 2004

Jennifer - I did the whale watch offered through Princess - we had a blast. We were on a larger boat. There were a couple other larger boats out there.....I think they were booked through hotels and resorts in the area. And lo and behold, there were a few of those skiffs (you know fishing boats with out board motors on them) about 3 miles out in the ocean from Cabo....you would not have caught me dead on one of those!!!!!! They were privately hired in Cabo - they were not wearing life jackets and were dodging in between the bigger boats and getting way too close to the whales! Twice we thought they were going to be capsized they were so close! The larger boat captains finally warned them off (was explained to me that if they were reported they could lose their "license" for chartering their small boats - so they left quickly.

We saw about 4 or 5 humpback whales.....and a very large pod of dolphins!!! The dolphins played with us for about 15 minutes before leaving - the sun was at the wrong angle to get many pics of them - and they were moving so fast I ended up just watching them jump and race the boat! It was wonderful! I did go in mid January. I have heard that December through March is a good time to view the whales down there.

hazelson · October 8, 2004

Thanks - lloks like we will be trying that one out - TTFN Jennifer

jbond · October 8, 2004

We've done our own thing in Mexico and also done the cruise ship tours. I really think that the cruise ship tours are very good, well organised and when you add up the bottom line, not as expensive as they first appear. You also get the benefit of a first class guide with a lot of local knowledge.

In Cabo we did the Los Arcos and coastline tour. As Sailingrose said, the view of Los Arcos is really something.

In Mazatlan we have done the City Highlights tour and Papantla Flyers. I thoroughly recommend it. Well done and lots to see.

In PV we haven't done a ship's tour, but last visit we took a taxi ride around the area and out into the jungle to El Eden, where they filmed Predator. Again, a great trip, but next time I would take the ship's tour. The road to El Eden was unbelievably primitive and I had major concerns about getting stranded.

You can checkout our Sun Princess photo album at Mexico Cruise Ther are two vols, the title will tell you the ports visited.

Photos of the Cabo ship's tour are in the album titled Sea Princess.

Lisa63 · October 9, 2004

Thank you all. We'll be on Diamond Princess in February, and there are so many shore excursions to choose from that it is mind-boggling. I've also purchased a guide book, yet that only made me want to do and see even more. :grin:

jbond, your photos were fabulous!

jbond · October 10, 2004

We didn't spend too much time on the bus. You get to see a lot of the old town, the cathedral, zocolo and the sea front promenade. Mazatlan is split into two distinct parts, the old town and the Golden Zone where all the hotels and shops are. The tour gave us some good view points where you could see the city. Plenty of time for shopping, Mazatlan has some of the neatest Christmas ornaments. The restaurant where we ate was very good, nice beach and plenty of time. You got a return ride to the ship by taxi using a ticket, so you could take your time, stay on the beach etc. I like guided tours because you get to learn a lot about the local history and politics.

The Papantla Flyers were very spectacular. There was also a folkloric show with some very impressive costumes.