Shore excursions via ship or 3rd Party

My sons (14) & I are cruising to the Mexican Riviera at the end of June and I'm looking for more information regarding some of the shore excursions I've read about, particularly the zip-lining in PV. I've looked on the Internet and see Puerto Vallarta Tours, My Vallarta Experience, etc. and of course there is always reserving via the cruise line (which is more expensive). Can anyone give me some "personal" recommendations on which would be the best? :)

Any excursion where the actual tour operator in Vallarta Adventures MUST be booked thru the ship if the ship sells the same excursion. It's contract thing between the cruise industry & Vallarta Adventures.

The most popular independently book zip line excursion in Los Veranos. This can be booked through third party tour brokers or directly with the operator at: http://www.canopytours-vallarta.com/ There are a couple more zip line operators but Los Veranos seems to be very well regarded. (We've been there three times)

Any excursion where the actual tour operator in Vallarta Adventures MUST be booked thru the ship if the ship sells the same excursion. It's contract thing between the cruise industry & Vallarta Adventures.

 

The most popular independently book zip line excursion in Los Veranos. This can be booked through third party tour brokers or directly with the operator at: http://www.canopytours-vallarta.com/ There are a couple more zip line operators but Los Veranos seems to be very well regarded. (We've been there three times)

Thanks for the reply MSN. Very helpful and I see Canopy Tours is highly rated on Trip Advisor.That is reassuring.

I've always been a fan of independent due to flexibility and pricing.

FWIW our shipboard booking thru princess was I think 159 versus the quoted 109 direct. Not sure of the details of independent and transportation, but the ease of the cruise booking, walk off and meet dockside, walk within the compound to the boat couldn't have been easier. Not sure for my party of four whether I'd try and save 200 bucks for our party of 4, but everyone's value threshold could be different. We had a blast and our guides were great!

Thanks for the reply MSN. Very helpful and I see Canopy Tours is highly rated on Trip Advisor.That is reassuring.

I always get nervious when people ask about the "best" anything. It creates unreasonable expectations. Chipman term does have make point when pointing out that ship's excursions do provided door-to-door service and there is value associated with that.

An independently booked excursion will require you to make your own way from the port to the excursion operator's office and make sure you leave the ship in time to arrive at the office on time. For many people that can be a daunting task.

Carnival doesn't make it easy for people to book excursions independently. The time aboard ship rarely matches Puerto Vallarta local time so time management can be a problem for some people. Ask on the Carnival forum about ship's time vs. local time for this specific itinerary from recent cruisers. Time keeping policy has changed year-to-year.

Every excursion, through the ship or independently booked, is designed to afford you the opportunity to spend extra money on extra "stuff". Pictures & videos are common extras. And don't ASSUME you will be able to use your own camera on any zip line excursion.

The ship (Vallarta Adventures) offers two great zip line excursions with door-to-door service. US Vallarta regulars tend to encourage people to experience more of the city.

Enjoy!

I always get nervious when people ask about the "best" anything. It creates unreasonable expectations. Chipman term does have make point when pointing out that ship's excursions do provided door-to-door service and there is value associated with that.

 

An independently booked excursion will require you to make your own way from the port to the excursion operator's office and make sure you leave the ship in time to arrive at the office on time. For many people that can be a daunting task.

 

Carnival doesn't make it easy for people to book excursions independently. The time aboard ship rarely matches Puerto Vallarta local time so time management can be a problem for some people. Ask on the Carnival forum about ship's time vs. local time for this specific itinerary from recent cruisers. Time keeping policy has changed year-to-year.

 

Every excursion, through the ship or independently booked, is designed to afford you the opportunity to spend extra money on extra "stuff". Pictures & videos are common extras. And don't ASSUME you will be able to use your own camera on any zip line excursion.

 

The ship (Vallarta Adventures) offers two great zip line excursions with door-to-door service. US Vallarta regulars tend to encourage people to experience more of the city.

 

Enjoy!

Thank you Paul & Marilyn. Very helpful review indeed. I was looking into possibly booking with another reputable excursion company; however, after reading your comment about the "door-to-door" service and the value (not to mention piece of mind), I realized spending the additional $100 is probably worth it.

The Canopy Adventure, offered through Carnival, is a good value and you will enjoy yourself.

We have used Vallarta Adventures (the excursion operator) quite often over the last 15 years and have never had a bad outing with them.

Enjoy!