REVIEW: WAY TO GO PRIDE PART III - The Ports

Puerto Vallarta

We decided to do the Los Veranos Canopy Tour (ziplines over the jungle) in PV. We left the ship as soon as they allowed us to because we wanted to look around. We had been given instructions by Los Veranos to walk out to the main street and grab a yellow cab. Right when you exit the ship, you will see a bunch of white SUV’s, taxi’s, etc. We were instructed to take a yellow instead and to NOT take the white. We easily hailed a yellow taxi (they hang around the gas station) and paid $10 (total for all 4 of us) to get to the office of Los Veranos. Nice man for a driver. He drove carefully even though there was total chaos in the streets. I was a bit surprised (or ignorant) at the poverty in PV. Reminded me of Montego Bay Jamaica. I felt sad with some of the things I saw on our 30 minute drive. Ok….arriving Los Veranos I gave my confirmation sheet to the lady at the desk. She checked her 11:00 tour schedule and we were NOT on it. Yes, I panicked, but I didn’t get angry. I had made this reservation a long time ahead of the cruise and had been in contact with them practically every other week. Luckily, in the end, they had some people not show up so we were good to go. The 11:00 tour boarded an open air truck for the mountains. It is much cooler up there and the ride is windy. Stay on the right side of the truck for some awesome views. Takes about 30 minutes. Once you arrive, you can put all your gear in some lockers. Girls must have their hair UP and tied (no ponytails). You meet your guides (great bunch of guys and very serious about the safety of their customers) and they do a great job of explaining everything. Quite simple actually. Now, after you have been put in all your safety gear and you have listened to instructions, you start the walk up the trails. I am 47 years old and I was seriously huffing and puffing…..but you can do it!! There is a great photographer (love ya Jorge) that swings from the trees like a monkey the whole time making a great video for you if you want it. We bought the DVD version for $40. It was well worth it. Is it scary? You bet, but most will find it challenging and rewarding. I can’t believe I did it. My husband and children were very proud!! One of the ziplines is a quarter of a mile long….whoo!! The last zipline takes you straight into Panchos restaurant where you can swim and eat and enjoy the scenery….beautiful!

Mazatlan

I had heard a lot of negatives about Mazatlan, but we loved it. The real “flavor” of Mexico going on. Once you exit the ship, you are required to take a free tram to the market building. Randi of Randi’s Happy Horses was there to greet us with her pink sign. She is rough and tough and a real American cowgirl. She knows her horses and her “stuff”. On our adventure to get to her stables, she explains a lot about Mazatlan and it’s structure. She was a great guide and takes pride in the people of Mazatlan. Randi was happy that one of her horses gave birth the night before. She couldn’t wait for us to see the little colt. We were all assigned our horses and set off for our ride on the beach. My husband has owned horses before and is a seasoned rider and he just wanted to take off and go. It was hard for him to hold back….but the guide (who spoke NO English) understood and during the last half of our ride he (the guide) got off his own exceptional horse and offered him to my husband and told him to go for it. Whooo, my husband looked like a real stud running that horse and it was the best part of his day. After the ride, we went to a restaurant on the beach called Victor’s. Everyone raves about the food, but you know us wierdo’s…..we couldn’t eat anything. Also, we were stunned to find out that in Mazatlan they cannot serve alcohol….only beer. My husband doesn’t drink at all, I don’t drink beer , but I was craving a real drink. More on that later….. Ok, so it is here that we got hit the worst with beach vendors. We were all trying to relax and a VERY few seconds would go by and we would get hit again and again by these vendors. Some were persistent, some were not. It was hard for us to relax. When you get back to the market place to re-board the ship there is a nice little cabana playing great 70’s and 80’s music and serving yummy drinks. Fun little hoppin spot.

Cabo San Lucas (only tender port)

We took a tender around 10:00 a.m. into Cabo. We saw seals plopping in and out of the water….wonderful!! You get HIT with vendors right off the bat here and we just grabbed a water taxi and shuttled off to the Mango Deck where we wanted to hang for the day. If you want fun and action, this is the place to go. If you want peace and quiet, just scan the shoreline in your water taxi and there are TONS of spots and they will drop you off anywhere you want. The Mango Deck staff took care of us right away and put 4 recliners together with tables and an Umbrella right down by the water so our kids could play next to us. Great, attentive staff. They were serving 2 for 1 drinks all day and their food was fabulous……..YES, the picky wierdo’s LOVED the food….get the nachos and quesadillas. Our whole day with food and drinks was less than $30. This port is full of people who want your tips. A couple of guys helped my 8 year old up when she was sitting on the beach and asked my husband for a tip. Geeezzzzz…..anyway….there was a really nice vendor on the beach who was trying to rent out jet ski’s. He brought his little girl with him to his job (she was probably 7 or 8 years old). Obviously, she just sits at the beach playing everyday until his job is done. Well, my 8 year old started playing with her and by the end of the day, I was totally in love with her. Her name was Alicia and she spoke zero English, but such a sweet face. I gave her food, beach toys, beach towels and just about everything else I could find in our backpacks before we left (only after asking her father’s permission – I didn’t want to insult him in any way). My husband and my kids did the jet ski’s even though the ship does NOT recommend them. It is helter skelter out there with all kinds of boats and water sports……..so, use your head and be careful.

We loved all three ports………if you have specific questions, please let me know.

All the info is great. We are taking our 9 year old daughter and soon to be 11 year old son.We have been dying for info on excursions that they would enjoy with us. Did your children do the canopy tour with you? What is the Mango Deck ? Did you enjoy stone island in Mazatlan? We want to go on our own. Was the Canopy touat EL Eden? Thanks

Christi

I just found your reviews and am so happy that you guys had an awesome time and that you gave Carnival another try after our Conquest trip!! I can't wait til Sept when we board the Pride!!

Great review and again I am happy. The kids sounded like they had a great time also.

Did you post any pics? I will email in a few days still working on getting my strength back :)

The Palmers

Cheri & Lloyd

All the info is great. We are taking our 9 year old daughter and soon to be 11 year old son.We have been dying for info on excursions that they would enjoy with us. Did your children do the canopy tour with you? What is the Mango Deck ? Did you enjoy stone island in Mazatlan? We want to go on our own. Was the Canopy touat EL Eden? Thanks

Your kids will love it all. Yes, our kids did the Canopy Tour and my fearless 8 year old daughter could have done it all day!! My 11 year old son loved it too! The guides are very cautious with the kids especially.

We enjoyed the horsebackriding in Mazatlan and again....our kids loved it. It was a gorgeous day.

The Mango Deck is just an open air restaurant on the beach. There are many of these types of places side by side along the beach, but the Mango Deck caters to their customers and provides some extra's. It will get rowdy around 1:00, so you may want to move down the beach with your kids to a quieter spot.

Christi

 

I just found your reviews and am so happy that you guys had an awesome time and that you gave Carnival another try after our Conquest trip!! I can't wait til Sept when we board the Pride!!

 

Great review and again I am happy. The kids sounded like they had a great time also.

 

Did you post any pics? I will email in a few days still working on getting my strength back :)

 

The Palmers

Cheri & Lloyd

Oh Cheri, I'm so glad to hear from you. I know you and Lloyd liked the Conquest, but I'm telling you......it is nothing like the PRIDE!!! Did you find all my reviews Part I, II and III? I'll be writing another one tomorrow and I am trying to upload all my pictures to Webshots right now. The Mexico waters arent as beautiful as the Caribbean, but they still are nice and not dirty or anything. We really liked the "flavor" of Mexico. I hope you enjoy it as well. Stay in touch with us and you know that Dan and I wish you well and good health.

Christi

Great review. It is so fun to relive our cruise thru you. We also rode with Randi in Matzalan and went to the beach in Cabo. Your descriptions are quite accurate.

Elise

cship

loved ALL of your reviews. we will be on the pride next month so loved reading info. do you have any suggestions for beach areas in any of the ports that aren't too crazy or crowded for a couple of families with little ones. you mentioned the mango deck gets busy around 1pm. would this area be to busy/chaotic for toddlers? i know your kids are older but just curious. thanks again for taking the time to write your reviews.

esp loved the canopy tour info...we were considering having some of the adults go on this tour. looks like an 11am reservation allowed enough time to get to the office. i was wondering what time would be good for scheduling the tour. thanks again!

cship

 

loved ALL of your reviews. we will be on the pride next month so loved reading info. do you have any suggestions for beach areas in any of the ports that aren't too crazy or crowded for a couple of families with little ones. you mentioned the mango deck gets busy around 1pm. would this area be to busy/chaotic for toddlers? i know your kids are older but just curious. thanks again for taking the time to write your reviews.

 

esp loved the canopy tour info...we were considering having some of the adults go on this tour. looks like an 11am reservation allowed enough time to get to the office. i was wondering what time would be good for scheduling the tour. thanks again!

As far as the Canopy Tour with Los Veranos in Puerto Vallarta, I would not have been comfortable with any time except the 11:00 slot. Any earlier would be cutting it close and rushing you all morning. 11:00 was perfect.

When they tender you in from Cabo, catch a water taxi where the tender drops you off. Ask them to take you in the direction of the Mango Deck (the Mango Deck area will be too rough starting around noon for your toddlers). Ask them to point out the Mango Deck from a distance. As you head that way, look FAR to your right and you will see a start white resort. It will be very isolated all day (atleast it was when we went) and it would be a perfect spot to plant yourself for some beach time.

I don't know of any other beach areas in PV and Mazatlan (except the one we were on when we were horsebackriding and it was nearly deserted). I only researched the beaches of Cabo since we had tours in PV and Maz.

Have a great trip!!!!!!!!!1

My photos are out on Webshots now........

http://community.webshots.com/album/304821704PPkFFQ?90

cship thanks for the advice...we look forward to trying it out. great pictures! makes me even more excited!

Read your other 2 reviews - thank you! This info was very helpful. How did you book your excursions - through Carnival?

Read your other 2 reviews - thank you! This info was very helpful. How did you book your excursions - through Carnival?

No, I never book through Carnival because it is too expensive. I just did some research on CruiseCritic "port" boards and found the best and most popular excursion info there.......have fun!!!