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MSN-Travelers

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  • Location
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • Interests
    Sailing
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    Princess
  • Favorite Cruise Destination Or Port of Call
    Eastern Caribbean

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  1. I don't spend near as much time in Vallarta every year as Hank (Hlitner) does but I can confirm that Vallarta is a foodies paradise. I'm not really thrilled with the ship's excursions they have available for Vallarta. If you are shopping for a port that could become a future land vacation, I would suggest you book a food tour . . . https://vallartafoodtours.com/food-tours/the-original-downtown-tour/ for as soon as possible after the ship arrives. Allow 25-30 minutes to taxi from the port to Lazaro Cardenas Park. I use this company to book their evening "street" taco tour when I have first time guest. They do a great job and you get a mini-city tour. You'll start down in the Romantic Zone and finish in the downtown area (Malecon). This will give you the balance of the afternoon to be a tourist, sip adult beverages on the beach and think about what you want to do for dinner. Make absolutely certain you know if "ship's time" and Vallarta local time are different so you don't miss the ship. Enjoy! . . .
  2. What type of activities do you enjoy? What ship? When you arrive in port and how long you will be there helps us create a list.
  3. One last bit I forgot to mention: Port taxis charge per person while city taxis and Uber charge per taxi ride with a normal limit of four passengers in the taxi. Taxi trivia - there is a zone boundary at the river between el Centro (downtown) and the Romantic Zone (aka Old Town/south side). You can save a buck or two by catching your taxi north of the river. A good source for local maps is https://vallartainfo.com/vallarta-southside-old-town-map/ Enjoy!
  4. 80sGal . . . If these are both ship's excursions, you should be able to do both. The devil is in the details determined by what you plan to do between excursions. I haven't been a cruise ship tourist in Vallarta since the "new" terminal was built so I am a little fuzzy on how cruise passengers return from off-property. The cruise terminal is like an airport terminal. The main building has restaurant and shopping opportunities open to the public. The area where the ships and tour excursion boats are found is on the other side of an airport-style security checkpoint. (complete with drug sniffing dogs). I bring this up because I don't know if your first excursion returns you to a point inside or outside the security checkpoint. I don't know if you plan to go back on the ship to freshen up between excursions. (putting you inside the security zone already) Enjoy!
  5. For Vallarta: I will echo Hlitner. I would not go out of your way to obtain pesos before your trip. Just hit an ATM at your first port. Bring a supply of ones and fives to use when running low on pesos. Cash is king, pesos over dollars and anything bought with a credit card will have the vendor fee passed directly on to you. Those of us that are in Vallarta often, and for extended periods, use pesos for everything. Cruise passengers tend to buy what they want and rarely worry about the exchange rate. USD's work just fine. Please note, the "$" symbol is used in Mexico just as it is used in the US. Assume any price you see for goods or services is in pesos unless it specifically has "USD" listed. Always verify pesos or dollars when setting a price. The taxis found inside the port are only authorized to take people away from the property. They charge in dollars per person. Taxis found out in the city (off port property) are not authorized to pickup passenger on the port property but can bring you back to the port or take you to any destination. In theory, city taxis are regulated by zone with set fares within and between zones. Most hotels will have a rate board just inside the lobby listing the set rate (in pesos) to most popular destinations. Know that some drivers will try to get more, especially is you are a cruisers with only dollars. The city bus or just plain walking are always good options too. Enjoy! . . .
  6. The city taxis are supposed to be regulated by zones. From the Los Metros pier, the first zone boundary is the Cuale River. Next boundary going north is at the south end of the sports stadium across from the Sheraton. Nearly every hotel will have a rate chart posted in the lobby listing the "fixed rate" from that hotel to the most common destinations. I am a walker. I have walked from the port to the Sheraton and the Sheraton to all points south in the downtown/Los Muertos areas. It is roughly 4 1/4 miles from the Municipal Pier to the port. (1.5 - 2 hours) It is roughly 3 miles from the north end of the Malecon (McDonalds/Rosita Hotel) to the port. (1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours) Enjoy! . . .
  7. Spring Break used to be a defined time period. However, the traditional "Breaker" destination cities have convinced the major college/universities to stager their calendars. The bulk of College kids will be on Break between February 27th through March 27th. https://www.inertiatours.com/when-is-spring-break-2024/. The K-12 grade/high school kids, mid-to-late February seems to be popular. Are you concerned about kids' behavior onboard the ship or the ship and destination ports overrun with college kids? The low cost lines tend to attract the young folks. Enjoy!
  8. We have done the Original Downtown tour ourselves but take our first time guests on The Street, the night time street food/taco stand tour. We are timeshare resort visitors with over two decades of eating experience. The eating habits of the locals are different from up north and most cruisers are back on the ship before dinner service starts for street and restaurant venues. It's hard to get people past food phobias based on preconceived notions. These tours go a long way toward showing that great food is available away from the well known restaurants. Enjoy!
  9. I suggest your check vallartainfo dot com for information. I send you there for the maps. The downtown and Southside maps will help the most. In my opinion, most shopping opportunities for tourist stuff are on the downtown side of the river with better food and better quality stuff on the Southside. City taxis are regulated by zone and are supposed to have set fees within a zone and between common destination. The river between downtown and the Southside is a zone boundary. There is a board in the lobby of hotels/resorts that list what these set taxi fees should be. All pricing is in pesos but they will take dollar at a pretty bad exchange rate. Most restaurants will take plastic but some don't. Confirm before you order. I believe nobody in Mexico accepts Discover. Enjoy!
  10. It has been my experience, and reported by others, that nearly all ship's clocks are one hour BEHIND Vallarta local time. This statement may be way off at this very moment because Mexico has decided they WILL NOT observe daylight saving time anymore. I am in the central time zone (same as Vallarta) and they are one hour behind me as I type this) This is how things typically go: You sail on Pacific time; ships clocks move to Mountain time for Cabo and Mazatlan; ships clocks stay on Mountain time while in Vallarta putting them one hour behind Vallarta local time. It is important that at least one member of your party has a watch set to ship's time. (I have no idea what is going on today but you won't have to deal with DST in January.). I can't offer any advice with a golf course, I don't play. There are a number immediately north of the port in the Marina area. I wouldn't suggest any course north of Paradise Village due to the distances and traffic patterns. There is only one road running north from the airport and an accident can shut it down for hours. Enjoy!
  11. I am generally in Vallarta most Novembers. I tend to take first time visitors on a street food tour immediately after they get off the plane. I have used Vallarta Food Tours (https://vallartafoodtours.com) most often. The day of the week and the time of day your ship is in port may impact what organized tour you and your group can take. Enjoy!
  12. Hola . . . The Hotel Rosita is located on the north end of the Malecon. It is roughly 3 miles (4.8 km) from the port. It is walkable, I've done it but I walk 4-6 miles a day. I would recommend a taxi, uber or, if adventurous, the city bus. A 10-15 thousand Americans and Canadians believe it is safe enough that they live in Vallarta. Many more visit and stay weeks or months every year, myself included. Any advice on things to see or do should be based on what you like to do, the number of people in your group and what hours you will be in port. Enjoy!
  13. It is rare for any rough sea issues going south to Mexico. There is a major ocean current running south from Alaska to a point roughly half way down Baja where it turns west. There have been reports that ships encounter rough "hobby horse" conditions when northbound in the current and the wind is also out of the north. This can occur at any time of the year and seems to be driven by a wind out of the north when in the current. Enjoy!
  14. Hi workingmom200112 Tour booking trivia - At any given port, the "Tours by Johann & Sandra" is a third party excursion booking company. They don't actually operate/run any excursions. They do have a pretty good money-back-guaranty if the ship arrives late and you miss your tour. The flagship tour company used by the cruise lines is Cabo Adventures / Vallarta Adventures. The contract they have with the cruise industry prevents them from selling any excursion to a cruise passenger if the cruise ship also sells that same tour. This also trickles down to independent tour brokers like "Tours by Johann & Sandra". Basically, if you see an excursion you like and the ship sells that excursion, you will likely find you have to book it through the ship For Vallarta - The taxi service within the port charges per person in US dollars and can only take you and your party away from the port. They can't bring you back. The city taxi service that operates throughout the city can transport you anywhere in the city, even bring you back to the port but can't pickup passenger inside the port. They charge per taxi ride (typically 4 passengers maximum). They are supposed to charge in pesos and are regulated by zone. And there is Uber. You can book your ride using the app and pay for your ride within the app just like you would do back at home. Whatever activity you choose . . . Ship's excursions "may" a little more but do include all transportation and related fees. Independent tours may be cheaper but you will have to get yourself and your party to/from the actual tour operator's office. And in all cases, make sure somebody in your party has a watch set to the same time as the ship. It is common for ship's time and Vallarta time to be different. Enjoy!
  15. Ine, she said the independent tour meets at the River Cafe. In a perfect world, the taxi ride from the port to a safe stopping point at the bridge should be 25 minutes. The new Puerto Magico (port) facility channels people through the shopping opportunities to the port taxi area. This can add as much as 20 minutes, depending on which dock your ship is at, to your total travel time. Actually getting off the ship as soon as they let passengers disembark is an unknown. I think you might be pushing things a bit if you there may be only an hour from published arrival to a tour meeting at a location that is essentially in old town/zona romantica. (however, I would consider contacting the tour operator directly and asking if they think you can make it to the meeting point on time.) The whole ship's time/local time discussion has just gotten a little more complicated this year. Mexico has chosen to ignore Daylight Saving Time starting in 2023. They are on standard time. It will be difficult getting any meaningful, current information about what is being experienced by cruisers right now. Enjoy! . . .
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