Mike45LC

This is not a whale watching tour, but just the Arches tour. I have seen whales only a couple of times on these tours, from a distance. On a whale watching tour, I think we've always seen whales. The cost for the Arches tour is usually about $8 to $15 US per person. Depending on how hard you want to bargain and other factors. Speak English? $20! Speak gringo Spanish? $15. Speak Mexican Spanish? $10. I used to drive a harder bargain, but when I am spending thousands on a cruise, I can't get excited about bargaining for a few dollars with someone for whom $2 times four passengers means a lot. I think the last whale watching tour I took in Mex was about $40 US pp. Not a drinking party boat, I don't do those.

Thrak, Looking 4 Info (the OP) is distinguishing between the standard "glass bottom boats" and the "all glass boats." The "all glass boats" have the entire boat transparent, not just a small window in the bottom. I think you are asking about the standard "glass-bottom boat". The standard "glass bottom boat" is a panga with a small well with a glass window inset into the bottom of the hull -- maybe 4 feet by two feet?? For most of the trip, the views through the glass-bottom are pretty bad, but when the boat stops briefly and the captain throws out some food to attract fish, you get a decent view through the window. Me, I don't care about the glass-bottom "feature" of the boat. What I want is the panga ride from the dock out to the Arch and back. There is a set route: The Captain always makes a stop by one beach to feed the fish, then another stop to let passengers who want to visit Lovers Beach disembark, a pause by Stinking Seal Lion Rock, a view of the Arch and of Divorce Beach, a stop if there are any passengers who want to visit Medano Beach, and then back to the dock. I often request a stop by the Puerto Paraiso Mall, which is supposed to trigger an additional $2.50 pp tax. My wife has requested an extra 30 minute cruise up the coast; I don't recall how much we've paid for this detour, but it was worth it. Those who disembark at Lovers' Beach or Medano Beach need to climb over the gunwale and wade ashore. The water is about high-thigh deep, and the waves might knock you down. I caution parents of children about this. Lovers' Beach has no services, no vendors. Although I read on this forum once that someone had brought a cooler to the beach and was selling beverages. Medano Beach is full service -- restaurants, cafes, bars, massages, jet ski rentals, banana boats, etc., etc. From either of these beaches, you supposedly can join up with your boat on a later trip, but I don't know how well this works. From Medano Beach, I would simply take a land taxi or a pedicab back to the Marina. Is the boat trip worth it? I do this almost every trip to Cabo, first thing after I tender to shore. So to me, it is worth it.

Update: One of my faxed requests was rejected with an email telling me to submit via StockPerks. I assume the other three requests will be rejected as well.

The Carnival website has a page (as of two days ago) for Share Holders' Benefit requests listing fax numbers, email and snail addresses for Carnival, Princess, HAL, Seabourn, etc. . For Princess, the snail mail address as listed is: Commercial Compliance Support 24303 Town Center Drive, Suite 200 Santa Clarita, CA 91355 I do not think your submission via snail mail will be successful. I submitted a request by fax yesterday, and today I received an email telling me I have to make my request via StockPerks and some kind of "app" on a cell phone. Good luck!

PV: I would just find a nice beachfront restaurant on Playa Los Muertos at which to eat, drink and relax for a couple of hours. But I limit my beach time and don't need a full day.

This would be my concern! I'll watch for someone who has done it to respond.

As of Jan 31, 2024, the Carnival website still shows the old-fashioned way of submitting the shareholder benefit request (fax, email or mail). I printed out the Shareholder Benefit page for my records. As of today, the Carnival fax number is still working. Why would it still be working/ receiving if we can't send in our requests via fax? I just submitted four requests via fax, and I'll see what happens.

Sorry, it is Elite. I know she gambles a LOT more than I do. The cruise line doesn't care if I am aboard or not, unless that impacts her play!

Let me bootleg on this post. My wife, platinum, gets free transport between ship and airport. I am assuming that I have to pay for my transport. Can anyone confirm?

All of my luggage tags are black and white. I don't use the color printer; the B & W laser printer is faster and cleaner.

I have not gotten a casino pre-cruise survey , but I think that my comments might help improve the casino experience for me. Less smoke would be good. Better bar service would also help -- half the time I want a drink (a soft drink for me), I walk to the nearest bar because there is no cocktail server in sight. More hand-shuffle, fewer continuous shuffle machines. I spend a lot of time in the casino, and have lots of helpful suggestions which I make in the post-cruise survey.

I have not boarded in Long Beach in the rain, but once you get admitted into the huge cavernous hall, you are covered. My concern would be traffic to the port -- as you know, drivers in So Cal cannot handle any bad weather. So plan on lots of delays and fender benders!! The parking structure is covered, but getting into it might be lots of fun [not]. Have a great cruise!

My wife and I are booked. I still need to book our flights and a few nights NYC hotel -- I want to spend some time in NY before the cruise, and to avoid any anxiety about flight delays/cancellations.. I sailed Carnival a few times in the 1980s, but was turned off by the Spring Break atmosphere -- too many college frat boys drinking to the point of stupification! But that was almost 40 years ago, and I can't harbor prejudices forever. So we tried the Panorama in 2022 when it offered the only Mex Riv cruise that fit our nieces' work schedule, and we enjoyed it for the most part. I am looking forward to meeting a shipload of new friends (both those on the Roll Call and the huge number who are not here!) on the Venezia.

Hey, Old Man, I do not think that there is any cell service when the ship is sailing. I always nag my wife into turning off her cell when the ship sets sail, because I do worry about connecting through the ship's system -- $$$ -- mucho dinero!!

I might have an answer to your impossible quest. This excursion has plenty of tequila for the adults, and includes walking in El Centro, visiting the Church, jewelry shopping, lunch, a great show and tequila tasting. The kids will really enjoy the show. My wife and I don’t drink. But we took a tour called “Tequila Tasting, Mayahuel Experience” in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. There were about 45 of us taking the tour, and the bus was pretty full. There were two guides plus the driver. They gave out a free tequila shot to everyone. They offered an unlimited tequila pass for the entire tour. The bus dropped us off downtown, in El Centro by the Lighthouse. We walked a very short distance to the Seahorse. A group of Indian dancers walking along the Malecon performed for tips. Our group then walked up towards the Cathedral, stopping at Marino y Marino Jewelry Store, where free margaritas were offered. I do not know if Marina y Marina pays off the tour company for bringing us in – I assume so based on prior experience. I do not know if they made any sales to any of our group. Then, we walked up to the Church. We had plenty of time as tourists. Then, we boarded the bus and were taken a short distance to the Mango Beach Club for lunch. Lunch was included in our excursion price, but not drinks. The guides had warned us of the cost of margaritas at Mango Beach Club, and no one at our table ordered anything but soda ($3US each). Lunch was a salad, tacos (beef, chicken or pork), a quesadella. Lunch was a buffet-line, not table-service. The food was good. The restaurant and the restrooms were clean. The servers were friendly. Next, we walked about a block or two up the street to the Vallarta Theater/Tequila Sales Room. They gave out free samples, about a thimbleful of various flavored tequilas. Finally, they opened the theater and we went in. [The tequila Sales Room is the lobby of the theater.] Mayahuela was an amazing show, sort of Cirque De Solie in style. Dancing, special effects [fire dancing], drama, acrobatics [both seesaw and trampoline, a la CDS, plus some aerial]. After the show, they played several movies of tequila making, and explained the differences among four types of tequila. They then brought to each of us a “flight” of four tequilas, a bottle of water and a cracker to cleanse the palate between the four samples. There was then time for more sales of bottles of tequila, and then the bus ride back to the pier. Some of the people stayed in El Centro for some personal time; they made their way back to the ship on their own. I did not really notice the number of tequila shots that were offered to the guests, and I have no idea of the quality of the tequilas offered. Overall, the tour was very good. The price ($100 per person) was reasonable. I noticed a few weeks later that the price had been reduced, but I was pleased with the tour at $100 pp.

Ine, I thought that the walk to the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe from the Plaza de Armas is uphill, and then the stairs up to the church are a bit steep. Not too steep for a normal-abled person, but perhaps too much for someone with walking issues. Maybe I'm thinking of another church or another port? It is a beautiful church, in any event!

AquaticDreams, I am sorry your husband was sick. I hope he recovered completely and that it did not interfere with the rest of your cruise.

The Blue Line. And a diversion/detour from the Blue Line.

Stone Island is recommended because it is easy to get there (and back), there are lots of amenities, it is reasonably priced.

The Blue Line is an actual line painted on the roadway, running from the cruise passenger terminal to the Plaza Machado in downtown Mazatlan. There are also signs to direct tourists. And sometimes there are blue-shirted Travel Aide volunteers (American and Canadian ex-pats) standing around to give directions. When you walk outside the Cruise Passenger Terminal, cross the street towards the OXXO store (Mexican brand of convenience stores, similar to 7-11) and you will see the Blue Line. I've never walked straight from one point to the other, because I am always stopping to check things out and taking detours, so I can't really give an accurate distance -- maybe 2 miles?

I don't think it is DeVito, but there is a resemblance.

When you are done, please post the prices you pay for each taxi leg, compared to the HOHO price!

I've never tried to book a boat in advance for the trip to the Arch, so I have no information for you. I just wanted to ask if you are aware that there are no services at Lovers' Beach? No food, no beverages [I've seen reports that sometimes there might be a local with a cooler selling beverages], no bathrooms or showers, no water sports. To some people, this is exactly what they want, but to others, ...

I would do the "glass bottom boat" trip to the Arch first -- it gets dark too early in your short port call! Warning: If after your Arch visit the boat drops you off at the beach, you need to wade ashore. So you will be sandy and wet. Given how early it gets dark and how late you will be arriving in Cabo, you might want to skip either the Arch or the beach. Or you might catch an amazing sunset from the beach -- I've never sunsetted on that beach and I don't even know which way west is from the beach!! Someone help us here! [Why don't I know which way is the sunset? I've been on a ship's balcony in Cabo often enough. Time to check some of my Cabo photos.] Walk back to the Marina after the beach (or the boat tour drops you off in the Marina) and do your dining and shopping as you walk back to the tender dock. If you are wet, that might make dining uncomfortable. I'd skip the beach all together: boat tour, shopping in the Marina, then dinner in the Marina. You did not mention drinking. Giggling Marlin and other bars/clubs are easily walkable from the Marina.

I thought about the Hop-On Hop-Off in Mazatlan, but the route was no big deal for me. The HOHO price for two of us was something like $80, and I figured the cost of pulmanias (golf carts they use as taxis in Mazatlan) would be comparable. But we would not be tied to the bus schedule and waiting in line for the next bus. I would cab from point to point and not walk. Cab one to the downtown area (the church and mercado), cab two to the Golden Zone and [I'd skip this one], cab 3 to the divers. Then back to the ship. There is no problem catching a cab at any of these areas of interest -- you will have to fight them off!