Shore Excursions Sea of Cortez Ryndam

I am booked on the March 25th Sailing Ryndam Sea of Cortez.

I am looking at the shore excursions want to know if anyone has been on any of these shore excursions and have some feedback on them. I am also going to post this to the Port of Call list.

Cabo San Lucas

Coastal Highlights

Pirate Ship Historical Sail & Whale Watch

Deluxe Coastal Cruise with Whale Watching

Loreto Mexico

San Javier Mission

Mazatlan

Colonial Route & Shopping

The Best of Mazatlan

Sierra Madre, Concordia & Copala

La Paz

Discover Todos Santos

Highlights of La Paz

Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarto Overview

Pauerto Vallarto Discovery Tour

Town country & Tequila

Rhythms of the Night

Las Caletas Hideaway

Topolobampo

The Best of Topolobampo

Mango Plantation Hacienda & Flower Nursery

If anyone has been on any of these shore excursions Would appreciate your Input

Gail

On our cruise (november 08) we did the Concordia & Coppala tour and liked it very much. It gives a nice impression of 2 old small mexican towns. Lunch in Coppala was very nice. On the way back there was a stop in Mazatlan and we walked the beach for a short while. It takes almost all day.

In La Paz we did Todos Santos tour. Again a nice day, with visit to the local museum and church. Of course lunch in Hotel California was special.

It again was a long day.

In Cabo we just took a local watercab for almost 2 hours and sailed along the coast.

Topolobambo we shared a cab to Topo and Loca Mochis, but apart from the botanical gardens there is little to do.

In Loreto we just walked around, had a drink and food. Loreto is a lovely small town with again some history.

P. Vallarta was a private visit. But the tour to Caletas (all kinds of beach activities during the day) or Rytms of the Night are both excellent. You sail to those place with a nice beach. During Ritmo you have a nice diner on or near the beach with an very interesting show.

We just got off the Ryndam last week. We did this excursion and it was okay. What they do not tell you is that it is not just our ship's excursion. The company picks up people from hotels, etc. along with the ships people. We had a group of 30 or so from a hotel and they turned the boat into a "drunken party" boat, so much so that a few were passed out on the way back. Seeing that it is open bar going to the island, some people felt they had to get their monies worth and were well "gone" by the time we arrived at the island. The show was good, the food was local fare and the island and entertainers were interesting. If you are looking for the "sunset cruise" that is described in the HAL brochure, forget it. You leave the ship at 3:45, no where close to sunset. We did see some whales on the way over and they stopped so we could watch them. Ovewrall, it was okay, but not close to what we anticipated. If we knew about the other people going with the ship's guests, we probably would not have done it.

We did Sierra Madre, Concordia, Copala. We were underwhelmed by it, though we liked being in the countryside, and seeing the 2 small towns. Our tour guide kept PRESSURING us to HURRY UP, and ultimately I was VERY ticked off. So much so that I wrote HAL and complained, and made suggestions to how it could be improved. They assured me they'd raise my complaints and suggestions with the operator but I have no idea if they did or not. I wouldn't do it again unless I was CERTAIN we'd spend more than 15 minutes in Concordia. And that the tour guide wasn't a shill for Diamonds International.

In Loreto we kayaked and wandered around town. La Paz has a complimentary shuttle to downtown, and another to a lovely beach. (We did both).

In Cabo we did the Deluxe Coastal Cruise with Whale Watching last year. While we did see whales, we felt the boat used was not conducive to the type of excursion it was. There was limited seating/places to stand outside, so if you were not one of the first people to board the boat, you were forced to sit inside. The windows were tinted a very dark gray. We were lucky enough to get seats outside. I would have been very upset if we had to sit inside. It's definitely the kind of excursion that you want to be outside for.

Last March I did the pirate ship/whale watch excursion and I was very happy with it. Captain "Pete" did a good job of informing us of the historical value of this ship and we did get fairly close to a mother and baby whale. The motor powered boats in our area were very rude to other boaters in the area. As soon as we were out far enough, he turns off the engines and you actually sail, it was a great feeling.

Last March I did the pirate ship/whale watch excursion and I was very happy with it. Captain "Pete" did a good job of informing us of the historical value of this ship and we did get fairly close to a mother and baby whale. The motor powered boats in our area were very rude to other boaters in the area. As soon as we were out far enough, he turns off the engines and you actually sail, it was a great feeling.

In addition I would like to add that you are outside in the fresh air and that there were two crew members, raising the sails and whatever else they do to manuever the ship.

We did Sierra Madre, Concordia, Copala. We were underwhelmed by it, though we liked being in the countryside, and seeing the 2 small towns. Our tour guide kept PRESSURING us to HURRY UP, and ultimately I was VERY ticked off. So much so that I wrote HAL and complained, and made suggestions to how it could be improved. They assured me they'd raise my complaints and suggestions with the operator but I have no idea if they did or not. I wouldn't do it again unless I was CERTAIN we'd spend more than 15 minutes in Concordia. And that the tour guide wasn't a shill for Diamonds International.

 

In Loreto we kayaked and wandered around town. La Paz has a complimentary shuttle to downtown, and another to a lovely beach. (We did both).

In Loreto, was the kayaking you did on your own, or did you do the ship's excursion? If using the ship's excursion, did you see any "rent your own" outfits?

And that the tour guide wasn't a shill for Diamonds International.

Aren't they all?;)

We have taken the Sea of Cortez cruise on the Ryndam three times and would do it again in an instant. Those small Mexican towns are so nice and the people are so friendly. Have taken most of the shore excursions you listed, but the two highlights that we would repeat would be the San Javier Mission trip out of Loreto and the Discover Todos Santos out of Cabo. Both tastes of some unusual stuff - especially the Mission trip. To the Mission is 3+ hours, through dry river beds, around bolders and via beautiful oases with native fishes and other fauna up to about 5000 ft elev. The lunch provided up at the tiny town at the Mission is made with local ingredients - homemade goat cheese, home cured olives, homemade fig jam, etc. Wonderful!! ----Penny

was the kayaking you did on your own, or did you do the ship's excursion? If using the ship's excursion, did you see any "rent your own" outfits?

We did the ship excursion. They took us by van about 20 mins out of Loreto, to Loreto Bay. We had a blast. Didn't see any "do it yourself" places, but then we weren't really LOOKING for them either :) We **could** have used the beach at the kayak place afterwards, too, if we'd wanted.... I guess the cost of the shorex covered that, too.

Aren't they all?;)

It probably wouldn't have bothered me NEARLY as much if she had not spent the previous 5.5 hours telling us to HURRY UP, WE ARE SHORT OF TIME, so that we could spend drive an extra 25 minutes to spend 1/2 hour at DI, after listening to her go on and on and on and on about DI and handing out brochures and cr*p on the busride back to Maz.

More than HALF the tour was absolutely livid, but I suspect I was the only one who followed through with a complaint to HAL.

It probably wouldn't have bothered me NEARLY as much if she had not spent the previous 5.5 hours telling us to HURRY UP, WE ARE SHORT OF TIME, so that we could spend drive an extra 25 minutes to spend 1/2 hour at DI, after listening to her go on and on and on and on about DI and handing out brochures and cr*p on the busride back to Maz.

 

More than HALF the tour was absolutely livid, but I suspect I was the only one who followed through with a complaint to HAL.

I'm glad you followed up on that. I find the constant pushing of DI and all the other stores that advertise, and probably kick back to the cruise lines, really annoying too.

I'm glad you followed up on that. I find the constant pushing of DI and all the other stores that advertise, and probably kick back to the cruise lines, really annoying too.

I guess I will stay away from that Tour!

Wow! Thanks everyone! These are great response and are really helpful!

Gail

We did Todos Santos, San Javier, and the deluxe whale watching. We loved San Javier. Our guide was Linda, who speaks perfect english. Her mom is American. The drive is wonderful and the stops are very beautiful. I loved the oasis with native palms. The pictographs were not much but I will look at petroglyphs and pictographs anywhere, anytime. The only problem is that you do not get to spend time in Loretto. We were there once before and loved the town.

We liked Todos Santos but is really just shopping. We went off on our own as soon as we stopped. I did love Hotel California. BTW, it is the only place I found hand processed sea salt for sale.

We were the last on board the boat for the whale watching and were on the back of the ship. I recommend this to being inside. We stood for most of it, going from side to side to see the whales and dolfins.

We did the Sierra Madre, Concordia & Copala tour when we were on Princess and liked it.

We liked Todos Santos but is really just shopping. We went off on our own as soon as we stopped. I did love Hotel California. BTW, it is the only place I found hand processed sea salt for sale.

We did it through HAL but we split from the group as soon as we got to Todos Santos. Our only time frame was a 1:00 meeting time for lunch at the Hotel California. I figure we had 1.5 to 2 hours on our own which was plenty for us. We're not heavy shoppers.

Guess that I am the only dumb one that is taking the Sea of Cortez cruise so I can view Copper Canyon.

Did Enjoy Rev. Neal's pictures and narrative in another post.

Having a hard time waiting for the 4th of April.

I was on the cruise with rimau and took 6 HAL excursions. My overall impression was disappointment. There was nothing special about the excursions and they were grossly overpriced.

Of the list, I took the Sierra Madre, Concordia & Copala in Mazatlan. I was very disappointed. The advertised stop for the making of furniture was a stop for souvenirs of local handicrafts. The furniture was kind of thrown together showing little skill or craftsmanship. Nothing was offered in Concordia except to walk around the square. In Copala we were taken to a mask maker's shop with no explanation of any kind regarding the making of the masks. Lunch was provided at a local restaurant and it was okay. I have taken a similar tour out of Puerto Vallarta and we were shown a taco shop where tacos were being made; we went to a local bar and samples of the local hooch was passed around; the guide moved with the group through town explaining life in the town and gave meaning to what we were observing. Nothing similar was provided on this tour.

In La Paz I took the Highlights of La Paz tour. We had a pleasant tour guide but quite frankly we didn't see much of La Paz. We started at a museum with no elevator for those who have trouble walking. The museum was on 4 levels and, of course, all in Spanish. The guide was very good at describing the exhibits - maybe too good as we spent well over an hour and a half at a museum that should have taken 30 minutes at most. We then went to the square and were given 15 minutes to tour the cathedral on our own, to visit the coffee shop and to get ice cream or anything else we wanted to do. If you were toward the back of the bus and got into the cathedral it was time to get back on the bus. From there we went to the local artisan shop on the malecon and spent 45 minutes. From there we went out to a beach where we got a complimentary drink, were accosted by jewelry venders and wasted 45 minutes before we were taken back to the ship. Nearly a complete waste.

My wife and I took the Rhythms of the Night cruise in Puerto Vallarta. It sounds wonderful in the brochure and I read good reviews on Cruise Critics. What a mistake! The ship started picking up partying 20 and 30 year olds in Nuevo Vallarta before it came over to Puerto Vallarta to pick us up. There isn't a large number of heavy drinking 20 and 30 year olds on Holland America cruises and it was a terrible mistake for the tour operator to combine these groups . This bunch was well tuned up before we pulled away from the pier. The show was nice at Las Caletas as long as you didn't have to sit near one of the drunks. Dining with my wife along the shore was lovely. The meal was a buffet of very average Mexican food in decent quantities. The trip back on the boat was miserable!!! If the crowd was drunk before we left Puerto Vallarta, you can imagine what they were like on the return trip. The dancing described in the brochure was a congo line of drunks screaming as they moved around the boat and stepping over the bodies that could no longer stand after having consumed way too many alcoholic beverages. Sounds like a good time, right? For this we paid $99.00 per person.

Even though you didn't ask, I took the Copper Canyon excursion. It certainly is not for everyone but I thought it was great. The price is really steep but there is a lot involved in the excursion and I did not feel that it was grossly overly priced. You can't compare, and shouldn't compare, the Copper Canyon with the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon is essentially a flat plateau through which a river has cut a gorge. The Copper Canyon is a mountain range created by geological uplifts leaving valleys and vistas. The train ride is really the event even more so than the actually visit to the ridge.

Even though you didn't ask, I took the Copper Canyon excursion. It certainly is not for everyone but I thought it was great. The price is really steep but there is a lot involved in the excursion and I did not feel that it was grossly overly priced. You can't compare, and shouldn't compare, the Copper Canyon with the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon is essentially a flat plateau through which a river has cut a gorge. The Copper Canyon is a mountain range created by geological uplifts leaving valleys and vistas. The train ride is really the event even more so than the actually visit to the ridge.

Rythms of the Nights sounds like something I would have liked 20 years ago.

Thanks for the comments on the Copper Canyon. I didn't mentioned it because of the price and the 18 hour day. Something I could consider is maybe the only excursion I do would be the Copper Canyon. It sounds like that is what is worthwhile.

Thanks for your input!

Gail

Gail, it really isn't an 18 hour day. It is more like a 16 hour day but it is sedentary. From 3:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. the Lido is open if you need food or coffee. At 4:00 the show lounge opens for the group to begin gathering. There is coffee, water, juice and rolls in the lounge. At about 5:00 you start moving to the buses. There were 6 full buses on my excursion. You can sleep on the bus to the train station as it's dark and there is nothing to see. The ride to the train station is about 2 hours. The train is very comfortable and Rev. Neal's pictures give you a good idea of the train cars. You might be able to sleep on the train car but there is quite a bit of activity which would make sleeping difficult.

Basically, you are riding and watching on the train car. Each car has a guide who explains the area, the culture of the population and things of interest. About mid-morning you are served a boxed breakfast that has plenty of sustenance. There is also a club car for additional refreshments. By about noon the train arrives at the top of the canyon. The group is divided in half. One half goes to lunch while the other half goes to the edge of the rim. After an hour the positions are reversed. After the two hours at the rim you reboard the train for the reverse trip. An afternoon snack is served late afternoon toward dinner time and the snack really is a lunch meal.

We got off the train at approximately 8:00 p.m. and we were back on the ship at about 10:00 p.m. As you might imagine, the train is much more subdued on the return trip and as the light wanes a lot of eyes close. The return on the bus is dark and almost everyone is sleeping.

I found it to be a very interesting experience overall and particularly well organized by Holland America and the tour company. By the way the tour company is different than the company providing the tours in the ports. I hope this longer narrative helps you with your decision.

Bill

This cruise has been a favorite of ours because of the small ports. There are some good excursions but you can also do most of these ports on your own. Such as Mazatlan where the church has a wonderful story and the opera house does as well. It had large trees growning thru the roof but it has been lovingly restored. We have not gotten these on tours but in reading about the ports and finding them on our own. There is much written on the Sea of Cortez.

Thank you Black Robe.

I have been looking for reports on Copper Canyon.

good summary.

I hear that you should sit on the right side of the train for views of Copper Canyon, as some of it is dark on the way back.