Places not to be missed 11 day Mexico Mercury

[crishsapig]

Please give me your feedback on things to do and places to see on this 11 day cruise. We are looking for not to miss kinds of things. The stuff that you all say made the cruise for you! Don't know if we can take that much excitement but we'll give it a shot We are a group of 4, we are 41 and in great health and our sons are 21 and 11 and looking for some adventure! Hoping to find maybe some things off the beaten path ANY info would be so much appreciated! Here is the itinerary:

 

DAY 1: San Francisco/Departure

DAY 2: Monterrey, CA

Day 3: Catalina Island, CA

Day 4: AT SEA

Day 5: AT SEA

Day 6: Mazatlan

Day 7: Manzanillo

Day 8: Puerto Vallarta

Day 9: Cabo San Lucas

Day 10: AT SEA

DAY 11: AT SEA

DAY 12: SAN FRANCISCO/Arrive

 

Thanks! ~Christine

 

Celebrity Mercury October 19, 2003

 

 

 

March 13, 2004 on the Mercury

 

October 17, 2004 on the Mercury

[ov911lady]

I can only help out on the Catalina portion (I think). If they still have the golf cart rentals, my sister and I and her 5 yr old daughter rented one and drove it down the streets around the perimeter of some of the island (you can't get all the way around... some of the island is wildlife and trees, vegetation, etc) If you like to take photos, you can get some really beautiful photos from the highest points of the island from some of these roads.

Now, for the disclaimer.... We rented the golf carts last time I was there, which was in 1988 or so. Hope they still have them, or something like that.

Janelle

 

Diamond Princess

 

[sdl]

Monterey, CA or the Monterey Peninsula if you are doing an 'area' search on the Net...

Born and raised in this area, and mid-October SHOULD be clear, slightly crisp early, glorious balance of day. Since you are from Fortuna, the coast south of Carmel will look awful familiar and probably not that exciting for y'all

-The Aquarium is pretty amazing and has constantly changing setups and interactive areas- this is a really authentic look at the Central CA coastal sealife.

-If the stop is both on a weekend and there is enough time alotted, you could make advance car rental arrangements and drive UP the coast to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and ride the oldest wooden rollercoaster around and lots more too:

http://www.beachboardwalk.com/

-You can find a diveshop online and arrange for everyone to go diving in Monterey Bay- the colors of the marine life are intense and it is usually very busy even just off the shoreline near the pier. This would require you all to have taken your initial courses at home first in a pool, etc, and it is COLD water with thick protective gear a neccessity to rent.

-If exciting tends towards scenic drives and gawking at unusual and expensive housing, arrange for a taxi to take you to Carmel via 17 MIle Drive. Carmel would likely bore the boys, but it is a really pleasant and real town to explore/have lunch in.

-Off the beaten path is maybe a drive out to Pinnacles St Park (again, time is an issue) in a rental to hike/explore this different and eerie place.

 

-On Catalina you can still rent the golf carts for a max of 2 hours, pay in cash and have your driver's license with you.

Check out older posts on Catalina for the website and further details.

-More exciting options are the Jeep tour of the conservancy part of the island (most of it) to check out the buffalo and such, or kayaking along the shoreline, or renting your own glass-bottomed zodiac to explore Lover's Cove/etc.

 

-In PV the most exciting thing seems to be the Canopy Tour, or snorkeling/diving the out-islands...this is the end of the rainy season down there, so visibility will likely be poor nearer shore so I would skip those spots.

-Off the beaten track would depend on your time constraints- I believe you can hike/bike/ride horses in the mountains way above PV, but not sure of the details.

Try here as a starter for helpful expats that can offer suggestions:

http://pub69.ezboard.com/btodopuertovallarta

-Of course, the bar scene in town and such would be quite exciting for your older son, but not recommended for the younger!

 

I don't have info for the other 3 stops, sorry.

 

S

[mazatlan frank]

Do you need any information about my city (Mazatlan)? If so please ask. I like to be helpful so please go ahead amigo,

Frank

 

Saludos desde Mazatlan

[crishsapig]

Frank - Thanks! We found the perfect place for us in Mazatlan - El Cid Resort. We had such a good time (just for the day) there last month. ~Christine

 

Celebrity Mercury October 19, 2003

 

 

 

March 13, 2004 on the Mercury

 

October 17, 2004 on the Mercury

[crishsapig]

Just checked out Santa Cruz and see it closes after Labor Day We wanted to go there for the day when in Monterey. ~Christine

 

Celebrity Mercury October 19, 2003

 

 

 

March 13, 2004 on the Mercury

 

October 17, 2004 on the Mercury

[Dancing Gal]

Frank

Hola! I will be in Mazatlan on a cruise in a few weeks. Last time there, I enjoyed Randi's ride, but this time I am thinking about seeing more of the culture. Estudiando espanol y me gusta aprender de la cultura tambien. What would you recommend for a few hours "tour" for me if I go alone (single female - safety issue) and if I go with friend.

 

Are there artisan shops to visit, plantation tours, etc.

Muchas gracias

Nancy

 

"We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance." ~Japanese Proverb

 

[mazatlan frank]

Hola Nancy

I would recommend that you go to the old Mazatlan. Visit the Machado plaza, The Angela Peralta Theatre and of course have lunch there, many choices! Do not miss NidArt for leather art and also to see there house. Ask for Loa and Rak, artists frinds of mine. They will tell you about the house they have. Also visit the Casa Machado to see how the houses were in the early 1900´s. Four blocks away is the cathedral and market which is downtown. After that if you are for shopping, go to the golden zone. Have fun!

Frank

 

Saludos desde Mazatlan

[Dancing Gal]

Muchas Gracias Francisco

Aprecio la informacion!

Nancy

[DVC Calif]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by crishsapig:

 

...We found the perfect place for us in Mazatlan - El Cid Resort. We had such a good time (just for the day) there last month...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

Christine - Was there a charge to use there facilities? I've heard different stories. We will be there next week and would like to visit but don't want to have to rent a room to use their pool. We're looking at the El Moro with the big tower building.

 

Thanks, Steve

[crishsapig]

Steve - We did the time share thing so everything for us was FREE! Including all the wonderful food and drinks you want including alcohol. We were told if we wanted to do this on our own it would be $65 PP which is still a fabulous deal for the day. I very highly recommend it and to honest, we are kinda picky so there's some perspective ~Christine

 

October 19, 2003 on the Mercury

 

 

March 13, 2004 on the Mercury

 

 

October 13, 2004 on the Mercury

[crishsapig]

PS The time share thing lasted about an hour.

 

October 19, 2003 on the Mercury

 

 

March 13, 2004 on the Mercury

 

 

October 13, 2004 on the Mercury

[damurph]

As was mentioned earlier, be sure you bring cash if you want to take the golf carts in Catalina. Most of the places we came across didn't take credit cards.

[D4]

For Mazatlan, I recommend Randi's Happy Horses. We did it last week and it was the highlight of our cruise. Here's the website: http://www.mazinfo.com/horsebackride/

 

There are a lot of great comments on this board about Randi's ride and that's what convinced us to do it.