PV Tour Recommendation - Help Please!

[Laurenran]

Deciding between Las Caletas or Majahuitas Snorkeling & Yelapa. Anyone done both and can give a comparison? It looks like they are both through Vallarta Adventures but we would be booking through the ship (HAL). They both look amazing and I’m having a hard time deciding. We have two active boys who are 8 & 11. We are going in late Dec and I have heard that you may see whales on the way to Las Caletas, wondering if you would also have a chance of seeing them on the other tour. Decisions, decisions! 

Edited November 22, 2021 by Laurenran

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, Laurenran said:

Deciding between Las Caletas or Majahuitas Snorkeling & Yelapa. Anyone done both and can give a comparison? It looks like they are both through Vallarta Adventures but we would be booking through the ship (HAL). They both look amazing and I’m having a hard time deciding. We have two active boys who are 8 & 11. We are going in late Dec and I have heard that you may see whales on the way to Las Caletas, wondering if you would also have a chance of seeing them on the other tour. Decisions, decisions! 

Tough decision.  I guess much would depend on just how much you want to try some snorkeling.  As to whales (Humpbacks) if they show-up in the bay you would have a chance of seeing them on either tour.  The whales move around freely in the area (we like to watch them from our condo balcony) but seeing a whale is more about luck when you are on a fixed itinerary like on those tours.  There are also dedicatecd whale watching tours in the area where the odds of spotting a humpback is improved because the boat operators share info if anyone spots some whales.

 

Both tours that you mention involve a boat journey across the Bay of Bandaras (necessary to get to either Yalapa or Las Caletas.  If the boat operators happen to spot a whale they will often head in that direction for some whale watching.  But we have gone weeks without seeing a whale in the Bay and other times will spot whales nearly every day.

 

Hank

[Laurenran]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

Tough decision.  I guess much would depend on just how much you want to try some snorkeling.  As to whales (Humpbacks) if they show-up in the bay you would have a chance of seeing them on either tour.  The whales move around freely in the area (we like to watch them from our condo balcony) but seeing a whale is more about luck when you are on a fixed itinerary like on those tours.  There are also dedicatecd whale watching tours in the area where the odds of spotting a humpback is improved because the boat operators share info if anyone spots some whales.

 

Both tours that you mention involve a boat journey across the Bay of Bandaras (necessary to get to either Yalapa or Las Caletas.  If the boat operators happen to spot a whale they will often head in that direction for some whale watching.  But we have gone weeks without seeing a whale in the Bay and other times will spot whales nearly every day.

 

Hank

Thank you very much Hank! Great information! Whales would be an unexpected bonus. Is there any snorkeling at Las Caletas? I might just have to make another trip so I can do both!

[Hlitner]

6 minutes ago, Laurenran said:

Thank you very much Hank! Great information! Whales would be an unexpected bonus. Is there any snorkeling at Las Caletas? I might just have to make another trip so I can do both!

I love PV and have lived there for the past 15 winters.  But when we go to PV we leave our snorkel gear back in the States.  The best snorkeling does not even come close to what we find in the Caribbean or other places around the world.  As to Las Caletas, you might see a few fish but it would not be a good snorkel site.  But Las Celatas is certainly a nice and well maintained place that used to belong to John Huston.  Apparently when he was filming "Night of the Iguana" (1964) he fell in love with the PV area and bought the property.  I believe it is now leased to Vallarta Adventures who operates all the various tours out to that property.

 

Hank

[MSN-Travelers]

Have done both excursions.  Both offer snorkeling. And just as Hank has said, we no longer bring our snorkeling gear to Vallarta.  Banderas Bay, the entire Pacific coast, is poor to fair at best.  I would not book an excursion where snorkeling is the central part of the activity.  I think you and your teens would be better served at Las Caletas.

 

Enjoy . . .

 

 

Edited November 29, 2021 by MSN-Travelers

[cruisin'mama]

We were scheduled to go to Las Caletas next week on a HAL excursion but got an email today saying that it was canceled. I thought maybe not enough ship people signed up for the excursion so I am going to see if it’s available to book independently 

[Ine]

On 11/30/2021 at 12:27 AM, cruisin'mama said:

We were scheduled to go to Las Caletas next week on a HAL excursion but got an email today saying that it was canceled. I thought maybe not enough ship people signed up for the excursion so I am going to see if it’s available to book independently 

Unfortunately Vallarta Adventures doesnot accept reservations by people on a cruise ship. You might find some resellers, but  check the departure and sailoff time of your ship  and the tour before making reservations. 

[Mike45LC]

10 hours ago, Ine said:

Unfortunately Vallarta Adventures doesnot accept reservations by people on a cruise ship. You might find some resellers, but  check the departure and sailoff time of your ship  and the tour before making reservations. 

Ine, in another thread, I just suggested to I Be Fluffy that she MIGHT be able to book directly with Vallarta Adventures [VA] because Princess cancelled the excursion.  My hope is that if Princess cancelled, VA might be able to book passengers despite the normal "no cruise passengers" rule.  Of course, if Princess cancelled due to "operational difficulties", the problem might lie with VA.  For our fellow cruisers, I hope they get it together soon!

[lbfluffy]

I read somewhere it was canceled due to not following covid protocols.

[Ine]

1 hour ago, lbfluffy said:

I read somewhere it was canceled due to not following covid protocols.

To be sure why not contact them directly? https://www.vallarta-adventures.com/en/contact-us

[Laurenran]

On 11/28/2021 at 9:02 PM, MSN-Travelers said:

Have done both excursions.  Both offer snorkeling. And just as Hank has said, we no longer bring our snorkeling gear to Vallarta.  Banderas Bay, the entire Pacific coast, is poor to fair at best.  I would not book an excursion where snorkeling is the central part of the activity.  I think you and your teens would be better served at Las Caletas.

 

Enjoy . . .

 

 

Thank you for this information! We booked Las Caletas, hoping it doesn’t get canceled. 

[Laurenran]

On 11/29/2021 at 3:27 PM, cruisin'mama said:

We were scheduled to go to Las Caletas next week on a HAL excursion but got an email today saying that it was canceled. I thought maybe not enough ship people signed up for the excursion so I am going to see if it’s available to book independently 

Bummer! I will start looking for a Plan B! 

[cattman]

On 11/29/2021 at 3:27 PM, cruisin'mama said:

We were scheduled to go to Las Caletas next week on a HAL excursion but got an email today saying that it was canceled. I thought maybe not enough ship people signed up for the excursion so I am going to see if it’s available to book independently 

We were also looking forward to the Las Caletas excursion on our HAL cruise next week only to have it cancelled. Called Vallarta Adventures and was informed the  cancellation was due to the coordination of the ships' 8:00am arrival time and the 8:30am departure time to Las Caletas.

 

Vallarta Adventures requires all passengers to be at the terminal 1/2 hour before departure, effectively making it impossible to get from  the ship to the departure location on time. We were really bummed, we were looking forward to it.

[Laurenran]

On 12/6/2021 at 12:30 PM, cattman said:

We were also looking forward to the Las Caletas excursion on our HAL cruise next week only to have it cancelled. Called Vallarta Adventures and was informed the  cancellation was due to the coordination of the ships' 8:00am arrival time and the 8:30am departure time to Las Caletas.

 

Vallarta Adventures requires all passengers to be at the terminal 1/2 hour before departure, effectively making it impossible to get from  the ship to the departure location on time. We were really bummed, we were looking forward to it.

Yup, ours was just cancelled too! Onto Plan B.  Here’s what the email said :

December 16, 2021

Dear Guest, Thank you for booking your upcoming voyage and shore excursions with Holland America Line. Please be advised that The Las Caletas Family Getaway, Beach & Snorkel in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico has been removed from your sailing due to operational considerations.We have refunded your prepaid shore excursion to the original card used for the purchase.

 

 

[cattman]

21 hours ago, Laurenran said:

Yup, ours was just cancelled too! Onto Plan B.  Here’s what the email said :

December 16, 2021

Dear Guest, Thank you for booking your upcoming voyage and shore excursions with Holland America Line. Please be advised that The Las Caletas Family Getaway, Beach & Snorkel in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico has been removed from your sailing due to operational considerations.We have refunded your prepaid shore excursion to the original card used for the purchase.

 

 

Well whatever your Plan B is, don't make it the All Inclusive Beach Break. We did that one yesterday and it was a bust.. no bars open when we arrived, didn't open till 11, then the buffet closed from 11till 1(no lunch?)and we had to leave at 2. Only real option for lunch was a terrible hamburger. Worse food than the options at the private islands like Princess Cays. Waste of time..

[Laurenran]

4 hours ago, cattman said:

Well whatever your Plan B is, don't make it the All Inclusive Beach Break. We did that one yesterday and it was a bust.. no bars open when we arrived, didn't open till 11, then the buffet closed from 11till 1(no lunch?)and we had to leave at 2. Only real option for lunch was a terrible hamburger. Worse food than the options at the private islands like Princess Cays. Waste of time..

Thanks for the heads up. We are booked on  the Majahuitas Snorkel and Yelpa Bay tour. Fingers crossed it turns out ok!

Edited December 17, 2021 by Laurenran