Help with PV and tour time

[clairebearinaus]

Hello,

Having never been to Mexico (or the US!) before I'm seeking some advice to stop me from making a horrible mistake booking a tour.

 

According to my cruise itinerary we are due to arrive in PV at 9am.  I am considering a tour that starts at 10 or 10.30.  We don't have a suite or any other reason for priority disembarkation.

 

My first question is about ship time vs local time.  I have read somewhere that in PV, ship time is often one hour behind local time, so if the itinerary says 9am arrival is that ship time, in which case it's actually 10am in port?

 

Secondly, with no priority, how long should we realistically expect it to take to disembark the ship, find a taxi and arrive at the meeting point in the old town (River cafe)?

 

Many thanks for your advice!

[Mike45LC]

I have found it impossible to determine in advance if the ship will be on local time or an hour off.  Sometimes it is one way, other times the other.  This is very frustrating.  

 

My wife and I rarely rush off the ship, so I don't know how long it will take for a non-priority party to get off the ship, walk through the overbuilt cruise passenger terminal and grab a taxi.   But if the ship docks at 10:00 a.m. local time, it is unlikely that you will be able to make a 10:30 tour in downtown.

[CruiserBruce]

Whether the ship is on local time, or port time is a cruise line policy. Best to ask on the board for that cruise line. Most ships do switch to local time, but there are always exceptions. Carnival frequently doesn't switch to local time in PV.

[clairebearinaus]

Thank you, I'm sailing on Carnival so I probably got the time information from that board.

 

It sounds like this tour option is too risky.

[Ine]

Much depends where you have to go to join your tour. According the port schedules in Vallarta Panorama most of the times docks at around 8.30.

If your tour leaves from the port you will be ok, if you have to go to another place it might be too early.

[Starlight Durban Cruising]

In PV, you are tied up at the pier, so as soon as customs clears the ship then people can get off. It's quicker than Cabo where you are anchored in the bay and there are only so many water taxis that can be next to the ship at a time, which leads to cabin-class and status-level prioritization for getting off...

It also depends if your ship is tied up next to the new terminal (South side), East side opposite Walmart, or North side next to Military zone. Sometimes there are a lot of ships in port that day...

 

 

That be said, we did a private horse-riding tour the one time and had to meet at 10.00am (local time) at the library (pretty close to the harbor) for private pick-up, We almost missed the tour because of the time difference. Thankfully the taxi driver called them from his local cell phone and they came back for us !!!

[MSN-Travelers]

On 3/29/2023 at 8:50 AM, Ine said:

Much depends where you have to go to join your tour. According the port schedules in Vallarta Panorama most of the times docks at around 8.30.

If your tour leaves from the port you will be ok, if you have to go to another place it might be too early.

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! . . .

Edited April 4, 2023 by MSN-Travelers

[Ine]

I missed the meetingpojnt is Rivercafe. Indeed the ride will last at least 20 minutes but most likely  more. Traffic this year is crazy! That is also why I said if the meetingpoint is at the dock they will make it. However if the meeting is elsewhere it is impossible. 

Panorama often docks at 3, however passengers need to walk to the exit near pier 2. 

In case they dock at 1, then indeed they need to walk through the shoppingcenter to get out.

Best advice indeed to contact the tour operator for exact details,