4th Mexican Cruise coming up, 1st Riviera 7 day. Cabo, Mazatlan, Puerta Vallerta shore excursions

[Mommu98]

Good Morning! We just booked a 7 day Riviera for next April. 
wondering about shore excursions, other’s experiences, suggestions, likes, dislikes, wastes of time, must do’s/sees. 
Born and Raised in Los Angeles 

thanks everyone! 
p.s. i think i have a cruising problem, when i’m done with the current one, i’m already thinking about the next one.
Hi, i’m Amy and I'm a cruisaholic! 

[MSN-Travelers]

What type of activities do you enjoy?  What ship?  When you arrive in port and how long you will be there helps us create a list.

[Hlitner]

Hard to help folks that only want to consider cruise line excursions.  To be very blunt (and obvious) you are limited to only what the cruise line offers.   Once you decide to consider private tours or simply doing your own thing, then your world really does expand.  My only advice to the OP is, based on your desire to do cruise line excursions, just choose from among those you have yet to try.  Otherwise, I guess you could just stay on the ship (not a bad thing).

 

Hank

[ober134]

following. we are also hitting those ports later this year. First time for all of them

[Mommu98]

Embark L.A. 1st day @ Sea. then Cabo 11am -7pm, Puerta Valarta 12pm-8pm Mazatlan 7am-2pm the another day at sea. We like to eat, explore what makes a destination A DESTINATION. i.e. Alaskan cruise: Glaciers and whales we did and saw both(humbled and awestruck). I say I'm from L.A. because Mexican food is everywhere (including my kitchen.) Looking for historic sites, culture and tequila! 

6th day stop is Ensenada, if you've never been, "La Bufadora" is fun OH and bring your own toilet paper, there are restrooms but they charge for it.  But we saw an Anthony Bourdain episode at a tostada stand that he raved about, so that's what we're going to do.  Then back on the ship. 

[CruiserBruce]

If you look around the board, every port and it's attractions are discussed in great detail. Match with your interests,  and what your cruise line offers, to narrow down this very broad question. 

[Mommu98]

On 2/24/2024 at 8:14 PM, Hlitner said:

I’m not all about the cruise line excursions since currently, they are only offering 4. I want to know what should I consider doing while in Mazatlan, Cabo and Puerto Vallarta? I’m not someone that is afraid to explore but safely given the location of the cruise ports. 
Does Mazatlan have mayan pyramids or is there a restaurant that the locals go to in Puerto Vallarta, or a place in Cabo that will be a breathtaking moment. 

Hard to help folks that only want to consider cruise line excursions.  To be very blunt (and obvious) you are limited to only what the cruise line offers.   Once you decide to consider private tours or simply doing your own thing, then your world really does expand.  My only advice to the OP is, based on your desire to do cruise line excursions, just choose from among those you have yet to try.  Otherwise, I guess you could just stay on the ship (not a bad thing).

 

Hank

 

[Mommu98]

Already deciding after this cruise where do I want to cruise next

Edited February 26 by Mommu98
Changed post reply

[Mommu98]

On 2/24/2024 at 6:20 PM, MSN-Travelers said:

What type of activities do you enjoy?  What ship?  When you arrive in port and how long you will be there helps us create a list.

Thank you for asking, we are cruising on NCL Joy. we are stopping in Mazatlan 8 hours each, Cabo and Puerta Vallarta. 

[Hlitner]

You ask about Puerto Vallarta restaurants, and I believe we have far more then 600 eating venues in this city :).  You can eat everything from inexpensive tacos to very pricy French, Austrian, Italian, etc.  Many cruisers like to come into town (often referred to as "Centro") and head to the southside of town into what is called by several different names (Old Town, Viejo Vallarta, Zona Romantica, Southside, etc).  If you walk along the beach (Los Muertos Beach) there are many restaurants where you can eat with an ocean view.  The food and drinks here are safe so it comes down to your price point and type of food.  The Sea Monkey (we live above it) is popular with cruisers for inexpensive basic Mexican food.  Further south you find more expensive places like the Blue Shrimp, La Palapa, etc.  You can look at menus before you sit down.  Keep in mind that some restaurants only accept cash (pesos or US dollars) and if you pay in dollars you may not get the best exchange rate :).

 

Hank

[MSN-Travelers]

22 hours ago, Mommu98 said:

Thank you for asking, we are cruising on NCL Joy. we are stopping in Mazatlan 8 hours each, Cabo and Puerta Vallarta. 

 

 I don't spend near as much time in Vallarta every year as Hank (Hlitner) does but I can confirm that Vallarta is a foodies paradise.  

 

I'm not really thrilled with the ship's excursions they have available for Vallarta.  If you are shopping for a port that could become a future land vacation, I would suggest you book a food tour . . .   https://vallartafoodtours.com/food-tours/the-original-downtown-tour/    for as soon as possible after the ship arrives.  Allow 25-30 minutes to taxi from the port to Lazaro Cardenas Park.  I use this company to book their evening "street" taco tour when I have first time guest.  They do a great job and you get a mini-city tour.  You'll start down in the Romantic Zone and finish in the downtown area (Malecon).  This will give you the balance of the afternoon to be a tourist, sip adult beverages on the beach and think about what you want to do for dinner.

Make absolutely certain you know if "ship's time" and Vallarta local time are different so you don't miss the ship.

 

Enjoy! . . .     

Edited February 27 by MSN-Travelers

[whataboutport]

On 2/26/2024 at 9:35 AM, Hlitner said:

You ask about Puerto Vallarta restaurants, and I believe we have far more then 600 eating venues in this city :).  You can eat everything from inexpensive tacos to very pricy French, Austrian, Italian, etc.  Many cruisers like to come into town (often referred to as "Centro") and head to the southside of town into what is called by several different names (Old Town, Viejo Vallarta, Zona Romantica, Southside, etc).  If you walk along the beach (Los Muertos Beach) there are many restaurants where you can eat with an ocean view.  The food and drinks here are safe so it comes down to your price point and type of food.  The Sea Monkey (we live above it) is popular with cruisers for inexpensive basic Mexican food.  Further south you find more expensive places like the Blue Shrimp, La Palapa, etc.  You can look at menus before you sit down.  Keep in mind that some restaurants only accept cash (pesos or US dollars) and if you pay in dollars you may not get the best exchange rate :).

 

Hank

What do you think about the guys selling raw oysters on los Muertos beach? I love oysters and was intrigued but not sure if it's safe. Like what if they just put older oysters on new ice? Have you ever tried them?