"Outdoor Adventure" in PV?

[Sweet Carolina Girl]

My husband and I bought some water shoes that look like reg tennis shoes, I recall for around $20 from SierraTradingPost, our daughter had some slip on water shoes, the kind of quality for water exercise classes, I think hers were also about $20 from ShoeMall. We live near the ocean, so figure we'll use them for beach walks and tidepool exploration and could use them for water aerobic classes. Other people did have regular tennis shoes on, though. One of the guides commented on really liking my shoes ... would have left them for him but they wouldn't have fit (the guides were great).

 

My husband and I also wore board shorts which kept us comfortable and they dry out fast. Daughter and I wore swimsuits under light tshirts. One poor person wore jeans and looked so uncomfortable after getting wet.

 

Take a change of dry clothes, they have dressing rooms to change at the end before loading back into the 4x4's, then boats, for the ride home.

 

 

 

Does anyone know if they are really strict with the weight tolerance? We have someone interested in doing this excursion that weighs 225 the max is 220. Do you think this will be a problem?

[Eeyoregon]

Just back from our NCL MR cruise. I booked privately at a rate of $88 per person vs. the $129 ship price.

 

We walked off the ship, turned left and headed over to the marked desk for our tour company. We were checked in and given our bracelets and asked to meet by the harbor building at 12:45 for our 1:00 tour. We had about an hour to kill so we escaped the heat/humidity and hung out on the ship.

 

It was a short walk to the harbor building and we easily spotted our guide and group. We boarded the zodiac boat (right in front of our ship) and headed up the coast. While in route I spotted a sea turtle about a foot from out boat.

 

We arrived at a beach and off loaded. We were split into 2 groups of 14 and boarded the umidog vehicles. Use the seatbelts for sure!!! We headed up the canyon and arrived at the Outdoor Adventure facility.

 

We were given a training session and were then fitted with our gear. We took a short walk up to the Mule station and were matched up with a mule. All I can say is: I am SOOOOOO sorry Mr. Mule. I seriously thought my poor guy was going to have a heart attack with my big butt on him! He wasn't very patient and would take off trotting, would pass other mules and bite at their faces as he passed. I think he just wanted to get to the top and be rid of me!!

 

Once at the top we did a practice zip to get the hang of it and then we were off. We zipped and zipped. I will be honest: the hike/climb between the practice zip and the next two lines was extremely challenging for this out of shape fluffy mama. The elevation is high, the heat of the day was intense and I seriously was dying/panting. The guides were so very patient with me and there was always one that would hang back with me and make sure I was Ok.

 

The 1st repel down the face of the waterful was, well, um, not so graceful. I kept my legs straight, leaned back as instructed but somehow kept ending up with my butt against the rock wall and my feet above my head!! But I made it down and the landing into the pool below was heaven for my over-heated body!!

 

The short zip where you landed in the pool was intimidating. I do not like water in my face and will plug my nose if jumping into water. Because I had to use both hands to do the zip, I was not able to cover my nose/mouth. They kept telling me to use my brake and I wouldn't "go under". NOT!!! I broke the entire time and hit that water so hard that my helmet came off when I went under, LOL! I came up sputtering and couldn't help but laugh at myself!! YOU WILL GET SOAKED!!! I was glad I had my water hiking shoes and swim suit on under my shirt!

 

The free fall repel was fun although the guide kept yelling something at me with his thick accent and I still don't know what he was saying :confused: but I survived. Every thing from that point was easy and fun by my standards. It was so beautiful and I really enjoyed my conversations with my guide as we played catch up with the rest of the group.

 

Once back at "camp" we changed clothes and enjoyed the refreshments. We viewed our photos but did not buy any. It simply was not in the budget. And even had it been in the budget, I probably would not have purchased them simply because one of the sales people realy offended me. We were some of the last to look at our photos. I had overheard 2 other families ask about purchasing at a later date. They were quoted the prices and told the photos were availabe for 2 months and were give the email address.

 

When I asked my sales person about purchasing photos/CD's after we get home he told me they don't do that and that I HAD to buy today. I called him out and told him I that other people were told by his fellow staff an entirely different story. He said, "Oh, you heard them?" and I said, Yes, I sure did and I would like the same information. He said he would have to "try and find it" and walked off. They started loading the trucks for the ride back and we just left. I did not appreciate the BS and the lying to my face.

 

Our umidog driver on the way back was ready for his beer and dinner, LOL! We FLEW down that canyon...it was like a roller coaster ride and we were all laughing.

 

We boarded the zodiac...Ok, another not so attractive/gracefull moment. I am 5 feet 2 inches and the edge of the zodiac was at chin level and it took a great amount of assitance from the driver to hoist me in...head 1st I might add :D!

 

The ride back was the high light of the entire day. We were flying up the coast line when all of the sudden there were whales. Our driver cut the engines and the show began. They were soooooo close. One of them breached 3 times and then layed on it's back and waved with its fins side to side before diving under with a final tail fin wave. It was amazing and brought tears to my eyes...so magnificent!!

 

The zodiac arrived back at the dock. We had time to shop and eat/drink at the pier and then back on board.

 

What a great day!!!

[melissy123]

Thanks for the review. I'm about 5'2" as well, and wear contact lenses, so have the same fears about going/diving into a pool of water. Thanks for the warning. What time did you get done with the tour? Our papers say we have to check-in at 11:30. Is that what you had to do and then report back at 1 p.m.??

[RachelG1016]

I was wondering Eeyoregon (Gina) if you might be willing to send me the information that you used to book the tour without paying the price through the cruiseline.

 

If you are willing, you can contact me at RachelG1016 at gmail dot com.

 

I really, really want to do this tour, but like you, am a single parent and have to keep the budget in mind at all times........

 

P.S. I have been loving reading your posts about your trip.

[Eeyoregon]

Thanks for the review. I'm about 5'2" as well, and wear contact lenses, so have the same fears about going/diving into a pool of water. Thanks for the warning. What time did you get done with the tour? Our papers say we have to check-in at 11:30. Is that what you had to do and then report back at 1 p.m.??

 

We had a 12:45 meet time and a 1:00 tour time. I think we were back around 6:30 Puerta Vallarta time which was 5:30 ship time (NCL does not change to the local time).

[dfitz]

Hi Gina,

I was wondering if you'd gone on your cruise yet, and how the Outdoor Adventure was for you ... I was giggling reading your review or if ... sounds like the added in a couple more "training" sessions which is probably because of me on the first zip :eek: I really blew it ... but lived to talk about it. Was it as fun and memorable for you as it was for me?

 

If you should decide you want to view your pics again, go to their website and you can view and buy still ... I think they posted them w/in 2 weeks of our return home ... they are expensive, and I almost didn't buy, but I love having them since I've decided to start doing a fun photo wall with framed pics of our adventures :) My daughter (who was afraid of heights) more recently went skydiving for her 20th bday!

 

 

Since I raved about the OA, I sure hope you are glad you did it ... and how did your son and his friend enjoy it?

~Denise

[dfitz]

Does anyone know if they are really strict with the weight tolerance? We have someone interested in doing this excursion that weighs 225 the max is 220. Do you think this will be a problem?

Sweet Carolina Girl - It's not like they weighed us in, but remember it could be a safety factor ... you are hanging from a wire very far from the ground :eek: you need to be fitted into gear, and the mules are pretty small ... could the person lose 5 lbs by the time you go (for me, it would be worth it, LOVED this excursion!)

You could always email them direct (easy to google for their website) and ask them ... if they say no problem, take that reply w/ you just in case there is a problem upon arrival :)

[firstimer2]

My husband and I bought some water shoes that look like reg tennis shoes, I recall for around $20 from SierraTradingPost, our daughter had some slip on water shoes, the kind of quality for water exercise classes, I think hers were also about $20 from ShoeMall. We live near the ocean, so figure we'll use them for beach walks and tidepool exploration and could use them for water aerobic classes. Other people did have regular tennis shoes on, though. One of the guides commented on really liking my shoes ... would have left them for him but they wouldn't have fit (the guides were great).

 

My husband and I also wore board shorts which kept us comfortable and they dry out fast. Daughter and I wore swimsuits under light tshirts. One poor person wore jeans and looked so uncomfortable after getting wet.

 

Take a change of dry clothes, they have dressing rooms to change at the end before loading back into the 4x4's, then boats, for the ride home.

 

Thank you for all your posts. We are booked for this in June through the Mariner. I just have a question... are you "expected" to tip the guides? Or is this included in the new big price? $519 for 4 of us. Thanks.

[deevmo]

Great detailed description! I can see all of that happening to me too. I'm 5'2" and to use your description "fluffy".

 

Did you enjoy the adventure? Is it something you would recommend?

 

Deedee

[Eeyoregon]

Thank you for all your posts. We are booked for this in June through the Mariner. I just have a question... are you "expected" to tip the guides? Or is this included in the new big price? $519 for 4 of us. Thanks.

 

I definitely tipped my guide! He hung back with me (I was a slow poke) and kept me company while I caught up with the group at each leg of the course.

 

I booked privately at http://vallarta-info.com/tours.html with Vallarta Adventures and it was quite a bit cheaper. They were AWESOME and we had the best day ever.

 

CAUTION: While you are zip lining, you use your "strongest" arm/hand as your break when/if you need to slow down by pressing down on the cable. I did this a couple of times and the resistance, at that speed, against my shoulder was TOO MUCH and I am still having shoulder pain 5 months later.

[Eeyoregon]

Did you enjoy the adventure? Is it something you would recommend?

 

Deedee

 

Absolutely! It really was the high light of our ports. It was beautiful up in the canyon and I felt pretty darn proud of myself for trying new things and surviving!! My son and his friend had a fantastic time.

 

NOTE: After the adventure they REALLY push the photo purchasing and our "consultant" told us you had to buy now or never. That was not true. Within weeks of returning home, they emailed me the link with all of our photos and you could purchase them if you wished. I think there was a better package deal if you purchased that day BUT I didn't have the extra funds.

[firstimer2]

Great detailed description! I can see all of that happening to me too. I'm 5'2" and to use your description "fluffy".

 

Did you enjoy the adventure? Is it something you would recommend?

 

Deedee

 

Not sure if you're interested, but here's my review of the Outdoor Adventure about mid-way down on this thread. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1004065

 

We loved it! Highly recommend. :) (I'm 5'0")

[deevmo]

Thank you for your responses. It sound like a lot of fun, and I think I will try it. I might be the slowest and be huffing and puffing, but I'm going for it!

[2moody]

Hi, I just booked with vallarta adventure last week and they had a 30% off going on so our cost was $68 a person. The discount was 15% and it changed the day before I booked so I got lucky. I don't know if it is still going on. I can't wait to do this excursion.

[Eeyoregon]

Hi, I just booked with vallarta adventure last week and they had a 30% off going on so our cost was $68 a person. The discount was 15% and it changed the day before I booked so I got lucky. I don't know if it is still going on. I can't wait to do this excursion.

 

That is an EXCELLENT price and a great value for what you get! I know that the swine flu situation really hurt them in April/May/June...they sent me emails to let me know they were open for business. I worried about all of the great folks down there that depend on the cruise ships for their livelihood.

 

And to anyone who is worried about booking privately and the potential for missing the ship, I would not worry at all. They offer a variety of time slots and their business depends on having happy cruise customers so they are very conscious about time frames and ship departure times. I think we did the 12:00 tour and were back in plenty of time and even enjoyed shopping in the marketplace by the terminal and having some drinks at the bar that is right there.

 

This really is a great family activity.

[deevmo]

2 Moody - can you tell me the phone # or email address of the company you were able to book with? Is it for the Outdoor Adventure or just the Canopy?

Thanks!

Deedee

deevmo at yahoo. com

[clb09]

I'm looking into signing up for Outdoor Adventure with the cruiseline. I just don't have the confidence to go independently on my own yet...

 

however, before even doing any of it...I'd like to ask if any of the activities in the tour will require lots of arm strength? I am recovering from a broken upper arm, so I have no strength to "pull" or do anything with one of my arms. So just want to make sure I'll still be able to do this....

 

Thoughts? Thanks.

[firstimer2]

I'm looking into signing up for Outdoor Adventure with the cruiseline. I just don't have the confidence to go independently on my own yet...

 

however, before even doing any of it...I'd like to ask if any of the activities in the tour will require lots of arm strength? I am recovering from a broken upper arm, so I have no strength to "pull" or do anything with one of my arms. So just want to make sure I'll still be able to do this....

 

Thoughts? Thanks.

 

We went in June and if I was recovering from a broken arm, I really wouldn't recommend it. You definitely need to use both arms. You might want to reconsider this, especially since it is so much money.

[2moody]

It was the outdoor adventure. I just looked online again and went all the way to checkout and the discount was back to 15% off. we must have really gotten lucky. The place we booked with is vallarta-adventures. If you type in outdoor adventures pv you should see them. there # is 888-303-2653 it wouldn't hurt to call them and see if they would give you the 30% discount. Does anyone that has been on this know the cost for a cd with pictures I thought I saw that someone got it for $99. when I went online to their picture sight the cost was $249, and $25 for 1 picture.

[deevmo]

It was the outdoor adventure. I just looked online again and went all the way to checkout and the discount was back to 15% off. we must have really gotten lucky. The place we booked with is vallarta-adventures. If you type in outdoor adventures pv you should see them. there # is 888-303-2653 it wouldn't hurt to call them and see if they would give you the 30% discount. Does anyone that has been on this know the cost for a cd with pictures I thought I saw that someone got it for $99. when I went online to their picture sight the cost was $249, and $25 for 1 picture.

 

 

Thanks - I called them, and they only had time slots that don't work with port times. They said Princess bought all the time slots for when we are in port.

[Eeyoregon]

I'd like to ask if any of the activities in the tour will require lots of arm strength? I am recovering from a broken upper arm, so I have no strength to "pull" or do anything with one of my arms. So just want to make sure I'll still be able to do this....

 

Thoughts? Thanks.

 

I wouldn't recommend it in your situation. Repelling took both arms, as did making it across the rope bridge. The Zipling requires both arms...one to hang on to and one to break with.

 

Does anyone that has been on this know the cost for a cd with pictures I thought I saw that someone got it for $99. when I went online to their picture sight the cost was $249, and $25 for 1 picture.

 

We were offered the $99 rate while we were there but you had to purchase it then.

[scotte]

Thanks for all the great information! After reading this thread, I'm definitely sold on the excursion. We'll be there 9/24 on the Mariner, so I need to call and find out what time slots are available.

 

The ship is supposed to leave at 8:00 pm local time (7:00 ship time), so I'm wondering, if we do the 1:00 pm tour, will we be back to the ship with a little bit of contingency time left over?

 

Also, although the ship brochure lists a weight limit of 220, I see the vallarta adventures site shows 250. I'm at about 230 at the beginning of the cruise (I imagine by day 4 I'll be closer to 240 :eek:.) so I'm hoping I don't get kicked out. The advantage is that no one guesses I weigh that much -- I guess I can hide it well. On the other hand, I don't want them to mention that at my funeral when the carabiner fails and I plummet 1000 feet to my death. :)

 

Thanks!

Scott

[clb09]

I wouldn't recommend it in your situation. Repelling took both arms, as did making it across the rope bridge. The Zipling requires both arms...one to hang on to and one to break with.

quote]

 

Maybe I should clarify my situation. I'm not in a sling or brace anymore. I can have movements in my arm..just that I still haven't regained full strength yet. So say... I probably can't do a 10-15 lb dumbell arm curl yet but certainly can carry light items.

 

Would that still be a problem?

[firstimer2]

I wouldn't recommend it in your situation. Repelling took both arms, as did making it across the rope bridge. The Zipling requires both arms...one to hang on to and one to break with.

quote]

 

Maybe I should clarify my situation. I'm not in a sling or brace anymore. I can have movements in my arm..just that I still haven't regained full strength yet. So say... I probably can't do a 10-15 lb dumbell arm curl yet but certainly can carry light items.

 

Would that still be a problem?

I still wouldn't recommend doing it. I felt like I nearly pulled my arm out of the socket on the first zipline, until I got the hang of it. If you don't want to undo all your healing, I would not go on this. Sorry.

[PassionFruit]

I've just found this tour and am starting to research it. It sounds very interesting. Does anyone know if there is a "transport only" rate so if some of our group isn't physically able to do the rapelling/ziplining (we have 2 elderly people & 2 small children), they could ride along and wait at the base camp for us? It sounds like there are light refreshments available and maybe the swimming place is close enough the kids could do that? Or maybe it's not feasible at all?