Welcome, welcome, welcome!!!!
When we are in PV, we are thinking about using Los Veranos canopy Tours instead of the Disney Company for the ziplining canopy tour. Do you know about that company?
WE are going to have so much fun!
Tinkerbellll/others,
This is a bit lengthy, but here's an overview from our experience. I'm sure some of the other previous MR cruisers can chime in with their thoughts as well as everyone's perspecitive can be different.
MONEY: There seemed to be some questions on the boards before our trip about Mexico accepting dollars versus Pesos; but we used dollars exclusively and had no problem whatsoever. You would probably get a slightly better exchange rate if you used Pesos (from at ATM, etc), but we didnt bother with the hassle and felt we did fine. We also used a credit card a few times and got a good rate, but our bank added a small foreign transaction fee (note: dont forget to advise your bank in advance youll be using your card in Mexico).
We did a couple of EXCURSIONS this time and got feedback from others in our group on other ones...
PV: We did the Los Veranos zip line and it was great! Check out their website and the reviews on tripadvisor.com. The employees were amazing and made it a blast. They take photos ($10 each) and video ($40) if you want, but we took some of our own. You finish at a restaurant right by the river while you wait about 1 hour for the return bus (unless you have a private van). We ate lunch (delicious!) and had some ice-cold beer and margaritas while the kids checked out the free (we left a nominal tip) exotic petting zoo. It was very relaxing after zipping through the trees
time well spent.
Anyway, for the particulars
We did not book through
DCL as they want a minimum age of 10, and $99/person. I booked it direct through the Los Veranos website
http://www.canopytours-vallarta.com/ at 2 adults and two kids for a total of $238. Their minimum age is 6, but we had a couple of "almost 6" kids in our group...no problem. If you book direct you have to take a cab, (we crowded 5 people into each cab) to their office (about $14 in a yellow cab, slightly more in a tourist or tan cab) or other pickup point (costs a bit less if its closer
see website) so that adds a few dollars to the total. You then board a bus (included) for a beautiful ride southbound down the coast to the zip line facility (the bus took us directly back to the ship afterwards).
I booked ahead of time as we had a group of 10 and just wanted to be sure; however, you can do the whole thing for even less money (confirmed this with others we met) by negotiating with the van and tourist taxi drivers inside the port fence (literally just after you walk off the ship). You can basically put a tour package together on the spot and negotiate the price. One family in our group got a 4-hour tour in a private taxi for a total of $75 (went to several sites/beaches but not zip line). Another group we met got a private van to the beach, tequila factory, and zip line for about $50/person. Its basically whatever you want to do and for whatever you can negotiate. Just to clarify, these are with the tour operators using white vans and tan taxis inside the port fence. They all speak English and were very friendly and fair in my opinion. Even our driver (we took tan tourist cabs this time as I was able to negotiate a good price for two) said he could have gotten the zip line tour for us cheaper if we had not already pre-booked and paid. Its how their economy works I guess. You could also probably work a deal with a regular yellow taxi cab outside the fence, but from our experience you might have to brush up on you Español first.
Other things in PV: You can walk south from the port to some of the beaches (hotels and beach bars), but theyre a bit close to the port for my taste. You can also take a cab to the Malecón, which is basically a concrete boardwalk that runs down the coastal beach to the south in town. There is shopping (including the mercado down by the river), lots of art (statues, unbelievable sand castles), entertainment (guys swinging on ropes from a pole), a beautiful church, and food/drinks. The beaches get nicer the further south you go. If you just want a taste of PV without getting too adventurous, the Malecón is perfect. Its about a $12 cab ride each way from the port, and full of locals and tourists alike.
Others in our group took the Pirate Ship Excursion (booked though DCL). The Pirate ship picks you up right in the port before setting out to sea. Some had a lot of fun, but others (I want to be honest) had some issues with seasickness onboard. Having not done it personally, I recommend you check it out on the boards. Others did the DCL ATV excursion and had a great time, although they got filthy. You can do a dolphin and/or sea lion swim in PV as well. Be aware DCL charges $35 for non-participants and/or observers for the bus ride to the facility; however, PV lets you take your own pictures (where Cabo does not). There is also another zipline that includes a mule ride and rappelling down a waterfall if youre so inclined (lol). Check out Vallarta Adventures at
http://www.vallarta-adventures.com/. Ive also heard the marina area (to the north of the cruise ship area) is nice but I havent been.
CABO: Cabo is simply awesome
the only problem is the ship doesnt stay very long so youve got to get up and get moving. Our kids did DCLs Dolphin Kids excursion for the second time and loved it, as did most of our group who did some type of dolphin event. The big thing to know is they do NOT allow personal photography, but they take amazing photos that they sell. Theyre not cheap, but weve bought them both times as they were so good. The staff is very professional, and the facility is very modern and is just a short walk from the pier (remember, the ship does not dock in Cabo
you have to tender in). Another note
Cabo Dolphins will not you walk-in on your own while the ship is in port so you need to book ahead. I believe you may be able to book ahead through
http://www.cabo-adventures.com/ as an alternative (dolphins and other activities). Other than the ATV tour (some of our group went and enjoyed) or a scuba trip (cant do that just anywhere), I would suggest doing Cabo on your own rather than booking an excursion. Youll have as much fun (or more!) for a lot less money.
You can do the pool adventure for free on the ship, so theres no need to book that. All the other boat and beach adventures you can book on your own very easily and inexpensively. Heres what we did: negotiate (dont be afraid
just be polite and persistent) for a water taxi (just across from the dolphin facility) to take you for a tour of Los Arcos (including a quick look at the fish through the glass bottom of the boat, a good look at the sea lion colony, and amazing views of the rocks and beaches), then across the bay (where you get a perfect photo op of the Disney Wonder), and over to Medano Beach where hell drop you off (just tell your Captain what time to come back and get you and he will be there to pick you up). Then rent a beach umbrella ($10
they would not come down from that), throw down your Disney towels, and enjoy a spectacular day at the beach. The water is clear, the sand is clean, and the swimming areas are roped off for safety. Its the perfect place for that beach family photo with the Wonder in the background. We took our own beach toys for the kids (beach ball, buckets, shovels, etc.). You can get food/drinks at any of the nearby bars/restaurants (watch out
the margaritas were crazy strong! ). One minor negative is there is a fairly steady stream of beach hawkers trying to sell you things, but a polite No, Gracias will send them on their way. We had our girls hair braided for $10 each. Your only other worry on the beach is making sure youre not still there when the Wonder sails away! Although, that wouldnt be all bad I guess.
Your water taxi Captain will arrive promptly to take you back to a dock right next to the tender pier, where you pay him the agreed upon amount plus any gratuity you believe he deserves. Yes, for all you skeptics about Mexico, we didnt get abandoned on the beach nor would he take any money until the end of our tour. And the cost
? I negotiated a private boat for 5 adults and 6 kids for $60 total (and a tip) which I thought was very fair. Side note
if you just want to go directly to Medano Beach (without the tour), you should be able to get a water taxi for about $3/person with a little negotiating. Anyway, there is a nice little mercado right where he lets you off, and also a tequila store, bar, and ice cream stand down a walkway right off the end of the tender pier so you can load up before you go back to the ship.
Anyway, if you made it through reading all that I hope it helps. Please let me (or anyone else) know if you have any more questions.
Sailing during Christmas will make this extra special!
Any ideas folks have would be great. I have coordinated FEs on cruises before so I could do that if others are in for it. 
D-MIL 
to beaches 
), please ask. Also...anything from embarkation, dining/drinking, kids programs, entertainment, pools, staterooms, ports, weather, debarkation, booking on board, etc. Sorry in advance, but I don't have any pictures of the food (but you can find them in many trip reports (TRs)). Otherwise, we're looking forward to meeting some new friends!! 
If I forgot anything, please ask!!!
). Tastings are specialized (one "type" of drink per session) and include options like wine, beer, tequila, margharitas, martinis, whiskey, etc. For example, on the martini tasting, you sit down in front of 4-5 different types of martinis and proceed to tip them back as the hosts provided information and history of each one. At the end, there is usually an opportunity for some bonus tasting as mentioned above.
My DD is going to be 7. It sounds like she'll be ok on it. My older one really wants to do this but I worry about the younger one being too chicken! The couple we met on the Mariner of the Seas did the same trip in PV and they were in their 70s and raving about how fun it was. I figured if they can do it and they are in their 70s, I can suck it up and do it too! Me being the ultra-height-chicken!
