Cruising the Mexican Riviera (pictures included)

[CruisingCA2005]

The Travelers:
DH, myself, DS (8), DD (3)
DM, FF*, FF's twin girls (12) (**FF = Family Friend)
DH's cousin & her family including two boys (11 & 3)

Room: We were staying in adjoining Secret Porthole Rooms (SPH) 5022 & 5024. DH's cousin was on deck 2. We loved the location of our room, it is very close to the kids club and the forward elevators & stairs. The kids quickly learned the layout of the ship & the older kids felt comfortable moving about the ship themselves. It was nice to have an outside view, even though it was slightly obstructed, for an inside stateroom price. If we cruise again & cannot get a verandah, I'll try to get a SPH room again.

Embarkation: We left for the port around 10:00 am and got to San Pedro before 10:15 am (yep we live that close to the port). We had a porter take our luggage and we proceeded upstairs to check in. We received boarding number 3 as we got on the escalator. Check in hadn't started yet but there were quite a few people in line already. I checked out the Castaway Club line and there were 3 families waiting in this area. After I called my mom over to the Castaway Club line, check in had begun and 10 minutes later we were checked in. We went to the waiting area on the other side of the terminal and got seats right by the musicians. I got the pager & wristbands for the kid's club while DH explored the port. We were able to meet up with a few other DISers in the waiting area & gave them their little surprises. I had a huge tote bag filled with DCL lunchboxes for the DISers. Shortly after 12 they made an announcement that boarding would commence soon. As soon as our boarding number was called, I put everything away except for our key to the world cards & passports. Unfortunately, DH is one of those people who fumbles with all his belongings (fanny pack, camera, keys, id, etc) AT the security check point so he held up the line a bit. <rolls eyes> We had our embarkation photo taken and we were soon onboard the Magic.

Parrot Cay vs Topsiders: We went down to Parrot Cay for the buffet lunch. I like Parrot Cay better than Topsiders because you get your place to seat before you get your food which helpful when you're lugging around your day bags. The food at Parrot Cay always seemed better than Topsiders, especially for breakfast. I like to eat oatmeal for breakfast and the oatmeal at Topsiders was always very watery. The scrambled eggs (at Topsiders) were runny and cold and the orange juice seemed like it was diluted with water. (Parrot Cay & room service had the best orange juice).

Puerto Vallarta: DM took DS & the twins to the Disney sponsored dolphin excursions. We left DD onboard because she was too young for the Dolphin Encounter for kids and if DM took her as an observer she would have a meltdown if she saw her brother touching the dolphins & she couldn't. DS went the the Dolphin Encounter for Kids and the twins went to the Dolphin Swim. This was one of DS's favorite parts of the vacation. They bought a few pictures of the encounter & swim (which are poor quality but the only pictures available) and also a DVD of the dolphin swim. You do not get the clear, vibrant pictures that you see on the internet, the pictures were very pixelated, dark, and had a blue tinge to them. I'll try to scan a photo in later so you can see the quality of the pictures.

DH, FF, & I went on the Los Veranos Canopy Tour (not the Disney sponsored tour). We had a BLAST!! I wouldn't hesistate to do this excursion again and highly recommend it to thrill seekers. We paid $63 per person vs the $85 for the ship's tour. It took a little more planning & travel than the ship's tour but we thought it was all part of the adventure. We took a yellow taxi to the Canopy Tour office near the Pemex station in the south part of town. We paid the driver $10 (that includes the tip). We met up with a few other DIS families at the tour office and applied bug spray before getting on the open air bus. The drive to the mountains was both scenic & eye-opening. The coast side of the highway had beautiful views of the ocean, however, some of the views on the other side of the highway made me grateful to live in the United States. We live a blessed life and we appreciate everything that we have.

After a quick potty break (yes, the bathrooms are clean) and locking our stuff up in the lockers provided, the guides helped us put on our harnesses and Daniel gave us instruction on proper zipline technique, braking, and safety measures.

We took a short hike up to the 1st zipline and climbed the spiral staircase…uggh, there were butterflies in my stomach at that point. How was I supposed to do the first line and still look pretty for the tour photographer taking individual pictures of us on the other platform. LOL. Once I got ready and the guide pushed me off the platform, all nervousness went away. Wheeee!! As I was unrigged from the zipline, the photographer showed me the picture. Phew! Looking good!!

DH & I both wore bright orange teeshirts on this excursion because we wanted to be visible in the video/pictures. I told him that I wanted to wear orange so if I fall, they can find me in the jungle. LOL. After viewing the video, it was definitely clear when either one of us was zipping.

We enjoyed all of the ziplines and I'm very proud that I didn't get stuck on any of the lines. If you don't have enough momentum, you can stop on the lines and you either have to pull yourself hand over hand to the next platform or a guide has to help you back. On the longer lines, it was best to curl up as tightly as possible to reduce the wind resistance.

The last zipline was one of my favorites. Even though it was one of the lower ziplines, you zipped right above the river and ended up at the bar.

I had my complimentary drink & was surprised to see Monty on the bar. Monty is a 2 year old burmese python and it was interesting to touch his skin. I figured that he couldn't hurt me (since he was small for a python) so I drapped him around my shoulders & DH took a picture of us.

While waiting for our DVD ($40 USD), we had a bite to eat at Pancho's Last Resort and watched others swimming in the river & going on the water slides.

We took the Canopy Tour's van (a big Econoline van) back into town because the open air bus was returning later. Instead of taking a taxi from the office back to the ship, we went to the Puerto Vallarta Wal-Mart to buy some beer, vanilla ($1.47 USD), and a few other things. It was a short walk back to the pier but you have to cross the very busy street at a quick clip to make it across before the lights turned. It was instant relief from the humidity once we got back onboard. It was a warm & very humid day in Puerto Vallarta.

More coming soon....

 

[CruisingCA2005]

Mazatlan: DM didn't want to go horseback riding with us so she took the Mazatlan City & Folkloric Show tour that was arranged by Disney. I'll try to post pictures & her trip report soon. I had arranged for 7 of us to go on a horseback riding excursion with Randi's Happy Horses in Mazatlan. It was another adventure getting to Stone Island for the tour. Randi & Tony picked us up at the pier terminal, then they arranged taxis for us to get to the marina where the water taxis are located. This is an area where fishermen clean their fish so it was smelled "fishy" in the morning. We just spent a few minutes here while loading up the water taxis and we were off to stone island.

On the way to Stone Island, you could see the Carnival Pride docked next to the Disney Magic. You can't tell by this picture but the Pride is a lot bigger than the Magic.

When we arrived on Stone Island, we got on a tractor pulled wagon that would take us to Randi's partner's house. DD & DS fed the chicks rice while a few people took a potty break (sorry can't comment on the bathrooms here). Tony & his dad paired everyone up with a compatible horse. DD (3) was a little nervous about the horse but soon felt comfortable & secure when Tony's dad strapped her into the saddle. She renamed her horse, "Princess", and couldn't stop talking about her ride with Princess (who was led by one of the guides). I was paired with "Pinto", DH with "Colorado", and DS with "Blanco". As other DISer had posted, Randi's horses are well fed and are not the skinny horses that you may see on the way to Tony's house. If your child has riding experience & doesn't want to be led by a guide, be sure to tell the guides.

The horses are well trained & know the route to follow. We rode through a coconut plantation and then onto the beach. We stopped near the half way point so the guides could take pictures of the groups of riders. Our ride ended near Victor's restaurant.

The meals have Victor's have very large portions of food and we ordered too much food for our group of 7. We ordered the combo platter (ribs, mahimahi, shrimp, fried shrimp, onion rings, fries, veggies).

The kids enjoyed playing on the beach and the staff at Victor's had a pinata and candy for the Disney kids.

 

[CruisingCA2005]

Cabo San Lucas: We did not have any excursions planned for Cabo San Lucas. DM, FF & 1 of the twins went shopping in Cabo. DH, DD, DS, Twin #2, DH's cousin's kid (3), and myself took a water taxi to Medano Beach and we relaxed at the pool at the Melia Hotel. We went to the Buena Vista theater to get tender tickets around 9:45. We didn't have to wait long before catching a tender at Deck 1 aft.

View of Los Arcos early in the morning.

The water taxi to Medano Beach (he dropped us off at the Mango Deck) cost $12 for 6 of us. We walked to the Melia and found some lounge chairs at the pool. The drinks were pretty expensive at the Melia ($20 for 2 sodas, 1 beer, and 1 pina colada). After the kids swam for a while, we caught another water taxi back to the marina ($10). I took the two little ones back to the ship for lunch & swimming at the Mickey Pool and DH took the older kids on another water taxi sightseeing around Los Arcos. They said that the water was much more rough there.

Onboard Activities: It's been less than a week since we've cruised & I've already forgotten some of the activities that we've done. DH liked the Navigator series.

DD loved the Mickey Pool and went to the kids' club a few times. "I want to go to the kids' club" was one of her ways to get out of the restaurants as soon as she was finished dinner. I'd usually run her up to the kid's club between courses. The ONLY thing I didn't like about the kid's club was checking her out of the club after the "Celebrate the Journey" graduation show. Since our cruise had a lot of kids onboard (I heard 1200 kids), check out was a mess.

DS didn't spend as much time in the kids' club and spent time at the arcade, on the basketball court, playing ping pong. He watched the new Herbie movie on Friday morning.

I enjoyed going the the Art of Entertaining series onboard, Chef Andrew from the Napa Rose restaurant was onboard. We played bingo twice & was 1 number away from winning the jackpot. Dessler made my heart skip a beat when he called out "G….Fifffftttttttttttyyyyyyyyyy….." (unfortunately called out G52 instead of the G55 that I needed).

 

[khoffman923]

Loved your trip report. That "zipline" excursion looked awesome but I think I'd have more than butterflies coming from my stomache As we won't be cruising till next Summer, when the Magic is back in Port Canaveral, this excursion is obviously not an option. But if it were, I'd guarantee that my former Marine husband , along with my brood of wonderful children (DD 19, DD 17 and DS 14) would be the first ones sliding down that rope. Whoo, I'm glad we're sailing next Summer!

Karen :thewave:

 

[atakaratemom]

I'd love to hear your review about this excursion as that is what my family has planned for Mazatlan. Thanks for all the great info.

Mary

 

[CACruisin']

Great trip report, Rae Ann! I love your pictures. DH had the camera most of the time and missed a lot the "background" shots - Victor's sign, our door with magnets etc.

 

[jlawall]

Thx so much for the pics and details from your trip.........I booked the DCL canopy tour but I'm still not sure if I can handle it!!

 

[alohatee]

Rae Ann - Awesome trip report!!! Thanks for sharing.

 

[kpgclark]

Hi. Did room 5024 have a decent view out the porthole? Also did it have a steamer trunk?

 

[disneylandkids]

My family of 5 sailed on the July 9 cruise, and we arranged to go on the horseback ride with Randi's Happy Horses too. Although a lot of our experience is the same as yours, there are still some differences. So, this is a YMMV kind of reply, I guess.

Mazatlan: I had arranged for 7 of us to go on a horseback riding excursion with Randi's Happy Horses in Mazatlan. It was another adventure getting to Stone Island for the tour. Randi & Tony picked us up at the pier terminal, then they arranged taxis for us to get to the marina where the water taxis are located. This is an area where fishermen clean their fish so it was smelled "fishy" in the morning. We just spent a few minutes here while loading up the water taxis and we were off to stone island.

My kids thought that the various forms of transportation to the horses was a great aspect of the trip. It was really interesting to them to see the fishing dock and they thought riding on a cart pulled by a tractor was great adventure!

On the way to Stone Island, you could see the Carnival Pride docked next to the Disney Magic. You can't tell by this picture but the Pride is a lot bigger than the Magic.

I don't know if it was the Pride on our trip, but we also had a Carnival ship next to the Magic. It seemed huge, and looked like a big brick on the water in comparison to the style of the Magic.

When we arrived on Stone Island, we got on a tractor pulled wagon that would take us to Randi's partner's house. DD & DS fed the chicks rice while a few people took a potty break (sorry can't comment on the bathrooms here).

It was surprising to me that the bathrooms we used had running water, in comparison to the house they were near. There were no lights in the bathrooms, so when the doors were shut, it was *dark* (and that frightened my daughter).

Tony & his dad paired everyone up with a compatible horse. DD (3) was a little nervous about the horse but soon felt comfortable & secure when Tony's dad strapped her into the saddle. She renamed her horse, "Princess", and couldn't stop talking about her ride with Princess (who was led by one of the guides). I was paired with "Pinto", DH with "Colorado", and DS with "Blanco". As other DISer had posted, Randi's horses are well fed and are not the skinny horses that you may see on the way to Tony's house. If your child has riding experience & doesn't want to be led by a guide, be sure to tell the guides.

Here's where our experience differs, even though my kids somehow wound up with horses named Colorado, Blanco, and Bunny! (What a funny coincidence, huh?) My son (9) was afraid of the horse, and I kept telling the people that he was afraid. Nobody offered to lead him or even really let him ride slower. We were at the very end of our group, and the woman (Tony's wife?) kept after my son's horse to make him move faster. I kept trying to tell her that my son was afraid, that going faster wasn't a good idea, and she'd smile and say how lazy the horse was and continue to urge him on. There was definitely a language barrier (that's not meant as criticism: I can't speak Spanish, so her language in English surpassed me). Fortunately, my son got used to the feel of riding and became more comfortable. It could have easily gone the other way and he would have been upset. I was not pleased by this at ALL.

While most of the horses on our trip seemed to be well fed, my older daughter's horse looked like it should have been rescued by the Humane Society. It was skinny, its hide was patchy, and it looked in terrible condition. It didn't lag on the ride, and my daughter was enchanted by this poor creature (the ride was the highlight of her trip). I asked one of the guides what was wrong with the horse, and he simply replied that it was old. I've seen old horses, and not in condition like this. I felt awful that it was being ridden. This horse seemed to be the exception, but it made me feel bad.

The meals have Victor's have very large portions of food and we ordered too much food for our group of 7.

The kids enjoyed playing on the beach and the staff at Victor's had a pinata and candy for the Disney kids.

On our visit to Victors, our portions didn't seem oversized (although, to be fair, we didn't order the same thing). Food/beverages were served on 'mexico time,' as described laughingly by some of the other cruisers, but took awhile. We were there long enough that the second round of riders (who started an hour or so after us) had arrived before we even got our tab. It was a hot day, so I don't think any of the kids were out on the beach playing. It got boring for them at Victors except for playing with the hammocks.

There was no pinata for our group of Disney kids. That would have been a nice touch.

It seemed like every two or three minutes, a person trying to sell something would come up to us at the restaurant, and a simple 'no, thank you' was not sufficient. There was a variety of things being sold--hats, jewelry, hammocks, hair-braiding, etc. It didn't take long for that to detract from the peace of being at the beach. I was relieved to be able to leave and go back to the ship.

 

[DisneyMom13]

Rae Ann- Thanks for your trip report. We are doing Los Veranos, and reading your report and seeing those pics got me really psyched. I can't wait!!!
Debi

 

[Credit Man]

Great report! Thanks for posting.

 

[GrumpyMom1]

My family of 5 sailed on the July 9 cruise, and we arranged to go on the horseback ride with Randi's Happy Horses too. Although a lot of our experience is the same as yours, there are still some differences. So, this is a YMMV kind of reply, I guess.



My kids thought that the various forms of transportation to the horses was a great aspect of the trip. It was really interesting to them to see the fishing dock and they thought riding on a cart pulled by a tractor was great adventure!



I don't know if it was the Pride on our trip, but we also had a Carnival ship next to the Magic. It seemed huge, and looked like a big brick on the water in comparison to the style of the Magic.



It was surprising to me that the bathrooms we used had running water, in comparison to the house they were near. There were no lights in the bathrooms, so when the doors were shut, it was *dark* (and that frightened my daughter).



Here's where our experience differs, even though my kids somehow wound up with horses named Colorado, Blanco, and Bunny! (What a funny coincidence, huh?) My son (9) was afraid of the horse, and I kept telling the people that he was afraid. Nobody offered to lead him or even really let him ride slower. We were at the very end of our group, and the woman (Tony's wife?) kept after my son's horse to make him move faster. I kept trying to tell her that my son was afraid, that going faster wasn't a good idea, and she'd smile and say how lazy the horse was and continue to urge him on. There was definitely a language barrier (that's not meant as criticism: I can't speak Spanish, so her language in English surpassed me). Fortunately, my son got used to the feel of riding and became more comfortable. It could have easily gone the other way and he would have been upset. I was not pleased by this at ALL.

While most of the horses on our trip seemed to be well fed, my older daughter's horse looked like it should have been rescued by the Humane Society. It was skinny, its hide was patchy, and it looked in terrible condition. It didn't lag on the ride, and my daughter was enchanted by this poor creature (the ride was the highlight of her trip). I asked one of the guides what was wrong with the horse, and he simply replied that it was old. I've seen old horses, and not in condition like this. I felt awful that it was being ridden. This horse seemed to be the exception, but it made me feel bad.



On our visit to Victors, our portions didn't seem oversized (although, to be fair, we didn't order the same thing). Food/beverages were served on 'mexico time,' as described laughingly by some of the other cruisers, but took awhile. We were there long enough that the second round of riders (who started an hour or so after us) had arrived before we even got our tab. It was a hot day, so I don't think any of the kids were out on the beach playing. It got boring for them at Victors except for playing with the hammocks.

There was no pinata for our group of Disney kids. That would have been a nice touch.

It seemed like every two or three minutes, a person trying to sell something would come up to us at the restaurant, and a simple 'no, thank you' was not sufficient. There was a variety of things being sold--hats, jewelry, hammocks, hair-braiding, etc. It didn't take long for that to detract from the peace of being at the beach. I was relieved to be able to leave and go back to the ship.

Hey Disneylandkids - we rode with you that day! I bet you didn't realize that most of the riders that day are members of this forum.

I was in the back next to your son most of the ride and I think he did great!

Loved the ride but I agree that the time at Victors was too long.

Thanks for the reports everyone. I love reading them. I plan on posting one this weekend and hopefully will also get some pictures uploaded.

 

[disneylandkids]

Hey Disneylandkids - we rode with you that day! I bet you didn't realize that most of the riders that day are members of this forum.

I was in the back next to your son most of the ride and I think he did great!

Loved the ride but I agree that the time at Victors was too long.

Thanks for the reports everyone. I love reading them. I plan on posting one this weekend and hopefully will also get some pictures uploaded.

Hi Sheila!

I remember you!

Actually, one of the other moms on the ride told me about this board, and another friend sent me a link to trip reviews here after I got home, so I thought that this would be a good place to talk about our experience on the ride.

Yeah, my son did do OK, but he's a funny little guy--it could have easily tipped in the other direction for him. I'm *very* glad it worked out! He doesn't do well with new experiences and large animals intimidate him (he was really unsure about the dolphins in PV the day before but it worked out too). After awhile, he relaxes and enjoys it. I'm glad that was the case with the horseback ride (and the dolphins).

But he flatly refused to go parasailing in Cabo San Lucas the next day... THAT was the highlight of his little sister's trip (and pretty amazing to me too!)

Cheers!