Mexican rivera

[Con5421]

What kind off getaways are nice to do in ports Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas?

 

[justmestace]

With kids, or without?
www.cabosanlucastours.com has a lot of things to do. And you can google the other ports for different resorts to go lounge at, or for ideas.

 

[SpanishForker]

We are doing two tours through DCL and then one on our own.

Right now we have booked the Las Caletas excursion for PV because it seems to be the excursion that best mimics a Castaway Cay day.

We have a private city tour booked through Mazatlan Frank (with one of his partners) for Mazatlan.

We have then booked the DCL Whalewatching excursion for Cabo.

We are on the Jan 30th cruise so we will hopefully be able to give reviews for those going later in the year.

 

[Con5421]

We are doing two tours through DCL and then one on our own.

Right now we have booked the Las Caletas excursion for PV because it seems to be the excursion that best mimics a Castaway Cay day.

We have a private city tour booked through Mazatlan Frank (with one of his partners) for Mazatlan.

We have then booked the DCL Whalewatching excursion for Cabo.

We are on the Jan 30th cruise so we will hopefully be able to give reviews for those going later in the year.

Thanks both for your answers.

The Las Caletas excursion is maybe also something for us, we love castaway cay.

We have no kids.

Is there a lot to see whitout excursions?

Where also on the cruise 30 Januari.

Connie

 

[justmestace]

I love Las Caletas! I've been there three times, and our youngest was probably 15 at the time, and he loves it too. There are some spots above the beach, on a small little ledge, that have beach chairs and umbrellas....I always go right up there and snag a spot...they're right by one of the bars and within easy walking distance of the lunch area (great lunch!!) and the other things to see and do. It looks out over the water....close to get to the beach, but away from the crowds. Perfect!!
I did the "extra cost" swim with the sea lion last time, and would do it again in a heart beat. I think it cost $60 (sign up and pay on the boat on the way over to Las Caletas) and was limited to only 6 people.

 

[justmestace]

In Mazatlan, we got off the boat (one visit) and got a taxi van to take us around touring. So much better than a ship tour! We got to stop when we wanted, and still saw all the sights, like the cliff divers that they have there. They aren't as stunning as the ones in Acapulco, but still fascinating to watch. All of the cabs/vans are regulated by the government, certified and safe.
I think the second time we went to Mazatlan, we went to a resort. I'd have to go back and double check that.

 

[justmestace]

Here are two pictures of my favorite spot at Las Caletas.

This first one is from the distance....about where you get off the boat that takes you to LC. Not to worry, there is a nice path to take you to the beach area...you don't have to climb over rocks. The area is circled.

And then a closer shot:

Still searching for the name of the resort we went to in Mazatlan, but I think it WAS with DCL.

 

[pppiglet]

We have this planned also for PV. Thanks for posting the pictures!

 

[justmestace]

We have this planned also for PV. Thanks for posting the pictures!

It's prettier on sunny days. This particular trip it was cloudy. But we still had a great day.

 

[Mindyjoy]

Thanks for posting the pictures. We're still debating if it's worth the money to go to LC, or if we should just go to Krystal. I would like to see the sea lions but I've also heard horror stories about jellyfish.

 

[samily]

It's prettier on sunny days. This particular trip it was cloudy. But we still had a great day.

Thanks for the pics! I see in the 2nd picture, you have a life vest hanging on the chair; are they available there or did you bring it? Also, what types of food & drinks did they have for lunch? I will have one extremely picky eater with us!

Thanks so much!

 

[justmestace]

The first two times we went, there weren't any jellyfish. The last time, the time I was out with the sea lions, there were. If I'd worn a rash guard, they wouldn't have been a problem at all. I was lucky that I'd taken jellyfish sting relief. After we got done with the sea lions, I put the sting relief on, and the sting went away immediately.
It wasn't really painful being out there, just more annoying....but I'd paid extra to be out there, so I told myself I was staying out no matter what!

Closer to the beach, people were in the water all day and didn't seem to be bothered by the jellyfish, if there were any in that close.

 

[my2mickeykids]

Thanks for posting the pictures. We're still debating if it's worth the money to go to LC, or if we should just go to Krystal. I would like to see the sea lions but I've also heard horror stories about jellyfish.

We are debating this as well. We want to save the money and do Krystal especially since it is so close and we can choose how long we stay but LC looks so nice!!

 

[justmestace]

Thanks for the pics! I see in the 2nd picture, you have a life vest hanging on the chair; are they available there or did you bring it? Also, what types of food & drinks did they have for lunch? I will have one extremely picky eater with us!

Thanks so much!

They made us wear the life jacket to do the sea lion adventure. And I think if you use a kayak, you have to use one also. They have them available there, for all ages & sizes. They also have snorkel gear to rent. The fee for the snorkel gear was minimal...$5 maybe? I had my own, so I didn't rent.

One of the dishes they had for lunch was paella....and they had a (free) class teaching people to make it. I didn't try it. I had roast chicken, and I think they also had burgers, steak, lots and lots of different salads, breads, several different desserts (cake, pie, puddings)....I'm trying to think of what all they had. It's always a lot of food (all you can eat) and a lot to pick from.
There are bars where you can buy mixed drinks, beer and sodas, and at lunch they have iced tea, water, lemonade and maybe milk for free.


They have a few shops if you forget sunscreen, flip flops, cover-ups, hats, etc and also lots of souvenirs.
They have interaction with several different animals, if you desire. Monkeys, birds, lizards.....
Clay pottery making (free), hikes, the cooking class, and also you can sign up to do a "resort dive". Take a class and then go scuba diving. I did this once, and my son did it twice.

It really is a great excursion. Probably the best I've ever done on 10 Disney cruises.

 

[justmestace]

I'd never heard of Krystal, so I had to go look it up. It really looks nice. Maybe I'd try that next time, depending on the cost.

One last thing about Las Caletas.....I'll check back and answer questions.....it's run by Vallarta Adventures (no, I don't work for them!) and they take a video of the whole day there, that's available to purchase on the boat back to the ship. I have mine, and it's so fun to watch once you get back home and are dreaming of a day at the beach!

 

[samily]

Thank you, sounds great! Is there a set time that they take you back, or do they run back and forth throughout the day?

 

[pppiglet]

We've done the Krystal 3 times, and you just walk down the street from the dock and they let cruisers in to use the pool and beach. You just have to buy a few drinks! We actually paid for a buffet lunch there that was excellent! So this time we thought we'd try something different and LC sounds great!

 

[ludari]

I will be on the Wonder in January and I have plans to scuba dive, zip line and kayak. I've booked my excursions through DCL.

 

[disney 2010]

We have booked excursions at PV and Cabo. Wondering what types of things we could do it Mazatlan on our own

 

[justmestace]

Thank you, sounds great! Is there a set time that they take you back, or do they run back and forth throughout the day?

They have a set time. Disney usually goes first in the morning, and then leave shortly after lunchtime. Then another ship's passengers arrive just as the Disney people are leaving.
It's about an hour boat ride, so too far to go back and forth.