MR--Excursion Reviews 3-20 to 3-27

[Lissame]

I will probably write a full trip report, but I wanted to put in a quick report on the excursions we did on our trip in case some of you are still thinking about what to do.

My family--me (42), DH (50), DS (12) and DD (10).

First stop--Puerto Vallarta. We did the DCL Canopy Tour. They use Vallarta Adventures as their tour provider

DH and I have been on this tour before on a Carnival cruise in 07, but they have really expanded the course since then. It was a lot of fun, but my warning is--it's very physically demanding. If you aren't in very good shape, this is not the tour for you. It involves a great deal of hiking up hills, climbing, etc. The scenery is gorgeous and the zip lining is a blast. The kids loved it and we enjoyed it a lot for our second time. Forgot our credit card, so the photos are coming for this one at a later date.

Second stop--first day in Cabo. I knew we'd be here the longest this day, so I did a lot of research and booked us a private excursion with www.cabosails.com. This was a total highlight of our trip. For only $250 ($150 paid before we left via PayPal) we had a 3 hour private sailboat tour, including snorkeling, around Cabo. Also included--food and both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

We spent quite a while just sailing around, but when we go back to Cabo someday, I think I'd have them take us around the other side to Chileno Bay to snorkel there as the snorkeling is a lot better. It was just magical though, and if you get the opportunity to do this, it was the best 3 hours of our time in Cabo. We tipped the two crew members heavily we loved them so much. It was great talking to them about their lives and about Cabo.

On our third day, we did the Dolphin Swim. We had such a short time in Cabo the second day (7:15 to 12:30), and the thing that really stinks about that, is that 7:15 ship time is actually 6:15 Cabo time. There aren't really any shops or anything open. Even when we went to shore at 9, thinking we could do a little shopping before our 10:15 meet-up time, barely any of the sellers were out.

The dolphin swim was the only thing my daughter wanted to do on this cruise. She loves dolphins and has always wanted to touch and swim with them. The experience was fun and the dolphins are amazing, but unless you ask questions, the whole thing is pretty much a prepared speech and they just run you through the different things quickly. I'm glad to say I did it once, and I asked a lot of questions which our trainer was happy to answer. At this park, they only use positive reinforcement with the dolphins, and the dolphins' needs (food, exercise, and sex) come first before anything else.

It was very fast, and not really worth the money in my opinion, but if it's your child's life dream, what can you do? LOL.


Hope this helps some of you, if you have any questions please feel free to ask!

 

[Silly Little Pixie]

Thanks! Looking forward to seeing your PV pictures. We are going back for the Christmas cruise and my kids are maybe interested in that zipline excursion.

 

[kkmcan]

Can I jump in here with our excursion reviews for the same week?

We did the Pirate Sail and Snorkel in PV and it was fun but the ride to the beach was way too long for us. An hour and a half of extreme rocking. Dd felt so nauseated and her head hurt the whole way there. She ended up throwing up and then she felt a little better. All I could think of was how in the world would she be able to do the trip back??

Once we got to the beach area we had to take small speedboats in to the beach and then jump out into the water, same for going back to the pirate ship but harder! Getting into the boat before you got knocked over by a wave- I felt pretty banged up. We didn't get to snorkel because the snorkeling area was not right on the beach and we needed to get dd off the ship and onto land as soon as possible.

The food was okay but they served it down in the galley which was below deck and there were no windows to see out. I couldn't eat and neither could my kids. Drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) were free and unlimited but I couldn't enoy any because of the way I felt and the fact that I did take Bonine.

I do think a nice beach resort would have been more along the lines of what we needed. Too bad, I didn't realize that when I booked the pirate ship!

For Cabo, we took a taxi to medano beach and ate lunch at The Office. Very nice and relaxing under the umbrellas with our feet in the sand. Be aware though the taco combos were $17! Chips, salsa and guac were $11! My standard margarita was $11! Our kids didn't eat (we fed them on the ship before getting off since we knew they wouldn't eat anything) and we still spent $68! I thought we were gonna eat cheap in Mexico but I guess not!

 

[alacazam]

We also did the dolphin swim in Cabo that same day. I had the exact same feeling that you did. I was expecting so much more. I agree that I did not think it was worth the price. I thought there would be more interaction and free time with the dolphins. It was very structured (which I'm sure is partly for safety). If I had to do it over again, I probably wouldn't do this excursion.

 

[LKFan]

We also did the dolphin swim in Cabo that same day. I had the exact same feeling that you did. I was expecting so much more. I agree that I did not think it was worth the price. I thought there would be more interaction and free time with the dolphins. It was very structured (which I'm sure is partly for safety). If I had to do it over again, I probably wouldn't do this excursion.

We did it a month before you and my feelings were along the same line. It is kind of something you want to do once in your life but I wouldn't do it again. That said, my 11 year old has now changed her career aspiration from being a food critic (she watches too much Food Network) to being a dolphin trainer.

 

[Lissame]

The photos are amazing...all of my friends are oooh-ing and aaah-ing over them. I just smile and nod. LOL.

 

[cidymom]

I'm booked on the Dolphin Swim excursion as it is a dream of mine to swim with the dolphins and this is probably my only chance to do it in Cabo! Do you remember the prices for the photos/photo packages? Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[AZPirate]

My DD5 did the Dolphin Kids Swim in Cabo. She absolutely loved it. The trainer was great with all 10 kids in the pool with the dolphin. We were able to sit near the pool and watch but an employee stood behind us to make sure that no one took pictures. They charged us $99 for CD with all the pictures their photographer took including a number of stock photos.

My wife and I did the Blue Lagoon Dolphin swim during our honeymoon in the Bahamas a few years back and it seemed that we had a lot more time in the pool and better interaction than the other groups doing the swim in Cabo. (There were about 5 different groups in the pool at the same time.) While I am very glad we signed my DD up for it, I don't think I would do it again. It seemed a bit like an assembly line Dolphin Swim.

 

[Lissame]

I'm booked on the Dolphin Swim excursion as it is a dream of mine to swim with the dolphins and this is probably my only chance to do it in Cabo! Do you remember the prices for the photos/photo packages? Thanks in advance for your help.

It does depend on how many people there are in your party for the cost of the CD. We had four people, it was $200. I am pretty sure one or two people is $100. We got four actual photos with the CD.

 

[clarefb]

We did the same cruise, but my little ones (4&7) did the dolphin kids experience in PV. It was also very short, but both kids loved it! DS was sad he didn't get to ride on a dolphins back tho

We got to sit in a viewing area & were allowed to take as many pics as we wanted (I think that was over 300 for me ) I bought a couple for $10 each too.

I think all those trips are pretty basic!

 

[mommykeg]

We did the Dolphin Swim (DH and DD) and the Dolphin Kids (DS) in Puerto Vallarta back in 2005. I was able to sit in the observation area and take as many pics as I wanted to take!! I bought a couple prints from them as well--I think $10 each. I would have been really annoyed if someone was standing there stopping me from using my own camera! For me, that would be a reason to book in Puerto Vallarta instead of Cabo!

 

[QuattroDuckFans]

We had asked several former cruisers about the Cabo vs PV dolphin swim encounters. Everyone recommended the PV one over the Cabo one. So our kids age 11 & 18 did the premium dolphin swim in PV during our 3/20-3/27/11 MR cruise.
We traveled by bus about 20 minutes out of town to a nice facility with several big pools next to an inlet. There was a shaded glass enclosed area for us to observe them with the dolphins in the pool. We were also able to take pictures or movies from behind the glass only, just not on deck. They were in the pool for an hour with 8 other people and 2 dolphins. One dolphin was always swimming around them so they could touch it while the other took turns giving the participants rides around the pool. They each got 3 rides and lots of touch time. It was a lifetime experience and one they will never forget. The photo's the facility took were awesome, great quality and were $10 each. We ended up getting a CD with 10 pics on it for $89. This way I can have reprints made up at Costco.
The excursion wasn't cheap at $159 (11 y/o) and $189 (18 y/o) plus $35 each (I think) for my hubby and I to go and watch. But they got lots of swim time in the pool with the dolphins, lots of turns being pulled around by them, and was very much worth it.

 

[AZPirate]

The main thing that sold us on the Cabo Dolphin Kids Swim vs PV was the distance to the site. Because it was a five minute walk from the tender pier, we were not charged the $35/person transportation cost for observers. And I would have to say that they kids had enough time in the pool with the Dolphins as a number of them were getting antsy and starting to goof around. I think for a pack of 5 to 8 year olds, the time they spent in the pool was sufficient. It was absolutely worth it overall but if I were to swim with the dolphins myself again, I would most likely choose PV over Cabo. But again, for a 5 year old, it was perfect.

 

[colmom]

We were on the March 20 MR cruise as well and my husband and daughter went on the PV Dolphin Swim Experience. My other daughter (broken leg girl) and I went as observers. This was a great excursion. My DH and DD got to swim with the dolphins, "ride" on the dolphins and "kiss" the dolphins. They were in the water for at least one hour. We observers were allowed to take pictures from an observation area. Of course, we also ended up buying some from them!
The staff was very friendly and especially kind with my broken leg daughter. This excursion also included a buffet lunch and drink.
If I knew how to post pictures, I would post some!

 

[LKFan]

It does depend on how many people there are in your party for the cost of the CD. We had four people, it was $200. I am pretty sure one or two people is $100. We got four actual photos with the CD.

Interesting. This must be a YMMV type of situation - or at least something you can barter about. We were a family of four in a group of 8 and were offered the CD for $149.

 

[Lissame]

Interesting. This must be a YMMV type of situation - or at least something you can barter about. We were a family of four in a group of 8 and were offered the CD for $149.

It might have been $149...I think the $199 was on a sign on the wall and we actually paid less. My receipt is in pesos, so I didn't do the conversion, LOL.

 

[WestCoastMama]

OP, it will be my husband's b-day while we are on our MR cruise in October. I would love to surprise him with the canopy tour, he loves active/fast activities. Did you feel like the excursion was worth the cost? What time do you recommend taking the tour, morning/afternoon? And last, how much were the picture packages (if you remember)? It would be nice not to take the camera with us.

 

[lostinyonkers]

Thanks for starting this thread! We are in the first stages of planning our excursions for our MR cruise in September and I love to hear everyone's experiences. LOVE all the pictures, too!

Anyone have any feedback on Las Caletas in PV?

 

[Lissame]

OP, it will be my husband's b-day while we are on our MR cruise in October. I would love to surprise him with the canopy tour, he loves active/fast activities. Did you feel like the excursion was worth the cost? What time do you recommend taking the tour, morning/afternoon? And last, how much were the picture packages (if you remember)? It would be nice not to take the camera with us.

I would recommend taking it in the morning. It actually lasted a LOT longer than they had originally stated. I even complained about this to the shore excursions desk when we got back.
I thought it was definitely worth the cost. It's a pretty involved experience, plus the ride out to the site is very scenic and interesting as well.

I believe the photo CD was $90, but it could be a bit more or a bit less. We had quite a number of photos (which I should post because I now have the CD, but no time at the moment) and although the price was steep it was worth it to me because there was no way I could have taken photos like they did (and they don't let you on this particular excursion either)

One big word of caution: TAKE BUG SPRAY and use it! We all came home with bites that lasted a couple of weeks and were pretty itchy.

 

[Lissame]

Thanks for starting this thread! We are in the first stages of planning our excursions for our MR cruise in September and I love to hear everyone's experiences. LOVE all the pictures, too!

Anyone have any feedback on Las Caletas in PV?

Some of our friends on our cruise went there and loved it, but I have definitely heard mixed reviews from people. I think it depends on what you're wanting from an excursion.