Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Las Caletas

Tiki Shop Girl — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:52:34 GMT

I almost hesitate to write this because I want to be selfish and keep this jewel of an excursion a bit of a "secret", but we're here to share the joys..right? :)

Back in 2002, we took our first cruise on the Elation; a 7-day Mexican Riv cruise. It was not only our first cruise, but our first family vacation as well. At the time, our kids were 12, 14, and 16, so we wanted to do shore excursions that would be fun for everyone. Obviously, shopping tours, winery tours, etc. weren't going to make them happy. We're also not much into animal "adventures" because well, some of them are a bit too exploitative for our taste and since we already live in SoCal, we're pretty lucky to get close to sea life that live free and wild here already. So..what to do? Back then, there weren't nearly as many shore excursions as there are now, so we vascillated between something with some historic significance that we thought the kids might enjoy learning; a tour of Colonial San Sebastian or something just plain silly and fun, like a pirate ship tour.

Over our first evening dinner, we were enjoying the company of our tablemates; another family who were on their 3rd cruise on the Mex Riv. We told them of our predicament. The young man in this family got excited and said; "Oh, hands down, you MUST do Las Caletas! We've done other tours before, but Las Caletas is THE BEST!" Then he went on to describe the day. My husband and I looked at the kids and asked them what they thought. The young man told us we would not be disappointed. So, that very evening, I went to the shore excursion desk and booked us on the Las Caletas tour.

When we got to P.V., we were escorted to a boat along with other Las Caletas tourists. We were told to bring our swimsuits, sunscreen, and our happy faces. The boat crew that took us to our remote little island getaway made the time pass quickly with a little entertainment (they were hilarious!). Then, we disembarked on a beautiful little beach dotted with palapa'ed cabanas over hammocks just calling our names! Everything was there for our enjoyment; kayaks, snorkel gear, cabana boys and girls bringing us drinks on the beach. We could explore the hillside where there were parrots in trees, my husband and younger daughter went to a cooking class and learned how to make Paella (which we then enjoyed as part of the FANTASTIC lunch buffet), my other daughter and my son kayaked and snorkled the afternoon away. The best part? There were NO radios, televisions, cell phones! In fact, there was no electricity. They cooked over gas burners and barbeques. We got a little John Huston history (this was his island). It was the most amazing day. When it was time to go, we were sorry to leave, but it was one of our most cherished family memories. When we met our tablemates for dinner that night, we were just glowing! And the kids went on and on about their fabulous day. Now, 7 years later, our kids who are now 20, 22, and 24, STILL talk about that day at Las Caletas. They still call it one of the best days of their lives.

Cut to 2008. We went on another MexRiv cruise with my sister and her husband...no kids this time...to celebrate our wedding anniversaries. We had raved and raved about Las Caletas to them and they wanted to see for themselves. So, we booked Las Caletas again. I HOPED that things hadn't changed too much. I wanted it to be as beautiful and "rustic" as it was back then. We were not disappointed! My sister still says that was one of the highlights of her first-time cruise experience.

Remember, it's NOT a tour. You're not going to be walking around being led by a guide. It's a "beach day". You can do what you want there and there's a lot to do, but it's all based on beach-type activities in a beautiful, secluded environment. The staff there bend over backwards to make it a wonderful day. You can hike, chat with new friends, lounge on the beach, hang in a hammock, swim, snorkel, kayak. The only thing different about it this last time was that they've added a "sea lion adventure" right in the little harbor there which was a bit disappointing, but the people who were signed up for that seemed to enjoy it. The sea lion was a bit "barky". Other than that, its still an awesome day. I'd do it again, and again, with, or without kids. Oh, we did this in October WITH our kids and in April WITHOUT our kids...both times, the weather was simply glorious.

We're sailing to Ensenada in a couple weeks and I WISH there were a Las Caletas there!

Pua

Sea Safari/Hidden Beach/Snokel Excursion???

RLS — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 18:14:40 GMT

We are cruising on the Splendor on 2-14-10 and we are thinking about this excursion in Puerto Vallarta. Just curious is anyone has been on it & what they thought?

Thanks!

Sea Safari & Hidden Beach & Snorkel

Just a short walk from your ship, your guides will provide a safety briefing before boarding your speed boat.
Zip along the shores of Banderas Bay en route to Quimixto and Pizota, two hidden jewels which are only accessible by sea.
Your first stop is the remote seaside village of Quimixto; land your inflatable boat right on the beach and enjoy a leisurely horseback ride through the jungle to arrive at a breathtaking waterfall.
Cool off with a refreshing swim in the waterfall and then continue your boat ride to Pizota, a remote fishing village with the tropical ambiance you’d expect to find on a South Seas island.
After enjoying a freshly prepared buffet lunch, you can relax on the beautiful beach, swim, explore the jungle, kayak along the pristine shores, or walk through the quaint village to get a glimpse of how the locals live.
You’ll be mesmerized by the beauty and tranquility of this remote village, offering the perfect opportunity to relax and unwind before returning to Puerto Vallarta.

Sea Safari/ Hidden Beaches & Snorkel excursion info

RLS — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 18:00:06 GMT

removed double post...sorry! lol

Dolphin Excursions

SKS — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 02:46:07 GMT

Is any of the dolphin excursions worth the money? Are they in a tank or fenced in on the ocean shore? Can a non-participant come along?

Help appreciated;

SKS

Yelapa Beach & Majauitas Snorkel Adventure

Del — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 03:29:05 GMT

Looking for info on this excursion. Do you snorkel from the boat or from the beach? Is it difficult to get into and out of the boat?

Sea Lion Encounter

ILoveLucy — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:42:22 GMT

Hello Everyone,

Has anyone been on the Sea Lion Encounter Excursion in PV? I am thinking about booking this excursion, but would like to know personal experiences and feedback. Thank you!!

Tours

lfite — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 00:30:13 GMT

I am looking for a tour for the day we are in port. Can anyone tell me what is the best tour to take? I do not want to do any of the dolphin or sea lion tours.

Rhythms of the Night

Kat Atomic Grrl — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 21:19:13 GMT

Just curious if anyone has done the the Rhythms of the Night excursion. I was looking throught the booklet and it sounded interesting.

Has anyone done the rain forest-horseback-BBQ excursion?

sandiegoteacher — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 00:03:44 GMT

Hello Everyone,

Just wondering what your impressions were of the excursion. Apparently it is a new excursion and I was wondering if those of you who have gone on it would recommend it or not.

Whales, Dolphin & Snorkeling?

themoores89 — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:46:36 GMT

Has anyone gone on the "new" Whales, Dolphin & Snorkeling or the Wild Dolphins & Snorkeling excursions? DW and I are planning to book the Splendor of Feb 2010 and these two excursions sounded great. I haven't seen any reviews of them yet. From the discriptions they go to the same place and offer the same activites for the same price. Are there any real differences, or is just the providers are different?

Shore Excursions

DownunderFamily — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 20:37:52 GMT

G'day

We are travelling on carnival splendor in April and have a day from 10am to 10pm at Puero Vallarta. We have booked a royal swim with the dolpins. The only time we could book is for 3pm. We are a family of 4 (2 adults & 2 kids). Does anyone have any suggestions for activities before and after the dolphins? Any tips of things do to and not to miss?

Thanks, Julie

PS. Prayers and thoughts to love ones suffering through the Victorian Bush Fires in Oz.

Sailing Banderas Bay Excursion

Del — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 03:31:18 GMT

Do you snorkel from the boat or from the beach?

How far is the Super Wal-Mart

Chacooe — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 03:55:34 GMT

I was wondering if someone can walk to the Super Wal-Mart in PV or is there another way to get there. I have seen pictures that is it close, but I have a problem walking any distance and I am trying to find out how far it is.

dolphin swim in puerto vallarta

kim — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 22:54:04 GMT

has anyone done the dolphin signature swim in puerto vallarta or the royal dolphin swim and sea life park in puerto vallarta?

i want to know if in the dolphin signature swim you get to be pulled and pushed by the dolphins like you are able to in the royal dolphin swim.

i also want to know how long the session is for the royal dolphin swim? the excursion is 3 hours, but that includes a sealion show, a dolphin show, 2 hours at water slides, and the time to get there and back.

thanks for teh help

Pasoes?

Drea — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 01:28:32 GMT

So do we need Pasoes or do most places want dollors? Is this a silly question?

Just returned Jan 11

vcundy — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 21:26:59 GMT

Our group of 6 booked a Canopy tour on our own through Canopy Tours de los Veranos. It was AMAZING. The cost was $68 pp Their website is

http://www.canopytours-vallarta.com/info/index.htm

When we docked in PV we made our way past all the vendors and tour operators and visited the Market area for some shopping....I recommend shopping either here or Mazatlan as Cabo is very expensive for the same things. We then hired a cab to take us to the tour office which was 20 mins away. We we able to get all 6 of us for a cost of $24 total. When we asked about price they first wanted $6 pp or tried to get us to pay $40 for our group for a private van.....the trick here is to always neg. down the price for your drivers because we found that by knowing what others had paid for the same thing we realize they start high on their prices and will go down.

The tour operators for our canopy adventure was fantastic. Once we arrived at the tour office we had a short wait until the bus arrived to take us up into the mountains about a 30-40 ride. They provide free lockers to leave your belongings, gear you up, give you the basic info and off you go....they even let you take your own camera........this tour included 14 platforms......and the guides we just awesome. My 65 yr old mother who we didn't think was going to try, had the most fun of all. This tour is not the same as the one you book on the ship......the ship has a couple of options a basic canopy and an extreme canopy...I've heard good things about both.....we did this on our own basically because it was much cheaper and had good reviews. If you have problems walking short distances up slightly steep elevations or climbing stairs it might be a little rough for you. At the end of the Zip lines, you can have lunch or visit the monkeys or other animals. It was really a perfect day. A word of caution, the ships time and PV time are not the same, so if you book on your own be aware of the time differences. We booked a 12 noon tour and had no problems......we were back at the ship by 4:30 or 5 pm.......we then walked over to Walmart which is only a couple blocks away and stopped back by the Market for shopping before getting back on board the ship.

swimming w/ the dolphins

Mrsbessermin — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 23:05:32 GMT

i need to know if it worth the money and if it is as good as the one in cabo

Shore Excursion in Puerta Vallarta...not so good....

Natalie — Sun, 04 May 2008 05:26:54 GMT

My husband and friends decided to do the ATV excursion in Puerta Vallarta. We cruised on The Pride from April 14-21. Let me say this: we are still disturbed by what we saw. The same company that offers the ATV excursion also offers the horseback riding excursion. The horses had NO water, NO food and NO hay! There were dead animals (we counted five) still in with the living animals. There were weak animals that couldn't get up off the ground. My friend has a ranch in Montana with 30 horses and said they are keeping those horses weak so that they don't buck off the novice riders. The area the guides took us through was dirty! There was trash everywhere....we were extremely disturbed by the way the horses and cattle were treated. Their bones were sticking out. They used a horse that had a HUGE bone spur for people to sit on him in the water. UGH! We all left this info on our comment card and have not heard from Carnival. I'm STILL waiting to hear from somone. We find it odd that Carnival will align itself with a company that doesn't abide by the ASPCA rules and guidelines for the proper treatment of animals. I understand we were in Mexico. But for God's sake, so some research and find a company that can take proper care of their animals. It is heart breaking! We also found that where the ship ports, it is VERY dirty in Puerta Vallarta. We did a second excursion later on in the day that was absolutely amazing: Rhythm of the night. DO THIS EXCURSION. It is the most amazing experience ever. We LOVED it. I don't know, is there anyone else out there who feels horrible for these horses in these third world countries that aren't cared for properly? Yet, tourists sign up to so the horseback rides and it is just so sad.

Hot in Puerto Vallerto

jqh — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 00:54:56 GMT

My husband and I went last June and it was SOOO hot. Pass out hot! Please don't leave the ship without water.

Is Carnival Pride on ship time or local time?

Star — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 17:12:46 GMT

I am going on a Mexican Riviera cruise next month on Carnival Pride. One of the ports is Puerto Vallarta. I am trying to book excursions on my own but still confused on if this ships arrival & departure times are ship time or local time. I called Carnival and they said local time but in several CruiseCritic comments I read it was ship time and be careful when booking excursions. I am looking for confirmation for others that went on this cruise.

Sea Lion Snorkel at Las Caletas

amandas262 — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 04:36:06 GMT

Has anyone taken the shore excursion in Puerto called the Sea Lion Snorkel at Las Caletas? It is offered through the cruise line and looks great but I cannot find any information about it and it is rather pricey.

Jeep Excursion

CACruisin — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 18:08:30 GMT

Excursion question

	Has anyone taken the Jeep excusion thru Carnival while in Puerto Vallarta? If so, can anyone answer if you are allowed to only have two people in the Jeep. The details specify that they are four people Jeeps but we are only a group of two and were not sure if that meant we would have others in the back or if we could go alone...if anyone has done the Jeep Excursion and can answer I would appreciate it. Also, their opinion of the excursion would be appreciated.