Puerto Vallarta - Travelling Downtown Independently November 2024

Surprised to see we are docked at berth number 2.  The NCL Bliss is at pier 3 and no ship is at 1.  Never have seen this before.

We wander off and walk to the terminal building.  There is also a small shuttle that transports guests for free, but it is only an 8 min walk. 

We refuse to walk the gauntlet of shops in the terminal.  So just as you are about to enter the duty free shop we head straight as if we are walking to the flea market.  Then we just walk along the street to the main drag to catch a bus.

It is busy at the stop.  It is very hot!  We are already tired.  When a taxi driver offers a ride and quotes us the right amount of $10 to the malecon we are in.  Now you can take the bus.  It is only 19 pesos.  But we are glad we took a taxi.

We stroll along the malecon.  It is nice to walk,  it is crazy busy.  Lots of people are on vacation due to Thanksgiving week.

After a few blocks we have had our fill of the crowds and we walk inland three blocks and then turn right and enjoy the quieter streets.

We pass the cathedral with all the tours getting ready to go in.  We pass.  We are on a mission, but not a religous mission.  

Our friend at home, Kim, use to live here.  She had her son here.  She told us the address and we thought, why not seek it out.  Up a hill, then up a staircase, then up another hill. And just pass Casa Kimberly, the iconic home of Elizabeth Taylor that Richard Burton bought her.  Then up more stairs.  Here it is!  Cool.

We stroll back down into town on a different street and cross Gringo Gulch in the Romantic Zone.  We do a bit of shopping, picking up 2 more glasses to match the ones we bought a few years ago.  And I got a cute pair of earrings.

Back into El Centro We spot some whales not far from the shore so we sit and enjoy the scene,  until a family stands right in front of us to watch too!  Why they stood right in front I have no idea.  There was tons of space.  Didn't help we are feeling grumpy.  Remember, little sleep, and we are hot.  So we stand up and start walking.

We decide to take a taxi back to the Walmart.  $10 again, woot woot, normally I am always frustrated with the taxis trying to scam the cruisers.  Maybe they are turning over a new leaf.

We walk into Walmart, along with a ton of crew.  We need to pick up some items.  Conditioner, moisturizer, sunscreen, soda, 2 bags of chips, Bernie is craving them.  And a few Xmas treats, oh and a bottle of wine and a six pack of Pacifico.  We have had no issue bringing on a bottle of wine or a six pack of beer.

We decide to venture to one of our favorite taco stands,  it is just up the street to the right of the Sam Club.  There is a market there, and the taco stand is on the south west corner.  I don't know the name but a lot of crew go there,  it isn't fancy.  Stools, narrow tables and a bag of napkins hangs from above.  

4 tacos, a Pepsi and a beer for 165 pesos.  We gave them 200 and so for $10 US we are stuffed.  

Cabo San Lucas Overnight

We are scheduled to arrive at 1 pm and we are here overnight until 4 pm the next day.  Tendering will continue until 11 pm and resume the next morning at 6 am.  

At 1130 I had guests asking about getting off the ship!  I explained we don't start handing out tender tickets until 1:15.  But they must be eager to get off.

We are in a further away position and there is quite a swell too, so tendering is taking a lot longer.  Also there is a large Carnival ship in.   So patience is needed.

After my lecture, then my desk hours, I grabbed a bite to eat.  I then had to film the wake show and by then the queue for tendering is still taking a long time so we decide to stay on.  

A lot of guests have stayed on.

At 4 pm they had a folkloric show in the theater.  

The next morning we are up early and off by 830.  No queue for tenders we just walked right down.

It is Hot 🔥!   

One thing we noticed is there is a large police presence today.  This is because the President of Mexico is in town.  

We walk along the malecon and I get some updated information for my talks.  Prices for water shuttles mainly.

We head to the store to pick up some essentials.  And we grab a coffee and people watch.

By noon we are hungry and head to our favorite spot.  El Buro Loco.  

This is not a touristy spot.  This is where the locals go.   It is about a 15 min walk from the marina.  But for great food from a locally run business, try it.

We share a combo plate and chorizo con queso.  They now have a liquor license so we get a beer and I get a hibiscus margarita.  In total the bill came to $40 US.  

We walked back but a taxi would be about $5.

Day of the dead is coming up and the city is getting ready.  Lots of alters and statues all around.

Passengers Again

Have to say that both of us have really been looking forward to being passengers again.  Today marks that day as we sail the first seven day Mexican Itinerary.  

We move from our Guest Entertainer's cabin.  Which I must say was quite nice and had two portholes to an inside sideways cabin on Aloha deck.

I know Bernie is happy to be getting the free laundry back - especially the ironing.  

We have lots of good friends coming on board this sailing - John and Leslie, Darcy, and our friend Meghan.

I have always enjoyed the 7 day Mexican Riviera cruise and I am excited to be doing it again after two years.

I am sad too because this will be our last sailing with Michael Prasse the Hotel General Manager for a while.  He will be on this ship (unless he changes) on the West Coast and we don't foresee sailing the West Coast now that we live on the East Coast.

So sit back and enjoy as I continue with my blogging.  I have missed doing it, but I also enjoyed the freedom of not having to do it daily.  So I can mention now that I am not sure how often I will report but when the urge hits and I have something to say I will report. 

Costa Maya

We arrive early.  

It is nice to be back!  Last time it rained and we were washed out at the beach.  Today it is very hot and humid.

Neither of us is in a rush to get off.  We don't sail until 6 pm.  

We are slow to get dressed and head out for breakfast.  For Bernie it is up in the World Fresh Marketplace that has some very yummy and fresh fruit. Plus he then gets his oatmeal and toast.

For me I meet him down in the International Cafe, where we sip coffees and I enjoy the yogurt parfait.

It is a very long pier which you do have to walk to the bend (shown above) to board the free shuttle trolley.  We just walked.  Note when we returned to the port around 4 pm there was no more shuttle service.

Around 1200 we head ashore.  Of course Bernie is still having issues with his cruise card.  Each time he goes through security he has to go aside and they have to manually note his cruise card number and cabin number.  We will check again at the Purser's desk when we come back on.

We walk thru the maze of the port terminal.  Which is very frustrating as they make you walk past all the shops, restaurants, bars, restroom, pool, you name it. Signage is not that good and many are lost.  Since we have been here before we know the way out.  So if you are needing a tip, just walk to the left around the pool to the far left side towards the lockers then turn right on the outer rim of the shops.  

Port gate.  You can see the taxis lined up on the left.

When we get to the port gate (note the taxi is cheaper outside the port gate).  We get in a cab and head to the town of Mahahual only 5 minutes away.  

The cab recommends Big Mammas restaurant, beach club.  We stop and check it out and well it looks good and they have two lounge chairs available so we plop ourselves down.

I would link Big Mamma's but I don't really want to as I don't recommend my followers to go there.

  

Our server was friendly and gave us the menu.  Wow this place is not cheap (drinks are cheap though) considering it is a beach bar/restaurant.

He ask if we wanted a bucket of beer -- 5 for $20.  But I glance at the menu and it says beer $3 or bucket for $13.  I point this out and he says "oh that is for the smaller beers" okay so Bernie orders the $3 del Sol beer but it is a bigger one and we are charged $3 for it.  Right away I feel a little taken advantage of.  

I ordered a mango margarita that was very good for $7.  But I really could not taste any alcohol in it.  So I tried a Paloma that was also $7 as it is tequila and a grapefruit soda. Again it does not taste strong.  

So drinks are reasonable.  

We are choosing what to eat when the waiter comes around with a red snapper and says he recommends we try this.  A large fish and it does look good but the prices is $45!  Wow a bit steep (tack on 35% exchange rate for us in Canada).  Now if it was a nice sit down restaurant with great service I could justify that cost.  But not here.

In the end we order the Big Mamma Platter that consisted of a Chili relenos, 2 quesadillas and 2 fried tacos with beans and guacamole and tortillas.  

He said that dish was just for one.  We said we would share and we were adamant.  And boy I am glad we were as it was huge - check it out.

The view here is amazing.  The water was like bath water and we really did enjoy it.  The food was good, but not great.  Service was okay.  We probably would not go back to Big Mamas and can not really recommend it.

The final bill for two beers and two cocktails and the platter was $60 plus they added a tax! You have to pay with cash as there would be an added fee to pay with credit card.

There is a lot of sea grass here.  In fact there is a lot of sea grass all over the Caribbean.  We were told that it has to do with the warmer temperature of the ocean.  Here is a picture from last week we took at sea - check out all that sea grass!

Back on board Bernie heads to the Purser's desk and it seems everyone is at a loss as to why he is not getting his picture on the new system. The manager says they will send a message to IT.  Of course we only have one more port so it is not a big issue.  I am actually glad these bugs are happening now so they can get worked out.

We are both covered in salt from the ocean.  We need to cool off too so we return to the cabin and have showers and spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing and I write up my blog.

Tonight is our Most Travelled Guest Party.  It is also a Formal Night which is a bit of a pain as we really don't have formal clothes so we will dress nicely and attend the party.  Normally afterwards we are not hungry for supper.

Tomorrow we are in Cozumel.

Thanks for following.

Mazatlán

Today room service is delivered right on time.  We tried the online order last night.  It was easy to complete and it is exactly like the paper one but no worry of it not getting picked up or taken. Once you place the order you receive a confirmation.

We dock early (7 am) but we are meeting up with Paula until 9:30.  Oh first I should apologize I have been calling Paula by the name Lisa by accident, even referred to her in my blog by Lisa yesterday.  I will go back and correct it later. 

But today I got it straight – we now call her Lisa/Paula.
We get off and jump on the trolley that takes you from the ship to the pier shops and gate. 

As soon as we step off the trolley we are approached by many people selling us tours, timeshares, taxis, tequila, t shirts and everything else as you walk the gaulette to the exit. 

But we make it, but if you are interested you can buy tons of things here.

Today we are heading to Stone Island.  Prior to today I did some research and found out how easy it is to go to Stone Island independently. The ship does have a tour here and I am sure it is great but we are looking for a totally different experience. 

So as soon as you exit the pier turn left, walk along the sidewalk for about five minutes. 


You will come to the end of the road and on your left is a secure area that looks like a military compound – obviously don’t go there. 

But straight ahead is a sign that says Stone Island and a path, walk down it for a few minutes and you come across a building that sells the tickets.  It was 30 pesos each for a return ticket.  We walk down to the pier and board the little boat (they have lifejackets). The ride is very very short.

When you get off the boat just follow the path to the beach and find a nice place to lounge and have a drink or food.

For us we stopped at Carlittas. Alex came down and talked to us and it looked good so we took up three lounge chairs and an umbrella.

Victors (which was recommended quite a bit on other sites) was just two restaurants away but it was not open today (it may just be open on weekends).

So this is where we hung out for the rest of the day.  Bernie got a bucket of beers, I got a margarita and we got food a little later on.

Service was great, food was good, drinks were cold and Alex even replenished the ice for our drinks too. There are clean washrooms here too and even a shower.

When we were ready to go we just walked back to the pier and a boat was there (but I am sure you would not have to wait long).

We got off the boat at 3:05 and we were on board the ship at 3:20 so it is not far.