Boat Cruises, Puerto Vallarta

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Su familia and I have been going to Puerto Vallarta for years now and have returned with our own families many times. Each of the last 4 visits we have spent a day aboard the Bloodhound. It is a clipper ship that holds approximately 35 passengers. It has now become a family tradition. If you are traveling in Jan/Feb or early March, they typically go to the Marietas where you will have the opportunity to snorkle and jump off a cliff. We have always seen humpback whales (the breed in banderas bay and mid march migrate back north with their young). For those who don't care for snorkeling, they will take you on bird watching tour (blue boobie birds and frigget birds primarily). Brian the ships captain is American but has been in PV for several years. He is quite knowledgable of some of the marine life and PV in general. Suggest Dramamine...you are in a the pacific ocean in a deep bay (deep enough for the whales to dive) so the water can be choppy. This trip is less commercial and more intimate. Small staff that serve a light breakfast, your favorite mexican beverages and a light lunch. Bring hats, sunscreen as you are in the sun all day. You will moter out to the Marietas and Sail back. We've never been disappointed!

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This is one gorgeous area of the pacific coastline. Getting there by boat & the return trip was just absolutely breathtaking. If we had been going slow enough I would have taken pictures. Upon arrival, the beach & backdrop of the jungle was equallly beautiful. Soft golden sand with plenty of lounge chairs, a pinic area for lunch that was provided & clean bathrooms. There were also many activities you could partake in as well. Take a hike into the jungle. Take an old world mexican cooking lesson. View the interactive parott center. Relax on the beach in the lounge chairs or in the shade of the hammocks, or if you brought your snorkel equipment, snorkel in the calm waters of the bay. Since we had paid an extra fee to scuba dive, as soon as everyone disembarked we geared up for our first dive. We boated out about 15 mins from the bay & descended to 60 feet. One of the reasons I wanted to come to the pacific coast was I wanted to see the big fish. Boy was I dissapointed. I didn't see nada! So when we returned to the dock for our surface interval we opted not to do our 2nd dive & play onshore. Unfortunately, had I known that the diving would have been so bad, I would have paid the money that I had spent for the diving & used it to snorkel with the sea lions. Now, that would have been money well spent, but all in all, it was an enjoyable day. Collecting seashells, playing with the parrots and the spider monkey and the lunch was not bad at all.

Because we were on a 'budget' vacation, we chose the cheapest diving excursion which turned out to be not too bad for what we paid. Be warned, as I'm sure you already know, purchase your excursion through a reputable agency. We used a charter boat company on the Marina and were helped by a most charming american woman. They had all on offer, and advised us well. Our trip which cost about $35 each, was catamaran to a beautiful spot to dive, we were entertained by the wonderful staff .... they were awesome, we then went to a waterfall in the jungle ... very disappointing, I would not repeat this part, and then spent the afternoon on the beach. On the way back, we met up with a school of dolphins who escorted us into the port. (if I didn't know better, I would've sworn the dolphins were on the payroll!!)

Because we were on a 'budget' vacation, we chose the cheapest diving excursion which turned out to be not too bad for what we paid. Be warned, as I'm sure you already know, purchase your excursion through a reputable agency. We used a charter boat company on the Marina and were helped by a most charming american woman. They had all on offer, and advised us well. Our trip which cost about $35 each, was catamaran to a beautiful spot to dive, we were entertained by the wonderful staff .... they were awesome, we then went to a waterfall in the jungle ... very disappointing, I would not repeat this part, and then spent the afternoon on the beach. On the way back, we met up with a school of dolphins who escorted us into the port. (if I didn't know better, I would've sworn the dolphins were on the payroll!!)

Tours:
Rhythms of the Night tour was the highlight of our vacation. It
started with a boat ride across the bay right at sunset. . .very
pretty and we saw dolphins jumping along the side of the boat!!!!
Then we got to a private secluded beach you can only get to by boat
that was once owned by john houston, i believe. We had dinner on the
beach - food was excellent and there was no electric light - only
torches and candlelight after that, there was a tribal show with the
costumes, body paint, good dancing, and fire twirlers then, on the
boat ride back they had open bar and music and they turned down the
lights so that we could see the stars and we
danced on the boat.
It was very romantic.

My husband surprised me with tickets to this event. It was a lot of fun.

According to the web site, "A scenic sunset cruise across Banderas Bay takes you to the isolated cove of Las Caletas, where flickering torches, gently lapping seas and swaying palms set the mood for a mesmerizing performance deep within the tropical forest that will captivate your heart and leave you breathless."

The boat ride was very nice and scenic. The crew members were a lot of fun.

Once we arrived at Las Caletas, we made our way down a torch-lit path to where we watched a wonderful show telling a story of ancient civilization through music and modern dance.

After the show, we made our way to our table. We sat at a rather secluded table overlooking the beach. There were tables on the beach itself. How romantic! The food was delicious, as was the wine.

The price for the cruise/dinner/show is $75 per person, but very much worth it. It was a wonderfully romantic evening.

Through the Club Marival resort, we set up a boat tour to search for whales and dolphins. It was $40 per person, for the afternoon. We took a cab to the dock and boarded the boat. It was my first time on a boat. *woohoo*

The drinks were flowing on the boat and one patron had a bit too many. To make a long story short, he and his adult son got into a fight and the gentleman proceeded to toss articles of clothing as well as pesos over the side of the boat. It was quite entertaining.

In any event, we saw a number of whales, and many dolphins. The dolphins liked to play in the waves created by the boat. Unfortunately, each time I tried to get a photo of a whale, it was too late, or I ended up getting another tourist in the photo instead. To see the whales in person was a wonderful experience. I would do it again in a heart beat.

If you do go on a whale watching excursion, bring lots of film or memory cards and keep your eyes peeled. You never know what you may see. (Both on and off the boat!)

Out of all the cruises I went on in Puerto Vallarta( 4 of them), The Pirate sunset cruise was the best. It is called the Marigalante. Dinner and drinks are free. As soon as you approach the ship the party begins. They have contests, dancing, Indian rituals and of course the pirate show. The whole cruise was entertaining. Just don't forget to see the sunset while enjoying the shows.

This is the first photo I shot from my balcony. It was 9pm, and the lighted ship came right as the sun was setting and then unexpectedly fireworks went off, I had my camera ready. It was a nice warm humid breeze on my skin, felt so good to see the sights and hear the sounds of Puerto Vallarta once again, this time from a nice view from above the city, which was only 5 blocks from the Malecon and up a flt of switchback steps.

There are several operators that sell cruises in the Bay of Banderas. Yes they are basically booze cruises, but they can be fun for an afternoon.

Ours went to Los Arcos where we went snorkeling and an isolated beach where I swam and kayaked and we ate lunch. Different cruises go to different locations.
See my travelogue "Dancer Cruise" for more details

There are also several operators at the Marina and at the Playa de Los Muertos pier that will hire their boats for snorkelling and/or diving trips, or fishing trips.