Having never done an excursion/tour, but wanting to visit Yelapa this time down, I booked an excursion on the Princesa Yelapa with Inside Vallarta Travel. My wife is not a big fan of little boats, and therefore a water taxi option was eliminated as soon as she saw an online photo of a water taxi.
I posted on Trip Advisor looking for feedback on this tour company, and got negative feedback from a couple of posters that are very knowledgeable about PV.
We like the idea that it departs from the Maritime marina as we stay at the GCP. We like the idea that it looks like a decent size vessel, so my wife will(hopefully) enjoy the trip.
Does anyone on this board have first hand experience with this tour/company, or maybe a better suggestion/alternate tour company? We are not big boozers, but do like the idea of "open bar", as a couple of cold cervezas on the way back sounds nice. We were qouted 500 pesos/person, which sounds reasonable for transportation and open bar.
I am concerned I made a bad choice based on the feedback from TA, but wanted to see if there was anyone else out there that may not be on TA that could provide feedback either positive or negative.
Thank you.
Inside Vallarta Travel
Moderators:admin, Moderators
Roowie,
Princess Yelapa is an older boat but I have been on it several times and I have never had any problems.
Keep in mind that often times on TA there are people there promoting their own agendas/pocketbooks who will give you feedback based on that. I believe you are going down soon, correct? If so you will not find the boat all that crowded because it just isn't that busy until almost the end of Nov. (around Thanksgiving). I think your wife (since she is not a fan of small boats) will be fine with the boat. IMHO none of the food on the cruise boats is anything to write home about but you said you were going to have lunch on the beach in Yelapa so you should be fine. My only problem with tour boats vs. a private charter is that you "have to go on their schedule", so you can't stay a little longer if you want to, etc. If you decide to go snorkeling at Los Arcos just be aware they don't stay there very long (none of the tour boats do) so get in quickly so you can make the most of the time you are there.
If you let me know when you are going, I will try to find out who is working on the boat that you can ask for by name and for sure you will get good service.
Princess Yelapa is an older boat but I have been on it several times and I have never had any problems.
Keep in mind that often times on TA there are people there promoting their own agendas/pocketbooks who will give you feedback based on that. I believe you are going down soon, correct? If so you will not find the boat all that crowded because it just isn't that busy until almost the end of Nov. (around Thanksgiving). I think your wife (since she is not a fan of small boats) will be fine with the boat. IMHO none of the food on the cruise boats is anything to write home about but you said you were going to have lunch on the beach in Yelapa so you should be fine. My only problem with tour boats vs. a private charter is that you "have to go on their schedule", so you can't stay a little longer if you want to, etc. If you decide to go snorkeling at Los Arcos just be aware they don't stay there very long (none of the tour boats do) so get in quickly so you can make the most of the time you are there.
If you let me know when you are going, I will try to find out who is working on the boat that you can ask for by name and for sure you will get good service.
thank you
Thanks for taking the time to share your opinions. Kat, We will be going to PV November 2nd, and are going on the Princesa Yelapa on Monday morning, the 3rd.
Any insider tips, or assistance you could provide would be greatly appreciated!
Louie
Any insider tips, or assistance you could provide would be greatly appreciated!
Louie
update
We ended up doing this tour on Monday 11/3. We left the cruise ship marina at 9:45 am. Wife and I got 2 (of the 6) chairs on the top level to get maximum sun. Fruit platter and juices served. As we arrived at Los Arcos, snorkeling was inc. so we snorkeled. It was also a great opportunity to jump in and cool off. The water there was beautiful. On the way, we spotted 4 dolphins swimming with our boat.
We then traveled to Los Animos, where we docked for an hour. Enough time to enjoy some Coronas at a little beach restaurant there.
After that, it was off to Yelapa. We docked there for almost 2 hours. I actually enjoyed Los Animos better. The ride back was great. We sat on the lower deck for the shade, but also because thats where the action was. The crew was dancing and getting the passengers singing along and dancing too. The open bar started right after the snorkeling, and it was fun sipping a beer, singing and winding down after a full day in the sun.
The price was 500 pesos per person, but we had a blast! I would definately recommend this company and this excursion.
We then traveled to Los Animos, where we docked for an hour. Enough time to enjoy some Coronas at a little beach restaurant there.
After that, it was off to Yelapa. We docked there for almost 2 hours. I actually enjoyed Los Animos better. The ride back was great. We sat on the lower deck for the shade, but also because thats where the action was. The crew was dancing and getting the passengers singing along and dancing too. The open bar started right after the snorkeling, and it was fun sipping a beer, singing and winding down after a full day in the sun.
The price was 500 pesos per person, but we had a blast! I would definately recommend this company and this excursion.
